All I know - Lando Norris

Chapter 22

To be completely honest, I had my doubts about this entire sneaking out thing. When my alarm went off at 6 in the morning, I looked over to my boyfriend. He was sleeping so peacefully and I wasn't sure if I should leave him. But Pierre's words echoed in my head. 

"You have to think yourself sometimes. You need to think about what you want to do for once."

If I thought about it, he was completely right. I have been doing every single appointment in the last weeks, even months if I thought about it. They allowed me to go to the races in Austin and Silverstone, but that was work rather than amusement. So I really wanted, maybe even needed, some fun and time to myself. Without management, without interviews, without rules. That's what got me out of bed this morning. 

I quickly showered and put my hair into a ponytail. Pierre told me I can have a hoodie and cap from him, so I needed to make sure I have a hairstyle that I can wear a cap with. I went with a ponytail also because I haven't worn one in public since Toxic was released. Hopefully, this will contribute to me not being recognized.

I also kept my make-up light, only putting on some concealer and mascara. I put on a plain white shirt. Black Nike leggings, which I usually only wear to the gym, and some black sneakers completed my outfit. I put all the things I would need into a backpack I haven't really used up until now. 

Precisely at seven in the morning, Pierre's car stopped in front of the back entrance of the hotel. We agreed it would be better for me to use the back door, so possible spectators were avoided. His face showed a big smile when he saw me standing there waiting for him. 

"Salut.", he greeted me as I sat down in the passenger seat. 

"Bonjour.", I said and looked at him. Excitement now overtook the nervousness and anxiety that I felt the entire time I waited at the hotel. The fear of being caught was just so big. Now I was safe with Pierre and I could enjoy being at the track the entire day. 

"Comment ca va?", the French driver asked me as he started to drive again. 

"Bien, merci. Et tu?", I asked him back politely. 

"Bien, bien.", he said still with a smile on his face. "Les vêtements sont ici." He mentioned to the backseat and I turned around. My hands grabbed the hoodie and the cap and I put them on while he exited the property of the hotel. Both the hoodie and the cap were way too big for me, but I didn't care. They were comfortable and the chances of me being recognised were really low in this outfit. I quickly checked my appearance in the small mirror. I looked like somebody working for AlphaTauri. Good.

"Merci.", I said and saw him scanning my outfit now. "Quel?" I looked at him with a big smile on my face. The nervousness and anxiety were completely gone now and happiness, comfort and excitement took over. 

"Rien.", Pierre said back and focused on the road again. "C'est bon de te voir heureux."

"En effet.", I agreed and made us both laugh. "Mais n'est-il pas trop tôt pour vous d'arriver sur le circuit?" I figured we would arrive at the circuit in about an hour, but still. Arriving at 8 in the morning at the circuit if the race wasn't until 3 in the afternoon was way too early. 

"Oui.", he answered but immediately gave me an explanation as to why it was alright for him. "J'ai parlé aux chefs et ils nous préparent le petit-déjeuner là-bas. Et puis j'ai des briefings et des médias, donc ça va aller. De plus, je peux toujours faire des siestes." As he said that, I realised I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. 

"Alright.", I answered. "Sounds good to me." We talked about every possible thing for the rest of the drive. From his family, to my family, to my career, to his career and some of our favourite things. It was only one hour into the day, but I already enjoyed the time with Pierre very much and couldn't wait for the actual race.