|a bunch of teenagers|
~dancer's dinner~
"i'm so tired,"
"second place clarke!" melanie yelled as she ran up to me soon as alex and i got off the stage. i hugged her and alex chuckled. "there's someone waiting for you in the green roon" he said and and melanie wiggled her brows.
it took me a second before i realised. "you're kidding" i said before turning around to see lando standing there with a yankees cap on his head. "p2?" he asked and i nodded as tears welled up in my eyes. i wrapped my arms around him and held on as if my life depended on it.
my parents weren't here today, nor were any of my siblings. maire had come to see me at rehearsal yesterday since her dorm isn't too far away but that's it. having melanie and lando here was a very big deal for me.
"does this mean we can go on dancing with the stars? that'll be funny, no?" he said, trying to make me laugh and succeeding. he wasn't a terrible dancer, i'd taught him a little bit of waltz but that's about it. "sure, i hope you don't mind, alex" i said and my dance partner laughed. "oh please" he said, resting his elbow on his cousins shoulder. "i'll be fine by myself, and felix will be more than happy to be my partner on stage too" he added and i smiled.
lando had his hands on my waist, dressed in a very different manner than usual. he wasn't a flannel guy and so i was guessing he'd taken it from oliver. "what's next?" he asked and i leaned into him. "just hug me. we can go out for dinner with the team later" i mumbled and i he hummed. "that's perfect. although, i was hoping we could maybe be alone for a little while. i wanna tell you something, top secret" he said in a whisper.
"top secret?" i ask confused and he nodded. i look around for my choreographer and guardian- "we're heading back to the hotel" she said before i could even ask her anything.
"you're coming, right?" i asked lando and he took a second before nodding. "yeah."
we all head out the back and to our van. "is he taking you out for dinner?" melanie whispered to me as i sat between him and melanie in the van. "no...i'm going with the team" i tell her.
i turn to look at lando who sat with his head against the window, picking at his nails.
we reached the hotel and melanie decided to go wait in her cousin's room so that lando and i could talk.
"so... what is this top secret deal you wanted to tell me about" i said jokingly as i slipped off my shoes and sat down to open my suitecase.
"final race is on the 23rd in portugal.i'm leading the drivers championship and i was wondering if...just maybe" he didn't have to say it, i knew what he was asking for.
"i dont think i can, lando. my parents won't let me. not to another country" i said and he sighed. "i know but...worth a shot. there's another secret i wanna tell you" he spoke, sitting down beside me on the floor and taking one of my hands in his.
"i'm in love with you"
he kissed my hand and smiled at me. i didn't hold back my smile as i leaned into his side. "i'm so grateful you're here lands" i say to him and and he hummed. "now go change quickly, i know you're starving right now" he said, tickling my sides and i chuckled.
"i am, only if someone could bring me a snack-" he pat the pockets of his cargo pants and handed me a packet of mnms and almonds. "you're welcome"
i opened the pack of mnms, and popped 2 green ones in my mouth before walking to the bathroom to get changed.
i walked out to see lando laying on the floor while texting away on his phone. "i forgot to tell my dad i was here." he said and i gasped. "don't do that" he turned his head a bit and grinned at me.
"not complaining about the view but maybe a longer a dress?" he said i felt heat rush to my cheeks as i kicked his leg making him hiss. "what? i wasn't looking up, you decided to stand there!" he said, sitting up and i checked my dress in the mirror...was it really that short?
"it's perfect, dont worry." lando said, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "i love you" i say and notice how his eyes brighten up, his heart was pounding so fast against my back.
we went out with everyone and decided to take a walk around the hotel after dinner with melanie tagging along since alex wanted to spend some time with felix.
"i'm exhausted" i said, sitting down on the curb and melanie looked at us confused when lando joined me. "do you just...sit down in the middle of the driveway because you're too tired for 15steps more to the lobby?" she asked, adding all the specifications and lando nodded for me as i rest my head on his shoulder.
"once she admits she's exhausted, there's no moving her, sorry mels" he said and i heard her chuckle. "and you just sit and wait till she's not exhausted?" i felt him nod again. "damn, do you have a third brother perhaps?" she asked him and he smiled.
"he's mine, mels. besides, don't fall for this, he just hates walking" i rat him out. lando did care, a lot actually.
"ah, makes sense. anyways, get your asses up, it's going go rain" she said and i snuggled into lando.
i couldn't care less if i was gonna get drenched, as long as i wasn't alone.
"i'm gonna carry you" "don't you dare pick me up" we said together and i reached out my hands to mel so that she could help me sit up before lando enforced his plan.
i began running with melanie while lando chased us, he was going slow on purpose,i knew because he didn't want me to run faster and break a foot in these heels. we've been in this scenario before, you see.
"i won" i said and he nodded. "i'll only accept losing jf its to you, games are an exception. i wanna demolish you,i dont care jf we're dating" he said and i laughed. "ofcourse, c'mon " he didn't follow us in.
"i have to go now, maeve. i fly out with oliver and dad tomorrow" he said and i looked down. "right..." i looked around shyly before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. he had a big, genuine smile plastered on his face that went all the way upto his eyes.
"not on the lips?" he asked and i just stood there nervously. we'd kissed before, multiple times but doing it in public always made me shy.
he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside the hotel lobby, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "can i now?" i nodded and soon enough i felt his lips against mine. it was a soft, simple kiss but still enthralling.
every. single. time.
---
~first meets~
"subway"
chapter: ???
i
met a boy.
on the tube whilst running late.
we crossed paths again later that day unexpectedly. he's a racing driver which is quite fascinating. never thought i'd ever be friends , or rather more than friends with one ever in my life.
he surprised me, once again, on the tube this time i knew exactly who he was.we didn't have time for a proper date then.
i was still running late, wrapped in my sister's clothes because of it and still, we made the 12 minutes on the tube ours. we got off at the same station and he walked me to a cab before running back out to catch a train beyond london.
we swore to never do that again, as fun as it was. it's forever going to be a fun little memory i'll think back to everytime i ride the tube.
(autumn of 2015)
---
~lando's 17th birthday~
"you're staying at mine , right?"
max clicked this picture. we'd all hit the club for lando's 17th birthday as an end of season celebration and definitely had more alcohol than we'd anticipated. we didn't drink outside, that was at max's house. 'pregaming' is what they called it. i'd had a fair share of champagne and sips of wine at church and events but never a proper drink before.
so many rules were broken on that day. i'd flown out to bristol all by myself for the first time ever, i did have a dance retreat in the following week so it wasn't a lot of hassle to convince my parents and surprise lando.
it was quite the night to remember, though we remembered nothing of it.
it was my first time, really going out and ...it was wild. it was all very new and i'd always thought i'd regret and i did...for a while until i didn't anymore. which is valid because, lacking parental supervision and being wasted was not a good combination. and that night, i learned that being told no only made you want it more. the key was to have no limits, that way you wouldn't want to test them.
i saw a different side of lando, a lot more intimate and open. as easy as it was to speak with lando, he didn't open up quickly, neither of us did.
"well i know won't be drinking champagne when i win" lando said, making a face and i giggled as we got to his room.
"all alcohol kinda tastes rotten to be fair. but it isn't all that bad. a good wine is a good wine. preferably not from a bag. i didn't even know that existed, oh my god this is so cute!" i exclaimed when i noticed a picture of lando and oliver in their race suits and lando looked like a tiny child next to his brother.
i'd never seen that picture before, wonder how because i'd been in this room before.
"stoopp~. my mom put it there" he said, wrapping his arms around me from behind and putting the frame flat down on his desk which was covered in papers with helmet sketches on them.
i just couldn't drop my smile as i leaned back on him. "your heart is beating really fast, are you okay?" i mumbled as i felt his heart thumping through my back.
"it's because of you. that little lando would collapse if he found out that he'd be your boyfriend. maeve clarke, you're literally the girl of my dreams." he said, nuzzling his face in my neck and i felt shivers when he pressed a kiss right at the base of my neck, trailing to my shoulder.
"you know, sometimes while racing... i think i'd imagined you all along and then i fear that you won't exist when i call you to tell you i won" he drunkenly blabbed.
lando was really cuddly whilst drunk, something i discovered. he was a person who enjoyed skinship but not as much as he did while drunk. he even clung onto max the entire time at the club, not letting go of him simply because he felt the bromance bloom.
"i'm real, i think." i say, turning around in his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck. i was scared he'd have a heart attack, i could feel his pulse a bit too strongly there.
"maybe kiss me so that i know for sure" he said while smiling like a little kid. i looked into his eyes, letting the fingers of my left hand trace along his eyes and nose down to his lips.
"you're real too" i concluded and he frowned. "i know i am, but are you?" he said and i leaned in to latch my lips onto his.
what was supposed to be a normal kiss turned into so much more, ending up with both of us stumbling and lando falling down onto the bed and pulling me with him.
we looked at eachother and laughed. "your button came off" i pointed out and he looked down at his shirt to see 3 buttons open. "welp" he said and i laughed as if it was the funniest thing. "no point keeping it on then, it's hot in here. we're in november, right?" he asked me while unbuttoning and taking off his shirt.
to be fair, the only time i saw lando shirtless was at the pool, once. i couldn't fight the urge to be closer to him.
"stop staring, i'm getting shy now" he said while looking out at the dark sky through his window, the tip of ears red.
"i'm not staring...i'm trying not to hug you right now" "huh? why wouldn't you want to hug me?" lando asked, sounding panicked. i just let into the urges and scoot onto his lap, resting my head on his shoulder after placing a kiss on it. my fingers aimlessly doodled over his chest and he just hummed.
i felt lando's hand trail down my back and i lifted my head to look at him. i could see the gears turn in his head as his hand kept trailing up and down my back mindlessly.
"what are you thinking about?" i asked, and he finally turned his head to look at me. " you." he said with a small smile, almost too small of a smile. "you're not telling me something" i said, readjusting myself in his lap to look directly at him, wincing when i felt the bottom edge of my dress dig into my thighs because of how i sat.
i let my dress roll up a bit so that i could sit comfortably. my head was spinning a bit and i felt myself droop but i tried my best to sit up straight. "what's wrong, you shouldn't be like this. its your birthday" i tell him and he hummed. "i know- can you sit somewhere else" he said, his voice was rather harsh. i paused for a moment, feeling my eyes warm up. "sorry", i muttered before moving but he stopped me.
"i didn't mean it like that, eve",
"you don't have to make up- it's okay" i said but his grip on my hips only got firmer. "it's not because i don't want you, it's quite the opposite" he said and i just looked at him confused, feeling my throat dry up.
he just chuckled and leaned in closer,
"i'm really fucking hard right now"
it took me a moment to understand what he meant and my face flushed almost immediately after it hit me. he hid his face in the crook of my neck. i gently brushed my hands over his now curling hair whilst feeling his breath on my neck. we'd been like this before but it felt different.
"oh..." i pursed my lips.
both of us were way too flustered.
"i need to g-"
"i'm so sorry, you can go sleep in flo's room"
i furrowed my brows. "i don't want to leave. i just wanna get changed because this is digging into my legs" i said, pointing down at my dress and lando nodded. "right, hm"
he immediately retrieved his hands and i slid off his lap and tried to pull it off, just then remembering that i wasn't wearing a bra underneath.
my eyes travelled around the room, looking for my bag, halting momentarily when i noticed lando covering his eyes with his hands. "are you done yet?"
"no...umm, i think max still has my bag" i say and lando peaks through his fingers before pulling his hands away from his eyes once he realised i was still in my dress, just the straps were down.
"take something from my closet if you want to." he said and i shook my head. "that's... that's not the problem..." i said, turning around and walking to his closet, opening it and spotting a dark blue tshirt amidst the bright shirts.
without thinking much, i glide my dress down, feeling a sudden coldness on my bare chest. i let my dress drop to my feet before putting on the tshirt.
the tshirt felt nice, a lot more free but the fabric was cool against my skin.
i turned around and froze when i spot lando looking right at me. "umm, you have a pretty back, i'd say something else but, really not helping my case here" he said and i cross my arms over my chest. "you're not the only one. i'm still woozy and we didn't even drink that much" i tell him and he gets up, making his way to me.
"i told you, i don't know if this is a dream or it's real" he said, allowing his hands to crawl up to my waist, resting on my bare skin under the tshirt.
it wasn't too big but big enough to fall loose on me. "is this okay?" he asked and i nodded. he kissed my forehead and and wrapped his arms over my back.
i'd never been this close with anyone before. "can i kiss you?" i nodded once again.
our kisses lead to us making out and we were back on the bed. lando laid on top of me, his hands still under my shirt, lips swollen and eyes bright.
"would you be okay to...take your shirt off?" he asked in a small voice. i let out a hum and sat up to take the tshirt off, my hands immediately flying to cross over my chest, leaving me just in my shorts. there wasn't a lot of light in the room, but his bed side lights were just enough for us to see.
"we're matching," lando said and i let out a laugh. "no we're not, you still have your pants on" all of that vodka hadn't cleared out of our system.
we knew what we were doing, but it felt right.
---
~getting lost in the streets of europe~
"you've got some of my lipstick on your face"
i'd acquired possibly the darkest tan of my life in that week.
we were walking all aroud malta for 3 days before going to monaco since lando was looking for apartments there with oscar. in essence, we were under the sun for too long. and that didn't end when we made a spontaneous plan to fly to spain
niamh was with lando's family while we walked the road, quite literally. we didn't exactly know what we were hoping to find, but getting lost for a couple of hours in a country neither of us had been in without a guide was a good challenge. especially since lando only knew spanish swears and i was only fluent in french.
we bought flowers off the street and wandered onto a beach. we ate some tapas and had some cheap sodas.
honestly, we didn't have a single clue of where we were. we were just us in a palce where no one knew us.
we were being silly in the streets of europe, oddly enough for the very first time we'd hoped to get recognised just so the journalists could give us directions to our hotel.
un/fortunately, we didn't encounter any on our entire trip since we were so deep into the towns. we could've called carlos but lando had a big ego and i was in it for the laughs. i mean, we made it out alive and only so much sun burn- it was a good week. having your own money and free will was fun. because i'd never used my family's private jet for shenanigans like this before.
this week was an absolute wreck and nobody except lando and i truly know what went down, and we'd sworn to take it to our graves so that's all i'm writing.
---
A/N
well... more chapters coming soon <3