Reserve... A Lando Norris Story

Ten

I get back to my hotel room about 17:40 and hop into the shower before getting changed into more comfortable clothes.

It's still hot so I opt for a pair of bicycle shorts and an old Martin Garrix shirt that I'm pretty sure I stole off an ex boyfriend.

I sit on the edge of the bed and debate whether to play my guitar to pass the time. I tend to bring it with me when I'm travelling, and now I'm a reserve driver I have a lot of downtime.

I may even finally finish that EP I've been working on for months.

Oh who am I kidding?

I give in and grab my guitar out of its case, as well as a notebook and pen to jot down any lyrics that pop in my head as I begin playing.

I try and think of things to write about but I can't shift the thought of Lando out of my mind. His voice, his smile, his laugh.

Fuck it.

I don't know how much time has passed but I'm torn from my songwriting trance by a knock at the door.

I jump up from the bed and swing the door open, revealing Lando, holding a bucket of popcorn.

"Hey! Where's Oscar?" I ask, gesturing for him to come in.

"Oh I'm a little early, hope you don't mind! Nice TShirt!" He smiles, stepping into the room. He glances at the mess on my bed and gives me a curious look.

I begin clearing away the torn up pieces of paper adorning the bed. "Thanks! And sorry, been writing. Time got away with me."

Lando takes a seat on the sofa, placing the popcorn on the bedside table, "Anything good?"

"Honestly? I don't even know anymore. A lot of it is just babble..." I chuckle awkwardly, as I grab my guitar to put back in my case.

"Can I hear it?" He turns and asks hopefully.

Definitely not. I'm not singing the song I just wrote about him, to him.

But then he turns to me and smiles cheekily.

That damn smile of his.

"Umm.. Yeah sure." I mumble, sitting down at the edge of my bed and organising my pieces of paper.

Fade Into You - Miley Cyrus

I sit there in silence for a second, before standing up to put my guitar away. I briefly look over at Lando as he's wiping a tear from his cheek, "Lando, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. That was. Wow. Just wow." He whispers, sniffling up slightly.

"Then why are you crying?" I ask confused, kneeling down in front of him.

"Because it was beautiful. What's it about?" He turns and asks, his eyes still glistening with tears.

I look at him and bite my lip slightly. Debating whether to tell him the truth.

But I can't. So I just shrug, "no idea. Babble mostly." I whisper.

"You're a shit liar you know that?" Lando smirks, his eyes burning into me.

I exhale and chuckle slightly, averting my eyes from him and looking to the ground. I can feel my cheeks start to burn. "Yeah I've been told."

He places on hand in my chin and tilts it upwards so I'm looking at him, "you know... some rules are meant to be broken." He whispers as he leans into me.

And I let him.

Our lips almost touch when there's a knock at my door.

Oscar. Of course.

Lando sighs, and slumps back onto the sofa in defeat.

Saved by the bell I guess.

I jump up and open the door, letting Oscar inside.

He looks at us puzzled, "why do I feel like I've just interrupted something?" He asks, slumping himself on my bed.

Told you. He can read me like a book.

"Valentina was just playing a song she wrote is all." Lando responds, giving me a sad smile.

"Ah I see. Give it here then." He gestures, pointing to my guitar.

I hand it over to him and chuckle slightly as he struggles playing the most basic chords. I have tried over the years to teach him. But I think he's a lost cause at this point.

"Mate that's not how you play a C!" Lando chuckles, leaning forward on the couch.

Since when does Lando know what a C chord should sound like?

"Well you have a go seeing as you're so good!" Oscar frowns, handing the guitar over.

Lando grabs it off him and begins playing a few chords, much to my surprise. "Since when could you play guitar?" I exclaim.

"I'm a man of many talents, what can I say?" He chuckles before beginning to play what sounds like the intro to a song.

I Can't Make You Love Me - Callum J Wright

He's surprisingly talented. I never had Lando down for a musician. He plays the guitar so well, and to be fair to him he has a nice voice.

He definitely needs a few lessons but he's not as bad as Oscar made him out to be. "Wow! I have some competition!" I giggle, "what song is that? I really like it."

"It's mine. You're not the only one who writes Valentina!" He chuckles, putting the guitar back into the case and joining me and Oscar on the bed.

"It's really good! What's it about?" I ask curiously, eating a handful of popcorn.

"No idea. Babble mostly..." he chuckles, shooting me a knowing look, our eyes locking for a second two long before he looks away and  changes the subject. "What film are we all thinking anyway?"

"The Hunger Games!" Oscar announces, grabbing the TV remote.

"Oscar you watch every film Jennifer Lawrence is in. You're obsessed." I chuckle, turning off the lights and grabbing a blanket for all of us.

"She's a very beautiful woman." He defends, clicking play and grabbing a handful of popcorn.

I don't know if it's the jet lag catching up with me or the coziness of this blanket but I can feel myself dropping to sleep around half way through the film.

Lando seems to notice and slips his arm under me, causing me to lay my head on his chest.

If I wasn't so sleepy I'd be enjoying this.