Fan Favorites | Lando Norris

Part 12

The second my flight landed, I said my goodbyes to Drew and made my way to the terminal for my connecting flight—another long 13-hour journey ahead. I'd had Gabby bring along all my music equipment so I could at least be productive during the marathon of travel.

I settled into my seat and texted Max my flight details, my stomach doing somersaults with both excitement and anxiety.

As soon as we took off, I decided to channel all my nervous energy into something productive. I pulled out my voice recorder app and notebook, determined to use this time creatively.

"God, I'm actually invested Haven't even met him Watch this be the wrong thing Classic"

I started with these lines, humming as I searched for the right melody and experimenting with different versions.

Four hours into the flight, I had a rough draft recorded and saved it alongside 20+ other songs waiting for their moment. Each note and lyric felt like a piece of my excitement and nerves.

As the plane cruised over the ocean, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of what awaited me in Monaco.

--

Hours later, I was jolted awake as the plane touched down with a jarring bump. I grabbed all my belongings and stumbled down the steps, squinting into the bright Monaco sun. Max was waiting for me with a sleek car, his eyebrows raised as he took in the sight of the private plane.

"This is what you pull together last minute?" he asked, gesturing to the plane with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"I have my ways," I said with a grin as I finally reached the ground. "Thank you so much," I added, giving him a grateful hug.

"Anytime," he said, taking my bags and tossing them into the trunk. "This is probably the craziest thing that has ever happened."

"Me coming?" I asked, suddenly nervous that he might think my surprise was a bit too much.

"Well, yeah... You're Mia Reed, and you're showing up to surprise my best friend. That's pretty wild."

"Don't fangirl now," I said, rolling my eyes as I climbed into the passenger seat.

"Before I left, he was freaking out because you weren't responding to him," Max said, chuckling.

"I put my phone on do not disturb because I knew if I tried to lie, I'd spoil the surprise," I explained, laughing along with him.

"He is going to lose his mind," Max said, which made me smile even wider.

"He better! I just flew for 26 hours straight—single-handedly killing the Earth to meet this boy," I said, feigning exhaustion.

"Ah, the small sacrifices for young love," Max mocked, shaking his head.

"Shut up. Where did you tell him you were going?" I asked, eager to know how Max had covered for me.

"I told him I was going for a massage. He got a bit annoyed that I didn't invite him along," Max said, laughing.

"Thank you again," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"You owe me concert tickets," he said, giving me a knowing look.

"You're invited to every show for all your hard work," I promised with a smile.

---

Once we arrived at the apartment building, Max handed me his keys and said he was heading out for lunch with a friend so that we could have some privacy. I insisted it wasn't necessary, but he was adamant. I stood outside the apartment door, trying to muster the courage to walk inside. It felt strange not to knock, but Max had insisted this would be a better surprise.

I took a deep breath, talked myself up, and finally unlocked the door. As soon as I stepped inside, I barely had a chance to take in the decor before I heard Lando's voice from somewhere in the apartment.

"Mate, I don't know what I did. She's still not responding to any of my texts. I even DMed her best friend, and he's leaving me on read," he said, his voice growing louder as he approached.

"You probably scared her away," I said with a beaming smile. His head snapped up, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he took in the sight of me standing there.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed, frozen in shock.

"Well, don't leave a girl hanging," I said, feeling a bit awkward just standing there. He quickly recovered, closing the gap between us in an instant. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into the warmest hug I had ever felt.

"Hi," I murmured into his neck, my face buried against his skin. He pulled back but didn't let me go. He scanned my face with an expression of pure amazement and disbelief. Without hesitation, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me deeply. Initially, I was taken aback, but then I kissed him back with all the passion I had been holding onto for the last two months. It felt like floating as our lips moved together. We both pulled away, breathless, with him resting his forehead against mine.

"Hi," he said with a wide, joyous smile. He kissed me again, this time more slowly and passionately. I brought my hands to the back of his head, gripping his short hair and pulling him closer. He walked us backward until my back hit the door. The kiss grew more intense, his hands roaming my body before settling on my lower back, pulling me into him.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back. "Let's not skip all the pleasantries," I said, trying to slow things down before I let him take me in the foyer. 

"I can't believe you're here right now," he said, taking my hands in his, his eyes full of wonder.

"Neither can I," I replied, laughing softly.

"But you had all those meetings," he said, still trying to piece together the logistics.

"I sent a few emails. All is taken care of," I said, smiling up at him. He looked even more handsome in person. He gave me a quick peck before pulling me into the apartment and showing me around.

"I'm sorry, I would've cleaned up. Wait, was Max in on this?" he asked, still trying to understand how I'd managed to show up.

"Yeah, he picked me up," I said.

"That cheeky bastard," he laughed, shaking his head in admiration at his best friend. After the tour, he brought my things to his bedroom, and we sat on his bed.

"Was this always the plan? How did you hide this so well?" he asked, looking at me with curiosity and affection.

"No, it wasn't the plan. You'll actually love this," I said, and then I told him the entire story—from my emotional reaction to the show, to the last-minute planning and surprise. I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes softened as he listened, completely captivated by every word I said.

Lando listened intently, his gaze never wavering from my face. As I recounted the whirlwind of emotions that led to this spontaneous trip, his expressions shifted from surprise to admiration and then to sheer joy.

"So, let me get this straight," he said, shaking his head in disbelief once I finished. "You basically dropped everything, flew halfway around the world, and pulled off this whole surprise just to see me?"

"Pretty much," I said, smiling sheepishly. "It sounds a bit crazy when you put it like that."

"It's not crazy," he said, his eyes twinkling. "It's kind of perfect."

"Well, I'm glad you think so," I said, feeling a warm rush of relief. He reached out to grab my hand and pulled me into him so that I was laying on his chest.

"This feels right" He said kissing the top of my head

---

A/N

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