LOCK UP - Lando Norris [BOOK 2]

15

Race day in Imola and the weather was absolutely torrential. It hadn't stopped raining since the morning after I arrived and there was discussions about whether it would be too heavy for the drivers to race in. 

As we make it down track side, all the driver s have been discussing the situation amongst themselves, most of them are happy to race today as the conditions are the same from qualifying yesterday and although the rain was consistent, there didn't really pose much other threat to the drivers other than the obvious. 

"Do you think it'll go ahead?" I ask Lando as we walk toward the McLaren garage. 

"Yeah I think so, I'll just go and have a look at the radar to see how much more of this is on its way" he indicates. 

Walking inside the garage, I have the smallest hesitations as I cross the threshold, always feeling like I don't belong here. 

"Hey Evelyn!" peering over I see Oscar next to one of the monitors on his side of the shed, waving in my direction. 

Giving Lando's arm a knowing touch, he heads off toward his engineer and I walk towards Oscar, "Hey" I say as I approach. 

"Bloody wet isn't it" he mocks. 

I glance outside to where a few of the McLaren team are huddled underneath the pit wall from the rain, persuading themselves to make the break for it from the pit wall to the garage. 

"How long do you think they'll stand there?" I ask as I realise we are both watching in amusement as their suffering. 

He chuckles, "Charlotte will be there a while, she hates it when her hair gets wet" he teases and we both chuckle. 

"How have you been feeling this season? I little less like a rookie?" I ask him. 

"Yeah, it's been good, car was a little frustrating at the first few races, but I think I've got the hang of it now. I'll be giving that lad a run for his money any day now" he mocks as I feel Lando's comforting hands making contact with my shoulders through my puffer jacket. 

"Oi, I don't think so mate" Lando sasses. "Tell me, does Australia ever get any rain down there, do you even know what this stuff is?" 

Oscar rolls his eyes, "Just like an outdoor shower I would think" 

Lando chuckles, "Looks like it's pretty set in for the race, but it shouldn't get any heavier" 

"Yeah we've been watching it for a while, seems to just be sitting over the racetrack, it doesn't want to move on" Oscar relates. 

"You'll be fine, just take it easy out there" I chirp in. 

I feel the boys exchange a knowingly look before they both set into a fit of laughter. 

"Oh, you know what I mean" I groan, pressing my weight against Lando behind me. 

"Yes baby" he coos, "We'll see you later, Grouch" he refers to Oscar and I say my goodbyes. 

Heading out the back of the garage and across the paddock into the McLaren lounge, we find a seat and Lando gets two cups of tea brought to our table. 

"I've really missed you here, you know" he mused. 

"I missed being here. It's strange to want to run away and stay in the same place all at once" 

"I'm sorry I didn't make it any easier for you" he apologies. 

"It's fine babe, I get it" I accept. 

"Not too long now and we'll be on vacation in the Maldives." he closes his eyes and shuffles down in his seat, resting his head on the back of the chair. 

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. Not the right time. Not the right time. I repeat in my head over and over. 

"What's going on in that head of yours, Verstappen?" he speaks and I look over to see him peering at me through one open eye, reminding me of the first night in his hotel. 

"Nothing" I lie. 

"I know you baby, what's going on?" he pushes, sitting further up in his chair now and eyeing me. 

"We can talk about it later" I plead. 

"No" he hisses, "We can talk about it now" 

I'm too stunned, I don't know what to say. 

"Evelyn, if you're going to continuously keep things from me, we are going to have some serious problems" he barks. 

"I haven't been keeping things from you"  I bite back. 

"So, you were going to tell me you went to visit Charles in hospital when he was in England were you?" 

I feel the colour drain from my face, which is obviously notices. 

"Judging by that look, you weren't" the anger in his eyes is unbearable to maintain contact with. 

"I'm sorry, I went to say goodbye" I inform him. 

Lando rolls his eyes and lets out a sarcastic breathily laugh. 

"So, tell me" he pushes. 

I swallow a lump in my throat, lodged there it seems, "I don't know if, I don't think, we can't go on vacation" I whisper.

"What?" he seethes. 

"I got accepted, I got into a summer art program, in Florence" I inform him, "It's during the break" I add, as if it weren't obvious. 

"Okay" he cautioned, "So, what? That's it, you're going? You weren't going to discuss it with me?" 

Guilt washes over me. "I.... I wanted to, and then you mentioned the trip and I was.. I don't know" I stutter. 

"You what? You're deciding if you're going to the program or on vacation with me?" 

I look down at my lap, ashamed I never even though of that. "No" I mumble. 

"No?" he chuckles, "Alright, Ev. You go to your summer program, I'm going on vacation in the Maldives" 

"Lando, please don't be mad at me for this" I beg. 

"Oh, I'm not mad Evelyn" but the sarcasm in his tone tells me otherwise. 

There is an awkward silence filled with tension between us for a period of time, neither one of us talking, and he refuses to make eye contact with me no matter how much I will him too when I'm starring at him. 

The bellowing noise of rain hitting the roof of the lounge filling the silence in the air, I pull out my phone, Johan's messages filling up my phone requesting my where abouts. 

I flick him a quick message back telling him I'll be up there soon. 

"Lando?" I mumble. "I don't want to fight with you. If me going to this program is going to cause a problem between us, I won't go" and I hate myself as soon as I say it. 

He blows out a breath, placing his now cold tea down onto the table in front of him, and tapping onto his lap. I push to my feet and make the short distance over to him, placing myself gently into his lap, my arm reaching around behind him and interlocking my fingers with his curls at the back of his head. 

"No" he whispers, his hand stroking my thigh. "You go, it's fine" 

It's not fine. 

"We can talk about it later, okay?" I ask. 

"Yep" he deadpans. 

The race went ahead, and Lando's driving was absolutely next level, there was so much fire and determination in his limit today, he won the Grand Prix by 18 seconds, a lead which he held from the 11th lap. 

It's a sad sight to watch, that the worst of us results in the best of him.