lando's pov
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"Max, can I talk to you about something?" I asked unsure as I laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
In the background, the game was paused as I heard Max shift in his chair. Turning my head slightly, I saw he was looking at me strangely.
"You never ask to talk about something, you just do it." His eyes scanned my face as he took notice of my nervous expression. "Mate, is this about Giana?"
I furrowed my brows. "Why is that your first assumption?!"
Max gave me a deadpanned look as his brow raised slightly.
"Fine it is about Giana." Responding glumly I faced away from him.
"What is it?"
"The other night I got pretty wasted at this work event. Obviously Daniel was there; he was the one that took me home. When I called to thank him for getting me out of there before I did something stupid, he told me some things that I said that night."
Max grinned amusedly. "Did you confess your love for Giana?"
It was annoying how predictable I had become.
At my lack of response, his eyes opened wide as he burst out in a laugh. "Oh god you actually did! What did you say?"
"Mostly complained about Arthur and how he doesn't know Giana as well as I do." It felt embarrassing to say it out loud.
When Daniel told me, I nearly didn't believe him. However, I knew he was not lying. That absolutely sounds like something I would say.
"And?" Max urged me to keep talking, as he found this completely humorous. After that speech he gave me last time regarding Gi, I bet he was feeling elated right now knowing he was being proven correct.
Looking back at the ceiling to avoid looking at Max, I mumbled my words out. "I told him I was in love with her and that I was scared to say something out of fear."
He seemed beyond relieved and full of content the more I spoke. "You admit it; fucking finally. Drunk and everything but you still said it."
These past few days really had me spiraling from how much I had been thinking. Although I wouldn't tell him, Max had been one hundred percent correct from the first day. The only reason that I had even dated Crystal at all was because I was running away from the feelings I had towards Giana. It was so hard for me to accept this because I didn't want to be the one to possibly ruin the bond we had created over the past years.
It took me a while to come to this conclusion because a large part of me still wanted to deny this and carry on with avoiding it. However, seeing her near Arthur and being with him made my blood boil and annoyed me to a large extent.
The other day when I woke up in my bed enveloped by her scent, I realized how much I wanted to wake up surrounded by that all the time. It made me come to the understanding that I wanted to be surrounded by her presence always. Being away from her made me feel miserable. And no matter how bad I felt, she would be the only person I would want to talk to.
I craved being with her all the time. I was just so used to the friendship we had established over time, that any minimal possibility of that being gone terrified me. I would rather have her in my life forever as a friend, than not have at her at all.
Giana always felt like home. She was comfort, warmth, kindness, and love. Without her, I was nothing; I felt like nothing. Without her, life didn't make sense and felt incomplete. It was like the sky absent of stars or like a day with no sunlight.
Accepting my love for her as something other than friendship was like accepting the possibility of her not being in my life. But things had escalated so much and now it was impossible to not accept the truth.
I was in love with my best friend, and I can't believe it took all this time for me to recognize it.
"Is fear the reason why you never accepted it?" I didn't realize how lost in my head I was because when Max spoke it startled me.
"What?" I asked.
"Is that why you never said it, out of fear?"
With a nod I responded. It still felt strange talking about this. I've evaded the topic for so long that it felt unreal saying it out loud. "I guess. Well Giana has been a constant throughout my life. She's my best friend you know."
"Ouch" He interrupted.
"Shut up you know what I mean." I retorted which made him grin.
"Are you going to tell her?" Max asked.
Just because I admitted it to myself, did not mean that I was ready in any way to let her know. Besides, how do you even say that. "Oh hey! You know how we've been best friends since forever, well now I'm in love with you!"
Yeah, I don't think so. Therefore, I immediately shook my head. "No."
"Why?"
"First of all, I'm just getting used to the idea of myself. Secondly, she's with Arthur. As much as he annoys me half the time, I would never do that to Giana. I'm going to respect her and her relationship."
"Since when are you so high and mighty?" Max let out a laugh.
"Oh god, can we be done speaking about this? This is why I was in denial for so long." I groaned out covering my face with my arm. "You can't tell her" I said suddenly, sitting up.
"Mate, I would never.' Max responded, turning back to his game, knowing I was finished getting too into detail about this topic.
"You think she knows? Or at least suspects it?"
Max turned to look at with me with a blank stare. "Lando, the only two people who didn't realize you are in love with her is both you and Giana. You both are blind beyond relief."
"That's a good thing."
"Not really. It's annoying seeing you pine after her in silence. Quite depressing too. Gives me a terrible headache honestly."
I threw a couch cushion at him in response as he got back to his game once more.
"Yeah, I want to move on from this already please."
"Fine." I could hear the grin in Max's voice as he replied.
Eventually moving on from the topic, I laid back on the couch reaching for my phone.
Upon realizing what the time was I decided it was time to head out. Giana had told me she was busy with Isa this morning but I knew it wouldn't be long before she went home as well. I was hoping to make it back to the apartment before she did. I wanted to take her out for a nice dinner before I left for the next race in a couple of days.
After exchanging a few more words with Max, I made it back home. When I was parking the car, I realized none of Gi's were gone so that meant she had returned.
Hopefully she was up for going out. With a small smile, I entered the apartment.
"Giana?" I called out.
When I heard footsteps coming down the hallways, my smile grew. However, when I saw who was in the apartment, my expression completely fell.
With a mix of shock and anger I came face to face with the last person I wanted to see. "Crystal, what the actual fuck are you doing in here?"
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