Fragile Heart

15

I walked into the Hilton hotel with Lando's hand intertwined with mine as we approach the front desk.

"Hello," Lando says calmly to the young girl typing away on her keyboard. She looked up, and her eyes widen.

"Oh! Mr. Norris! Welcome," she smiles widely, and I can already sense she has some sort of feelings for Lando.

"I'm just here to collect the card for my room," he says in a soft tone. The receptionist promptly hands him the card, "Thank you," he says, before pulling me away towards the elevator.

"You better have booked a room with two beds," I mutter, and he nods. "I would never book a room with just one bed," he chuckles, then puts his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to our room and unlocking it.

Entering the room, I'm struck by its beauty. The view is breathtaking, and I notice there are two bedrooms – one for me and one for Lando. Perfect.

"Wow, Lando, great choice with the room," I chuckle and head straight to the master bedroom.

"You're not having the master, Stella," he furrows his brows and wheels his suitcase into the room. I argue, "No, I was forced into this relationship, I deserve the master!" He rolls his eyes and wheels his suitcase back into the other room, already giving up.

I turn back around, smile at the bed, then promptly plummet down. A small nap will be fine before my date with Lando. Great...

|~~~~~|

"Alex, I'm in a fashion crisis. I have no clue what to wear," I confess during our FaceTime call. Despite mentioning a date, she's still oblivious that it's with Lando. I'm surprised Charles hasn't spilled the beans yet.

"Just go for something sexy, like a short yet cute dress," she advises as I search through my suitcase.

"What about this one? I think it's sexy," I showcase the dress, and she immediately nods in approval. "Now, that's sexy," she chuckles as I pick up the phone.

"Alright, thanks. Love you," I blow a kiss, and she smiles before hanging up.

I walk to the bathroom, shedding my clothes before slipping into the navy blue dress. It features a thigh-high split and a stylish cut over the stomach. Alex gave it to me as a gift for my 22nd birthday, and I can't believe I haven't worn it until now.

"Stella! It's showtime, are you re—," I hear Lando start, but he stops mid-sentence as he enters the bathroom and sees me.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I turn to face him, observing as his eyes travel from my black heels up my body until they meet my face.

"You look," he takes one final look, "good," he says. I smile and move closer to him.

"I didn't know you could give compliments Norris, but thank you," I smirk, then grab his hand.

"Let's go, boyfriend."

|~~~~~|

Upon arrival, we quickly navigate our way into the restaurant, ensuring to dodge any paparazzi. Thankfully, we succeeded.

I take hold of Lando's hand as the waitress guides us to a table in the back. Thankfully, this area is more secluded, sparing us from the need to keep up the act.

I smile and nod at the waitress as she leaves us alone. It hits me that I haven't been on a date in about a year now. Liam never took me on dates, he considered them useless.

I take a seat in front of Lando, and there's a moment of silence as we both look through the menus. "What do you plan on getting?" I attempt to start a conversation.

"Probably the pasta," he shrugs. "I think I'll go for the salmon," I say, closing the menu, and Lando's eyes shoot up to meet mine.

"You're not getting fucking fish. Choose something else," he grumbles, and my eyes widen. "Woah, okay. I'm sorry, I didn't know you hate fish," I say, reopening the menu to find an alternative.

"That's why I brought you on this date, so we can get to know each other better," he says, and I close the menu again. I think I'll also get the pasta.

"Okay," I smile. The waiter comes over, collects our menus, and pulls out a notepad to take our orders. Once we place our orders, she heads off to the back where the kitchen is located.

"Question time," I intertwine my fingers.