SEVEN MINUTES || L. NORRIS

THIRTY FIVE

Oh, I finally figured it out

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LANDO

"Isabelle?" I chewed on my lip as I stepped into her front room after using the bathroom. I was exhausted after training yesterday afternoon and was not at all ready to head out for yet another intense session tonight. I was nervous, my hands shaking as I mopped my brow, brushing the thin layer of sweat away from my forehead. The bulge in my back pocket reminded me of how important it was to do this right now.

"Lando, what is it?" I could hear the worry in her voice so I tried my best to reassure her by shaking my head as I approached her, heading towards the sofa where she was sitting.

"We need to talk." I sat beside her and sighed, watching as a look of complete fear took over her face, her cheeks dropping as she shuffled closer to me on the sofa. She looked so cute in her pyjamas as she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. I took her hand, which I could feel trembling beneath my fingers.

"Is everything okay? You're worrying me."
She bit on her lip as I shook my head, smiling a little in the hope of calming her, assuring her that I wasn't going to give her some bad news. In fact, it was the complete opposite.

"Just listen to me. It's good, I promise," I smiled, cupping her cheeks between my hands and leaning my forehead against her. "I want to tell you how I really feel about you, Isabelle, because I love you, and I am always going to love you."

She gasped, but giggled, nodding her head as i took her hands. I was so amazed by her beauty.

"A long time ago, I wanted to quit karting so I could spend my time with you. I asked my Mum but she told me it was stupid because she knew how important it was to me, and that's why we decided you would come to the track with me whenever you could," I smiled and Isabelle frowned. I'd never told her that before. She had no idea that I even considered quitting karting. "Even now, I am so willing to give up my seat in Formula 1 if it means we can be together, with no worries. This is never going to happen again. I'm not putting either of us through the pain I knew we both felt."

"I understand, Lando, but I'm not letting you do that for me," she shook her head, but I only tightened my grip on her fingers. "I'm going to travel with you, right? That's enough for me. You don't need to quit. I won't let you quit. Formula 1 is so important to you and I'm not letting that happen."

"Isabelle, if it gets too much for you, you need to tell me, okay? If travelling tires you out and makes you uncomfortable, you tell me and we reevaluate," I looked straight into her eyes. "Promise me, Issy."

"I promise." She nodded, her lips slightly curling up at the edges.

"I want us to have such a great life together, Isabelle. I want you to eventually be the mother to my children, I want us to have a little family of our own. Just you and me, with our babies, Issy," I could feel tears pricking against my eyes. "I can see me and you in a little home of our own, with our children running around screaming like little devils. I want that with you one day, Issy. I don't want anybody else."

I could see how emotional she was becoming. Her eyes were filling up with tears, her lip almost trembling, before biting down on her bottom one to stop anything from falling down her cheek.

"You make me the happiest man in the world and you always have done, ever since we first met in that shitty English class," I chuckled to myself, remembering the very first day I ever laid my eyes on Issy. Even as she wore her school uniform, with her hair in plaits, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. We were only fourteen, but I knew that the girl in front of me was none other than the girl of my dreams. "I can't imagine living without you. These past few months have taught me so many different things and even though being apart from you has absolutely destroyed me, I'm glad it happened because it's only made my love for you so much stronger. Isabelle, I love you."

"I love you, too. I will never forgive myself for what I said to you on the evening when we broke up, Lando. I needed you more than ever at that point in my life and I pushed you away," Issy's hand quickly moved to her cheek to wipe away the tear that slipped from her eye. "I cried myself to sleep every night. I didn't eat. I struggled to calm myself down because I knew you weren't coming home. Every race was so traumatic, after China I always had this irrational fear that you were never coming back. Lando, I think I would've pushed myself right to the very end if I'd gone any longer without you."

"Don't say that," I shook my head as I reached for her waist, burying my face into her shoulder. "I can't live without you. Living in a world without you is something I don't ever want to experience."

"You won't ever have to, Lando," she whispered, bringing her lips closer to mine and leaving a soft kiss against them. "I'm not leaving your side. I am so in love with you."

"I'm in love with you, Isabelle Martin," I smiled, removing myself from her grip and shuffling awkwardly in my seat. I felt sick. "This is why I'm doing this."

I stood up and pulled the small black box, kneeling down on one knee in front of my beautiful girlfriend, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"I know we are only young, and we don't need to go ahead with this tomorrow, but I want you to know that I will be waiting for you to feel ready to want to take my last name," I chewed on my lip as I opened the velvet box, to reveal the large diamond ring I'd purchased the previous day. "I am going to be committed to you for the rest of my life, Isabelle. I asked your father and he told me he wouldn't want any other man to take my place. I love you, Issy, will you marry me?"

Tears were pouring down her face as she cupped her mouth with her delicate hands, her head vigorously shaking up and down. I couldn't believe it. She stared at the ring, before looking at me, falling into my arms as she wrapped her hands around my neck.

"Lando, yes!" She cried, her body trembling with excitement as it cling to my own. "Yes, one million times, yes. I would love nothing more than to marry you."

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there's five chapters left after this one and i am telling you all now to brace yourselves