COLLISION COURSE - Lando Norris [ff]

Twenty-Four

His arms were warm, comfortable and tightly wrapped around her slim, weak body. He caressed her cheek, patted her back, kissed her hair, whispered comforting words into her ear and let her tears drench his jeans.

Nyck had picked her up right in front of Lando's apartment. He had supported her the few steps into the car, had buckled her up and pressed a slight kiss to her forehead. He had been so gentle with her as if there never had been a single fight.

"I am here to listen, Christina. If you want to talk, do it. If you want to stay quiet, do it. I got you. I won't let you down," he murmured lowly and pulled the blanket up higher, right under her chin, before resting his hand on her shoulder.

The moment they had arrived at her place, he had prepared tea and she had begged him not to use the one from the metal containers.

She did not answer his gentle reminder. Her eyes were locked with the pillow she had thrown onto the floor after the argument with Lando. She had never picked it up.

"What is it about this pillow?" He asked.

A groan, "I threw it."

"Want me to get it?" Nyck queried and collected a few strands of hair from her face. He gently tucked them behind her ear.

"No," she instantly replied and nuzzled her face closer into his lap.

"Okay, I'll let it be then," he whispered and pressed another kiss to her head.

The slow movements of his hands were so caring that she wanted to dissolve into a warm sea full of his touch. The comfort she got from simply resting her head on him and feeling his arms wrapped around her, holding her safe, calmed her down.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his leg.

A soft scoff escaped him, "Always."

She had not expected that he would pick up the phone if he saw her name on the screen, neither had she expected him to get into his car immediately and drag her into it only a couple of minutes later. Christina was beyond grateful for his support, disregarding that it might be because of the hate he had been getting online due to his comparatively poor performance on track.

"How is Leon doing?" She asked her friend who had already heard about the news from Josephine. Their mutual friend's call still rung like a flatline in both their heads. The people and friends that surrounded them had been pretty much the same ever since they first met. Nyck knew Josephine from his teenage years and therefore Leon, Leon was her manager and Caroline her long-term friend from back home who went to the same school because her parents wanted her to grow up under the same conditions as everyone else- a bold choice for people of their income range. It has always amazed her how raising kids low on money could be an aware decision for some and harsh reality for others.

"They managed to save his arms. He is still in critical condition though." Nyck passed down the latest info to her.

He lifted his phone every now and then to have a look at his new messages. Josephine kept him updated the entire time and probably her as well, but the device still laid on the kitchen isle and she had zero intention of leaving her friend's lap to get it. She also did not want to look at Lando's chat again like she always did when opening the app to check up on her texts.

"Is that why you wanted to see Lando?" He asked her when she did not answer.

She rejected his curiosity, "Let's not talk about him, please."

"Did he leave you like this?" Nyck's voice sounded concerned yet angry like he was on the verge of jumping up from the sofa to beat the shit out of the Brit. She probably would not have stopped him.