Maybe in another life-formula 1

Max Verstappen stared at his phone, the soft glow of the screen illuminating the darkness of his hotel room. His heart pounded as he reread the messages that had appeared overnight:

**13 missed calls from Angel**

**6 new messages from Angel**

---

**Maxxxcf**
3:15 am

**Macxyuuyyy**
3:16 am

**Why did yiub havee to ruihn everything**
4:00 am

**I miss uhyoo**
4:30 am

---

Max lay in the lumpy hotel bed, his mind a whirlpool of confusion and guilt. The words on the screen blurred as he fought back memories of their last conversation. He watched the sunrise through the thin curtains, the golden light doing little to ease the knot in his chest. Exhaustion finally took over, and he fell asleep, his phone clutched tightly in his hand.

When he woke up, he couldn't help but feel that he had made up the interaction, that his mind was now weaving sick and twisted dreams, showing him things he wanted to see. He quickly opened the phone that was now somewhere under the pillow, but all that met him was an empty message thread, replaced by a simple notification:

**This message has been deleted.**

No explanation, no follow-up. Just the echo of drunken words. Angelus still had his old number, a number that a younger Max refused to change for the reason that maybe one day Angelus would contact him again.

 He had wanted to reach out so many times, but he never ended up doing it.

The day passed in a daze. Kelly, sensing his mood but unaware of its cause, dragged him out of their hotel room, taking him around the city. They walked through the cobblestone streets of Rome, the city once vibrant in Max's memories, now felt muted and distant. Every corner seemed to echo with memories of Angelus.

They wandered through boutiques and cafés, Max signing autographs and posing for photos with fans. But Italy had never felt more foreign to him. Not since Angelus had been a part of his life. The city, once filled with laughter and shared adventures, now felt like a place where something precious had been lost.

---

Max stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his suit jacket for the wedding. The groom was a businessman of some kind, his bride a friend of Kelly's, and Max couldn't find a valid excuse to skip it. 

He buttoned up his suit jacket, staring at his reflection with a sigh. The thought of attending the wedding filled him with a sense of dread.

"Babe, are you ready?" Kelly called from the other room.

"Yeah, one second," he replied, splashing his face with cold water in a futile attempt to wake up.

The wedding venue was an elegant outdoor garden, adorned with twinkling fairy lights and lavish decorations. The scent of blooming roses filled the air, mingling with the soft murmur of guests. Max adjusted his collar for what felt like the twentieth time, feeling out of place among the other guests. He was seated at a table with a group of elderly businessmen, eager to discuss racing. The one topic he really did not want to cover today.

They asked him the typical questions, he felt like he was being interviewed. Max couldn't even ask Kelly to get him out of it seeing as now she was talking to some of the girls on the other side of the area.

He was saved by the bell when the crowd erupted in cheers as the groomsmen made their way to the front, almost twenty of them all dressed in black, smiling and laughing as they carried the groom on their shoulders. Max watched, not smiling, His heart stopped when he saw Angelus, his shaggy hair and familiar smile unmistakable.