VIPER || Oscar Piastri

Chapter 103

[POV: Narrator]

It was not normal for Andreanna Saunterre to be up first.

Her sleep must've been somewhat good, as she didn't even remember hearing Oscar come in. One minute the bed was half-empty, cold on his side, and the next— he was there. And it was morning.

She'd crept out of bed early, the apartment still silent, lit by dull grey light through the curtains she was sure she'd never been awake to see before. She made tea. Tidied the living room. Opened one of the windows.

She was buttering toast when she heard the soft creak of the hallway floor.

Oscar trudged in, rubbing at his eyes, hair a mess, and there was a faint redness to his face that made her think: definitely slightly hungover.

"Morning," he mumbled, leaning in to press a warm kiss to her cheek.

His hand found the small of her back, and she greeted him too. "Hey," she said, smiley for a second before she remembered what she had to do.

He moved to shuffle off, already reaching for a mug, but she caught his arm.

She stepped closer, lifted his hand between both of hers and started to toy with his fingers — fidgety, nervous. He clocked it immediately. The quiet. The way she couldn't quite look at him. His brows knit together slightly, but he didn't speak.

"Um. So, someone came by last night," she began, eyes flicking briefly toward the flowers on the table.

His eyebrows lifted, still bleary.

"Charles," she said, forcing the name out quickly. "He showed up out of nowhere. I didn't know he was coming. It was chill, though — he got me those," she gestured to the flowers on the counter, not having been placed in any kind of vase. Oscar didn't look. He was watching her face instead. "But then he said he wanted to 'apologize properly,' which apparently means getting dinner tonight, so..."

She trailed off, gauging his face.

She slid her fingers between his, while her other hand came up to rest at the side of his neck, thumb brushing lightly there.

"I said I would. Just because—" she swallowed hard, and her eyes dropped for half a second as her lashes fluttering like she wanted to look anywhere else. But then she looked up again, making herself stay there. "Because he said he was upset. Alex broke up with him. I only agreed because I didn't want to be rude. He was only here for a few minutes, and then he left."

Oscar didn't speak for a moment.

Then: "Okay..."

"I was gonna tell you last night but you were out late and I passed out before you got home." She offered a guilty little smile, squeezing his hand once. "I just didn't want it to be a thing."

He nodded, just once. "It's cool."

And then he slipped his hand out of hers, gently. Like he didn't want to make a big deal of it — or maybe didn't trust himself not to.

He turned and walked toward bathroom.

Andi stayed standing there for a moment, arms awkwardly hovering now, like they didn't know what to do without him in them.