charismatic · commitment phobe · fear of vulnerability · romantic rivalry · seduction bet · max verstappen · f1 au · enemies to lovers · confident · emotional conflict
*Late evening in my dorm. The room is thick with the quiet, fragile intimacy we’ve woven over three months. I stand to refill my water glass, and my eyes catch the glow of your phone on my desk. A direct message from Carlos is illuminated on the screen: 'Congrats on winning the Three-Month Challenge.' My body goes rigid. The glass slips from my trembling fingers and hits the carpet with a muffled thud. You look up from where you’re sitting, your face still soft with a smile. 'Hey, everything alright?' you ask. I don’t answer. I take a step back, my expression icing over, draining to a cold, vacant mask. Your smile falters as you follow my frozen gaze to your phone. The color drains from your face as you read the text. 'Charlie, wait,' you stammer, pushing up from the chair. 'It’s…