𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 𝐋𝐍𝟒

𝐗𝐋𝐗𝐈𝐕

A/N: ‼️PLEASE COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS ‼️

••••••

The week after his birthday in Eindhoven passed in a blur of quiet happiness and easy mornings. Milaine had shown him her favorite cafés, they'd wandered the streets of the city, and then they would come back to the farm, feed the animals, take a walk around, and then go back and cook dinner together..

It had felt like their own small bubble of quiet — the kind that made him forget what country he was in, what race was next, what came after..

Lando's phone had been mostly silent the whole time, because he put it the whole time on do not disturb... He didn't really talk to anyone since Brazil except for Milaine... He had only let a few people know that he was okay..

He only wanted to focus on her..

He'd even tried to memorize her: the way she tilted her head when reading, how she hummed when she concentrated. He knew he'd need the memory.

Because once he left, there would be no pause — Las Vegas, then Qatar, then Abu Dhabi. The last triple header of the season. Three weeks of chaos, pressure, endless travel. And she would go back to the UK to see her mother, her stepfather, and Denis — the kind of visit she hadn't made in months.

But saying goodbye that morning in Eindhoven still hurt. She'd walked him to the car, hair wet from the shower, face bare and soft. She kissed him once, twice, and smiled like it was enough to make it easier.

It wasn't.

And he called as soon as he landed in Vegas, he called her more than once a day updating her on the silliest parts of his day and told her to do the same..

Because it made it much better..

Vegas had been brutal — Max had outscored him across the weekend, securing the championship before the season officially ended.

Lando didn't hide his disappointment, but at least he and Max had talked — It was just an awkward hug and a congratulations, but the tension eased. They weren't friends again, not like before, but they'd reached a point where they could stand near each other without teeth-clenching.

Then came The Qatar race week.

It was Wednesday the 27th November and he was supposed to be already in his hotel in Qatar..

Yet he landed in Nice instead, slipping through arrivals unnoticed. Zak would kill him for missing the official schedule, and he'd get a fine for skipping media duties. He didn't care. The team could call it "a personal matter."

That was true enough.

He can't skip her birthday..

Inès had been in on it from the start. So was Mick, who texted her an hour before the party began — He's here.

By the time Lando stepped into the Monaco club, the night had already unfolded in quiet laughter and half-empty glasses. The lights were low and golden, the music just loud enough to blur conversation. Milaine stood by the bar, a drink in hand, talking to Jannik. They were both too absorbed in a discussion about racket balance to notice the shift around them.

Lando paused at the entrance, taking her in. Her hair was slightly longer, it only had been two weeks yet he noticed.. The silver dress shimmered every time she moved. She looked stunning.

He made his way through the room quietly, passing Inès and Mick, who tried and failed to hide their smiles.

Milaine was leaning against the bar, laughing and gesturing wildly with her champagne glass. Jannik Sinner was listening, amused, nodding along as she rambled about some wild theory on racket balance. She was tipsy, bright-eyed, and far more talkative than usual.