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writingwithina · 2 years ago

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Long Story Short, I Survived

Pairing : Charles leclerc x reader ; Max Verstappen x reader

Author's note: She's done and she's here. It was 4 a.m. here in India when I finished writing the story. I was gonna post it then but as I was proof reading, I realised I missed writing a scene. I could've written it then and posted it but I had a driving class at 7 so I had to sleep. Thank you for your patience and I hope you guys like this. My inbox is always open for you to pop in and tell me your thoughts or just rant about anything that's troubling you. As always, reblogs and comments are always appreciated. Happy reading!

Content: Fluff and some angst.

Word Count: 3.9k words

Read part one of the story: I Miss You I'm Sorry

The hardest pill Y/n had to swallow was that no matter how good she was to Charles, no matter how much she loved him, he could and did turn his back on her and there was nothing she could do about it. She went home from the party, questioning everything. She thought back on every 'I love you', ' I miss you', ' 'You're my forever', she wondered if Charles had really meant these words. She spent a week in her bedroom, wallowing in her misery. She felt as if she had lost everything, as if Charles had ripped apart her life and she had no idea how to sew it back together. It was the worst feeling in the world, realising she didn't mean as much to Charles as she thought she did. It was amusing how easily he could break her heart. Perhaps happily ever afters only existed in fiction. Don't get her wrong , she knew relationships required work and there's no such thing as a happily ever after, not like in the movies anyway. For her, a happy ever after meant working through the differences, the problems together, putting equal efforts to make the relationship work. But her reality was different. It wasn't waking up in the arms of her love. It was a cold, lonely bed and a shattered heart. After re evaluating her relationship, her life, Y/n decided Charles really wasn't worth her tears. He wasn't worthy of her, not when he could so easily betray her. From now on, the only person she would live for is herself. She would learn to realise her own worth and she would be her own person. No more staying up late just for a call from your boyfriend which never came, no more prioritising him over you, no more false promises and certainly no more love and promises of togetherness. From now on she would only belong to herself.

—------------

Max had seen Y/n run out of the party. All he wanted to do was comfort her and hold her. Tell her she deserved better, that she deserved him but he knew that it wasn't the right time. The first time Max had seen you was at the Miami Grand Prix . The moment he laid his eyes on you, he was infatuated. He wanted nothing more than to be in Charles' place. He wanted to be the one calling you his. He wanted to love you, hold you, kiss you. He wanted to hear his name fall from your lips as he claimed you in every way. But it wasn't possible. Max kept his distance from you. The two of you shared the occasional greeting and that was that. Max admired you from afar. He thought he was being discreet but that was far from the truth. Everyone around him noticed how his eyes didn't leave you when you were in the paddock. Even Christian called him out on this, he advised him to confess his feelings to you but Max refrained. He was okay with appreciating you from a distance. After all, if you were meant to be his, fate would bring you together. If not, he would pray to the high heavens to grant him another life where he could be yours, where he could worship you.

A little part of Max was happy you had broken up with Charles. He wasn't gonna make a move on you right now but was glad that he would not be restricted by any relationship you were in. He wanted to give you space. He also wanted to come up with a plan to ask you in the best way possible. If he was really going to pursue you, he was going to do it right.

Five months passed before Max finally decided to make a move on you. He knew the coffee shop you frequented. He was gonna wait at the coffee shop for you and then "accidentally" bump into you. It was stupid, he was aware but he didn't know what else he could do. It wasn't like he could just come up to your house and ask you on a date. Max waited the entire day at the shop but you never came. To say he was disappointed would be an understatement. On his way out, he ran into Lewis.

" Lewis! Hi, what-uh what are you doing here? " Max sputtered

" Uh, I was just getting a coffee since it's a coffee shop and all, " Lewis mentioned.

" Oh, yeah. I'll- I'll see you around ", Max said a little too loudly, trying to escape.

" Max, wait! "

All Max wanted to do was go home and look at your social media accounts to see if you had mentioned going on a vacation. He didn't want to deal with Lewis right now. He was aware that Lewis knew you since you were a baby and he wasn't gonna discuss his infatuation with you with him.

" Uh yeah?

" You were waiting here for Y/n, weren't you? "

" Why would I do that"

" Because you've always liked her and this place is where she always gets her coffee from. I've never seen you here ever since you moved to Monaco. The only logical conclusion is that you were waiting for her so you could ask her out. " Lewis concluded.

Max couldn't understand if Lewis was upset or angry at him.

" Or maybe I just wanted a coffee? " Max lied.

" Don't bullshit me Max. "

" I- I'm not "

" I know you've always liked her. But she isn't staying here anymore. She moved to Milan. "

" Milan? Why? "

" She needed a fresh start. Look, I know you like her. If you want to ask her out, go for it. I'll warn you though, she might not say yes. She already got her heart broken once and I highly doubt she is willing to go through it again. She's changed a lot since November. "

Max wasn't surprised by that. He understood you would have your defenses up after getting your heart broken so badly. But that wasn't gonna deter him. He will do his damn best to get you to believe in love again. He was a man on a mission.

" So you've no problem with me asking her out? " Max questioned Lewis.

" No. You're both adults. She's like my little sister so of course I want to protect her. I hate Charles for what he did to her. But she's also her own person. She can make decisions for herself. Just don't hurt her any more. I don't think she is capable of getting her heart broken one more time. "

Max nodded his head. Lewis gave him your new address and wished him luck.

Max booked the earliest flight to Milan. He could've taken a train but he didn't want to waste anymore time. It was late at night when he landed in Milan. He booked a hotel near your house and told himself he would be at your doorstep bright and early in the morning.

—-------

It was nine in the morning on a Sunday when Y/n heard the doorbell ring. All she wanted to do was ignore the ringing and go back to bed. But something in her told her to get up and open the door. So she did exactly that. Surprise coated her face as she saw Max at her doorstep with a bouquet of Sunflowers in his hand. Out of all the people she could expect at her doorstep, Max certainly wasn't one of them.

" Max! Hi, what- what are you doing here? "

" Good morning Y/n. Can I come in? "

" Yeah, yeah, of course. " Y/n stepped away, letting Max inside her house.

" These are for you. I know sunflowers are your favourite ", uttered Max as he gave the bouquet of freshly picked sunflowers to her.

" Thanks. " Y/n walked over to the vase she had kept on her dining table and arranged the flowers. " Can I get you anything? Tea? Water? Coffee? A redbull? "

" Water is fine. "

" So, what brings you here Max? " Y/n questioned as she handed a glass of water to him.

" I- I'm not going to beat around the bush with this. I like you Y/n, I really really like you. I have since I first saw you at the Miami Grand Prix last year. I couldn't confess this to you back then because you were with Charles. I know you got your heart broken and I know my words don't mean anything to you right now but please try and believe me. "

" Max I don't- I don't know what to say. "

" Just one date. Go on just one date with me. If you don't want to go out with me after that, I'll respect your decision. But if you do find me worthy of your time, of you, I promise to love you, cherish you, worship you the way you deserve. I cannot promise that we'll never fight or that I won't hurt you or you won't hurt me. Relationships aren't always perfect. But what I can promise you is that I'll be by your side through every up and down. It would be us against the problems and not you versus me. Just give me one chance to prove myself to you. "

Y/n was awestruck. Max said all the words she wanted to hear and she hadn't even gone out with him yet. She wanted to yes, she so badly wanted to say yes but something was holding her back.

" I don't wanna get hurt again Max. Whatever happened to me and Charles broke me. It was extremely hard to piece myself back together again. I cannot do this all over again. "

" I promise you, I won't ever hurt you in the way Charles did. Let me prove myself to you , give me one chance. "

" One? "

" Just one. "

" Okay, I'll give you one chance. "

" Really? "

" Really. "

Max's happiness knew no bounds. Her dream girl had finally agreed to go on a date with him. His smile lit up his face. This felt even better than winning his second World Championship.

" Thank you Y/n, thank you. I promise you won't regret this decision. "

—--------

Their first date happened a week later. Y/n was clueless where Max was taking her. His only instruction was to dress comfortably. "Dress comfortably" could mean a lot of things. Y/n didn't know if she should wear sweats or something like a sundress. After much debating, she ultimately decided to wear a white sundress which had daisies printed on it. She left her hair down and wore a scrunchie on her wrist in case it got too hot. Max arrived at her doorstep at five o'clock in the evening. This time he brought a bouquet of daisies. He wore a simple white crew neck, faded blue jeans and paired it with a baby blue cardigan. He looked cozy and cuddly and incredibly handsome and cute. Y/n couldn't decide which adjective she would use to describe him. Max was the perfect gentleman. He opened the car door for her as they went towards the secret location Max still wouldn't disclose. He complimented her the entire time. He would constantly ask her questions about herself. Y/n was happy, for the first time in a long time, she was genuinely happy. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She was pleasantly surprised by Max's dry humour. She didn't expect him to be so funny but he surprised her. The entire car ride was filled with laughter and anecdotes from the past. Y/n couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun with Charles. For a moment, she thought about that relationship again. When was the last time Charles had brought her flowers? When was the last time they had gone on a date? Their relationship before that "break" was a blur of fights and hurtful words. Now that Y/n saw that relationship from a new perspective, she realised just how much more invested she was in it than Charles. She couldn't believe she let herself be treated the way he did. But now, she was an entirely different person. She wouldn't let Max treat her the way Charles did. But something told her, call it an intuition or a gut feeling that Max would treat her with respect. That he would be as much a part of the relationship as she would be. Y/n was hopeful that this time life would reward her with happiness and the happily ever after she always wanted.

Max parked the car near a garden. He took a huge basket from the trunk of his car and a bedsheet.

" We're having a picnic? " Y/n couldn't control her gleeful voice. She freaking loved picnics. In her opinion, a picnic was the best way to get to know someone. Also you could tell a lot about a person from what they packed for a picnic. She was really glad Max had planned a picnic as their first date.

" Yeah. I hope that's okay. I didn't wanna have a boring dinner date. " Max replied, his voice laced with a hint of fear.

" It's more than okay Max. I love picnics. "

Max smiled at that. He mentally patted himself for making the right choice. They chose a secluded corner under a tree and spread the bedsheet. They talked about everything and nothing. Y/n told him about her childhood and why she thinks Rapunzel is the best Disney movie ever and Max told her about his interests apart from racing and how he is hoping to adopt a dog soon. They didn't realise four hours had passed. It felt as if they had been there for only thirty minutes.They packed up and left the park. On the way home, they got ice-cream and got into a debate on whether Mint Choc Chip is the superior flavour or good ole vanilla. Y/n argued it was Mint choc chip, Max argued it was Vanilla. (It's definitely a Mint choc chip. Anyone who argues otherwise is wrong.)

As they reached home, Max walked Y/n up to her door, gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and bid her good night. Y/n was a little disappointed that he didn't kiss her but knew it was the right decision to take it slow. When Max texted her the next day asking if she would be willing to go on another date with him, she replied she would be very mad if he didn't take her out again. And what was next? They went on many dates together. Sometimes they went for a walk near the neighbourhood or had cooking nights. Cooking nights mainly consisted of Y/n cooking and Max trying to distract her with kisses because Max couldn't cook even if his life depended on it. They had fun together, they were comfortable with each other. They could both sit in silence and Y/n would still say that she was having the time of her life. Whenever doubts slipped in her mind, Max would always remind her that he would always be there for her and that he would never let anything hurt her. Y/n concluded that saying yes to Max was the best decision she ever made.

—--

The first time Max confessed his love for her Y/n was asleep. She had a big meeting the next day and needed all the rest she could get. Max decided he would tell her tomorrow that he loved her. Three months is enough time before saying I Love You right? But Max couldn't tell her he loved her the first thing in the morning because by the time he woke up, Y/n had already left for the office. As he made breakfast for himself, his phone rang. His phone lit up with a picture of her he had taken on their third date. She was telling him about the new book she had started reading and how the protagonist was pissing her off while happily munching on some McDonald's fries. He picked the call and instead of being met with her calm voice, he heard her frantically saying something he couldn't understand.

"Snoepje, calm down. I can't understand what you're saying. "

" I forgot my files at home and my meeting starts in half an hour. Could you- can you please bring those files here? "

" Of course. Give me fifteen minutes. "

" They're kept on the table in the living room. Thank you so much honey!"

Max brought her the files and a scalding cup of coffee within the next 15 minutes. As soon as she saw him, she engulfed him in a big hug and thanked him profusely. They didn't get to talk much as Y/n had to leave immediately for the meeting. Max decided to wait for her. After all, it was the most important meeting that could benefit her in her career . The least he could do was be there for her.

The meeting went on for an hour. No sooner did Y/n see him than she wrapped her arms around him, breathed a deep sigh of relief and softly said, " I love you."

Max was stunned for a moment. Did he hear her correctly?

" Y/n, what did you just say? "

" I said I'm in love with you. I didn't plan for it to come out this way but you're here and I couldn't wait any longer to say those words. It's okay, you don't have to say them-"

Max abruptly cut her off with a kiss.

" You've no idea how long I've waited to hear you say those words. I'm in love with you too, Snoepje. I've been for the past six months. "

Y/n smiled softly and kissed him. She loved him and he loved her. What more could they ask for?

—--

They had been together for six months when they decided to let the public know about their relationship. Max was apprehensive. He didn't want her dealing with hate and public outrage just because she dated Charles before. Y/n assured him that she was ready, she wanted the world to know she was his and he was hers. They walked hand in hand at the Silverstone Grand Prix. As soon as the fans spotted them, they went wild. Some of them were incredibly ecstatic to see Y/n after such a long time while others questioned why she arrived at the paddock with Max. Rumors immediately started circulating around the paddock and on all social media platforms. But Y/n didn't care if anyone was slut-shaming her or calling her a homewrecker. She knew her reality. The race was going to begin in an hour and Max was doing some last minute check up in the car. She decided to walk around the paddock. A part of her had missed this, missed the adrenaline pumping through everyone's veins, missed the unadulterated excitement and people's love for this sport. She was waiting for the social media manager for Red Bull when Charles caught her. Y/n knew Charles was gonna be here but for some reason she hadn't expected to run into him. She expected to feel something, anything when she saw him. But she felt nothing , no anger or sadness coursed through her veins.

" Charles, hi. "

" How are you doing? "

" I'm fine. How are you? "

" I've seen better days. "

Y/n didn't know what to say .

" So you and Max, huh? " Charles said with an accusatory tone.

" Yeah, what about it? "

" Nothing. It's a little funny how you got together with him when it's even a year after our break up. "

" Are you serious right now? " Y/n fumed. " You're in no position to question my relationship with Max when you cheated on me. "

" I didn't cheat. We were on a break, " Charles defended.

" A break didn't mean we had broken up Charles. You told me you needed some time apart because it would be good for our relationship. It did not give you the permission to cheat. Were you ever gonna tell me if I hadn't found out at that party? "

" I was gonna tell you soon. I just didn't know how. I knew you would overreact like you're right now. "

" You've got some nerve Charles. Getting mad at your partner for cheating isn't an overreaction. If you really were over me, over us, you could've simply told me that. You didn't have to go and get in someone else's pants. I would have understood that your priorities changed or that I didn't make you happy anymore. You weren't the only person in that relationship. Why did you do it? "

" Do what? "

" Cheat? Why couldn't you just tell me you wanted to break up?"

" I-I don't know. I was just afraid of hurting you. But I now realise I hurt you more by not communicating with you. I didn't realise what I had until I lost you. And now seeing you with Max, I'm jealous I guess. I remember when you used to smile at me like that. I remember making you happy. I just wanted that back. "

" You can't have that back. For what it's worth Charles, I did truly love you and I guess a part of me always will. But it will never happen again and you should accept it. I've never been as happy as I'm when I'm with Max. I hope you find someone to make you happy as well. And I'm sorry it couldn't be me. " With that Y/n left. She didn't have anything else to say to him. She walked to the Red Bull hospitality where Max was looking for her. As he spotted her , he jogged up to her. He noticed a dull expression on her face and was concerned.

" Hey. Is everything okay? Why are you upset? "

Y/n didn't say anything as she wrapped his arms around her and breathed in his scent. She rested her head on his chest and took some deep breaths to ground herself.

" Y/n, love, you're scaring me. Are you okay? "

" I'm okay now. I love you. "

—---

Charles went on to become the 2023 World Champion with Max becoming the vice World Champion (I know chances of Charles being the World champion are highly unlikely but let me be delusional in peace). Charles should have been happy, this is what he wanted his entire life but he wasn't. As he saw Max wrap his arms around you and celebrate an incredible season, he felt the emptiness in his heart. There was not a day that went by without Charles mourning his relationship with you. He knew you were happy with Max and he knew he had to accept it but he couldn't. He couldn't forgive himself for giving up on the best thing that ever happened to him. Maybe ten years, twenty years from now, he would be able to look at you without yearning filling his senses. Maybe if enough time passed he would learn not to reach for you every morning when he woke up. And maybe, just maybe he would be able to love someone else and stop looking for you in every person. Charles couldn't blame you for leaving if he didn't do anything to make you stay. He regrets a lot of things but letting you go would always be his greatest regret.

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