For Real | Lando Norris

𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.

Lando

"The car isn't where I want it to be man," I wipe my head with a towel, as I just came out of the car.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today, Will." He laughs as I whack my finger at him as I walk by.

"What makes you so happy?" He asks, without taking his eyes off the data he is studying.

I shrug and then realize he can't see me so answer, "nothing, just a good day. I'll be back." He gives me a thumbs up, his eyes still glued onto the screen in front of him.

I walk out of the garage to the motorhomes to take a break before slaving over the data to figure out what's wrong with the car. We aren't performing as we want to since Barcelona and it's so unfortunate that Daniel is ill with Corona right now. I'm already very tired from the testing days, but luckily it's a good kind of tired. It's very rewarding to be back on the grid and I'm looking forward to the season.

I glance at my phone very quickly while walking to the motorhomes where interviews are being held and trying to dodge everyone. Not that I mind talking to the reporters, but right now I want to freshen up and keep my head on my work.

Not that keeping my head on work is easy these days. When I'm in the car I'm focused and driven, but the second I step out I find my mind wandering to her. Subconsciously I look at my phone hoping for a message, but there is nothing. I feel a little bit disappointed, but she had a friend coming over so it's not that strange.

I was worried for a second, because she was going to watch today's session and was asking about my job. Maybe it is better to tell her the truth about who I really am. Who am I kidding, she knows the real me better than half the people I know longer than her. The fact that she doesn't know the whole story is creeping up on me though and I have moments that I feel unsure about not telling her.

The thaughts avout telling her have been floading around in my mind. How could I approach the situation the best? Will she even believe me? She has a friend who is a Formula One fan. Maybe she can convince her. The pit in my stomach is getting heavier with the second and I have felt like this every now and then since we started connecting on a deeper level. Especially after the day Daniel found out. "You know that's lying," he had said and those words were starting to haunt me.

But I always come back to the point that I don't want her to view me differently. I can't drag her into my world like that. I need to- but I don't get to finish that thought because I bump into someone hard and fall to the ground. "Auch, what the hell?"

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't see the Ferrari driver in front of me.

"You okay man?" Carlos offers me his hand to pull me up from the ground, while he chuckles under his breath. As I take his hand his grin dissappears replacing it with worry all over his face.

"Yeah, just wasn't watching where I was going I guess. Good drive today, you guys look incredible," I say trying to redirect the conversation.

"Thanks, I felt good today, unlike you apparently. I can see that something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" I debate for a second if I want Carlos to know. Deciding he might be able to give me some advice I nod. He smiles and walks with me to the McLaren motorhome.

"So tell me what's wrong." Carlos says as I close the door of my room. I take the seat next to him and don't know where to start my question.

"It's not that there is something wrong per se," I start, wiping my hand on my suit as I feel them get clammy. "But there's this girl."

Carlos immediately sits up right and the grin returns to his face. "So it's dating advice you need?" He wiggles his eyebrows and punches me in the arm. I laugh softly, but then my ernst returns.

"She doesn't know who I am." The sentence tubles out of my mouth and the volume is so soft that it is barely audible.

"I'm sorry what?" Carlos' face turns to disbelief.

"I said, she-" I start repeating, but Carlos cuts me off.

"I heard you the first time, but what do you mean 'she doesn't know'?" He makes airquotes at me with his fingers. "That's not even the first question. Can you tell me exactly how you know this girl and what the problem is." The Spaniard leans on his knees and looks at me with serious eyes.

So I tell Carlos what has happened the past weeks. How we met and connected quite quickly. How lovely she is and gets on my nerves at the same time. About the mysteries we keep alive because of the thrill, but I desperately want to know every detail about her.

"I just feel overwhelmed and everything goes so fast. The way I like her makes me crazy and this huge secret about my job is weighing on me. With every story I tell I need to change little things and need to be on my guard not to let anything slip. It's exhausting to be honest and I think I want to tell her the full truth." I finish my outburst. A shigh rolls past my lips and I put my head in my hands feeling Carlos' hand on my back.

"Then why don't you just tell her?" he says plainly.

"It's not that easy."

"Well it sounds like keeping the secret isn't easy either. Why can't you tell her?" His eyes rest on me like he is trying to watch untill the awnser appears on my forehead. It's making my cheeks burn and I feel pressured to say the right thing, even though I don't know what that is.

"I don't know!" I exclaim and stand up in frustration. I begin pacing around the room to escape Carlos' gaze. "I'm afraid I guess." I look at the Spaniard, expecting him to frown but he is smiling at me. Which is actally more scary.

"You know what I think?" His smile grows as he follows me with his eyes.

"I think you're in love."

I stop and turn to Carlos. I want to protest and say that it is way too soon to say that. "I have known her for no longer than a month, I can't be in love." I state and sit down again. "How do you even know?"

He laughs and pats my back. "You don't, you just have to see how someone makes you feel. I see what she does to you and you unconsciously check your phone all the time," he points at my hand where, indeed, my phone is turned on to check if I have a message. "I was like that when I first started dating Isa. Your head makes turns and you can't focus, right?"

I nod slowly and he laughs hard, cladping his hands togheter. "Yeah, you got it hard man." I laugh too, shaking my head and maybe even admit to myself that I like her more than a lot.

Then his face turns to a frown after a second. "But the fact you keep a big part of your life hidden isn't helping. You need to tell her."

"Yeah, I want to, but how?" My voice sounds desperate, coming back to the question where I needed him for in the first place.

He sighs and leans back in the chair. "You could just call her and say you need to confess something?"

"That sounds like I'm dying, and I don't know if-" Before I can finish my sentence I see a notification coming onto my screen. Eagerly I open the chat as it is from Lia. But when I read it my heart sinks and all my blood leaves my body. In utter distress I read the message again.

Lia 🌞 send you a new message
Norris

"Fuck" I turn my screen to Carlos who reads the messages.

He looks back at me "It doesn't have to be bad," He tries to calm me, but he fails miserably when the next notification comes onto the screen.

Lia 🌞 send you a new message
Lando Norris. How clever.

Fuck.

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