I KNOW PLACES | George Russell

7. permanent marker

Bahrain
Sunday after GP

Ariella's POV

"Just a minute!" I call in response to the knock that just echoed from the hotel room's door.

I just got out of a very lengthy shower, I was starting to believe the stickiness of the champagne would never leave my body.

I shuffle out the bathroom and towards the door after I quickly put on a t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts.

George is standing at the door when I open it. I panic, pulling him into the room by his arm and closing the door behind him. He gives me a strange and curious kind of look.

"What are you doing? What if someone saw you?"

"Then they see me? I don't know." He shrugs and still looks confused.

"You know the other drivers also have to believe we hate each other, right?"

A look of realization hits his face. "No I did not know what."

I cover my face with my hands and laugh at his naivety. I look up at his infectious smile, which only makes me smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your podium."

"Thank you."

"I didn't even congratulate you yet?" His eyebrows knot in confusion and his smile drops.

"But you- okay."

"Congratulations." He smiles again, but it's the kinda smile a little kid would have after getting caught doing something they weren't supposed to.

"oh my god." I shake my head and turn my back to him, going to clean up my mess in the bathroom.

I come out carrying my dirty clothes and I see him still standing in the same spot I left him. Except he's now holding his hand out, offering me something. Dropping the clothes in the basket, I take a closer look at the offer. He's holding out my favorite candy, a Carmello Koala. I mentioned briefly during our dessert together that those were my favorites. I didn't think he would remember.

I grab the caramel-filled chocolate from him almost too desperately. "They have these here?!" I turn to the Brit. He's laughing at my reaction but I couldn't care less.

"I may or may not have bribed it out of Daniel." He shrugs.

"Thank you!" I throw my arms around his neck in a hug. The action takes him by surprise, but he quickly wraps his arms around my waist.

"I didn't think chocolate would get this kind of reaction out of you." He laughs a sweet kind of laugh. The kind of laugh that makes you feel warm inside. The kind that feels like home.

"I'm a very grateful person, what can I say" I smile at him and shrug my shoulders.

-☆-

Saudi Arabia
Monday, May 6

Lando, Parker, and I all booked the same flight to Saudi Arabia. I sat in the isle seat, next to Lando. Parker was on the other side of him with the window seat. She was asleep most of the trip, lying with her head against the window.

Lando made an attempt at messing with her. He tried to draw on her face with permanent marker. I took the marker from him and scolded him quietly, like one would scold a child.

He didn't bother her or me after that.

I tell Parker about it when we are walking to our cars, through the garage.

"Ow! What was that for?!" The Brit whined, holding the part of his arm Parker had just hit.

I burst into laughter. He has a brief look of realization on his face.

"You told her?!" His voice cracks slightly, which only makes me laugh harder. Parker starts laughing, too.

"I'm a very loyal person, Lando." I say through my laughs.

"Be loyal to me next time!"

"Or maybe don't mess with your girlfriend next time." Parker stops laughing, Lando goes red.

"We aren't dating and you know that." Parker points a finger at me.

"Yeah, Yeah." Parker didn't tell me if they were dating or if anything was even going on between them, but I had my suspicions and the way Lando's face turned a whole different color only intensified my suspicions.

By the time our conversation had ended, we were at my car and I bid them both farewell before I drive off to our hotel.

It was late by the time I checked in, so I had planned to crash after I showered.

Key word being planned.

A frantic knock on my door completely destroyed any idea I had of sleep. The knocking coming from Parker, who I let in quickly upon seeing her hectic state.

She sits on the end of my bed and stares straight ahead, not speaking.

"Parks?" I question cautiously.

"Ella, I like him." She responds quickly, her words tumbling off her tongue at at rapid pace.

"Like who?"  I fight the smirk that wants to show itself on my face. Please say Lando.

"Who do you think?! Lando!" She still has her eyes trained on the wall in front of her.

I throw my hands up in victory, before quickly bringing them back down. I slap a hand over my mouth instead.

"Parker he definitely likes you too!" My words are muffled from the hand still covering my mouth, but I know she heard me because she actually looks at me this time.

"You think?" She has a certain glimmer of hope in her eyes that I've only seen a number of times.

"Parker, after I made the joke about you two dating, he turned so red, he could pass as a tomato in the grocery store." I use both my hands to gesture. In my mind, it gets my point across more than without the gestures.

"What do I do?" She falls back on the bed, now staring at the ceiling above her.

"Send him signs. Make it super obvious you like him." I sit at the end of the bed next to her. She lifts her head from the mattress to look at me.

"What if he doesn't pick up on them?"

"Well for one, don't think about the what ifs. And for two, then he's stupid and doesn't deserve you anyways." The second part gets a laugh out of her.

"Ugh. I hope you're right." She covers her face with both her hands then drags them down her face.

"I'm always right" I send her a cocky smirk. She laughs and uses her foot to kick my leg lightly.

Parker continued to stress for the next couple of hours. I didn't actually get to sleep until 12:00 am.

(1098 words)

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Kinda a filler chapter sorry but thoughts pls🙏