Patience // Oscar Piastri

15

By the time Willow got back from England it was time to fly out to Saudi Arabia for the second last race weekend of the season and it was safe to say the American was buzzing.

After an awkward experience on the flight where Willow found Oscar sitting next to Mario, she was glad for finally be in Jeddah and ready to explore the paddock before the weekend.

As the day went on, Willow found Oscar acting more off with her as the day went on. She found it odd him sitting next to someone else as they always sat next to each other on flights even in F3.

She put it down to the fact Oscar was stressed over what he was going to do next year if he won and the stress of a new circuit, and hoped it was nothing more.

Oscar's negative attitude towards Willow was radiating through the Italian team as everyone notice the pair weren't their usual bubbly selves and always together.

Willow was walking through the main paddock with Marco when she spotted a familiar looking face.

"Sargeant." Willow called out as she left her race engineer and ran towards her fellow American.

Logan turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and waited for her to reach him before the pair hugged.

"I can't believe you're racing in F2." Willow exclaimed as they pulled away.

"You're telling me." Logan replied with a smile. It was clear the call up meant a lot to the American after finishing 7th in the F3 championship. "Hey mate."

Willow turned around to see it was Oscar that Logan was saying hello to as the Aussie walked by the pair.

"Hey." Oscar spoke back before walking on.

"Well that was weird. I thought you two were like best friends?" Logan said in confusion as he watched Oscar leave.

"I have no clue, he's been like that since we left Italy." Willow shook her head in reply.

"I'm sure he's just stressed." Logan replied as he wrapped his arm supportively around the Prema driver's shoulders. It was clear Oscar hostility was upsetting her and no one knew why he was doing it except Dennis and the Prema other drivers.

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Willow ran into Liam and Juri during her exploration of the new Jeddah paddock with having to leave the track walk until tomorrow with her team and Oscar.

The three were conversing during their walk back to the Formula Two support paddock when they ran into Oscar.

"Hey mate." Juri and Liam greeted the Aussie driver.

"Hey guys." Oscar replied. He stole a glance in Willow's direction before walking back towards Prema's set up for the weekend.

Once again the Aussie was hostile towards his teammate with Juri and Liam picking up on his attitude immediately.

"Okay? What?" Juri shook his head in confusion at the cold interaction between the teammates.

"Was it just me or was he really rude to you?" Liam wondered looking at the American.

"All day." Willow told the pair as she nodded in agreement.

"Why?" Juri asked still confused as it was clear to everyone they had one of the strongest friendships in the F2 paddock along with the Hitech pair.

"I have no clue." Willow admitted starting to get angry.

Everyone was starting to notice Oscar's hostility and it was going to end up reflecting in their performance over the weekend which was the last thing Willow needed after missing races and stilling being in contention for the championship.

"But I'm going to find out. I'll see you guys later." Willow explained before running after her teammate and eventually finding him outside the motorhome. "Hey."

"What?" Oscar asked coldly turning around at the sound of her voice.

"Oh you're done. Come on." Willow said as she grabbed Oscar's hand and dragged him into the motorhome away from everyone and she was grateful it was empty.

"Let me go." Oscar spoke pulling his hand away from hers and brushing off the butterflies he felt from holding hands.

"What is your problem? You've been in a mood since we left Italy. I get you're worried about next year but guess what, so are we all." Willow told him crossing her arms after her rant. "So?"

"You're really going to act as if you don't know?" Oscar asked staring back at her.

"Know what?" The American wondered in confusion.

"You and Lando." Oscar exclaimed throwing his arms in the air. "And you know what's worse Will? You didn't even have the decency to tell me yourself."

"Oscar, I have no clue what you're talking about." Willow shook her head in reply.

"Ugh." Oscar groaned as he reached into his pocket and produced his phone to show her the photos.

"Oh my god." Willow rolled her eyes as her eyes scanned over the photos. "This is what your mad about?"

"Obviously." The Aussie replied.

"Oscar nothing is going on with Lando and I. Max was there too, at both places. It wasn't a date." Willow explained as she handed Oscar back his phone. "And Lando has a girlfriend. He just is keeping it a secret so the media doesn't hound her."

Oscar felt his cheeks grow red as he realised he allowed himself to be lead by the media and let them convince himself that his best friend was lying to him.

"I'm sorry. Dennis and the others were reading the article at the factory the other day and I just saw red. I thought you were keeping secrets from me." Oscar admitted with a sigh.

"I would never keep secrets from you. You were there for me through all the shit this year and my dad. You're my best friend Oscar." Willow admitted with a smile on her face.

Willow reached forward and grabbed his hand to offer it a reassuring squeeze. The pair don't pull away both enjoying each other's touch.

They looked up and let their eyes meet each other. Neither of them wanted to be the one to admit the spark they were feeling in this moment.

"Oscar." Willow whispered as she looked down at their hands.

"Yeh. I know." Oscar nodded in reply.

Seeing how nervous she was, Oscar decided to be the bigger person and bring them closer together. He slowly leant down and placed his lips on hers.

The kiss was soft, sweet and innocent everything they both expected from the other. The kissed lasted a few seconds before they pulled apart both with hug smiles on their faces.

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