Chapter Text
Max was tired and hungry. And really craved some weed. Daniel and he were supposed to go for dinner, but his agent was talking and talking. Usually, he didn’t mind Christian and discussing business, but today he was done. And the fucking billboard was burning his retinas.
“They honestly need to take this shit down.” He muttered, eyeing the huge display on the skyscraper on the building across from his boss’s office.
“Huh?” Christian looked at Max confused for a moment and then turned in his chair, now also facing the ginormous screen. “I thought you would like it. Apparently, the kid is supposed to be from the same town as you. I was even thinking of inviting him to some event for the sake of marketing”.
“Absolutely fucking not, I am not promoting anything with Arthur Leclerc in the room. Christian, I left this place for a reason, do not try to tie me back to it.”
Christian put his hands up and smiled benevolently.
“Alright, alright. No need to get upset Maxie. That was just a suggestion. He seems good at what he is doing and pleasant on the eyes too.” Max rolled his eyes and took a begrudging double-take at the billboard. There he was. Arthur in a red jacket with his skis slung over one of his arms, smiling widely.
He really grew into a handsome guy, not nearly as pretty as his brother, although Max could have been biased. He tried to cut all of the ties connecting him to his old life and the shithole he came from, but he still got some glimpses of Arthur’s career. He was doing very well for himself, recently landing a few big campaigns with sports brands and even one with Toyota. Which lead to him being on every other fucking billboard in the city. Painfully reminding Max of the past every time he looked up.
“He also has nothing in common with my music and I am pretty sure the feeling of disdain is mutual”
At that Christian looked up with a worried expression, measuring Max with his eyes before asking the question.
“Is there something I should be aware of Max? It is not like you have the best reputation recently.”
Max just rolled his eyes because what was it even supposed to mean? He was a rockstar after all. If people had a problem with his attitude, they could fuck off.
“Nope. He won’t ever mention me. Give me more credit Christian. Also, is there anything else you need from me? I have places to be.”
“Okay, I will see you Friday for the photoshoot, let me know if you need anything in between. Also, confirm with Hannah whether Kelly will be coming with you to the release party.”
“Got it, see you Friday!” Max said, threw on his leather jacket and left the office.
His driver was waiting for him, so he just gave him the address to the restaurant and texted Danny that he was on his way. The Australian responded with a thumbs-up emoji. He considered texting Kelly about the party, but they just had an argument about a few of the songs on the new album so he decided against it. He didn’t need to listen to her bitching today, even though deep down he knew that she was right.
***
When Max reached the restaurant, he was already regretting their choice of location. Who in their right mind decides to meet in Midtown?
Immediately after he left the car, he heard the screams of some college girls. He just put his head down and dived into the building. His head hurt and he needed a quick fix. He hoped that Danny had something on him. He really had no patience to deal with it all today.
The rooftop was a nice touch and the place was selective enough about their patrons, so he was finally allowed a room to breathe. He dropped into his chair and took off his sunglasses.
“Emily!” Daniel smiled brightly at him. Max would hate it if it was anyone else in the world. But it was Daniel. And even Max was not immune to his charm.
“Hi Danny, sorry I was late.” He said and smiled mildly, the gesture not reaching his eyes.
“No kisses? You are breaking my heart, Maxie!” Daniel grasped his chest with his hands jokingly and laughed at his own joke.
“Be careful or Kelly will do much worse!” He joked back, laughing with his best friend.
“Oh no! Please spare me! Not Kells!” he put his hands defensively in front of his face, but then his smile dropped slightly and he looked at Max with uncertainty. “Did you guys make up?”
“Nope, she is still furious, but she will get over it.”
“To be fair Maxie, I get her a little bit.”
“Dan, you literally convinced me to put half of those songs on the album, I won't even mention the fact that you have produced them.” Daniel was being ridiculous right now. He spent months convincing Max that he should change his creative direction and take his own songs out of the drawer. And now he was siding with Kelly?
“Maxie, I am your friend and a producer, I could not let your musical genius go to waste. Those songs deserve better than that. However, I get why she is not happy with it. Max, they are all so personal and about him. You cannot expect her to be happy with it. You are basically admitting to not loving her to the entire world.”
He closed his eyes and swallowed. He knew that Daniel was right but he wished that he had arguments to fight with him.
“Well, it’s a concept album, Dan.”
“Yea, and we all know that it is a total bullshit.”
“Well…Kells and I, it’s a Lavender Marriage.”
“You are not married, babe.”
Max just rolled his eyes. Danny knew what he meant.
“Let’s change the topic. How was Martin’s show last night?” And just like that the tension was gone. They spend the dinner drinking, smoking, and talking about their friends and their careers. Daniel knew not to push when Max was not ready to talk and he was clearly not there yet. The album was dropping Friday night and there would be an ample amount of time to discuss it afterwards. For now, Max got to enjoy the last moments of relative quiet before the storm that it would inevitably bring.
***
Max Verstappen
@max_verstappen_official • Sep 1
Thank you all for all your support! “Far From Home” is out now! Available on all platforms!
10.9K replies | 46.2K retweets | 246K likes
Max Verstappen @max_verstappen_official • Sep 1
“Far From Home” Tracklist:
- 1. She Ain’t You
- Born with a Broken Heart
- The View Between Villages
- Body and Mind
- Bad Intentions
- Hell You Call a Dream
- Someone You Loved
- Happy Pills
- Ship to Wreck
- Sailor Song
- Bloodstream
- It’s Alright (feat. Danny Ric)
Available on Spotify and Apple Music!
5.2K replies | 56.3K retweets | 301K likes
BuzzFeed Celeb
@BuzzFeedCeleb • Sep 1
@max_verstappen_official new release is out now! The album was described by Max as a concept album, but fans are speculating about the autobiographical character of songs on the new release! How many clues were you able to pick up?
bzfd.it/2XzAd8AzdI
2.6K replies | 11.2K retweets | 72K likes
Mrs. Verstappen
@loveverstappen_33 • Sep 1
OMG… who hurt Max like that?! We all knew that he was broken, but like every single song makes me want to cry!
33 replies | 678 retweets | 6.1K likes
Lost Boy
@LesbiansForMax • Sep 1
Guys!!! Did you hear those lyrics??? Gaystappen is real!!! Like c’mon, this album is soooo queer coded. The homosexual yearning!
967 replies | 6.2K retweets | 21K likes
—
Far From Sanity
@MaxielForTheWin • Sep 3
Has anyone checked on Kelly since the release?! It was brutal!!!
96 replies | 4.3K retweets | 12.4K likes
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Magical Maggie @MegMag99 • Sep 3
@MaxielForTheWin Dude! It was so bad! I (almost) feel bad for her!
“ She may be pretty
She’s something new
But that means nothing
‘Cause she ain’t you”
CRIMINAL!
***
The weather got decidedly cold over the last few weeks and the trees lost their colours, but Charles was not complaining. The first snow was bound to fall soon enough and he would be able to go out and ski again. Arthur tried to convince Lorenzo and him to join him in Finland, but Charles was fine with waiting another month or so for decent conditions at home. Arthur needed to focus on his training anyway.
Furthermore, Charles was much more needed here. The season would start soon and there were plenty of things to supervise. Riccardo and Marta needed help with baby C. He also promised Emilia that he would supply her with wood for winter, her own son was never too interested in taking care of the older woman.
So here Charles was now. Chopping some wood in the garden before his morning run. He always loved the pure physicality of this chore. The heat that his body produced in response to the intense movement. The tingling of cool air on his cheeks. And, the smell of freshly cut wood slowly filling the air. He needed to chop enough for his family and Emilia, but it didn’t bother him. He should be done early enough to be able to drop Chiara in the daycare and then he will drive to the house of the elderly woman.
When he was done, he stacked his part neatly in dry out outside and loaded the rest of the wood on his track. Then he changed into his running clothes and went for a run in the woods. It was nice and peaceful at this time of the year, with the summer batch of tourists long gone.
On his way back, he received a good morning text from Carlos, he smiled and sent him a selfie of himself.
“Hi babe, can’t wait for our dinner tonight”
“ Miss you so much, maybe you can stay the night? I don’t need to be in the hospital until 9 tomorrow”
“Sorry, I promised to drop baby C to daycare every day this week. Also, I have some meetings aligned. Weekend?”
“Conference in Boston, remember?”
“Take me as your trophy partner”
“Fuck, babe. If I had you there, I would not leave my hotel room”
Charles chuckled at that and got home to take his shower.
Things were going well with Carlos. He was gentle, funny, loving, and evenly-tempered. He made Charles laugh and always made sure that he was comfortable. Even with his tight schedule, he sent him texts and scheduled little dates. He was handsome too and not bad in bed. A perfect boyfriend really.
Sometimes, Charles believed that with Carlos at his side, he would forget about Max. Max. The boy who gave him the world and then took it away without any warning. It was a shame that even after all those years, he let Max poison his perfect relationship. Because, no matter how many times Charles tried to forget, Max would find his way back to him.
The town was infested with the memories of them. Some places, were so obviously theirs that Charles just avoided them altogether. But, then there were other little memories, Charles would just walk into the spiderwebs of his old life without any warning. The smell of roasted chestnuts or slippery iced puddles brought him back to the time he was a teenager in love with the surly boy. And then there were his dreams. He could never escape Max in his dreams. His Max. The one before stardom, leather jackets, and an aloof attitude. A boy who was socially awkward and angry, but loved his music and Charles more than anything else in the world. A boy, who was probably no longer there.
And yet, Charles held on and wouldn’t let it go through all of those years.
He sighed and put on ice-cold water. That was what he deserved for thinking about Max again. The coldness seeping into his bones quieted down his thoughts, hiding them away one by one. He focused on the sore muscles, the tickling sensation on his skin, and the elevated breathing and heart rate. Then, he was finally ready to go.
When he knocked at the doors, Marta was getting Chiara ready for kindergarten, putting her tiny pink jacket on and matching shoes. Charles smiled and crouched down spreading his arms wide to greet the baby. She ran straight into his arms giggling and they cuddled for a little bit.
“Hi princess” He said, kissing her little head, and then he looked up at one of his best friends. “Hi Marta, how are you? Is the morning sickness getting better?”
“Hi, Charlot. It has been rough lately” She responded, exhaustion clear in her voice and rubbed her belly with one of her hands. “Thank you again for helping out with C”.
“Pleasure is mine.”
As he responded he grabbed Chiara and lifted her up, the little one started giggling. They drove to the daycare laughing and listening to baby songs. He adored Chiara and was happy to spend some time with her. When he was younger, he always fantasized about having kids with Max and raising them together, but he was fine, he had C to love and cherish. It was enough. It had to be.
Before dropping her off, Charles squished Chiara for a little bit longer, placing tens of little kisses on her head. He took in the smell of her hair. She smelled so distinctly of a baby, not quite the newborn smell, but still very child-like. It was hard to put her down, Charles had that irrational fear that if he let her out of his sight for five minutes, she would grow up and he would miss it. He wasn’t quite ready for that, and yet Chiara was now running and singing songs and it felt like just yesterday she was a babbling newborn.
When he got in and started changing her shoes for her daycare slippers, he heard a familiar voice.
“Oh… Hi Charles, long time no see!” He looked up to see the beautiful blonde woman with a newborn in her arms, next to her were two little boys. One look at them was enough to contract Charles’s heart painfully.
“Victoria! Hi, how are you?” He smiled, trying his best to make it look genuine. Victoria was one of the sweetest people he knew, yet he still couldn’t meet her eyes.
“Not bad, Hailey is an angel, letting me sleep at night, cannot say the same about the boys” She laughed lightly “Are you dropping off Marta’s little one?”
“Ah, yes. Riccardo had to go to New York to take care of some things for Arthur, so I am helping out with C. It’s a pleasure really. Your boys are so big now! Wow…” He ignored the fact that they looked like a spitting image of their uncle.
“They are, aren’t they? You should visit sometime… I miss you, Charles.” She looked at him with her intense blue eyes. The same exact colour as Max’s. Damned Verstappen genes, why were they all looking the same?
“I would love to, Vic, but… I don’t think that’s the best idea.” He responded honestly, too exhausted to search for an excuse. They both knew the reason.
“Charles… I promise I won’t talk about him” she pleaded.
He sighed and walked Chiara to her daycare teacher before looking back at Victoria, who at this point also said goodbye to her little carbon copies of Max.
“Vic, I can't, okay? I wish I could, really, but being close to you, to your little boys, it brings back too many memories of him. And I don’t want to give him any more of my thoughts”
“Charlie, please… I know Max acted like a jerk, but…”
Charles knew what was coming. Victoria loved her brother too much not to try to justify him, but he couldn’t have that. He shook his head and disrupted her with soft determination.
“Uhm… nope, let’s leave it here, okay? I really don’t want to hear that.”
The blonde looked him in the eyes for a few excruciatingly long seconds and then nodded, the baby in her arms wiggling slightly.
“Fine, but for what it’s worth, I am really happy to see you… I heard that you are dating somebody new?”
Charles smiled softly, he appreciated the change of topic. It was kinda weird to talk to a woman, who he once expected to become his sister-in-law, about Carlos, but he did it nonetheless.
“Yes, Carlos is an orthopaedic surgeon in St. Gertrude’s, we met two seasons ago when Arthur had an accident during practice. He nursed him back to health and charmed me in the process” Charles laughed lightly at the memory, but the smile never quite reached his eyes.
“That’s very sweet” Victoria smiled and put one of her hands on his arm, patting him gently. As Charles was determined to create a distance between them, she seemed to be trying to shatter the walls around him. The small touch reminded him of the days they were younger when he used to treat Victoria as yet another sibling of his, convinced that they would be in-laws one day.
“Yes, it’s nice to be with somebody who I can count on and who really takes care of me.” Was he abrasive? Maybe, but the bitterness that was bubbling under the surface could no longer be contained. Max abandoned him. Left him confused and heartbroken, refusing to offer any explanation. Charles tried to find him, to reach out. But he was a fucking ghost. And then he became a voice on the radio. Seeping through every speaker, forcing his way back into Charles’s life. Poltergeist looming in a corner to jumpscare Charles every time he started building something good for himself.
Victoria kept quiet for longer than appropriate for the natural flow of conversation, and then she looked into Charles's eyes. She seems to be searching through his soul, lurking in his deepest thoughts. Again, those ice-blue eyes seemed to have some supernatural qualities to them. Verstappen spell - intrusive and sharp, but infinitely captivating.
“If only things turned out differently…”
“If only… Take care, Vic.” He said with a sad smile and exited the building without looking back.
***
Max might have enjoyed his evening a little too much. After the party, he ended up in a club with Daniel and Lando, who cut him a nice line of cocaine right away. By the time they arrived, the Brit was so out of it, that he was slurring all of his words, but the music he played was amazing. Max wondered whether he even knew how to DJ without being all coked up. Not that he minded, he himself was rarely sober. Perpetual intoxication kept him docile and alive.
Max was pretty sure he fucked somebody, but couldn’t recall the details, just the glorious feeling of uncoiling. Spilling inside of somebody. Thinking about it, he should probably get another STD panel done, it had been quite a while. It had to wait though. At this moment his head was splitting in two and he felt the urge to retch. Mixing coke and alcohol always gave him the worst hangovers - crawling around, spilling his guts, and blinding him with migraines. He hated it, but some masochistic part of him told him that it was exactly what he deserved. He was a fucking arsehole. A piece of shit who hurt everyone who ever cared about him. Yet, there were millions who idolized him. Women and men threw themselves at him, yearning for his attention, spending fortunes to buy his music and concert tickets. It was all he strived for and it all felt so fucking hollow. It was really bleak. He hated to think about it, to remember how he felt before his fame. Before he left the shithole town he was from. When he was young and terrified, but happier than ever.
But now he was here, in his outlandish apartment overlooking Central Park with a behemoth of a hangover, only vague memories of the previous night, and a schedule that was alarmingly full. So Max did what he knew best, he cut another line while flicking on his coffee machine. A bit of white powder and double espresso should be able to get him through the morning. When his driver called, he was freshly showered and wearing his darkest sunglasses.
Max hated interviews, but they came with the job and he just released a new album. Christian meticulously planned the entire promotion and Max couldn’t fuck it up. Not after there were already videos circulating on the internet of his drunk ass stumbling out of a nightclub in dubious state just to get behind the wheel of his Superleggera. It wasn’t his brightest decision, but to be fair he was high out of his mind and just had the most pathetic sex of his life with a whore who bore a resemblance to Charles. He started crying in the middle and then his dick went limp. No fucking surprise that he wanted to leave that damned place as quickly as possible.
However, that wasn’t an explanation that he could use in the media, so they brushed it off and now he was supposed to play a good boy. Hence, he was in the car, stuck on one of the busy streets of Manhattan, when he received the message from Victoria. It was short and not really that meaningful, but he still felt the urge to chuck his phone out of the window.
“ I saw Charles today”
Fuck.
***
TRANSCRIPT of Max Verstappen’s Interview with Laura Miller of Rock Chronicles:
Max comes in, shakes Laura’s hand and sits down on a white couch. He is wearing a pair of ripped faded jeans, a white-T shirt and his iconic leather jacket. He looks as confident as ever as he sits with his arms over the back of the couch and his legs spread. He is clearly at ease.
Laura: Hi Max! Happy to have you here again! Your new album just dropped and everyone is obsessed with it. Am I right?
The audience in the studio cheers. Laura smiles at Max and he awkwardly nods his head, smiling at fans.
Max: Thanks Laura, it is always good to see you too! The album is one that I held close to my heart, so it’s good to see that it was received so well!
Laura: Your singles “Born With a Broken Heart” and “Bad Intentions” have been topping the charts for the last few weeks now, but they seem to be a departure from your previous music style. What made you change your style so dramatically?
Max: Well… I am an artist after all. I worked with some amazing songwriters and producers on my previous albums. The RedBull Records family always fully supported me in my journey. This time we’ve decided that it is time to try something new. All of the songs on the album were written by me, with the exception of “It’s Alright”, which I co-wrote with Danny Ric, who is also the sole producer of the album. Making this album was definitely a much more intimate experience than my previous ones. While recording, most of the time it was just me and Danny alone in the studio in the middle of the night. I think that it gave the album a certain taste of intimacy that would otherwise be lost.
Laura: Certainly! There is a lot of discourse about it already! On “Far From Home” you are discussing the themes of love, addiction, and fame. All the songs feel deeply personal, what has inspired you in your writing?
Max takes a few seconds before responding, leaning forward and taking a sip from the glass of water standing on the coffee table in front of him.
Max: Well… the songs are inspired by my life, my past, but also this city. I arrived in New York as an angry teenager with nothing to my name. I was a bartender at some shitty bars. During that time, I have experienced so many stories and met so many people. In my writing, I am still coming back to those times, those stories. Of course, some of the songs are also inspired by my rise to fame and “The View Between Villages” is an attempt at making peace with my past. In that song, I mentally revisit the place that I left at seventeen, not even an adult. For the longest time, I was avoiding that part of me, but one night in the studio, I started spilling my stories. Dan and I talked for hours and then I wrote a song about a place that I always tried to forget.
Laura leans in, a sparkle in her eyes, listening to Max with a genuine smile.
Laura: And did you? Made peace, that is?
Max laughs dryly.
Max: If only it was so easy. No, not completely, but at least I realized that it wasn’t all bad. I left for a reason, but there were good people and good memories attached to that place as well. All of sudden, I could see past the cold barren images of Vermont in late fall, to see the green summers so to speak.
Lauren: Do you miss it?
Max: You tell me, after all, you’ve listened to the album. I think that there are many songs that can be interpreted as a yearning - for the past, love, different life, and meaning. I think those are themes that we can all identify with no matter the gender, age, or geographical location. This album is as much about young Max as it is about me now as it is about the patrons of the bars I worked in.
Laura: But “Far From Home” offers no salvation, don’t you think that that’s pretty dark?
Max: There are so many other artists you can listen to if you want something upbeat. My music is about the struggles and loneliness that we all feel, especially working in the music industry. I won’t betray my art, just offer salvation. Take it or leave it. It was always like that and I intend on staying genuine in my music. Besides, I think that “It’s Alright” is a salvation. A glimpse of hope at the end. I love Daniel’s parts in the song, his voice is grounding and balancing mine. The context of “Far From Home” is about accepting all of the sadness and ugliness that I explored in previous songs. It’s about forgiveness and healing. It is not a happy song, but it’s about accepting the past and looking forward.
Laura: There is one more song I wanted to ask about. “Sailor Song” already went viral. It is such a beautiful love ballad. How did it come to be and who is the guy who looks like Daniel Radcliffe?
Max: Hmm… That's a good question, Laura, I wish I knew myself. Unfortunately, I am not a sailor, but the love story seemed too beautiful to pass on. I like to imagine that the people this song is about actually ran away together and lived in their little bubble, happily ever after.
Laura: Wow, I hope you are right, Max. Thank you very much for your time, it was a pleasure to talk to you about “Far From Home”!
Max and Laura shake hands. Max then sings “Ship to Wreck” with the band in the studio. Fans go crazy.
Comments (248):
ErinInNYC:
Is that just me or does Max look like he just cried before the interview? The red-rimmed glossy eyes? What’s going on with our precious boy?
Jeff87:
Please, he is so out of it, look at his pupils all blown out! The guy is all coked-up. You females all idolize him as if he is some kind of god or smth. He is fucked up and his music got so bad. He used to produce bangers, but of course, he sold out.
ErinInNYC: Stfu, incel.
MaxLover33:
Max be like “I am not a sailor” as if he didn’t write like a sailor, honey we all know, quit lying. Do you think it’s about him and Danny?
MaxielFan:
Girl, I hope so. We sure know that it’s not about Kelly 😂😂😂 .
PGMusicSupporter:
Are we all going to disregard the fact that he is a junkie who drove his car drunk throughout the city? What kind of example is he for our youth?
SuperMaxMaxMax:
OMG… I cannot wait for Max to perform those songs live! This album is perfect!!!
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