𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ∞ lando norris

t h i r t y - f o u r

(took it down because I published it too early without realising!)

CECILIA'S POV

"Okay, so catch me up right now. You are going to the beach, with a FRIEND." Tessa put emphasis on the word friend just as I had been doing for the past couple hours. "And yet you are wearing your best dress to go see him? Don't try deny this isn't your best dress, you told me yourself."

"We are friends and I feel pretty in this dress." I tried to come up with an excuse that was far from the truth but failed miserably.

"Ah. So you want to feel pretty for him?" She quizzed, leaning in as close as she could. Tessa was still heavily hungover, she claimed the slightest movements made her feel sick so now I was stood at the end of her bed, arms outstretched and dizzy from the amount of spins I was forced to do.

"If I want to be made fun of, I would have stayed in my room and called Marcus." I told her, turning serious.

"Okay! Okay! You look amazing and I hope you have the best time ever. Just be safe okay? And text me if you need anything, I will send Marcus up for you." She turned serious as well. I gave her a quick air hug, not wanting to get too close.

Closing the door, I began to run down the hallway and then down the stairs, deciding it was best to hurry out.

"Have fun!" Lina yelled from the lounge, eating the first food she had managed to today, some pepper and hummus.

"Bye!" I called back even if so wasn't planning to leave until I had put my shoes on and touched up the makeup I had put on. Due to Tessa's advice, I used my waterproof mascara, 'since it was a beach' and not too much else, not wanting to waste it.

Lando and I had planned to meet up at the beach despite his relentlessness of meeting me at the door. I felt as though it would be nice to get the walk in beforehand, to clear up my head a bit.

Since he had text me, it's been on a swizzle. I went through each of our interactions I could remember and picked apart my body language, even if it was on text. Sure, I found him attractive, nice, kind, nice to look at and some other stuff but that doesn't mean I like like him. People feel that way about friends constantly and you don't see them getting harassed by other friends.

But then I really thought. My friends had guessed it months ago, it was a joke at first of course but then it slowly turned into something they believed and now I never heard the end of it.

"Hey!" Lando said, wrapping me in a proper hug this time which I happily reciprocated. The time in which we had chose was the exact time for the sunset and it was perfect. I had expected the beach to be busy because it looks like prime time but we were the only ones here.

A mixture of pinks and purples are mixed into a beautiful ombré sitting comfortably in the sky as an almost good night to the sun. That's how I had always thought of it at least.

"Here, I set up a little blanket and stuff to sit on." He guided my way over with a hand hovering over my back, the pads of his fingers making contact briefly every couple seconds.

I sat down in the right of the blanket, Lando sitting down on the left. His blanket position had earned us the perfect view of the sunset, the sound of the waves adding the ultimate peace.

The silence that was lingering in the air was comfortable, neither of us having much to say after talking constantly for the whole of this holiday. Plus, the view in front of us didn't exactly need a conversation to go along with it, it was already perfect enough.

"It's so beautiful." I broke the silence, my eyes staying on the sun.

"It is." Lando replied, his voice almost gone in a daydream itself. This caused me to turn my head in his direction, our eyes locking.

"What?" I asked as a smile appeared on his face, fighting my own off.

"Nothing, the sky just looks very beautiful tonight." He took his eyes off me to look back over in the direction of the sea.

"I love purple." I stated, leaning my head into my knees that I had brought up to my chest.

"I know, that is why I brought you this." He nudged my arm, pulling out a bracelet from his pocket. It was the exact one I had been looking at on the first day but had decided to not get. A gasp escaped from my lips as I looked at it, taht smile finally breaking free.

"Thank you so much! Oh my god! I love it." I wrapped my arms around his neck in a make shift hug before taking it from his hand and putting it on my wrist. I squealed slightly at the sight, holding it up towards the sunset.

"It's perfect, thank you, really." I looked over to Lando, the biggest smile I had ever seen was plastered on his face as he looked over to me.

"I'm very pleased."

The sun set, giving us the signal to head back, despite our dismay. The feeling of not having enough time lingered in the air on our walk.

Lando had his hands placed firmly in his pockets as he walked, occasionally taking them out to point something out to me.

"My nan told me once if you do that and fall over." I ran my hand over my neck slowly, earning a laugh and shake if the head but he still took them out, showing me with his make shift jazz hands. I laughed at his antics just as the sight of the house came into view.

Pulling open the front door, I turned back to say a brief goodbye before closing the door.

My heart immediately stopped as soon as I closed the door, his failed goodbye shifting mockingly under the door, the sound of his retreating footsteps following.

"Love you."