All I know - Lando Norris

Chapter 31

"Good morning. How are you today?" He knew the question was stupid. Everybody knew the question was stupid, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to be polite. A weak smile grew on both people's lips. 

"I'm okay, thanks." Lando's voice tried to be polite but it was hard for him. It was early in the morning and he had just arrived at the McLaren Technology Center some minutes ago. A long day of work was ahead of him and he didn't have a coffee yet, so tiredness was still felt all over his body. 

The guy who had asked the question gave him another smile, then continued walking away. Even though it was early in the morning, this hasn't been the only reason he was tired. Lando's sleep schedule had been fucked up after the Candian Grand Prix. Not necessarily because of the jetlag, but because of the fight with Tia. It had been bugging him for some time now and the thoughts about her always came late at night when he didn't have any distractions anymore.

He tried his best to hide his thoughts and emotions in the daytime, but in the latest days, it was hard for him. He also had been avoiding social media and the internet because of it. He didn't know how his body would react to see pictures of her. The only thing he knew was that he got a lot of direct messages on social media about her. He saw some of the previews of the messages on his lock screen, but always quickly deleted them when he read the name 'Tia'.

"There you finally are!", a familiar voice greeted him after the glass doors went aside with a quiet sound. Lando looked up from the floor and met the eyes of his PR manager, Charlotte. She had a friendly smile on her face, as usual, and her eyes were shining in the morning sun. 

"Good morning.", Lando answered and gave her a small smile back. "You alright?" He wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug and then started to enter the building with her. 

"Yea, you?", she asked back politely and he nodded. 

"Yea, good."

"So, we have a busy day in front of us." Charlotte got right into business. Lando couldn't blame her for it. It was her job to manage all of his appointments, especially if they were about media and publicity. She tried her best, and he had to admit, she was the best. 

"First you have a meeting with your engineers, then a quick one with me to talk about the next days. This probably takes until lunchtime, and then afterwards SkySport F1 is visiting to record a longer interview with Daniel and you. All good?"

"Alright, sounds like a plan.", Lando said not as excitedly. Charlotte stopped walking and turned her body to fully face the young Briton. 

"What is going on with you?" Her voice was full of care and concern. Sometimes Lando felt like she was his mother away from his actual mother. She made sure he was punctual for all of his appointments, calls him out for all the things he did that weren't professional, but never really got annoyed by him. She cared so much for him and just wanted to make sure he was feeling well.

"It feels nice to know you have people like that in your life.", Lando thought. But even though Lando knew she cared for him very much and he could talk to her about all of his problems, he still didn't want to talk about what was bugging him. He just wasn't ready to talk about his situation with Tia yet. 

"Nothing.", he simply answered but Charlotte gave him a look that told him she didn't believe him. Lando inhaled a deep breath, then looked back at his PR manager. 

"It's just something I don't want to talk about yet."

"Alright.", Charlotte said reluctantly. "Just know that I'm always here to listen to you."

"I know. Thanks." Lando and Charlotte started walking to his meeting again. The young driver was thankful for the silence that followed the two on their way. Just before arriving at the door for the meeting room, he pulled out his phone from the pocket of his trousers. He quickly checked the lock screen in hope of seeing any notification or reaching out from Tia. She had been ignoring his messages and calls since they both got back from Canada.