Deals with Daisy // LN4

13 ~ My Way

Daisy's POV

Why did he get to me so easily every time? I'd come back from a call with Lucy determined to just leave the past in the past, to move on and move forward because that's what would serve me best in my professional life and then... god! He could just strike a chord like nobody else...

Way to go Daisy...

What the fuck was he doing to me? Now I was calling myself it?!

"Dais- Astera!" I hear Max calling from behind me as I'm walking out of the hotel and if I wasn't so thrown off right now, I would probably laugh at Max accidentally proving Lando's point. "Come on... please don't go..." he asks, voice as sincere as his eyes. "He's an idiot but he means well. He didn't say it to offend you... he's just curious," he continues and my head falls back as I let out a frustrated groan, stopping in my place as I turn to look at him properly. "He didn't ask to offend you..." he repeats and I just nod, one hand massaging my temples as I look around.

"I know he didn't mean to but he did anyway. Like... what does he want? Does he really want the full story as to why I hate that stupid nickname now? No, he doesn't. He just wants me to say he can do what he wants and I... I just-" I pause to gather my thoughts as I let my hand fall from my head and look back towards Max. "I can't do that. I did that once and it tore me apart in the end and I just... it's been a really long day and I thought I could do this... I want to be able to do this because I want the job but I'm not sure that I can. I can't do it his way so I'm sorry, I apologise for storming out... it was incredibly unprofessional but I need to go," I tell him before simply walking away and down the steps, ignoring him calling out my name and feeling relief when he doesn't follow me, instead letting me walk away to somewhere I may be able to think clearer.

It only takes a couple of minutes for me to get back to the hotel, a benefit of it basically being across the road as I stop by the desk. "Hi... my name's Astera and I'm in room 481, someone gave a copy of my room key to a stranger, I have it back," I tell them, sliding the room key I stole back from Lando earlier in the day over the counter to the surprised receptionist. "Look, I'd really appreciate it if no one but me had a key so can you please write that down? Just me... even if it's an F1 driver," I tell the woman meaningfully and she looks a little confused as she types before confirming it to me and apologising. I smile and thank her before walking away to my room, enjoying my short-ish journey up the side of the skyscraper before promptly collapsing on my bed and taking a moment to just breathe.

The dinner had been nice... the day had been decent and then I'd just lost my head. I'd never had this before. I was constantly up and down, backwards and forwards and I couldn't figure it out. I've always been able to switch it off and work and for some reason that didn't feel like an option with Lando.

Eventually I give up on torturing myself over it, getting undressed and showering before opening a beer from my freshly re-stocked fridge. Looking in the mirror all I can do is scrutinise myself, my red hair damp from the water and almost brown as I sit down at the desk and just look. I don't really know what I was looking for but something... maybe I was looking for her.

For Daisy.

I didn't see her though... she was weak and small. She was bullied and desperate for friends. She was lonely and isolated and worked herself into the ground until she stopped caring. She was left behind and discarded and then forgotten about for the next decade until Astera forced her way back into the scene today. I didn't like Daisy... she was pathetic. Every time Lando wasn't there, the name calling and nicknames returned and then when he left for good... it was so bad that I stopped going to school.

I was nicknamed 'Oopsy Daisy' because Lando had clearly realised how much of a mistake it had been to be my friend in the first place when he moved. It was such a mistake that I'd driven him away and out of the school. Other kids pointed out that daisy's were just weeds, they needed to be dug out of the ground to get rid of them and that's what he was doing when he left. Getting rid of the weeds.