I can do it with a broken heart (Lando Norris)

8. The Archer

"All the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put me together again
'cause all of my enemies started out friends
Help me hold onto you"

Hannah did a double take when she walked into her dressing room after the weekend's final show to find Lando sitting on the sofa in her dressing room waiting for her.

He looked her up and down silently as she stood in front of him, those eyes of his feeling like they could just cut straight through the facade she'd put on for the rest of the world.

"How are you doing?" He asked, getting up and closing the distance between the two of them. His hand found its way to her chin, tilting her head up a fraction to look at him, as though he might find the truthful answer to his question in her eyes.

"How was the race? Why are you not out celebrating?" She deflected, realising for the first time what day it was. She suddenly felt awful that she had forgotten to wish him luck that morning.

"It was fine, not one of the best but not the worst either." He shrugged it off. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "I'm sorry I didn't call you back."

He was still standing a little bit too close to her, peering down at her like he was waiting for something, some kind of crack in the facade. "It doesn't matter, but how are you... really?"

She felt her lip quiver and she willed herself to hold it together. "I made it through the shows." It was all she could offer. There were no words to convey how the inside of her head was feeling.

"You did." He nodded. He'd turned up in time to catch the end of it. Had he not already known that she was falling apart inside he'd never have been able to tell. The crowd danced and sang, clapping and screaming as they had the time of their lives, completely unaware that Hannah was sacrificing her sanity to give it her all for them.

She closed the little bit of remaining distance between the two of them and buried her face in his chest as her eyes began to fill with tears, unable to take the look of concern on his face any longer. "I missed you." She mumbled quietly against his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her, the feeling of safety helping to quiet her racing mind.

"I missed you too." He whispered against the top of her head.

It was a dangerous line they were walking. She was an absolute mess, still undeniably hung up on whatever had happened with her ex. Yet he found himself drawn to her, missing her, even though they weren't together.

"It's going to get easier, right?" She whispered. "I don't know if I can take much more of this."

He wanted to say yes but he didn't want to lie to her either. "What are you doing between now and the next lot of shows?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know yet. Cassie says I need to go out and do some things to prove I'm okay and shut the rumours down after what happened." She mumbled unhappily.

The thought of having to go out in public made her feel physically sick. It was one thing with Lando there to protect her but she couldn't remember the last time she'd gone out in public on her own. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and hibernate.

"Come to Monaco with me?" He offered. "I'm flying home in..." he glanced at his watch. "Four hours, come and stay at mine and clear your head a bit. We can go out for dinner or something to keep Cassie happy if you want to."

She pulled back a fraction and looked up at him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I'd love you to come with me." His stomach flipped nervously as he waited for her to answer. The idea of having a whole week, just the two of them was intoxicating. Potentially not the best idea for his attempt not to get any more invested in this thing between the two of them, but intoxicating nonetheless. Besides, he knew he'd find the week a lot more restful if he could actually see her to know she was doing okay.