✓ | Working For The Knife ⋆ Lando Norris. ¹

[ 038 ] Growing Here

( ACT III. ── Fearless )
chapter thirty-eight / Growing Here

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Media day in Monza even started weird. Weirder than usual. She walked into Mercedes hospitality, and the mechanics at a nearby table immediately began giggling like little children. A couple of people shot her sly winks. Even Lyndon's eyes were sparkling with amusement, but he, at least, had the decency to explain himself.

"I think you have a secret admirer, Annika," he snickered.

"What?" Confused, she looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She did a mental checklist. There weren't any visible hickeys on her, she had thoroughly made sure of that before leaving the hotel. She hadn't been out and about with Lando. Her hair looked fine, she had also checked that before she left. She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

"Check your room," said Lyndon.

Her cheeks were already burning with embarrassment from all the attention. It didn't help that when she turned her back, she could still hear the staff giggling.

The door to her driver room was already wide open, which was a testament to how many people had already been in and out, goggling at whatever was putting them all in such a mood. She peered inside.

A large bouquet of purple roses had been delivered to her room and placed delicately on a stool, nearly taking up the entire narrow space with soft-vibrant petals spilling free from the dainty white ribbon holding them together. A heart-shaped card dangled from one of the stems, and when she turned it over, there was just a smiley face printed on the glossy paper.

It was hard to stay irritated. She shut the door and immediately called Lando.

He answered on the first ring. "Do you like it?"

"You are an idiot," she replied with a smile.

"Do you know what purple roses mean?"

"No. What?"

"Passion and infatuation." He sounded smug. "Because I'm very passionately infatuated with you."

Annika laughed a little and ran her thumb over one of the velvety petals. "I love it. Thank you."

"I hoped you might. I wasn't sure, because you don't seem like a 'bouquet of roses' kind of girl."

She shrugged bashfully. "I can be a 'bouquet of roses' kind of girl for you."

"Just for me?"