The Elevator || Lando Norris

6 ~ Miami Grand Prix

The Australian in the front seat turned to look at me, breaking his silence, "We're gonna kidnap you, by the way," he said, his face dead serious. I chuckled nervously, but as the silence lingered and his expression remained serious, I started to feel uneasy. Suddenly, the guy from the back row leaned forward, now positioned directly behind me. "Nah, mate, Daniel wouldn't hurt a fly," he clarified. I turned around to see the smiling Englishman. Turning back to face the front, I saw the Aussie grinning from ear to ear. "I'm Daniel," he smiled, extending his hand for a shake. I shook it, and just then, the car came to a stop.

"We're here," the driver announced from the front seat. Both the left and right doors opened, and as we all shuffled out, I thanked them, "Thank you, by the way." I brushed a strand of hair from my face as I faced the elevator guy. He simply smiled. "You're welcome." We held each other's gaze for a moment before I received a notification on my phone. "Oh wait, I need to find my friends. Enjoy the race," I said, smiling. I began walking away when he called out to me one last time. "Wait! Here. Show your support for Lando," he said, his friends now waiting behind him. "Wow, I'm sure Lando would really appreciate it," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes as he placed his McLaren hat on my head. "I'm sure he would," he said. I turned around and finally made my way into the venue, the group of boys following a few meters behind, their indistinct chatter fading away into the bustling sounds of the crowd.

~★★★~

After a few minutes of walking around, I finally found the spot where my friends told me to meet. "Oh my god, finally! Where were you?" Maya exclaimed, her tone more concerned than angry, as she pulled me into a tight hug.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes playfully. "Y'all left me, remember?" I teased, pretending to be annoyed. Hannah chimed in, adding to the banter. "You took long," she joked, shrugging her shoulders.

I couldn't help but smile at my friends' presence. "Long story short, I got stuck in the elevator with wallet slash pool guy slash gym guy slash yacht party guy. I just call him the elevator guy now," I explained, summing up my unexpected adventure.

"You never asked his name?" Maya asked, clearly just as confused as everyone else. I just shook my head. We resumed our walk, the destination unknown to me, but I trusted my friends' lead.

Speaking of the elevator guy, Maya suddenly noticed the McLaren hat on my head. "By the way, when did you get a McLaren hat?" she asked, curiosity lighting up her face. "Elevator guy and his friend are big fans of McLaren. He just gave me the hat he was wearing," I replied nonchalantly, shrugging it off.

As we continued wandering through the bustling surroundings, taking in the various team hospitalities and the lively atmosphere, a question popped into my mind. "When's the race?" I asked, taking a sip from my cup of water.

Valentina checked her wristwatch before responding. "It starts at 2:30," she said. I glanced at my phone and saw the time: 11:05. Are you kidding me?

"Wait, so you mean I was panicking for no reason?" I exclaimed, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. My friends looked at me, confused. "Dude, I thought the race was at like 11:30 or something. Why did I have to get to the paddock at 10 then?!" I blurted out, feeling slightly annoyed.

"So we could at least see some of the drivers!" Maddison explained excitedly, trying to ease my frustration. I just rolled my eyes, feeling a sense of foolishness for my misplaced panic.

"And I had to hitch a ride with a stranger just to get here on time!" I couldn't help but blurt out in frustration. Valentina's expression turned worried as she asked, "What stranger?"