Back Together

❤︎︎ Eleven ❤︎︎

We went on a little date at the Silverstone restaurant and it was perfect. We didn't stay for long because we just wanted to be in each other's arms. Lando was still exactly how he was as a kid. He couldn't sleep in any clothes besides his boxers or he would overheat. Funny how he overheats at night when it's freezing cold but he can be in a hoodie in the day when it's boiling hot. I had my head resting on his chest while running my fingers along his torso. Basically playing dot to dot with his freckles. He was playing with my hair. Everything just felt better in life.

"I still feel so safe in your arms... I remember all the times we would beg your mum to let me stay over for night after night and I was meant to sleep on the air mattress on the floor but somehow I always ended up sleeping in your bed with you and me cuddling up and yet your mum never said anything about it even though we were like 6" I said

"Yeah, I remember those days. We were quite the pair, weren't we? Always finding ways to get into trouble but also finding comfort in each other's company. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I don't care if she knew about it or not. Having you in my arms back then, and still having you in my arms now, has always made me feel safe and loved. And that's all that matters to me"

"it always makes me feel so warm and fuzzy when I think about memories from when we were kids... we really were inseparable..."

"We were, weren't we? And you know what else? I don't ever want that to change. I want us to always be there for each other, through thick and thin. Because without you by my side, life just wouldn't be the same"

"I'm never leaving you again. you've got me forever"

"That's all I've ever wanted, baby. Thank you for being mine. And remember, I'll always be here for you too. No matter what happens, we'll face it together" he said. At that moment I took a puff from my vape. I hadn't had one all day. "You vape now?"

"Yeah... started a few years ago. I'm trying to quit so I'm only having a couple puffs in the evenings just to keep myself sane but I've gotten way better. I used to vape every second of the day and now I'm only doing it in evenings"

"Well at least you're trying to stop"

"I'll stop soon. Just gotta keep lowering my intake until I don't need it anymore"

"Keep going, baby. You've got this" he said and kissed the top of my head

We decided to have a joint shower after that. He joked about something and I did a small laugh but I covered my mouth. I had done that all day when I wasn't wearing a mask. It was because of my tooth gap. I had learnt to talk without moving my mouth too much so people couldn't see my teeth but the mask was just extra protection. Lando's head tilted when he saw me cover my mouth

"Why do you always do that when you laugh like that?" He asked

"Do what?"

"Cover your mouth like that"

"no reason... it's just... stupid"

"Nothing you could say would ever be stupid" he said. I took a deep breath and looked at him

"you know how when we were kids and we both had a front tooth gap?"

"Yeah, I remember. You hated it because you thought it made you look stupid"

"yeah... well yours obviously closed up a lot but mine didn't... that's why I don't open my mouth too much when I speak and why I cover my mouth when I laugh... my teeth are hideous... never had the money to get braces either and I really want to get it sorted because it's horrible..." I said. He took my chin in his hand and brushed his thumb against my bottom lip

"Open your mouth for me, sweetheart. I want to see"

"you'll laugh... you'll judge me..."

"I promise you, I won't judge you. Open your mouth for me, please" he said. I opened my mouth and my eyes filled with tears. I could see the shock in his eyes. I had plaque on my teeth too. I hadn't brushed them in ages. I couldn't bring myself to do it everyday. "They're not hideous, sweetheart. I promise you, I won't let anyone judge you for something like this"

"I just hate them... I want braces so badly to fix them but I've never had the money... after you left school when we were 13 so you could go into karting full time... I got bullied even harder than ever... I had people messaging me and telling me that my teeth are fucking weird and I've had people saying that you could fit a train between the gap and it broke me so bad that I wore one of those masks that like everyone started wearing in covid except it was in like 2013 and I never took it off... I started eating my lunch in the toilets too..."

"I'm so sorry, Lex... No one should have treated you like that. And you know what? I'll make sure we get those braces for you"

"you don't have to... I don't wanna drain your money..."

"It's not about the money, sweetheart. I want to help you feel confident and happy about yourself. Besides, it's not like I don't have any spare cash lying around"

"you sure...?"

"Positive. I have plenty of money, Lex. It's not gonna make me broke. I promise"

We had our joint shower and we got in bed. I sat in front of Lando and he put my hair in 2 dutch braids. Cisca taught him how to do them so he could do them for me when we were kids and he still remembered. I was gonna put some early 2000s songs on for us but my Spotify premium ran out. I was on a free trial. It was so annoying

"fuck... I forgot I was on a free trial..."

"Don't worry about it, love. I've got some tunes on my phone we can listen to instead"

"I just wish I actually had money. Everything is going towards uni and I'm so far into my overdraft that I can't even pay for Spotify and I had to cancel my Netflix too..."

"Hey, hey, don't stress about it. We'll figure something out together. Maybe we can find some free streaming services or something. For now though, just relax and enjoy the time we have together. Your hair is looking beautiful by the way"

"Thanks... you're just lucky you have money..."

"Money isn't everything, baby girl. I've had more than my fair share of it and it never brought me the happiness that being with you does"

"I just wish I wasn't always in my overdraft. It's so annoying to go onto my bank account and just see a minus number every time"

"I know it's tough, but we'll get through this together. Just focus on the things that make you happy and let me worry about the rest. How are you feeling about your upcoming exams?"

"Stressed. It's gonna drain me so much..."

"but I'll be right by your side to help you, okay? We'll get through it"

I fell asleep shortly after that. We were gonna watch a movie but I fell asleep 15 minutes in. Lando took advantage of that and the fact that he knew my passcode and logged into everything you could think of. Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video and he even upgraded to a duo plan on Spotify and added me. I also had a shock from my bank account in the morning