Wrong Number - Lando Norris

Chapter 1

Olivia Flowers wasn't feeling great about herself lately. She was struggling to decide what to do with her life.

She was now a uni drop off and felt like a major disappointment to her family. It was the last year of the finance degree as well, but she was feeling miserable and hated it with all her guts. She had gone into finance due to the majority of her family working in banking and corporate areas.

Once she told her parents she was quitting, they cut her off and told her she would have to find a job and another place to live as soon as she got one. They were all about tough love.

Trying to find a job when she had no previous work experience was proving to be a task. Olivia wasn't also winning any prizes with her personality; she was shy and introverted.

She grabbed a cup of coffee on her way to a job interview. She was rather hopeful as it was a small bookstore looking for a clerk. They weren't probably expecting someone too bubbly and she was great at maths, so she thought that she would be a perfect fit to work the till.

Olivia got a text message from an unknown number.

Unknown number: "Where are you, dude?"

The only person that called her dude was her friend, Joshua. She assumed he had changed his number once again.

Olivia: "Just on my way to a job interview. Wish me luck.🤞 🤞😘"

Unknown number: "Good one. Very funny. I'm waiting for you. Stop being a wanker and move."

Olivia: "Did we make plans? 🤔"

Olivia was confused by her friend. She didn't recall making any plans but again she had been living under a rock for the past days and all the days just blended in together. She put her phone back in her purse and took a deep breath before walking into the quirky bookshop.

She looked around. It was tiny and smelled like mothballs. How did a place like that be still in business in these days and age? Everyone seemed to live digitally and no one seemed to care about books anymore. Olivia loved them. She loved the smell of a new book. There was no employee to be seen. She wandered inside the store checking the covers. They were all expensive, first editions books. Olivia was impressed. She heard the sound of a few more text messages and quickly put her phone on silent.

An older lady with a terrible cough came into the shop from one of the back doors.

"Are you Olivia?" She asked.

"Yes, nice to meet you!" Olivia tried her best not to look aloof, as usual.

"I'm Margaret. Come and sit here my dear."

They sat opposite each other in a little reading corner. The lady smelled a lot like cigarettes and was making Olivia a little bit nauseated.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I want to retire and need someone to take care of the bookshop. I don't have children or close family members and sincerely, no one else applied."

"Right, you need someone to run the entire store?" Olivia felt a bit scared suddenly.

"Yes, I mean look around. It won't be too much hard work and I'll give you all the training you need."

Olivia thought about it for a moment. It would actually be a good opportunity to start her career and would give her financial freedom. After discussing wages, she had no idea how Margaret could afford to pay her such a good salary, but she wasn't going to ask.

"I'm in!"

"Welcome to the Second Shelf!" Margaret said as they shook hands.

Olivia left the shop and would return the very next day to start her training. She couldn't believe she would actually run an entire bookshop. It was the perfect place for her and all of its quirkiness just matched her personality even more.

She looked at her phone. There were 5 new text messages from Joshua, or so she thought.

Unknown number: "Not even joking, I'm leaving in 5 if you don't reply."  The last text read.

She snapped a quick photo of the bookstore and sent it to Joshua.

Olivia: "Guess who got the job? xx"

Unknown number: "Where the hell are you? Is that in fucking London?"

Olivia: "Err, yeah last time I checked this is where we live. 😬"

Unknown number: "What you're on about?"

Olivia: "No, what you're on about? You're being even weirder."

Unknown number: "Dude, I'm going home."

Olivia: "Alright xx"

She decided to take a selfie holding her pink icy drink and send it to her friend.

Olivia: "How sad this is how I'm celebrating!"

*****

Lando stared at the selfie of the cute brunette girl with big clear glasses.

"Oh shit. Who the hell have I been calling a wanker?" He asked himself as he checked again the number he was supposed to text.

Max had quickly written down Connor's new number on a piece of paper and Lando was supposed to meet him that day for a catch-up.

He was confused as to why the girl kept on replying. He was now invested and bored because Connor was nowhere to be seen. He had also messaged him on social media, but still no reply. He drove home and sat back in his living room thinking what to say next. Lando opened the selfie once again and zoomed in. She was definitely his type and he was recently single. What harm could it make?

Lando: "Sorry, I thought we had made plans together. Congrats on the job."

He got a reply almost immediately. Game on, he thought.

Olivia: "Haha you're just weird. Why did you change your number again?"

Lando: "Girlfriend troubles!"

Olivia: "????"

Lando: "Yeah long story."

Olivia: "Must be a really long story as you were very gay last time I checked."

Lando facepalmed himself. How would he manage to pull it off now?

Lando: "Autocorrect! HAHA 🤦🏻‍♂️"

Olivia: "WTF dude."

Lando: "So what are you doing right now? Send more selfies. xx"

He thought for a moment if that sounded like what a gay friend would say. He wouldn't know.

Olivia: "All sweaty packing my bags for when I move out 😵‍💫"

The girl replied accompanied by a selfie of her skin glistening with sweat. He was suddenly aroused. Lando was definitely into the whole nerdy look.

"This girl will be sending me nudes soon if I play this right." He thought while he kept texting her.