So High School - Lando Norris

02

I'm an American cliché Missing a girl in a French café I say, "Goddamn, you're beautiful" You blush and duck out of frame

-American Cliché, Finneas-

09.01.2024

London, UK

Bridget

I was at work in the bookstore, and it's been quite some time since there was nothing to do. We were allowed to read some books and drink some coffee.

I was reading a romance book when I heard the bell. I put my post it on the page where I left off. I walked to the front and saw a familiar face—it was Lando.

"Hey, how are you? What are you doing here?" I asked him and gave him a hug. He looked completely different—his baby face features had faded, and now he was growing a beard, like a real man. I always made fun of him how little he used to be and when he was a bit older, still had a baby face.

"Good. I just came to say a quick hello and see how you are," he said, taking his beanie off.

"I'm fine, and I want to say thank you for the generous offer from you," I replied.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "As long as you finish that book," he said. He looked quite nervous before continuing, rubbing his neck. "Uhmm, how about when you're done, we go get some coffee?" he asked.

"Sure, I'm done around sixteen-thirty," I answered.

"Fine, I'll come pick you up," he said and smiled. As he walked out, he put his beanie back on.

I felt my face burning from blushing. Lando and I talked occasionally when we saw each other, but he had never invited me to go anywhere before.

I felt like a teenage girl who just got asked out by a guy she knew from high school. I went to the back—luckily, I was working alone today.

So I jumped around with excitement. Man, was I happy about it.

-16:30-

I waited and waited. The minutes felt so long for the rest of the day. Finally, it was the end of my workday. I did some things before closing up.

As I walked out and locked the store, I saw Lando coming towards me with a smile.

"Hey," I said, taking the keys out of the lock.

Lando came up to me and hugged me. "Hello," he said. "So, shall we go? I know a café." I nodded and checked if the door was really closed.

"So, how's life?" I asked him.

"Uhmm, nothing special. I'm racing soon, the season begins, living in Monaco—everything's fine," he said. "And you?" he asked back.

"Fine," I said simply, and he nodded.

"We're here. I hope you like it," he said. As soon as we walked in, it was heaven—books everywhere.

"Lando, this is perfect! How did you find this place?" I asked him as we took a seat on a couch. I looked at the menu—it was designed like a little book.

"I just walked past, and then I thought of you, knowing how much you love books. I remember sometimes you'd rather read a book than watch your brother's races," he said. I remembered it too.

It happened often that I took a book with me to read. When something was boring, I liked to keep myself entertained.

"And you're going into a place full of books, even though you're afraid of them?" I teased him. As kids, I used to ask him why he wasn't reading, and he'd say he was afraid of books. Years later, I found out it was more about his dyslexia.