Dumb Love- Lando Norris

41.

I'm all cosied up for the night while Lando is out with a few of his friends, in my comfiest clothes and my hair in full luscious curls after a deep conditioning session. As I relax under my blanket watching Real Housewives, I suddenly hear a Ding from the security app.  I look at the live view one my phone and see Lando entering the gate code, surprising me as we had not long texted while he was dining with the boys.  Reluctantly, I get up from the sofa, slip on his Birkenstocks that I use for slippers, and head towards the front door, patting the gold hydrating patches under my eyes absentmindedly. 

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in" I tease as I swing the door open, "I was expecting you to still be popping' the champagne"

He appears a bit flustered, like he's been in a rush, but his face lights up with a big smile as he steps inside, taking hold of my face and pal ting a kiss on my lips. 

"I'll just be a minute" he breathes out, pulling away "stay right there"

"Whats the rush?" I chuckle as he dashes off, tossing his coat at the foot of the stairs and sprinting up them. 

I stand there, puzzled by his sudden urgency, and his return down the steps clutching a pair of his old socks only adds to the absurdity of the situation.

A gentle smile graces his lips, and in that instant, I am struck by how breathtaking he looks.  

"You hurried off to get a pair of old socks?" I ask, puzzled. I see a smirk play on his lips and let out a sigh "we're not practicing headers again are we? I told you, no pun intended, I'm not going to get my head around it-"

"-Lottie" he interrupts me seriously, his shoulders squared in a way that betrays his nervousness "I'm not going to throw a pair of socks at your head, I promise" he exhales shakily, and I furrow my brow concerned. 

"Lan, whats going on?" I ask, moving closer to him; he seems a bit startled, like a deer in the headlights. I softly trace a calming line across his forehead with my thumb, "did you get concussion or something?" I quip playfully, hoping to bring a smile to his face. 

"No, im fine" he responds a bit too hastily, his grip on the sock ball tightens. 

"And you left the night out early? That's unlike you" I remark, attempting to gauge his reaction. He maintains eye contact but appears on the verge of fainting, "did something happen while you were out?"

"Yeah" he breathes out, and my heart sinks for a moment. He quickly unravels the socks as I watch in confusion. I start to piece it together when I see the outline of something box-shaped and my hearts starts to hammer in my chest. He breaths a sigh of relief as his gaze is filled with the purest expression of love, reaching depths that words cannot fathom, "I realised I couldn't go another second without asking you to marry me"

I've heard people go on about those time stopping moments, but I never quite bought into it until this very second. My breath decides to play hide and seek in my chest, while my stomach does a wild dance with anticipation, excitement, and nerves. This moment, the culmination of all of my daydreams since falling head over heels for him, still manages to leave me momentarily tongue tied. 

The full reveal of the black box hidden inside the socks is what revives me, "oh my god" I breathe out "its happening"

"It's happening" he assures me with a smile, exuding confidence in every work and gesture, as if the reveal has lifted a weight off his shoulders. He throws the socks over his shoulder and holds the box in his hands like it's the most precious thing in the world. 

"Can I just-" I manage to choke out as I point to the under eye patches on my face. He does his best to hold back a laugh as I quickly remove them, toss them in any direction on the floor, and then rub the excess serum into my skin. He looks at me with adoring eyes, patient as ever, as I self consciously smooth down my loungewear and fluff my curly hair, "do I look okay?"