m4xgirlie

[m4xgirlie]

NOTICE: As more and more fanfic writers are using generative AI for their works (you uncreative dweebs), I hereby swear on everything I hold dear that I have not and will NEVER use generative AI in ANY of my written work. Everything I post will be organically and creatively my own.

[m4xgirlie]

woooo definitely a longer one!! but i genuinely hope you all enjoy this one!! i’ll be writing another chapter set to release hopefully saturday!! word count: 3,758 masterlist

A Surprising Invite C7

Max had been at her apartment for the last 2 months, only leaving briefly for testings, meetings, fittings, or appearances he needed to make. Otherwise, he had come back to Raela each time as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if he was meant to. As if her apartment was always his home. Raela had grown comfortable with his presence, always happy to see him return, and Fable was elated to have another presence in the home.

With Fable being at her grandmother’s for a sleepover and cookie baking, Raela had made herself comfortable on the couch to read while Max was out doing some shopping. With the sound of a key in the knob, Raela looked up from her perch, sat with a cup of coffee, grinning as he came through the door, but as she noticed the grim look on his face she felt concern wash over her immediately.

“Max, are you alright?” She asked softly, setting her mug of coffee and her book face down on the coffee table, standing up to walk over to him.

“I want to ask you something, and it would seem I’ve driven myself mad with anxiety about your response.” Max replies softly, smirking as he chuckles to himself. Raela sighs and smirks with him.

“Well then, best get it out so you’re not anxious anymore.” She soothes as she takes his hand, coaxing him over to the couch so they could sit down. As they sat, Raela positioned herself facing Max, one leg tucked under her as the other hung off the couch. Max leaned back and rested his head on his fist, smirking over at her before his face became solemn again.

“You know the F1 75 event is coming up.” Max supplies, his tone more of a statement, both of them having been aware since before the 2024 season was even over. Raela nods, understanding that this means he’ll have to leave, unsure of when they’ll see each other again.

“I know, but I know we can find a way-“ Max interrupts her softly.

“I want you to be my plus one.” He speaks quickly, closing his eyes and grimacing at himself as he clearly mispronounces the word ‘want’ in his haste to get the statement out. Max can feel his cheeks flaring brightly, but soon peaks from one eye as Raela begins to giggle.

“Well, that’s certainly not what I expected. I’m not so sure my mom can watch Fable the entire time I’m in England.” She speaks softly, a look of remorse in her eyes.

“Then bring her with. You have a passport for her already, yeah?” Max states easily, shrugging. Raela’s face morphs into shock, before swinging to deep in thought.

“You’re okay with her just- coming with?” Raela asks.

“Yes. I want you there. You and Fable are a package deal, therefore I want Fable there. Need to have the two best cheerleaders I can think of cheering my name.” Max grins easily, a strong gleam of mischief and a hint of chaos in his eyes. Raela laughs again, louder this time as she nods her head.

“Well alright, I guess you’ll have your cheerleaders.” Max cheered before diving in to hug Raela who happily hugged him back. But at that moment a thought dawned on Raela, making her pull away to look at him.

“Wait- this will have so many implications- the press, your team, the event staff-“ Before she could finish, Max laid a gentle kiss on her forehead, resting his forehead on hers and speaking in an even softer voice after.

“I know. I’ve thought about those too. Raela, I’ve essentially lived with you for two months, and I’ve felt like I’ve found my slice of heaven on Earth. If you’re okay with it, I want those to be the implications.” He moves his head back to look her in the eyes. “My press team needs a little chaos to start their 2025.” He laughs easily, causing Raela to laugh as well.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m a societal nobody and you only have my snapchat.” Raela laughs, warmth radiating in her chest. “I’ll need to discuss this with Justine and Alivia, they’ll want to-“ Max interrupts her softly again, laughing.

“I sort of already did. They were elated that you’d be getting to travel, and have decided to hire Lorenzo temp as your replacement. He works so closely with you already, he was the most obvious candidate. Marigold didn’t even need to storm into the office, Justine went and found her to offer Lorenzo a check.” Raela laughs brightly, shaking her head.

“You really had this all planned out didn’t you, Max.” She smiles, gratitude deep in her eyes. As the hum under his skin and the song in his ears grew stronger, Max knew for a fact every move he made had been right so far. He was just hopeful that he wouldn’t mess it up so soon.

——

As Raela, Fable, and Max approach the O2 arena, Raela can’t help but shiver, Fable’s bright laughter filling the space of the sleek hypercar. Max notices the shiver, gently slipping his hand into hers and giving it a light squeeze.

“Are you alright, mijn dreiging?” Raela chuckles at the nickname he’d given her. ‘My Menace’ after a particularly chaotic day at the mall a month prior. Fans had kept approaching him asking to take pictures, meanwhile she’d completely and entirely gaslit the fans into believing the man in front of them was not the 4 time world champion Max Verstappen but instead her mute cousin Reginald Horinks who just so happened to be an exact doppelgänger. The two had spent that night cackling over boxes of Panda Express about some of the reactions and expressions.

Raela looked over to Max and then back to Fable in the backseat, chuckling lightly to herself as she remembers how Max had to struggle to get the toddler’s carseat into the hypercar. She watches as Fable tries to get a good look at everything around her, wonderment clear on her features. Looking back at Max, Raela nods happily.

“Yeah. You know what, if Fable can be completely unbothered, I can be too. I just really wish I had my comfort hoodie.” Raela chuckles a bit, looking down at herself.

She wore a beautiful but simple navy blue chiffon dress that had gentle bell sleeves, an empire waist, a skirt that hung just above her ankles, and a deep heartline cut that connected with the waist of the dress to highlight her sternum and the simple snowflake locket necklace that hung there. Inside the locket was a blue felt piece that had a dash of raspberry essential oil on it in case she needed to ground herself.

Max smirks a bit to himself at Raela’s response. Raela had shown him a lot about herself, her life, and her world while he’d been basically living with her. They’d gotten to know each other so well that he knew she’d be flawless tonight, and he knew how to read her signs of anxiety right as they start.

“Mommy look!! Curly curly!!” Fable screeches and giggles, making Max and Raela look to see what the little girl had noticed. Max soon barked a laugh, clapping a hand over his mouth. Raela glanced at him, wondering what she hadn’t seen yet.

“It would appear she’s noticed Lando’s curly mullet.” Max murmurs, causing Raela to snort. They could both tell right then that this was going to be a good night with the bubbly toddler along.

——

Raela picked up Fable gently, curling the girls pastel rainbow knee length skirt under her rear to protect from the nippy London night air as much as she could, smiling in relief as Max gently swept his overcoat over Raela’s shoulder and around Fable who grasped the side around her.

“Tanks Maxie!” The girl cooed, making Max’s heart melt a little more than he thought it could.

“Always, maus.” He murmurs in reply, using the nickname he’d picked for her after usually finding the girls mousy brown hair running under foot when he and her mother were cooking or cleaning. Raela smiled as she caught his eye, none of the three paying very much mind to the millions of camera shutter clicks or the tens of potentially over a hundred flashes nearly blinding them.

Max could see her getting nervous, a few of her early anxiety signs starting to show as she nearly imperceptibly nibbled on the inside of her lower lip. Nodding slightly, he turned to rest a hand on her lower back, smiling and waving at the photographers as they walked past. Raela kept a gentle smile on her face the whole time, gently tickling Fable as she walked.

Fable’s giggles gradually drowned out the camera shutters, her face alight with laughter as Raela every so often scritched at the toddler’s side under the jacket. Max couldn’t help his own laughter as Raela continued to playfully attack the small child in her arms as they walked into the arena. After getting inside, he turned to her.

“Giggling child to distract from anxiety. Resourceful, mijn dreiging.” A strong gleam of mischief began to shine in his eyes as Raela shrugged.

“What can I say? Her giggles could cure cancer in my opinion.” A loud laugh erupts from Max, a full belly laugh that causes the man to nearly double over. Raela and Fable begin to laugh with him before Raela carefully passes him his overcoat.

Setting Fable down and crouching next to her, Raela opens the discreet diaper bag that she’d packed and pulls out what appear to be a form of navy blue plastic velcro cuffs. Raela gently fastens one velcro cuff around her own wrist, securing it in place before looking up at Fable.

“You remember what this is for right? Remember how you and mommy wore these at the zoo so that you could run ahead of mommy and mommy could tug you back if she needed” She asks softly, holding the other cuff out for Fable to take. The toddler grins happily and takes the cuff, slipping her hand through and holding it out for her mother.

“I remember! I got to run ahead and umm, see the monkeys, and then you kept me still before I went into a puddle!” Fable giggles happily as Raela laughs softly, nodding as she fastens and secures the toddler cuff, ensuring Fable wouldn’t be able to remove it herself unless absolutely necessary.

“That’s exactly right sweetheart. Now tonight, you’re not gonna be able to do very much running ahead. But we still need to wear these because instead its a really big room full of a whole lot of people, and mommy doesn’t wanna lose her sunshine. Can you keep close to mommy or Maxie?” Raela explains, making sure Fable understands the situation. The girl gazes into her mothers eyes for a moment, eerily seeming to examine the emotions there before grinning brightly and quickly taking a tight grasp of her mothers hand.

“Okay mama!! I can do that!” She grins brightly, moving to stand closer to her mother as Raela stands. As Raela looks up at Max again, she chuckles softly at his blown away expression.

“She’s a very emotionally tuned 3 year old. Trust me, it baffles me sometimes too.” Raela knowingly explains, bumping her shoulder against his.

——

They’d gotten through Sauber, Williams, and the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (or simply, still VCARB) and Fable seemed to be having the complete time of her life, kneeling in her chair as the lights, music, smoke, and all other effects filled the stadium. As Max watched all of the little girl’s reactions, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing every so often and pointing out her expressions to her mother.

Every time Max got Raela’s attention onto Fable, her heart warmed. Fable was blown away by it all, completely enraptured. Raela decided if anything was a good introduction to Formula 1 for the girl, the F1 75 event was it. Raela decided right then that she would be forever grateful to Max for bringing them, and would have to be sure to tell him as much after the event was over.

Raela had been watching Fable for a minute, making sure her daughter was at least nibbling on her snacks here and there before Max got her attention. Quickly glancing at him, she saw him pointing off to her left, almost behind her with a grimace on his face. Before she had a chance to turn, she heard the voice of Jack Whitehall next to her.

“Hasn’t this all just been beautiful!?” Jack asks towards the camera and the crowds. The crowd cheered in response, excited for the next reveal to come after they’d finished with the Racing Bulls’ presentation. “But what do we have here?! Max Verstappen seems to have brought a beautiful duo of plus ones! Ma’am, may I just say, that dress looks gorgeous on you.” He compliments easily, going a route Raela hadn’t expected he would. She could feel her cheeks warm slightly as she blushed.

“Well, thank you Jack. It’s an honor to get such a compliment from someone so well known.” She responds easily, ignoring the rapid pounding in her ears as the blood rush threatens to deafen her.

“Well, I’d like to think I’m well known, but none so much as the man next to you! How did you meet?” Jack asks, bringing up a familiar topic that seems to ease Raela.

“Well, funnily enough Sergio Perez managed to get one of the Redbull pit crew to lure me into the garage to get a look at the chassis when in reality apparently Max wanted my number.” Raela winks, remembering that thankfully they’d discussed it would be entirely okay for either of them to share this story. Max had said he wanted to cause chaos for his publicity team, and this would be a fast way to do so in his mind. Jack looked stunned and smirked at the pair of adults, mischief beginning to shine just as deep in his eyes.

“So you mean to tell me, at one of the Grand Prix’s last year, Checo lured you into a bait and trap for your number for Max?” He grins, eating this right up. At that point, Max leans over and grins.

“It was in Las Vegas. Sometimes in my heart, I attribute my 4th championship win to her goading me into showing her the car after we’d used that to lure her in. Checo, myself and a lot of our engineers noticed she was wearing our team colours-“ At this point Raela cuts in with a giggle.

“Which could have easily been mistaken for Ferrari if it hadn’t been for the boots I was wearing.” Max laughs and nods his head, putting up one hand.

“Yes, her boots were the deciding factor. But we also noticed she was sketching and writing furiously in this notebook she had, and when Checo and I went to look, she had these elaborate drawings of the angles and mechanics of every teams chassis and had her own notes on which team could improve where. I’ve been mulling over the idea of getting Horner to commission her as a consultant, some of her ideas could be revolutionary.” Max finishes his explanation, Jack enamored the entire way through. The comedian looked blown away.

“So you’re a random woman who’s got a mind for engineering? While looking this gorgeous? I can only imagine.” Jack splutters and smiles gleefully. “What do you do in your day to day?”

“Well actually I’m a senior paralegal at a small firm back home.” Raela answers with a grin.

“A beautiful engineer who knows law?! Be still my bloody heart! Max, you’ve really found a catch. Now, may I ask: What is your name?” The comedian asks, nearly on the edge of his seat. Before Raela could answer, Max leans over.

“Let’s just call her Drei.” He suggests, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Drei, close enough to her nickname Rye, but a shortened version of his nickname Dreiging. They’d agreed on it to keep her identity from the public for her safety and the safety of her daughter who was absentmindedly staring around the room paying no attention to the interaction unfolding in front of her.

“Ooo, I can get behind a mysterious nickname. Well, Drei, Max, adorable child of Drei, I sincerely hope you three have a beautiful rest of the evening.” The crowd cheered as the next livery reveal began, with Jack giving a nod to Max and gently leaving a kiss on Raela’s hand. With the man’s microphone turned off, he looked at the pair again.

“I really must say, you two make a sight.” He complimented, happy to have a chance to interact with someone new among the sphere.

“Thank you, and truly it’s an honor to meet you. I was nervous to show up as Max’s plus one but you were so incredible at helping keep me level.” Raela grins at Jack, gently patting his hand.

“Oh it’s no issue! I noticed you were looking a bit blank and the last thing I want is to spook someone who’s clearly new to all that attention.” Max chuckled and nodded along, grateful that Jack had been so friendly.

“This has to stay our little secret, you can’t tell anyone, but my name is Raela. It really is so cool to meet you.” The woman introduces herself, Jack happily taking her hand in greeting.

“No worries. Your secret is safe with me.” Jack winks before standing and making his way to the next point he needed to be at.

——

After Max stood up to go prepare for his own team’s livery reveal, Raela was surprised to find Lando quickly stealing Max’s seat with a grin aimed directly at her.

“You’re the mystery woman!” He crows happily, his eyes gleaming brightly. Raela pauses, taken aback for a moment at Lando’s unabashed greeting.

“I- suppose I am? Yes?” Raela laughs out, a bit confused.

“I’ve caught Max on call with you more times than I could count. I’ve been determined to get him to introduce us, I think I could be a great best friend.” Lando grins, proud of himself for offering his friendship to the woman. Raela could notice how proud he was but she could also tell it wasn’t in the ‘I’m a rich man offering to be this commoner’s friend’ or the ‘This woman is pretty and I’m rich so I want her’ ways of pride. She wasn’t entirely sure, but Raela felt she could describe it as ‘Excitable puppy walks into a room full of people he already knows- except one’ type of pride.

“Well, he never told me as such.” Raela leans in conspiratorially and whispers to him, “I think he may be trying to keep me all for himself.” This makes Lando laugh brightly. At that moment, Max could see them laughing, scowling as he groaned to himself.

“Aye, mate, you alright?” Liam asked off to his right, coming to look over the champions shoulder.

“Yes just- Very aware of Lando’s good looks and charming personality in the eyes of the average good natured woman.” Max responds absentmindedly before realizing what he had said as Liam smirks at him.

“You’re worried your plus one is flirtin’ with Lando.” The kiwi stated, causing Max to whirl his head around.

“I- oh fuck it, yeah. I am. She’s- I’m- fuck.” Max stutters out. Liam looks at the Dutchman in slight concern.

“Max, mate, come on. I’ve never seen you flustered about a woman. Who is she?” He asks gently, coaxing Max to explain.

“She’s the woman who’s supposed to be my whole universe.” He says softly, glancing back out at Raela and Lando who were trying very painfully to not completely laugh during the Mercedes livery reveal. Max had no doubt they were jointly talking shit about George.

“Your whole universe?” Liam scoffs for a moment before Max shoots him a scalding glare making Liam throw his hands up in surrender. Before they could continue, it was time for Max to plaster a grin on his face as they walked out onto the stage.

He glanced down at Raela only to see her staring up at him in complete, unabashed pride, her face aglow even in the dimmed room with a bright grin. His heart leapt in his throat as his grin grew brighter and more genuine as she clapped loudly and cheered for him. As he looked at Lando, the fellow driver gave Max an equally bright grin and a thumbs up as he very pointedly mouthed the words ‘Best Friends!’ before making a slicing motion at his neck and following with ‘Nothing more!’ and then began clapping for his friend. Max chuckled and continued to wave to the crowd.

——

As they finally reached the hotel, a very dead asleep toddler snoring in Raela’s arms as they got to their room, Raela couldn’t stop the grin from blossoming on her features. Gently setting Fable down before discreetly shuffling the toddlers skirt down, she managed to slip a small pair of sweatpants onto Fable before tucking her into the small second bed. Flouncing over to the suite couch, Raela plopped down before sighing.

“Thank you so much again for all of this Max. This has been a beautiful experience, and I’m so glad Lando and I are friends now! You have no clue how much this means to me.” She expresses dreamily, curling up against the driver. Max sputtered for a second at how close she had gotten, not yet having fully cuddled with the woman currently sleepily nuzzled into his side.

Max could feel the subtle vibration along his entire right side where she lay, fighting himself so hard not to try and go further lest she believe him to be insane after. All he could do was gently bring his arm around her as she slowly began to nod off, not even having taken off her dress or makeup yet. ‘But honestly,’ Max thought as he nodded off, ‘This is probably the best moment of my life.’ With the biggest, most relaxed grin he had ever produced, Max fell asleep with Raela curled in his arms and Fable asleep soundly in the bed.

taglist: @chaoswithus @colereads

[m4xgirlie]

y’know, eventually i’ll separate my masterlist and my bio and i’ll have everything organized 😂

[m4xgirlie]

i love supporting other fic authors, it makes me screech in such excitement when i make them happy!!

[m4xgirlie]

ya know i should make another chapter, but there’s just so much goin on and so much that needs to be done

[m4xgirlie]

[m4xgirlie]

bit of a shorter bite read this time around, been so busy and stressed out lately. deepest genuine apologies this took so long you guys!!!! wordcount: 1,258 masterlist

A Surprising Invite: 6

The holidays had been so hectic for Raela that she’d barely had a chance to slow down. After the Christmas party, there had been a rapid influx of case documents and evidence files for her to process, go through, and organize into their respective case discoveries. This however was usual for the holidays as more people faced struggles and hardships this time of year, unfortunately often leading people to commit crimes in attempts to survive.

Raela found the speed and chaos of the holiday season exhilarating usually, a chance to sift through the simply unfortunate versus the true criminals so her firm could only represent those truly needing it, but this would be the first one since her horrendous breakup with Jackson. She had to wonder where exactly the man had gone, having upended her world so suddenly with his rude and abrupt disappearance.

There was something deeply different this season though, a new feature within her home per say. Aside from the occasional offseason FIA obligation, Max had offered (asked as he put it, she heard it more as an offer) to stay throughout the holidays. Raela had been stunned at his suddenness, having only been friends with the man for a month and a half now.

However, she felt a strange comfort in allowing him to. Having Max in her apartment playing with her daughter when she came home felt… right. Max got along well with Fable, often seen chasing her goofily or causing her to giggle loudly as Raela came home. Shortly after he would notice her, the man would rush over to her and grin as he took her stack of documents and placed it on the coffee table for her before quickly rushing back to playing with the woman’s daughter. It all felt so- comfortable? Raela scoffed at herself, being nowhere near ready to approach those thoughts yet.

On one of her recently rare off days, Raela had been laying on the floor of her living room, her arm over her shoulder as both Justine and Max had essentially sentenced her to a full 48 hours of no work after she’d fainted the day prior. Max was laying on her couch parallel to her, face down in the pillow. Raela giggled at the sight, a thought beginning to whir through her mind as she realized he must be bored out of his mind.

Fable had gone to her grandmother’s for some cookie baking they’d agreed to at New Year’s, so the two were alone right then. As she continued to think on it, she remembered she had made it a resolution to show Max her sim rig before he left, and with the knowledge of how much the man enjoyed his home rig, she hoped hers would be up to par as she made the snap decision.

“I wanna show you something.” Raela suddenly voiced, causing the dutchman to slightly jump as his head shot up from the pillow. Raela couldn’t help but start to laugh at his jerk reaction, Max glaring at her as she rolled on the floor.

“Wow, jumpscare me with an offer to shock me for your amusement, why don’t you.” Max grumbled, regrettably unable to hide the slow smirk blooming as he watched Raela laugh.

“I’m so sorry, the way your head jerked back was so funny to me and I don’t even know why!” She giggled out, trying to breathe and calm herself down. Max couldn’t help but chuckle at her as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

“What is it you wanna show me?” He asked, curiosity rooting itself in his features. Raela looked over at him as her laughter settled, smiling gently at him.

“You have to promise to not judge me.” She spoke firmly as she stood up, dusting off any carpet fluff or crumbs may have attached themselves to her during her time on the floor. Max nodded, humming in agreement as he stood off the couch, following her path as she made her way to her room. Raela pointed to her bed, gesturing for him to sit down as she walked over to her closet.

As Max walked in, he studied her room carefully, and he couldn’t help but be in awe at the unfiltered look into Raela’s most comfortable space, the one place she decorated however she pleased, and decorate she did.

The garlands of faux ivy that strung across her ceiling were artfully twisted and strung amongst strands of softly glowing fairy lights. As Max’s eyes wandered from the ceiling to the walls, it seemed not even a centimeter of actual wall could be seen amongst the various paintings, records, photographs, achievement documents, and other memorabilia that had been somehow very carefully placed all side by side like a beautiful puzzle of one’s soul.

Raela had paintings depicting nature and psychological stresses, records from varying bands like Fleetwood Mac to Post Malone, photographs of friends and Fable’s growth. There were shelves with books ranging from Rupi Kaur and John Greene to Stephen King and James Patterson, as well as funko pops of movie and show characters like Storm from X-Men or 3 from Doctor Who.

Raela watched him from her closet as he slowly examined her room, already wondering if she’d made a mistake as a crawling discomfort slithers up her spine. Before she can talk herself out of it and push him back out of her comfort zone however, a grin breaks across his face.

“This is all artfully put together. It’s a lot! That is for sure. But it’s all put together so well that it flows and seems like it was all meant to be together just this way. Your room is very comfortable. Why not decorate the rest of the apartment this way?” Max asks, looking at where she sat in front of her closet, having already opened the door. Before she can answer, his eyes land on the seat of her rig. He looks at her in astonishment and wonder, pointing to himself in silent question.

At his actions, Raela giggled and began to pull the pieces out one by one, setting them up for him so he had something to do. Max couldn’t help but grin, humming and ever so slightly bouncing on his toes where he stood, excitement clear in his features.

“We’ve been friends near two months now and you only just now tell me you’re this kind of awesome?!” He sort of squawks as soon as she’s finished setting it all up. Raela can’t help but laugh again as Max immediately plants into the seat, creating a new profile on her console so he didn’t mess with any of the settings on her races. Raela could appreciate that he was so thoughtful, wondering just how much their settings would differ.

“I was intimidated to tell you if I’m being honest. I mean, I’m a paralegal, I’m a single mom, and I also play Formula 1 racing simulations when I just cannot get myself to sleep.” She explains as she sets herself on the edge of her bed, leaning back as she crossed her calves under her. “To answer your earlier question, cause out there is where I host and bring in guests, out there I can appear sane.” Max began to laugh at that last bit, knowing full and well she intended for him to by her tone of voice. Raela giggled with him, comfortable in the atmosphere as she settled herself in to watch him race on her rig.

taglist: @chaoswithus @colereads

[m4xgirlie]

okay so i’ve been seriously debating it. i’m not comfy writing kimi antonelli and ollie bearman romantic. but! i think i could manage familial ties or platonic for the two. i’m thinking of making specifics in my welcome/masterlist post about who i’ll write romantically for and who i’ll write platonically for. thoughts?

[m4xgirlie]

hey everyone! sorry this one took me so long to work on! there was so much i wanted to add and so much i wanted to introduce but i wanted to do it in a way that seemed to flow easily. without further ado, a surprising invite, chapter 5 masterlist word count: 3,257

A Surprising Invite C5

Chapter 5

As Raela scurried around her living room, attempting to frantically prepare everything that was needed for Fable and her grandmother for the evening ahead, her mother tried to tut after her.

“Raela! You need to relax! Go get ready! Let me clean out here while you go get ready.” She scolded repeatedly. Raela kept huffing around in her dress and socks, hair already artfully styled but without having done her makeup.

“Mama, all I need to do is my makeup and shoes. My makeup takes all of 15 minutes and shoes takes 2, he won’t be here for another hour.” Raela tittered out nervously, keeping track of time almost obsessively. Before she could anticipate it, there was a knock on her apartment door. Raela and her mother both stopped, staring at each other.

Her mother moved first, Raela a twitch after, her mother making her way to the door as Raela bounded towards her bedroom. She was quick to shuffle her feet into her shoes and scurry into the bathroom as she heard Max’s dutch accent bounce through the foyer, greeting her mother smoothly.

She vaguely heard her mother’s responses as they laughed together, swiftly yet daintily painting on a smooth cat eye with her liquid eyeliner. Being a painter in her hobby was proving to be a useful skill in this rushed moment. She swept a few dashes of mascara on before dappling a gentle layer of soft shimmer pink lipstick over her lower lip, a bright red over her top lip in a classic ‘Hex Girls’ look with a christmassy twist.

As Raela studied her reflection in the mirror, she wondered if her deep navy blue 50’s cocktail dress may be a little too on the nose. She had no choice however as she’d bought it before she even asked Max, and was unsure if she’d have the ability to buy a new one. She stuttered for a moment, the anxiety attack she’d felt welling up all evening beginning to hit a peak.

She was at a point she couldn’t prevent, her chest tightening to painful extremes as she clutched the edge of her sink. Raela’s vision began to haze as she tried her hardest to take in precious oxygen. Working her way through her coping mechanisms proved fruitless as the resounding voices of intrusive thoughts began to scream through the soft quiet of the calm conscious. The next thing Raela knew, Max was by her side, gingerly lifting her and sitting down on her bed as she rested on his lap.

“Raela, look up at me.” She heard Max gently coax. His voice sounded muted, almost garbled, like the way voices come back after the piercing ring after the explosion of a grenade too close by. Raela attempted to pick up her head, looking at him to the best of her ability.

Raela couldn’t help but try to study his appearance, her sight foggy as she curses herself. She’s only barely able to make out his storm grey eyes, only slightly brighter than his charcoal grey suit before she drops her head again. Raela blinks rapidly as her heart thunders in her ears, quietly leaning forward until her forehead is on his shoulder.

Max understood then what was happening, experiencing the same sensations all too often himself. He gently placed his hands on her arms, tracing his fingertips up as a way to let her know he was there and to silently inform her of his motive as he took the opportunity to cradle her face and pick her head up to guide her, coaxing her to look at him.

One look into her eyes however proved that she wasn’t truly here in the moment, experiencing something only she could see, hear, or feel. Max rested his forehead against Raela’s, slowing his breath to make a smoother, more obvious rhythm for her to mimic through the attack.

As Raela felt the gentle waves of his breath, subconsciously she began to follow it, aligning her breath with his like he hoped she would. They silently sat, breathing together as he used gentle touches and the occasional affirmation and reassurance to guide her through it.

After around 5 minutes, Raela reached up, clasping Max’s forearms as she began to come back, her heart rate beginning to slow as her world righted itself. After another 10 minutes or so, Raela pulled her head back slightly, sliding her hands up his arms to his upper arm and gently gliding her thumb back and forth on his biceps as a silent thanks.

Max pulled back carefully as well, looking into her eyes as a way to double check that she would be okay. She seemed to be doing better now, but he wanted to be sure of it.

“Are you feeling okay? We can skip this if we want. You can blame me.” He asked, offering himself as a scapegoat to get out of the firms Christmas party.

“I’m feeling better now thankfully. Thank you. You didnt have to do that. But, as much as I wish we could escape our doom, this party is a canon event, and we shouldn’t interfere.” Raela giggles at Max, winking at him as she gently stands from his lap. After Raela takes a moment to make sure she’s solid on her own two feet, she holds out her hand, offering Max help to stand.

“I’m glad I could help.” He smiles softly, taking her hand and standing. “Shall we get going then?” He asks, eyes twinkling with mischief. As Raela notices it, she feels a soft pull of concern, but in the end decides to roll with it, as whatever he was planning might simply make the evening more bearable.

——

As they pull into the parking lot of Hack n Ridge associates, Max looks stunned by the shimmering lights draping in carefully planned layers over the entryway to the law firm. He could hear Raela giggling in the passenger seat, glancing over to look at her.

“Justine Hack and Alivia Ridge are extremely particular about holiday decorations, being one of the only all female run law firms in the area. They’re the Founding partners, and I mean yeah some of the junior partners are men but it’s a primarily female firm.” She explains, moving to get out of the car. Max locked the door, turning off the passenger door unlock button.

Raela spluttered as Max gets out of his side and walks around, unlocking the car right as he reached her door. As he opened it for her, offering a hand to help her out, she blankly stared at him, baffled by his actions. All Max could do was chuckle before gesturing for Raela to come out of the vehicle, spurring her into movement as he confirmed to himself that no one has truly treated her well before.

As they walked through the front door of Hack n Ridge, they were greeted by one of Raela’s friends, a look of bewilderment crossing her features before she just smiled softly, greeting the pair who’ve just arrived.

“Raela! I’m happy to see you! How is your evening going?” Liz asked as she placed the back of her knuckles on Raela’s forehead, a knowing look in her eye at her work daughter’s slightly too pale face and slightly flushed neck. Raela grinned in response, carefully grasping her work moms hands as she studied the woman’s appearance.

The small woman stood in a stunning gold silk slip dress with a cinched waist that accentuated the slim woman’s frame, courtesy of an elegantly twisted bow resting on the tailbone. It was a dress only Liz McCreary truly could have pulled off, and the makeup she wore with it made her seem like a golden goddess pulled straight from a painting.

“Mom, I have to tell you, you are absolutely serving tonight. I’m doing extremely well. A bit of a mishap, but Max here helped me figure it out.” As Raela mentioned Max, she stepped out of the way to introduce her plus one. “Max, this is Lizbeth McCreary, one of the most intuitive senior partners in the firm and my work mom. Liz, this is Max Verstappen, 4 time world champion F1 racer and my new friend from Las Vegas.” As they shook hands, Liz’s look of bewilderment came back stronger.

“Wait actually?” She asked, stunned, caught entirely on the fact he was actually here. Max chuckled and nodded.

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He spoke, his Dutch accent thick as he smirked and reached out to greet Raela’s adoptive mom, gently raising her hand but not quite placing a kiss on her knuckles, a sign of respect but not romantic intentions.

“We should be headed up, my dear.” Liz’s husband Rick interrupted gently, standing off to the side in a simple black and white tuxedo and winking at Raela. She smirked gratefully at him, both well aware that it would be smart to move her into the main gathering space and distracted before she began asking a million questions.

“Ah! You’re right! Let’s get going, come on Rye Rye!” Liz happily grasped Raela and her husbands hands, causing Raela to squeak and giggle as she quickly grasped Max’s hand, being swiftly dragged into the giant junior associate’s office that had been turned into a celebration room. Max could feel his cheeks warm as that same slow static from when they first met crept its way up his arm.

As they burst into the room, Raela spotted Luisa with her girlfriend Maya, the pair in a wine colored pantsuit and a plum, figure hugging pencil dress respectively, and Marigold in a stunning shimmery pink empire waisted gown with her older brother Lorenzo in a sleek black on black suit, seeing as Marigold wasn’t currently in a relationship and often brought her older brother to the law firm. According to her, it’s one of the only places he feels comfortable to be mute, and he’s usually rather fascinated with a paralegal’s workload.

Raela often took him off Marigold’s hands, having him help her around her office. He was like an assistant for her, and they got along extremely well. They could often be seen “bickering” in the break room or over a stack of files. This often confused people as Lorenzo never used sign language or a notebook to communicate and yet Raela seemed to understand everything he was conveying. Liz rushed the quad of people to the rest of their circle, happily making introductions before Raela had a chance to.

“Everyone, meet THE Max Verstappen, new friend to our best girl Raela. Max! You’ve met my husband Rick McCreary, and you know Raela of course. Now, this is Luisa Plentifort and her girlfriend Maya Riloti, and these are the lovely siblings Marigold and Lorenzo Beaumont. Lorenzo doesn’t work here but I think Raela pays him under the table for all the help he gives her.” Liz and Marigold giggled at her closing statement, causing Lorenzo to roll his honey brown eyes, a sharp contrast to his sister’s obsidian black eyes.

“Oh please, it’s always over the table, Justine just calls it hush money.” Raela laughs in response. Max can’t help the wave of jealousy and discomfort that rolls up his spine, unknowingly overthinking their comments. Before he can pull himself out of his head, Raela taps his hand twice before slowly finger spelling over the top of his hand one singular word.

‘Assistant.’ He smirked to himself, glancing down at her to see she’s moved herself closer to Max. Whether subconsciously or as a way to silently give him reassurance, he’s unsure, and doesn’t have a moment to think about it before he hear’s Raela speak up.

“I’m gonna drag Max with me to the bar right quick, I need something to drink.” Raela smirked up at Max before squeezing Luisa and Maya’s outstretched hands, turning to head towards the bar with Max following close behind.

“Are you okay?” He asks her quickly, noticing her hands were shaking and looked somewhat pale.

“Yeah! I’m okay. I just noticed you were getting a little agitated around Lorenzo. He’s sort of my unofficial assistant, so I don’t want you hating him. I can’t have any of my friends hating any of my other friends.” Raela scolded teasingly, smirking softly as she took a seat at one of the stools that had been stolen from the break room for this event. Max slid into a seat next to her as she ordered their drinks, pleased when she made sure to get him a gin and tonic.

“I promise I don’t hate anyone. All of your friends seem very pleasant. I’m just not so used to being in a social situation outside of the FIA.” Max countered, lying quickly on his feet. Raela shot back a look that said ‘mhm, sure’ but chuckled lightly, allowing the topic to drop. After their drinks came, they sat for a while, sharing easy banter and comforting glances.

Raela couldn’t believe that Max was actually here. Somehow, she still hadn’t found a way to process that a Formula 1 driver truly had interest in her whether romantically or platonically. As they sat and talked, she couldn’t help but admire Max. He was so animated as he spoke of his sister and mother, laughing loudly when Raela would share stories of her own childhood as well as of her daughter’s childhood for the past three years.

Max was astonished that Raela had led such a full life in her 21 years, having explored the United States starting at the age of 13 to exploring Canada when she was 17. As Raela told story after story of her childhood, he felt as if he were sitting with one of his grandmother’s friends. Listening to her experiences and seeing the truth in every scar, freckle and wrinkle as he wondered at her, he thought that her experiences made her that much more beautiful, the song thrumming louder in his ears. After a little while of talking, an older woman approached the pair, a smile on her face.

“Raela! I’m happy you made it!” The woman spoke gleefully. Max turned to look first, examining the woman as she approached. Her auburn hair shone brightly under the Christmas lights draped across the ceiling, her deep pine green and black pantsuit making her hazel eyes gleam. Raela turned shortly after hearing her name, a grin blossoming across her features.

“Justine! I’m happy to have made it. You look gorgeous this evening.” Raela gingerly hopped off the stool, standing next to Justine with her hand resting on the founding partner’s elbow as she pressed a gentle kiss to the woman’s cheek in greeting.

“The same could be said for you! You look divine, this dress is perfect for you! Did it need alterations?” Justine asks lightly, slowly spinning Raela to get a good look.

“Nope! Fit like a glove from the first try on.” Raela giggled happily as Justine let out a whistle. As she glances over Raela’s shoulder, she notices Max watching the women, a soft glare in his eyes.

“And who is this handsome chap with you?” Justine looked at Raela with knowing surprise, a smirk prominent on her face. Raela blushed softly as she introduced the driver to the founding partner.

“Justine, this is Max Verstappen. Max, this is Justine Hack.” Raela introduced simply, smiling softly. Justine reached out to shake hands, nodding appreciatively of Max’s firm grip.

“It’s lovely to meet you. Alivia wasn’t able to make it this evening but she wishes you well Rye.” Justine smiles again, this time without it reaching her eyes.

“Has something happened?” Raela asks, concerned. Max moves to stand closer to her, making himself a rock for her to lean on if she should need it. Justine nodded gently, sighing.

“It’s to be discussed at the next partners meeting. All the paralegals are expected to be there. You’ll have a date and time in your email come Monday.” Justine revealed, Raela nodding subtly in response.

“Thank you. If there’s anything I can do please tell me. You know, Luisa, Liz, Marigold and I would go to heaven and back for you two.” Raela grasped one of Justine’s hands, holding it close to her chest. Justine smiled again, sighing as she thanked the younger woman.

“Enjoy your evening. I’m happy you made it. I’ll see you again at work on Monday if I don’t see you before you leave.” Justine hugged Raela close as they exchanged kisses on the cheek again in parting.

Through the rest of the night, Raela and Max interacted with a number of coworkers while off and on hiding in a corner to themselves, not entirely wanting to stay but not quite yet ready to leave either. After a while, as other pairings and couples began to leave, designated drivers occasionally dragging their designated drunks, others simply carrying them, Max and Raela decided it was time to leave.

Max had noticed Raela’s feet were beginning to ache in the way she shifted her weight more frequently. Without a word, he knelt down, gingerly tapping one of her ankles as a way to ask her to lift her foot. As she did so, he unzipped the side and carefully slid the heel off of her foot, swiftly repeating the process with her other foot.

Raela sighed in relief as she stood on flat feet, smiling gratefully down at Max. In that single moment, with her looking exhausted and yet glowing with satisfaction, backlit with a soft glow and smiling tiredly down at him, he couldn’t help but stare a moment longer. Wordlessly, he turned around and gestured for her to hop onto his back. Before he could process it, he heard her giggling.

“Max, I’m in a dress. You can’t possibly expect to carry me piggyback. I can walk, it’s okay.” Raela chuckled softly as she began to walk towards the entryway of Hack n Ridge. Before she knew it, Max had picked her up bridal style and all she’d been able to do about it was squeak and brace herself.

“Well, if I can’t carry you piggyback, I guess I’ll just have to truly treat you like a princess, the way you deserve.” Max smirked at her as he began to walk. Raela laughed and simply adjusted herself to be more comfortable in his arms so she could also lean over to open the doors for him.

After making it all the way to the car, he sat her down ever so carefully in the passenger seat, setting her heels on the floorboard. Max looked at Raela wordlessly for a moment, overwashed with the urge to kiss her. It took a moment of fighting himself to simply smile at her and back away, shutting her door softly before beating himself up as he rounded the vehicle. Max hopped into the drivers side and started the vehicle as Raela buckled her seatbelt. After relaxing into her seat, almost curling into a ball, Max heard her small tired voice.

“Thanks for coming tonight Max. I don’t think I would have made it through without you.” She murmured, sleep swiftly dragging her under, overstimulation and exhaustion winning out as Max drove to her apartment. He rested a hand on her knee and smirked at her, suspicious she may have fallen asleep after expressing her gratitude. Still, he responded.

“Always, Rye. I’ll always come when you call. I promise.”

[m4xgirlie]

keepin this. for shits and giggles

[m4xgirlie]

and here is chapter 4 of A Surprising Invite!! Sorry it took me so long!! word count: 1,972 Italic is max on the phone call, italic and bold is Luisa and Marigold masterlist

A Surprising Invite: Chapter 4

Raela’s POV

The race had been electrifying. Raela was still sat on her couch in front of the TV, waves of shock rolling through her at those end results. Lando had won, which took the constructors for McLaren. Carlos and Charles had looked so sad, she couldn’t help be sad for them. And Lewis, his farewell to Mercedes was so emotional for her. She’d been a fan of Lewis since his debut in F1, and his jump to Mercedes had been a shock. It would be weird to see him in red after so long in black and white. As she stared at the F1 logo on her TV, her phone began to ring. She reached down, seeing who was calling. It was her friend Luisa.

“Hey Luisa, whats up?” Raela asked, trying to keep the exhaustion out of her voice. It was now 8:30 in the morning, and Raela had in fact pulled an all nighter to watch the race at 5 in the morning.

“I saw the race. How you feelin?” Luisa’s tired voice came through the line, scratchy and slurred.

“You watched the race?” Raela giggled, standing up off her couch and stretching. As she squeaked softly, reaching onto her toes, she heard Luisa chuckling and stirring a mug. Raela decided Luisa had probably gotten coffee, a divine idea.

“It was the final race of the year. Figured you may need moral support. Liz and Marigold came over to watch too, but Liz passed out during lap 43 and Marigold knocked out the moment Lewis finished his doughnuts, so I took the liberty of calling.” Raela couldn’t help but feel her heart swell with warmth.

“Awww girls! You didn’t have to do that. Had I known, I’d have invited you over.” Raela laughed as she got her coffee pot prepared and brewing.

“You had Fable last night, we would have all been too rowdy for the poor girl.” Luisa pointed out, making Raela laugh.

“You three are the best a girl could ask for. I’m still shocked at those results. They were wild!” Raela and Luisa laughed together.

“Oh shit, before I forget. Have you gotten the boss’s memo?” Luisa asks softly, concern lacing the edges of her voice.

“No, not yet. Why?” Raela asks, worried.

“The Firm’s Christmas party is now mandatory. Plus ones are still optional, but now ‘highly recommended.’ You know what she means when she says that.” Luisa sighed, causing Raela to groan. A mandatory Christmas party that her daughter couldn’t be her plus one at. Before she could think on the subject further, her phone rang against her ear.

“Hey, hold on Luisa, I’m getting another call.” Raela informed her friend before accepting the second call.

“Hello?” She asked, realizing she hadn’t even checked the ID.

“Hey! I didn’t wake you up did I?” Max’s voice came through the line as Raela felt sparks shiver across her skin.

“No! Actually this week I accidentally did pull an all nighter. Apparently Luisa, Liz, and Marigold did too.” Raela giggles before yawning, tapping her fingers on the counter as she awaited the sweet nectar of coffee to finish brewing.

“Luisa, Liz and Marigold?” Max questions softly, chuckling along with Raela.

“Oh! Yeah, they’re my best friends. They actually helped me get to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. They convinced one of the partners at the law firm we work at to gather funds from my coworkers and colleagues, so it was more of a firm wide gift.” Raela explains happily.

“Well, if I ever get the chance, I’d love to be able to thank them.” Max smiles to himself, a genuine tone of desire in his voice. This gave Raela an idea.

“Well, actuallyyyyy… Luisa’s kind of on hold on another call. I could loop the two together and she can help explain an idea?” Raela squeaks, crossing her fingers in prayer.

“Yeah, sounds fun.” Max quips with no hesitation. A whispered ‘yes!’ could be heard before the two calls were merged.

“Luisa you still there?” Raela asks quickly.

“Mhmm. Marigold woke up too, though its a good thing its Sunday. Girl’s gonna need another 5 hours, you know how she gets.” Luisa responds as a giggly Marigold could be heard, screeching in the background. ‘GOOD MORNING RYEEEEE BEAAAANN!’ Could be heard from the sleep deprived junior paralegal, causing Max to laugh heartily.

“She sounds like Lando after a few too many shots.” He mutters. A crackling sound could be heard from Luisa’s line before a cough and spluttering followed.

“Raela did I just hear who I think I heard?” Luisa asked slowly. Max paused in confusion, thinking for a moment before Raela could respond.

“You hadn’t bragged to your friends yet?” Max stops.

“Uh- Well- No. You’re a celebrity, so I wasn’t sure if I should, let alone if I could. I told them we met! Just- not that I got your number and that we’ve become friends.” Raela explains quickly, a blush quickly heating her neck and cheeks. Max laughs loudly, Luisa soon following suit.

“Always the respectful one.” Luisa chimes, making Max laugh harder.

“So, you had an idea?” Max asks, making Raela perk up.

“Yes! So! My firm is having a christmas party.” Raela begins, and with Luisa being so in sync, she picks up right away.

“Attendance is mandatory, and plus ones are ‘highly recommended.’” Luisa explains.

“Which basically means I’m expected to bring a partner, and my daughter isn’t allowed.” Raela follows.

“Because ‘highly recommended’ implies adults only in our firm.” Luisa enlightens.

“So would you be able and willing to be my plus one to this stupid mandatory cock measuring contest?” Raela finishes, her last words resulting in Luisa choking on her line as Max laughs even harder, wheezing at Raela’s choice of words. Marigold can be heard in the background of Luisa’s line shouting ‘Did she just say that?’ As she laughs hysterically.

“Yes, I’ll be happy to attend the firm Christmas party. Send me your address and I’ll send you my flight information. But I’ve got to run for now, media to attend to and Lando wants me at his party.” Max breathes, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Oh! Tell him I say congrats to him and Oscar. McLaren pulled through this year and I couldn’t be prouder as a McLaren fan.” Raela prompts, smiling. Max scoffs in mock offense.

“And here I thought you were a RedBull fan.” Raela could picture him with his hand on his chest, feigning hurt. The image made her giggle.

“Sorry, Verstappen. In terms of constructors, I’m a McLaren girl all the way.” Raela laughed out, resulting in a comment of ‘Burn’ from Luisa. “However,” Raela continued, “In terms of Drivers, there is one that I have a special fondness for.” Luisa and Max both sucked in a bated breath, awaiting the same name to fall from Raela’s lips.

“Oh? And who would that be?” Raela could hear his smirk and decided to play a soft joke.

“Pierre Gasly.” She responded cheekily, Luisa’s shrill laughter being heard. Max bawked at the response.

“Pierre? Really?” He asked, faux seriousness dripping in his voice making Raela laugh with Luisa.

“Get going to your media duties, Mad Max. I’ll send you my address.” Raela managed to giggle out.

“Alright. Have a good day, and I’ll see you soon.” Max responds softly before hanging up his line. All that could be heard for a moment was silence.

“Are you flirting with Max Verstappen!?” A shrill excited voice came through Luisa’s line, coming from the over tired and yet over excited Marigold. Raela laughed again before finally pouring herself a mug of coffee.

“Yeah. I suppose I am. Hope he can handle the Christmas Hell that is Hack n Ridge Associates.” Raela murmured, causing agreements to come from Luisa and Marigold. The three women chatted a bit longer, deciding to make plans for the four friends to hang out at a local indoor park with Fable after Marigold got more sleep and she and Liz awoke. They said their goodbyes before Raela smiled to herself, stretching once again before moving around the apartment to start the day.

—————

Max’s POV

“I’m sorry, did you just get off the phone with a woman?” Spoke a voice from behind Max, startling him as he whipped around to see who’d spoken.

“Jesus, mate, do not sneak up on me like that man.” Max chuckled, holding a hand to his chest as he spotted one of the McLaren pair.

“Ah! So you did! And you’re hiding her from the grid! Only guilty people spook so easy.” Lando smirks, walking in front of Max.

“No, Lando, anyone can spook that easy. And yes, I was on the phone with a woman. But we’re just friends, so I’m not hiding her from the grid, just haven’t introduced her to the grid.” Max explained, shrugging slightly as he leaned back onto the pillar he’d been hiding near for the phonecall.

“Just friends, eh? Then why are you smirking as if you’ve just finished talking to your future wife?” Lando smirked, crossing his arms as he gave Max a pointed look.

“Okay, look, just because I could hear the song as she sat across the paddock and I’ve never heard it before or since doesn’t make her my future wife. Just means I need to manage to keep her in my life.” Lando was one of 3 people on the grid who knew about the ‘gift’ he received from his mother’s bloodline, with Oscar and Charles being the other two. Charles had known since they were boys, with Oscar and Lando only finding out recently after Lando roped Oscar into eavesdropping on what looked like a private but earnest conversation between Charles and Max.

“Mate, c’mon. You cannot actually be this dense. You’re an F1 driver, a four time world driver’s champion. Any woman would beg to marry you.” Lando pointed out, scoffing at Max.

“Doesn’t mean she would. She’s a paralegal at a law firm and has a daughter. She has roots, a whole life set up in a specific place. Being married to me would mean uprooting. What if she doesn’t want that? And anyways, we’ve literally just met at Las Vegas, why are you even thinking about my wedding?” Max asks quickly, giving Lando a look that asks ‘How delusional are you?’

“Because! You deserve to be happy finally! You have kept yourself solidly single and alone until you could find your soulmate and dammit I want nieces and nephews!” Lando shouts exasperatedly, causing Max to laugh heartily.

“Well, she told me to wish you a congrats on getting the World Constructors Championship. Apparently for constructors, she’s been a McLaren fan since the start.” Max stood straight from his lean against the pillar as he stretched, patting a hand on Lando’s shoulder.

“She’s McLaren girl!? Mate! She was destined to be my friend too, now you have to introduce us. If you don’t, I’m hunting down her instagram and sliding into her DMs!” Lando announced happily, making Max glare at him softly.

“I’ll introduce her to the grid slowly before the next season. I’m hoping to invite her to some races next year.” Max informs Lando, thinking about the way he’ll introduce her to some of the other drivers. Most of them living in Monaco, it would be easy to do over the break, but that would mean convincing her into an out of country trip.

“Let’s get a plan together while we celebrate. I can tell you wanna take this one easy instead of throwing her into the mix suddenly.” Max smiles at Lando gratefully as they begin the walk to their motorhomes to get cleaned up for a night of celebrating McLaren’s first win since the 1990’s.

taglist: @chaoswithus

[m4xgirlie]

newest chapter may take a hot minute, i’m unfortunately sicker than average and it’ll take me a moment to bounce back. i’ll be working on it tho!! just- in between moments of suffering and wishing i was either dead or just not sick at all 😂😂 love y’all!!

[m4xgirlie]

somethin a little shorter this week, the past couple of days have sorta fucked with me so i apologize if this really isn’t that great of a chapter. hopefully i improve! word count: 1,233 TW: Allusion to past domestic violence

A Surprising Invite

Chapter 3

As Raela huffed around her apartment, frustration seeming to vibrate off of her in waves at how the Qatar GP had gone, with the mirror in the track and all the crashes around turn one, let alone Max’s place penalty (despite her overwhelming pride at him finishing P1), she heard her phone going off. She groaned, annoyed at someone having the audacity to call her after she set it to vibrate so she didn’t feel like she needed to answer anyone, also having the day off of work while Fable was at daycare. It had only rung twice by this point, so she walked over to where it sat on the kitchen counter and glanced at the screen before squeaking loudly. In her surprise at the caller, she rushed to pick up her phone, accidentally dropping it directly on her toe and hissing at herself in pain as she hastily bent down to pick it up.

“Hey Max! That was one insane race!” She speaks lightheartedly as she answers the call, trying to hide how out of breath she sounds, all annoyance washed from her voice at his unexpected call.

“Yeah it was! You watched it all? You didn’t pull an all nighter just so you could, did you?” He asked, having already learned she usually didn’t properly wake up before ten in the morning on her days off (if she even did get sleep), right when the race would have been finishing for her.

Raela had been threatening for the last two days that she would stay awake to see his race, and Max had to very adamantly demand she didn’t each time. She laughs loudly, thinking back on the numerous conversations they’d had in the last three days with her threats, let alone just how much they’d spoken in the last week.

“Yes, I got a full 3 hours of sleep before I watched your race.” She says, smirking to herself.

“Only 3?” Max scoffed, appalled at how she was sounding so chirpy off so little sleep.

“Oh that’s plenty. I can function perfectly fine off 3 hours.” She responds, giggling. Max couldn’t ponder it, grumbling at her about her bad health habits. Then he sighed and groaned. Raela could hear her new friend’s distress.

“Whats wrong?” She asked him softly, not wanting to push in case he just didn’t want to talk about it.

“Just, this whole race, the entire FIA, the GPDA but mostly George cause he’s president of it. This entire season has just been so chaotic.” He mumbled, sounding like he was fighting a migraine.

“But hey, you came out on top,” Raela pointed out, pausing a moment before adding; “Even after that ridiculous place penalty after you rightfully earned pole.” She scoffed, her nerves heated again. Max only groaned louder.

“I can’t understand why George advocated for them to do that.” Max grumbled again, clearly upset.

“Wait George told them to?!” Raela gasps in shock and aggravation as she walks into the living room and over to her couch, plopping down after being tired of standing at her kitchen counter.

“Yeah. He said I was driving unnecessarily slowly during Q3.” Max responded, his tone flat but not entirely clear of frustration.

“That’s entirely bullshit! Is that why over the radios Gianpiero was all snarky when he said ‘You certainly didn’t drive unnecessarily slow today’?” Raela squawked, her own snarkiness slipping smoothly into her tone as she asked the question. Max chuckled, surprised this woman would jump to his defense after only being his friend such a short time.

“I agree. And yeah. GP was pissed at it all, he was close to going on a tirade.” Max said, chuckling before noticing his teams tech chief waving over to him from where he stood. “Hey, looks like I’ve gotta go. Team needs me for stuff.” Raela could hear the smirk in Max’s voice.

“Alright Mad Max, try not to be too awesome in there.” Raela grinned, sending him off with well wishes as they hung up the call.

———

Raela’s POV

After getting off the phone with Max, Raela sighed, leaning her head back onto the arm rest of her couch. As she thinks back on the last 6 months of her life, she can’t help but wonder how it all led her to here. Standing up to finish the cleaning she’d been attempting earlier, Raela can’t help but laugh at herself.

6 months ago she was a mother who had been in a solid relationship for just over a year, with a man that treated her daughter like his own, a relationship that she thought would result in marriage, only for it to blow up 2 months prior to when she met Max. As Raela’s thoughts drift to her ex, she notices the corner of the wall from the living room into the hallway to the bedrooms has a chunk of it missing. Subconsciously she reaches to the scar on the back of her head. Her impact one night into the wall because of him had caused both the crack and the scar.

4 months ago, she was preparing her daughter for her first day of pre-school, both of them crying simultaneously with each other and for each other, excitement at how the day had gone at the end bringing the mother and daughter pair to the kitchen for a dinner full of laughter and stories.

Then, 2 months ago. Out of nowhere, Raela’s ex-boyfriend Jackson had moved out of state. He hadn’t told her he was, and he was going so far as to tell his friends he never wanted to speak to her again.

Finally, last month. Raela had been working diligently at the firm for the month, not wanting to think about Jackson but knowing she needed to keep herself and her daughter afloat. As she’s putting together what feels like her millionth discovery but is probably closer to her 10th, her boss walks into her office, places an envelope and a note on her desk, and all without her even having a chance to speak, he walks back out. Dumbfounded, Raela opens the note.

“We all see you. We all see how hard you work. We all see how much hurt you’re in right now, and yet you’ve worked harder this last month than any paralegal we’ve had. And:

We ALL know you’re the biggest fan of Formula 1 racing in the firm. Enjoy Las Vegas!” Raela couldn’t help but squeal as she’d read that, immediately being hugged by 3 of her closest coworkers.

“I knew she’d take our idea!” Her first friend in the firm, Luisa had chirped, proud to be the one to bring it up to him.

“I’m happy she did.” Her best friend Marigold had agreed.

“I’m just wondering whats in the envelope? It looks thick.” Her auntie figure Liz pointed out. Raela remembered fondly what she had found. A fully fleshed itinerary, a paper with the name of her hotel as well as the room number, as well as her tickets to every event of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

As Raela continued to clean, she realized one thing she had to be gateful to her ex for. He may have hurt her and broken her heart; She was now friends with a 4 time world champion. And she couldn’t be any more proud to call Max her friend.

taglist: @chaoswithus

[m4xgirlie]

alright, now that i’ve finished reeling from the Qatar GP, i’m gonna attempt to write some of chapter 3 of A Surprising Invite. this should be interesting 😂

[m4xgirlie]

the fact that the commentators even said Max said he’d win in a ferrari is disgusting

[m4xgirlie]

decided to write a chapter ahead of the Qatar race because i have the motivation to do so, so heck it, why not word count: 2,359 BOLD is text message

A Surprising Invite: Part 2

Raela’s POV

As Raela stood out of the seat of her gaming race simulation rig, she stretched her arms high above her head, arching her back as she reached to stand on her tiptoes, groaning as she felt the pops cascading down her spine. She sighs gently to herself, dropping slowly back down to her heels as she relaxes, deciding to make her way to the kitchen for one of the Jack Daniel’s refresher drinks she hid in the bottom drawer of her fridge. As she stood, closing the door, she squeaks loudly with a small jump, covering her mouth as she notices her three year old standing in the entryway, carefully rubbing her eyes as she clutched her weighted stuffed puppy. Raela sighed and relaxed after the jumpscare, gently closing the fridge before going to crouch in front of her daughter.

“Hey Fable baby, why are you awake?” Raela asked her, her tone soft and inquisitive as she places her bottle on the floor before offering her hands for the child to hold.

“Had a dream that bees were in my head.” The toddler murmurs softly, looking down at her mother as she places one of her small hands into Raela’s offered one. Raela sighs, shaking her head with a soft smirk.

“I’m sorry squishy, momma must have had her TV louder than she thought she did.” She explained, offering Fable a hug. The child relaxes into Raela’s arms and mutters a question into her shoulder.

“What’s mama watching? Why’s it sound like bees?” The girl asks sleepily. Raela gently backs the girl off of her and smiles, getting an idea.

“You wanna see? It’s really cool I promise, but it’s mommy’s secret, so we gotta keep it to ourselves okay?” Raela asks her gently, squeezing her daughter’s hand gently while holding a finger to her lips, smiling as she winks at Fable. At the mention of a big secret, the girl’s eyes light up and she nods softly, grasping her mother’s hand tighter. Raela decidedly places her drink back in the fridge before leading Fable to the open door of her bedroom, showing her the rig that she usually kept hidden in her closet set up in the center of her bedroom floor.

“When you’re asleep at night, and I’m having a hard time focusing on what the big bad boss wants from me, I pretend I’m racing against some of the coolest people on the planet.” Raela explains to her daughter, showing her the game pulled up on the large television screen. “Momma couldn’t find her headphones though, so I must have had the TV louder than I thought I did. I’m sorry princess.” She explains further, looking down to see Fable staring at it all in wonder.

“It’s okay momma. I watch?” The toddler asks quickly, looking up at her mother with wide eyes. Raela giggled and nodded at her.

“On one condition. You lay in my bed and try to get more sleep. If you start nodding, don’t fight. Let the sounds of the engines take you to dreamland, okay?” Fable nods quickly, toddling to her room hastily to grab her blanket before climbing into Raela’s full sized bed, curling herself in a way that made it so she could comfortably watch but also fall asleep once she started to doze. She held up her blanket for her mother, Raela’s heart filling with warmth as she tucked her daughter in. The small child watched on as Raela settled back into the drivers seat, decidedly starting up a new race at the Monza track.

As she carefully drives, Raela does her best to steal quick glances at a mirror she had set up specifically to look at her bed when Fable was in her room for the occasional sleepover and she starts gaming after her daughter has fallen asleep, checking every so often to see if Fable has begun nodding. After the 27th lap, Raela sees Fable’s eyelids starting to flutter and droop, making Raela smile as she pushed faster around the laps for the child before she truly falls fully asleep.

After the race has completed, Raela having finished in 5th (her best finish yet), she stood up again, stretching and turning to look at her daughter, seeing she was fast asleep with a soft smile on her face, her stuffed puppy tucked under her chin. This brought a grin to Raela’s face before she glanced at the clock on her nightstand, muttering soft curses to herself as she noticed the time. It was well past 5 a.m, and her alarms were set to go off within the next hour. She groaned internally, trying to be quiet for the sleeping child, deciding she could live with another sleepless night. She wondered to herself if Max ever struggled to sleep, laughing softly to herself as part of her doubted if he did, but figured she could ask him after she alerted him she was awake. She checked her phone’s timezone widget, noting that he was in Qatar at the time, so it would be 4 in the afternoon for him compared to her 5 a.m of Forks, Washington.

Raela grimaced slightly at the time difference, hoping she wouldn’t be catching him at a bad time. She wonders to herself if maybe she should have just texted Max through the night, but she didn’t want to worry him while he was preparing for the second to last race.

She hadn’t told him about her sim rig yet, fear of him judging her seated deep in her bones. But at the same time, she’d been on and offline on their shared social apps, and she’d already received one or two messages just this night from the racer asking what she was still doing up. Each time, she continued to forget to turn off her active status to prevent him from seeing her online when she’s supposed to be well and fast asleep.

Raela sighed to herself. ‘May as well bite the bullet.’ She thinks to herself before typing Max a quick good morning text, adding a coffee emoji and a yawning emoji before hitting send. Raela hadn’t even started the coffee pot before she received a reply.

‘Good morning to you too. It’s 5 a.m though. You aren’t supposed to be up until 6. Why so early?’ His text read. Raela groaned. ‘The downsides of being friends with someone equally as perceptive,’ she thought to herself, chuckling as she remembered grumbling about having to be up so early to him before her while she took a moment before responding.

‘I may have sorta not even slept yet.’ She typed out, switching over to the Spotify app and quietly turning on some music before placing her phone down on the counter. As she nimbly danced around her kitchen, she could hear her phone practically exploding in texts as Max sent her a series of exasperated emoji’s, admonitions, and questions.

Raela was pointedly ignoring her phone, turning off her alarms as she glanced at Max’s texts, giggling softly. It had been just under a week since they had become friends, his first two practice races being the next day, and then the third practice race and qualifying being the exact week since they’d met. Raela startled, realizing that it had already been 5 days. Chuckling to herself, she started stirring some eggs she’d cracked into a now heated frying pan as she made scrambled eggs for herself and her child. After a moment, she moved another pan onto the stove so she could fry some sausage links and hashbrowns. Awaiting the oil to heat, she finally checked his texts.

‘RYEEE! That is not healthy for you! You need sleep. Do you have today off?’

‘Rye come on, you should nap.’

‘Ryyyeeeeeeluuuuuhhhhh why are you not responding now?’

‘Have you fallen asleep? 🤔’

‘My gut says ✨no✨ 😑😒’

‘What are you even up to?’

The last message felt like the easiest for her to respond to.

‘I’m making breakfast for Fable and I! 😁😗✌🏼 # goodchefmom’ Raela giggled as she pressed send, a typing bubble quickly appearing. ‘Damn, he must be free right now.’ She thought to herself as she received his text.

‘Who’s Fable?’ Max asked. She stared at her phone blankly, confused at his question. Raela knows for a fact she had mentioned her daughter on countless occasions. Max was well aware of her status as a mother. Raela thought to herself for a moment, soon deciding she must have never mentioned her name.

‘Oh, my daughter! I’m so sorry, I could have sworn I mentioned her name, but I must not have.’ She shoots back to him, shaking her head as she removed the sausages and hashbrowns from the pan, shifting them to an awaiting plate covered by a paper towel. Afterwards, she moved the eggs into the pan with the oil and grease, quickly finishing those before moving to make toast.

Raela heard slow, tiny shuffles along the hallway carpet before seeing Fable’s sleepy eyes peek around the corner.

“Mornin baby! I made breakfast! Wanna eat in front of the patio doors?” Raela asked, grinning as Fable slowly yawned, nodding to her mother before shuffling off to grab blankets to sit on and wrap themselves in while Raela prepared their breakfast plates and drinks. Max hadn’t responded yet, so she wondered if maybe he’d gotten busy. As she sat with her daughter to eat, watching the most recent snowfall create piles on their patio, she decided she wanted to tell him about her rig, her secret guilty pleasure. She just wasn’t sure how.

———

Max’s POV

Max couldn’t stop glancing at his phone, seeing Raela active on snapchat every so often. It was the dead of night at home for her, so why was she still online? As his team debriefed him for the expected weekend in Qatar, including the weather and strategies for the practices before quali, he sent her the occasional questioning message when he saw her active in the same moments he was.

When his phone finally pinged with a text notification, he had actually just gotten out of the meeting.

‘Good morning! ☕️🥱’ The message read, causing him to chuckle.

‘Good morning to you too. It’s 5 a.m though. You aren’t supposed to be up until 6. Why so early?’ Max rapidly typed out, pressing send before his attention was quickly snatched by Lando. His phone pinged again, bringing his attention away from Lando and back to his phone.

‘I may have sorta not even slept yet.’ Raela had responded. Lando glanced over his friend’s shoulder as Max groaned, slapping his hand to his forehead. It’s been barely a week into their friendship and this woman was already driving him mad with her odd patterns. ‘Or maybe she has insomnia?’ Max thought to himself, deciding he’d do research into the sleeping disorder and see if there were ways to help it, or even just ways to convince her to sleep if she wasn’t getting enough.

“Texting someone?” Lando asked suddenly, smirking up at Max. There was something hidden in the McLaren driver’s eyes, and it slightly unnerved Max.

“Yeah, met them in Las Vegas. Terrible sleep patterns.” Max responded absentmindedly as his thumbs flew over the keyboard to respond to Raela, a series of texts being sent one after another.

‘RYEEE! That is not healthy for you! You need sleep. Do you have today off?’

‘Rye come on, you should nap.’

‘Ryyyeeeeeeluuuuuhhhhh why are you not responding now?’

‘Have you fallen asleep? 🤔’

‘My gut says ✨no✨ 😑😒’

‘What are you even up to?’

With each passing lack of response, Max grew frustrated, huffing occasionally as he glared at his phone, willing the woman on the other end to respond. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lando staring at him, his friend’s hand covering his mouth as he tried not to laugh at Max’s demeanor.

“Mate, I’ve gotta tell you. Never seen you so aggro before, not even in Bahrain.” Lando was barely containing himself now, ultimately curious as to who could be causing The Dutch Lion so much distress. At that moment is when Sergio decided to interject himself, having been sent to pull the drivers for a meeting.

“It’s cause of a woman.” He pipes in, walking over to the duo. Lando looks at Checo in shock before whistling, slowly turning his head to look at Max.

“So, who is she then?” Lando asks, curiosity and mischief blooming in his features. Max’s phone pings with another new notification.

‘I’m making breakfast for Fable and I! 😁😗✌🏼 # goodchefmom’ Raela had texted. He immediately typed a response, a sudden burst of jealousy raging through his chest before he can fully comprehend the contents of the message.

‘Who’s Fable?’ Max asks her, staring at his phone again as he awaited her reply. He could hear Sergio and Lando whispering off to the side.

“You think if he glares any harder his phone will spontaneously shatter?” Lando asks the older man next to him in a hushed tone, amusement clear in his smirk. Sergio shakes his head softly.

“Nah, we’ll probably see actual daggers first.” Sergio responded, both of them chuckling. Soon came a new text, Max reading it slowly.

‘Oh, my daughter! I’m so sorry, I could have sworn I mentioned her name, but I must not have.’ The message read, and as Max re-read her previous message he smacked his forehead once again, having realized he could have put two and two together on his own had he not been over eager. Groaning to himself, he typed out a quick response.

‘Oh that’s sweet! She has a lovely name. What are you having?’ Max sent to her, hoping he played it off smoothly. Sergio then took this moment to get his attention.

“Hey, we need you for the driver’s meeting. Let’s get this handled.” He spoke, his tone firm. Max nodded, and as he followed Lando and Checo he took a moment to think.

‘Why was she up so late? What does she do so deep in the night?’

taglist: @chaoswithus

[m4xgirlie]

hi yall! i lied, next part drops as soon as im done editing it 😂

hi y’all!!! next chapter will drop on monday, after the Qatar race!! hope to see y’all then!!