Mutual Friends | Lando Norris

Chapter 31 - Airplane Mode

A/N: A couple of days ago, I toyed around with the idea of asking one of my favourite writers on WP if they'd be open to guest writing a chapter for this fanfic. A few days later I joked about it in the comment section of one of her stories. Thank you tellingF1stories for this one. 🧡

Lando's POV

I sit down in one of the window seats after saying goodbye to Olivia. I wish I had kissed her one last time, but Zak's eyes burned holes in my back and I cannot seem to lose the image of him almost lunging at me when I opened her door the other day.

These upcoming hours are going to be long ones without Olivia present, and I still don't know how to act in front of him.

Olivia and Zak keep talking, and it seems like forever when he hands her a bag and they finally bid their goodbyes. Zak walks onto the plane and takes the window seat on the other side of the aisle.

"Hi Zak." I say, trying to compose myself.

"Lando." He nods, directly shifting his attention to his phone.

There are a few minutes of awkward silence, and with my heart beating against my chest, I decide to break the silence. "So, what's in the bag?"

Zak looks up from his phone, clearly annoyed and not in the mood to even have a conversation with me. "Just some things for Olivia. I noticed some signs about her migraines and then paperwork from the embassy."

"Oh, I see. That's nice of you." I remember Olivia being in a full blown state of panic over losing her passport. We searched her entire room and then mine, but it is nowhere to be found.

Zak shrugs. "I'm her father. It's my job to make sure she has what she needs."

I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm and not be insulted by his backhanded comment. "I understand that you have concerns about our relationship Zak, but I do really care about Olivia and I want to make this work."

He looks at me skeptically. "I hope you do Lando, because if you hurt my daughter, there will be consequences."

"I— I am not planning on hurting Olivia, Zak."

Zak sighs, irritated, and looks over to me. "Listen, son. Like I've said before, I like you. You truly are like a son to me and I hope that you've found a forever home within McLaren. But Olivia will always come before that, so I will not hesitate to replace you if I have to."

I try to swallow the lump forming in my throat. "I understand, but—"

"Good. Then that's it."

Zak's focus goes back to his phone, and I shift uncomfortably in the seat.
A stewardess smiles at me as she walks by. "I couldn't help but notice how tense you look," She says, her hands brushing against my arm. "Maybe a massage would help you?"

I look at her confused, and shake my head. "No, thanks."

She nods, and starts with the safety procedure of the flight, before we finally take off. Zak eventually replaces his phone for his laptop and I unfasten my seatbelt when we're at the right height. I look outside, where the sky is slowly filling with orange colors due to the sunset.

The stewardess comes back, leaning in slightly towards me. "Can I get you anything to drink, Mr. Norris?"

"Uh, just water, please." I reply, my eyes are still fixed on the clouds outside.
The stewardess nods and smiles, "You know, I couldn't help but notice your beautiful eyes. They're such a unique shade of blue."

I am immediately lost for words and I finally look at her. She is the immediate opposite of Olivia. She has long blonde hair, green eyes, and she's dressed in a tight-fitting uniform. "Oh, thanks."

She smiles. "I bet you get that a lot, though. Being a famous race car driver and all."

I shoot a quick glance at Zak, but he seems busy with his emails. "Yeah, I guess so." I look at the name tag, Anna.

Anna leans in a bit closer, "You know, I have always had a thing for guys with fast cars. And I've heard you're one of the fastest."

I smile politely, and then look away. I am not quite sure if she is just being friendly or not, and I don't want to encourage any unwanted attention. "I always try my best."

Anna laughs. "Oh, I think you're more than just 'trying your best'. You're a superstar. And a very handsome one at that."
Just when I want to open my mouth, Zak interrupts us. "Excuse me, miss, can I have a scotch?"

She turns around, I see a bit of an annoyed look. "Of course. And water for Lando."

Anna disappears and comes back with our drinks and a tray of snacks. She gives Zak his scotch and leans in again when she hands me my drink. She has opened one of the buttons of her blouse, giving direct access to look at her cleavage as she leans in towards me once again.

"You can't seem to loosen up. You know, that offer for the massage still stands." She says, her hands brushing against my arm.

I blink in surprise, this girl has a lot of nerve. "Uh, no thank you. I'm good."

Anna leans in even closer, her lips almost touching my ear. "I could think of a few other ways to help you relax." She whispers, a suggestive tone in her voice. Her hand trails over my thigh. "You know, Lando, I'm really good at taking care of my passengers. Whatever you need, just say the word."

I glance over at Zak, hoping for some sort of intervention, but he is glaring at Anna and me with open disapproval. She doesn't seem to notice, and I feel it burning.

"I bet you would like that, wouldn't you? A bit of extra attention? It is all included in this flight. Otherwise, I'd be happy to give you a little something special after we land." Her voice is low and sultry, she smiles at me and her eyes dart from my lips back to my eyes. Her hand is still on my thigh.

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks." I stammer, looking at Zak again. He shakes his head and sighs deeply, scraping his throat to get Anna's attention.

"Can you leave him alone, please? I need him in one piece for the upcoming race, and I'd rather not have to chase after him."

Anna turns around. "Oh, but I promise I will bring him back in one piece, maybe a bit tired, but that's all. And you don't have to chase us, I will hand him over when we land."

"I don't think that's very appropriate to say on a professional flight. You should be happy I won't write you up or call your boss right now."

Anna rolls her eyes and walks away, I sigh with relief. "Thank you, Zak. I–, I don't know what happened. I didn't want to lead her on. Did I lead her on?"

"No, Lando. Some people will just do anything for some extra attention or to get up high. Just be relieved that this happened here on a private plane without photographers, but this could also happen when you are surrounded by paparazzi. And you need to make sure you can push them off you better than you did now. You don't want to be called a cheater, because that's a title that even you won't be able to let go."

I nod, and my eyes focus on the clouds outside again. "Please, just don't tell Olivia this happened..."

"I am not going to lie to my daughter, Lando. And I want to be incredibly mad that you'd even ask me this, you should be glad I don't want to burden her with even more stress. And you shouldn't lie to her either. If she asks me anything, I will tell her what happened." He shakes his head and focusses back on his laptop, I can feel the tension thicken.

I know I shouldn't have asked Zak to keep his mouth shut, but I don't want to add attention-seeking stewardesses on the list of things that stress her out. I close my eyes, trying to take a short nap. I don't want to sleep too long because I am easily jetlagged.

My eyes flutter open when I feel someone sitting down next to me, and I am directly met with the green eyes of Anna, she smiles mischievously. I look at Zak, who is comfortably sleeping in his seat.

"Now that the big boy is sleeping, we have time for ourselves." Her hands brush over my arm. "I have a private room too, so he can't interrupt us even if he wakes up."

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A/N: Thank you to those who continue to support my writing, to all the new readers who've been binging the story. To everyone who comments and votes and everything in between. I am thankful for the people this story has brought not only into my DM's lol but my life too. 🧡