VIPER || Oscar Piastri

Chapter 71

COUNTDOWN TO 200K!!!
I'll be posting every day until Friday at midnight GMT so look out! 😝🤟🏻
__________________________________________

[ POV: Narrator ]

It was raining.

Obviously.

Andi had been to the UK before— plenty of times. Mainly to race, or for press. Once for a wedding she didn't remember much of. She never stayed long— in and out. But even then, it was always the same: damp, grey, and clinging to her like a bad mood.

She stood at the edge of the hotel car park, arms crossed, hood up. Rain slid off her shoulders and soaked into her sleeves, the air smelling like wet concrete and unidentified herbal scents.

A car turned in. Oscar pulled up, stopping in front of her. He'd insisted he'd get the car himself, since he was the one who'd lived there for years and knew to drive on the left hand side of the road. They'd had to get a rental— nothing flashy, just functional. Andi had sent her own car back home to be fitted with a new bumper, courtesy of Lando Norris.

She got in.

He glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "You didn't bring a coat?"

"No," she said flatly, pulling the hood of Oscar's McLaren hoodie down and fixing her hair. "I'm used to sun."

Rain streaked past the windows as Oscar pulled away, windshield wipers slicing through the gray blur. He was driving her to the McLaren Technology Centre; She'd been invited to come by, since she'd been spending so much time with the team during the races.  Andi supposed they'd just give her some kind of tour, show her a few trophies, cars, or what have you, and call it a day.

It was still raining as they arrived; Walking towards the entrance, Andi kept her head down, shoulders tight against the cold. She'd forgotten how miserable rain made her.

Rushing ahead, Oscar had to jog to catch up. When he did, he caught sight of her face—wet hair plastered to her forehead, lips pressed together, eyes scowling against the drizzle. She looked annoyed. It was funny.

He reached out and pulled her hood up over her head, making her let out a frustrated sigh. She heard him snicker, so she grabbed his hand firmly without looking. The cold was sharp—Oscar felt how icy her hand was almost immediately. He then brought her hand into the warmed pocket of his coat and closed his fingers around it.

The warmth from inside the building hit them instantly, and Andi let out a full-body shiver. Looking around, the interior was sleek and futuristic—walls of glass, smooth metal surfaces, and rows of trophies gleaming under bright, clinical lights. Everything was precise, and it felt more like a high-tech alien lab than a garage.

But then—Andi's eyes caught a neat line of bikes parked against one wall. She stared over at them as Oscar kept talking about the trophies nearby, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"Wait—are those—" she started, but Oscar cut her off, brushing past with a quick, "Oh, be right back, just gotta check something."

He disappeared into the building, leaving Andi standing awkwardly by the entrance. She hesitated, pushing her hands deeper into the pockets of Oscar's hoodie. She tried to stay put, but the bikes seemed to be silently watching her, and the pull was becoming stronger. Her eyes peeked around, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other before taking a cautious step forward.

I'll just... go look...

She edged closer, sneaking slowly. Her fingers hovered near the brake lever of the nearest bike, eyes scanning its bodywork, the familiar branding, the tiny details she knew to look for.