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Brooke got up and went out into the living room, Max and Daniel sitting on the sofa watching telly. “Dad, can I go down to the chippy?" she asked Daniel. He gave a quick nod and threw his wallet at her. “Get me a battered sausage will ya?". She hummed in approval and picked his wallet off that she missed to catch. “papa? Want anything?" Max turned around to face her, she was in a hoodie and joggers. "get a big portion of chips so we can share yeah Zonnig?” he gave a smile at her and she gave a heartfelt grin back. She got her shoes on and opened the door, "go through the back alley, you know what tabloids are like” Daniel yelled as she walked out the door. She rolled her eyes and walked out.
She got down stairs and out of the apartment building, she went through the back exit and down the narrow alley that sits behind the building. She liked the local chippy, she knew the people that run it. She's down there twice every other week, most of the time she didn't even pay with her own money.
She was halfway down the alley when she forgot to ask her brother -Noah- if he wanted anything. She got her phone and texted him;
B: I'm going down to the local chippy. Do you want anything?
N: get me a pie 🥧 beef one pls xoxoxo
B: no pie for u
N: ;(((((
she softly laughed at the message, she repeated the order over in her head: battered sausage, large portion of chips, pie. She repeated that until she walked into the chippy. She was greeted by the friendly she sees every time she's here.
“Brooke! Back so soon" the elder man chuckled, Brooke walked up to the counter and rested her arms. " I am the best paying customer in this establishment, gotta be fair val” she said with a very giddish smirk. “What's it today then?"
“Battered sausage, large portions of chips, beef pie and ribena please" val wrote down the order and gave it to a man behind him, “that's €9.50” she handed him the money and got 50p change back. She went and sat down on the chair behind her. It was very quiet for a Wednesday afternoon, also considering it's summer holidays as well.
Brooke looked at her phone and glanced up every minute or so, until a man came in. Jeans and a White polo shirt, hair slicked back. She watched him walk to the counter and order then he came over to sit next her. It was the only other chair there and she couldn't argue about it. They sat there in silence, the man just watching the people in the kitchen cook.
The silence was loud, and tense. For some reason she wanted to say something. He looked familiar, not like she had seen him before but in the face, genetics wise if you say so. She opened her mouth to say something but the older man had beat her to it. “It's Brooke isn't it?" He said, a mediocre heavy Dutch accent on the man. The puzzle pieces in her brain had started to connect. She gave a small smile, “yeah I'm Brooke? You are?"
“Jos, Jos verstappen" the colour faded in Brooke's face, she had read past articles on him, it felt like talking to a hitman. “Oh- erm yeah- hi? Grandfather?” She said confused, “you don't have to call me that, I shouldn't really be speaking to you anyway” he said with a sigh at the end. She felt a bit bad but knowing what he put her papa through made her feel angry at the same time.
“I never thought I'd meet you in this lifetime”
“Me neither”
Silence
“Why did you treat him like that?” She says with a serious tone in her voice, she frowned and looked at him.
“I wanted him to be the best you know, I'm sure he'd do the same for you”
“Yeah by not leaving me at a gas station, I don't understand those methods of treating your child like a dog with rabies for god's sake” she blurted out. Jos looked at her, he looked angry. He looked like he was holding himself back from doing something.
“I just met you and this is how you treat me?”
“Blame your shitty parenting skills then, if you would've loved your son like a normal person I'd probably be sitting ordering food with you. Not meeting you for the first time in a chip shop in the middle of Monte Carlo?”
Jos looked at her with disgust, Brooke rolled her eyes.
“Max wouldn't be where he was now without me interfering with his life” Jos muttered, they were both now looking at the floor In Front of them. “He would've done even better without you, I bet you have no guilt for what you did too him, or your wife, even daughter probably” Jos shook his head.
“I practically fucking carried the family to fame so I don't know what els-” Jos was interrupted by calling Brookes order number she got up and walked to the counter and grabbed the bag of food and got a ribena out of the fridge. She walked to the door and gave a look to Jos and Jos gave a look back.
“You're a horrible man Jos. Everyone knows that, even you” she walked out the door before he could say anything, she walked down the back alley quickly to get home before the food got cold.
She pushed the door in for the fire exit and climbed the multiple flights of stairs. She got up to her floor and walked slowly to the front door. She got to the door and just stood there for a quick second taking a deep breath, tired from the stairs and Jos' situation. She could never understand why some men would ever be like that. She got her phone out and texted noah, if she went in she'd cry.
B: come outside pls
N: why? Wats wrong
B: I met Jos for the first time and Istg if I look papa in the eyes I'm gonna burst out crying.
N: omw
Noah rushed out his room and over to the front door and opened it to see Brooke, one hand holding the food, the other hand being rubbed against her face to stop the sniffing and crying. Noah grabbed her into a hug and she started laughing to cover the crying. Noah took the food and told her to meet him in the kitchen.
Brooke Waited in the kitchen and Noah came back with a pie and some chips. He put them down on the kitchen island and leant against the surface. He shoved a chip in his mouth and talked while eating it.
“So, is he a total spaz like the articles says he is” Brooke laughed at her older brother's comment. She nodded and smiled and ate a chip.
“Is he ugly irl?”
She nodded
“Does he look like he leaves kids at gas stations and plots to kill his ex wife; aka our Oppas?”
She nodded again and giggled.
“Best question of all: would he be punchable?”
Brooke shrugged her shoulders, he'd probably would be but we won't know until we find out. Daniel walked into the kitchen and joined them around the kitchen island. “Who are we chatting shit about now?” noah and Brooke gave a look at eachother, Daniel giving a confused face. Brooke gave a nod and agreed to tell him.
“She met Jos at the chippy and completely ripped at him for being a terrible parent” Daniel went wide eyed and gave a concerned look towards her “did you- like speak to him?”
“I was going to say something but he beat me to it”
Daniel walked over to Brooke and gave a her hug, “don't tell your papa about this, you lot know what he's like when he's stressed” before Daniel pulled away and before he turned around, a small voice was heard from the kitchen doorway “what am I like when I'm stressed then?” He gave a grin, and Noah just silently prayed.
“Kids out of the kitchen, need a chat with your papa” they all went wide eyed, Brooke grabbed the chips and Noah took his pie and they went away. Max moved towards Daniel, “what's going on?” Daniel moved his hands around Max's waist and Max's arms around Daniel's neck.
“I love you. Especially our children, they love you lots as well” Daniel gave a small peck on Max's cheek, Max grinned at him in return.
“What are you trying to get out of now?”
“Nothing, something happened at the chip shop whilst roo was there and I just wanna talk about it” Max's grinned faded when Daniel said that, he pulled his arms away and put his hands over Daniels arms instead.
“What happened, is she alright? Did someone hurt her or like try to do someth-”
“She met Jos, Max. She defended you in every way possible. Just letting you know. Don't get stressed please " Dan pleaded, Max didn't know what to say, the shock made him just go paralyzed. “Is roo alright?” Was all Max could say. Daniel nodded and patted max on the shoulder. “I think the kids and I just want to forget about it, if you wanna talk to them about him just go ahead”. Max hummed in response and walked out of the kitchen.
Max strolled into the living room with Daniel not far behind him, the kids on the sofa watching the telly. Max went and sat down next to Noah and Daniel next to Brooke. They all huddled together like a sandwich, “Wil je erover praten papa?”
“Niet nu, misschien nooit” max replied
Noah and Brooke looked at eachother, then at Daniel who didn't know what was going on then back at max. “daar kunnen we mee leven” Noah and Brooke said in unison. Max wrapped his arms around his children and gave them a deathly hug.
"Oh mijn god, papa, je verplettert me!” noah screamed, Max ignored his cries and just kept on hugging them.