lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

~ quindici ~

Great Britain, June 2019

"Where would you like to go now?" The Briton asked his girlfriend. Lando took a day off to be with his girlfriend. His PR manager was surprised at first because Lando wasn't the one to take days off or ask for rescheduling meetings, but he did it for Pia.

"Can we go to National Gallery, please?" The Italian asked her boyfriend. She knew Lando wasn't the type of guy who would enjoy art, but she was still hoping he would agree. She really wanted to experience a gallery date.

"Of course, we can." Lando kissed her on top of her head. He would do everything for her. He was already pulling his phone out of his pocket because he wanted to call an Uber, but Pia stopped him.

"Can we please go by tube?" The Italian made another request. That felt like really going out of Lando's comfort zone. He couldn't even remember the last time he took the tube in London. There were just way too many people for his liking.

"I think an Uber would be the faster and better option, love," he opposed. He really didn't feel like taking the train, but Pia looked at him all innocent.

"Lando, please," she begged him while using her puppy eyes. She was being unfair, and she knew that.

"Alright," the McLaren driver sighed. He interlocked fingers with Pia, and they made their way to the closest underground station.

The Italian could see that Lando wasn't really comfortable, so she just squeezed his hand more when they were getting on the train. She knew he was doing this all just for her.

---

In the gallery, it was clearly visible who was a fan of the art and who wasn't. Pia was running from one artwork to another while Lando was hypnotising doors. It wasn't like he would want to offend any of the painters. He just wasn't interested in art overall.

"We'll do something funnier later. I promise," Pia said to her lover. She grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek affectionally. It was enough for Lando to give in, and he started looking at all those artworks with his lover.

It was almost two in the afternoon when they finally walked out of the gallery. Lando had a feeling he spent there his entire youth. Pia, on the other hand, felt refreshed. The art recharged her batteries.

"Aren't you hungry, love?" he asked her. He would be surprised if her answer would be no since she barely ate breakfast.

"Yeah. I could really use something to eat," the Italian admitted.

"I will find some restaurant," Lando suggested. He wanted to have a proper meal.

"Can we just stop by Tesco? We can buy a blanket and make a little picnic in Hyde Park, no?" The Italian made a different suggestion. She just wanted to do the most casual things. She wanted to feel like they were young people in love.

"Well, I'm not too sure. Jon wouldn't be happy about it," Lando stated. He was pretty sure they would end up eating something that had no nutritional value.

"Come on. Express is like three minutes away by foot," she looked at him again - all innocent and with her puppy eyes, and Lando just couldn't resist.

"Fine, but we'll have a normal dinner," he said strictly. He wasn't much worried about himself but more about the petite Italian by his side. She was eating so little. He couldn't understand how she could function like that.

"Alright, daddy," Pia mocked him. Lando's eyes went wide when he heard what nickname his girlfriend had just given him. His cheeks flushed. He looked to see if anyone could possibly hear Pia's words.

"Pia," he said in a warning tone, but the Italian was sure her words affected the Briton next to her.

"What? Is something bothering you, love?" The Italian asked him and grabbed his hand. She didn't really think that much when she called him love. It felt natural.

They ended up buying three sandwiches and a big box of tiramisu. Lando didn't want it at first, but then he looked at the sandwiches and said to himself that it couldn't be worse. He was already breaking the rules, so it didn't matter after all.

"Alright. Now, we just need some blanket or throw. We can stop at Marks and Spencer," the Italian suggested and pulled out the phone. She quickly opened maps and searched for the nearest Marks and Spencer shop.

"There's one in Soho. It's like fifteen minutes by foot," Pia announced and grabbed the Briton's hand.

---

"Are you happy now?" Lando asked his girlfriend once they walked out from Marks and Spencer, and Pia held a cotton throw in her hands. She just smiled at Lando.

"Well, partly. I'll be fully happy once we are in Hyde Park. I think we should take the tube once again. It's like the quickest option," she said unbothered.

"Lando?" Pia gripped Lando's attention when they were standing on the train. Lando just looked at her, which was a sign that she should continue. "Thank you so much for doing this all for me," Pia said and leaned her head on his shoulder. She couldn't do that with Charles because he was ten centimetres taller than Lando. And there it was again. Thoughts about Charles when she should've been happy with Lando.

The Briton just wrapped his hand around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "Of course, Pia. It's the least I can do," he stated. His voice was quiet. The Italian could tell how uncomfortable he was.

He was really cautious ever since they stepped into the station. He wasn't a fan of crowds. Pia just squeezed his hand because she wanted to let him know he wasn't alone. She didn't have a clue he would struggle that much with that. She even felt sorry and embarrassed that she dragged him around like that. She could tell he wasn't happy about taking the train already in the morning, but now he seemed really anxious. It made the Italian regret that they hadn't called an Uber.

---

"Hey, come on. Give me the spoon," the Italian demanded when Lando was already eating the fifth spoon of the tiramisu. The Italian poked him in his ribs, and Lando began to laugh. The Briton scooped up a bit of tiramisu on a spoon and placed it in front of Pia's mouth.

"Lando, I'm an adult. I don't need you to feed me," Pia giggled. It seemed ridiculous to her.

"Alright. No tiramisu for you then," Lando stated and put the spoon into his mouth. He contently smiled when the taste of the Italian dessert hit his taste buds.

"Fine. Feed me," Pia gave in. She opened her mouth and waited for Lando to give her tiramisu. It wasn't bad, but it was nowhere near her mum's one. Her mum made the best tiramisu in the whole of Italy. Well, at least Pia claimed that. Charles agreed with her. Pia could still remember his expression when he tasted Gianna's tiramisu for the first time. His taste buds were shocked by the delight.

The Briton leaned closer to the Italian. Their lips almost touched when they were disturbed by Lando's phone. The McLaren driver sighed.

"Hey, mate. What do you need?" Lando asked the other person on the phone while watching his lover. The light breeze was playing with Pia's hair. He leaned closer to her and lightly put a strand of hair behind her ear. The Italian smiled at him thankfully, and he just had to smile back. He almost forgot that he was calling someone.

"Yeah. I'm still here," the Briton said annoyedly. "Sorry, Max, but I'm busy this evening." That made Pia wonder if her boyfriend was talking to her Dutch friend. "Well, that's none of your business, mate," Lando giggled into the phone. Pia was pretty sure Max asked why he would be busy. "I'm enjoying it, don't you worry. But yeah, enjoy your day as well, man," the Briton said before ending the call.

"Verstappen?" Pia asked, and Lando just nodded.

"And what are you doing in the evening that you're busy?" the Italian asked him with a smirk on her face.

"Well, I'm spending my evening with my girlfriend." The boyish grin appeared on Lando's face.

"Really? And what will you do with her?" Pia whispered the question into his ear. As she whispered her lips touched Lando's ear, and he could feel shivers running down his spine. His cheeks flushed.

"I just want to cuddle her," he said shyly.