𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮; oscar piastri ✔

PART TWENTY TWO

woah three chapters last night and two today?!?! what's going on???

Word count; 1,971

Addison

Finishing the last of my champagne, I placed it onto the dish of a passing waiter, who bowed his head politely in return. Oscar was conversing with an old teammate of his from Formula 2, and I used the time to look around the event on my own; the different stages, flanked by screens with information about the cause. I ended up by the auction stand, elegantly decorated by velvet ropes, examining each item up for bidding; photographs, vacation packages, exclusive racing memorabilia, each with a small plaque detailing their significance.

I stopped in front of one in particular, a helmet in a glass box, a dim light shining over it. Squinting at the plaque, it read Ayrton Senna, 1979.

"It's from when he first adopted the yellow and green design."

I sucked in an inhale, looking to my left at the familiar voice.

"Before he changed the blue to black." Lando described softly, gesturing his finger to the blue stripe around the bottom of the helmet. "It's quite funny, he always changed the yellow depending on the car he was driving."

I swallowed, nerves piling together in my stomach. Lando's hand found its way back to his pocket - even in a suit, it was a comfortable habit he never abandoned, maybe to cater for his own apprehension.

After a moment of silence, he regarded me, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to be here." I croaked.

He nodded, and I was unsure if the tension between us was pulling us closer together or further apart.

"So," He cleared his throat. "You're here with Oscar?"

I bobbed my head, my fists clenching together. He sighed.

"Lando-" I faced him quickly, desperately.

"You don't owe me anything, Marley." He interjected. "I realised that a long time ago."

"But-"

We both rotated with a new interruption; Carlos, his lips pulled into a wide smirk. He and Lando hugged, immediately finding themselves in a natural conversation. To him, nothing had changed in the past two months; we were all friends, simple as that. And then he was gone, onto the next introduction of the night. I watched him leave, chewing on my inner cheek, and at last faced Lando again.

A bell rang, a speaker indicating for guests to take to their seats. I exhaled, recognising any moment of reconciliation had come and gone.

"You look good, Marley." His eyes flickered up and down. "Enjoy your evening."

The pressure on my chest grew as he walked away. Crowds moved towards the white linen-draped tables, and I blinked away the uneasiness in my stomach.

Oscar loitered by the main staircase, eyes studying each person that walked past, until I appeared by his side. He smiled, though it morphed into concern, as if he could see straight past my fake grin.

"Everything okay?" He asked, brows furrowed.

I nodded, hooking my arm around his; we would've left then and there if I asked us to.