helmet love // 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬

XXXI

"I'm in Budapest!"

I wanted to scream 'I'm in fucking Budapest baby!' and yell multiple curse words about my boss, but Brad's currently in a public space, so I won't!

I watch the screen as Lando and Brad stare at me. Brad looks like a proud older brother, happy that I listened to his morally bad advice. However, Lando's face has hardly changed. His eyes scan over the phone, a bit like when you show a dog themselves in the mirror and they don't react at all. Brad frowns at his phone, tapping it and then giving a small 'oh'. Did he think it was frozen?

Brad angles the phone back to just himself, but looks at Lando rather than me. "She's here."

I think I can hear Daniel chuckling in the background, but there's so much going on over there that I can't tell. Lando also mumbles something, but I can't hear over the background noise. I wish I was working this weekend, the team will be going all out as it's our last race until August. I can still join them, but it's the fact I can't really go on track until Sunday. Even then, I'm only a spectator. Do I really want to sit around a bunch of strangers when my name in back on social media?

"Where are you staying?" Brad asks, his face looking awful on camera as he goes onto another app.

"Near the Országház?" I pronounce the name slowly, no doubt still messing it up. "I'll send you the address."

"Thanks." Brad waits as I send the message, then opens it immediately and angles the phone back to Lando. "There."

Lando quickly types on his phone, looking between Brad's screen and his own as his fingers tap away. Brad angles his phone back to himself, watching Lando with curiosity. Then his eyes go wide, and a broad smile grows on his face.

"What, what is it?" I ask immediately, already starting to feel left out. "What's happened?"

"Well, you might get a visitor later on."

The camera flips from Brad's face to the rest of the room. In the background, Daniel cheers triumphantly as Lando hurriedly manoeuvres around various people and tables, crashing out of the glass doors and running as fast as he can with his phone in hand. For the first time in a long time, my heart starts to race for a good reason. Lando is about to come here!

"Oh my God, don't let anyone know he's gone." Daniel looks to the camera, then to Brad behind it. "He'd get murdered if anyone found out."

Oh, who gives a fuck?! Not me! These rumours are going to be done and dusted by Sunday latest. The truth will be out- whatever it is- and everything will go back to normal, or better than normal! I can go back on camera, and I can wear whatever I damn well want! Everyone has seen my tattoo, and they've seen the horrendously embarrassing photos of me practically straddling Lando on Charles' boat. What else can go wrong?

"Just don't let anyone tell Ally, that's all we care about." Brad says behind the camera, flipping it back to face him. "Right?"

"Yeah, and throw her off if she talks to you about sorting things out." I say, quickly looking around my apartment. "Brad, I need to go, I'm not prepared for visitors."

"Yeah, go put your lingerie on."

"Bradley!" I hiss, causing him to laugh. "I meant I have stuff everywhere, but my plane outfit does look like shit."

"Right, get going, I'll see you later."

Ok, deep breaths. No, no time for deep breaths, he'll be here soon! Right, how I look is much more important than the state of this place! I dive into my suitcase, digging around for something to throw on quickly without having to put too much effort in. I pull out a random outfit that I had ready if I wanted to go and walk around Budapest, getting changed in the middle of the kitchen as there's not even enough room for me to stand up in the bedroom. Well, its not even a bedroom, it's literally a bed on a platform!