bucket list || l. norris

ten

* this chapter is the start of a little bit of drama... don't forget to vote and comment! it means so much to me <3 *

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After having a short break, I tightened the lid on my bottle of water before turning my eyes back to my laptop. Checking my emails would always be the most tedious part of my job. I loved travelling with Lando, so all of this was worth it. Just seeing him so happy and living out his dream made me feel like the happiest girl in the world and I was so pleased to be part of his team.

I could've worked from home today, but I wanted to be a little more productive than I would've been if I sat at my desk in my bedroom. When Lando told me that he was scheduled for some simulator work at the McLaren Technology Centre, I didn't hesitate to ask him to pick me up on his way. I had plenty to do; reading through emails and sorting out Lando's media schedule for China sounded like a perfect way to spend my Friday. We were flying out to Shanghai on Monday morning and I was really excited about it. I'd never been to China before and I really couldn't wait to explore, whilst also supporting Lando throughout the weekend.

Lando and Carlos were currently in a briefing with Will and Tom, but it wasn't scheduled to run for much longer. After that, Lando was headed straight to the sim before lunch, when Carlos would jump in and put in a few laps. I promised Lando that I would wait for him to get some lunch so we could eat together, something we used to do every day when we were younger if I joined him at the track. I still couldn't really believe that this was our life now. I was getting paid to work with my best friend and I was so happy. Just seeing the smile on his face while he did what he loved warmed my heart. When he jumped out of the car on race day, excited to see me no matter the result, my heart would skip a beat. The feelings between us, despite being totally platonic, were endless. I was lucky to have Lando in my life. I would never tire of saying that.

I'd never known so many emails sitting in my inbox. I genuinely felt pained by the thought of having to read through each one to filter out the requests for interviews and fill in Lando's schedule. Thankfully, I didn't have to write many press releases for Lando, if any, but I worked hard to engage with journalists for interviews. Sometimes, Lando hated me for it, but part of his job was to speak to the media, so he couldn't complain. He knew what to expect when he came into this role and his media training was top quality; he was always good with the press. I felt like gauging my eyes out at the sight of yet another email. I really loved my job, but this was definitely the part I hated the most. I rarely turned down interview requests.

"Hi, you," Carlos' accent was recognisable from a mile off. It wasn't hard to figure out when he was around. He took the seat opposite me with a smile on his face. It was nice to have some company because it meant I could forget about my emails for a while. "Lando went straight to the sim. I told him I'd keep you company."

"How was your briefing?" I folded my arms across my chest whilst making eye contact with Carlos. I closed the lid of my laptop.

"Alright," Carlos shrugged. He knew that I didn't understand any of the engineering side to their job, so he and Lando always left it out. "I think Lando almost fell asleep."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of my best friend. It didn't surprise me. He was probably up all night streaming or even just playing video games and I always had to tell him to tone it down, especially if he had work the day after. Lando didn't seem too grouchy this morning when he picked me up, but he knew exactly how I would react if he had an attitude with me. He was my best friend, but at the end of the day, I worked with him and I had to ensure that his media presence was positive.