Little One ∞ George Russell

25 | Smiling like that

♪
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You?
'How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you and longer, if I can. How long will I need you? As long as the seasons need to follow their plan'

Qualifying turned out to be just as successful as the practice had been because the boys finished in the same order as they did that morning, meaning George would start the race in 15th position and Nicholas in 17th. The team was ecstatic to see the improvement this car had made as George managed to get into Q2 for the first time and they could already tell this year would be a lot better than the last couple of years. The race was pretty exciting, as both of the boys were fighting with some other midfield cars and it felt amazing to George to finally be able to properly race again. In the end, he managed to make up one place and finish 14th, while his teammate, unfortunately, had to park the car on lap 51 due to mechanical issues.

Once he stepped out of the car though, his mind was completely elsewhere. He finished the media interviews and his debrief quickly before he hurried back towards the hotel. He had lots to do still. When he arrived, he hastily showered and changed into a pair of black trousers and a white polo shirt, leaving his hair messily drying on his head for now. George called to the reception where he had arranged for balloons, candles and flowers to be waiting and he asked them to bring the items up. He also called the kitchen to prepare them a nice meal, while he arranged everything in the room. He sent a quick text to Madeleine to inform her that he would be ready soon and asked if Fiona was changed and ready to head out any second. She replied with a short 'yes' and George smiled. He also texted Nicholas who agreed to help him with the decorations that he was heading off. This was it.

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Fiona was a little confused why Madeleine was so adamant to head back towards the hotel immediately after their shift ended. She wanted to wait and see George but Maddie promised her that she had talked to Toby and he agreed to bring George to dinner with them. Fiona was tying the laces from her wedged heels around her leg when she heard a knock on the door. "Mads, can you open it please?" Fiona didn't hear a response and when she stepped out of her bedroom, there was no Maddie to be found. She heard another knock on the door and quickly opened it, expecting it to be her best friend who had just stepped out for a moment. "Where did you.." Fiona said but she stopped when she saw George on the other side of the door.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you. I thought Maddie had forgotten her key or something". She giggled and looked at George's face. His cheeks were a little red as if he had just been on a run but he looked really handsome in his black trousers and polo shirt. "No she went for dinner with Toby.." George said, a cheeky smile on his face while Fiona furrowed her brows. "But I thought we were meant to come as well.. She has been acting so weird all day, I swear!" Fiona said, not having a clue of George's plans and he laughed. "Yeah, I know. I made her do it". He said and Fiona tilted her head a little. "I needed her to distract you because I had some things to take care of. But I'm here to take you on a little walk now. So do you want to join me?" Fiona nodded quickly, she didn't need any more explanations, she just wanted to be with him.

George stuck out his hand and she smiled at him while she slid her fingers through his, a spark of electricity running up her arm at the first physical contact in a while. "You look absolutely gorgeous by the way". He said and Fiona felt her cheeks heat up while she looked into his eyes. She was wearing a white summer dress and some wedged heels and even though she didn't put any extra effort into her makeup, she felt beautiful when he looked at her like that. Fiona hesitated when George stepped into the lobby of the hotel, still holding her hand but he grabbed it more firmly when he felt she was about to pull away. She decided to just relax and follow his lead, this was what she had wanted for a while after all.