Risking it all (Lando Norris)

Chapter 30

Lily

The soft glow of early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle warmth across the room. I was nestled in Lando's arms, his steady heartbeat a comforting rhythm against my back. 

My alarm went off, a gentle chime pulling me from the cocoon of sleep. I groaned softly, reaching over to silence it, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment.

Lando stirred behind me, his arms tightening around my waist as he buried his face in my hair. "Mmm, morning," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"Morning cutie" I whispered back, smiling as I turned in his arms to face him. His eyes were still closed, but a sleepy smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He looked so peaceful, so content, and I hated that we had to get up and face the day.

"We should get ready," I said reluctantly, knowing we had to be at the MTC in a couple of hours.

"Five more minutes," he murmured, pulling me closer as if he could keep the world at bay just a little longer.

I chuckled, brushing a kiss against his forehead. "We don't have five more minutes. We need to get moving, remember? We have to be at the MTC."

He sighed dramatically, finally opening his eyes to look at me. "Fine, fine. But I'm blaming you if I'm tired later."

I laughed, untangling myself from his embrace and sitting up. "Deal."

We got out of bed and started getting ready for the day. As I was brushing my teeth, I caught Lando watching me in the mirror, a soft smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I wiped my mouth with a towel.

"Nothing," he said, still smiling as he pulled on a shirt. "Just thinking about how lucky I am."

I felt a warm flush spread across my cheeks at his words. "You're such a sap," I teased, but the truth was, I felt the same way.

We finished getting ready and headed to the MTC. The morning passed by quickly as we took care of some work-related tasks. Before we knew it, we were back at Lando's place, preparing for Max and Pietra's arrival.

Lando's best friend Max Fewtrell was coming over with his girlfriend Pietra. I was excited to meet them, especially since Lando had spoken so highly of them, but I was also a little nervous. 

Max didn't know I was here, and he definitely didn't know about our relationship because he decided to stay off socials for a while...or well at least that's what Lando said. I wondered how he'd react when he found out.

We didn't have to wait long to find out. The doorbell rang, and Lando went to answer it. I stayed in the living room, fiddling with the hem of my shirt as I listened to the sound of the door opening and Max's familiar voice.

"Hey, mate, what the hell is going on?" Max said, his voice a mix of confusion and amusement. Lando's laugh reached my ears before he answered, "What do you mean?"

There was a pause, and I could almost picture the look on Max's face as he processed what he was seeing. I decided to step out from behind Lando, revealing myself.

"Hi, Max," I said with a small wave.

Max's eyes widened in surprise, and then a wide grin spread across his face. "Lily! No way!" He looked back at Lando, shaking his head in disbelief. "I knew you had a thing for her when she first started working!"

Lando blushed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, well... I guess you were right."

Max let out a laugh, stepping forward to give Lando a playful punch on the arm. "I knew it! You always went all soft around her. Mate, I can't believe you finally did something about it."