peridot | lando norris

21|france|

maeve pov.

france had always been a soft spot for me.

growing up, other than the uk, our family spent a lot of time in france. my grandparents had a beautiful house in the countryside, near the coast and very close to the property where ad was bringing us.

there was a small chapel right on property and i wanted to visit it. it was the one condition i'd put down for lando and he agreed to it almost immediately, rather confused by it.

we'd been enjoying the brunch while taking the tour around the beautiful palace-like, once a home- chateaux.

lando and i hadn't spoken about niamh since last night. it was definitely an odd space to be in but, somewhere he was right. i didn't even try. i was too afraid. i was glad he'd fallen asleep soon after that, i don't think i would've been able to think through if it wasn't for the silence.

i know how much it bothered lando but that's exactly what i needed. there were so many reasons we couldn't be together even if we tried but, we didn't try.

"could we have a picture of the both of you together?" one of the publicists asked lando and i.

we didn't make a fuss about it, since that'll just increase the complications we'd face and we stood together for a picture, both of us had a glass of cider in our hands. i felt lando's hand near my waist and i took a sharp breath, hoping he'd notice what he'd done but he did possibly the funniest thing he could think of.

soon as the photographer gave us a thumbs up, he stepped back and took a little bow. "nice to meet you" he said and i nodded. 

that was one way to fool the journalist but it was more for his entertainment. he was trying to find ways to joke around since this was possibly one of the most boring things he could do. there was no thrill, no speed, no competition. there was nothing he'd enjoy here more than the food.

"i'm gonna go find melanie" i say to him and he grabs my hand. "don't ditch me. let's go look for her together." he said and i gave in, following him around the courtyard where the brunch table was set up. 

we spot melanie laughing with a man,  nicholas styles.  i'd known him, he worked with ronan. most definitely melanie's type and quite a gentleman to say at the least. "she seems busy" lando said and i took a sip of my drink. "we could leave early, if you want to. you already had your interview- "

"maeve clarke! it's so wonderful to see you here. i'm mirza, an associate of architectural digest. would it be possible to have a short interview with you?" the girl with a press badge said, a cameraman behind her. i was taken aback but i nodded. "sure, i don't mind. there's a lot to say about this chateaux, one being that it's nothing less than extravagant"

i'd never done one all by myself. usually with melanie or maire so it was definitely a first and surprisingly i enjoyed it. a lot.  "thank you mirza" i thanked her and turned around to see lando clicking a picture of me. "why would you do that?" i asked, and he smiled, putting his phone down. "that dress looks really pretty on you" i took a shakey breath and nodded. 

"thank you, so, are we leaving?" i asked him and she shrugged. "we could. i mean, there's still only about an hour's worth left but i think you've already been around?" i nodded.

"i'll just call the driver and we can go to the chapel you were talking about." he said with a small smile and i nodded. "thank you"