Sold out || A Lando Norris Fanfiction

SIXTEEN

Lando's POV

I close the hotel room behind me in anger. Whereas most of the team are going out to enjoy the Barcelona weather, I don't want to. The picture of Aimee and Pierre imbedded in my mind.

Did anything happen? It must have. Pierre looked at her with pure lust.

I take a few deep breaths, clenching my fists as I am trying to calm my boiling blood. There as no way I should be outside like this. She had told me she got invited to a dinner, yet she hadn't told me it was with Pierre.

Why hadn't she?

I take my phone in my hand, opening Instagram. The picture once again popping up on my feed. I can feel tears pricking in my eyes, causing me to blink quickly in order to get rid of them.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I then open WhatsApp, usually the chat with Aimee is on top of my list. Yet today I couldn't get myself to send her anything. I am scared, scared that whatever my mind is thinking she did with Pierre is true.

Realising I don't want to spend any more time thinking about it, I crawl into bed. It's barely three in the afternoon, but I just can't handle today.

I wake up to a hard pounding sound on my door. I climb out of bed to reveal Max Fewtrell standing at my door. I had forgotten I had invited him, and he was supposed to arrive on Thursday.

"Did I wake you?" Max asks taking my appearance in.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be arriving tomorrow." I state.

"It's Thursday." He says hesitantly.

"What?" I walk back to my bed, reaching for my phone so I can check. "What the actual fuck." I check the screen again as it says Thursday June 2nd 2023.

"When did you go to bed exactly?"

"At three? Yesterday afternoon." I look at my phone screen, multiple missed calls from different people. One name appearing more often than any other.

Aimee

"I need to get ready." I tell Max, grabbing a McLaren hoodie and joggers from my suitcase. I don't think I've ever put this short amount of attention into my appearance on media day.

Within 30 minutes we were entering the paddock. Backpack on my back, paddock pass in my pocket.

It doesn't take long before we run into Max Verstappen, the Dutchman making a beeline for me. "Why aren't you answering your phone?" He demands.

"I was sleeping." I shrug, not caring about his question that much.

"Well, next time at least try calling your girlfriend back." He snaps turning around.

I can feel my blood starting to boil again, the anger I was feeling toward Aimee and Pierre returning. Mostly because I am scared of what had happened between them, I am scared of finding out the truth.

Max F leads me through the paddock to the McLaren hospitality, where he can hopefully get me to calm down in privacy.

It seemed like a good plan, until I saw a certain Alpine driver exiting the hospitality next to ours. "Hey Gasly!" I yell, running toward him. Max trailing behind, but the anger building inside me made me unable to be caught.

Pierre turns around, guilt evident in his face. "Lando?" He asks calmly.

"What the fuck did you do with my girlfriend." I tel him, hitting his shoulders with my flat hands only once. Max and Max being able to hold me back after that.

"I did nothing, we had dinner and then we partied!" Pierre says in his defence, his hands up to signal his innocence.

"You'd think it was a good idea taking an unavailable woman on a date?" I feel desperate and scared at this moment.

"It wasn't a date. We were with four! Ellis and Yuki were there too." Pierre's still calm, like he had expected this to be happening. As if he prepared for this exact conversation to happen.

"They were?" I ask looking around the crowd that had gathered to find the Japanese driver, needing the confirmation.

"We were." Yuki says once my eyes find his. "Look this is pictures from dinner and then in the club." He holds up his phone, showing me different pictures of the four of them enjoying dinner and videos of them dancing and having shots in the club.

I take a few extra breaths, trying to calm myself down. "You need to talk more about this?" Pierre asks once I seem a bit more calmed down. I just nod, following Pierre back into the Alpine hospitality.

"So nothing happened?" I ask looking right at Pierre for confirmation.

"Nothing, yes we danced together. But nothing else." Pierre says, looking down hesitantly. "I might have confessed to her that she'd be my type if she weren't taken. I have complete and utter respect for the both of you. I can see you have something wonderful, I don't want that to be broken because of something I did."

"I trust you, thanks man." I tell him, while letting the words go through my mind. While I am somewhat soothed by his words, I can't help but be bothered by his show of affection. Was he her type too?

"No problem, but maybe call Aimee. She deserves a chance to explain herself." He says, before giving me a bro hug and I leave the Alpine Hospitality.

I did not take Pierre's advice on calling Aimee to heart. I couldn't call her, scared of the fact that she could be interested in Pierre. Not calling her right now was my way of not having to accept the truth.

And that is how I got in the car on Friday. Not having send her a good luck text for her concert, but very aware of her being on stage today. In my mind I had wished her good luck too many times. Had given her a kiss for support. I was standing in the front row of the arena cheering her on.

But I wasn't. I am sitting in this years McLaren F1 car. Not having talked to her since Tuesday. And after her attempts on Wednesday to call me and the thousands of texts, she hadn't even tried anymore.

Were we over without even trying this time? Or did we try, and it just didn't work out.

I close the visor of my helmet, waiting for the signal that I'm good to go out in this second free practise. Driving around the track felt soothing, just as it did earlier today. It calmed my body, gave me something to focus on rather than the relationship slipping away from my fingers.

After practise I went straight back to the hotel. Getting out of the clothes I was wearing, and under the covers. I got the laptop with the strategies for tomorrow's qualifying out. My mind kept wandering elsewhere, while I was attempting to study for tomorrow's task at hand.

On Saturday morning I wake up, excited for qualifying. The laptop I was using to study information yesterday still resting on my bed. I had probably fallen asleep while studying. I opt for not having any distractions today, leaving my phone in my room as I leave for the track.

I somehow manage to drive my best laps today. Putting the car on pole position. A spot I haven't had the change to start that often yet. I try to put a proud smile on my face as I receive the price for pole position. The smile, however, is not an honest one. I try to scan the crowd, hoping to see the one girl I haven't spoken to in too long. Sadly, I can't seem to find her in the crowd. I shouldn't have expected her to be here anyway. 

I go through the motions desired from me. Slowly starting to feel a bit disappointed in myself that I have let it get this far.

Once I've finished all that I had to do, I gather my belongings before making my way through the paddock. I try to take in the congratulatory words people throw at me. "You know, you could at least make it sound like you appreciate people congratulating you." A very familiar voice sounds from behind me.

Without looking, I answer my best friend. "I know Max, but I don't fucking care. The one person I'd want me to congratulate isn't here." I keep walking, picking up the pace slightly as we move toward the exit.

"Are you sure?" Another even more familiar voice chimes, making me turn around.

-------

edited 30/1/2024