slow down | lando norris

twenty-eight.

**warning: this contains filth. read at your own risk. 

Lexi's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she waited for him to open the door. If he took any longer she was sure her heart would jump out of her chest, leaving her to die in the hallway.

His footsteps drew nearer, prompting her to hold her breath until the door that separated them swung open.

Lando's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he took in the sight of her rain-soaked figure and the suitcase that accompanied her.

"Lex? What are you doing here? Why are you wet? Come here." His words came tumbling out as he too, tried to process what exactly was going on. Quite the late night delivery from his best friend indeed.

Lexi had only taken a few steps, slowly taking in the minimalistic decor that sharply contrasted with some of the loud mementos that gave her glimpses of his life.

He stepped out of the room to get a towel to drape over her shoulders, her shivering body being very hard to ignore. Then, he didn't say a single thing as he observed her movements, giving her the time she needed to center herself before he pressed her about this surprise visit.

Feeling his eyes on her, she switched her focus to Lando, who currently symbolized her most perfect dream and her greatest fear. Seeing him in the flesh had her mind moving a mile a minute. So much for remaining cool-headed about this.

With a clenched fist, she finally met his gaze. "I need to say something before I lose my nerve," she announced. She needed to just spit it out before her thoughts slowed down long enough to allow her to start stalling. Lexi wanted this to be an efficient conversation. It had already dragged out too long.

While he nodded his head to urge her to go on, his eyes flickered to the drenched white t-shirt that clung to her skin, which conveniently put her red bralette on full display. It left very little to his imagination.

Seeing his attention darting from her face to her body, she looked down at her soaking clothing. Of course she had to be wearing a white t-shirt.

"For fuck's sake, Lando," she groaned, pulling the ends of the towel tight around her front. "Focus up here for one minute." Lexi made her request while gesturing to her face for his gaze to follow.

"Trust me, you have my undivided attention," he assured her, making the conscious effort to not let his eyes wander below her shoulders.

His main concern was that she might catch a cold. Yes, that was it. Truthfully, he didn't trust himself to think purely with the head on his shoulders at the moment. But he would do his best because Lexi did not look like she was in a saucy mood.

She closed her eyes to take a deep breath. Just like ripping off a bandaid. Quick and mostly painless.

"I'm falling in love with you." Her words hung in the still air, now growing heavy with the weight of her confession. "And it scares the absolute shit out of me."

Lando took a step closer to her, his eyes wide with astonishment at her confession. His heart was no doubt about to leap out of his chest in joy, but the apprehension in her eye told him that it wasn't time to celebrate yet.

"Why does it scare the shit out of you?" His words came out clipped, careful.

She could feel the lump developing in her throat as the words tried to climb out before getting trapped in it. Her heart clenched at the ever present fear seeping back into her veins.

"Because," she started, her voice cracking in the slightest. "What if you decide I'm not good enough for you? The idea of giving you the power to shatter my heart into pieces is terrifying."