Merry McLaren Christmas | Lando Norris

Getting Ready

The morning of the McLaren Christmas party, I was stood in front of Lando's bathroom mirror. I stroked the blush chiffon dress as it flowed from my waist down to my ankles. It was, without a doubt, the most expensive piece of clothing I had ever worn in my life. Originally, I had planned to wear one of the dresses I had hanging in a wardrobe at my parents' house. However, when I had called my mom about shipping one to me, she had refused. "Absolutely not!" she had said, "sweetie, this is the Christmas party we're talking about! You're going to need something new!" I had sighed, because I knew she was right. None of my old dresses would make the cut for such an extravagant event as the annual McLaren Christmas party. After hanging up the phone, she had sent me a text offering to cover the expenses of a new dress. ‘See it as an early Christmas gift ;)’ she had written. So now, there I was, in a dress with a price tag that I didn't even dare to look at. Standing in Lando's compact bathroom, I was almost afraid to move, scared I might damage or stain the delicate fabrics. I took a deep breath in, feeling the dress tighten around my chest. Then, I let all the air flow out of my lungs, flattening my stomach. Hugging my torso I let out a sigh. Like any other public event Lando took me to, this night was going test not only my mental confidence, but also my body confidence. There were going to be photographers everywhere, and though I tried with all my might to avoid having my picture taken, they always managed to get one or two of me. I stood there for a few more minutes, looking at myself in the mirror. Eventually, after deciding on a hairstyle and a makeup look for the evening, I took off the dress and hung it back in Lando's closet.

Lando was working at his desk, busy designing his helmet for the next season. We had locked eyes when I had entered the bathroom with my dress on. He had grinned before turning back to his screen. I knew exactly what that grin meant: he knew how I terrified I was of dressing up for his public events and his grin confirmed that he was amused by my obsessive preparations for tonight. When I returned from his bedroom, he was leaning back in his chair, hand on his chin, staring at his screen. As I approached, without taking his eyes off of his creation, he asked me, "what do you think?". I came to stand behind him, bending over to rest my head on his shoulder as I examined his design. The helmet was blue with white, lime, and orange details. I knew the blue, white, and orange represented McLaren and lime was the signature color of his hero Valentino Rossi. Though it looked quite similar to this year's helmet, I immediately spotted the new detailing. White-and-lime flames ran along the bottom of the helmet. I pointed them out to him, "those flames look incredible, Lando. Nice touch, I think." He smiled and moved his mouse to zoom in closer on the flames. "Yeah, do you know what inspired me to add them?" he turned to me, grinning. I shook my head and he continued, "you." He took a strand of my hair between his fingers. "Your red hair always makes me think of flames whenever you move. I thought it would look cool if I implemented them in the design". I laughed. I knew he liked my hair color, and I felt honored to be represented in the design for his helmet. I was about to make a sweet comment about the dedication. However, when I saw how pleased he already was by himself, I just kissed him on the cheek and said, "I love you, too. Want some tea?"

That evening, I waited for the last possible moment to put on my dress. I was not going to risk something happening to it. Lando made fun of me for walking around with my hair, make-up, and jewelry all ready and done while sporting nothing but underwear and a bathrobe. "You look like a crazy housewife", he had joked and I had stuck out my tongue in his direction. We were sitting on the couch when we heard the honk. That was my cue. I ran into the bedroom, where my dress was waiting on the bed. As I lifted the dress over my shoulders I felt two hands on my waist. "I'll get that!" I heard Lando say behind me as he zipped me up. He then wrapped his arms around me and placed his lips on my neck. "You look beautiful," he mumbled. I spun around to face him. I winked and said, "look who's talking," before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He looked incredibly handsome in his suit. I ran my fingers along his collar and wiggled his bow tie. He smiled and leaned in to kiss me, but I playfully dodged him and grabbed his hand to pull him with me, "let's go, the car is waiting!"

During my time with Lando, I had seen a great deal of beautiful and impressive cars, but when I walked out of the apartment, my jaw dropped. Where Lando prefers modern, low and slick sports cars, I am more a fan of oldtimers - and the car stood in front of me now hit the sweet spot. I stared at the roofless navy blue Chevrolet Bel Air. I was drawn to it. With a stretched out hand I moved towards the car. Just before I could touch the cool metal, Lando grabbed my hand, "yeah, let's not stain the beautiful car with our fingers, shall we", he chuckled as he led me towards the door. I moved slowly, like in a trance. Lando had to guide me into the passenger seat, all the while watching that my dress didn't get caught anywhere. It must have been a funny sight. When his door fell shut I snapped back to reality. I let my hands glide over the wooden dashboard, "this is so beautiful." Lando snorted, "you ok? You're drooling," he pretended to wipe away some drool, stroking my chin with his thumb, as he leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. Then, suddenly full of energy, I turned towards him. "May I?" I asked, gesturing to the steering wheel. Lando looked at me, his hand on the keys in the ignition. It took him a few seconds to respond, "you want to drive?" He sounded surprised. I didn't blame him. It was an unusual request. Considering his career, it was pretty much a given that he drove us around whenever we went somewhere concerning his job. On other occasions, I knew he quite enjoyed sitting back and letting me drive. Whether this was because he liked to relax once in a while or because he had grown bored of driving in regular traffic, I didn't know. "You want to drive?" He asked again, just to check he's heard correctly. Smiling, I nodded. I saw him hesitate before opening his door, "ok. Let's go then." As he rounded the front of the car he motioned for me to remain seated. With a grand gesture he then opened my door and helped me out. I chuckled. He could be so cheeky sometimes. With a kiss, I passed him and took place behind the wheel. After adjusting the seat I decided to take off my heels and I theatrically deposited them in Lando's lap. I was not going to take any risks with this beautiful car. I took hold of the key, but before turning it, I glanced sideways. Lando was patiently watching me. When we locked eyes he winked and gave me a nudge with his elbow. He almost seemed proud to have given up his seat. Full of confidence, I turned the key and the machine came to life. I bounced up and down with excitement at the roar of the engine before shifting gear and heading off.