"SHUT up!" Thea said in disbelief.
"I'm being serious. Carlos missed the T. It was wild. I wish I videoed it." Lando said, as he watched Thea cover her face from all the laughter.
They were sat in a pub, one on the more sophisticated side, and Lando had spent the evening making Thea cackle with laughter with stories about Carlos or himself.
He kept watching her laugh, her lips turned up in delight and her eyes sparks lung with glee. Thea wasn't a very public person, but when you got through her tough shell, the girl underneath was spectacular.
Thea calmed down from her laugh and took a deep breath. She looked at Lando and gave him a thankful smile. "Thank you for this." she said.
Lando returned the smile. "You're welcome. You deserve it. All you're hard work goes unnoticed, and we'll I just thought you'd like a bit of recognition."
Thea smiled and covered her face. "Stop it you're making me blush." she said sarcastically.
Lando pushed a hand through his hair, mimicking her tone. "I always knew I had that effect on you." he teased.
Thea rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."
Their waiter came over and cleared their empty plates, asking whether they would be paying together or separately.
"Together."
"Separate."
Thea and Lando looked at eachother. Dorothea frowned. "Separate." she pressed.
Lando shook his head. "Together. It's youre birthday I won't have you paying."
"My birthday is Sunday, and I'll pay my half it's fi-"
"Nope." Before Thea could cut in any more he turned to the waiter, "Together, please." The waiter nodded and walked away to get the bill, and Lando smiled smugly at Thea. "You were never paying."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Asshole." she muttered under her breath, although she secretly smiled at Lando's gentlemen act.
Even though Lando was usually the class clown, he did have a serious side, and a soft spot for Thea. He was able to joke about, but also be polite and genuine when with her, and that was what she liked about him.
Fame hadn't gotten to his head, he wasn't stuck up, or acted differently because he was a celebrity ; he was just Lando.
The waiter returned and Lando payed for their food, and the pair left the pub together. They were walking through the car park towards Lando's McLaren when Thea turned to him. "Let's take a drive."
Lando turned to her. "What?" he asked confused.
Thea started at him in disbelief. "Oh come on. Don't you, big city race car drivers ever just, take a drive?"
Lando raised his eyebrows. "Uh- no." he said.
Thea shook her head teasingly. "God you Formula One drivers. Taking a drive used to be my favourite thing to do with Dad. You just get in the car, and drive. Anywhere. You don't have to know where you're going you just... drive." Thea explained.
Lando chuckled. "I drive for a living Thea." he reminded her.
"Not with me you don't." she said, giving him a smile.
He studied her for a minute, then his face turned into one of recognition. "No- I know what you're trying to do. No, no not happening. You're not driving my car."
Thea through her head back. "Oh come on! It's not like I'm going to tear it to pieces!" she whined.
Lando turned to her, "You would tear it to pieces."
"I would not!" Thea said offended.
"Oh yeah? Tell me why did you get rid of you're first car?" Lando pried. Of course, he knew the answer.
Thea sighed. "I burnt the clutch." she mumbled.
"Mhm, and what about you're second car?"
"I crashed it."
"Right, and the third car?"
Thea pointed a finger at him, "Hey! You know that wasn't my fault! That was Nia driving! It's not my fault she ran a red light I was a passenger to her reckless driving." she argued.
Lando held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright the third car was Nia, but still. You are not driving my car for two reasons. A- it's not my car, it's the company car, and two I don't trust you to drive with me in the passengers seat."
"Yeah well, maybe I don't feel safe you you in the drivers seat." she fought back. She held a look of triumph on her face, thinking she'd one the battle.
However, to her dismay, Lando stepped in front of her and stopped her walking. He leaned his head down. "How you gonna' get home then sweetheart?" he asked, a smug smile on his face.
Thea paused for a few seconds. "Carlos?"
Lando shook his head. "Out with Isa."
Thea thought for another option. "Daniel?"
Lando shook his head again, his smile only getting wider at Thea's lack of options. "Out with Max. Try again."
"Seb?"
"Brought a bike to Austria."
"Matt!"
"If you don't trust me in a car there's no way on God's green earth you would get in a car with Matt driving it."
"Tommy?"
"Both Tommy and Katy will be baby sitting Matt."
Thea sighed. She was, to her dismay out of options. "Fine." she huffed. "You win. You can drive."
Lando's smile did not fade off his face as he threw an arm around Dorothea's shoulder. "You'll never get to drive my car."
Thea huffed. "I will. Someday."
Lando chuckled. "Keep dreaming love."
Thea secretly smiled to herself at the nickname. She pulled Lando's arm off her shoulder so it dropped back down to his side. She slid her hand into his, and he immediately linked their fingers together. "Let's go for a drive then." he said as they reached the car.
They let go of each other's hands and got into the McLaren, Lando reving the engine as Thea strapped herself in. "Stop showing off." she teased, as he began to pull out of the car park.
Lando gave her a quick glance. "You think that's showing off?" he said, a large grin pulling across his face.
Thea's eyes widened. "Lando no." she warned.
Lando gave her a few quick glances, his face lighting with pleasure at her distress. Thea laughed in an attempt to not sound as scared, "Lando I swear to God you better be joking."
All Lando did was place his foot on the clutch, and up the gear. Before Thea could protest, Lando had in screamed their speed, and were now flying down an empty road.
Thea yelled at the sudden jolt of speed, but when she got used to the hair flying in her face, she took it in. This is what she loved, the thrill of high speed driving, and the feeling she got when going fast in a car.
Lando gave her a quick glance, before turning back to the road. He smiled to himself. He knew Thea would have loved to get the opportunity to drive a fast car herself one day, but she never had the chance to do it. For now, the only thrill she could get was from sitting in the passengers seat of Lando's McLaren, letting him have all the fun in the drivers seat.
He eventually slowed down as they were approaching streets and turns. Thea shook her head, still smiling to herself. "Asshole. Could have given me a warning."
Lando shook his head at her. "You loved it. Don't lie Dorothea."
Thea turned to him, her mouth wide open. She could see him holding in a laugh as he stared at the road. "Did you just call me Dorothea?" she asked. No body ever called her Dorothea. The only person who did was her Grandmother, and that was only because she was old fashioned.
"Maybe I did." Lando said, shrugging his shoulders, trying not to smile.
Thea scoffed slightly. "Oh okay Norris. That's fine." she said, before looking out the widow.
Lando's jaw dropped. "Really the last name? Oh okay." he teased.
"Hey you started it." she laughed at him.
The pair talked and laughed as Lando drove them through the streets and hills of Austria. For a long while he forgot why they were there. He forgot all about having to drive in practise the next day, he forgot all about the pressure of a good qualifying, and keeping pace on Sunday, all he was thinking about was Thea.
It wasn't until they drove past the track that Lando paused. He parked the car at a point where you could just see part of the track in the distance. He started at it, and let out a sigh.
Thea looked at him, knowing that all his anxiety about having a good weekend flooded back to him in the space of a second. She reached over and took a hold of his hand, which hadn't fallen to his lap.
Lando looked over to her. She squeezed his hand gently. "You'll be okay. You race like hell. You'll be gone. You'll leave Ferrari to bloody dust. I know I'm not supposed to have favourites as I technically work for a un-biased page but-" they both laughed at this, "but, you're my favourite, and I know you'll do well. Okay?"
Lando smiled at her. "Thank you." he whispered.
She returned the smile and the pair began to drive away again, Lando not letting go of Thea's hand unless he changed gear, but immediately retaking it in his own afterwards.
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LITERALLY SOULMATES
#LEA4LIFE