Secrets and Struggles

29

The next week flew by. Lando had been busy with meetings and training for his last race before the summer break. It was at Silverstone meaning it would be his and his teams home race. Caitlyn could tell he was nervous and feeling the pressure that came with a home race. The start of the season had been a bit all over the place for McLaren, and Lando but he wanted to end this half on a high. Caitlyn had kept herself busy, writing in her journal daily, cleaning up after the boys and cooking for her and Max. Lando had to stick to his strict diet but joined the other two for meal times. It had crossed Caitlyn's mind a few times that she was going to have to find a job soon. She was working her way through the money she had put aside for travelling and it wouldn't last much longer. Lando had been adamant that she was not giving him money for staying in his house so she bought all the food when she was cooking as a compromise. 

L- Hey, I was wondering if you would like to come to Silverstone as my guest? Max will be there and you can invite Michelle as well if you want?

C- I would love that Lando. I will ask Michelle but she really isn't into sport of any kind haha!

L- Well I don't mean to rush you but I will need to know tomorrow as I will be in for media day on Thursday

C- Oh okay, I will phone her after dinner and let you know 

The three of them sat down at the table eating dinner together whilst Max talked about some game he had been playing that afternoon. Caitlyn wasn't really paying much attention and ate her meal in quiet. Later, she phoned Michelle, who confirmed that she couldn't make the race with the short notice but had agreed she would maybe go to a future race. Caitlyn was glad Max would be there to keep her company and tell her what was going on. 

Soon enough Saturday came and it was time for qualifying. Caitlyn and Max were standing in the garage waiting for Lando to finish some pre qualifying media duties. 

M- Are you excited to see him drive?

C- Yes I am. I can see he really loves his job. And plus I didn't really get to watch the race in Austria because of.......

M- Oh yeah, shit sorry I shouldn't have brought anything up.

C- Its fine Max, don't worry.

After a few awkward minutes, Lando appeared in the garage wearing his fireproofs, with his race suit hanging down by his waist. Caitlyn almost choked on her water at the sight. He was gorgeous. The way he bounded into the garage like an excited puppy made her face light up. He was truly fulfilling his dreams. He fist pumped his engineers before turning to Max. They fist pumped then man hugged before he turned to Caitlyn. He wasn't quite sure what to do but thankfully she made the first move, pulling him into a deep hug. He felt instantly relaxed in her arms and only pulled away when his trainer told him it was time to get in the car

C- Good luck, you will be amazing.

C- Oh, and drive safe!

Lando smiled and gave her a little wink before pulling on his helmet and climbing into his car. The laps passed quickly and he had managed to get into Q3. Max was pacing back and forth as Lando began his last push lap of the session. It all came down to this moment. Caitlyn watched the monitors as the papaya car zoomed round the track then suddenly the garage erupted. He had driven the lap of his life and was going to be in P2 with his team mate Oscar in P3. It was almost like he had won the race. Max grabbed Caitlyn into his arms in celebration before the engineers starting swarming towards parc ferme. 

M- Come on, we need to be there when he parks the car.

And with that, they moved towards the barriers just as Lando pulled his car up to the number 2 sign. He jumped on top of the car with both hands in the air, waving to the crowd. Caitlyn and Max had managed to get to the front beside Adam, Lando's dad and Zak Brown. She could tell his joy from afar, even with his helmet on, she could see his eyes beaming with pride. He rushed towards the barriers and jumped into his team who were all screaming and patting him on the back. He then moved to Zak, his dad, then Max before his eyes met with Caitlyn's. In the moment, everything else seemed to freeze as he grabbed the girl into his arms. The air sucked from both of their lungs as the other people around them became a blur.

C- You did it! P2 is amazing Lando

L- Thanks, I can't believe it. I am on the first row of the grid for my home race

But as he said the words, Caitlyn could see the pressure once again creep back behind his eyes. She knew he could do it, so did the rest of his team but he was such an overthinker, she worried he would get inside his brain too much. She hugged him again in reassurance before he was pulled away to do media duties. 

Adam- He needs to stay calm but distracted tonight, or else he will go into a spiral of doubt about tomorrow's race

M- Don't worry, me and Caitlyn have a quiet night of gaming and tv with him. We will keep his mind preoccupied.

The three of them waited for over an hour until Lando had finished his duties before he finally joining them as they headed for the cars. Adam was staying at a nearby hotel that the drivers usually stay in but because Lando's house was so close to the circuit he had chosen to stay at home this weekend. He knew it would help him stay calm in his own surroundings. A short while later Lando, Max and Caitlyn were sitting down to a healthy dinner and Netflix to see out the evening. Max had asked Lando to join him on a stream playing Tarkov but he had chosen to stay in the living room with Caitlyn. They had started the evening off sitting on different chairs but when Max had gone upstairs, she had moved to be beside Lando on the couch. As the night went on, the pair had gradually gotten closer and she was now cuddled into his chest with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. 

C- You should probably get to bed, big day tomorrow.

L- Yeah I know, but I don't think I will be able to shut my brain off. 

C- Why don't we go up together and finish watching the film in your bed then?

L- Yeah that sounds like a plan

Lando pulled on some comfortable shorts whilst Caitlyn went to her room and got into her pj's, pulling her hair up into a messy bun before heading back to his room and climbing into bed with him. They resumed their earlier position of her cuddled into his, now bare chest, with his arm wrapped around her. Neither of them saw the end of the film as the comfort of each others bodies was enough to help them fall into a settled sleep.