may, 2024.

THE SUN WAS MELTING, the picturesque scenery of the mediterranean sea flowing delicately around them; it was almost unreal. isabel leclerc loved the sea. she loved the oceanic blues and the calmness of the water, lulling her into a sense of security. the blues, the gorgeous, almost unreal blues, that sparkled within the ocean served as a reminder for a certain dutchman with notorious anger issues, yes, but who also was so soft-hearted. the dutchman who her back was pressed up against, the world champion who had his arms around her. max verstappen, whose skin was so warm against hers under the monegasque sun.

this was the peace they had been waiting for. the miami grand prix was over, and in the little time they had off in between that and the grand prix in emilia-romagna, they were taking advantage of what they could, and that meant relaxing on their yacht. isabel was always busy now, with co-owning a team with daniel through its first year in formula 1, and trying to be the best driver possible to end up with either a constructor's or a driver's championship. and max was gunning for more championships upon other things. he was just enjoying where he was in life, enjoying and reveling in the success that hard work led him to.

it was so peaceful that isabel groaned when she heard her phone vibrating on the floor. thing is, it meant it was important because only a select few people rang through her do not disturb, and she could also see that the contact name was daniel ricciardo.

"max," she kept her voice low, tapping his thigh a few times. he huffed almost inaudibly in response. "max . . . it's important, i have to get up."

she tilted her head back, and unsurprisingly, max's eyes were closed, probably half-asleep like isabel was before she noticed her phone buzzing. but he didn't move, just locked his arms around her tighter. "fuckin . . ." she muttered, wiggling a little to slip out of his hold and stand up beside the comfortable chair they had been lounging on. leaning over, she kissed the top of his head before picking up her phone. "i will be just a minute, mhm?"

"you promised you wouldn't pick up the phone," max's eyes flickered open lazily, half-lidded.

isabel grimaced, "désolée" she picked up her phone off the floor and stepped out onto the deck outside the shaded area of the yacht, making sure to walk around to the other side so that she didn't bother max. "ciao, danny," she greeted daniel once she answered the phone, holding it up to her ear.

"ciao, ciao!" she could practically hear daniel's smile over the phone.

dropping down to sit on the edge of the deck, isabel let her legs dangle in the water, cooling down her body that the sun was beaming down on. "is something wrong? do i need to head to italy early?"

"uh, well," daniel started, "not, like, right now. well . . . ah, it's fine, y'know? i'm handling it."

"daniel . . ."

"it's nothing too bad, i promise!" daniel raised his voice a little. "one of our sponsors is thinking of withdrawing, they're being a bitch about it. i promise ya, i'm sorting it."

isabel facepalmed, trying to stop herself from groaning. instead, she sighed, trying not to let the stress get to her. as much as she loved daniel, it sucked to hear after an attempt at a relaxing day. "the earliest i can get to italy is tomorrow night," she grimaced as she said it, pulling her legs out of the water and bringing her knees up to her chest. "i swear, why does shit always go wrong the second i try and take a break?" she sighed.

"yeah," daniel chuckled airily. "totally get it. i've tried sorting it with the business team, but it's not going too well. i can hold the fort down, don't worry. i'm sorry to bother you, belle."

"no, it's— it's fine," she waved it off, although it was not fine. everything had been going so well, and the minute she took a break, it all goes to shit. "i'll let max know," she said. "sorry i haven't been there. fuck."

"don't beat yourself up about it, kiddo," daniel said. "like i said, i can keep everything under control here. don't rush, it's all good, rightio?"

"uh huh," isabel stared out at the clear blue sea surrounding her. "i'll call you tomorrow morning."

"see ya, belle."

"bye," isabel said before hanging up. she remained there for a moment extra, setting her phone down to rub at her eyes. "fuck," she muttered. "fuck."

things had been going so well, and it was a good thing that daniel hadn't told her which sponsor because she undoubtedly would've called them up in a heartbeat. she was not happy with the news. but what sucked now was that she felt like her day had been ruined, a dark cloud sitting right over her head and disrupting her view of the gorgeous day. isabel just hoped that max had fallen asleep so that she could curl up against him and forget about everything daniel had just told her for a little while longer. and so that she wouldn't have to tell max about it straight away.

"daniel's capable," she told herself reassuringly. "he can just charm them back into not being bitchy. easy, yep, easy, uh huh," she mumbled to herself, trying to convince herself that everything would be fine until she got to modena tomorrow night. it was getting to italy earlier than she had planned, but she had invested a lot in the team, and she wasn't about to let it fall apart while they were busy dominating the midfield.

with one last sigh, she stood up from the deck, picking up her phone in the process, and headed back around to where she had left max. to her surprise, when she got back, music was playing through the sound system at a quieter level. the beginning of lovers rock by tv girl greeted her, and max was sitting by a separate edge with his legs in the water.

wordlessly, isabel moved to sit beside him before slipping down into the cool, refreshing water. she turned to prop herself up by resting her arms on max's thighs, her body mostly between his legs from below.

"you okay?" he asked, pushing her hair back out of her eyes, the ends of it getting soaked by the sea.

isabel bit her tongue. don't ruin today, she told herself, but her mood had already plummeted. "yeah," she gave him a smile, almost certain that he saw directly through it. "just modena stuff. it is fine, i promise."

"good," max smiled. he had seen right through her facade, he always had been able to. "i have something i should tell you, though."

x

MAX WAS ENJOYING THE little break between races. to be home in monaco with his girlfriend was all he really wanted. it gave him the perfect excuse to relax a bit, to escape reality for just a little while.

the day had started off great. max had picked up some treats from lizzie's boulangerie, paying the woman much more than was necessary per usual, before driving back home to pick up isabel so that they could head out to her yacht. it was the perfect weather for the perfect day.

but it was perfect for a bunch of other reasons, too.

max had never felt more at home than lounging on a yacht just out from monaco, in an area tucked around the corner for privacy from prying eyes. apparently it was a spot kimi had shown her once, which was believable enough when he was well aware that she spent a good portion of time hiding out on his yacht where available when media days rolled around. but spending time with isabel had become his new home since the end of 2022. and as much as his old self would have complained about being in the sheer proximity of her, things had changed, and it was for the better. so what better way than to spend the day in near silence, with the girl he was in love with on top of him while he drifted in and out of sleep.

well, until she got a phone call that she had to take.

a phone call that max had planned.

all it had taken was a quick phone call to daniel during a break in his gym session this morning, and after giving daniel the exact time he should call isabel, all he had to do was wait.

it was 2:30 in the afternoon when isabel leclerc's phone rang and she disappeared off to take it.

it was 2:30 when max got up and opened spotify to play music quietly throughout the yacht.

it was 2:32 when he had his phone set up nearby.

it was 2:34 when he paced around the boat for a moment, wondering what to do with himself.

it was 2:38 when he eventually sat down with his legs in the water to cool off under the sun.

and it was 2:44 when isabel joined him, sliding into the water and glancing up at him with her gorgeous chocolate eyes that he had fallen so in love with.

"yeah," she had answered him when he asked if everything was alright. he could read her like a book, and he had known that what daniel said had irritated her. "just modena stuff. it is fine, i promise."

max raked his fingers through her hair briefly, feeling her lean into his hand as a soft smile of pure comfort appeared. his racing number glittered in the sunlight against her warm skin from its spot around her neck, hanging just below the equally as glistening four-leaf clover charm that he had never seen her without.

"good," he matched her smile. it was silent for a moment before he added, "i have something i should tell you, though."

isabel just hummed in response, her dark eyes locking with his crystalline ones. he loved her eyes, hardly ever remembering what they used to be before. the coldness, the dullness, the disappearance of life within them . . . it had all disappeared. it had been 2022 when he noticed the shift within her irises, the dullness fading away and being replaced by pure light. there was the coldness occasionally, of course there was, but he loved that, too. he loved her, and her eyes would always be his favourite.

"yeah?" she asked, looking up at him from the water. "should i be scared?" she grinned.

"that depends," max couldn't help but smile more when he caught sight of hers. everything about her was so contagious that it pulled him deeper every single day. "what could i say that would scare you?"

isabel didn't hesitate. "uh, you cheated on me, cheated on me specifically with my brother," that one earned a snort, "you're breaking up with me because you found someone hotter, which is impossible, by the way," she commented. "do you want me to keep going?" when he went to speak, she added, "oh, and if you break up with me, i still get joint custody of the cats. don't forget that."

max's gaze was one of pure love, even as amusement coursed through him and left him laughing at her. "we both know charles would drop me in acid if i did that," he remembered the threat so clearly, as if it were yesterday instead of a few years ago. "and arthur would . . . god, who knows."

"i'd hit you with my car," she used her strength to pull herself up a little more to press a gentle kiss against his lips. she settled back down, "don't worry."

"sounds fair," he said.

"so . . . what were you going to tell me?" she asked, her head tilted to the side ever so slightly, eyes trained solely on him.

"well, you know i love you, right?" max started.

"you tell me every day," isabel nodded. "all the time."

"isabel," he placed his hands over hers, his gaze down on her as she kept herself afloat, holding herself up on his thighs. isabel paused for a moment curiously. max hardly ever used her full name anymore. it was always belle or isa or any other term of endearment. she only ever really heard him call her isabel when they were out racing, he was trying to get her attention, or he was serious about something.

"max," she responded, voice quiet. anxiety was beginning to creep up into her stomach, crawling through her like terrified spiders.

"i was just wondering . . ." he took a breath, "if you would marry me?"

blinking a few times, isabel didn't fully comprehend what he said until he pulled a little box out from behind him. that was when her lips parted slightly and she moved one of her hands to cover her mouth. "max . . ."

he smiled, sliding his hands under her arms and lifting her out of the water and back onto the boat. he had noticed her beginning to lose her stability from the shock, and so lifting her out of the water to stand in front of him was also easier. she was too shocked, and his own eyes were starting to water when he noticed a tear slip down her cheek. "happy tears, yeah?"

when she nodded, he opened the box. their bodies were so close together as they stood under the sun. isabel's eyes only widened further when she caught sight of the gorgeous engagement ring inside the box. "so, will you marry me? you get to wear this really cool ring as a benefit . . ." his tone turned teasing. he honestly hadn't expected her to be this speechless; isabel leclerc always had something to say.

"of course i will," she said breathlessly, but her tone suggested that he was stupid for even asking. there was no way she could ever see herself with anyone else, and they both knew that they were the only ones willing to put up with each others' bullshit. "yes."

with a large smile, he carefully took the ring out of the box before tossing the box somewhere behind him. she felt as if she were fragile glass with the way he was delicately lifting her left hand to slide on one of the prettiest diamond rings isabel had ever seen. the minute it was fully on her finger, she flung her arms around max's neck, feeling his arms lock tightly around her waist.  "i love you," she twirled the some of his hair at the back of his neck around her finger, lost within his oceanic eyes.

"and i love you," he grinned before connecting their lips in a way that was so passionate she almost lost her footing. only now had she realised that the song had changed, and that max had proposed to her during love song by lana del rey. it was too perfect.

isabel had always thought about a pretty wedding as a child. she had always been fascinated by a big wedding, one where she could ditch the race suits and feel like a princess in a big white dress and a little tiara. the childhood dream of the perfect wedding had flown away in the wind when she was a teenager, but now there was an actual possibility of it. this was real. maybe her choices had changed though: maybe she no longer wanted a big white dress and that was just something she wanted as a child. things had shifted and changed, and she knew longer knew what she wanted. all she knew was that she wanted max by her side and that would be enough.

when she pulled back briefly to breathe and to just stay in the comfort of her now fiancé's arms, she noticed his phone set up off to the side, capturing every moment that they had just shared together. "you know," her voice was almost a whisper, not wanting to interrupt the moment and the beautiful song echoing around the yacht. "you could have warned me and then i would be wearing something prettier," her head dropped down to rest on his shoulder, pressed up against him.

it was a yacht day. isabel was in a strappy black bikini and max was in boardshorts. but it wasn't about the clothes, and they both knew that. the video max had captured was just for them . . . and their mothers, pascale and sophie.

"you're always pretty," he kissed her forehead. "stay here, i have some things from lizzie's."

isabel laughed as he let go of her. "you planned a picnic? is this character development?"

"shut up," he winked at her. "give me a second."

when max returned with a picnic blanket, a few boxes of lizzie's pastries and champagne with two flutes to go with it, isabel felt like she was on cloud nine. this is where she had ended up. just moments ago, she had agreed to marry max verstappen, and now they were about to have a cute little picnic on the deck of her yacht. everything else was forgotten.

and when it was all set up, isabel opened one of the boxes of pastries and felt the tears pool in her eyes all over again. a caramel eclair stared back at her. it hurt. the realisation that jules bianchi wouldn't be at the wedding stung as the eclair sat there, untouched in the box. and then it reminded her that her father wouldn't be there either. anthoine wouldn't be there. all the people she lost wouldn't be there for one of the most important days of her life.

"i did not want to make you upset," max said gently, kissing the side of her head.

"you didn't," she promised, a gentle laugh escaping her, trying to brush away the sudden emotions. "thank you." instead, she picked up the champagne and filled the champagne flutes up for the two of them, the bubbles fizzing happily within the glass. "but i do have something to tell you . . ." it was probably better to tell him about the call with daniel now.

"hm?"

"daniel called," isabel sighed. "i have to  get to italy tomorrow. i'm sorry."

max couldn't help but let a chuckle slip. isabel's head snapped over to look at him, her frown turning into a total look of confusion.

"yeah, uh," max tried not to smile, "you don't actually need to go to modena. at all."

for a moment, she was confused. and then it clicked. "oh my god," she shoved his side. "i'm going to kill you."

his laughter only echoed more. "daniel helped me out. i just told him to call you . . . i didn't know what he was going to tell you. i needed you distracted so i could set things up."

"okay," she decided. "i will kill daniel instead," but she was smiling nonetheless.

he laced their fingers together, and both of them couldn't tear their eyes away from the shiny ring on her finger. it was still so surreal. after a few moments of silence, she spoke, "i have an engagement ring for you, by the way," she said nonchalantly.

"really?" he hadn't been expecting that.

"uh huh," she looked over at him and smiled, lifting her champagne flute to her lips to take a sip. the bubbly feel that washed down her throat was like home. to her, champagne symbolised victory, a win, something to be celebrated. years standing on podiums spraying champagne instilled that into her, and now it was champagne to celebrate a proposal instead. "if you hadn't proposed to me by the end of the summer break, i was going to do it to you instead," she grinned brightly. "so i have a ring for you to wear when we get home."

max just shook his head, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "you're something else, isabel."

and from there, isabel wanted to know everything. max explained every intricate detail to her.

how max had gone to visit pascale without isabel knowing before the f1 season began. how he had asked her if he could propose to isabel, and how pascale had said yes and brought him in for the biggest hug possible. how he had then gone to charles, lorenzo and arthur to tell them. how arthur and charles had given each other a look at first, but how lorenzo had immediately grinned and was a hundred percent on board with it all. charles and arthur eventually said yes, which of course they were happy as long as their sister was happy. arthur was a little more excited: him and max had become surprisingly really good friends since 2022.

once the whole leclerc family was on board, max had called up his mother and sister to tell them his idea, and sophie and victoria helped him work out how exactly he was going to propose. pascale was ecstatic to help out, of course. isabel was usually really good at reading people, but somehow max was able to get all this done without her suspecting a thing.

all it took from there was finding the perfect day to ask her, which had landed on his lap perfectly when their schedules matched up both free, and that meant a day out on the yacht. and of course daniel had known, max had told him as soon as it was mostly planned, and daniel was immediately willing to help in any way possible. that left him calling isabel at the time that max had told him in advance, which gave max enough time to prepare what he needed to before she came back.

"we don't have time to plan the wedding, max," isabel mentioned as they lounged out on the picnic blanket on the deck.

"i know," he said. "but your mum, my mum, and victoria are really willing to help. as soon as we have ideas, they said we can tell them and they can come up with some options and we can choose. obviously we can work out the more personal stuff, but . . ."

"they are actual lifesavers," isabel felt like she could breathe properly with that information. she was busier than ever, but knowing there were people willing to help? that was reassuring.

"don't stress, alright?" he said. "we can work it all out. i'm not going anywhere."

her face was starting to hurt with how much she was smiling. "i really do love you," she leaned into his side more as the sky began to get darker with the late afternoon rolling around.

"i know," max kept his arm securely around her, as if this was all unreal and if he let go, she would disappear. "i love you."

"i need you to know one thing though," isabel said casually, swirling the champagne around in the glass. "i'm not taking your last name."

he rolled his eyes, "i don't want yours, either."

"okay, we compromise," she turned to face him, sitting on her knees. "i will only take it if it's hyphenated and you go by the same as me."

max hummed. he understood entirely why she refused to go by strictly his last name. his father was the reason, and he didn't blame her thinking in the slightest. "isabel jules victoria verstappen-leclerc," her name sounded like a mouthful, and it made her laugh when he almost tripped up on it.

"max emilian verstappen-leclerc," she said in return, not struggling to pronounce it as much as he tried to pronounce her tongue twister of a name. "do we have a deal, max?"

"we have a deal, isa," he shook her hand before taking the flute out of her other hand and setting it over to the side. "now, come here," he pulled her over to him and rolled over onto his back in the process, helping her settle comfortably on top of him. he peered up at her, grinning, "

x

INSTAGRAM — ISABEL.LECLERC

isabel.leclerc: home ❤️

comments . . .

user1: GORGEOUS

user2: DID SHE JUST- IS THIS AN ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT WTF
↳ user3: I THINK IT WAS ???? OFC SHE GAVE NO CONTEXT OR ANYTHING LMAO
↳ user2: idk whether to be surprised or not this is classic isabel behaviour

user4: omg the pics of you and max are so cute!!!

danielricciardo: 💍💍

danielricciardo: SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS !!!! CONGRATS
↳ isabel.leclerc: danny ric ily forever
↳ isabel.leclerc: still wanna stab you though for almost giving me a heart attack

landonorris: YOOO NO WAYYYY OMG
↳ landonorris: congrats!!!!!

maxverstappen1: ❤️💍
↳ user8: i cant believe i witnessed them shove each other around only to get married. this is insane. happy for you both!

emiliagold79: NO FUCKING WAYYYY HE FINALLY PUT A RING ON IT WOOOOOO
↳ maxverstappen1: had to claim her before you stole her from me
↳ emiliagold79: saying that as if you dont constantly flirt with my boyfriend

charles_leclerc: ❤️❤️
↳ isabel.leclerc: ❤️❤️❤️

user5: isabel verstappen???
↳ isabel.leclerc: no way in hell
↳ user6: LMAOOO DAMN

arthur_leclerc: VERY HAPPY FOR YOU BOTH
↳ maxverstappen1: 😊
↳ isabel.leclerc: ily arthur <3

lorenzotl: is that my baby sister all grown up?? whered all the time go
↳ isabel.leclerc: stop ill cry
↳ lorenzotl: ❤️

user7: cant believe you two are getting married!!! congrats to you both

h.harry: very happy for the two of you!! heres to many more great years to come ❤️
↳ isabel.leclerc: i love you so much.

user9: remember all the years of torment 😭 now theyre getting married bro wtf happened

alec_escarra: congrats from the escarra family!! sending happiness your way!
↳ maxverstappen1: thanks man 😊
↳ isabel.leclerc: ty alec :)

user10: slide 5 and 6 <33 i wish you both nothing but happiness!

sebastianvettel: oh my god congratulations! i'll call you tomorrow 💙

maxfewtrell: LETS GO

user11: ik we're all happy BUT WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THE RING ??? MAX DID NOT DISAPPOINT
↳ user12: IKR ??? if my bf isnt like max i dont want him
↳ user14: if thats the engagement ring.... imagine the WEDDING RING holy shit.

toriihayes: ❤️💗

user13: it wouldnt be a belle post if there werent a hundred memes in it

mintturaikkonen: so happy for you both! sending so much love from our family to yours <3
↳ isabel.leclerc: merci!!! i'll come visit soon <33

user15: i love how she doesnt specify and we're just assuming theyre engaged. like imagine if it was just some pretty ring lmao

kimiraikkonen: 💙💙💙

x

almost sobbed writing the jules picnic part with love song by lana playing lmao 👍

so this is a bonus chapter that i didnt want to post yet cause of the sequel but ive managed to write it in a way that doesnt release too many details about the future of this little universe etc !!

if you have any ideas for bonus chapters id love to hear them :) i have a few ideas planned already!

also,, welcome back! how are we all? missed all you guys sm fr.