Pit Stop [LANDO NORRIS]

3

LANDO

I'm not sure how many shots I'd had by the time I stumbled into the club, but the whole night was definitely blurring together. Second place was still pretty good, but it wasn't first, and I wasn't going to lie—there was a part of me that wanted more. Still, the celebrations had to happen, and I was surrounded by the usual crew, Max, Carlos, Will and even Oscar right beside me, throwing some of his usual cheeky banter my way.

Oscar grinned as we grabbed drinks from the bar. "You know, mate, you were almost a hero out there today," he said, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Almost?" I scoffed, tossing back the rest of my drink and pointing at him. "You're one to talk, mate. Your car was barely keeping up with the Alpine. If I didn't know any better, you were having a little moment, testing out the alternative" I give him a cheeky wink, the banter about him and Alpine always running strong between us.

He laughed and shook his head. "You've got to enjoy the little victories, Lando."

I couldn't help but grin at that. Oscar had this way of staying positive, even when he probably wanted to throttle someone for a bad race result. Not that it ever got to him for too long. He was always so cool and calm, never really let anything get to him. 

We were all pretty trashed by the time I ended up on the DJ booth, giving it a go. I mean, why not, right? I'd had a few drinks in me, and the vibe in the club was buzzing, everyone dancing and having a good time. I grabbed the mic, feeling ridiculously confident for someone who had no idea what they were doing, and shouted over the music.

"Alright, alright! Let's see if I can spin some tunes as good as I race!"

Everyone cheered.

Carlos gave me a teasing shout from behind. "You better not play 'Saxo' again, Lando. We've had enough of that."

I laughed and waved him off, quickly setting up a track. I knew it was basic, but hey, it was still a crowd-pleaser. I hit play, and the thumping bass and catchy beat exploded through the speakers. I could see the crowd immediately start to move. Girls and guys were dancing, the place was alive. My fingers were hovering over the deck, pretending like I was totally in control, but honestly, I had no idea what I was doing.

Still, people were loving it. I saw them bopping and getting lost in the music, and it felt kinda cool—like I was in charge of the night for a little bit.

But then... yeah, of course, the attention started coming.

I looked around, and there were pretty women everywhere, giving me that look. You know the one, that "Hey, I'm interested" look. Flirty glances, some even coming up and starting a conversation. Don't get me wrong, it's nice. It's flattering. But, honestly, tonight? It was different. I wasn't really feeling any of it. I was more into the vibe of the crowd, the music, just having fun with my mates. I didn't need to be chasing after anyone or trying to impress them.

Carlos caught me looking at one of them, nudging me with a grin. "You're not gonna talk to her?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Not tonight."

"Why?" he laughed, looking at me like I was an alien. "You're Lando Norris, mate! You've got girls falling all over you. Take advantage!"

I laughed but didn't really say anything in reply. I just wasn't into it. Not right now.

By the time we finally left the club, I was absolutely plastered. I could barely walk straight, and I'd lost track of who was with us and who wasn't. Max and I ended up walking back to the hotel, both of us stumbling over cobblestone streets, laughing like idiots, though I'm pretty sure we weren't making much sense.

"Mate, I tell ya," I slurred, almost tripping over my own feet, "Avery... she—" I stopped myself, blinking up at Max, who was looking at me like I'd grown a second head.

Max raised an eyebrow, clearly half-asleep and trying not to laugh. "What? Who?"

"Avery!" I repeated, almost shouting it. "The girl... She's—" I paused, not sure how to finish the sentence. My brain was firing on all cylinders, but my words weren't cooperating. "She's...."

Max blinked at me, then snorted. "You're completely smashed, mate."

I nodded, leaning against a wall to steady myself. "I know. But... she... I dunno. There's something. Something different, y'know?"

Max looked at me with a kind of amused patience, like he couldn't quite decide whether he was going to say something or just let me blab. He leaned in and gave me a cheeky grin. "You're definitely too drunk to be talking about her right now, Lando."

I waved him off, my hand half in the air, nearly hitting a passing pedestrian. "No, no, listen. You didn't see her. She—she was... I dunno. Just. There." I felt my words slurring together, but somehow I didn't care. "She's—she's got this... thing. I dunno, Max."

Max just shook his head and gave a little laugh. "Alright, mate. We'll talk about it tomorrow when you work out how to string a sentence or two together."

But even as I stumbled into the hotel lobby, with Max muttering something about getting me some water, I couldn't shake the thought of Avery. Her smile. The way she felt when she was standing next to me. Something about her had stuck with me, and even in my drunk state, I couldn't quite get her out of my head. But I also knew, no matter how drunk I was, there was no place for Avery Brown to be in my head. Not now, not ever, and especially not in the way she was in my head now. 

The next morning was rough.

I woke up with a headache that felt like it was trying to split my skull in half. The sunlight coming through the curtains was brutal, and my mouth felt like I'd been licking sandpaper. My phone buzzed with messages, but I didn't even bother looking at them, groaning as I pulled the covers over my head, hoping the world would just go away for a few more hours.

Max was already up, of course, sitting on the edge of his bed looking too chipper for someone who'd also been at the club until god knows when.

"Feeling a bit rough, are we?" he said, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Shut up," I grumbled, barely opening one eye to glare at him. "I don't know why I let you talk me into going out last night."

Max grinned. "You were having a great time. Who am I to stop you?" 

I groan loudly, feeling like death was very much welcoming its way into my life. 

"What time do we have to leave today?" I ask him, struggling to open my eyes to the daylight that was flooding into the room. 

"You were scheduled to leave at 10am" he informs me. 

"And what time is it now?" I ask, knowing the answer that's coming. 

"A little after midday" he deadpans, with a knowing and completely judging look. 

I groan even louder this time, tossing a pillow over my face and holding it down tightly, "Fucking great" I moan, knowing yet again I'd caused plans to be changed and I'd have to answer to Zak yet again.