peridot | lando norris

19|monaco|

maeve pov.

last night had been very interesting. it felt like home but i was still felt out of place somehow. i was contemplating until the very last minute whether i should or shouldn't. i knew this wasn't going to be just a friendly trip as much as i'd like for it to be.

i'd spoken with melanie about the event and she confirmed that she'll be there as well. i hadn't met her in a while, just an hour on niamh's birthday at the cafe near her apartment, since lando happens to be her downstairs neighbour. niamh met melanie as a kid but not so often since melanie travels a lot for work as well.

she encouraged that i go and i let her talk me into it. and so here i was, sitting on lando's plane, attempting to sneak a nap. i could spot the tension in his brows, he wanted to speak but i was trying to avoid it. i wasn't ready to know where it could lead.

whatever it was, it had to wait until niamh had sorted out her thoughts. people at school hadn't been the best to her and i'd seen her friend circle break apart. i couldn't add lando to a list of worries until i knew my baby was at peace.

we didn't speak on the plane, and what once used to be a comfortable silence was a little more awkward right now. we were in a chauffeur car, sitting at opposite windows with an empty gap between us.

"have you spoken with melanie?" lando asked and i nodded. "yeah, i'm going out with her for the day" i was even planning to stay with her but she was getting her apartment repainted and was currently staying at a hotel.

his eyes widened and he nodded. "oh that's nice. i was hoping you had something planned out because i have a golf game scheduled with carlos. i didn't even remember until yesterday when he texted me" he rambled nervously and i nodded. i'd been shutting down jis conversations about niamh and her school for the past 2 days simply because i wanted niamh to have an escape from that bubble with lando. i'll tell him, soon enough.

we'd reached his apartment building and we took our bags up.

it was only around 9 am since we'd flown out pretty early in the morning. i was about to call up melanie when lando's doorbell went off. "was melanie going to come over?" lando asked as he got up to get the door.

"i'm not too sure-" "norris, get out of my way- mae!" melanie exclaimed, running into the apartment and pulling me into a hug. "happy birthday lando, where's maeve? oh she's right there, great!" lando said, mocking melanie but she completely ignored him making me hold back a laugh.

i hugged melanie and kissed her cheek. "it's so good to see you mels" i said and she smiled. "i wanted to surprise you but i had to check up on my apartment. go get ready, i've already planned out everything."

melanie spot my suitecase and looked at me and then at lando. "do you mind? i'll drop her off" lando said to melanie who stood beside me and tapped her foot.

"nope. i'm staying. if you can come to my apartment just to sleep on the couch you can't kick me out" she declared and i looked at them confused. "later" "not now, maeve" lando and melanie said together and i nodded.

i took my bags to niamh's room and melanie followed in. "lover boy isn't ready to let you go, what exactly have you been upto?" i chuckled. she'd never stopped calling lando 'lover boy' it was really annoying but i knew she wouldn't stop because that's just mels.

"absolutely nothing. i told you. it's been long since i've been to stuff like this, i can checkout my grandma's place and well, i don't have to do it alone anyways." melanie sat down on the chair by the desk as i opened up my suitecase on the bed, looking around the room.