|Love 4 Apex| Lando Norris

🏎 18 - Fading Hopes

Rose sat in her hotel room, the faint whir of the air conditioner the only sound in the quiet space. She had been looking for some calmness, a moment of peace to settle her nerves. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, its glow catching her eye, but she felt too emotionally drained to reach for it. Exhausted, she let it buzz, each vibration cutting through the quiet she so desperately craved, making the stillness feel even further away.

But as the buzzing continued, relentless and insistent, it became impossible to ignore. Her thoughts, which had been dulled by exhaustion, began to stir with curiosity. What was going on? Why wouldn't it stop? With a sigh, she finally reached for her phone, bracing herself for whatever awaited her on the other side of the screen.

As she unlocked it, her heart sank. Her screen was flooded with notifications—messages, likes, and comments. The realization hit hard: pictures of her and Franco had already begun circulating online. There they were—leaning close, holding hands, a picture-perfect moment frozen in time. Except it wasn't so perfect.

She groaned inwardly, flipping the phone screen down, blocking out the notifications. The media would have a field day with this. Franco's vulnerable words from earlier still echoed in her mind, but now they were overshadowed by the pressure of the outside world. It didn't take long for her to remember Lando's words on the plane.

"What if the media caught you two together? Do you really want those headlines right now, instead of your win? You're risking everything for this."

The memory struck her sharply, the guilt twisting in her stomach. Lando had warned her this could happen, and now the exact scenario he feared was plastered across every outlet. The images painted a picture of something she wasn't even sure of herself—a messy entanglement that threatened to overshadow everything she had worked so hard to achieve.

She dropped the phone onto the bed, her pulse quickening. This wasn't the kind of attention she needed, and it certainly wasn't what she wanted. Her race was just days away, and she needed to focus, to stay sharp. This distraction could ruin everything, not just her reputation but also her performance on the track.

As the phone buzzed again, Rose glanced at the screen and saw Bella's name flash across it. Bella—her PR manager and close friend. Rose's heart sank, knowing exactly what Bella was going to say.

Rose sighed and answered, trying to keep her voice steady. "Hey, Bella."

"Hey, Rose. I'm guessing you've seen the photos by now?" Bella's voice was calm, but there was a noticeable edge to it.

Rose leaned against the doorframe, feeling the weight of it all. "Yeah, I've seen them. It's already out of control, isn't it?"

Bella's voice, though still calm, carried a hint of irritation now. "Unfortunately, yes. And it's blowing up faster than expected. Some journalists are already asking for comments. But we need to talk about this, Rose—what was going on with you and Colapinto? The way you two were holding hands, the close conversation... It's a bit too obvious. If you two wanted to have a private moment, doing it in the middle of a café wasn't the best idea."

Rose felt a wave of guilt rush over her. She hadn't meant for this to become such a spectacle. "It's... complicated," she said softly. "But we're not together. The photos are just... people reading too much into it." She hesitated, biting her lip before adding, "I wasn't thinking about how it looked. We were just talking, and I didn't realize how it would come across to everyone else."

Bella sighed, this time more sharply. "I know how the media works, and you should too by now. They'll spin anything into a story. But I need to know what direction you want to go with this. Do we deny it outright, confirm something, or keep it neutral?"