The Finish Line Kiss - Lando Norris

✦˚₊‧⁺˖ chapter 16 ˖⁺‧₊˚✦

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Two weeks had passed, and Zoe could barely recognize herself. She'd been shutting Lando out, avoiding his texts, keeping calls short, and finding every excuse to dodge his questions. The guilt weighed heavier each day, and now, standing backstage in Milan for her next show, she was crumbling under the pressure.

"I can't do this," she muttered, pacing back and forth as Shira watched her with wide eyes. "What if I miss a note? Forget a verse? THE WHOLE SONG?"

"Zoe, calm down," Shira tried, grabbing her shoulders to stop her frantic movements. "You've done this a million times before. You're going to be amazing, as always."

"But what if I'm not?!" Zoe snapped, her voice rising with panic. She pulled free from Shira's grip, her breathing quick and shallow. "What if—"

She froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening in pure shock. Lando was standing in the doorway, looking out of place among the flurry of assistants, stylists, and sound techs bustling around.

"WHAT are you doing here?!" she screeched, her voice bouncing off the walls.

Shira jumped, her gaze darting between Zoe and Lando, unsure whether to step in or stay out of the way.

Lando held up his hands, a sheepish grin on his face. "Nice to see you too, superstar."

"Lando," Zoe said again, her tone now laced with disbelief. "Why are you here? How are you here?!"

"Relax," he said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "I'm not here to mess with your show. I just figured... since I'm still in Italy, I'd come support my best friend."

Zoe's jaw dropped slightly, her heart pounding for all the wrong reasons. "You didn't think to maybe call? Or text? Or give me a heads-up?"

"Would you have let me come if I had?" Lando countered, raising an eyebrow.

Shira, sensing the rising tension, slowly edged toward the table of bottled water and snacks, pretending to busy herself.

Zoe opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing she didn't have a good answer. "That's not the point," she muttered, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

"Look," Lando said, his tone softening as he stepped closer. "You've been... distant lately. I thought maybe I did something wrong. I just wanted to see you."

Zoe felt her heart clench. He looked so genuine, so concerned, and it made her want to scream. She could feel Shira's eyes on her, waiting for her to respond.

"You didn't do anything," she mumbled, looking down at the ground. "I've just been... busy."

"Too busy to even talk to me?" Lando asked, a hint of hurt creeping into his voice.

Before Zoe could answer, her manager burst into the room, clipboard in hand. "Zoe, soundcheck is running late. We need you on stage now!"

Saved by the chaos, Zoe took a step back, pointing toward the door. "I have to go. We'll... talk later, okay?"

Lando nodded, though his eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, searching her expression for something she couldn't bring herself to show.

As he stepped aside to let her pass, Shira gave him an apologetic smile before following Zoe out.

"You're going to have to tell him at some point," Shira whispered as they walked toward the stage.

Zoe didn't answer, her chest tight with the weight of everything unsaid.