GRIDLOCK - Lando Norris [BOOK 1]

14

Charles follows me up to my hotel room, both of us dripping wet from our swim wear.

Upon entering the room, he makes himself comfortable on the edge of my bed. I shoot him an annoyed look at the fact he's just soaked the bottom corner of my mattress. But as I retrieve my black sketch book, I continue on to join him anyway.

"No judging" I warn as I reluctantly hand over the book.

As he flicks through the pages, he comes across many portraits of Max. Some sketched from memory and some from photographs I've taken. Some landscapes of different tracks and moments around the garage.

He comes across one of himself flipping my off from his car that I had committed to memory.

"I'm keeping this" he orders.

I shake my head "No. You can't" I giggle and try to take the book from him.

"Evelyn" he warns in serious tone "I'm keeping this" He repeats before ripping the page clean from the binder.

Part of me is thoroughly annoyed and the other larger part is honoured he wants my drawing.

"Thankyou" He mouths and I find myself catching glimpse of his perfectly plump lips.

No

I pull myself out of it.

"So, your birthday is tomorrow, what are we doing?" He asks.

My mouth drops open in shock "how did you know?"

He looks at me again with annoyance. "Ev, I've been around for majority of your birthdays" which is true.

I roll my eyes at his cockiness "it's qualifying day, so that's what we will be doing"

Charles shakes his head "nope. Leave it with me"

*********

Waking up on my 22nd birthday to a horrid bounding at the door was never what I expected to be doing.

I roll over to glance at the time and it reveals 5am. What the hell.

I roll myself out of bed and stumble over to the door, opening it without even caring who was on the other side.

"Happy Birthday" Charles screams in my face as he welcomes himself into the room and draws back the curtains.

"Ass!" I yell at him as I stumble back to the bed, throwing myself down onto it.

"Nope, no time for sleep, get dressed" he orders as he starts flipping through my clothes, throwing random items in my direction.

I comply, slightly.

Picking up the items he's thrown at me, I take the stripped shirt out and throw it back at him.

"I can't wear stripes and spots" I whinge as I hold the brown and white polka dot skirt up.

"Argh" he agrees before pulling more items out of the bag.

"Stop" I chuckle as I reach him, picking up instantly a white lace crop top whilst struggling to stop my room from being flipped upside down.

"Hey" he speaks. "Happy birthday Ev"

I stop with my complaining and wrap my arms tightly around him "Thankyou Charlie" I tease.

Following Charles out of the hotel and down towards the beach, my hand linked around his arm, I find myself on the verge of tears as I am welcomed onto the sand by a line of decorated tables with candles and flowers and every driver and mechanic who is under the age of 25 and able to function at 5:30 in the morning.