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x-lipstickstain-x · 2 years

Text

Own Goal -LN (Part One)

Lando Norris/Original Character

Summary: After some encouragement from his best mate, Lando finally makes a move on the girl he has been crushing on. Though when he thinks about the situation a second too long, he scores an own goal.

Word count: 7.6k

It started when Max and Lando were streaming on Twitch. It was a simple watch along to one of the Euro 2020 football matches, when a fan asked if they would be going to see any of the England games. The initial answer was ‘no’, they hadn’t planned to go to any games, but it did spark an idea.

So after it was clear that England would be playing in the final, their decision was made without any doubts. The next day, Max told Lando about how he managed to get three tickets and Lando was pleased, not questioning who would be joining them; they had a few friends who would be willing to go for sure. Though he wasn’t aware that Max already had different suggestions, he just had to find the right moment to ask him about it.

Few days later Max sat on a bar stool in Lando's kitchen, which was temporarily also his kitchen. He tapped away on the laptop, searching through Netflix to find a movie to enjoy tonight, while Lando softly hummed along to the beat of the music, the dinner leftovers reheating in the oven.

“Have you asked anyone if they’re coming on Sunday yet?” Max raised his eyebrows at the question, a puzzled look on his face before it clicked what’s happening this Sunday. How had he managed to forget? “You’re kidding?” Lando laughed, noticing the guilty look on Max’s face.

Max winced. “Well I was actually going to ask you first to make sure you weren’t going to throw a hissy fit and then I forgot.”

“Why would I?” Lando shrugged. “ I don’t care who comes.”

A half smirk tugged at Max’s lips. “So you don’t care if we take Josie?” Max now fully smirked, seeing the glint in Lando's eyes just at the sound of their mutual friend's name. He also couldn’t hide that he was a little surprised at the suggestion, sure they were good friends, but it's been a while since they hung out.

"That freak she calls her boyfriend won't let her." Lando tried to keep his cool, recalling the amount of times the girl's boyfriend approached him, making it clear he was not to go anywhere near her. It wasn't even like there was something between them, they were just good friends, though perhaps her boyfriend potentially saw right through Lando and his not so subtle glances.

"They're not together anymore, did you not know?"

"Well no, we haven't really talked much recently." Lando grimaced, knowing how much her toxic ex-boyfriend harmed their friendship with his jealousy, he did notice the lack of posts of them together, but he felt a bit weird asking about it. Now he was surely happy for her to be out of that relationship.

"Well we talked and she wants to hang out with us whenever you're free." Max's smug expression remained. "She said she wanted to message you but she knows how busy you are so she didn't want to bother you."

Lando puffed out some air, a smile lighting up his face. "She could bother me all she wants." Max laughed, shaking his head at his best friend who was already zoning out.

"Are you ever gonna stop pining over her?”

The smile on Lando’s face turned sheepish, he decided to ignore Max’s question, though still lost in thought resulting in him reaching to take out the glass dish from inside the oven. Thankfully Max was alert enough to yell at him, preventing the potential disaster.

“You muppet!” Max looked highly unimpressed, shaking his head and nudging the McLaren driver out the way to take over the food prep.

When the boys sat down to eat, Max sent their friend a message asking if she was able to give them a call, but they hadn’t expected the phone to ring within just a few minutes. Max answered, greeting Josie and asking her how she was while Lando sat there with a smile, listening to the conversation as he waited for a good time to make her aware of his presence.

The moment came when Max mentioned that they were wondering what she was doing on Sunday night. The girl paused for a second, “Wait, who’s we?” she questioned.

“Josephineeeee!” Lando beamed before he could think of anything normal to say. Max laughed at the happy noises which came out as a squeal from the other side of the call, Josie always scolded them for calling her Josephine as it wasn’t her name, but in this case she clearly did not mind.

Lando had easily slipped into his playful self, throwing a joke here and there, not worrying about how he completely took over the conversation from Max. It turned out that Josie was free and more than happy to join them, it didn’t surprise them how eager she was since she probably knew more about football than both of them combined.

“Well, that was easy." Max put his phone down after the call ended and continued eating. "You owe me, you'll finally be able to make a move." He poked his fork at Lando.

A frown made its way onto Lando's face at the words. "Who said I'm gonna make a move?"

Max shot him a confused glare from across the table, his hands facing up on the counter. "What do you mean? We go to the match all dressed up, you'll make her go crazy. Easy." He presented his plan as if it was just that simple, though he could see how unconvinced Lando was. "What?"

It seemed like Lando’s happiness from the call had slightly faded already. "Mate,I don't know. I just don't want to get involved with another girl only for her to ditch when she gets bored or finds-,".

"Don't give me this bullcrap again." Max groaned, dragging his hand down his face, already growing sick of hearing it. "As if she was ever just another girl to you." It was Lando's turn to groan in response because he knew Max was right.

Lando was glad that Max didn't go back on the subject that night, it was enough that his thoughts were fighting in his head. Josie was perfect girlfriend material in his eyes, always caring and the same sense of humour he had, it made him think he never really stood a chance, but god did he want one. Yet, he still couldn't shake the thought that he shouldn’t get involved with anyone, he hated the vulnerable feeling which came along with attachment.

That night, sleepily Lando typed the name into the search bar on instagram. Every picture of Josie radiated positive vibes and confidence, her smile being contagious as it quickly spread to Lando. He stopped himself from scrolling when he felt the familiar stir in his gut, he'd never admit to having butterflies, but the images from almost 6 months back, of them hanging out brought back the memories along with the feeling.

When he closed his eyes, her face was still all he could think about, he felt so much dread yet excitement about the day he would see her. With that he fell asleep, hoping he wasn’t going to hate Max for bringing Josie back into his life again.

Coming back home after the Goodwood festival and getting stuck in traffic didn't really leave much time for the two boys to get ready for the match. Max was thankful Lando's house had more than one bathroom, which he never really used the advantage of unless he had people over, but it meant the two could shower at the same time, saving one of them at least 20 minutes.

"So what do you reckon the score will be?" Lando asked, carefully ironing out their shirts while Max was halfway through getting dressed.

"Don’t know mate, but I feel it'll end in penalties."

Lando scoffed, shaking his head. "Nah, I have a good feeling, it'll be over in 90 minutes, like 2:0 for us."

Lando knew close to nothing about football besides the basics. "Your imagination is running a bit wild there." Max laughed at his best friend, skilfully catching the shirt which was thrown at him before pulling it on.

"No seriously, wanna bet?" Lando confidently stuck out his hand, Max continued to laugh though he decided to shake on it. "What are we betting on?"

Max shrugged, neither of them really having ideas, doubting either of them will even remember this later on. "We'll see. Winner decides."

Meanwhile Josie arrived at the door, shifting her weight from one foot to the other while checking her appearance in the reflective window on the door. She rang the doorbell the second time, waiting for one of them to grace her with their attention and open the door.

Her jaw dropped at the sight of Max who was buttoning up his white shirt. They did tell her to dress smartly as they would be doing so, but she didn't expect a suit.

"Hello gorgeous." He grinned, letting the girl inside. The second he saw her, he knew right away that Lando was about to lose his mind.

"Oh holy crap, look at you!" She gasped, shamelessly eyeing him up from head to toe upon entering the large hallway.

"Someone's gonna pull tonight." She winked playfully, greeting him with a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"If anyone's pulling tonight it’s Borris." Max nodded his head down the hallway, instinctively the girl turned around just in time to see Lando come out of the room, busy trying to fix the collar of his shirt as it was stuck on the black blazer he was wearing.

Josie bit the inside of her cheek, she was a bit speechless, the greeting getting stuck in her throat as she let out a shaky breath. Her usual confident self was absent for a moment, earning a loud laugh from Max beside her, the girl swiftly elbowed him in the ribs. When Josie looked back ahead, her eyes met Lando's. He already managed to get a good look at her figure, the way the dress hugged her curvy hips was going to be the death of him.

"You boys weren't kidding, you really went all out." She smiled from ear to ear, already heading towards the curly haired boy.

His grin was bigger and definitely more smug, he got quite a boost of confidence from the way he caught her gaze drifting all over his body. "Hello Josephine, like what you see, huh?"

Josie rolled her eyes. ."Very much so." She flicked her tongue over her lower lip, Lando clenching his jaw, ensuring he didn't let out a sound which almost came through from the back of his throat.

In better lighting, Josie noticed how the white button up shirt really complimented his tanned skin, how his hair looked like he just had a recent trim, his ears gently poking out, something she found adorable. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips to his cheek the same way she had greeted Max. Lando held her gently, the soothing fruity scent of her hair making him smile fondly.

They had a quick catch up as Max went back to finish getting ready, Lando meanwhile still struggling with his collar.

A chuckle left the blonde's lips. "I've got it." She wandered over to where Lando was standing, putting him out of his misery as she fixed the creased collar, making it fold nicely. Just a gentle brush of her fingers on the back of his neck was enough to send shivers down his spine. She hadn't even been here for ten minutes yet and she already had his head spinning. How the hell was he supposed to survive the night? Little did he know that Josie was planning on getting her hands on him at every little chance she got tonight, craving the feeling of his skin and seeing his reaction to her touch only made the craving stronger.

They made their way to the Wembley stadium once all three were ready to head out. The crowds were slightly terrifying, the London streets flooded with people, some way too rowdy for their own good. They were glad to arrive at their seats without any inconveniences, in particular happy with their location of the sector being a little further away from the rest, allowing them some more privacy.

Conveniently, Max let Lando and Josie sit besides one another, he pretended not to notice their wandering gazes and how their eyes always met when laughing or cheering throughout the game, he did feel a little as if he was third wheeling, but it was okay because seeing the two so happy simply made up for it. Max could no longer hide his smirk when their hands started exploring more limits as they talked, as they laughed, placing their hands on one another, Lando’s hand lingering on her thigh for a few minutes.

Unfortunately for them, England lost in penalties, which was a little disappointing yet they were still in good moods after seeing such an important game live. When people started leaving they decided not to get caught up in the floods of crowds and hang back for a while, entertaining themselves by taking pictures with the pitch in the background. Max grinned at his best mate when Josie asked Max to take a picture of her with Lando.

“You’re next, don’t know what you’re grinning about.” She chuckled at Max, Lando resting his hand on the curve of her waist as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Wow, your blazer is seriously soft.” She pressed herself further into him, Lando glancing down at her, a fond smile spreading across his face. Max of course snapped a picture of them before taking normal pictures of the two, where they actually focus on the camera rather than each other.

Leaving the stadium turned out to be more difficult than they had anticipated, the English fans clearly not very happy with the result of the game and were causing havoc all around. They had expected people to have mostly cleared out now, but they were wrong. Josie turned back, her eyes desperately searching for Lando, ready to grab hold of his arm at the fear of losing each other or being grabbed by someone, it seemed as Lando had the same idea, his arm snaking securely around her waist and yanking her towards him as people almost went crashing into her. They both reached out for Max, also pulling him to the side as they waited, standing against the wall until one of the security staff noticed them and guided them safely out of another exit.

Max announced he would be staying at his parents place tonight as he was due to go out for lunch with his family tomorrow, he said his goodbyes, not before reminding Lando how he had predicted the game to finish in penalties, which the other had failed to do, therefore as part of the deal he expects Lando to ‘finally make a move’. It took Lando a good moment to figure out what Max meant by that, but it clicked when he turned back around to look at the girl that’s been occupying his mind.

They hovered in his driveway after arriving back at his house. "Uh Josie, do you maybe wanna come for a drink?" He asked, his hand rubbing against his forehead, brushing away the curls.

She chuckled, pointing in the direction of her car sitting on his drive. "Lan I have to drive myself home."

"Well you could stay the night, I have guest rooms." He shrugged.

"Of course you do." She laughed at his subtle flex of having a huge house.

Lando was almost certain it would take some convincing for the girl to stay over, he was thinking of arguments he could give, though she just looked back at her car before turning to him with a smile. "Okay sure."

She propped herself up onto the kitchen counter, her legs crossing over one another. Josie carefully watched as Lando reached into the cupboard for some wine glasses, he had slipped out of his blazer therefore giving her a perfect view when the white material of his shirt stretched along his back, highlighting all his muscles.

The blonde spotted his blazer hanging on a stool, she took hold of it before pulling it on, it was a little too big, but she felt good wearing it. It wasn't something Lando expected to see when he turned around, almost dropping the glasses onto the floor. His lips quirked up, the thought of her wearing nothing but his blazer crossed his mind and he quickly had to brush them away else there would be a problem.

"How do I look?" She chuckled, flicking back some hair. She knew she looked good, simply judging by the intensity of his gaze.

"Almost as good as me." He grinned from ear to ear.

"I'll take that, you looked unreal."

Lando placed the glasses on the counter beside her, his hand reaching up to her neck. A few strands of her hair were stuck underneath the blazer, he brushed them out, his fingers lingering which made her slightly lean into the touch.

"Tired?" He asked, softly brushing his fingers through her hair.

"A little, but it’s all good."

Josie watched as Lando carefully attempted to open a bottle of red wine, she offered to do it for him as she already had the image of him spilling the red liquid all over himself and the kitchen, but he was too stubborn and wanted to prove his point that he can do it. He tried to pull the cork out slowly, but with a bit too much force, his hand flew back with grip on the cork, Josie gasped though somehow he managed to keep the bottle still.

They glanced at each other shocked before bursting into laughter. "That was extremely lucky."

"Told you I could do it." He spoke with fake nonchalance, a side smirk on his face while he poured the wine into the glasses. His gaze drifted to her, adoring the way her head rolled back as she laughed at him being an idiot.

While enjoying the wine, Josie spotted a few things had changed around Lando's house since the last time she had been here, so the McLaren driver was eager to give her a tour, especially when it included showing off the new trophies he won this season.

When he joined her side she was already admiring the Monaco GP trophy, her fingertips slowly brushing over the edges. "You know I wanted to be there, I awfully missed attending races." Her voice took him out of the trance previously caused by her gentle movements.

"Then why didn't- oh." Lando quickly realised her ex-boyfriend was the reason why she hadn't come along, or more like why she wasn't allowed to see him. A sad smile appeared on the girl's face as she placed the trophy back down on the shelf.

"I regretted it so much, seeing you so happy on the podium and knowing I could have been there." She turned to face him, taking a sip of her wine.

"We missed out on a lot because of him huh?" Lando laughed, shaking his head in disbelief, as much as he wanted it to sound like a joke it was actually true. "I don't get it though Josie."

His face turned serious, causing her eyebrow to raise. "You're so confident, so smart, you usually don't take shit from people so why did you let him manipulate you so much?"

Her gaze turned down to the floor, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed, though it was something she had to move past. "I felt like it was my fault… Perhaps that I gave him reasons to be like that."

Lando whinced, shaking his head, he was ready to knock that idea out of her head like he had before, but she cheerfully turned towards him, her change in emotion slightly causing confusion for Lando. "What about you though? Had anyone?"

"Oh yeah." Lando spoke without thinking. "Many." He took a sip of the wine, that wasn't fully a lie. Meanwhile Josie felt her stomach churn a little, she didn't like it when guys bragged about how many girls they had been with, now she had wished she never asked that question. "No I haven't… well I mean I- it's just complicated." He groaned trying to explain the situation was harder than he thought, after all it wasn't just random flings, he really did try to make meaningful relationships. "Any plans for the summer?" He changed the subject, guiding her through to his gaming room. Josie let out a low chuckle, noticing how the subject was rather uncomfortable for him so she wouldn't pry.

The two continued their catch up through the evening, unaware of the time until they were leaning against one another's shoulder to rest their head, allowing themselves to close their eyes for a second as the conversation continued. Neither of them being much of a drinker, they abandoned the wine after one glass, as it was only adding to the drowsiness and neither of them wanted to leave off to bed just yet.

When the time came, Lando escorted Josie to the guest room she would be staying the night in. He wrapped his arms around her, his lips brushing her cheek as she wished him to rest well. Lando's gaze lingered on her a little longer than she liked, she hated how it felt so close from something happening, it felt like something should happen, yet neither of them would give in for their own reasons.

Josie smiled to herself after Lando had left to his room, she tried to hold onto the happiness of the content feeling she experienced when around him, rather than thinking of what could have happened or what she would rather be doing with him at this moment.

She absentmindedly slipped out of her dress, her mind still replaying the way his soft hand felt against her neck earlier, meanwhile loving the way she was freed from the fitting, rather tight material.

The plan wasn't to stay over, sure she could drive home after a small glass of wine which would fit below the limit, but she wasn't the type to mess with things like this, not to mention she wanted to spend more time with Lando. Though when she stood in her matching underwear, staring at her reflection, she realised she had nothing to sleep in. She could sleep in her underwear and risk an awkward situation during the night if she needed anything, or she could sleep in her dress which seemed a lot worse of an idea due to how uncomfortable it would be.

It was only a few minutes after Josie and Lando had split off into separate rooms and knowing how Lando often stayed up unable to sleep, she was almost certain he was still awake. She once again propped on his blazer, wrapping herself up so that her body wasn't on display, the material reaching her mid thigh. So with that she wandered over to Lando's bedroom, giving the door a soft knock.

"Yeah?" Lando spoke from inside, Josie taking it as a green light for her to enter the room, what she wasn't quite expecting was her mouth to go dry at the view if Lando's bare chest as his shirt was unbuttoned, his belt half undone, causing the trousers to hand loosely on his hips and the waistband of his boxers to peak out.

Josie's words got caught in her throat when her eyes explored his exposed chest and stomach. She wondered whether she perhaps wasn't supposed to come inside, but the sleepy smirk on his face told her he had nothing against it, meanwhile Lando himself was enjoying the view of her tightly gripping his blazer around herself, he once again had to snap himself out of his fantasies.

"Miss me already?" He chuckled, somehow his voice seemed lower and more husky than just a few minutes ago, almost sending Josie into an eruption of shivers.

"Uh not really, but I think there are monsters under the bed, mind telling your lil friends to leave me alone?" She laughed as she stepped further into his room.

Lando shook his head, unable to take his eyes off of her smile, unlike Josie who tried to look anywhere else other than him. The way the light reflected only highlighted his abs and if she looked at him again, she knew her gaze would fall to the v-line which was shamelessly out for display because of how low his boxers and trousers hugged his hips.

"Nah, they won't leave, I think you'll have to sleep in my bed to keep them away." Josie knew Lando was joking, but it didn’t stop her from thinking of sharing a bed with him, having his arms around her waist, brushing her fingers through his soft curls and their lips tangling.

"Ha ha." She playfully rolled her eyes, hoping she hadn't drifted off into her thoughts for long, but the intense look on Lando's face suggested she had been staring. "Shut up." She instinctively swatted the back of her hand against his stomach, making the boy tense his muscles at the contact he craved so much.

"No but seriously speaking, I don't have anything to sleep in, could I borrow a t-shirt?"

He tugged on the sleeve of the blazer. "You already took my blazer, now you want a t-shirt too?" He was already heading towards his wardrobe, shortly picking out two McLaren team t-shirts, both with his own name on it.

She once again rolled her eyes, her smile brightening her face. "Gotta be all about you, huh?" She didn't mind one bit though, picking out the blue t-shirt without hesitation. However when she went to grab it, Lando pulled his arm back.

"No you can't have that one." He teased, repeating his actions when she, full of confusion, reached for the other t-shirt. She only caught onto his teasing when his eyes crinkled from his devilish smirk.

"You're such an ass. Come on." She huffed, though unable to stop herself from smiling as she fought with his flying arms for the t-shirt. She was no longer holding onto the blazer, meaning the material was secured only on the button. Lando's gaze fell onto where her lacey baby blue bra peaked out and he bit the inside of his cheek. He let her take the t-shirt, worried that if he continued she would get uncomfortable when she noticed, instead letting her go back to hugging the blazer around herself while he turned away to close the wardrobe.

"Thank you!" The girl grinned, happy she finally managed to get hold of the t-shirt. She said her goodnight and left his bedroom, though not before stealing another glance at Lando who already had his gaze on her.

Josie smiled at her own reflection in the mirror after pulling on Lando's t-shirt, she ran her fingertips over the material. Lando and her were of similar height so the material reached just over her hips, though she really liked the way it fit. After crawling into bed, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around herself, the t-shirt had a clean scent though it still was mixed with his, of course it was. She sighed quietly, after all she was in the bed alone, thinking about Lando being just down the hall, wondering if she's occupying his mind like he is for her.

She struggled to calm her mind, a wince left her lips as every time her eyes closed, the sight of Lando appeared in his stupid button up shirt half undone. She realised how awfully dry her throat felt and there was no chance she would manage to sleep without cooling herself down. She left the bed and headed out the bedroom to grab a drink from the kitchen.

Suddenly the door on the left of the hallway opened, startling her a little. Josie rightfully remembered it as the bathroom, from which Lando emerged, water dripping from his curls down to his chest as he was too busy drying his hair with a towel to notice her walking in his direction. Her feet were rather uncooperative, unable to move out the way and instead leading her right into him.

"Oh shit." Lando gasped, only just becoming aware of the girl's presence, also giving himself a fright as he assumed he wouldn't be seeing any more of her until the morning. It seemed as if his plan to keep his wandering thoughts and hands to himself was crumbling through choices of the universe.

She laughed nervously in response, the t-shirt she was wearing being the only thing separating her from his bare chest, she could feel his abs through the thin material, her hands still resting on his shoulders just like one of his hands remained on her waist. "Hello there."

He tried to hide the way his eyes skirted down, curiously admiring how his t-shirt looked on her. His grip had caused the material to ride up, allowing Lando to steal a glimpse of the baby blue underwear which matched the lacey bra he had spotted before. "One of the best hellos I've had, not gonna lie."

"I could say the same." Her tongue darted over her lips as she shamelessly glanced down at his abs, then his lips and finally his eyes which seemed to have darken, a smirk playing on her lips.

They both felt the tension, their eyes meeting and neither of them being able to look away anymore. "Oh fuck it." Lando threw the towel back into the bathroom, not caring where it had landed before tugging Josie's body towards his. The girl let out a quiet squeak, unexpecting to feel his hard body collide with her own, almost feeling as if they were one.

Lando's lips met hers, after the initial kiss Lando stopped, allowing her to make the decision whether she would like it to continue. He expected the kiss to calm the tension between them, but when she responded with just as much eagerness, pulling his lip in between her teeth, it set them both off like a rollercoaster. Both of them forgetting the reasons why they didn't allow this to happen earlier, as the desire was now simply too powerful.

She moaned into the kiss when his hands found their way down under her thighs, picking her up and prompting her to wrap her legs around his waist. Lando carried her into the closest bedroom which happened to be his own, his lips exploring her neck and leaving a mark on her collarbone.

Sleeping with him wasn't what Josie had planned or perhaps something she even tried to avoid last night, but once it happened it didn't seem like such a bad idea anymore. The way Lando took care of her even when they were both so eager to make love all night, she couldn't see how this could turn bad, so she allowed herself to enjoy the memories and make the most out of the situation.

Surprisingly when the girl woke up she didn't feel guilty or ashamed, she felt content, especially seeing the man sleeping beside her, the marks she left on his body peaking through so beautifully on his skin. Josie wanted nothing more than to pepper his skin with kisses, her stomach erupting with butterflies just at the thought. Though instead she chose to carefully sneak out of bed, making sure not to wake Lando, she slipped on his white button up shirt from the night before over her naked body, doing the buttons roughly so it was only hanging on a few. She made her way into the kitchen, ignoring the slight discomfort on her thighs.

Lando woke up to find the bed empty when he rolled over and a slightly disappointed feeling dawned on him when he realised Josie was no longer beside him. Her fruity scent still lingered within the bed sheets, he swore she even scented his skin. He let out a sleepy smile, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, here where no one could see him, he could allow himself to melt into the thoughts of her. Though the night only proved to him that he would definitely have to address his feelings sooner or later, but for now, despite the disappointment of not being able to see her this morning, Lando felt a little relieved that it bought him more time that he didn't have to deal with the situation and if he played it out well enough, he wouldn't have to deal with it at all.

The curly haired sat up when he heard noises coming from his kitchen, could it possibly be that Max came back already? He doubted it so he pulled on some sweatpants and went to search for the culprit of the noises. He paused at the entrance into the kitchen, completely dumbfounded as he watched Josie gracefully tiptoe around his kitchen, in the same white button up shirt he wore the previous night.

Josie didn't have a clue Lando was blatantly watching her every move as she finished up making breakfast for the two of them. She was in her own little world, enjoying how comfortable she felt around his space, while Lando's lips curved upwards into a smile because she was still here, she didn't leave at the nearest opportunity. Of course she didn't, this was Josie, she didn't let many people get close to her.

That's when Lando's breathing became irregular, the realisation that she wanted to get closer. The fact he could easily get used to this, the way he wanted this to be an everyday thing, he wanted to wake up to her smile lighting up his mornings, her moody acts too when she wouldn't want to leave the bed and where things would get heated, he wanted all of it. But that was the problem, cause one day he could wake up and she would be gone and he would be have to wake up alone, eat breakfast in silence while debating what he could have done to stop her from leaving and come back after a long day for comfort only to find the house cold and empty, it was something he couldn't let himself go though again.

"What are you doing?" The words left his lips before his brain could catch up, although it was very obvious what Josie was doing.

She flinched at the unexpected presence, but instantly a smile formed on her face when she saw him standing behind the kitchen island. Josie was so caught up in what she was doing she didn't notice the way Lando's eyebrows were furrowed, almost as if he was offended.

"Come sit, breakfast is almost ready." She beamed, making Lando hate how his heart fluttered.

"You didn't have to…" He gulped down a few more words, not trusting his own mind which was at war, a part of him wanting to simply take her into his arms and thank her, while the other wanted her out of his house.

She placed a plate in front of him at the table, settling on the opposite side herself, her own plate at hand. He glanced between the plate which was in front of him and the one which was already on the table, one he hadn't noticed before. She even went through the effort to make a savory and sweet breakfast to satisfy whatever he felt like having.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked with a small laugh, thinking the sour look on his face was caused by not getting enough sleep.

"Can you leave?"

The strawberry Josie had just popped between her lips left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I'm sorry?"

Lando kept his gaze down on the table, afraid if he looked at her he would see the damage he was about to cause. "I think you should go home… I think you got the wrong idea."

"What are you talking about?" She was confused, though a smile was still present on her face as if she was waiting for him to say he's joking. He was acting strange and it began to make her feel uncomfortable.

"It was just a bet, nothing more. This only happened because I lost a bet with Max." He struggled to form words in a comprehensive order.

The butterflies she was feeling only a few minutes ago had turned into a sickening, tight knot. She couldn't believe what he was saying but the look on his face told her he was being dead serious. Josie carefully placed down her cutlery before it would fall out of the grip of her fingers.

"I didn't think you'd actually let it happen." He regretted those words instantly.

"Are you kidding me?!" She snapped, wrapping her arms around herself, suddenly his shirt didn't feel like enough, it definitely wasn't enough to hide the humiliation. Lando, out of all the people. The guy who always showed her so much respect, such kindness, the one she laid herself bare to. Now it made sense why Max went home for the night although he was meant to be living with Lando, it was all a sick joke. When she stayed silent, Lando’s eyes lifted to meet her painful gaze, his heart was thumping in his throat, but there was no turning back now. He just proved to himself he wasn't worth her attention.

"Enjoy your breakfast." Her chair moved back with a shriek of the metal on the tiled floor, the sound running through both of them with a shiver. "I'm not hungry anymore." With that Lando was left alone at the table at his own wish, staring at the empty seat the girl left. Though Lando knew he had caused her pain with his lie, he attempted to convince himself this was for their own good, yet he didn't realise how he made the girl doubt the image of herself, him and their friendship.

Josie walked out of the guest bedroom wearing her dress again, in her hands were Lando's blazer and the button up shirt. Lando was now standing blankly staring out the window in his living room, the breakfast abandoned, he turned around to face her after hearing footsteps. He was about to speak but she violently shoved the clothes into his hands. "Josie." He sighed desperately. He wanted to grab her hand and tell her it was all a lie, that he's selfishly scared, but he only whispered "I'm sorry, let me know when you get home." He had never heard her laugh so bitterly, her laughter was usually a sound so beautiful to him, now it was painfully harsh. "Please." He softly added trying to do the minimal damage control, though his eyes avoided hers at all cost.

"You're an asshole Lando." She hissed, slipping on her shoes and leaving his house with a slam of the door.

Lando thankfully had enough time to somewhat get his shit together before Max had come back home in the afternoon. He debated whether he made a mistake, he even thought about confessing to his best mate, but he quickly chickened out as soon as Max had entered through the front door with a grin on his face. Max already mentioned how he didn’t want to hear any more of Lando’s overthinking before.

Lando surprised himself with how he managed to trick Max and how well he hid how much his actions were eating him up inside. Everything was going according to Lando’s plan until a few weeks later Max was coming back from the supermarket when he spotted a familiar face walking on the other side of the street. Of course he crossed over, catching up to the girl as he already had questions on the tip of his tongue about why she hadn't replied to any of his messages ever since the night they hung out, something he couldn't quite understand, but he was ready to approach her for a catch up.

"Hello Stranger." Max grinned, stepping in front of the girl, though her face didn't mirror the enthusiasm.

Josie let out a scoff, glaring at a guy she once called a close friend. "Max, don't talk to me." She shook her head, ready to make an escape around him, Max being quick to prevent her from getting away.

He furrowed his eyebrow, a defensive look on his face. "Hey I know it's a bit awkward with you and Lando, but like…"

Josie turned around, not understanding how he had the audacity to act so innocent. She lifted her sunglasses, fixing them on top of her head, ensuring he could clearly see her eyes and her seriousness.

"A bit awkward? Max I can't believe two guys I called my friends humiliated me like this." She sighed. "You're literally just as bad as him!"

"Me? What are you on about?" Max’s eyes were wide.

Josie rolled her eyes in frustration. "Making bets to sleep with me, what are you 15?!"

Max's mouth opened and closed. "Josie…" he spoke calmly. "Now I seriously have no clue what you're talking about.”

“Just drop it Max.”

“Yes we made a bet but it wasn't with the intention of him sleeping with you, he lost so I wanted to use that to encourage him to stop pining over you and finally make a move." He spoke honestly, but Josie just stared at him unconvinced. “Look I don’t know what the hell he told you, but apparently you two had a good night and then you ghosted him.”

Josie felt her stomach drop, she didn’t particularly feel like reliving the morning after, but she wanted to get the truth across. “He told me to leave the next morning, made me feel like an idiot for falling into his trap which was just a bet to get me into bed.”

Max closed his eyes, rubbing his face in disbelief. “Josie he’s had the maddest crush on you since I can remember, but he has some sick idea in his head that no girl will stick around him and no fucking wonder if he acts like that, but what I’m saying is that the bet wasn’t to sleep with you, okay?”

The thought of Lando lying to her and hurting her on purpose only aggravated her more and more. “I don’t care.”

It was fair to say Josie wasn’t about to forget the whole situation and confidently believe whatever Max would tell her within a few minutes, but she did agree to sitting down with him at a small cafe round the corner and hearing him out. Although Max was mad, he still had his mindset on the whole point of this, so he showed Josie messages between himself and Lando, most of them including Lando praising and gushing over her. Max only kept the screenshots to tease Lando whenever he got a bit too cocky, but now they turned out suitable to save his ass. One of the messages was back from when Josie was still in a relationship and Lando claimed he would treat her much better, which in this situation turned quite ironic.

Lando couldn’t understand why Max had come home so moody that night, usually the two were straight up with each other about whatever bothered them, usually. Now Max was bitter, annoyed he had been lied to and also dragged into the situation by his best mate. He simply didn’t feel like talking to him, especially since he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep calm. Max left Josie with a decision to make and he wouldn’t have been surprised at all if she refused, but he went to sleep knowing he did what he could.

When the British GP came around Lando was glad to know Max would still be coming to support him although he seemed to be much more occupied recently, physically and mentally that is. He didn’t see much of his best friend and when he did, he seemed a little off. Of course he asked what was wrong, but every time Max played it out really well, asking Lando about himself instead.

So far the weekend was going very decently for the whole team, Lando qualified p4 in the sprint quali, giving him a great start position.When he was finally done with the pre race interviews, he could now fully focus on preparing for the race, so he went out of the garage to search for Jon to let him know he was ready for little pre race training.

The Mclaren driver found Jon standing in a small crowd, talking to some of the McLaren mechanics, Lando easily joining in with the conversation. He fist bumped a few of the drivers who walked by, wishing them luck, though his eyes caught onto a familiar mop of curls, similar to his own. Max was standing with his arms around a female in a hug, Lando smiled to himself, remembering his best friend had mentioned bringing a date today, though the smile faded when the girl pulled away from him. Her mouth was agape, laughing at something Max had said, touching his arm before he swung his arm around her. Lando couldn't hear her laugh as he stood rather far away, but he could recognise her even if she had her back to him. His jaw stiffened, it became crystal clear why Max had been so absent recently. Lando watched the pair, unable to move or make a noise, his heart felt like it was crushing his ribs.

#this has been in my drafts for so long buy i think its time #lando norris #lando norris oneshot #lando norris fanfic #lando norris imagine #lando norris fanfiction #lando norris x oc #f1 #f1 fanfiction #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 x oc

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