I can do it with a broken heart (Lando Norris)

Chapter Twenty One

He wasn't really sure what do with himself after Hannah left. Even she hadn't really seemed sure what she was accusing Cassie of and he had no idea how they could begin to find out if what Hannah had suspected was true or not. But the suggestion of it alone had been enough to send his head spinning.

She hadn't contacted him again after she'd left his apartment that day and he had no idea if she was still in Monaco or if she'd flown back to the states. He still couldn't bring himself to log into his social media and face the barrage of hateful comments to check.

He'd made the trip back to Woking a couple of days later to visit MTC in preparation for the next race, and stop in to visit his parents as planned. He'd been avoiding the latter since things had sort of ended with Hannah, not wanting a lecture from his mum but he couldn't avoid them forever.

He was driving down the motorway towards MTC when he'd heard the familiar voice on the radio, turning it up so the sound filled the car as he listened to her curiously.

It had made him surprisingly emotional listening to her talk about the way she'd struggled to get through the tour and the impact it had on her. She'd never once openly discussed it, even with him, but there she was bearing her soul to the world . Even the song she'd written about the whole thing was incredibly upbeat and more focused on the fact she'd made it through. It was the first time he'd actually heard her admit how much it had got to her. He couldn't help but wonder how this brutal honesty was going to go down with Cassie as well.

He listened quietly as she spoke about the end of her relationship with Joe, his breath catching in his throat at the mention of his name and their relationship. It wasn't a topic they'd discussed in Monaco, and it was a question that was still hanging over him. He knew what he wanted but he wasn't sure if she felt the same.

He stayed sat in his car when he arrived at MTC, listening in silence as she finished the final song on the set she'd been playing. It wasn't one that he'd heard before, The Prophecy, and he found himself wondering when she'd written it. She'd said in the interview it was recent and he had a horrible feeling that it might've been after what had happened with him and Luisa. The quiet desperation of the lyrics and the wavering of her voice as she sang them broke his heart.

As the set came to an end, he impulsively pulled his phone out and texted her.

Lando
I've just been listening to your interview on the radio. I'm at MTC today, if you're staying in London can I come and see you tonight? I miss you xx

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed inside, in search of Charlotte. He suddenly had a renewed enthusiasm for finally getting some answers.

****

"Hi Lando." Charlotte smiled. "Everything okay?"

He walked into her office and shut the door behind him still unsure of what he was actually here to ask. "I need to ask you something."

Charlotte looked nervous, wondering what was going on. She hadn't seen that much of Lando since he'd got together with Hannah. He wasn't the 'problem child' he'd once been anymore from a PR perspective, but his attitude was making her nervous that he was about to tell her something awful. She couldn't say she'd missed the days of worrying every five minutes about what he was up to.

"What's up?" She asked.

He ran his hands through his hair. "How well do you really know Cassie?" He asked quietly.

Charlotte couldn't hide the surprise on her face at the unexpected line of questioning. "I mean we were pretty close but I hadn't heard from her for a few years before all this happened with you and Hannah. Why?"