normal thing | lando norris

legacy, to leave

The buzz of her phone pulls Mads out of her post-party haze. She glances at the screen, seeing Lando's name pop up, and for a moment, a smile tugs at her lips. Despite the chaotic last night, he's texting her.

"Am I feeling special now?" she asks herself and shakes her head – that would be a mistake number one.

"You any good at paddle?" the screen reads.

Mads blinks at the message, intrigued.

wouldn't u like to know

Meet me tomorrow

Let's find out

A small grin appears on her face. She wasn't expecting that.

fine

u r on

Mads watches the Instagram app mark her message as read, and she can't help but feel a twinge of frustration. Sure, Lando invited her to hang out, but she never really got a clear answer about his situation with Magui – or if he even does relationships at all. The uncertainty gnaws at her, an uneasy feeling settling in her chest.

"Do I even do relationships? Let alone something this public?" the question pops into her head, and she frowns at herself. This wasn't supposed to get complicated.

She sighs, thinking back to that night at the club. "God, I wish I never let Lindsay drag me there." If she hadn't gone, maybe none of this would be happening. The flirty texts, the parties, the constant proximity to Lando – it's like their paths keep crossing, but always in these gray areas. And honestly, it's a miracle she hasn't run into Arthur yet, considering how often she runs into his brother or meets up with Alex.

Her phone buzzes with another notification, but she ignores it. Tomorrow's going to be a long day.

***

The next afternoon, the sound of the ball smacking against the paddle echoes around the court. Mads wipes the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, eyes fixed on Lando, who's mid-serve. He looks determined, focused, but Mads has already figured out his weak spots. When the ball crosses the field on her side, she runs over to it. She smirks as she hits the ball perfectly into the corner, just out of his reach.

"Game!" Mads announces, holding her paddle high in triumph.

Lando groans, dropping his head with a chuckle. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"You set this up," she teases, still catching her breath. "Guess you underestimated me."

Lando shakes his head, walking toward her with an easy grin. "I didn't expect you to be this competitive."

"That's your mistake, Norris. Now you owe me something for beating you."

He pauses as he looks at her, his grin softening. Mads is standing there, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling with victory, and even though she's sweaty from the game, she looks alive – radiant in a way that catches him off guard. In that moment, something tugs at him. He hasn't seen a girl like this, so full of life, since Luisa.

And it hurts – because finding something real, something that pure, is harder than he ever imagined.

Lando is silent for a few seconds, caught up in the moment as he watches her, lost in thoughts he wasn't expecting. Before he knows it, he blurts out something he didn't even see coming.