THE blinding light seeped through the small curtains, and Elena's eyes prayed themselves apart, as she squinted to adjust to the light.

She'd obviously drunk more than three drinks.

"Sorry Maria." she thought to herself as she sat up and leaned against the headboard.

She jumped away from it however when she realised her hotel room didn't have a headboard. She looked around the very big hotel room wide eyed and started to curse under her breath.

She was fully clothed, but not in the clothes she had yesterday. She was dressed in an oversized Red Bull shirt and much-too-big for her sweatpants.

She almost fell out of the bed when someone walked around the corner, and she shouted a little.

"Ah jeeze Perez. It's nine in the morning please."

Max rubbed his face as he walked over to the bed and sat down beside the very confused Perez girl. He was dressed in a tight shirt which ex amplified his muscles, and sweatpants which hung low on his torso. Elena had to remind herself that she didn't know what was happening to stop herself from staring.

"You were very drunk last night, I had an extensive tow off Maria, so to pay her back I said I'd take you back to your hotel, only to find that you didn't have your room key. Very stupid of you-" he said with a sarcastic shake of his head, "So i brought you to my room, gave you some clothes of mine to change into and locked you in the bathroom until you were dressed, then you passed out."

Elena blinked as she took in all the information Max had told her. "So we didn't-"

"No." Max said, smiling slightly.

Elena let out a sigh of relief as she rested against the headboard again. She regretted it as her head hit the board with a thud and her head began to pound. "Ow." she muttered, brining her hand up to where she bumped her head.

Max stood back up, walked away for a few moments, before returning with a box of paracetamol and a glass of water he'd just poured.

Elena took them gratefully, as Max moved around slightly, packing the last of his clothes into his suitcase.

Elena stared at him slightly as he packed, a small smile on he face. "Thank you."

"Don't worry, I had loads of paracetamol for myself for the race if I hurt something, it was just on hand in case-"

"Not for the paracetamol. I mean for making sure I was safe." Elena corrected.

Max looked up from his suitcase, and gave her a smile, and Elena's stomach did a sort of flip.

"I must still be slightly drunk." she thought, as her head began to pound again.

Max shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Didn't want you running off to Leclerc." he added teasing her.

Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "Hahaha. Very funny. Hilarious. You should be a comedian."

Max pursed his lips to stop him from laughing at Elena's disapproving tone. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he took it out, checking it.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Elena frowned. "You okay?"

Max looked up at her, almost as if he forgot she was there. "Yeah, no uh, everything's fine I just need to uh-" he placed his phone back in his pocket, "I'll be back in like ten minutes, there's just someone I've got to speak to before I leave today and they're downstairs."

"Oh, okay." Elena said, as Max looked between the door of the hotel room and Elena.

"You're clothes from yesterday are on the chair over here, I'll be ten minutes okay?" he said, walking backwards towards the door.

"It's okay." Elena said, giving him a smile as he left. She got up out of the bed, taking the paracetamol with some water, walking over to the chair Max had pointed at.

She saw her halter top and jeans from yesterday, and on the back on the chair, the Red Bull jacket he'd let her borrow.

She frowned, spotting a small yellow poster note on the sleeve. She walked towards his and took the note off the jacket, reading Max's surprisingly neat handwriting.

To keep you from the cold.

Looks better on you than me anyways :)

m x

Elena scoffed slightly, smiling to herself as she placed the note on the counter, picking up the jacket and inspecting it.

She rolled her eyes, still smiling, taking her clothes into the bathroom to change out of Max's clothes.

When she re-emerged she placed Max's folded clothes on the bed and and walked back over to the chair. She spotted the post it note on the counter, and hesitated slightly, before picking up up, and placing it in the large jacket pocket.

ELENA slumped down into the plane seat next to Maria, looking over to her friend. "Never leave me alone at a party ever again please."

Maria snorted ruffling Elena's hair slightly. She then frowned for a few moments. "You smell of cologne. Why."

Elena blinked. "Excuse me."

"Where did you go last night?" Maria asked suspiciously, eyeing her best friend up and down.

Elena shrugged. "I was really drunk so Max took me back to his place until I sobered up this morning."

Maria's face twisted into an expression of shock as she stared wide eyed at Elena. Elena girl shook her head and hands frantically, "No, no no no nothing happened, I just slept and then in the morning I left." she assured the Toni girl.

Maria's shocked expression changed again, into one of scheming. "Hm. He's a gentleman."

"Maria."

"What I'm just saying? He's not a bad looking bloke and his mother's obviously taught him well-"

"Well you date him then!" Elena said exasperated.

Maria raised an eyebrow over at her friend, smirking. "1. I like women, 2. I never said anything about dating him."

"You heavily implied it." Elena sulked.

Maria rolled her eyes at Elena. "Alright I was implying it, and I'm not gonna' take it back and-"

"Maria," Elena interrupted her, "Charles?"

Maria's smirk dropped. "Oh. Charles. How could I forget."

Elena frowned. "Okay what is everybody's problem with Charles? First Max, then Ronnie now you. What's he done?"

Maria shrugged. "He's just... annoying."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah great point Ria."

Maria held her hands up in surrender, "Hey, I may be gay but I know a cheap guy when I see one. All I'm saying is Charles has been getting right on my nerves lately and I can't tell you why... there's just something about him that-" she shivered in her seat.

Elena shrugged. "Well I appreciate you being worried for me, but I'm still in deep."

Maria gave her friend a small smile. "I know honey. I know."

Feeling slightly cold, Elena placed her hands into the jacket pocket of the Red Bull jacket, and her breath hitched in her throat when her ring covered fingers grazed the paper of Max's note.

Without realising, she gave herself a small smile, before settling down in her seat as the pilot began to speak.

maxena >>

maria >>>

max>> charles (in this book, irl i love them both sm)

the note 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰