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liightsout · 7 days

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café de paris | max verstappen

face claim: none ᡣ𐭩

request: here !

a/n: all french / dutch is google translated blame them if it's wrong! race order is completely random here !

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📍café de paris, monaco

liked by bffstagram, friend1 and 294 others

y/nstagram me 🤝 café de paris

bffstagram bro those croissants look Fire ↳ y/nstagram my main source of sustenance in these hard monaco streets!

friend1 i have yet to see evidence of you shaking ass on a yacht miss y/n!! ↳ bffstagram so real... we're meant to be living vicariously through you!!! ↳ y/nstagram student finance doesn't stretch to yacht ass shaking, i can barely afford my daily caffeine fix 😭

friend2 oui oui hon baguette how is france? ↳ y/nstagram never let a monagesque hear you say that,,, bro i can't fight ↳ friend2 🫡 ... how is monaco?* ↳ y/nstagram 🫡 it's good!! def happy i chose here over france, even if my wallet doesn't agree 😭 ↳ friend2 we feeling fluent yet? ↳ y/nstagram oh god no, the other day this poor old lady tried explaining how to find the art museum to me and i just stared at her like 😶

friend3 spotted any f1 hotties yet? i hear they all camp out in monaco 👀 ↳ y/nstagram considering i have never watched a Single f1 race i couldn't tell you HAHAH i'm sure they're around here somewhere though ↳ friend3 dude i told you to brush up on f1 😭 how am i supposed to come visit you and have a meet cute with mr lando norris if you don't do your RESEARCH ↳ y/nstagram damn i see how it is,,, using me to get to your vroom vroom men,,,

3 weeks later

📍café de paris, monaco

👤 alexandrasaintmleux liked by bffstagram, alexandrasaintmleux and 270 others

y/nstagram finally found someone else to join my café de paris obsession 🥐

bffstagram next bff sweetie run while you can... ↳ y/nstagram stop scaring the pretty bitches off damn 😔 ↳ alexandrasaintmleux bffstagram she won't let me leave 😭 ↳ y/nstagram i deserve better friends ↳ bffstagram you couldn't live without us xx ♥️ y/nstagram

alexandrasaintmleux la prochaine fois, nous irons au casino ! (next time, we go to the casino!) ↳ y/nstagram finance étudiante a dit non (student finance said no) ↳ alexandrasaintmleux 😔 s'il tu plait... pour moi? 🥺 (please... for me?) ↳ y/nstagram pray for my wallet guys...

friend3 wdym you just casually befriended The Alexandra Saint Mleux??? ↳ y/nstagram i thought her skirt was pretty and had no idea she was like famous 😭 then we just kept running into each other !! ↳ friend3 i need to fly out to monaco damn you can't even see her in the pic but ik she looked So pretty... ↳ alexandrasaintmleux i like your friends y/n :p ↳ y/nstagram just wait til you see them drunk,,,

📍 jimmy'z, monaco

👤 alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris liked by alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris and 2,962 others

y/nstagram started the night in a night club and ended on a yacht,,, just monaco things (apparently) 🛥️

friend3 y/n if you don't answer my texts RIGHT NOW !!!! ↳ y/nstagram 😉 any reason ml? ↳ friend3 i'm gonna swim to monaco and bite chunks out of your ankles what the FUCK ??? when were you gonna tell me you were just casually hanging with [REDACTED] ↳ landonorris i'm guessing i'm redacted? 😎 ↳ friend3 i need to go lie down ↳ y/nstagram landonorris dude 😭 ↳ landonorris was it something i said? 😉

alexandrasaintmleux meilleure amie 💗 (best friend) ↳ y/nstagram merci de m'avoir invitée ! je t'aime ! (thank you for inviting me! love you!)

maxverstappen1 was lovely meeting you last night schat x ↳ y/nstagram you too max! don't forget to send me those pics of the kids! x ↳ bffstagram kids? ↳ y/nstagram his cats! jimmy and sassy! 🐱❤️🐱 ↳ bffstagram your knack for finding cat people never fails to impress me ♥️ y/nstagram

danielricciardo dude my liver actually hurts... ↳ y/nstagram hey you're the one who suggested a drinking contest ↳ danielricciardo yeah because i normally WIN you freak ↳ y/nstagram i'm a broke uni student, my drink of choice is normally vodka so cheap it's legally paint stripper

georgerussell63 carmen's phone died but she said to remind you about brunch today ↳ y/nstagram on it!! alex is gonna come round and bring me 😊

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 2,938 others

y/nstagram met some VIC's (very important cats) today! 🐱 also f's in chat for my café de paris 😔

bffstagram f ↳ danielricciardo f ↳ georgerussell63 f ↳ landonorris f ↳ carmenmmundt f ↳ alexandrasaintmleux f ↳ maxverstappen1 f

friend3 babies!! the second pic oh i could cry ↳ y/nstagram she slept there for like 3 hours 😭 managed to actually sit through a whole gp though so a wins a win! ↳ friend3 y/n watching f1?? who is she?? ↳ y/nstagram their dad forced me 💔 ↳ maxverstappen1 um who cheered so loud when i won that she woke poor sassy up?? ↳ y/nstagram 🤐

charles_leclerc i didn't know café de paris do takeout? ↳ maxverstappen1 they do if you're me :) ↳ y/nstagram the only reason i'm considering keeping him around 😉 ↳ alexandrasaintmleux charles_leclerc and why have you never used your influence to get ME takeout café de paris "prince of monaco" ↳ charles_leclerc look what you've done... y/nstagram ♥️ y/nstagram

fan they're definitely max's cats but who is she? ↳ fan she knows alexandra so maybe they're in the same friendship group??

3 months later

liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 308 others

y/nstagram working hard or hardly working 🌸

alexandrasaintmleux quand avez-vous passé votre examen ? (when's your exam?) ↳ y/nstagram lundi prochain,,, mon ami du café me manque 😔 (next monday,,, missing my cafe friend) ↳ alexandrasaintmleux nous fêterons cela quand tu auras terminé 💗 (we'll celebrate when you're finished)

bffstagram the red bulls... i wait 3 years white man does it in one week ♥️ maxverstappen1 ↳ y/nstagram hey! made him wait at least 2 months :p

friend3 the f1 book.. one of us one of us!! ↳ y/nstagram apparently i can't keep saying "the one with the red cow on it" when talking about his car,,, ↳ maxverstappen1 its a bull... literally a red bull... ↳ y/nstagram blah blah blah it's red and goes moo ↳ maxverstappen1 everyday i wake up to such disrespect ↳ charles_leclerc i'm just glad someone's keeping your ego in check ♥️ y/nstagram

friend1 when are you coming back to england :( ↳ y/nstagram i'm hoping to come visit next month! ↳ maxverstappen1 about that...

📍 jeddah, saudi arabia

👤 redbullracing, mine liked by redbullracing, y/nstagram and 1,928,385 others

maxverstappen1 First P1 of the season at the first race! Always grateful to stand on that top podium, especially today 🙂

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fan sorry WHO is that in the third pic????

fan bro soft launching on a race win post...

y/nstagram trots op jou ❤️ proud of you ♥️ maxverstappen1 ↳ fan 🤨

fan did you guys see the way his girl jumped the fence to get to him after he won? relationship goals fr

schecoperez another red bull 1-2! 💪 ↳ maxverstappen1 you gave me a run for my money at the end there old man! ↳ schecoperez less of the old thank you

redbullracing rue when was this ↳ fan admin finding out about max's relationship at the same time as us is so on brand ↳ redbullracing and here i thought we were besties 😔 ↳ maxverstappen1 😉

danielricciardo you look hot in the second photo and it's not just the heat 😍 ↳ fan maxiel lives on ❤️

fan he tagged her as mine BROOOOOO who's got this man so down bad??

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 194 others

🔒 y/nstagram account locked DOWN but it's so worth it for you ❤️

maxverstappen i'm sorry liefje i should have thought about this before inviting you... ↳ y/nstagram i don't regret going maxie,,, and i certainly don't regret hugging you after the race,, i knew what i was getting into, it's just a lot ❤️ maxverstappen1 ik ben gek op jou ❤️ (i'm crazy about you) y/nstagram mijn charmante prins ❤️ (my prince charming)

alexandrasaintmleux you do what's best for you ma cocotte 💗 honestly going private at the start of mine and charles' relationship was one of the best things for us ↳ y/nstagram the woe of being a wag 😔

daniel.jpg dude can you accept my follow request ↳ maxverstappen1 you followed her from your jpg acc but not your main? ↳ daniel.jpg never said i was smart ↳ charles_leclerc ^ ↳ georgerussell63 ^ ↳ landonorris ^ ↳ alexandrasaintmleux ^ ↳ carmenmmundt ^ ↳ maxverstappen1 ^ ↳ y/nstagram ^ ↳ oscarpiastri ^ ↳ daniel.jpg oscarpiastri HOW DID YOU GET HERE?? you haven't even MET y/n yet ↳ y/nstagram that's my son watch your tone. ↳ daniel.jpg i am very sorry miss y/n l/n PLEASE let me in ↳ y/nstagram oscarpiastri shall i? ↳ oscarpiastri lemme think on it ↳ daniel.jpg i hate it here

📍 suzuka, japan

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, y/nstagram and 1,394,582 others

redbullracing a quick look into max's garage! already over halfway through the season and your current world champion is on track for his 4th year running 💪

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maxverstappen1 you know how we do 👊

fan i see a y/n at the back!! ↳ fan who is y/n? ↳ fan his gf! she was first spotted in jeddah and she's been to quite a few of his races this year! ↳ fan do you have her ig? ↳ fan y/nstagram but it's private!

fan 4 time world champ incoming! ♥️ redbullracing

user lewis is gonna reclaim his title! ↳ fan ok gramps lets get you back to the home

fan best team in the world

user oh the gold digger is back ↳ redbullracing blocked, deleted and reported ↳ fan red bull stand on business ↳ redbullracing no one messes with OUR redbull girl! 👊

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc and 274 others

🔒 y/nstagram did you know red bull gives you wings? 👼

maxverstappen1 must have taken you forever to think of that caption ↳ y/nstagram what can i say you're dating a comedic genius

friend1 damn ma lend me one of those jackets xx ↳ y/nstagram omg pls take one he won't stop giving them to me,,, ↳ friend1 i'll take the white cap too if you're offering 👀 ↳ y/nstagram 🫡

bffstagram the third pic... y/n STAND UP ↳ y/nstagram he has the prettiest eyes 😍 my man my man my maaaaan ↳ bffstagram we've lost her boys...

alexandrasaintmleux i see the ferrari jacket 👀 ↳ y/nstagram max nearly threw me out of the room fr ↳ maxverstappen1 you deserved it ↳ maxverstappen1 also i'm burning it when you're not looking ↳ y/nstagram charlie gave it to me :((((( ↳ charles_leclerc yeah max you wouldn't burn sweet charlie's jacket would you? ↳ maxverstappen1 i'd burn you IN the jacket if you don't stop ↳ charles_leclerc 🫦 damn i love when you talk dirty to me ↳ y/nstagram ,,, alexandrasaintmleux should we leave them to it? ↳ alexandrasaintmleux after what you showed me on tumblr... yeah maybe we should

daniel.jpg loving the drip ↳ maxverstappen1 has she still not accepted your main follow request? ↳ daniel.jpg no... i know it's oscars fault somehow ↳ oscarpiastri why am i catching strays? ↳ y/nstagram i watched baku 2018 ,, you're lucky i don't block your jpg account ↳ daniel.jpg THAT WAS SO LONG AGO LET ME INNNNNNN

📍 zandvoort, the netherlands

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by y/nstagram, maxverstappen1 and 1,998,928 others

redbullracing and maxverstappen1 getting P1 and being crowned a 4 time world champion at the final race of the season AND your home race? max verstappen we tip our hats to you 💙

see 98,284 comments

fan him lifting the trophy and mouthing "this is for you" to y/n i am so lonely oh my god

y/nstagram mijn kampioen ❤️ (my champion) ♥️ redbullracing, maxverstappen1

fan max verstappen world domination!! lets go champ!!!

fan y'know maybe the dutch national anthem isn't too bad...

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by bffstagram, maxverstappen1 and 290,948 others

y/nstagram i moved to monaco for a degree in french and fell for a dutchman,,,

max, it has been a privilege to know you, to share your happiness and to love and be loved by you. watching you do what you do best fills me with so much joy and i can't wait to see you dominate the track for many more years. here's to you. ik hou van je, mijn kampioen ❤️ (i love you, my champion)

(also hi fans of max, i am very scared about being perceived by so many of you, please be nice ❤️)

maxverstappen1 mijn hart en ziel, ik weet niet hoe ik het in het Engels moet uitdrukken maar bedankt dat je in mijn leven bent gekomen, je maakt alles een beetje mooier. ik hou van je ❤️ (my heart and soul, i don't know how to express it in english but thank you for coming into my life, you make everything a little brighter. i love you) ↳ y/nstagram maxie 🥹 can't wait to celebrate you tonight ❤️

fan hi y/n!!! glad you felt comfortable enough to come off private! we're a nice bunch i promise! (at least most of us are) ♥️ y/nstagram ↳ fan also if anyone is mean to you i will do something that puts me on the national news 🫶

fan we've only seen glimpses of her on tv, max you bagged a baddie DAMN ♥️ maxverstappen1

fan mama y papa ↳ landonorris real ↳ oscarpiastri real

danielricciardo I'M IN !!! ↳ danielricciardo WAIT YOU WENT OFF PRIV??? y/n thats so mean wtf :(

alexandrasaintmleux mon couple préféré 💗 (my favourite couple) ↳ y/nstagram c'est grâce à toi alex, je t'aime 💕 (it's all thanks to you alex, love you)

👤 y/nstagram liked by y/nstagram, landonorris and 1,386,297 others

maxverstappen1 an appreciation post for mijn liefje. being able to put up with me dragging her halfway across the world nearly every month so i can drive fast cars whilst studying for her degree. graduated top of her class (with an elective in dutch 😉). here's to you and to us. (oh and happy 11 months, i may love you a little bit) ❤️

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y/nstagram my boy ❤️ could't have done it without your support ↳ maxverstappen1 i know, i am an Amazing boyfriend 😉 ♥️ y/nstagram

landonorris congrats y/n! knew there had to be a big brain in that ol' noggin of yours ↳ y/nstagram thanks lan! maybe i can actually teach you some french now 🤓

fan taking a long walk off a very short bridge

redbullracing congratulations to the brains of the couple! hoped you liked the gifts 💙 ↳ y/nstagram a dutch for dummies book, you think you're so funny don't you 😐

fan the flowers 😭😭😭

fan doesn't post about his championship but posts about his girl... need me a man like that

#max verstappen smau #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen fanfic #this is so ridiculously cute #i loved every second of it #🤧🤧🤧

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liightsout · 7 days

Text

the blue - part twelve

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

✯ summary: waking up together, first dates, first kisses ✯

✯ pairing: daniel ricciardo x fem!oc ✯

✯ content warnings: light swearing ✯

✯ now playing: the alchemy - taylor swift ✯

✯ masterlist✯

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

Mattie wasn’t sure how long she had been awake for. It felt like hours. The loud ticking of the clock hanging on her bedroom wall sounded quieter than it ever had, drowned out by the light snores from the man lying next to her. In reality it had only been a few minutes, she knew that, but time seemed to pass slower with the early morning sunlight peeking through her curtains.

Soft exhales from Danny’s lips danced across her skin. He had found a perfect space for himself between her collarbone and jaw at some point during the night and hadn’t moved since. She didn’t mind. Their legs were still entangled from the night before. His arms wrapped firmly around her body, securing himself to her. She didn’t mind that either.

They had stayed up the night before for hours, just talking and sharing secrets. Like small children at their very first sleepover. Newly found friends exchanging everything from favourite movies, first crushes and their deepest insecurities.

Danny had spoken about his dreams of a big family one day. A dream that he felt wouldn’t be possible given his current lifestyle. Formula 1 athlete and dedicated family man was not something he felt he could juggle easily. He feared the criticism of the media that he already faced in his career. He didn’t want to bring up a child around that.

Mattie praised him for that. It would be easy for him to have a family. To pick one of the many perfect girls that she was sure had crossed his path and to settle down. She could imagine Danny easily, a couple kids, a beautiful wife and a white picket fence. It would be easy to not give them the proper attention a family deserved. She felt it was mature of him to put that dream on the back burner, not many men would. Danny wasn’t like many men.

She told him about her family; a topic she didn’t bring up easily. Explaining that she had been raised in a single parent household. Her Dad had left when she was 3, he decided having a kid hadn’t been the life he had planned for himself.

She didn’t blame him anymore. Her parents had been teenagers when her Mum had fallen pregnant. A happy accident her Mum had always called it. When she was younger she blamed her Dad for leaving them. A bitter resentment that faded the older she got.

With age Mattie realised that her father was just a kid himself, running scared from big adult problems. She knew the feeling.

Her Mum had done more than enough for her. She had shown her enough love and guidance that she knew she hadn’t missed out on anything.

Danny had listened to her recounting stories of her childhood. Baking birthday cakes, a different flavour each year. Creating make believe tales of princesses in castles being rescued by their prince charming’s. Hot summer days spent at the beach, with sticky cheeks from ice cream cones and sun cream. Not once did he offer her fake sympathy at a life he might have thought she missed out on due to an absent father. Instead he listened attentively. Instead he told her that her Mum sounded like an incredibly strong woman, just like her daughter.

It was Danny groaning that pulled her from her thoughts. She felt his hands tighten around her frame and pull her closer than she thought possible, nothing separating them but the clothes on both their bodies.

“It’s way too early for either of us to be awake” he spoke, his voice rough with sleep. His accent sounded stronger than it had ever before.

Mattie let out a laugh and looked down at the man that had cocooned himself around her.

“It’s actually 9AM, which means you’ve missed your morning training session with Michael” she said, adding a mocking tut at the end. She brought her hand up to rest at the back of Danny’s head, scratching delicately at his skin, playing with the soft curls that lay there.

“Nah it’s fine, I text him last night and cancelled, told him I had more important thing to do today” his voice trailed off toward the end as he let out a sigh, “please don’t stop whatever it is you’re doing right now with your hand” he said his voice thick with satisfaction.

She let her fingers move back and forth through his mess of curly brown hair. A satisfied hum left Danny’s lips as he memorised the way her hands felt against his skin. Their peaceful moment rudely interrupted by a loud banging noise at the bedroom door.

“Urm guys, I actually dread to think about what is going on in that room and I am terribly sorry to interrupt whatever early morning escapades you’re getting up to, but I brought you coffee and breakfast. It’s in the kitchen for when you’re… finished” Adam’s voice travelled through the door followed by a booming laugh and the sound of his footsteps down the hallway.

Mattie’s face flushed as the Aussie joined in with their friend’s laughter. She felt the urge to jump to their defence, to claim that nothing like that was going on. Instead she found herself caught up in Danny’s contagious laugh. She liked laughing with him. It made her feel lighter.

Raising his head for the first time since he had awoken, Danny looked up at her blushing smiling cheeks, a dopey grin on his face.

“Come on pretty girl, up and at ‘em. First, breakfast, and then I owe you a date.”

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

Mattie couldn’t recall a first date that she enjoyed. Admittedly there had been a few that had been nice enough, but never anything to write home about. She found that first dates consisted of awkward dinners, disappointing small talk and unwanted wandering hands.

She longed for a man to consider her. To consider who they were going on a date with, and cater it just for her. She knew it was wishful thinking, well aware that dating in your twenties was comparable to a hellscape. She had decided long ago that the fewer first dates she went on, the better.

She should have known a first date with Danny would be different.

When he had first brought up the notion of a date on that FaceTime call she had been ecstatic. The thought of spending any amount of time with him was enough to keep her smiling for days. It was only when she had considered what a date with Danny would look like that she felt the nerves creep in.

She hoped that Danny knew her well enough to know that the last thing she wanted was for him to make a big fuss. She didn’t want him to splash the cash like he didn’t have a care in the world. Sure, the finest restaurant in London followed by fancy drinks at a high end cocktail bar sounded nice, but not what she wanted. She didn’t need Danny to try to impress her like that. He’d already done enough, she just wanted to spend time with him.

She should have known Danny knew her better than that. She shouldn't have doubted him like that.

Giving no indication on what he had planned for the day, Mattie had agonised over what to wear. She eventually settled for a pair of loose fitting jeans, a chunky knit sweater and platform Converse. A perfect combination of comfy but cute. Hair and makeup was much easier now that Danny had seen her first thing in the morning. She settled for light makeup, a bit of blush and tinted lip balm. She wore her hair down, framing her face with natural waves.

A knock at the apartment door signalled Danny’s arrival. He had left an hour prior, ducking out after sharing a breakfast muffin with her. Adam had given him the code to the communal front door before he left, “you might as well have it if you’re going to be here all the time” he had said.

She found the Aussie at the door, a large bouquet of wild daisies in hand, “pretty flowers for a pretty girl” he had told her. She wondered if she would ever get used to how easily compliments would fall from his lips, always aimed in her direction. She doubted it.

He grabbed her hand as soon as she had closed her front door and shouted a goodbye to Adam. With their fingers intertwined he pulled her across the street to the bakery.

With a charming smile he walked up to the barista behind the counter and asked for a preorder for “DR”. The very same barista that had informed her about Danny coming into the bakery and asking what her favourite muffin was all those months ago.

The barista, who she knew now was called Emma, raised her eyebrows at Mattie and shot her a wink as she handed over a large brown bag to Danny. Emma had been asking for updates regarding her “Australian hottie” on a regular basis. She had shrugged her off with a laugh each time and told her they were just friends and that she was reading too much into it. She feared she would never hear the end of this next time she came in for her daily blueberry muffin.

Hand in hand Danny guided her to a sleek black Range Rover parked out on the street in front of her flat. He opened the passenger door for her and waited until she was safely buckled into the seat before handing her the brown paper bag filled with goodies. A swift warning of “no peeking” followed with a joking finger wag.

In that moment she didn’t care what was in the bag. Her mind reeling over the small action of having a car door opened for her. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had treated her with such care and attention.

Jumping into the front seat Danny handed her his phone with Spotify already open, telling her to put on whatever she wanted for their journey. The car’s engine roared to life and in no time he was expertly navigating the streets of London.

Staring at the unlocked phone in her hands Mattie’s mind went blank. The small act of handing her his phone would have seemed so insignificant to anyone else, she was sure of that. To her it was huge. She recalled dating men for months that would refuse to even let her look at their phone screens, let alone hold their unlocked phone in her hands. Especially while they were too busy to see what she was doing with it.

She knew that Danny knew that she would never snoop through his phone. That he didn’t need to worry about her looking for information to run to the gossip sites with. But this also told her something else entirely. This told her that he had nothing to hide. He wasn’t worried about some girl messaging him something incriminating while she had control of his phone.

The short journey was filled with lingering eyes and bashful smiles between the pair. Danny’s hand had found its way to rest on Mattie’s thigh a few minutes into the journey. Her breath caught in her throat, his bold actions always catching her completely off guard. His fingertips flexed as he gave her a light squeeze every time he caught her singing along absentmindedly to whichever Taylor Swift song she had selected to play through the radio. She wasn’t a fan of long car journeys, but she hoped that this one lasted forever.

Mattie had instantly recognised where they were the minute Danny had pulled the car to a stop. Her eyes lit up as she turned round to look at him in the driver’s seat.

“How did you know Primrose Hill was my favourite place in the city?” she said with a suspicious glint to her voice. Danny shrugged his shoulders, feigning ignorance as a childlike grin spread across his cheeks.

Adam, she thought. She didn’t mind that he had told him. If anything she found it adorable that Danny had asked her best friend for ideas of where to take her.

This was the kind of date she had always wanted. Someone who cared enough to consider her. Of course Danny would have worked out exactly what her idea of a perfect first date would be. She didn’t need to worry about fancy restaurants and awkward small talk over a bottle of cheap wine.

The sound of her door opening and a large hand being offered to her pulled her from her thoughts. For the second time that day the pair walked hand in hand. She never thought her hand would ever fit so perfectly with another’s. It felt like he filled up all her empty spaces.

They spent the next few hours cuddled up next to one another in the grass overlooking the city. The baseball cap on Danny’s head shielded his identity from the rest of the world as much as it could. To any other passerby they would have looked like any ordinary couple enjoying a perfect midweek afternoon together.

The picnic Danny had purchased contained her favourite sandwich from the bakery. As well as two blueberry muffins, just for her. She had argued that she didn’t need two and that Danny should have the other. He firmly declined and told her the other was for later on when she felt hungry. Plus he had bought his own chocolate chunk cookie. He made her pinky promise not to tell Michael. She vowed it was a secret she would take to the grave.

Mattie wasn’t sure if Danny was trying to be perfect, or whether he just was. Did he mean to exude such confidence and kindness, or was it completely natural for him? Over the short time she had known him he had always considered her thoughts, feelings and welfare over his own. Whether it was making sure she knew he thought she was beautiful, or random messages while he was away reminding her to eat dinner when he knew she was elbows deep in work.

She wasn’t entirely sure where their relationship was headed, but she knew that she was far too deep to turn back now. Danny had made it clear that he liked her. She just hoped that he knew the feeling was mutual. For someone that read and edited novels for a living, she was struggling to find the words to tell him how she felt.

“Do you want to come to Monaco?” the Aussie asked as he traced his fingers up and down her arm, creating goosebumps as he went. Mattie felt her eyes grow wide as she looked into his.

“To the race, you mean?” she asked, seeking clarification. Adam had invited her to races before, ones that he could get team tickets for. Tickets were hard to come by and he was pretty far down the list in terms of ‘seniority’ so it was usually for one of the less popular races. Even then she ran the risk of getting bumped off the list if someone more important decided they needed a ticket for a friend or family member. Not that she minded, she was grateful to even have a chance at the experience.

“Uh yeah, to the race. My parents will be there, my sister too, and her kids. I thought it’d be nice for you to meet them. I have a place there so you wouldn’t need to stay in a hotel… it’s ok if you don’t want to or you can’t, I just-” he paused as if he considered his next words. “I just want you to be there and I’d be so pissed at myself if I didn’t ask, or left it too late to ask and you couldn’t make it because of work” the Aussie rambled. He looked anxious. She rarely saw him like this and each time it left her stunned that anything could ever make him anything less than cool, calm and confident.

She considered her options carefully. The last 24 hours had been a whirlwind. She knew in her heart what she wanted to say to the man sitting in front of her, with his perfect eyes boring into hers with unease. She had always believed in the power of words, yet she felt that there was nothing she could say that would bring justice to what she wanted him to know.

Mattie lent forward and placed her lips delicately against his. She felt him release a sudden intake of breath, clearly surprised at her actions. Fuck, she thought. It was too much. Too sudden. She had gotten the wrong idea.

Just as she started to pull away, she felt a strong hand at the back of neck pulling her back in. When their lips met a second time Mattie swore she felt every nerve in her body catch fire. Like a firework had been lying in wait somewhere inside her, only to be set off at the exact moment their lips touched. Like a twist of fate she had never seen coming.

The feeling of his lips against hers was what she had always imagined a first kiss should be like. No awkward nose bumps or over eager tongues. Slow and meaningful. Danny’s lips moved with purpose against hers, capturing her bottom lip between his.

Slowly they pulled away from one another. Mattie’s eyes opened and readjusted to the bright daylight around them. Hesitantly she looked to the man in front of her. Anxiety was no longer painted across his features. Instead, a warm smile that she had grown to love more than any other she had seen before.

“Is that a yes?” he spoke, a teasing look on his face. Mattie felt the blush creeping up her neck and dusting across her cheeks. She couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips.

“Of course it’s a yes. Are you sure? Monaco is a big deal, Adam’s always said before it’s one of hardest races to get tickets for” she replied.

“You’re Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend, of course you get a ticket” Danny said easily. As if he hadn’t just uttered the craziest sentence she had ever heard.

“Girlfriend?” Mattie choked out in response. She was sure he had lost his mind. Dating was one thing. Calling her his girlfriend was in a whole different category.

“Oh definitely, pretty girl. I had pretty much decided that was going to happen the minute I laid eyes on you.” Mattie stared at him a little longer, her brain working overdrive to convince herself this was in fact real life.

“I think it was the pink fuzzy slippers that did it for me, or the way you were ready to cuss me out thinking I was Adam” he casually replied.

It was only when his hand found hers on the floor between them and he gave her knuckles a light squeeze she concluded that, yes, this was not a dream. Not even in her deepest slumber could her brain invent the shockwaves that she felt every time Danny’s skin connected with hers.

“Does this mean I’m a WAG?” she asked with a serious look on her face. The laugh that escaped through Danny’s lips was loud and infectious. She decided then she never wanted to not know what it felt like to make Daniel Ricciardo laugh.

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As soon as they had stepped into the apartment they had been bombarded by Adam. He declared that he had been bored all day without company and needed to be a part of whatever they had planned for the rest of their evening. They both agreed, but were quick to tell him they had no plans set in stone.

This was how they had ended up sitting cross legged on the living room floor, building the Lego flower bouquet Mattie had purchased earlier in the week. She had been bored while the boys had been in Bahrain and was looking for a new hobby to pass the time. Plus, the flowers were cute and would look pretty on the desk in her bedroom. She thought that it would be a fun group activity for them all if she wasn’t going to build it on her own any time soon.

Mattie diligently read the instructions and placed her bricks together as she constructed her part of the bouquet. Danny sat patiently next to her, far too distracted by how pretty he thought she looked as she focused on the task in front of her.

Adam had rolled his eyes and mocked the Aussie for the lovesick look on his face, which Danny had shrugged off easily. He made it clear he didn’t care how he looked. He didn’t care how obvious he was being. He was infatuated.

While the pair weren’t looking Adam found himself smiling fondly at the sight before him. It had been a long time since he had seen his best friend so comfortable around someone besides himself. Despite all the jokes he was truly happy that she was happy.

“Adam, mate, you’re fucking terrible at this” Danny laughed as he watched Adam place the wrong bricks together for what felt like the hundredth time that night. The couple had finished all their pieces and were awaiting Adam to complete his.

“Fuck off Danny, like you did anything to help! You’ve spent the last hour doing nothing but drooling over my best mate and telling her how amazing she is!” the Brit retorted in jest as he pointed an accusatory finger towards his friend.

The pair continued bickering back and forth like siblings as Mattie scrolled through her phone. She had posted some photos on Instagram throughout the day. She didn’t often feel the need to post about her life online, but her newfound relationship with Danny was something that she wanted to share. It wasn’t bragging or attention seeking, just a need to show her friends and family how happy she was.

She was liking a few comments left by friends when she felt her stomach drop. She had seen that Adam had posted about their Lego date to Instagram; omitting who exactly it was that she had been on a date with. What she didn’t see was that Danny had also posted a photo of said date to his Instagram account.

It hadn’t taken long at all for the internet sleuths to work out what was going on.

They had only been together officially a mere few hours and the vultures were already circling. Her follow requests on Instagram had shot through the roof, and her message requests had gone from having one zero at the end to having three.

As she sorted through the comments she had been tagged in she felt her stomach drop for the second time. She felt as though she was on a roller coaster and hadn’t realised there was a second plummet coming, this one much larger than the first.

The post she had been tagged in was from one of the F1 gossip accounts. Pictures she had shared of her and Danny were there for everyone to see and comment on. The very same page that had posted photos she had shared of Danny and Lando prior to the race. She knew that someone who followed her had shared them from her account without her permission, she just wasn’t sure who. The sting of betrayal hurt even greater now that it had happened twice.

Mattie hadn’t realised how silent she had been until she was pulled out of her trance by Danny’s hand against her thigh. She looked up from her phone to see concern etched across his face. She hadn’t noticed that Adam had excused himself a few moments earlier to take a call from Lando, leaving the pair alone.

“You’re scaring me a little here pretty girl, why are you staring at your phone like it’s about to explode in your hands?” he asked her softly. Mattie could feel the tears threatening to escape from her eyes. She decided it would be easier to just hand him her phone. She knew she needed to try and compose herself before she spoke again. She didn’t need Danny to see her pathetic and crying over this.

Danny took the phone that was being handed to him and started scrolling through the page. Mattie watched as his face went from one of confusion, to anger, and then to concern.

“It’s not really a big deal, it was going to happen eventually. I don’t care about people knowing that we’re together, I care more about someone betraying my trust like that… and that they took away our right to tell people when we wanted to. It’s fine, really, I’m ok Danny, I was just a little shocked at first” the words fell from her lips like a rapid fire stream of consciousness.

She was very aware that this was the exact scenario that Danny had been worried about. That something would happen and she’d be sent running. She didn’t want him to think that that was what was happening.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry Mattie. This is so fucked. I’ll call Blake now and see if we can get it taken down- I swear I’ll sue the shit out of them or something” Danny vowed. In the last 24 hours he had seen her on the brink of tears twice over bullshit his so-called fans had written about her on the internet. No fan of his would treat someone he cared about like this.

He felt he was also to blame for this happening. He knew it wasn’t his fault that someone had shared photos from Mattie’s private Instagram account, but he should have known it was reckless to share the photos of their date to his. It was too late now, but the guilt was filling his stomach.

Mattie could see Danny was spiralling; she knew the look well, she had worn it many times herself. As she gazed at the man in front of her she knew what she needed to do.

For so long she had thought words were the most important thing a person could wield. Since meeting Danny he had shown her the opposite. He had shown her the truth behind “actions speak louder than words”. That was why she had kissed him earlier, she needed to show him how she felt, words weren’t enough.

“Don’t do that. They can keep the post up” she said as she took her phone back from his hands. “Are you serious? No way baby, they can’t just invade your privacy like this and get away with it. I won’t let them” Danny spoke, she could hear the frustration in his voice.

Her heart swelled at the sentiment. A man that would fight battles for her. That was what she had always wanted. Someone to fight her corner and defend her honour. Like the prince did for the princess in the stories she would dream of when she was younger.

“This might be a little crazy, but you need to listen to me before you erupt and go calling lawyers and filing lawsuits… I think we should just announce it - a hard launch or whatever the kids are calling it these days” she joked gingerly. The confusion etched across Danny’s face would have been adorable in any other situation she thought.

“I’m gonna take my account off private. They can’t share it without my permission, if I give them permission. It’s like, taking the power away from them or something. I don’t know, it sounded like a good idea in my head. If you don’t want to, it's-” the feeling of Danny’s lips crashing against hers for the second time that day cut her off.

Maybe one day they’d kiss without the other making a bold statement first. Maybe, but not today.

“Are you sure?” he whispered against her lips. She could hear uncertainty in his voice. Concern that she was just saying this because she thought it was what he wanted to hear.

The answer was easy. She nodded and placed her lips to his lips. A soft hand against the side of his face was a welcomed reassuring touch. His lips caught her top lip in an attempt to create less distance between them.

Neither of them paid attention to the sound of approaching footsteps from down the hall.

“Guys, that’s disgusting, I don’t need to see this shit. Get a room! Lando, I”m coming over, they’re being gross!”

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✯ authors note: hey guys!!!!! i am SO sorry this took me so long to write. i'm in between getting a new job and leaving my old one, and had some other life dramas going on that just made it so hard for me to sit down and focus on anything.

this is such a ridiculously long chapter, so if you made it to the end, honestly bravo!

i have full imposter syndrome and think this might be the worst thing i've ever written, but i needed to get it out so that i could work on some new chapters i have ideas for.

hope everyone's been enjoying the race weekend? i forgot how much i low key love sprint weekends (sorry max)

as always, all your comments/thoughts/feedback is so so so greatly appreciated and i love receiving them.

thanks for all your support <3 ✯

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