Mutual Friends | Lando Norris

Chapter2 - Whole Again

                                  Liv's POV

When I answered the video call, the man on the other side of the iphone was dressed in his McLaren uniform that he often wore to races. Headphones hanging around his neck. From the background, it looked like he was still in his office.

"Hi Dad," I answered.

"Hi honey, d'you have a good flight?"

My dad looks nothing like me, except for his smile. I have my father's smile. The kind of smile you want to play over and over again like a sad song on repeat.

I am however my mother's daughter. Even in death, I wear her aura like the small family signet ring on my left pinky.

I am small in size with shoulder length jet black hair. My skin is a washed down caramel brown kind of colour. Normal for someone who is mixed race. Sometimes in the summer it feels like the sun kisses me for everyday that my mother won't be able to. I miss her a lot.

My mother used to tell stories over dinners of how my father wouldn't be allowed to pick me up from school because we looked so different from each other. The teachers would always make me point him out from a distance to be safe. She especially loved telling this story because it made my father blush. We don't laugh like we used to when our family was whole.

She passed away when I was 14. Went to sleep one day, never to wake up again. That's how I understood it as a child but later learnt what an aneurysm was in a biology class.

We used to be a small family of three living in sunny California. It is probably still my favourite place in the whole world.

"Yeah, the flight was okay I guess. Thanks for getting me the window seat."

Growing up in the same neighbourhood, my parents were childhood friend's who's families were heavily involved in the Karting industry before my father became a professional motor racer.

Old life was easy living. They grew up together, attended many races and eventually fell in love according to dad. But mom would always tell me she knew very early on. She just waited for him to realise it for himself.

I don't know how long I could wait for someone to fall in love with me.

"Liv, you're probably too young to understand this but one day you'll appreciate these words from your mother. Never be with someone who isn't all in with you. That, and who doesn't buy you flowers," she sometimes joked. The echos of her voice are now that of an angel in my head.

Admittedly, I remember their love the most. It didn't matter where in the world we could be because of Dad's dealings. They were always enveloped in each other's embrace and I was the stamp on top.

"It's the least I could do seeing as you wouldn't take the jet." He chuckled.

I stopped travelling with him shortly after the funeral. The therapists thought I needed stability, a sense of familiarity after experiencing so much loss.

They were wrong. I needed my father's love. I needed to be around someone who understood what I was going through. Moving in with my aunt and attending a "normal" high school wasn't what I wanted for myself.

I wanted to be with the only other person in the world who was the closest to her.

To the outside world, I always pretend to not remember anything from back then... "Childhood trauma often leads to gaps in memory, through therapy we'll be able to work through any underlying issues that'll arise from that."

Because if I don't remember, then I don't feel and surely that has to be better than living the rest of your life remembering that your heart is buried six feet under. What peace do the living know about that?

"Dad, that would've been unnecessary and besides you need it tonight to fly back from Budapest. I mean really?"

It wasn't a lie. My flight to London from Amsterdam was only a little over an hour long.

"Okay. Tell me when you've picked up your rental car." The All black vehicle was waiting in a designated pick up spot of the airport.

"I'm literally looking at it," I answered. "I'm surprised it's not orange or a McLaren."

Teasing my father about his work was something I enjoyed doing. A love learnt language of sorts.

"Liv, I thought you didn't want anything flashy. I would've gotten you-" he said, moving forward in his chair.

"I was only teasing. Really, and in any case it's my favourite car. You haven't forgotten."

From before I could drive, whenever I needed to travel, he would always rent out the same car for me. An all black Jeep Wrangler. It was the first car I fell in love with on my own. No racing influence, no performance specs being thrown at me. It had nothing to do with the world I grew up in as a child.

"I would never forget Liv. I'm just sorry I couldn't pick you up myself but this is the last weekend before we have a bit of a break from racing so I will see you tomorrow at home. Drive safe okay?"

"Promise I will. Good luck for the race."

"Thanks honey, we're starting in P4 and p9."

And in unison they ended the call with, "Love you always."

- Call Ended -

Driving doesn't bother me. I think it's a piece of my dad that got transferred into me through dna. Being driven by other people on the other hand, makes me mental. I hate being fussed over also, which is why I use my mother's maiden name.

I want to live as close to a quiet and normal life as I can. I'm not bothered by people not knowing I'm Zak Brown's love child. If anything, it makes my life somewhat easier. Or at least I think it does.

I put the address onto the navigator of the car, got my lofi music playlist going and started the 1hr drive to our house in Woking.

~~~

A/N : I hope you enjoyed this second Chapter!