Lando Norris has known Stephania Anderson almost his whole life, but the childhood friends had a rough falling out when she started dating his then teammate. Now four years later, he finds himself back in her life and he has to deal with the feelin...
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19. How To Disappear
Lando crossed the finish line at P4, the roar of the crowd and the adrenaline of the race still surging through his veins. But even as he unstrapped himself from the cockpit and climbed out of the car, his mind was somewhere else entirely—thousands of miles away, in a small apartment in Monaco. He pulled off his helmet and balaclava, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, and quickly reached for his phone.
The texts to Carla and Mariá were short and urgent: Have you checked on Niah?
He fired them off one after another, not caring about the usual post-race debrief. As he made his way through the paddock, nodding absently to the congratulations thrown his way, his phone buzzed with their replies.
Carla was the first to respond: We've tried, Lando. She won't open the door. We're really worried, but she's not letting anyone in.
A few seconds later, Mariá's message came through: Same here. She's completely shut us out. We don't know what to do anymore. It's never been this bad before.
Lando's stomach twisted with a mix of fear and frustration. Stephania had always been strong, but this was different—this was isolation, a darkness that she couldn't seem to pull herself out of. He knew about her history with depression, so he had tried to be patient, to respect her space, but now he knew it was time to act. He couldn't wait any longer.
He broke into a near run, heading straight for his CEO, Zac, who was deep in conversation with the team's technical director. Zac looked up as Lando approached, surprised by the intensity in the young driver's eyes.
"Whoa Lando, what's going on?" Zac asked, concerned by the urgency in Lando's expression.
"I need to leave, Zac. I know this isn't the best time, but it's something I have to do," Lando said, his voice thick with emotion. He hadn't planned on begging, but the words tumbled out of him before he could stop them. "It's Niah, she's not okay, and I have to go to her. I'll be back as soon as I can, but I can't stay here knowing she's like this."
Zac studied Lando for a moment, clearly taken aback by the raw vulnerability in his usually composed driver. He knew how much Lando cared about Stephania, though he hadn't realized just how deep those feelings ran. This wasn't just concern; this was something more.
"Alright," Zac said finally, his tone softening. "Go. Take care of what you need to. We'll manage here until you get back."
Lando exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, nodding gratefully. "Thank you. I'll make this right," he promised before turning on his heel and heading straight for the exit.
''Sure, just be back for media-day!'' Zac yelled after him.
Lando hurried through the McLaren hospitality area, his mind laser-focused on getting to the airport as fast as possible. He barely noticed the people around him, his thoughts consumed with Stephania. As he rounded a corner, he nearly collided with his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
