𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘽𝙄𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙉 𝙁𝙍𝙐𝙄𝙏 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴

𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉

𝙁𝙊𝙍𝘽𝙄𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙉 𝙁𝙍𝙐𝙄𝙏 ᯓ★

𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙉𝘼'𝙎 𝙋𝙊𝙑

The moment we'd landed we were welcomed by a sea of press as we waited to get in a car. I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head, eternally thankful for the hangover sunglasses as camera's flashed from all around.

I stood sandwiched between Osc and Norris as a guard ushered the paparazzi away so as to give us a pathway. As he did that I felt a hand grasp mine. Norris interlaced our fingers, smiling for the cameras as I tried to mirror his false enthusiasm to the best of my ability.

Feeling his hand in mine after our last conversation felt strange to say the least. But the expectations from the media wouldn't stop and neither would the stunt. I was starting to consider asking Zak to give me a raise for all this. He'd mentioned it before but I hadn't been able to tell if he was joking or not.

As soon as the paparazzi had been dealt with Norris had pulled away like my hand was a burning flame, letting it drop by my side as he got in one of the cars.

I tried to keep it from stinging, reminding myself of how frustrated with each other we'd been on the jet just moments earlier.

I chatted with Osc on the way to the hotel. I told him all the things I'd be excited to do with River and he told me his plans to meet an old friend of his. The trip was rather short and we were in the hotel in no time.

We'd taken our luggage to the lobby and gone to the front desk to check in, Oscar offering to do it for the three of us. I'd waited for him to return with our room keys, sat on my suitcase, my entire body giving out for whatever reason.

He came back with our keys moments later which we retrieved before heading to our floor and settling in. Having come early in the week, we had a few days of rest. I was extremely thankful for that, wanting to just sit back and do nothing. I could already picture myself sunbathing by the hotel pool, a book in hand and an ice cold drink nearby.

I'd locked myself in my room the entire day, rotting in bed in hopes of recharging my battery as soon as possible. By the time Oscar had come knocking to check up on me, the sun had started to set.

I opened the door with a small smile, letting him in. "Hey, Osc."

"Hey, sis." He came in, shutting the door behind him. "Lan and I are heading out for dinner with Leclerc and his girlfriend who are also here early. Since she's coming I thought you might want to as well."

I couldn't deny my stomachs low grumble. I hadn't eaten since the jet. "Of course. I'll just get dressed and meet you at the lobby in ten."

"Perfect." He left me to quickly get ready.

I threw on the first semi-casual dress I could find amongst my luggage, some platform converse and fixed up my hair and makeup before leaving the room. I was pleased to hear Charles and Alexandra were also here, this would make things more fun seeing as River had to fly back to Australia for a while, saying she'd join me in Monaco.

I was worried this weekend would be a bore without her, but Alexandra would definitely make up for it. Though we'd be in different garages while watching sprints, quali, and the race, we could spend the rest of the time around the paddock together. Pick up some coffee and whatnot.

Osc and Norris had been waiting for me at the lobby, Norris insisting on driving as Osc talked to the valet. They'd gotten yet another McLaren for this race weekend, this one a nice deep blue that still glistened in the night.

I considered asking if I could drive, but quickly discarded the idea knowing I'd be met with reluctance.

At first I'd thought the dinner may be refreshing, a helpful way of forgetting about everything else for once. But as we joined Charles and Alexandra at their table and I remembered they were in on our little secret, I realized the night would be tainted with having to keep up with the relationship facade. It seemed there was no escaping it.