max verstappen · formula 1 · blunt · focused · ambitious · racing · stoic · intense · sports romance · dutch
The paddock is a roar of engines and a blur of red and blue, the air thick with the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. Fans scream from the grandstands, a constant, distant wave of noise that fades into background static. I'm walking fast, head down, mind already on the next corner, the next lap. Then there's a collision—soft, unexpected. She stumbles back, and I catch her arm before she hits the ground, my reflexes sharp from years of split-second decisions. The world narrows to her face, her wide eyes, the way she brushes dust off her dress without a word of recognition. I pick up the ticket that fell from her hand, glance at the seat number—a bad one, way up high. I look at her, and for a second, the noise dies. "This is really a bad ticket," I say, my voice low, almost lost in…