The Teammate

26 - A Promise of Forever

September 2023 - Italian Grand Prix

Arabella let out a loud, annoyed, groan as Lando shifted his weight to move the tangle of dirty blond hair that had somehow found its way into his face while they slept. He shifted his body further, so he could look down at her face just as she scrunched her nose and buried her head further into the crook of his neck. She gave him an annoyed smack on the chest that made him chuckle.

"Why are you moving?" She hissed as his need to see her face overpowered the desire to let her sleep, he continued to shift sliding her head onto the pillow. She groaned again, pressing her nose into the pillow. Smiling, Lando wrapping am around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, forcing her to face him again. "Seriously." She gave him another annoyed smack on his chest, but still nestled herself closer into him.

"I wanted to make sure you were real." He whispered, only speaking after her eyes had drifted close again and there was a possibility she couldn't hear him. He wasn't sure how someone could look so stunning in the morning, especially when she was scrunching her nose out of annoyance and her hair an absolute mess around her face. Brushing a few strands from her face, one of her eyelids slid open, focusing on him.

"Don't do that." She said, her voice dripping with sleep. The hand that had smacked him slid up his chest and her fingers now sliding through his hair. Lando leaned into her, resting his nose in her head.

"Do what?"

"Make me sad this early in the morning." He couldn't see her face anymore, but he was certain her eyes had closed again. If it would have been possible to pull her closer to him, he would have.

"Why does that make you sad?" He felt her push away from him and he let her, just enough so that he could look down at her, but no further.

"You woke up thinking this wasn't real." A frown found her lips, sleep still dripped from her eyes as they struggled to stay open. "That you imagined this, but I'm real."

"I know." He pressed his lips to her forehead and tracing patterns on her bare shoulder with his fingers. "I woke up not believing I had gotten so lucky."

"You deserve to be happy. You're a future world champion."

"Just because I'm good at me job, doesn't mean I deserve to be happy." Her eyes slid closed as he spoke. "Sometimes what I do on the track makes me think the opposite."

"Maybe, maybe not." Her shoulder shrugged underneath his hand. "But I know you, not just driver you, but you you," she took a breath, her eyes sliding opening just to meet his, "and you Lando Norris deserve the world on a silver platter." Something inside Lando's chest tightened at the sound of his name on her lips. It didn't' help that she was also naked and in his bed, curled up in his arms. "Even if you can be an asshole behind the wheel." Her lips twisted mischievously and one of her eyes slipped open to look at him as he barked a laugh. Arabella started to shake with silent laughter.

"I am not an asshole driver." Lando said sliding his hand down along her body. He felt he shift into his touch. Felt her body respond to his touch just before he pinched her side in a place that he knew she was ticklish, and she squealed. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her to him while she tried to squirm away and locking her in place.

Her giggles filled the hotel room as Lando continued his assault on her. She squirmed and squealed, and he loved every second of it. Laughing as she tried and failed to get away from him. Her body turned towards him, her nose brushing against his and for a split second their lips met for a split second. Just enough for him to loosen his grip.

In a flash she was gone. When he opened his eyes he found Arabella standing beside the bed, a sheet wrapped around herself. He couldn't hide the annoyance from his face or stop himself from reaching for her. Both seemed to make her smile. "Come back here." His grumbled, his hand reaching only empty bed.