Free Now- Lando Norris

5. Never be the same again

"Oh God, you're not calling to say you're coming back and want to stay here again are you?" Flo groaned into her phone as she answered a call from her brother.

"Hi Flo, yeah I'm great thanks... how about you?" Lando teased. "Do you greet everyone like this on the phone or is that just reserved for me?"

"You only ever phone me when you need something." She sighed. "So don't give me that shit. What do you want?"

"I don't want anything." He told her. "I was just calling to check in."

"I don't believe you." Flo told him. "Why are you calling to check on me?"

"I uh... I wasn't so much checking on you." He admitted sheepishly.

"Ah... look there it is. I knew it!" Flo laughed. "Go on, what do you want?"

"I don't want anything." He protested again. "I just wanted to check if Lottie was okay? I've been texting her but she's not replied. I haven't heard from her for a week actually."

"I didn't know you two were texting." Flo couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. "What's that all about?"

"I... we...." Lando floundered as he looked for the words. He hadn't thought through the fact that checking up on Lottie via Flo would expose the fact that he'd been talking to each other. "We've just been chatting here and there. She needs a break from only having you for company every now and then I'm sure."

"Rude." Flo snorted. "I'm fantastic company, first of all. How dare you? You're the one who invited yourself into my house for the week anyway. If you didn't want to be there you didn't have to come."

"I never said I didn't want to be there." Lando let out an exasperated sigh. "This isn't why I called you anyway. Just answer my question."

"Where are you anyway?" Flo asked, straining her ears to hear the noise in the background of the call.

"At the airport." Lando sighed. "Not heading to you, don't worry. But Lottie, is she okay?"

"Uh..." Flo paused for moment to consider her answer. "She's.... She's struggling a bit I think. I don't know exactly what was said at that hospital appointment but she's been pretty quiet since. Don't take it personally, Lando. She's just got so much going on..."

"I'm not taking it personally, I was just worried about her. That's all." He sighed. "I'm going to have to go, they're calling for our flight. Can you just ask her to call me?"

"Where are you going?" Flo asked.

"Starting the trip out to Australia." He yawned. "Going to do a couple of layovers on the way. Try and cure the jet lag. Just tell her to call me, it doesn't matter what time it is."

"Why are you being weird?" Flo asked, still puzzled by his sudden insistence that he needed to speak to her friend.

"I'm not being weird." He sighed. "Just do it, please? She's been a good friend to me. I just wanted to check she's okay. You're not exactly reassuring me she's okay, either."

"Alright." Flo agreed reluctantly. "But don't hold your breath. She barely says two words to me at the minute and she's living with me. I don't think she's going to just phone you up for a chat because it'll make you feel better."

"I've gotta go, just let her know I called. Okay?"

"Alright, bye Lando." Flo told him as she ended the call.

Lando was left running through the airport to catch the flight, but it didn't stop him from having another attempt at phoning Lottie as he did. It cut off and went to voicemail and he knew she'd declined the call again.