Dear Lando

𝟷𝟿 ♡ The Night We Met

The Night We Met By Lord Huron

My eyes were puffy and red, and I was a disheveled mess. Between the minimal hours of sleep I got, I cried and cried.

I had dismissed Lando to his room when I had reassured him I was okay. It was nothing personal, but I needed to be alone, with my thoughts. He had agreed with as much, but the understanding didn't reach his eyes.

During the bustling hours of the day on track, I was sat just outside the McLaren hospitality, waiting for Lando.

As I stared into my lap, not in the mood to attract anyone else, a familiar voice rose from over the loud crowd.

"Azzy-Bear!"

I looked up to see a bright-eyed and smiling Daniel Ricciardo coming toward me. Upon seeing my face, the smile instantly dropped, and worry filled his eyes as he strode for me and sat down at the chair beside mine.

"What's wrong?" He instantly asked, placing a gentle hand on my leg.

"I look that bad, hey?" I joked, looking across to him.

"Well, I've sure seen you look better, Az," He joked back. "Seriously, what's got you down?" His face turned serious.

"Max and I got into a fight. He won't talk to me at all," I explained.

"Shit, sorry, Az. You okay?"

"No, but I'll have to be," I said, mustering up some fake courage.

Something like anger flashed in his eyes upon looking into my eyes, right through all of the facade.

"Hey guys," Lando smiled at us upon exiting the hospitality and heading in our direction.

"Oh, Norris, stay with Az, I have to go," Daniel hastily said, shooting to his feet. He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Az. You don't deserve this," before shooting off into the crowd.

MAX POV

I was in my driver's room, counting down the minutes till I could go home and get this day over with. Scrolling through Instagram to pass the time, I found a video I had been tagged in, as well as Azalea. It was from the day I met her. That first day she showed up at the factory, ready for her rookie season.

The video Red Bull posted was of myself, Azalea, and both of our former teammates. Captioned: Who would have thought these two would become the unstoppable teammates they are today? Chemistry since day one. Stay tuned for new content coming soon;)

We had to answer trivia questions about ourselves as well as some team bonding games. I still remember her answers as if it was yesterday.

Favorite foods, Birthplaces, Heroes in F1.

And I remembered it all.

Her smile was as bright as ever, and her eyes were wide with excitement as she talked about her life, hobbies, and life with F1.

We immediately clicked, and history went from there. Our bond only grew more as time went on.

Now it's all messed up. And we are as good as strangers.

As I was sitting there watching the video on repeat, the door burst open, revealing an angry Aussie.

"What's got your feathers bunched up?" I asked with no emotion in my voice.

"Azzy looks like she's about to burst into tears any second and told me it was your fault," He said with a pointed look at me.

With a loud sigh, I replied, "Look, don't worry about it, okay?"

He pulled up a chair across from mine and sat down, making eye contact again. "Azzy doesn't deserve this. This... whatever is going on between you two," He gestured between the door and myself.

"She," I started, pointing towards the door, "Doesn't need me anymore. She's got a new shoulder to cry on." I sternly said, holding my place.

Realization flashed in his eyes as he held my own. He then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You like Az," It wasn't a question but a statement.

Shit. Do I like Az?

I've always enjoyed my time around and with her so much that I never thought to question anything other than her being a fun friend to have around.

But what Daniel is suggesting makes sense to me.

Shit indeed.

My not answering was answering enough for Daniel.

A huge smile formed on his face before he said, "Why don't you tell her? I'm sure she would prefer that over silence."

I shook my head before answering, "I can't do that."

"Course you can, mate."

"No," I shook my head again. "I messed things up with her. Besides, what am I supposed to do? She's made her choice."

He gave me a disappointed look before saying, "Okay," and made his way out of the door.

The room felt emptier as the door closed, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the weight of what might have been.