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𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕨𝕠

{ lando's version }

_

I woke up surprisingly early and I knew Riley wouldn't be up anytime soon so I decided to just make way to the cafe down in the lobby. I could sip at some coffee while I waited for her, just take some time to think about what she said.

She was right, I did do my best and that's what mattered but to not win, it felt worse now. Before, I could brush it off on the car or the conditions, but I had been winning. The car was perfect, fastest one on the grid. It was me and what happened in those moments. I needed to stop hesitating when the hard decisions needed to be made. It would matter if I wanted to fight for the championship. The one thing I was working toward, like most of the other drivers.

I sighed and ordered my coffee, looking to find a seat when I spotted Logan and Alex sitting at a table near the windows. I didn't talk to them much but if I was wanting something with Riley, I needed to play nice. I took my cup and walked over to them. They were staring at something on Logan's phone.

"What are you guys watching?"

Both looked up. Alex gave me a look that I couldn't quite figure out but Logan looked as if he was excited to see me. He scooted over, making room for me to take the other seat.

"An old video of Riley dancing that came up in my memories."

I raised an eyebrow. If it was in Logan's camera roll, it was probably something I hadn't seen yet. I took the seat.

"Mind if I watch too?"

Logan shrugged, leaning down to restart the video. He turned up the volume a bit as I leaned down to see it clearly. The opening notes of Toxic by Britney Spears started. I was a bit confused, the only videos I saw of Riley dancing had been to classical or dramatic music.

But as she started to move, I realized this was different. It looked like she was in an empty bar or club, like she was practicing to perform. There was a guy standing up at the DJ table but I didn't pay much attention to him, my focus completely on Riley as I watched the soft moves turn into something that could have placed itself into a Magic Mike movie.

No words could explain the feeling in my chest as I watched her body move, hair following in streaks of red. The lack of clothing- a sports bra and some biker shorts- didn't exactly help. I could feel my jaw relax a bit and I cleared my throat, clenching my jaw back.

I was speechless until the video came to an end. I could feel the smirk on Logan's face as he moved his phone, tucking it into his pocket.

"Wow."

He snorted. "She was captain of the dance team at our high school, this was a routine they were doing for a pep rally. She was perfecting it before going to teach it to the rest of them. It was received well."

"No shit."

"That's the Miami in her for you."

"Huh. Guess so."

Logan shrugged. "I mean, we are going home during the break. You're always welcome to come with to prove my point. I'm sure ZombieLand would love a bloke like you."

"ZombieLand?"

Alex laughed now. "Oh, you have no idea."

_

Riley had sent me a Tiktok which told me she was awake so I made my way back to our rooms. Logan and Alex had left a bit after I watched that video, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The video played on repeat in my head and I tried to force it out, knowing I was about to go see her. But it didn't leave and neither did the feeling in my chest.

I shook it off as I knocked on her door, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for her to open it. When she did, she was in a cropped zip up and some biker shorts. The video flashed in my head again and I blinked it away.

"Morning Lan."

"Hi, charm."

"Are we exploring today?"

I could only nod as I realized she was wearing her glasses, her hair falling in perfect waves. It didn't help the situation I was in.

"Give me a second to get ready and I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Sounds good to me."

She smiled and closed the door. I waited for a second before going back to my room, beelining for the sink. I turned the cold water on and splashed my face a couple of times until the heat left it. It was no use. The video kept popping up in my head and I was back to square one.

Some part of me felt like an awful person for watching that. It was a work of art, if I looked at it from the point of dance. She choreographed it herself and that took skill. Then to go practice it until it was memory. Everything an athlete would do. And she was an athlete. Dance took tremendous effort and work. But as I thought about that, my mind went back to the way her body flexed.

The outline of her muscles as her body twisted and snapped back up. The streak of red that followed all whips of her hair, the light layer of sweat that made her glow in the lighting of what I could only assume was a club. And I was back to being weird. That feeling in my chest came back and I splashed more water on my face. Nothing, again.

Because while I knew what she was doing was art, and it was something to revel at... the music and the moves that followed. All of it felt like something I should have never seen. At least while sitting next to her brother. I groaned, leaning against the sink as the image of her this morning hovered behind my closed eyes. Beautiful, fiery, and so... her. Maybe Logan was right, maybe going to Miami would be fun and if everything worked out the way I wanted it to during Singapore, it would be nice to spend that time with her, in a place that was inherently Riley. But that was going to be mean getting through today.

Which was going to be a challenge within itself if I couldn't figure out how to look at her and be completely normal.

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a/n: im making logan scheme because he is me and i am him. its what needed to be done. you guys will read it and giggle. i did. so as always, love it or don't :p