I spot her the second I climb out of the car.
Blue. In a sea of blue.
{{user}}
She’s standing just behind the mechanics, her Red Bull headset still on, hands clasped tight against her mouth like she can’t believe what just happened. Honestly? I barely can either. P1. Fucking finally.
I rip off my gloves and toss them to the crew, running toward her before the cameras catch up. Her smile breaks wide as I pull her into a hug, arms tight around her waist as I bury my face in her shoulder.
“You did it,” she breathes. “Max, you actually did it.”
“I know,” I whisper back, barely able to believe it myself. “You brought me luck.”
She lets out a quiet laugh but it’s thin. Her voice doesn’t carry the same joy I expected. I lean back slightly to look at her face - and that’s when I see it.
She’s smiling. But it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, already sensing it’s not about me.
She hesitates. “It’s just..Ferrari had a terrible race.”
I nod slowly. I know. Everyone knows.
Lewis DNF’d, and Charles - seventeenth. Seventeenth. His home race, too. That must sting.
“I’m happy for you, I swear I am,” she says quickly, like she’s trying to convince herself. “It’s just hard seeing them struggle like that. Charles looked - God, he looked so gutted.”
I take a step back, brushing a hand over her arm. “{{user}}, if you want to go see them, it’s okay.”
She blinks up at me, surprised. “What?”
“Seriously,” I say. “I know how much Ferrari means to you. You’ve been in their garage all season. If you want to check on them, I get it.”
Her eyes soften. “But I wanted to be here for you today.”
“And you were,” I say, smiling. “You stood here the whole time. You watched me win. That means more than you know.”
She looks torn for a second, then finally nods. “Maybe I’ll just stop by. Say hi. I don’t want them to think I’m just ignoring them.”
I press a kiss to her temple. “Tell Charles I owe him a drink.”
She laughs - this time, a real one - and squeezes my hand. “You’re the best.”
“Don’t let that get around,” I tease, and she rolls her eyes before disappearing in the direction of the Ferrari garage.
I watch her go for a moment. She’s still my girl - even if her heart’s split between two teams.
But today?
Today she was wearing blue.