Redline | L.Norris

thirty seven

The buzz of the city hummed just beyond the glass doors, but up here, high above the paddock chaos, the world felt quieter. Isla sat curled on the cushioned chair of her balcony, Lando's hoodie wrapped around her, hair still damp from a second shower. The cool air hit her face, a welcome contrast from the heat of the day and the spotlight she couldn't seem to escape.

Her phone buzzed for the hundredth time. She ignored it.

Instead, she nursed a small bottle of sparkling water, watching the lights flicker across the bay below.

The glass door behind her slid open with a soft clunk.

She didn't need to turn.

Only one person knocked once and walked in anyway.

Kimi didn't say anything right away. He moved to the chair beside her, sat down with that familiar silence she'd grown up with. He wore a Red Bull team jacket now, slightly too new, like it had just been handed to him that morning. But it suited him.

They sat like that for a while. Just breathing.

Finally, he spoke.

"Good lap."

Isla huffed a laugh, soft. "You watched?"

He gave her a look. "I'm not dead."

She leaned her head back against the seat, staring up at the night sky. "I didn't think it would be that fast."

"You were angry."

"Yeah." Her voice cracked a little. "I was."

He didn't judge her for it. Just nodded slowly. "Sometimes, anger helps. Sometimes, it makes the car lighter."

"Is that how you used to drive?"

"No," he said bluntly. "I used to drive because I hated losing."

She looked at him then. He wasn't being poetic. Just honest. In the way he always was.

"And now?" she asked.

Kimi gave a shrug, the kind only he could make meaningful. "Now I watch my daughter set lap records. Better deal, I think."

The corner of Isla's mouth pulled into something fragile and real. "It's all a bit insane, isn't it?"

"You mean the media losing their minds? Or the fact that you beat Max's time and made it look easy?"

She gave him a sidelong look.

He smirked. "Both."

A quiet settled again. But it wasn't heavy. This one felt earned.

She exhaled, a bit of her weight slipping off with the breath. "Christian said the seat is mine if I want it."

Kimi was quiet for a beat too long.

Then, "Do you?"

Isla hesitated. Then nodded. "Yeah. I do."

He gave her a look, measured, but warm. "Then stop worrying about the noise. You're not here because of headlines. You're here because you're fast. Because you earned it."

Her eyes stung, but she blinked it away quickly. "Thanks, Dad."

Kimi stood after a moment, stretching slightly. "Get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be another long day."

He started to move back toward the door but paused. Turned just slightly.

"And Isla?" he added without looking back.