peridot | lando norris

29|abu dhabi|

(not proofread, sorry)

maeve pov.

abu dhabi was hot.

i underestimated the middle east winter because the first thing we did after landing ,was to rid out our layers.

nola, oscar's girlfriend had been an absolute angel, she'd coordinated everything on this side of the flight for us including, arranging a cab to pick us up from the airport. i could've managed to get a ride since it was a private scene but nola seemed sure about her work. niamh had managed to sleep through the flight however, i hadn't had a wink of sleep.

my nerves were shaking me at i seriously considered taking a xanax at some point on the flight. i didn't care what niamh and lando...what the media and all would be like. i was worried that lando and i might ruin the remains of what we have. i knew what i wanted to say, but didn't have the words for it.

niamh was in awe of dubai upon landing and the car ride to the hotel was nothing less of a dream. she'd spot cars that she'd never see around in london or monaco that frequently for that matter.

"they love ferraris don't they?" she'd asked and i hummed, looking out the window with her.

it was my second time in abu dhabi, first one being back in lando's first season.
i'd never been here by myself before.

after getting changed, nola had texted me the details for lunch since she'd already gone to the paddock with oscar. she didn't have our passes yet since they were with lando.

speaking of lando, i hadn't been able to get in touch with him since marlyn was clearly busy and my phone had no bars here for some reason.

"mom, are you really wearing that?" niamh asked while putting on her shoes. she was dressed up, in a black turtle neck with a, if i dare to say orange dress layered on top while i wore the mclaren sneakers with jeans, black tshirt and grey casual blazer. in my defence the shirt did have a massive number 4 and a smiley on it in a colour that matched the jeans. "yes." "you could wear the lavender one instead, i got it for you" she said shuffling through her suitecase and i shook my head.

i wanted to support to lando from the side lines, hoping to not get noticed. the flashier my clothes, the more prone to trouble we were. besides, i quite liked the outfit.

"no nia, let's get going if you're done. quick lunch and we'll go" i say, feeling my heartbeat in my throat.

the contemplation never ended. you never know if you made the right choice until the very end. lando and i hadn't ended our conversation on the happiest note and i wasn't too sure how he'd react to me being here. i'd said no a few too many times. i hoped he didn't take this badly, because knowing him, with his race temper today, things could swing eitherway.

niamh and i grabbed lunch at the hotel restaurant, filling up on whatever was available at the buffet before getting a ride for the race. niamh had been having excitement jitters.

"i know this is a little of tangent but, do you think we'll have time to watch the performances? johnny orlando is coming and so is olivia" she asked and i tilted my head. "i'm not too sure and, i mean if we don't run into lando first i don't see why not but, niamh...c'mon" i say and she scrunches her nose.

"hey- i mean it's a free concert that i otherwise wouldn't be allowed attend by myself. and maybe dad and you could talk in that time maybe, if we get the time ofcourse" she said while finishing the last of her hummus.