They reached for each other yet never quite touched because of similar dreadful history. They were a pair of abandoned apricots. Leftovers, spares, uneaten, untouched, unwanted. Not enough.
Too scared of abandonment, so instead, they made agreements...
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Nea woke up early. She slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Emelie and Linnea. Pulling on her workout clothes—a pair of pink Nike running shorts and a fitted tank top—she moved silently around the room. She laced up her running shoes, the familiar ritual calming her nerves as she double-knotted the laces to ensure they wouldn't come undone mid-run.
Grabbing a hair tie from the nightstand, she pulled her blonde hair into a tight ponytail, securing it high on her head. Nea took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. She needed this run to clear her mind. Right now, it was about her and Lando. She wasn't really sure what was in it for the Briton. She didn't want to have a broken heart again, but she also didn't want to be just a body.
Stepping out of the hotel room, she made her way down the stairs and out onto the beach. The morning air was cool and refreshing, the sand beneath her feet still damp from the night before. She started off at a gentle pace, allowing her muscles to warm up.
As she picked up her pace, Nea noticed a familiar figure running towards her from the opposite direction. It was Lando. For a bit, she considered turning around or turning to the left to avoid him, but then she realised how childish it would look.
"Morning, Nea!" he called out, slowing his pace as he approached her. Nea just smiled and waved at him since she didn't want to drop her pace. The McLaren driver quickly looked at his watch, controlling his heart rate zone, before running after the Swede.
He joined her without saying a word. They just ran further and further at a pretty solid pace, which Lando was impressed by.
After a while, the blonde could hear Lando's watch announcing that he had reached his goal.
"I have two more to go," she said as she checked her watch, letting the Briton decide on his own whether he wanted to continue with her or not.
Lando glanced at his watch, considering Nea's words.
"I'll keep going with you," he said finally, falling into step beside her once again. Nea nodded in acknowledgement.
After some time, Nea slowed her pace, coming to a stop near the edge of the water. Lando followed suit, pausing beside her as they both caught their breath.
"I didn't know you ran," Lando said calmly after a while.
"Well, I have to do something for my body," she replied with a hint of a smile, her breathing steadying as she gazed out at the horizon.
"As if you needed it," Lando said with a teasing smile.
Nea felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks, but she quickly brushed it off. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Norris."
Lando laughed the sound mingling with the gentle crash of the waves. "Worth a shot."
"So," Lando began, turning to face Nea, "about that UNO game. Any specific place you want to meet?"
