VIPER || Oscar Piastri

Chapter 86

IM DOING PUB GOLF TONIGHT so here's todays chapter 🫡
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[POV: Narrator]

Andi tapped her pen against the page, eyes narrowing at the crossword puzzle in front of her. She had been wondering, at length, what kind of clue 'unexpected infatuation, (4,6)' was. She chewed the inside of her cheek, frustration bubbling up as she slowly slumped lower and lower into her seat.

Charles nudging her elbow every two minutes to ask if she'd decided on his proposition yet wasn't helping.

"You'll do fine," he kept saying, "Andi. Seriously. Don't overthink it."

Andi just gave a small, tight smile, tapping her pencil against her lips. "I don't know yet."

"They want you to come back for a reason," he continued, eyes bright. "Clearly, you're doing something right."

Andi let out a breath that was a evidently one of annoyance; one that said 'please stop.' She glanced back down at her crossword, trying to focus on the clue. Crossword puzzles were supposed to help her zone out. Instead, Charles' nonstop pep talk was making it impossible.

"Okay, seriously—can you just drop it now?" she muttered, trying not to sound frustrated.

But Charles didn't get the hint. On the flight to the Netherlands, he kept nudging her with little comments. "Marco really wants you back there, you know. He told me he can't deal with Francesco crying anymore."

Andi just kept her headphones on tighter and flipped to her movie, hoping the sound and distraction would drown him out. But no luck.

Just then, Alex popped up; she'd been sat quietly for most of the flight, but upon catching Andi taking a break from her crossword puzzle, she decided to chat."Hey! You excited to see Oscar?" she asked, all smiles.

Andi blinked. "Oh— yeah."

Alex shrugged. "Well, if I'd known he wasn't with you the whole time in Monaco, I probably would've come over more often. Someone should've told me." There was a teasing edge in her voice, but also a bit of annoyance aimed at Charles for not filling her in.

Charles just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

*

Upon arrival at the Dutch circuit, Oscar caught sight of the three of them almost immediately, and when Andi saw him, too, she slid her sunglasses down a bit, her eyes catching him briefly before she let them fall back into place. She didn't stop walking, but her pace faltered. When she got to him, she ended up half-embracing Oscar, an awkward, too-brief hug. Both of them were skittish, neither having seen or spoken to the other properly in a while.

Oscar's voice was low when he finally spoke, cautious and clipped. "Hi."

"Hello," Andi replied softly, avoiding his eyes.

Charles cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped a bit forward. "Oscar."

Oscar gave him a slight nod, his attention flickering briefly to Charles and Alex before they quietly wandered off someplace else.

The silence between the two of them was thick, the kind that makes a person hyper-aware of every movement. They had to start somewhere, and Charles's presence nearby made it clear they needed to show they were at least talking.

Oscar still held a bit of edge in his tone — he knew Andi had been spending a lot of time with Charles lately, and it stung more knowing he was miles away, helpless.