Pulling up to her Mum's house, Alexis didn't really know what to expect when she walked through the front door. She had called ahead to let her know she was coming, and that she was bringing Lando. Alexis had reassured her mother that he wasn't her boyfriend - which technically wasn't a lie.
Both her and Lando got out of the car; Lando practically kissing the ground once he was safe and out of a vehicle he hadn't been driving. Alexis rolled her eyes at his dramatic antics, shoving his shoulder playfully as she walked past him.
Lando grabbed her by the hand before Alexis could walk any further, making her halt and turn around to look at him. He squeezed her hand reassuringly; not saying anything with his words but his actions were saying plenty. She nodded her head at him, silently thanking him. He let go of her hand, holding out his pinky. Alexis locked her pinky with Lando's, their thumbs touching above their hands. He grinned at her, before their hands dropped and Alexis took a deep breath before they reached the front door.
She hadn't seen her Mum in person since she had told her about her plan of moving overseas with Oscar; her mother not even coming to the airport to see her off. Now here Alexis was, out the front of her Mum's house waiting for her to answer the door.
Alexis' Mum opened the door, pulling her reading glasses onto the top of her head as she smiled. "Hi, Alex."
"Hi Mum." Alexis smiled back, before her Mum pulled her into a hug.
They separated, Alexis stepping aside so Lando was in full view. "Mum, this is Lando. Lando, this is my Mum Tracy."
"Lovely to meet you." Lando's smile even made Alexis weak at the knees as he held a hand out for her Mum to shake. If her mother couldn't be charmed by him, this was going to be a very awkward visit.
"You too." Tracy smiled, their hands connecting and shaking for a few seconds before they dropped back to their sides. "Come on in."
As they walked in, a man sat on the couch who Alexis didn't recognise. It surprised her so much she stopped in her tracks, resulting in Lando walking into the back of her. He put a hand on her hip to steady himself, looking down at her with a frown.
Tracy cleared her throat, "Alex, this is Pete. Pete, my daughter Alexis and Lando-"
"Lando Norris?" Pete - the man who Alexis still had no idea of who he was or what he was doing in her mother's lounge room - interrupted Tracy.
Lando chuckled nervously, "Ah, yeah. That's the one."
"Pleasure to meet you mate. Love your work in F1." Pete stood up and shook hands with Lando.
"Cheers." Lando said as Pete sat back down.
Alexis watched the interaction, completely baffled. Not only did this random man interrupt her mother from talking but he also completely ignored greeting her. She looked from Pete to Lando, Lando shrugging at her.
Alexis turned to Tracy, "Mum-"
"Who wants coffee? I'll make some." Tracy ran off to the kitchen before Alexis could talk further.
"What the fuck?" Alexis muttered under her breath, completely forgetting about Lando and leaving him with whoever the hell Pete was and chasing after her Mum.
"Oh, hey sweetie. Do you know how Lando takes his coffee?" Tracy smiled innocently at her daughter.
"He likes flat whites." Alexis answered before narrowing her eyes at her Mum, "So, who's Pete exactly?"
"Just someone I've been seeing. It's very early and very new." Tracy responded, keeping herself busy with operating the coffee machine, her back to Alexis.
Tracy wasn't known to date many men after her relationship with Alexis' Dad ended, which is why this whole interaction was confusing Alexis even more. There had only ever been one other man that her Mum had been in a serious relationship with since Alexis had been alive, and even then Alexis hadn't been introduced to him until almost a whole year of her Mum seeing him. But that was years ago, and this was now. It was like her mother was a completely different person now compared to a few months ago when Alexis left for London.
"If it's so early and new then why are you introducing him to me?" Alexis crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, because he's living here, Alex. I couldn't really ask him to leave, could I?" Tracy replied.
"He's what?" Alexis' jaw almost dropped to the floor.
"I said he's living-"
"No, I heard you. I was just-, okay." Alexis sighed, "How new is this, exactly?"
"Two months or so?" Tracy shrugged.
"Okay..." Alexis was trying so hard to process the information and not lose her cool, "Are you happy? With him?"
Tracy didn't answer Alexis' question but instead said, "Take this coffee to Lando for me would you, honey?"
Alexis took the coffee from her Mum, leaving the conversation more confused than when she went into it. Walking back into the lounge room, Lando stared at Alexis with pleading eyes, begging her to save him from the conversation he was having with Pete.
Alexis sat down next to Lando, handing him the coffee. He took it and shuffled closer to her, further away from Pete. She eyed Lando suspiciously, who only sipped his coffee and avoided her eyes.
"So... Pete." Alexis crossed one leg over the other, clasping her hands on her knee. "What do you do for work?"
"Oh, I'm in between jobs at the moment." Pete answered nonchalantly.
"So you're unemployed?" Alexis raised an eyebrow at him.
"Nah, nah." Pete shook his head.
"Well, what did you do in your last job?" Alexis asked.
"Oh, you know. Bit of this, bit of that." Pete shrugged.
"Right..." Alexis responded, before she swiftly moved on. "Well, how's your family?"
"Got no family, really. No kids, no ex-wives. Well, a couple crazy exes, but we've all got a few of those, am I right, mate?" Pete shoved Lando's shoulder with a laugh.
Lando's eyes never left the floor in front of him as he chuckled nervously before he took another sip of his coffee. Alexis watched on in bewilderment, trying desperately to catch Lando's eye so she could communicate with him silently. Nevertheless, he never looked up.
"How did you end up here, then?" Alexis asked Pete.
"What do you mean?" Pete's brow furrowed.
"I mean, how did you end up here, living with my Mum?" Alexis narrowed her eyes at him.
"Jeez, what's with the interrogation?" Pete laughed nervously.
"Just trying to get to know you." Alexis smiled through gritted teeth, trying to come off as pleasant.
Tracy came back in from the kitchen, handing Pete and Alexis a coffee each before she took a seat in between Pete and Lando. Pete seemed visibly relieved that Tracy was back, as Alexis watched how he interacted with her mother like a hawk.
A conversation continued to flow between the group of four, mainly about Alexis' time living in London and Lando's career in F1. Everytime Alexis tried to switch the topic to Pete or her Mum, Tracy swiftly intervened and it got dropped.
Alexis was still finding it incredibly hard to understand why her Mum was dating someone like Pete, and why they'd moved so fast to where he was living in her house so soon. It didn't help that neither of them were giving her any details to help clear her confusion.
Tracy told the group she was going to clear the coffee cups and took them to the kitchen. When Pete realised he was going to be left with Alexis and Lando again, he was awkward and uncomfortable. He mumbled about something in the garage he wanted to fix, which left Lando and Alexis alone for the first time since they'd arrived.
Lando let out a low whistle, "That was..."
"Fucking weird? Right?" Alexis leaned back into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh my God, yes! Thank fuck." Lando was relieved as he began laughing.
Alexis watched him in amusement, "What?"
"I didn't know if this was normal for your family. I don't want to judge or anything, but fucking hell. That is one weird dude." Lando was still chuckling.
"Yeah..." Alexis laughed quietly too, before she said, "I don't get it. I don't know why Mum is with him."
"Al." Lando's tone turned serious for a moment, and he stopped laughing, "Can't you see it?"
"See what?" Alexis frowned.
"Your Mum was lonely." Lando said. "From what you've told me, and from what I've seen, you were the only real family in her life. When you left for London, she had no one. So, it seems she's gone and found someone not too long after you've left, and he's kept her company."
What Lando was telling her made absolute sense, and Alexis was kicking herself for not seeing it sooner. She was quiet as she processed the information, and couldn't help but feel guilty. Alexis had caused her mother to feel so lonely that she started dating an absolute idiot who she's now stuck living with just so she's not alone.
"Hey, you know this isn't your fault, right?" Lando's voice snapped her from her thoughts.
"How-"
"It's not your fault." Lando interrupted Alexis by repeating himself, taking one of her hands in his, intertwining their fingers. "You're an adult and you needed to go out and live your life. We can't be tied down to the places we grew up in. If that was the case, I'd be stuck in Glastonbury and wouldn't be doing a job I absolutely love."
"Yeah... that's true. You're right." Alexis nodded, as Lando's thumb stroked her hand.
"I know I'm right." Lando said smugly.
Alexis rolled her eyes at him, which made Lando laugh, and soon she was giggling alongside him. She was so glad now to have him here; there was no way she could have done this without him.
———🏎️———
Alexis had another chat with her Mum after the revelation from Lando, and it went a lot better than the first one. Although there were tears from both parties, there was also forgiveness.
Tracy realised now that moving to London had made Alexis incredibly happy, and even if it meant her daughter was thousands of kilometres away from her now, she could understand she had to do this for herself.
Alexis reassured her Mum that even though she's living on another continent, she would never forget about her mother, and she wasn't ever truly alone. That's when Tracy realised just how bad of a mistake she'd made bringing Pete into her life and her home, and promised Alexis she was going to look after herself now. And that meant excluding Pete from the equation. What ever that meant for her Mum, Alexis didn't want to pry. She was just glad she realised she shouldn't ever have to rely on a man for her happiness.
Alexis and Lando bid farewell to Alexis' Mum, with Pete still hiding away in the garage. If Alexis had it her way she would've given him an earful but luckily Lando talked her down and convinced her that he wasn't even worth wasting her breath.
It was only a short ten minute drive from Tracy's to Alexis' Dad's house, and Alexis was actually excited to see her Dad and Nicole again. She'd missed them since she'd been away, and their home always made her feel so content and at peace.
They'd created such an incredible atmosphere; the house itself was quaint and cosy but the backyard was where Alexis loved to be the most. It had the most beautiful lush greenery; towering trees, blooming gardens and a fire pit where there'd been countless nights of banter.
They entered the house without knocking, as Alexis knew they would already be out the back. She led Lando through to the yard, where she could see everyone already sat around the fire pit that she knew would be roaring later that night.
"Alex! Hi, honey!" Nicole greeted her as she saw them approaching.
"Hi Nic." Alexis grinned as she allowed Nicole to pull her in a hug.
After that her Dad tackled her in a bear hug, ruffling her hair when he released her. Alexis groaned and immediately went to fixing her hair back to its original state.
Alexis introduced her father Chris and Nicole to Lando, the both of them practically slapping his politely extended hand away for a handshake and pulling him in for a hug. Oscar and Lando shook hands and Lily embraced him, as Alexis and Lando sat down.
The group of six chatted away and Lando blended into the group so seamlessly, just like he did with Isabelle and Erin when he first met them. Alexis didn't feel the need to join in on the conversation often, she was happy enough just being in the presence of some of her favourite people and observing them interact.
What made her heart swell the most was Lando and her Dad, who were getting along like a house on fire. Alexis' Dad was very animated when he spoke; she didn't know what they talking about but she couldn't help but grin when Lando burst out into laughter, in turn making Chris chuckle too. She was coming to realise that Lando had that effect on people; his laugh was so infectious it was hard not to smile when you were with him.
It was nearing time for dinner, as Nicole stood up and announced she was heading into the kitchen to prepare the food. Alexis and Lily offered to help too, following her inside. Lily had been eyeing Alexis all night, and Alexis knew she'd been waiting for a chance to get her alone to ask her how things had been going with Lando. Luckily for Lily, that chance came when Nicole excused herself to use the bathroom, leaving the two girls in the kitchen.
"So Lex..." Lily grinned innocently.
"Yes, Lily?" Alexis acted oblivious, keeping herself busy with making the salad.
"Bringing Lando to meet the family is a pretty big step."
Alexis shrugged, "Not really. He's not my boyfriend or anything."
Truth be told, Alexis didn't feel nervous to introduce Lando to her friends and family. She wasn't ashamed or felt the need to hide him from her inner circle, in fact she was proud of the fact that he wanted to be so involved in her life here and meet the people who meant most to her.
It was the complete opposite to when she brought her ex Tom to meet everyone; Alexis was well and truly shitting bricks that day. Now that she'd seen the way her family accepted Lando and interacted with him, she wondered if they ever liked Tom for her in the first place.
"I think Chris has already adopted Lando as his unofficial son-in-law." Lily giggled.
"Yeah..." Alexis smiled as she looked out the window and saw her Dad, Oscar and Lando all chatting and laughing outside, "They're getting along well."
"How's it been with you two recently?" Lily asked.
"Really good. We've been doing a bit of sightseeing and hanging out a lot." Alexis answered, as Lando looked inside and made eye contact with Alexis. Although Chris and Oscar were talking around him, he paid them no attention as he couldn't look away from the girl. Lando winked at Alexis, before he looked away again.
"Just warning you, Oscar is starting to catch on that something might be going on between you and Lando. I don't know how much longer I can keep making excuses for you guys, especially when you both look at each other like that." Lily said.
"Huh? Like what?" Alexis frowned.
"I think you know, Lex. I'm just saying, you might have to talk to Oscar soon."
Nicole then came back from the bathroom and the girls continued on preparing dinner, before the guys joined them inside to eat around the dining table. The conversations continued as they ate; these ones a little more light-hearted and fun than before as Chris and Nicole were more comfortable with Lando.
Once they'd finished their food, Chris and Nicole headed to the kitchen to clean up, leaving the four behind at the table. Lando leaned in and whispered in Alexis' ear, "You okay?"
Alexis nodded and smiled in return, as Lando placed a hand on her thigh. She reached a hand out to place on top of his, Lando turning his hand over so his palm was facing upwards. Alexis intertwined their fingers and held his hand comfortably in her lap.
"Got anything else planned while you're home, Osc?" Alexis asked her brother.
"Nah, nothing really. Probably just have a wander around town tomorrow before media on Thursday."
Lando groaned and threw his head back.
"What?" Alexis asked him.
"Media day." Lando grumbled.
Alexis, Lily and Oscar all chuckled at him, as Oscar said, "Yeah, it's not my favourite day either mate."
Everyone moved back outside as Chris brought the fire pit to life; igniting flames to bring heat to the group. Although the temperature was still fairly comfortable in Melbourne in March, once the sun went down it definitely took a lot of the warmth with it, and it would only get chillier as the month went on.
Alexis took Lando to her favourite spot; a bench seat hidden in one of the far corners of the yard underneath a tall tree. Alexis shivered as they sat down, regretting only wearing a t-shirt. Without saying a word Lando took his hoodie off and handed it to her, revealing a long-sleeve top that he'd been wearing underneath.
Alexis wasn't going to protest, so she smiled gratefully and threw his hoodie on over her head and placed her arms through the sleeves. His cologne on the clothing was strong and she let it envelope her, the scent calming her. Naturally the hoodie was a lot bigger on her, the cuffs of the sleeves falling over her fingers, but it just made her feel even cosier.
"I'm sorry if today's been a lot for you, my family can be kinda a lot." Alexis said quietly to Lando.
"Nonsense." Lando shook his head, "I've enjoyed myself."
"I'm glad." Alexis grinned.
Lando then pulled Alexis' legs across so they were on his lap and dangling between his legs, as he said, "Plus, how could I ever forget the day I met Pete?"
Alexis laughed, "Oh my God. I hope that was the first and last time we ever see him."
Once the laughter died down, Alexis took one of Lando's hands in her own, fiddling with his fingers as she stared down, deep in thought.
"What's on your mind?" Lando asked.
"You." Alexis admitted truthfully, still not looking up.
"Good things, I hope." Lando grinned cheekily, before he said seriously, "You've been on my mind too, though."
"Really?" Alexis glanced up at his face then.
Lando nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Ever since that first day I met you when you were setting up your bedroom at Oscar's. Do you remember the first thing you said to me?"
She shook her head in response.
"I believe it was along the lines of 'fuck me'." Lando chuckled.
Alexis blushed, dropping Lando's hand and covering her face as she laughed. "In my defence, I said that to myself and I didn't realise you were in the doorway listening."
Lando pulled her hands away from her face, holding them in his own. "Really though, I'm not lying when I say I think about you a lot. Like, it's scary to admit, but I've never felt this way about someone before. The feelings I have, especially after knowing you for such a short amount of time, well, they're starting to get a little difficult to ignore."
This time it was Lando staring at the ground and avoiding Alexis' eyes as he confessed his feelings to her. In her head, she thought this was now or never. Fall head first and be vulnerable, or pull back and protect herself. The only word that was echoing in her mind was 'fall'.
So, building up the courage, Alexis responded, "I feel the exact same. I'm honestly terrified of the feelings I have for you. I've tried and tried to stop myself, because I know I shouldn't like you, but-"
"Why shouldn't you?" Lando's head shot up as he looked at her.
Alexis sucked in a shaky breath, "Because I'm afraid, Lando."
"Of what? Of me?" Lando was searching her eyes for the answers she wasn't speaking out loud, but was coming up with nothing.
"No, not of you." Alexis smiled, placing a hand on his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. Lando leaned into her touch, turning his head to gently press a kiss to her palm.
Alexis removed her hand from his face as she continued, "I'm afraid of a lot of things. Of liking someone so soon after breaking up with my ex, of how crazy I already am for you. The constant scrutiny from the public, having no privacy-"
"You're crazy about me?" Lando couldn't help the grin breaking out onto his face.
"Is that the only thing you got from what I just said?" Alexis teased.
"No, no! I was listening, I swear." Lando reassured, "But I told you before, I'm gonna look after you. And I don't wanna rush this and fuck it up. I just think we'd be stupid to not give this a chance, Al."
"You think so?" Alexis smiled.
"Darling, I know so." Lando smiled widely, before he held out his pinky, "I promise."
Alexis couldn't help but laugh at their little tradition, but nevertheless she wrapped her pinky around his. Lando then raised his thumb, as she met it in the middle with her thumb, stamping the promise. He then rotated their hands so he could lace their fingers together, placing them down in his lap.
She looked up from their intertwined hands to his face, suddenly realising just how close they were. Lando was staring deeply into her eyes, inhaling sharply as Alexis' vision flickered ever so briefly down to his lips. They'd been in this position many times, however this moment felt so much more intense. After confessing their feelings for one another, there was no denying or stopping them now from moving forward.
Lando placed his free hand on her cheek, silently asking Alexis with his eyes if it was okay. She only responded by inching her face closer to his, her way of saying it was okay, as her breath now gently fluttering against his face. After having self-control for so long, he finally closed the space between them, his lips catching hers. Alexis' hand went to the back of Lando's neck as their mouths moved as one, tender and sweet.
The kiss only lasted for a short few seconds, but for the pair of them it felt like an eternity. They both pulled back, a dopey grin on Lando's face who pressed a light kiss to the tip of her nose, making Alexis scrunch her nose up as she giggled.
"You have no idea how long I'd been waiting to do that." Lando said quietly to her.
Alexis smiled, "I'd say it was worth the wait."
"Let's not wait that long to do it again, yeah?" Lando smirked at her, before he was already leaning in once more.