Max Verstappen was standing in his kitchen and patiently waiting for the arrival of his girlfriend, Ashlyn Skyler. They agreed to meet in the kitchen about half an hour ago, but Ash still did not come, apparently, she was delayed again, doing her job or she was too caught up in the plot of the series. Max was already bored. Although, probably not, because he found a racing magazine on one of the bookshelves and decided to read it, since there was no time before that. Max lazily leafed through the pages of the magazine and involuntarily thought about the fact that there were indecently many photos and congratulations on the next Grand Prix.

Max grinned and thought: "Who says I'm decent?"

Apparently, at this time, his personal imp took over the management.

A couple in love decided to spend one of the rare evenings together cooking pasta – a wonderful dish of Italian origin.

Finally, when the door swung open and Ashlyn entered the room, Max smiled happily and put down the magazine, waiting for the girl to take a position next to him. But Ash picked up her phone and, clearing her throat, pretended to have a microphone in her hands.

"So, there is a cooking show on the air called: "Max Verstappen is trying to cook." Here is the main character of the show himself. Meet the audience, a damn beautiful and inimitable Formula 1 racer - Max Verstappen and a great host of the show – Ash Skyler."

Watching the whole show unfolding, Max somehow restrained laughter and hardly kept a focused face, continuing to listen to his beloved girl. She didn't take off her reading glasses, which made her look even funnier and cuter.

"Mr. Verstappen, say a few words to our TV channel, please!" said Skyler and put her phone to her boyfriend's mouth.

Max thought only for a couple of seconds, after which he cleared his throat and spoke into the "microphone".

"Okay, I'll say a few words." Max smiled slyly and said. "If we don't start cooking right now, then I'll have to put the host of the show, Miss Skyler, on the table and eat her instead of the future pasta that we wanted to cook with her." He grinned and kissed Ashlyn on the forehead, after which he went to the faucet to wash his hands.

The girl blushed slightly, because the mind painted a very piquant picture. As soon as she tried to think of something else, Max immediately made her laugh.

"And anyway, what an injustice, Miss Skyler, I can cook!"

"Mmm. Yeah. I agree with you, honey. More precisely, I agree with you, Mr. Verstappen, you are excellent in everything. Well. Shall we begin?"

"It's much nicer to hear you say "honey", and not "Mr. Verstappen", I feel like I'm at some event where I need to be a very important person," Max teased Ashlyn, after which he decided to apologize and said. "Before we start, I'll have to perform a little ritual. Come to me, honey," Max said and opened his arms for hugs, beckoned to his beloved with a gesture.

She could not resist the charm of her man and immediately went to the meeting, clinging tightly to his strong body. Her hands fell smoothly on his back, shoulders. Pulling back a little, she looks into the beloved eyes opposite her and rises on her toes to kiss Max. He does not let her touch his lips with his and mockingly pulls away, which is why Ashlyn pouts her lips with displeasure.

"Don't you want to kiss me, Verstappen?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm laughing, Ashley. You're very cute when you're angry, you know that?" Max said and took her chin in one hand, making her look into his eyes.

God, every time she drowned in his beautiful eyes. Those eyes always looked at her with tenderness and love, no one had looked at her like that before. Ash sometimes even jokes that she fell in love with Max just because of his eyes. After all, it was them she saw for the first time, when Max had not yet taken off his helmet on their first day of acquaintance.

"I'm not angry. I'm outraged! Max Emilian Verstappen, let me go now!"

Seeing that Ashlyn still continues to make humorous attempts to get out of the arms of her beloved, Verstappen grins in his playful manner and hurries to kiss her to finally force her to stay in his arms. The girl, of course, cannot resist the lips of her beloved and responds to the kiss.

"Still want to leave, my princess?"

"Let's leave the kisses and hugs for the evening, because otherwise, we won't have anything to eat, sweet," Ash smiled and ran her palms over the racer's back. She immediately felt his muscles tighten, causing a smug smile to grace her face. He obviously liked the kiss. She left a kiss on Verstappen's cheek for the last time and hurried back to cooking.

"Stop stop stop! Wait, I forgot a very important point!"

Ashlyn suddenly stopped and hurried to grab her phone. She did not turn on the camera on purpose, so as not to spoil such a homely and intimate moment with the camera at the same time and so as not to embarrass Max, who already sees lenses aimed at him almost in nightmares. Ashlyn takes a jar of tomato sauce and puts it on the table, right in front of them, now it's not just a jar, but a phone stand. She put her iPhone down so that it seemed to be filming and returned to Max.

"That's it. Now it's definitely done." she muttered a little embarrassed and smiled at her boyfriend. "Let's continue!"

She turned into the host of a cooking show with an imaginary film crew and a fictitious audience.

Max couldn't help but laugh at her playful enthusiasm. Wow, how did she come up with this? It was clear that Ashlyn wanted to make this culinary experience unforgettable.

With a twinkle in her eyes, she handed Max a neatly folded apron and directed him to the kitchen faucet, because this high-speed racer still hadn't washed his hands before cooking!

Max put down the "gift" and began to wash his hands thoroughly with soap. Then, he began to put on an apron. After removing the packaging from the apron, Verstappen opened it to see the drawing, and as soon as he saw what was drawn there, he immediately laughed.

"Darling, only you could give me an apron with a picture of my faces and victory trophies, I'm thrilled."

Ashlyn had her back to him, but it was impossible not to recognize her playful tone.

"This is my best purchase all year, champion. I'm glad you liked it. "

As the host of the show, Ashlyn began explaining the recipe step by step, as they do on cooking shows.

"So, together with my star guest, we will cook pasta with my favorite sauce. I really like to add cheese there, but it's a matter of everyone's taste. Do you remember how we made the dough first, and then the noodles themselves, sweet?"

"Yes, I remember. All our clothes had to be sent to the dry cleaners immediately because they were in flour."

"It's because someone is acting just like a little kid!"

"Are you telling your viewers about yourself?" Max grinned and nodded at the phone screen turned off.

"Wha-a-at?? Not about myself! You started it first! He smeared me all over with flour and I had to defend myself!"

Max leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes!" Ash exclaimed in despair and involuntarily laughed, remembering the day when they decided to cook pasta themselves.

It was a very fun day, which ended with the fact that they could not make pasta and they decided to trust the professionals and ordered the delivery of Italian food.

"This time we will use ready-made pasta, because the previous experience was slightly unsuccessful"

"Actually, we almost succeeded. It only needed a little..."

Tying her apron securely around her waist, Ashlyn tapped the wooden spoon on the countertop, attracting Max's attention.

"I needed a lot of concentration and less kissing. Little lion cub, get distracted now, and fill the pot with water."

"Little?" Max grinned.

"Good, good, big lion cub. Don't get distracted!"

"Okay, honey."

Max obediently took a large saucepan and poured the required amount of water into it.

When the water boiled, Ashlyn added a generous pinch of salt.

"This is very important," she said with mock seriousness. "We want our pasta to be perfectly seasoned."

Max nodded, appreciating Ashlyn's attention to detail.

While the pasta was cooking, Ashlyn busied herself with making the sauce. She sliced fresh basil leaves, spreading their bright aroma in the kitchen. Max, always an attentive sous chef, watched Ashlyn with admiration. Taking out a chopper, Ash put chopped basil leaves and garlic in there. Then I poured the resulting mass into a bowl and finally it was the turn of the tomato sauce.

Only he was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, Max. Have you seen the tomato sauce?" Ash scratched her head thoughtfully and tried to remember where she had put this jar.

"No, baby, I haven't seen him. Were you sure he was in our kitchen?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it! Without it, the pasta won't turn out the way I wanted!" Ashlyn visibly became sad and looked at Max with her big gray eyes.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart, don't worry! I'm going to find him now, since you say he's somewhere nearby," Max walked up to Ashlyn and kissed her on the top of her head, after which he began to look for this jar of sauce.

It took about twenty minutes, and the search was unsuccessful. Max grabbed his head and began to think which would be faster: order the delivery of the sauce or go for it personally? Considering how fast he is at the racetrack, maybe it will work out...

At this moment, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a notification coming. Ash was texted by her mom and she moved away from her seat to pick up the phone and answer her. But what was her surprise when she saw a jar of sauce.

"Oh my God, Max! I found him! He's been hiding behind my phone all this time!" Ashley exclaimed and jumped on the spot with joy.

"Wow, finally! I'm glad the sauce was found. Do we have to put the pasta on plates and pour the sauce over it?"

"Yes, my champion. I'll do the pasta, and you wash the vegetables and cut them. Can you handle it? They need to be handled carefully, and not driven at full speed, as you like to do on the track!" Skyler laughed, clearly pleased with her own joke.

Of course I can handle it, my little star. Hahaha, I'm disappointed, because I wanted to do something in the style of Max Verstappen." Max laughed too.

Humming a tune from his favorite song, Max washed vegetables and cut them into small pieces. After all, proper nutrition is an important key to success, he knew it well.

When the timer beeped, signaling that the pasta was ready, Ashlyn carefully drained them, leaving a small amount of starchy water from cooking. She explained, "We will use some of this water to create a sauce that will perfectly cover the pasta."

Max watched in fascination as Ashlyn mixed cooked pasta, pre-grated cheese, sliced basil and some cooking water in a large bowl. She mixed the ingredients, the steam rose up and filled the kitchen with irresistible aromas.

"Mmm... How delicious it smells. It smells damn good." Max said, inhaling the aroma of freshly cooked food with delight.

"Yes, we did our best. Put the plates on the table, and I'll get the cutlery now," Ash asked, and when Max bent down to pick up the plates, she gently kissed him on the cheek.

"You are the best man in my life, Max Verstappen"

The racer smiled contentedly and still put the plates on the table.

Ash did not keep herself waiting and put the fork next to herself and Max, sat down opposite her beloved.

"Well, are we trying our masterpiece? Oh, my God, no! Dear viewers, our show is over," Ash shouted into the void, causing Max to laugh out loud. "That's it, now we can eat."

Ashlyn began to eat pasta, and Max was still in no hurry to pick up a fork. He looked at his girlfriend and thought for a moment.

Ashlyn, with her warm brown eyes and beaming smile, has always been Max's mainstay both on and off the track. She was his biggest fan, cheering him on from the sidelines at every race, giving him unwavering love and understanding.

"You know, Ash," Max finally began. "I'm incredibly lucky to have you by my side," he said with special gratitude in his voice.

Ashlyn smiled and put down her fork and took his hand.

"And I'm just as lucky to be with such a purposeful and passionate person like you. Watching you succeed in your career is awe inspiring."

Max leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes on Ashlyn.

"However, it wasn't always easy. The F1 world can be demanding and challenging. But you have been my anchor, giving me the stability and love I need. I appreciate you for that."

"Always, Max. I will always be by your side and will help you in any way I can, love."

"You are my biggest reward in life. No trophies and cups can compare with you, honey."

"Not even the world champion cup?" Skyler grinned and went back to the pasta.

"Hahahaha, even the world champion cup." Max declared with a grin and also began to eat their culinary creation.

Over plates of pasta, Max and Ashlyn recalled the moments that brought them closer, shared victories and occasional failures. They talked about the incredible adventure they found themselves in, which led them to travel around the world, plunging them into the exciting world of Formula 1.

In between eating pasta, they laughed, telling about the funny moments they encountered on their way: about the races that Max won, about dizzying overtaking and about their connection with Max's team and the entire Formula 1 community.

As the conversation progressed, they were reminded of the countless sacrifices they had made to preserve their relationship. Long-distance flights, separation during racing seasons and missed celebrations. Nevertheless, despite everything, their love remained unshakable.

The plate gradually emptied, and the pasta became less and less. Finally finished with the meal, Ash put their plates in the dishwasher and, turning around, immediately found herself in the strong arms of Verstappen. Ashlyn laughed as he lifted her into his arms and tightened her grip on his neck.