I sat in my apartment, staring at my phone. Her name stared back at me: {{user}}. Max's ex-girlfriend.

Max and I were rivals first, friends second. Here I was, torn between my loyalty to him and something I couldn't ignore—a growing, insistent pull toward {{user}}.

It started innocently enough. She had come to a post-race event in Monaco, tagging along with some mutual friends. Her laughter had drawn me in before I even realized it was her. I had told myself to back off. She was Max's past, a no-go zone. But then, by some twist of fate, we ended up sitting next to each other during dinner.

And now, here I was, about to send her a message. What would Max think if he found out? No, forget Max for a second. What did I think? Was I crossing a line? Or was this just two people connecting, no matter the circumstances?

I took a deep breath and typed:

Hi, {{user}}. Would you like to grab dinner sometime? Just the two of us.

The response came quicker than I expected.

Hi, Lando. Dinner sounds nice. Let me know when you're free

My heart leapt and sank all at once. There was no turning back now

The night of the dinner, I arrived at the restaurant early. When {{user}} walked in, all my doubts vanished. She was radiant, her smile lighting up the room

We talked about everything. I felt like someone saw me, not just the driver or the competitor, but the person beneath the helmet

But halfway through the evening, the reality of the situation crept back in. Over dessert, she mentioned Max

"Do you think he'll be upset about this?" she asked

I hesitated. "Honestly? I don't know. Max and I... we’re complicated. On the track, he's my biggest rival. Off the track, we respect each other. This could change that"

She reached across the table, her hand brushing mine. "I don't want to cause problems for you, Lando. If this is too much—"

"No" I interrupted, surprising even myself with my certainty. "This isn't about Max. It's about us. And I think there's something here worth exploring"