For Real | Lando Norris

𝑭𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒚-𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏.

Ophelia

"If you can put them in that box, that would be great." I point at one of the moving boxes in the kitchen and Ashley nods at me. I take a minute to look around the apartment and almost everything that is mine is packed up in one of the boxes that are scattered around the room.

It's happening tonight. After a disappointing weekend in Monza Lando and I both decided that the three weeks off would be the perfect time to move me to Monaco. He has a golfing event today so that gave me time to pack everything the way I want and just say goodbye to the place that's been my home for the last three years.

"Your clothes are all done, only your books and miscellaneous items are left." Sabine pops out her head from behind the bedroom door. I smile at her and walk into the room. It looks so weird, being all empty, except for my bed and bureau which I won't take with me. I sit down on the bed and look around. I feel the mattress dent and gather Sabine takes the seat next to me. I'm glad they offered to help me today. It feels like a send off into my new adventure. My heart is heavy when I think of saying goodbye to these girls for god knows how long. I'll be back of course, but it is not the same as me leaving for the grand prix weekend.

"It is really happening, huh?" She asks, with a sad voice. I look at her and see that her face shows a weak smile, almost too sad to look at. "Yes, but it won't be the last you'll see of me. Don't worry." I put my arm around my friend and she lays her head on my shoulder.

"I'm just going to miss barging in on you after dinner, claiming your couch and talking into the night. Just the three of us, being us." I squeeze her into me and sigh with her. "If you say it like that I'll regret going, so stop it."

She laughs at that and gets up. "Don't do that, you're living this amazing life and I just want you to be happy." She stretches her hand to me and pulls me up as well. "But it doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you all the time. I already do!" When we laugh Ashley comes into the room as well. "Are we having a group-hug-moment?" She spreads her arms and tackles us both back onto the bed. We laugh together and it makes me feel so happy that I made the choice with the blessing of my friends.

"I'm going to miss you guys." I feel tears prick in my eyes when I think about leaving my best friends behind. "Oi, don't get all sentimental on us or we'll all be crying." Ashley's voice hicks and I hear that she is on the verge of crying as well. I laugh through my tears and get up. They both sit up as well looking at me with teary eyes. "I've been away almost the whole year, why is this so different?" It is a genuine question, because it is different. All the times I left for a weekend, spent a week in Monaco and came home for not more than two days to be off again. This feels more final.

"Because you won't have a reason to come back here, I think." Sabine mumbles, wiping her face with her hands. I frown at her, shaking my head. "Of course I have. Lando has his apartment in Woking, I will need to be at MTC enough times to make you question if I even left, I promise. " We hug again and I try to freeze the moment in my memory, so I can take it with me overseas.

"Let's pack up the rest of the stuff and have the rest of the day to relax and hang now we still can," Ashley offers. We nod in unison and start packing the rest of the things in my bedroom.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging on the couch, laughing about the things we did together and shedding a tear here and there over the sad moments. A bottle of wine comes on the table and it doesn't end with one. It makes the conversation shift into a different direction and I find myself laughing until I almost lose myself. When the evening is coming we decide to order in while we wait for Lando to come. We are almost finished eating when the intercom goes of.

The comfortable blanket makes it hard to get up. Looking at the others I see a copy of my own state, cosy, tipsy and full with food. "I'll get it," I groan, getting up from my comfortable spot on the armchair. It's cold outside my blanked, so I hurry to the intercom and push the key-button without looking at the camera. I open the door leaving it ajar so Lando can come in without needing to knock again.

"This looks cosy," Sabine turns her head when she hears Max's voice. She is up faster than I can blink, throwing her arms around him. He laughs at her and to my big surprise kisses her fully on the lips. My head snaps to Ashley who winks at me and I turn my head back to the couple. "When the hell did this happen? And why didn't you tell me!?" I am immediately awake again. "And why didn't you?!" I turn to Ashley who is just grinning from her corner of the couch.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't know either." Lando's voice lights up my face and I turn my head to the door, he instead looks at max and adds: "And that hurts, auch." Max's laughs and just shrugs before hugging Sabine tighter. "Get a room," I mumble while I rise from the armchair with my blanket and wrap it and myself around my own man.

"Hey you," I whisper and kiss him softly. "Are you okay, Lia?" I giggle a little, feeling the alcohol in my blood. "We had a fun day." Is all I have to offer as an explanation. He grins at me with his beautiful face and nods. "I can see that." He walks into the apartment and takes the place where I was just sitting. "Oi, what about me?" I complain, crossing my arms before my chest. "Just sit here, grumpy." Lando laughs and pulls me onto his lap. I let out a small yell when I feel my feet losing its grip on the floor. I make a face at my boyfriend, but he ignores it. Instead he kisses my cheek and shifts a little to move my weight to a more comfortable position.

"I still need to know what is happening here. He just dropped a bomb just before we got here." Lando looks at his best friend who has taken up the corner of the couch. Sabine lays next to him, looking over the moon in love. It is actually quite adorable, but I still feel a little betrayed that she didn't tell me.

"It wasn't a bomb." Max defends. "Oh no? What do you call this." Lando gestures to Max and Sabine being all lovey-dovey. He turns to me and Ashley explaining what went down just before they arrived. "Max wanted to come. I said sure why not, so we arrived here and just before parking this muppet said 'oh, by the way, Sabine and I are a thing so don't be surprised, but keep your cool please,' and got out of the car!" I laugh hard at Lando's frustration and nod. "Yeah, that is a bomb. Max, what the hell." I throw a pillow his way which he catches just before it hits Sabine. "And you," I point my finger at Sabine, who just grins at me with rosy cheeks. "You should have told me when you came here this morning!"

"That would ruin the whole thing." Her devious smile says enough. She wanted to shock me to mess with me and it worked. "I hate you." I flip a middle finger at her and she makes an air kiss at me. "But I'm happy you finally stopped circling each other. This summer you made like five seasons of eye-porn." Everyone laughs at that while I get the pillow thrown back at me by Max. Lando catches it this time, but instead of putting it away he slaps my head with it.

"Oh, come on! You need to be on my side here!" He kisses the side of my head, still grinning. "I am babe, but you are in alcohol talk mode. It's for your own protection."

"No one knew. We wanted to date without pressure, but it's been a few weeks and we wanted a fun way to tell you guys. It worked." They high five each other and I can't help but laugh at the sight of them. "How long did you know?" I ask Ashley.

"Just about a week." She answers and grins at Sabine, who rolls her eyes. "Yeah, and only because you walked in on us." Lando and I burst into laughter at that and Ashley joins us. "How could I know you were home that day, you told me you went to your parents house!" Ashley laughs at her.

After we all calm down I smile at the two. "With all jokes aside, I'm so happy for you." Lando nods in agreement. "Yeah, congrats you two." They smile at us. "Thanks guys, now we can double-date!" Sabine offers. I am immediately enthusiastic, but that disappears again when I realise we won't all be in England. "We'll see," Lando adds, feeling my mood change. He looks at his watch and jumps a little. "Babe we got to hurry." It is indeed time to go and I feel a lump forming in my throat.

"Well, this is goodbye for now." My friends come to me, hugging me tightly. "We'll come to the airport." Ashley offers. "No, no, please. Just stay here. We'll see each other again soon enough." They hug me again, after I hug Max Lando says goodbye to them as well and we load my stuff into the minivan he borrowed.

"You ready?" He asks, while he opens the passenger's side for me. I look up to the building and around it again and then nod. I turn around and kiss him quickly. "Let's do this." 

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THE END

Just kidding, but when I wrote this it felt like a perfect end if this was a short novel. Don't worry we're not nearly done yet!

Lots of love