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ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
soooooo

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
how's it going in paradise
with mr oscar jack piastri
of mclaren racing himself??

MAIA PAPAYA
i think you'd rather be here than me

MAIA PAPAYA
he got me food earlier though

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
aw he paid for ur meal??? 🥹

MAIA PAPAYA
no bro he like bought it
without me asking
[ ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞 was surprised at
a message! ]

MAIA PAPAYA
WHICH IS KIND OF SCARY BECAUSE

MAIA PAPAYA
like he remembered a food i used to like

MAIA PAPAYA
you know those focaccia sandwiches
with tomato and cheese

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
WHAT THE SHIT BALLS

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
GIRL

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
I WOULD KILL TO HAVE
OSCAR PIASTRI REMEMBER
MY FAVORITE FOOD

MAIA PAPAYA
NONO HE WAS ANNOYING AS FUCK
RIGHT AFTER SO THAT GESTURE
DOESN'T COUNT

MAIA PAPAYA
i invited him into my room and he stepped
like 3 cm inside rather than walking in like
a normal person so i pushed him out 😊

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
bye thats on you maia he
was just joking around !!

MAIA PAPAYA
i don't have time for jokes i'm sleeping in
a hotel room across from the DEVIL

ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞
that's a bold claim for someone
you're voluntarily going to an
event with

[ incoming voice call from Oscar Piastri ]
accept or decline?

MAIA PAPAYA
he's calling me on insta i can't breathe
without being bothered
[ ANGELA!!! 🏎️❤️🐞 laughed at a message! ]

call accepted!

" you know you're across the hallway
from me, right? "

" wasn't sure if i was still
exiled from your palace "

" o-o-oh, right, sorry.
yes, i have a thousand dollar fee
for entry "

" oof, yikes.
do you take card? "

" from you? no "

" cold.
well, i was planning on checking
out some of the stores or ordering out
for dinner. wanted to ask if you would
like to come with, or if you'd rather
be stuck in your hotel room for the
rest of the night "

" you're really trying to lean
into the nice and quiet formula 1
driver act, huh? "

" i feel like you see me as
some sort of pitch-fork carrying
grim reaper in your spare time "

" why spare time? i picture you
like that at all hours "

" *chuckles* whatever, mate.
you on for some adventure? "

" ha, always "

" good, because i'm right
outside of your door "

" what?! you're such a
freak— "

VOICE CALL ENDED!

"ASSHOLE!" Maia berates, snatching Oscar's phone from his hands. "I'm not even on your 'Close Friends' either!"

"Would you like to be?" The man offers, taking his phone back from the actress. "Though, you'd have to consider me as a friend to be on there, I think."

Maia rolls her eyes. "You're a long way from that, Piastri."

"Exactly what I thought."

The two continue on with their stroll down Baku's promenade, admiring the view of the bay next to them. Oscar has never been here before, since the last FIA Prize Giving he attended was in Paris—and he was also twenty, at the time.

Baku truly was a sight to see, probably one of the more luxurious places he's been to in his career, maybe even life. To be in such an area with someone like Maia by his side though is interesting, to say the least.

From what he's gathered, she's upset with how they left things—how he left her. But, otherwise, they seem fine, maybe even better than they were all those years ago. Over dinner, they had caught each other up to speed about what was happening in their lives, Oscar with racing and Maia with school and acting, and modeling, apparently. She's gained a few sponsorships, notably Giorgio Armani, which sent him for a spin considering that he knows that Charles is a model for them as well.

It's weird. He and Maia have had subtle connections seemingly everywhere, from her roommate being an F1 fan to her being an ambassador for the same company as a fellow driver, and yet they only started talking again now.

In addition to life updates, Maia has also shown him that she still has a knack for competition and challenges, something that he finds himself enjoying more than he once believed he would. It was obvious though, since if he ever says the words 'you on?,' she's bound to take him up on whatever proposal he has for her. It was like some sort of sleeper agent activation phrase, changing her from this new, elegant version of herself to that old, competitive spirit he remembered her as, igniting the nostalgia that made its home in Oscar's heart.

"Your movie was good, by the way," he compliments suddenly, turning to face the shorter woman next to him. They were arms length away from one another, keeping distance. They would walk way closer when they were kids, though, he remembers that too.

Maia hums, "Glad you actually paid attention to what you saw. I'm very proud of it."

"Again with thinking I'm some sort of demon," Oscar tsk-s, zipping up the black jacket he wore up to his chest. "I promise I'll make everything up to you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll hold you to that, Mr. 'You're Too Annoying to Miss.'"

"God, alright. Challenge accepted then," he sighs at the reference, shoving his hands into his pockets. As beautiful as Baku was, it was colder than he expected, and he was not built for that in the slightest. "You are a very good actress though. I hope you know that."

"Thank you," she says simply, pulling her long sleeves down to cover her hands. "I'm hoping the sequel gets approved. I had so much fun filming it," Maia adds, crossing her arms. "That one race I watched was quite cool, I'll admit that too."

Oscar tilts his head, an arrogant smile spreading across his face. "Told you my job is cool. My karting days did lead me down a good path."

Maia gasps, "Oh, I miss that time we went karting! That was so fun," she recollects. "The last time I went was with Angela, Matthew, and some of our other friends for her 22nd."

There's that name again. Matthew.

"Who is that? Matthew? I know Angela but..."

Maia looks at him with deviousness in her eyes. "Why? Jealous?"

Oscar shakes his head, turning away from his old schoolmate. "No, just curious."

Maia ha's, then explains, pulling down her sleeves again, "He's one of our next door neighbors, basically. Film major, I think? I've known him for a month but, Angela's known him longer."

Oscar hums, turning to look at the position that Maia has found herself in. As she walks, she has the cuffs of her sweater sleeves in her palms while she hugs herself for warmth.

Listen, Oscar is a good guy, but he knows well that if he was walking with anyone else, he would have spared them a sad glance, then continued on because he packed well and they did not. But Maia wasn't just anyone, and frankly, he meant it when he said he'd make things up to her, one step at a time.

"You're freezing, aren't you?" He asks, stopping in his tracks.

Maia stops just a few steps ahead of him, turning around. "No."

"Liar. Look at you!" He gestures to her crossed-arms. "You should have picked a better outfit."

She rolls her eyes. "Well, let's turn back then so we can get to the hotel and I can change into better clothes," she grumbles, beginning to walk the other direction from where they've been facing.

"Mai—" Oscar chases after her, and stops in front of her view. "You're always so grumpy." He shakes his head, unzipping his jacket.

"Oh, we're not doing th—"

"Too late," and he's already wrapping her in his jacket that was probably two sizes too big. He didn't think about that part when he put it on her, and now he's blushing like he's ten again and she's wearing his old karting helmet. He's thankful for the cold nipping at his face, or else it would have been way more awkward to explain why he's so red.

It's just odd. He's had girlfriends who would borrow his clothes sometimes, but even they never got him to blush as much as he does when he's with Maia. Maybe it was due to the nostalgia.

...Yeah. One hundred percent. Of course he'd blush while she's wearing his jacket! He used to have a crush on her when they were younger, and a very brief one at that.

It's just a mixture of nostalgia and confusion. That's it.

"You're the worst," Maia groans, threading her arms through the sleeves of the jacket and zipping it up. "You're lucky I'm on the cusp of freezing to death, or else I would have smacked you."

"Right. No 'thank you'?" He asks, pushing aside the thought of just how huge his sweater was compared to Maia's body.

Maia crosses her arms again. "Thank you..."

"That's what I thought—"

"...for being insufferable."

Oscar's expression becomes vacant as he sighs, "You're so difficult to please."

"And you missed me being in your life anyways," she chides.

He remains quiet as he moves out of her way, reclaiming his spot beside her again as they walk back to the start of the promenade so they could call a cab and get back to their hotel. The sweet, sweet warmth of his hotel room was waiting for him, and he was going to need it desperately with his bare arms now shown off for the cold to pick at.

On the way, Oscar maintains that same distance from Maia that they had earlier in the walk—arms length away—and pretends to be unbothered by the cold he was complaining about to himself a few minutes ago. He also pretends to be unbothered by the fact that, with his jacket on Maia's shoulders, he can't help but steal a few glances at her along the way.

His jacket almost seems like it was meant to be shared with her. It suits her a little too well, and Oscar can't get it out of his head.

NOTES!

i love writing when people are obviously crushing on someone but they just refuse to admit it

also news flash for oscar, his "brief" crush in fact was not that brief

xoxo, cas