Roommates Mismatched: Lando Norris

Thirty Two

The winter chill had settled over the city, everyone bundled up in warm coats and scarves. It was apparent we were all excited when we got to Winter Wonderland though by the looks of the crowd, we had to park pretty far. Me, Ria, Aarav and Steve walked together from the car to the park entrance, the sight of twinkling lights and the sound of cheerful carolers filled the air, instantly lifting our spirits. This cold season has always been my favorite so coming here brings back so many childhood memories.

Passing different game stalls, we head to our first stop which was the skating rink. We were challenging each other on who's the best freestyler on the ice, me giggling as I hurriedly laced up my skates. Though I was a bit rusty, I found the rhythm as we circled the rink. The two boys attempted daring spins that drew cheers and laughters from the crowd. Ria and I shared laughter and supportive glances as we navigated the ice hand in hand.

Turning to see where the boys were waving at, I see Max and Lando outside the rink. My heart beats fast as we continued circling the rink, following the crowd. As we grew closer and closer to where Max and Lando stood, I tried so hard to ignore them but just when they turned to look at me, somehow I slipped and fell back to the ground and pulling Ria with me. We both moaned in pain but also laughing out loud.

"Ow", I laughed, sitting up. "Are you okay?"

My laughter died down seeing Lando crouched down beside me while Max stood behind me, both of them looking at me. Finding the words to say, Aarav and Steve came up to us. "Are you okay?", a hint of laughter in their voice.

"God my bum hurts", Ria groaned after Steve helping her up while Lando helped me. "Wo-ah", I gasped, my hands on his arms to stable myself. Breathing out a thank you, we both let go. Shifting from the short moment I had with Lando, I followed Ria groaning about where it hurts. Carefully walking on the ice with Ria, we all went out of the skating rink, an end to the session. I could feel eyes on me when I busied myself, unlacing the shoe laces. It was Max. Smiling to him, I put my hood up to cover.

As a group, we all walked around some more. Setting a friendly challenge with each other, we stopped at a few carnival games. Laughing at Max's frustration to land a ring on one of the bottles, we took turns until one of us won. Aarav proudly chose a rainbow colored slinky toy, all of us amused by his choice of prize. We moved to other games, each one of us winning at diff games except me, Lando and Max.

"Come on Audrie!", they cheered as I shrieked whacking the game of whack-a-mole, determined to score the highest points. When the timer ended, I was down by 3 points making us whine in defeat. "Stand back", Lando said taking a turn. His reflexes were put to the test as he tapped the mechanical moles that popped up, his face focused with concentration. Cheering at his victory, the vendor gave Lando a medium sized Yoda plushie.

"Here", Lando insisted giving me the prize as we walked away from the game. "No you don't have to Lando", I opposed but he didn't want to take a no as an answer. I playfully glared at him, giving in to the stuffed toy and walked around hugging it.

As the evening grew colder, we stopped by at the cozy Alpine village, sampling some holiday treats. We tested warm pretzels, sipped on spiced cider, and shared a plate of piping hot churros dusted with cinnamon sugar. The churros was definitely a hit amongst us, Niran ordering more. It was truly amazing.