𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐄, lando norris

09 ; can you stay?

A gentle shake brought me out of the land of dreams I had been in just a few moments ago.

The first thing I noticed was that darkness had already fallen. The second was that we were at my house. The McLaren was parked carefully in our driveway, as if it belonged there.

The third was this:

I hadn't had a nightmare.

Tired, I looked at Lando, who gave me a gentle smile. He also looked more exhausted than usual, as if the situation at the doctor's had affected him just as much.

But the hour-long journey must have also frayed his nerves.

"We're here." His voice was so soft, so gentle that I briefly feared I had imagined it.

A sound of pain escaped me as I sat upright. Indescribable pain flashed through my entire leg as I moved it just a few millimeters.

"Hey, are you all right?" Concerned, the British man immediately got out of the car and helped me to sit upright as soon as the passenger door was open.

With my lips pressed together, I nodded, not wanting to lie to his face again while he did nothing more than help me.

He truly had a kind heart and a beautiful soul that I would fall for if I wasn't careful.

"Are you okay?"

I was so captivated by his beauty that I hadn't even noticed that he was waiting for an answer from me.

I sighed.

"No." The honesty in my words seemed to catch him completely off guard, because his brows drew together briefly.

Tears gathered in my eyes, finding their way out far too quickly.

"Nothing works anymore." I shook my head in despair, not knowing how to express myself properly. The feelings inside me made me think I was going to die, but then there was my heart, telling me to wait, to be patient.

I shook my head, biting my lower lip to prevent further tears.

"I don't understand anything anymore, Lando. This is all so incredibly hopeless."

The Brit immediately pulled me into his protective arms, somehow seeming to want to comfort me in such a bleak moment.

I buried my face in the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent, enjoying the closeness he willingly gave me and letting the tears run —

Because there was no way to hide my feelings from Lando anyway.

"I'm here." he murmured and I could have sworn I heard his voice break. He sighed, exhaling his breath almost shakily.

Lando rested his chin on my shoulder and stroked my hair so gently that goosebumps ran over my body.

"I know." A sob escaped my throat as I clung to him so tightly that I was afraid he would break away.

"I'm scared, Lando."

He nodded. Nodded until he could take no more —

Pulled me that much closer to him.

"I know." he mumbled into my hair, twisting a few strands around his long fingers.

"I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

It sounded like a promise.

A promise that I would hold on to for as long as I could.

Lando slowly detached himself from me and placed one of his hands under my jaw.

"Let's go inside. It's getting late." I just nodded, having no strength to say anything back, and I was so grateful to Lando that he didn't expect an answer.

"Can you stay?" I felt so incredibly safe with the Brit and I couldn't describe it no matter how hard I tried.

I felt so incredibly desperate, so helpless.

"Of course."

He helped me get out of the expensive car, not complaining when my rail banged against the paintwork.

My heart wanted to explode.

I cried out as my leg hit the ground, could feel my muscles contracting and the blood running down my thigh.

Without hesitation, the McLaren driver slipped his arms under my legs and lifted me into his arms, carrying me to the front door where Jenna was already standing, greeting Lando with a warm smile.

She had obviously seen everything, because she looked at Lando so gratefully —

As if he had achieved something that no one else could have.

She moved aside so that Lando could carry me into the house and I told him the way to my room in the big family home.

Until recently, my parents had also lived here, but now the house was far too big for the three of us.

Lando made sure that my leg didn't bump into anything and put me down on the bed so gently that I almost didn't notice. The soft mattress beneath me was the only thing that convinced me that I was no longer in Lando's arms.

He took one of the blankets and rolled it up so that I could put my leg up.

"Tell me if anything hurts you." Lando sighed as he opened the door and went to walk through, however he stopped short. "I'll get you some painkillers."

It seemed to be bothering him more than he wanted to admit and it showed me that I should let him be less involved —

Because I didn't want him to feel bad about me or worry about me.

Lando came back with two tablets and a large glass of water, which he immediately handed to me, sat on the edge of the bed and waited until I had taken everything.

"Your aunt is really sweet." Lando smiled at me as he put the glass on the bedside cabinet and gently laid the blanket over my cool body.

"Yeah, she's the best."

Lando gazed at me thoughtfully, exploring my covered body with his beautiful eyes.

Goosebumps chased over my body, so intense that they felt indescribable.