LOVE OR RIDE | LESTAPPEN

Chapter thirty-three - family reunion

Charles

"Pierre I can't talk now!" I shout, and a pot falls on the panels behind me.

"What are you doing?" asks the confused boy as I turn up the phone because I can't hear anything.

"I mean Daniel is trying to kill Max!" I shout, turning towards the guys and now it's Max running after Daniel. "I mean Max is trying to kill Daniel! No, the other way around again!" the pan flies towards me, so at the last moment I move away, and it hits the wall.

"I'm five minutes away." Pierre hangs up, and I watch with resignation as the guys jostle, shout and throw whatever they have at hand at each other.

I tried to separate them, but it didn't do anything, so I gave up. When they woke up, and I told them everything about yesterday, they suddenly went crazy and went back to being enemies, because they have been trying to kill each other for an hour. Or not. At first they were just shouting, but when Daniel unwittingly got me involved, Max pushed him and started a war.

"You're going to renovate this house." I say seriously, but none of them care. So I sit down on the couch, watching them.

"I told you to stay away from him!" shouts Max, pushing Daniel against the wall. I wince as the painting falls and the glass shatters into tiny pieces.

"You're already out of your mind when you fall in love! Go treat yourself idiot!" Daniel pushes the Red Bull driver away from him and grabs a vase, throwing it in his direction, but misses. He throws him over the boy, and he falls to the carpet. Flowers and water fly out of it, and I close my eyes, counting to ten in my head.

"You're the one who fucked up when you had a choice between me or Formula!"

"Enough!" I shout, and they both freeze in place, silent. They look at me in shock, as if they can't believe I can shout. "That's the end of it. I'm sick and tired of listening and watching your childish pushing."

"But he's the one who..."

"I don't care, Max." I interrupt him. "You're friends to hell. Both of you should always be supportive of each other. I know, Max, that you won't let anyone speak ill of me, but for God's sake, you won't change everyone's mind about me. If Daniel thinks otherwise, accept it, not throw fucking pots at him!" I wave my hands in the air. "And you, Daniel, think if this sport is worth losing your friend. Not to mention how you wanted to smash a vase in his face. Seriously, how old the hell are you two?" I say brokenly, and they glance at each other reproachfully.

"I'm sorry, Max. You know that's all..."

"I'm sorry, too." he is interrupted by my boyfriend, and I am looking at them with a smile when suddenly a tired and frightened Pierre runs into the room.

"They've already killed themselves?" he asks me and wrinkles his eyebrows as he looks at the guys, who look at him confused. "Oh..." He scratches the back of his neck, glancing at me, and I shrug my shoulders with a smile.

***

"Relax, they'll love you." I say as Max squeezes my hand as we walk toward my family home. My mother invited us to dinner, and it helped that Max was partying last night, he decided to come with me when I already wanted to call and cancel that dinner.

"What if your mother doesn't like me?" he asks terrified.

"Then she'll shake hands with your father." I roll my eyes, at which I am met with his embarrassed look. "I'm kidding. Calm down, Maxie, everyone who gets to know you better falls in love with you, because you are a wonderful person." I smile, knocking on the door.