10 Years Later Ago - Lando Norris

11

10 YEARS AGO

"Hey, can I come in?" I look up to find Lando standing in my bedroom door, tail between his legs.  After he dropped me off last night after the race, we haven't spoken a word to each other since. 

Placing my novel face down on the bed, I can't help but smile at him, I've never been good at remaining angry with him, he ends up just making me laugh. 

He also is standing there looking all mushy, his hoodie bunching up around his neck and bagging down over his black shorts, his head resting on the doorframe. 

I open my arms for him without saying anything and he immediately crosses my room and crashes into me, flopping his entire body weight on top of me, "I'm sorry baby" he mumbles into my neck. "I'm so sorry" 

"It's okay" I reply, stroking my hand up and down his back. 

I can feel him shake his head against my body as well as some inaudible mumbling. 

"What?" I chuckle as I push him off me. He rolls onto his side, propping himself up and using his hand to hold his head. 

"I said its not okay. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Of course I want you involved in all of those sorts of conversations" he apologises, using his free hand to remove a fallen piece of hair from my face. 

"Thankyou" I accept, because of course, I know I can be a little pushy sometimes and it gets too much. 

"Now" he alerts, picking up my book from where it lay next to him, and gestures for me to come and lay in front of him, "What have we got here?". I comply and nestle myself in a place I feel my most comfortable. He holds the book out in front of us and begins to softly read the contents to us both. 

The following weekend at the track, the atmosphere is completely different. Lando's head seems to be on a whole other level, and although it remains unspoken between us, we have both silently come to an understanding of what this means to him now. 

And his driving out on track is reflecting his new found attitude as well. I watch as his passion becomes a dream right in front of my eyes.

This continued for every other race from that weekend onward, and the offers for Formula Two contracts were rolling in for him every other weekend. Lando continued to drive to his limit and I watched him push every single week. 

Not only impressing me and his trainer, but the audience seemed to be doubling every week with support towards Lando. Younger children approaching him each week and asking for him to sign their karting helmets or different slips of paper. Asking for pictures and calling out his name from the side of track, waving their homemade posters with his name scribbled all over it.  

Something was beginning and it was evident to every single person. And I was forever going to be his number one supporter. 

Lando had been winning every single race, and not just by a hair, he was 5-10 seconds in front of his competitors. 

"Babe, this is huge" I gush as we pull out of the track on another Sunday night. 

"Thanks" he replies, but his demeanour seems low, deflated. 

"Hey" I try and gain his attention, resting my hand on the back of his chair and tangling my fingers through his curls. 

"Can we go somewhere quick?" he asks, tears glistening in his eyes. 

"Yeah, of course" 

He pulls us up at the dock and turns off the engine, saying absolutely nothing. But I can feel it all. 

"Talk to me" I encourage, removing my seatbelt and turning my full attention to him. 

He blows out a frustrated breath running his hand through his hair. "I don't think I want it" he struggles out and I hear the confession get caught in his throat. 

I wait and let him continue, the way he is fidgeting about, I can tell he's really struggling at the moment. 

"I've loved this sport for so long, and I just, I don't know, I just" the more he struggles, the more my heart breaks for him.