Formula 1 One-Shots (II)

Lando Norris [Girlfriend?]

A/N A little story with Lando. I hope you like it! I would appreaciate some feedback, either on the one shot or the future of my writing (:

WORDS: 1131
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Being a bit lost in the paddock is probably what most people feel when they attend a race weekend for the first time. At least, this is what I hope it's like because otherwise, I would feel even more embarrassed at being lost here. Right now, I'm somewhere between the McLaren and Ferrari motorhomes, trying to find the location one of my friends sent me where we could meet up, but I'm sure I've already walked past that spot.

"You're Lando's girlfriend, right?" A low voice suddenly speaks up, and I look up, more than surprised to spot Carlos Sainz in front of me. I only manage to stutter something when he already keeps talking.

"Of course, he didn't show me a picture, only described you, and I thought that couldn't be a coincidence with you being here in front of McLaren."

"Well," I try to speak up, but Carlos doesn't let me explain anything.

"I know you two wanted to keep this a secret for a little longer, but I'm really happy he's in good hands again. He was getting lonely." Again, I want to speak up, trying to tell Carlos that he's talking to the wrong person and that he probably shouldn't spill the secret about Lando's relationship, but he just keeps talking.

"Does he know you're here? He didn't tell me anything about it." Carlos pouts for a second, and slowly I get frustrated that he doesn't even give me the chance to say anything.

"Oh, or are you surprising him?" Carlos's eyes light up, and finally, I think I get the chance to clear things up.

"The thing is..." I start, but Carlos looks past my head, and I've lost my chance of explaining anything. "He's coming, wait here, I'm going to get him." And with that, Carlos sprints off to get Lando, who hopefully will clear up this mess.

"Sorry, sometimes he tends to go overboard." A woman approaches me, and I'm pretty sure this is Carlos's girlfriend, but since I'm not that into gossip, I can only guess.

"I noticed." I mumble, my eyes lingering on the scene where Carlos talks with Lando, his hands gesturing in the air. Everything about this situation feels so bizarre, but not for much longer. At least, this is what I hope for.

"Let me guess: You aren't Lando's girlfriend." She says, and I am relieved that she's guessing right.

"Exactly, but Carlos didn't let me say one word about it." I sigh, and the woman smiles at me, like she knows exactly how a conversation with Carlos can be.

"That's what I thought." She just says, before continuing. "But to be honest, I don't think Lando is taken. He probably just told Carlos he has a girlfriend so he'd finally stop bothering him about having to go on a date or anything like that." I still feel like I'm getting to know things right now I'm not supposed to know as a fan.

"I can only imagine." I mutter, because I can picture the exact interaction of Carlos babbling and babbling while Lando just wants him to stop talking. Just then, I see the two men walking over to us.

"Let's clear this up." I say, but she stops me.

"Please, just play along. Carlos deserves it."

"I don't know." I hesitate because I'm not sure if this is what Lando wants, or if there's a real person he likes who might get hurt by it.

"I'm going to distract Carlos a bit, and you can talk with Lando." She decides, and before I can protest, she walks away, stopping Carlos in his tracks while giving Lando an encouraging smile. I only have a few heartbeats before he's right in front of me.

"Hi, boyfriend I didn't even know I had." I greet him, and he gives me a crooked smile in return. Looks like Lando isn't sure how to act either.

"Hi." He mutters, eyes scanning me for a second before he looks over his shoulder at Carlos. "Sorry that Carlos annoyed you." Lando apologizes, and my heart feels warm at his honest words.

"Don't worry. His girlfriend?" I ask, and Lando nods before I continue. "She already told me what she suspects is going on, but she also said that I should play along to fool him."

Lando stares at me for a moment, and slowly I start to feel uncomfortable. This was a bad idea, just as I thought. He probably is seeing someone and just wanted to be polite and say hello.

"Sorry, you probably have someone, and the story you told Carlos was the truth..." I start rambling, but Lando interrupts me.

"Nope, it was a total lie to give me some rest." Lando clicks his tongue and tilts his head. "It's just funny to me that he found someone who exactly matches the description I gave him of this 'girlfriend' of mine." He explains, and I blush under his look.

"Well, he gave me quite the shock when he casually asked me if I'm your girlfriend."

"Sorry for that." Lando apologizes sincerely, before adding, "Anything I can do to make it better?"

I look at him at a loss for words, not even able to form one coherent thought. Lando seems to be waiting for an answer, but I can't give him one, so I stay silent until I manage to say, "You don't need to do anything, we can just forget it."

"Or," Lando hesitates, "if you don't have a partner, aren't seeing anyone, and would be up to fooling Carlos for a bit, we could just play along."

"I..." Being speechless in front of Lando Norris wasn't how I imagined my day in the paddock to end, but here I am, really thinking about the potential act of a relationship.

"You don't even know me!" I exclaim, and Lando laughs softly.

"True, but I feel like you aren't the stalker type of fan. Or are you going to faint when I act like I'm yours?"

A hot wave rushes over my face. Somehow, his words make me feel like a giddy teenager in love for the first time. I don't even know why I manage to act so confident in front of him, usually being shy around celebrities, but Lando makes me feel pretty calm.

"I will only do it if it doesn't damage anything." I give a condition, and Lando tilts his head a bit to the side like he's thinking about my words.

"We'll figure something out." He states after a moment, and I think about anything else we should talk about when he holds his hand out toward me.

"Deal?" He asks, and I take a deep breath before taking his hand.

"Deal." I accept, and as soon as our fingers touch, Lando intertwines them with each other, pulling me close.

"Well, girlfriend, let's start act one." He grins, and I can't hold back a smile either. This will be an interesting time.