Because I'm scared to say the truth - Landoscar

·Chapter 18·

   Lando stormed into his house, his thoughts racing, his heart pounding. He was convinced now-Carlos had something to do with his missing phone. The timeline fit too perfectly. He remembered the last time he had seen his phone; it was just before Carlos had left his house, the same day Oscar had gone missing. It wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.

   He frantically searched every corner of his room, throwing pillows, blankets, and clothes aside in his desperation. But deep down, he already knew it wasn't here. After nearly half an hour of searching and getting more and more frustrated, Lando finally stopped, slumping against the wall. He had to confront Carlos. That was the only way.

   Determined, Lando grabbed his keys and headed out again, this time heading to the café he knew Carlos often hung out at. As he approached, he could see through the windows that Carlos was there, sitting with Max and Charles. He felt a surge of anger and frustration. He burst through the door, startling everyone inside, and marched straight to their table.

 Carlos looked up, his eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "Well, if it isn't Lando."

 "Where's my phone, Carlos?" Lando demanded, his voice seething with barely contained rage.

 Carlos smirked, leaning back in his chair. "What makes you think I have it?"

 "Don't play games with me," Lando snapped. "You were the last one at my house before it went missing. You know something."

 Carlos exchanged a quick glance with Max, who shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Lando's gaze. Charles, however, sat still, his expression unreadable.

 "Fine," Carlos finally said, tilting his head, eyes narrowing with satisfaction. "I'll tell you where it is... but only if you give me something in return."

 Lando clenched his fists. "What do you want?"

 "A kiss," Carlos replied casually, as if asking for something as simple as borrowing a pencil. "Kiss me, Lando, and I'll tell you everything."

   For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Lando's eyes burned with fury, and he could feel his pulse racing. But all he could think about was Oscar, missing and alone, possibly in danger because of Carlos's games. He glanced at Charles, who looked as though he might intervene, but ultimately said nothing.

 "Fine," Lando muttered, his voice barely more than a whisper. He stepped closer to Carlos, hating himself for what he was about to do, but knowing it was the only way.

 Carlos smirked, leaning forward, and Lando quickly pressed his lips against his. It lasted barely a second, but it was enough to make Lando feel sick to his stomach. He pulled back immediately, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Now, tell me."

 Carlos looked momentarily stunned, his smirk faltering, but he quickly recovered. "Alright, alright. Your phone? I took it, of course. I wanted to make sure you couldn't contact Oscar. And about the club..." He paused, enjoying the moment. "It was me. I planned everything. The drink, the girl, everything. And Max? He helped me."

 Lando turned to Max, his heart breaking even further. "You?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Why?"

 Max shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flicking to Charles before looking down. "I was... I was just trying to be a friend to Carlos," he mumbled.

 Lando couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt a deep sense of betrayal, like the ground had been ripped out from beneath him. "You're all sick," he spat. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the café, leaving Carlos, Max, and Charles behind.

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(now a little bit of Lestappen)

 Charles watched Lando leave, the anger bubbling just beneath the surface. He turned to Max, his expression a mix of disbelief and hurt. "Why would you do that, Max?" he asked, his voice barely controlled. "You know how much Lando cares about Oscar. Why would you help Carlos?"

 Max looked down, guilt etched across his features. "I didn't think it would go this far, Charles. I was just... I was just trying to help Carlos feel better. You know how he's been feeling about Lando lately."

 "But this?" Charles shook his head. "You crossed a line, Max. You helped Carlos destroy something beautiful. How could you?"

 "I made a mistake," Max whispered, reaching out to touch Charles's hand, but Charles pulled away.

 "You need to figure out who you are, Max," Charles said quietly, his voice trembling. "Because this person? This isn't who I thought I was dating."

 Max stared after him as Charles stood and walked away, the weight of his actions finally crashing down on him.

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(back to Lando)

   Lando drove aimlessly for a while, trying to calm himself down, trying to think of where Oscar might be. His mind raced with memories and conversations, trying to piece together the clues. And that's when he saw Logan walking along the side of the road. Without hesitating, Lando pulled over.

 "Logan!" he called, running to catch up with him. "Logan, wait!"

 Logan stopped, looking back at him with wary eyes. "What do you want, Lando?"

 "I need your help," Lando panted, trying to catch his breath. "It's about Oscar. I can't find him, and I need to know if he mentioned anything to you—anything at all."

 Logan hesitated, his expression softening slightly. "He did say something once... about a place he liked."

 Lando's heart leaped. "What did he say?"

 "He mentioned a place with water and... and an orange road," Logan said slowly, as if trying to recall the details. "I don't know what he meant, but he said it reminded him of you."

 Lando's eyes widened in realization. "The lake," he whispered. "It has to be the lake. Thank you, Logan. Thank you."

   Without waiting for a response, Lando ran back to his car, his heart pounding with a new sense of urgency. He knew where he needed to go. He had to get to the lake, the place where they'd spent one of their happiest days together.

   He drove as fast as he could, praying that he wasn't too late, praying that Oscar would be there, safe and sound. As he neared the familiar orange road leading up to the water, Lando felt a mix of fear, hope, and determination all swirling together inside him.