HIT ON ME ! by KissLeclerc
January 8, 2024 # "Caught You."
AS THE MORNING SUN painted the Parisian skyline with hues of gold and pink, Thalia stood outside her French townhouse, a mix of nerves and anticipation swirling within her.
Today marked the beginning of something unexpected: the start to what Calvin would call, a romantic getaway with Lando.
She didn't know what she got herself into really, and she didn't actually think the sushi in Japan bit was real, but oh how wrong she was.
Watching as a sleek McLaren Artura pulled into her driveway, she laughed as Lando emerged from the driver's seat, his confident grin making her eyes roll back at his cockiness, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his choice of transportation, silently acknowledging his tendency to brag.
"Way to show off?" She teased, unable to resist a playful jab at him as he laughed.
"Well, I had to pick you up, might as well do it in style." He confidently replied, his tone light as he effortlessly lifted her suitcase and brought it to the car.
"Your chariot awaits..." He opened the passenger door as she scoffed at his act, a smile not leaving her face. "Idiot." She mumbled.
Buckling her seatbelt, Thalia adjusted her hair as Lando got into the drivers side, his eyes not leaving her features when she glanced to look at him. "Don't do that." She scolded.
"What?" His head tilting. "I can't look at you?"
"No, actually." She shook her head. "You can't." She shrugged. "Now are you gonna drive or start an argument with me already?" A smile plastered on her face as he huffed in a playful annoyance.
"I'm sure you already know my answer." He laughed.
"Just drive." A smiling exhale escaping between her lips. "But can I trust you?" She quirked a brow.
"Duuhhh." He shot a glare at her, his tone filled with taunt as he exaggerated his voice to sound like a toddler. "I won't be driving like how I did on the hot lap." He assured her.
"That would be illegal."
"Thank god." She mumbled to herself, lying further back into the seat for comfort. "What? Can a girl not get comfortable?" She cringed at his hard gaze.
"Sorry, I just like looking at you." Lando bit down a laugh before focusing forward and driving off.
"You're so corny it actually hurts." Thalia insulted as a smile didn't leave Lando's face.
"And yet you're beside me right now." He glanced at her before focusing back on the road. "On our merry way to fly to Japan, and have a sushi date, might I add." He teased, the sentence making Thalia huff in annoyance.
"Are you going to be this much of a pain in my ass for the next 48 hours?" She smiled through a teasing reply.
"Are you going to be this whiny?" He shot back.
"Yup, answered my question." She nodded her head, the pair sharing a comfortable fit of laughter once again, though there was still a hint of shyness between them.
As the sleek McLaren continued to navigate through the Parisian morning traffic, Thalia couldn't help but feel a mixture of slight excitement and unease stirring within her.
Despite her attempts to push away her growing attraction towards him, she just couldn't help it. Their playful exchanges hinted at a growing connection between her and Lando, it felt thrilling, but it also did leave her feeling sick to her stomach.
Meanwhile, Lando's gaze occasionally flickered to her, sensing the tension beneath her fake wall of composure. He too grappled with his own emotions, he remained determined to make this trip unforgettable, whatever it might entail, he wanted to make sure he didn't mess it up.
She finally gave him a chance, and he definitely wasn't going to blow it.
"So." He interrupted their lingering silence. "Sleep well?" He asked, an immediate side eye from Thalia as she glanced up from her phone.
"I did actually." She nodded in response. "What about you?" She bit down a laugh as the conversation felt awkward and teenage-like.
"This is going to be harder than I thought." Lando laughed, picking up the same vibe as Thalia. "I've realized we've never actually had a conversation where I'm not being a total dickhead and you're not scolding me."
"I mean I can scold you if you want." She suggested.
"Oh, no thanks." He was quick to reply as she laughed through a breath, a smile not leaving Thalia's face as she gazed at him. "Come to think of it, I honestly don't know much about you."
"Well, what do you wanna know?" She stored her phone beneath her thigh, crossing her legs as she gave him her full attention.
"Hmm.." He kept his focus on the road.
"I'll start it simple. Have you always wanted to be a model?"
"No, actually." She shook her head. "I wanted to be a dentist when I was younger."
"Really?" He glanced at her as she nodded. "Mmm, well, modeling suits you better, that's for sure." He smirked, a scoff emitting from her lips.
"Did you always want to drive race cars?" She mirrored his question, a smile forming in response. "Yeah." He replied. "And look where I am now." He gripped the steering wheel with one hand, a subtle shrug at his shoulders following along.
"Yeah, it suits you." She held in her smirk, looking straight ahead at the road.
"This is so weird..." He nervously laughed. "What?" She glanced at him, her sweet smile melting his heart once again.
"You being nice to me..."
"Oh, come on!" Thalia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking out the window as her smile felt permanent. "Don't get used to it." She turned back to him as he bit down a laugh.
"There's my chihuahua."
Thalia raised an eyebrow, her expression painted with confusion. "Hm?" She chimed innocently, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Laughing in response, he shook his head. "Nothing," He said with a shrug, clearly deciding not to repeat himself, but her lips twitched in amusement. Smirking at his attempt to brush off his words that she 100% heard.
Continuing with the car ride, the duo had arrived to the airport where they were immediately escorted to their private screenings to avoid being spotted in public.
Lando made sure to succumb to Thalia's request to keep everything exclusive, every little detail and thought he put in counted. But, after all, it was just one date.
Well, a date they're traveling almost 10,000 kilometers for.
Lando handled their suitcases, hauling them around on his own, happily walking beside Thalia as they were being escorted through a checkpoint for privacy.
As he took care of the remaining formalities for their international flight, Thalia stood by him comfortably as melodies streamed through her headphones.
Glancing to the girl beside him, Lando laughed at her subconscious dancing and finally let her know it was time to board, smiling happily as they walked towards the gate, mindlessly talking about God knows what.
Making their way into the aircraft together, Thalia's last remaining ounce of reluctance began to fade. Quickly settling into a seat, she couldn't help but marvel at just how much effort Lando had put into everything.
"Nice right?" He smiled, noticing her gawking around as he took a seat in front of her.
"Better than any of the ones I've ever been on." She laughed, taking off her headphones and resting them around her neck.
"So, 12 hours..." He raised his brows. "What's the plan?" He questioned as she held a finger to stop him.
"You're gonna let me sleep first and then I'll talk to you."
"But, you said you slept good last night!" He quirked a brow in confusion.
"I need to regenerate in order to handle being around you." She laughed through a mumble, looking at him with her arms crossed.
"Oh, come on." He looked to the side in annoyance but a smirk not leaving his features.
"Sorry..." She shrugged innocently.
"What am I supposed to do without you to talk to?" Lando heaved a sigh as she put her headphones back around her ears. "Figure it out." Thalia laughed as she crossed her legs with a smile.
"I'll just stare at you then." He slouched back, watching her intently. "Nothing I'm not used to." Thalia replied with an amused smirk, continuing to scroll through her playlist for a song, not even peeping a glance at him.
"Tanya. I'm bored." The Formula One driver complained.
"Girl, we haven't even taken off yet." Thalia shot her head up, glaring as Lando whined like a pre-teen, but a taunting smirk on his face.
"It's so fun messing with you." He said through childish giggles, Thalia fighting the urge to smile at the faint sound seeping through her headphones. "Your favorite thing to do, isn't it?" She asked, glancing up once againZ
"By far." Lando smiled.
Rolling her eyes and proceeding to keep up a wall of annoyance, Thalia returned to her phone as Lando continuously tried to bother her.
She secretly enjoyed it anyways.
As the plane finally prepared to taxi down the runway, Thalia stole a brief glance at Lando. His sweet smile and the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, it did something to her.
And despite the long flight ahead, Thalia knew deep down inside that it wouldn't be boring with him around.
Hours into the flight, the subtle hum of the private jet engines provided a soothing white noise. Thalia stirred from her nap, her head gently bouncing against the plush leather of her seat as the jet hit a patch of turbulence.
Blinking away her grogginess, she glanced over at Lando to see if he had noticed her sudden movement, but soon realizing he was no longer in front of her but he had taken the seat beside her.
Absorbed in a movie, headphones on, a faint smile graced his lips as he didn't notice her stare. She briefly watched him for a moment, her slight attitude from earlier replaced with a quiet admiration.
Thalia let out a yawn, slightly adjusting her own headphones and settled back into her seat, trying to piece together the moment sleep had overtaken her, but her thoughts were interrupted as the jet experienced another, more aggressive jolt of turbulence that startled her.
Her sudden movement quickly grabbed Lando's attention, making him shift from his screen to her, pulling his headphones down around his neck. "You okay?" He asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah, just not a fan of turbulence," Thalia admitted, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Lando reached across their space between their plush seats, offering his hand. It was warm and welcoming. Thalia hesitated, her pride briefly warring with her desire for comfort, before letting her hand slip into his.
"Me neither," He confessed, squeezing her hand gently. "But it's a little better when you don't have to face it alone, right?"
Thalia nodded, a spark of joy spreading through her that had little to do with the cabin temperature. They sat in silence, hands clasped, as the jet continued to navigate through the rough air. Lando's presence made her feel grounded; the earlier feeling of hesitation slowly melted away, replacing itself with a calm steadiness.
As the turbulence eased, Thalia's eyes grew heavy once more. She didn't want to let go of his hand—not just yet. She looked at him, ready to pull away, but he was already watching her, an understanding smile on his face.
"You should try to sleep a bit more," Lando whispered.
"I've got you."
And with those words, Thalia suddenly woke up. Looking at her surroundings in confusion before a wave of realization just hit.
She just dreamt about Lando.
Taking off her headphones, she furrowed her brows as the moment she thought happened, but never actually took place.
With the whirring jets flooding white noise throughout the plane, she glanced to see that Lando had actually moved beside her like in the dream, but instead he was sound asleep.
Now feeling fully energized, she sat in confusion. Whatever she had just dreamt about, holding Lando's hand as he told her she was safe with him startled her.
But yet, she liked it.
She checked her phone to see at least 5 hours of the flight went by, feeling accomplished that she was capable of sleeping peacefully.
Glancing back to her left, she gazed at Lando who was sound asleep, laid against the jet window with a blanket provided by the cabin crew. His phone sprawled on his chest and his headphones blasting whatever tune she couldn't recognize, with his posture slouched against the leather seats.
Feeling a sense of boredom now that she was awake, Thalia couldn't help but watch him. Getting lost as she admired the peaceful expression on Lando's face, the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath.
And dissociating with every passing second, she didn't notice when his eyes fluttered open, a mischievous grin playing on his lips as he laughed. "Caught you." He whispered softly, causing her cheeks to immediately flush as she stammered back in her seat.
Covering her face as she was now flustered, Lando sat up, giggles spilling from him as he placed his hands around Thalia's wrists in attempt to pull her hands away from covering her humiliation.
"Don't talk to me." Her morning voice mumbled through her palms.
"Admiring me, were you?" He asked as he gave up the fight, laughing in his seat as she groaned.
"I was not." She looked up. Her low bun barely a mess as her headphones sat around her neck unevenly.
"You so were." Lando smiled wide. A taunting grin painted on his features that Thalia wanted to slap off his face. "But good afternoon to you." He said happily, a snort from Thalia in response.
"You're so annoying." She mumbled as she kept her eyes forward, refusing to look at him.
"It's okay! Don't be embarrassed." He teased.
"I'm embarrassed. There's nothing I feel but embarrassment." Thalia said with a defeated tone as her hands held her head up while Lando loved every second of her crumbling.
"Do you want to play Uno?" He tried to calm her down by moving on from the situation at large. A menacing grin still worn on his face.
"What part of this makes you think I want to play Uno?" She asked with pain in her voice, as if she was just caught murdering someone.
"THALIA—" He laughed at her embarrassment once again, tears nearly forming in her eyes as she felt ashamed. "This is so humbling." She began to laugh along with him, attempting to brush off any lingering humiliation.
Settling back into their seats, their playful banter continued. The tension of the moment dissipated into a friendly atmosphere where Thalia couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth amidst her embarrassment, grateful for Lando's ability to turn even the most awkward situations into lighthearted moments.
But she still felt embarrassed, nonetheless.
As they exchanged smiles and another shared fit of laughter, the humiliation of being caught staring at him finally faded away, replacing itself with a sense of admiration that only seemed to strengthen her attraction towards him with each passing moment.
"So, Uno?" Lando asked again as she let out a deep breath, watching as he pulled out a deck of cards from a table drawer in front of him.
"If I win, I get to go back to sleep and we forget any of this ever happened, deal?" She adjusted her seated position, facing towards her left.
"Deal."
VERA'S VOICE!
guys.... happy 100k.
CELEBRATORY CHAPTER!!!!!!!! i love u landalia. u guys r my world. i wish they were real.
rip thalia tran, you would've loved lando norris.
but srsly tysm for 100,000 reads .. that's so crazy and i literally started this book like two weeks ago. EERMRMR. ETERNALLY GRATEFUL AS HELL!!!!!
shoutout. i am the most grateful author ever. YIPPEE.
and hello barnaby!!! thanks for forcing me to write this!!!!! wouldn't be here without u slime.
love love love vera.