It's never as it seems [Lando Norris]

Chapter 4

Emilia is lounging on her couch while music softly plays in the background. She has been trying to read a book for the past hour, but so far she has read 4 pages and she has no idea what she has read. "Well, this is not going too well" she mumbles, closing the book before putting it down on her coffee table. She had been busy the with various projects for work the entire week, so she wanted to do absolutely nothing today. That was the plan at least, because she has been awake for a few hours now and she was bored already. She texted two of her 'new' friends that she made during work to ask if they could hang out, but they both had plans already. Her last hope was Max, but he wasn't replying to her texts, so he was busy as well apparently. "I'm so lonely" she whines to herself, pressing her face in the pillows with a groan.

The ringing of her phone makes her look up, and she grabs it from the coffee table before answering the call. "Oi, why are you spamming me? Are you bored or something?" Max asks through the phone, clearly amused by Emilia's messages. "I'm so bored Max, it's not even funny. No one wants to hang out with me! Am I that repulsive?" she answers dramatically, pouting when she hears him laugh. "Do you want an honest answer to the last question?" he asks, chuckling when she scoffs at him. "Me and the boys are going out to golf, we can pick you up if you want? We're just about to leave" Max says, and Emilia lets out an excited squeal. "If they're all fine with it then I'd love to join!" she answers, standing up already to change into a golf appropriate attire. "Yeah, they're cool with it. Put a sweater or something on, it's cold out. See you in 30!" Max says, ending the call when Emilia says that she'll be ready within 30.

Rummaging through her closet she pulls out a pair of beige pants, a white polo and a checkered sweater to go over her shirt. She quickly gets dressed before rushing to the bathroom to put her hair up in a high ponytail, brush her teeth and apply some lip balm. Autumn weather in the UK makes her lips dry, which is something she hates, so lip balm is a life essential at the moment. She walks back into the living room, putting her phone and wallet in a bag before grabbing an apple and a water bottle. Her golf bag is standing in the hallway, and she walks towards it to put her shoes and coat on. She's about to text Max that she's ready when he sends her a picture of her apartment building with the message, "get your ass down or we're leaving." She scoffs with a smile, swinging her golf bag over her shoulder and opening the door, locking it behind her before she walks down the stairs. She waves happily at the car that's waiting for her, walking towards it with a jump in her step.

After putting her bag in the trunk she walks towards one of the doors, sitting down in the backseat with Tom. "Hey guys!" She says excitedly, smiling at Tom and Max while they say hi back. Lando mumbles a greeting, waiting until she has her seatbelt on before driving towards the golfclub. "What have you been up to this week?" Max asks her, leaning sideways in his seat so he can look at her. She tells him about the projects she has been working on, explaining some extra things to Tom who asks her various questions. The car ride flies by, and before she knows it the car is parked and Lando steps out of it quickly. She follows his example, smiling at him when he hands her her bag. "Thank you Lando. How are you?" she asks, looking at him with a smile. He looks into her eyes before looking away quickly, telling her that he's fine before he turns towards Max to hand him his bag.

"How much are we betting that you can't make this shot?" Max asks Emilia, furrowing his brows when she tells him 85 pounds. "85? I'm not betting then, that means that you can do it" he answers, scoffing when Emilia laughs. "Why do you propose a bet before withdrawing because you know you'll lose? That's literally what a bet is about, either winning or losing" she says, shaking her head at him when he shrugs his shoulders. "I can see in your eyes that you know that you'll get the shot, so I don't want to bet anymore" he tells her, looking at Tom who laughs at him. "You can't be serious. Anyway, show us then Emilia" Tom tells her while he folds his arms over each other, looking at her curiously. She nods, looking at Lando when she feels his eyes on her, frowning slightly when he looks away immediately. She looks at the flag on the horizon, readjusting her stance before she takes a deep breath. She swings her golfclub, hitting the ball perfectly and with the sound that never fails to make her smile. The four of them watch how it flies through the air while they hold their breaths.

The group walks towards the spot where the ball landed, and Emilia smiles slightly when she sees that she'll probably be able to get in in the hole with one more swing. Tom whistles when he sees the spot where the ball ended, clapping his hands at Emilia. She smiles happily at him, turning towards Lando who just joined them after walking behind the group for a bit. He hums when he sees the ball, before taking his phone out and texting someone. Her smile wavers a bit when she sees his disinterest, but she quickly recovers when she hears Max telling her to finish it off in "Emmie style". She manages to get the ball in the hole perfectly, clapping her hands excitedly. She smiles when Max tells her that he took a video of it for her so she can post it on Instagram later. When the four of them walk towards the next part of the course she slows down a little until she's next to Lando.

"You're quiet today" she says softly, looking at him with a worried expression. He looks at her, blushing before diverting his eyes. "Is there something wrong?" she asks when he doesn't reply to her. "No" he answers, his voice laced with a certain coldness in it. Emilia looks at him, but she's met with his side profile while he looks ahead. It's silent for a while, the two of them walking behind Max and Tom who are chatting and laughing with each other. "I'm sorry that I keep randomly joining you for your golf time with the boys" Emilia says eventually, hoping that he might be annoyed with her for doing so, and that she can clear the air with him. It's silent for a while until Lando lets out a sigh, running his fingers through his curls before he looks at her. She blushes when he catches her staring at his hands in his hair, and a slight hint of a smile appears on his face before it turns into a small line again.

"It's fine, if it makes Max happy then that's all that matters" he says, nodding at her before he speeds up his steps, reaching the guys quickly while leaving Emilia behind.