Merry McLaren Christmas | Lando Norris

The Party

A couple of hours, courses, and speeches later, it was finally announced that our next and final course would arrive soon - desert. A sigh swept through the room, the result of hours of sitting still and trying to stuff our face with the ridiculously good food, while also having to keep the conversation at the table going. It was also explained to us that some time after desert, the doors to another room would open. Zak had refered to it as "the ballroom", to which Lando and I had raised our eyebrows at each other, poking fun at the only slightly outdated term.

Desert came and went. After scooping up the last crumbs onto my fork and having to resist not licking the plate clean, I threw my napkin on the table. Hugging my stomach, I sighed dramatically, "I can't! So full!" The other guests around the table snickered. One by one, they slouched into their chairs, some even unbuttoning their jackets. Lando lifted his glass of water to his lips, frowned, then shook his head and put it back down. "I need to lie down, honestly." He acted as if he was searching the room for a spot, landed his eyes on me, and theatrically rested his head on my shoulder. I moaned, flinching, "no, don't touch me. I'm too full. I might throw up. Ugh." I giggled and nudged him off, almost making him tumble off his chair. He caught himself and took my hand. I moaned again, but I let him take it. Some of the guests at our table were getting up and making their way towards the ballroom. I turned my head slowly and gazed in the direction of the open doors. I squeezed Lando's hand, making sure he was still awake. "I really want to dance, but I don't think that's a good idea," I said, slowly. "Oh I'm sure it's not a good idea," he mumbled back, rolling his neck so he was facing me, his eyes closed. "Then what do we do, we can't just sit here all night while everyone is dancing and having fun." "Just give me a few more minutes. Then, when the food has gone down, we can go dance. Alright?" I smiled at his sleepy face, "sure," I said, as I looked at the guests that walked past, "just a few more minutes."

The ballroom was already packed with people when we finally made our way over to the dance floor. The volume of the music had slowly been increasing, beckoning me towards the sound until I could no longer sit still. Groups of people were standing along the walls, attempting to talk to each other over the music. In the middle of the room was the dancefloor, marked by a shiny wooden floor instead of carpet. Lando and I stood at the doorway, taking in the scenery, when suddenly I felt a tug at my wrist. It was Carlos. "Hey! Why aren't you dancing? This is good music, no?!" He yelled in my ear. I leaned back, covering my ear with my hand. "Hi Carlos!" I said back, at a significantly lower volume. I wanted to tell him that we had only just come in, but he was already pulling me onto the dance floor. When he found a spot in the midst of the crowd, he let go of my arm and started dancing. I mirrored his moves, all the while laughing at Lando, who was having a hard time making his way over to us through the sea of people. When he finally reached us he gave me a kiss on the cheek and started dancing. Holding both my hands in his, he moved his feet to the rhythm. He was a good dancer. I had first seen him dance at my parent's house. Everyone was out, we had the house to ourselves. We turned up the music while I cooked us dinner. He had asked me repeatedly if he could help, but I wanted to prepare the meal on my own, it felt more special like that. So, instead of helping, he just hung around the kitchen, talking to me. All the while, he was moving to the music, dancing. I noticed his moves and complimented him on them, to which he replied with a cheeky moonwalk. After that, I had often cheered him on whenever there was an opportunity for him to show off his skills. He liked being good at it, I could see. I think he liked  having a 'secret talent', something not many people knew of and were always surprised to see.
Now, on the dancefloor, was no exception. Plenty of eyes were watching him dance. His eyes though, were on me. I tried with all my might to follow his lead, but I have never been as agile as he is. I joked it off, making it clear to everyone that I was aware of my lack of skill, but that I was, nonetheless, enjoying myself.