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Chapter Text

The steady shuffle of her father’s loafers across the hotel suite’s tiled floors drew Molly’s attention away from her book.  

“I thought I told Goldie to confiscate that room key I knew you took at check-in, old man.” Here in the privacy of her hotel room, Molly’s southern accent becomes a little more prominent as she sasses her father. 

Across from where she sits on the sun lounger on the balcony of her suite, Nathan Chapman freezes as he pulls a face of mock horror while slapping his large hand over his heart. 

“Is that any way to speak to your father, young lady?” He laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked down at his daughter. 

Molly lifts a perfectly arched brow as she slips the bookmark into the pages of the latest best selling fantasy novel that her PR manager Goldie Miller had shoved into her hands yesterday. 

“It is when he’s being nosy and interrupting my alone time with his insistence in shuffling around my otherwise quiet room like a 85 year old with a bum hip.” She crosses her arms over her chest, knowing exactly what her father has come looking for. 

Nathan holds his hands up in mock surrender, “I just thought I’d ask one more time if you wanted to come to the race with me.” 

Molly huffs a sigh, reaching for the crystal glass of ice water on the table beside her lounger. Her fingers slipped over the condensation gathered along the sides as she brought it to her lips. 

She was supposed to be spending the weekend holed up in the Ritz Carleton in Bahrain while her father visited his friend for the first race of the 2024 Formula One season. This was supposed to be a quick breath of air while she was smack in the middle of a handful of shows in London before she moved onto the Australian leg of her world tour. 

As soon as they’d touched down in the Middle Eastern country on Thursday evening though, her dad had begun to bug her to go to more events with him. She knew he meant well, it had been a while since they’d been able to spend a lot of quality time together. 

A tour so busy that she’d barely had time to spend with either of her parents, despite the fact that they were both heavily involved with her business management and legal team. 

“Isn’t that why you had a son?” She snaps, but there’s no real bite to her snark. “To do all of that manly motorsport stuff with?” 

Nathan waves his hand dismissively in the air. “Well, your brother is at home with his wife and twin babies.” 

Molly sets her glass down with a gentle clink before sliding her Chanel sunglasses onto the crown of her head. “So, I’m just a proxy then?” 

 “Exactly.” Nathan gives Molly a crisp nod before crossing his arms across his chest. “So, I leave in an hour. Are you coming or not?” 

It would take years for Molly to be able to describe what she’d felt in that moment, her father standing before her, barely concealed hope written all over his face. It felt like a tug deep in her ribcage, a physical push from the universe telling her something she didn’t understand yet. It was a call from something, or someone else, that made her chest tighten and her breath stutter. 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll go.” Molly hears herself saying, not even fully knowing the words leaving her mouth even as they do. 

Nathan claps loudly and pumps his fist in the air. “You are going to have so much fun, Molly Grace!” 

Molly tosses her book onto the table beside her before folding her legs out from under her. Standing, she stretches up onto her tiptoes, the delicious burn of her bunched muscles biting at her spine. 

“Can you call Goldie and have her pull some outfit options?” If she was going to the Formula One race, she was going to have to make sure she was red carpet ready. There was no slipping in the back way and flying under the radar when you were Molly Chapman, number one selling female artist on both the pop and country charts. 

No, everything Molly did was a production. 

She shuffles into the suite, headed straight for the bathroom to get started on her skincare. An hour to get public appearance ready was calling it close, but she could manage. “And can you see if Shaye is available to do my hair? I can manage my makeup but my hair is a hot mess.” 

Nathan already has his phone to his ear, having dialed Goldie the moment Molly had stood up. “You got it kiddo.” 

An electric tang of anticipation bit at the base of Lando Norris’ neck as he scanned his paddock pass, the green light flaring to life as his credentials are accepted. It feels good to be back in the routine of race day after a winter spent relaxing and preparing for the next season. 

“Lando!” Kym Illman calls from where he stands to the side of the paddock entrance, his camera already lifted, shutter clicking without hesitation. 

Lando slides his sunglasses up into his curls, an easy smile settling on his face. He fixes the careful mask of in-season PR shine in place for yet another year chasing another championship in the pinnacle of motorsport. 

“Hey, Kym. Good holiday this year?” 

Kym smiles, allowing his camera to drop to his chest, dangling from the strap secured around his thick neck. “Of course, lots of time with the missus.”

Lando nods and laughs politely back before turning to Jon, who was following closely behind him. “Do I have time to grab something to eat before my engineering meeting?” 

It was all routine now, as Lando settled into his sixth season of Formula One. He was cautiously hopeful, having two really good testing sessions here at the same track just last week. The weekend had gone well already, he’d be starting near the front tonight and his car was feeling as good as it ever had. He didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself, but there was something good thrumming in his chest when he thought about what might happen this season. 

Beside him, Jon glances at his watch before sliding open his phone. “Oh, um. Yeah probably but…” Joh barely manages to conceal a chuckle as he reads the text from Lando’s press officer, Laura. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” 

Lando pauses, head swiveling to look at what’s got Jon is such a tizzy. “Oy, what is so funny?” 

“Laura says there’s a special guest in hospitality already, she thinks you might want to go say hi before you go into your meetings.” 

Lando’s brow knit as he stared at his trainer. He’d been working with Jon for years now, sometimes it was spooky how well the older man was able to read Lando. He’d be able to talk him out of a mental spiral most of the time, knowing when to push Lando out of his own head and when to back up. 

Giggling Jon, however, was not a Jon Lando was familiar with. 

They’re nearing McLaren hospitality now, a thin film of anxiety clinging to Lando’s ribcage. 

“Zak invited one of his longtime golfing buddies tonight and the guy brought his daughter.” Jon says, laughter still sitting at the edge of his voice. 

“Okay?” Lando hikes his backpack higher on his shoulder, still confused as to how an additional guest is so hilarious. 

“His daughter is Molly Chapman.” 

Lando’s stomach drops. 

“You’re fucking with me.” He deadpans. 

Jon shakes his head, a shit eating grin yanking at the corner of his smug face. 

Lando frowned, the memory of the interview he’d given just last week naming Molly as his number one celebrity crush at the moment flashing before his eyes. 

“Fucks sakes.” He breathes, shaking his head. “Does she know about the interview?” 

Jon, ever the most helpful person in Lando’s life, shrugs his shoulders and pops a piece of gum into his mouth. He holds out the pack of cinnamon gum he always keeps in his pocket as a quick distraction should Lando need it. 

“Gum?” 

“Fuck off, mate.” Lando says, huffing out a laugh. 

He comes to a stop in front of the sliding glass doors of the McLaren hospitality suite. Just beyond the glass doors, he spots his boss standing opposite a blonde wearing a lacy papaya colored bodysuit topped by a loose, similarly colored linen shirt. Lando’s mouth runs dry when he sees how short the black denim cutoffs she’s wearing are. 

He runs a hand over his jaw, mind going completely blank. 

“Can I tell her publicist about last weeks interview?” Job whispers as he follows Lando across the front entryway of the suite. 

Lando’s head snaps to his friend, “I’ll actually murder you.” 

Jon holds his hands up and shakes his head, “Zak is waving at you.” He mutters, tilting his head forward. 

Lando spins, startling when he realizes how close he is to the McLaren CEO and his guests. 

“Lando, do you have a second? I have someone I want to introduce you to.” Zak reaches out, catching his driver by the shoulder before pulling him into the circle. “This is one of my oldest friends, Nathan Chapman.” 

Lando turns to the man on his right, rather distractedly. He’d been blinking over at the woman standing opposite him for an embarrassingly length of time and suddenly seemed to realize Zak was speaking to him. 

“Oh? Oh. Yes, hello! It’s nice to meet you.” He leans into the years of media training to calm his hammering heart, pasting a smile onto his face that he knows comes off as sincere. 

“Nice to meet you too, Lando.” The tall, heavyset man reaches out to clasp Lando’s hand in his. “This is my daughter, Molly.” 

Nathan introduces Molly so simply it catches Lando off guard. Molly Chapman was easily the most successful female artist in the world right now. Everyone knew her, ticket sales for her European tour later in the year had sold out in minutes. And here she was, being introduced to him as ‘his daughter, Molly’ like she wasn’t in the middle of commanding a cultural moment. 

A soft smile pulls at the corner of Molly’s full lips, painted a rich Ferrari red tonight. “It’s nice to meet you.” She says, her voice quieter than Lando would have expected. 

Lando only nods, the words he knows are socially expected not even forming in his brain. He blinks for a moment, before finally finding his manners. “Yes.” He breathes, “It’s…um…nice to meet you too.”

Smooth, Norris. 

Jon thankfully comes to his rescue in the next moment, his hand coming to rest on Lando’s shoulder. “Sorry, but I’ve got to steal him away, strategy meetings and then warmups.” 

“Good luck tonight.” Nathan says before Lando is swept away into pre-race meetings. 

He tosses one more look over his shoulder, gaze tangling with Molly’s for just the briefest of moments before he gets tugged down a hallway. In that moment though, in that quick graze of eye contact that he was able to drink her in, Lando felt something twist in his stomach. He couldn’t quite name the feeling, it was something that was strangely unfamiliar but comforting at the same time. 

It frazzled his nerves a bit more than he’d admit out loud, the way Molly had held his gaze just then. He suspected he was the only one who felt it though, with the kind curiosity that she’d looked at him with meant nothing more than casual interest. 

Lando walks through the door of the conference room, walking blindly towards his station at the front of the room. He switched into race mode then, distraction of the previous moments pushed to the side. He’d have to process what just happened later. 

Or never. 

Never sounded nice. 

But at the very least, it would have to wait until after tonight. 

There was something there though and even as Andrea stepped up to start the meeting, Lando felt unnervingly distracted by the blonde who’d just captured his complete attention. 

*Meanwhile, on Twitter* 

user938 did anyone else see the photos of Lando and Molly Chapman meeting at the race today???

>>>user992 what??? 

>>>user201 he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die the entire time he was talking to her, her dad and Zak 

>>>user563 the pictures SENT ME 

>>>user232 things that happen to Lando Norris: names the biggest country pop star in the entire world as his celebrity crush only to come face to face with her less than seven days later. CINEMA 

>>>user222 my awkward king 

>>>user444 her outfit, oh my GOD. Does she need a dog? I can bark. 

>>>user029 BARK BARK

>>>user462 the PAPAYA LACE BODYSUIT? Our girl said ‘I’m sitting with WHO? And showed UP’ 

->>>user223 he black and silver cowboy boots??? Miss Girl SLAYED 

The garage hummed, the steady beat of race ritual ticked by as Molly stood in the corner, out of the way. It was a well choreographed chaotic scene that had her feeling overwhelmed and slightly over stimulated. 

But at the same time, Molly loved it. 

She understood now, standing with her back against the wall so she was out of the way of the cameraman that was standing at the opposite end of the busy garage. Molly understood why her father loved racing. The rumble of the engines firing up, the comfortable confidence everyone dressed in papaya seemed to exude - it all made for a symphony that Molly craved to put lyrics to. 

“This is…a lot.” She mumbles under her breath to her dad, who is standing beside her, papaya colored ear muffs hanging loosely from his fingertips. 

Nathan nods, but he’s much more at ease in the chaos of the garage than Molly seems to be. It reminds him a lot of the backstage chaos that ensues during a concert. The carefully controlled choreography seemed to be random but right under the surface, there was a strict plan to be followed. 

He turns to his daughter, a sudden clang of guilt rattling his bones. “You can go sit in the hospitality suite, honey.” 

He knew that Molly had agreed to this trip simply because she needed to rest and here he was, dragging her out to places that provided the exact opposite. 

Molly shakes her head, slipping her hand through her dad’s elbow. She was tired, of course but she cherished the time she got to spend with her dad in places other than her concert venues. Seeing him light up talking to Lando and Oscar, watching with wide-eyed wonder as the engines flared to life. 

Yeah, she was tired but her dad was excited. 

And that was more important.

A hush falls over the garage and Molly follows her father’s lead, pulling on the McLaren branded earmuffs just as the 20 race cars come to a brief standstill in their respective starting boxes. The anticipation of the five lights flickering out is electric, inside her headphones the voice of the commentators shout about the beginning of the 2024 Formula One Season. 

And then, the lights are off and Molly’s heart is hammering, adrenaline coursing through her. Her hand flies to her mouth as the cars barrel down to the first corner, mere inches between them as they fly over the concrete track. 

She’s gripping at her dad’s arm, cherry red nails digging little half moons into his tanned skin without her even realizing it. It’s only when she suddenly finds herself staring up at video of herself does she realize how insane she might look. The camera man that Molly had been steadily avoiding the entire lead up to the race had managed to zero in on her anyway. 

For someone who has been around the crush of media for over a decade now, Molly is caught off guard at how surprised she is to be featured on the Formula One broadcast. She quickly recovers, loosening her grip on her dad’s elbow while demurely blinking at the camera, a small smile on her face. 

Molly has come to expect it, the attention that is forced on her even when she’s in places that aren’t centered around music. It was just part of what happened when you were who she was. She smiled patiently, the thrumming of her pulse not even spiking all that much anymore despite knowing she was on live international television. 

Before she knows it, the camera swings away from her face and the attention is back where it belongs: on track. 

Unfortunately, the brief moment of screen time seems to capture social media’s attention and within minutes, her photo is trending on Twitter and Instagram. Molly can practically feel what’s coming next, a nervous pit of anxiety gnawing at her stomach. 

And then she feels it. 

In her back pocket, her phone buzzes. She knows who it is before she even pulls it out of her pocket. 

Lookin good tonight baby. 

Molly blows out a long breath, the tension in her shoulders ratcheting up immediately. 

Nathan clocks the shift in his daughter’s mood without even breaking eye contact with the TV that hangs in the McLaren garage. 

“Is Tommy texting you again?” He asks gruffly, resisting the urge to rip the phone out of Molly’s hand as she stares blankly down at it. 

Molly’s stomach twisted. She hated how easily she was to read sometimes. She’d been media trained within an inch of her life since she was fifteen, but for some reason her parents had always been able to see past that sheen of PR confidence that she was able to fool everyone else with most of the time. 

“I haven’t replied.” She murmurs back before clicking her phone dark and slipping it back into her pocked. 

Tommy Green was the man that 75% of her songs had been about on her last two albums. They’d met at an awards show five years ago when she was freshly 20 (He was 28 at the time, the first bright red flag she’d intentionally ignored) and as doe-eyed naive as they come. He’d swept her off her feet and for the next four years, they’d been music’s ‘It Couple’. 

Until they weren’t. 

Tommy had been caught very publicly cheating on Molly just over a year ago with one of the backup singers on his southern US tour. 

The fans had been vicious and quick with their judgement, even if Molly had waffled over breaking up with him for several weeks, despite everyone in her management team begging her to dump him. 

Every now and again, Tommy pokes his head back into her universe. Usually when she’s on the verge of doing something big and exciting and he suddenly wants to bring her right back down to earth. 

Molly’s heart races as she decidedly ignores the text. She knew the next time she’d open up her phone there would be a few follow up texts. Sometimes they got aggressive, but that was only when Tommy had been drinking. 

Most of the time, she’d reply to him if only to get him to back off and give her a little peace but there must be something in the Bahrain night air that keeps Molly from replying to this particular baiting text. The same kind of tug at the base of her sternum that she’d felt earlier when her dad had asked if she wanted to come tonight one last time pulls at her for the second time that night. 

Eyes flickering up, the papaya colored car of Lando Norris flashes across the screen as he does battle on the track with what looked like a Ferrari. Molly blinks, recalling how the curly haired British driver had seemed star struck just a few hours earlier when they’d been introduced. 

There it was again. 

That strange but familiar feeling of something cracking wide open in her chest, tugging towards something that she couldn’t see yet. 

The cool blue eyes that had held her gaze just a few hours ago flash through her mind. They hadn’t said more than a handful of words to each other but she’d watched the driver go, pulled away by a McLaren employee. When he’d looked over his shoulder though, their gazes had caught again and the breath had been stolen from Molly’s lungs. 

It was the first time since Tommy had broken her heart that Molly found herself thinking ‘what if?’ 

It was a big ‘what if’ though. She was in the middle of a year-long world tour with barely enough time to see her own family. There was no way that she could make it work with a regular person, but a man that traveled like she knew Lando Norris did? Just thinking about it seemed silly because it was so out of the realm of possibility. She knew that, even if they had shared a few moments of shared chemistry, it would never work. 

But something warmed in the pit of her belly at the thought. Molly had been broken when Tommy’s infidelity had been made public. Her music had turned dark, jaded, and something that she didn’t really like but felt the compulsion to write anyway. It had been a year of this, of darkness and concern that her light would never be lit again. 

But with one quick glance at an unattainable British Formula One driver seemed to unlock something in Molly’s chest and she couldn’t help but think…what if this was the healing push I’ve been dreaming of?

Chapter Text

“I cannot believe you got us to go along with this.” Max Fewtrell groans as he glares at his best friend who is navigating the London streets in his Urus. 

Lando was on a two week break after a hectic start to the season, so he’d gone home to London to visit his parents and friends that were still in the city. What he hadn’t planned on was seeing that Molly Chapman was doing a 3 concert stint series at Wembley Stadium. 

“I think it’s romantic.” Pietra offers from the back seat. She lounges deeper into the plush leather seat, giggling to herself. 

Max’s gaze slices from his friend back to his girlfriend, giving her the same ‘are you insane?’ glare that he’d just been giving Lando. “Oi! You’re just as bad as he is!” 

Lando grips the steering wheel a little harder as traffic got thicker, wondering if he really is insane to try to pull this off. When he’d overheard Pietra talking about how she wanted to go to Molly’s concert tonight, Lando was surprised at how quickly three VIP tickets had been charged to his Black AMEX. 

And then he’d had to explain to Pietra and Max why he’d already bought tickets and that they were all going to the concert. 

“Yeah, well. I didn’t make that great of an impression on her.” He’d griped, flopping down onto Max and P’s living room couch. “I’ve been nonstop traveling for the last how many weeks? And the first time I’m in town, she’s here too. Tell me that isn’t serendipity?” 

“Do you even know what the word ‘serendipity’ means?” Max had deadpanned. 

Lando had thrown a pillow at his head. 

Three hours later, Lando was inching closer to Wembley Stadium with Max and P convinced he had a plan beyond ‘shamelessly name drop himself to get backstage’. 

He didn’t. 

But, what Lando did have was experience. He knew the back halls of the stadium better than most. He frequented football matches with his brothers for enough years now, attending as a VIP, that he had an idea of where things were laid out during concerts too. 

They found the right door first. A little old man was guarding what Lando knew to be the entrance players frequented. The man seemed to recognize Lando and only glanced at the tickets he flashed on his phone before waving them through. 

Lando walked as confidently as he could towards where he thought the locker rooms to be, knowing from past concerts he’d attended that those were the most likely location of her dressing rooms. No one really paid the three friends any mind as they wandered down the busy halls. Everyone seemed to have a destination in mind and Lando had long ago mastered the art of ‘looking like he belonged’. 

“I still can’t believe you managed to get her to agree to see you again.” Max says as they turn down another hallway. 

“Yeah, Molly is notoriously private during her shows. I’ve heard rumors that she doesn’t actually speak the day of her concerts.” Pietra says, her hand sliding into Max’s as they start towards a set of doors with am intimidating looking security guard standing in front of it. 

Lando’s heart quickened at that bit of gossip. 

“Well, she doesn’t exactly know we’re here.” Lando mumbles as he gets closer to the tall security guard. 

The man standing in front of the closed double doors is a good head and a half taller than Lando and Max, his biceps the size of small watermelons. His black t-shirt shows off the complete sleeve of tattoos on both of his arms. One brow is arched as Max sputters in disbelief at the revelation Lando just shared. 

“She what, mate? Are you mad?” He groans. 

Pietra stops, glancing behind her as if she’s trying to decide if she should just run for it now or wait to be escorted out.  

“Can I help you?” The guard grunts out, widening his stance so he can look further down his nose at Lando. 

Lando grips at the back of his neck. “Uhh, well. My name is Lando Norris and…” He winces, realizing just how daft he sounds.

 Behind him, Max hisses something that sounds like ‘fucks sakes’ under his breath. 

Pietra stifles a giggle. 

Lando glares at his friends before turning back to Scary Security Guy as he’s named him in his head. “I’m Lando and I wanted to give Molly something before the show tonight.” 

Lando fishes around in his pocket for a moment before his fingers close around a stretchy loop of fabric and plastic beads. He takes the bracelet out of his pocket, the orange and black beads gleaming in the harsh fluorescent lights of the hallway. 

On the bracelet are the words LN4 and his phone number. 

“I cannot believe what I’m witnessing right now.” Max chokes, bracing a hand on the cement wall for support as he doubles over. 

“Is that a friendship bracelet?” Peitra swoons. “You made her a friendship bracelet? Lando Norris!” 

But Lando’s not paying attention to his idiot friends. His eyes are fixed on Scary Security Guy who is still glaring down, not even a ghost of a smile anywhere on his face. 

“Is Miss Chapman expecting you?” He asks, unimpressed. 

Lando palms at the back of his neck, the plastic beads digging into his skin. “Well. Not exactly.” He draws in a breath as Scary Security Guy’s fingers twitch toward the radio at his hip. “I mean, I didn’t really ask ahead of time but we met once, a few weeks ago.” 

Max coughs. 

“So she like, knows who I am.” 

Scary Security Guy doesn’t even flinch. “Miss Chapman does not meet with fans before her concert unless it’s been cleared by her management.” 

“Fans!” Max crows behind him and Lando has to quell the urge to deck his best friend. 

“I think you should go back out to the main concourse and locate your seats, young man.” Scary Security Guard says before clearly dismissing them by pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

Lando can’t do anything but listen to the guy’s suggestion and turn back the way he came. Heat pricks at the back of his neck but not because he’s embarrassed. He’s used to making a fool out of himself in front of Max and P by now, that doesn’t bother him.

He’s heated because it’s bothering him how disappointed he’s feeling that his harebrained scheme hadn’t worked. Up until the moment that Scary Security Guy had flatly refused to even entertain Lando’s plan, he hadn’t realized how much he’d been wanting to actually see Molly tonight. He hated how his stomach had dropped when he’d been told no because then he’d had to admit to himself that the past handful of weeks he’d been unable to think of anything other than Molly Chapman and how he could see her again. 

He felt like a stalker. 

And after tonight, he probably was. 

That didn’t mean he was going to give up though. 

Lando clicked on the ring light above his laptop set up just as Max was hitting the button on his Twitch to go live across town. The flat that he stayed in while he was in Londo was tidy, mostly because of the cleaning service that came once a week, even when he didn’t pop in for months. He settled down in the gaming chair that he’d bought a few months ago, wanting to have something in the spare room that was comfortable enough to spend hours on stream with Max while they gamed. 

“Alright, chat let’s get this session of Tarkov started, shall we?” Max started as Lando leaned forward, fiddling with his camera. “Going to be bold and turn on the camera tonight, huh mate?”

Lando rolled his eyes before settling back into his chair. “So you can see my face when I beat you.” He quips. 

Max just rolled his eyes at the camera before starting to set the game up. On his end, Lando cracks open a Monster before opening up the game himself. It was pretty late the night after the concert debacle, but if tonight was going to be like their usual streams, the pair would be on gaming for several hours to come. 

“A Monster this late?” Max calls him out on the caffeine consumption as the game loads. “Still tired from the concert last night, huh?”  

The chat buzzes with several people asking what concert they went to.

 Lando freezes, his eyes cutting from his laptop screen to where he can see the taunting grin Max is shooting at him. He tries to give him a ‘don’t you fucking dare’ look but whether Max understands the warning, he doesn’t show it because the next thing out of his mouth is: “Oh we went to the Molly Chapman concert last night!” 

Lando was going to murder him. 

The chat sped up, several people asking if he’d been personally invited by Molly. The paparazzi pictures of them meeting in McLaren’s hospitality suite in Bahrain had gone somewhat viral a few weeks ago and people had been sniffing around ever since, trying to make a story out of nothing. 

This was not going to help. 

“Yeah, it was a good concert!” Max answers one of the viewers before he looks back at Lando, “Chat’s asking about what you thought about it.”  

Lando clears his throat, silently cursing the slow loading video game in front of him. “Yeah, it was a good show!” 

Good show was an understatement. The moment Molly had stepped out onto the stage, she’d commanded every single eye in the stadium. That first dress had been covered in gold sequins that glittered underneath the stadium lights. Lando hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her. Molly had done some of her older songs first, the ones with more of a country flair and her on the guitar. 

It was uniquely vulnerable, the way Molly performed her earlier material. She told the crowed how she used to sit in her bedroom way past her bedtime when she was in middle school, writing songs about the boy next door who never looked at her sideways. 

There was a weirdly possessive clench to Lando’s chest when he heard about Molly talking about other guys, even if they were from decades ago. He didn’t quite understand it but hadn’t spent enough time dissecting it either. Probably because it was fruitless to actually put any thought into what that feeling meant. Because honestly, on what planet would Lando ever have a second chance to see her after he blew it back in Bahrain? 

None. 

“Yeah, the seats were good. Lando treated P and I to tickets, didn’t you bro?” Max’s voice pulls Lando out of his distracted thoughts. 

“Uh, yeah. What are friends for?” He says weakly, praying that Max drops the subject now that the game has loaded and they were skulking around an abandoned Soviet city virtually. 

“We thought we were going to get backstage but…” Max starts, his voice full of teasing mischief. 

Lando shoots Max’s character in the head.

“The fuck?” Max shouts, glaring at him though the camera. 

Lando just gives him a smug grin. 

“Listen, just because you’re mad that Molly Chapman didn’t know who you were and didn’t let you go backstage to give her that friendship bracelet doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me!” Max cries, eyes going molten. 

Chat comes unglued.  

He did WHAT?????

Tell me this isn’t a lie. Tell me Max is telling the truth. I need this to be real.

He made her a friendship bracelet? 

HE GOT ICED OUT BY MOLLY CHAPMAN???

Someone clip the video of Lando’s face. 

If I were Max, I’d be fearing for my life right now. 

Max really said ‘you ruin my game, I ruin your LIFE’ 

Let’s go over the timeline, shall we? Lando Norris calls Molly Chapman his celebrity crush. 7 days later he meets said crush. A few weeks after that HE MAKES HIS CRUSH A FRIENDSHIP BRACELET AND ISN’T ALLOWED TO GIVE IT TO HER? 

The lore that gets dropped on these streams. 

Lando was going to murder Max. 

The handful of hours that exist between soundcheck and the actual show are some of Molly’s favorite. Everything is ready on stage: sound is good, the band is in tune with how she’s feeling that night, her dancers are prepped and warm. It allows her to sit back for a few hours and get into a space mentally that will allow her to put on a show for the tens of thousands of fans that spend their hard earned money to come see her every night. 

More often than not, Molly could be found sitting in her dressing room after soundcheck, hanging out with whatever tour staff was around. A few of the people in her band had been with her since day one and that loyalty meant the world to her. It also meant that Molly rarely went without a friend on tour. 

Tonight was her last show in London before having a a 2 week stretch of time off to prep for the Australian leg of her tour and to say Molly was tired would be an understatement. There would be no Mario Kart tournaments or jam sessions before the concert tonight, just a date with the plush fabric couch that had become Molly’s second bed during this stretch of concerts at Wembley Stadium. 

Across the room, Harper Douglas, Molly’s best friend from when they were six years old, sits scrolling on TikTok. She didn’t often travel to Molly’s international shows now that she was graduated from college and working a regular 9-5 corporate job but London was different. This would be the last stretch of time the girls would have together before Molly left for Australia for she didn’t know how long so she’d convinced Harper to take some PTO to be with her this week. 

“I don’t think I can move.” Molly groans from her spot on the couch as she glanced at her watch. She had a massage scheduled for an hour from now. Maybe if she started shuffling her way towards the PT room now, she’d only be marginally late. 

“Just watching you do that entire show night after night is enough to make me exhausted.” Harper comments, eyes not leaving her phone screen.

Molly opens her mouth to answer but is interrupted by the dressing room door flinging open. She flinches as it clatters against the cement wall while she watches two of her dancers tumble in over like a pair of wrestling littermates. 

“Molly!” Gideon screeches as he tries to untangle his gangly limbs from Matt, the dancer that was brandishing his phone at Molly like it’s a prize winning piglet. 

Molly sits up, startled by the sudden chaos that the two men have brought. The commotion is enough for Harper to set her phone on the table next to her, eyebrow hitching in question as she watches from her spot across the room. 

“What in the world?” Molly asks, mystified. “Are you guys okay?” 

“Do you know Lando Norris?” Matt shoves at Gideon’s shoulder so the taller man is standing without his assistance. 

Molly blinks, completely caught off guard by the question. “I don’t know if ‘know’ would be the right word. We met briefly when I was in Bahrain a few weeks ago.” Brows knitting together, she sees Lando’s face lit up on Matt’s phone screen. “Why?” 

Matt and Gideon share a look that has the heat rising in Molly’s neck. Her stomach tugged as she remembered those ‘what if’ questions she’d only entertained until the checkered flag dropped that night in Bahrain. 

Why did Lando Norris keep popping up in her orbit? 

“I was just scrolling through TikTok and someone posted a clip of one of his friends streams last night.” Matt explained. “Apparently, Lando was at the show the other night and tried to get backstage to see you but security turned him away.” 

Molly had no words. No thoughts other than ‘why was Lando Norris trying to get backstage to see me?’ The same feeling that had started those ‘what if’ questions as Lando had glanced at her one last time that first night digs in. 

“What?” Molly whispers, fully sitting up now trying to figure out what was going on. 

“That’s not even the best part!” Gideon laughs, “He made you a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it and tried get backstage to give it to you.” 

Molly blinks over at Harper, who is sitting ramrod straight, delighted smile on her face. Harper was one of Tommy’s biggest haters and to hear someone like Lando Norris was crushing on her best friend was the best news she’d had in a very long time. 

“He said something about not making a great first impression and just wanting a do over.” Matt croons as if it’s the most romantic thing he’s ever heard. 

“Wait! Wait! Wait, Matt, tell her about the other video! The interview!” Gideon smacks the other man’s shoulder, encouraging him to change subjects. 

Matt rolls his eyes, but obeys. “So they referenced this interview Lando did before the start of the season. Apparently, he named you as his biggest celebrity crush. I looked it up, it’s actually the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Matt taps at the screen of his phone for a moment before holding it out to Molly, who takes if from her dancer. Harper gallops across the room, dropping down beside her friend on the couch. Once everyone is quiet, she hits play. 

It’s a clip from a podcast that shows Lando sitting on a creamy white couch between a man and a woman. All of them were wearing headphones and had mics placed on the floor in front of them. Lando had on a pair of wide legged jeans and a black McLaren branded hoodie. 

“Okay, so we have this little segment that we do with all of our guests called ‘the gauntlet’.” The woman tells Lando, who smiles. 

Molly notices the way it wobbles just the slightest at the edges, like it’s more for show than anything else. Like he’s uncomfortable and controlling nearly all of it. 

“We have five quick fire questions that you have to answer in under one minute. Think you can handle it?” 

Lando nods, a little more confident now that he knows what he’s facing. “I think so.” 

“Okay, let’s start the clock…” The woman takes a breath and grins, “Now!” 

“First question is: one thing you can’t live without while on the road.” The man asks. 

Lando nods, enjoying the softball question. “My headphones, I need my music and my quiet.” 

“Second question: full-time F1 driver, part-time streamer or full-time streamer, part-time F1 driver?” 

Molly doesn’t really get the question but the way Lando tosses his head back and laughs so genuinely, has her heart stuttering in her chest. This mans jawline was lethal. 

“Full-time racer, obviously.” 

“Obviously.” The woman laughs. 

“Third question,” The man says, his face taking on a mischievous look to it. “Who is your biggest celebrity crush?” 

Lando had just smirked confidently. “I think I’d have to go with Molly Chapman.” Molly’s stomach lurches when he says her name. The way his voice scrapes a delightful shiver down her spine has Molly shifting in her seat. 

The woman host seems a bit surprised he answered so easily but recovers quickly. “Oh my gosh, I love her so much!” She gushes. 

“I love her music.” Lando says, voice low like he’s confessing something sacred. 

“What’s your favorite song?” 

Lando thinks for just a moment before he’s grinning again, “‘Dress’ off of her last album.” 

Beside her, Harper snorts a laugh. Dress was one of Molly’s more sensual songs that seemed to catch a lot of people off guard when it had been released.

It was also one of Molly’s favorite songs off that album. 

The clip cuts off after that but Matt takes a minute to scroll through the comments: 

That man knew what he was doing when he said Dress 

Did you SEEEEEE his smirk when he said his favorite song was Dress? My man is a PR problem and he KNOWS IT. 

I still cannot believe we live in a world where this interview exists along with the fact that he tried to give her a FRIENDSHIP BRACELET six weeks later 

This video aged well 

We need confirmation that Molly knows this is happening. Someone send a bat signal at Melbourne night one. 

He made her a friendship bracelet with his number on it. I am SICK. 

Molly just grins at the screen as Matt scrolls through comment after comment all saying similar things. Her chest squeezes with something that feels impossible. It’s a feeling she’s been chasing, been writing about since she was a little girl. She’d made millions from putting these kinds of feelings into words: the ‘what if’s’, the quiet daydream of something that is so improbable and unlikely, but still fun to indulge in, the possibility of finally finding something that means more than anything has before. 

It was the fist time, though, that Molly actually believed in the possibility of something other than heartache.  

“Oh my God.” Gideon cries. 

Molly startles and turns towards him, brow quirked. “What?” 

Gideon looks up, his eyes flaring with the kind of pleasure you get from watching one of your friends get flirted with. His grin is sly and cheeky as he tells her what’s got him so riled up. “The F1 race is in Melbourne the weekend before your shows start there...” 

Molly’s heart thuds, “No…” 

Harper glances down at Gideon’s phone and lets out a satisfied chuckle. “Looks like you and Lando Norris are going to once again find each other in the same place at the same time.” 

Without pausing to think - because if she does that, Molly knows she’s going to chicken out - she pulls out her phone and taps Goldie’s phone number. The phone only rings once before it connects. 

“What’s up, my love?” 

“Exactly how long is the drive from the hotel in Melbourne to Albert Park?” 

Chapter Text

“This may just be the most insane thing you’ve ever done.” Cora Jones mutters, tucking a stray piece of midnight black hair behind her ear. 

Molly slides her gaze away from where she’d been watching the streets of Melbourne flicker past to glare at her friend. She’d known Cora for several years, having met the actress when Cora had starred in one of her early music videos. They’d both been fairly new in their respective industries and rose to similar heights of fame at the same time. 

“I don’t know why going to a Formula One race is such a crazy thing.” Molly says primly, brushing at a crease in her skirt.

Cora levels her friend with a stare that has Molly smirking innocently. 

“No, no.” She wags her finger in the air. “Let’s give that statement a little more context, shall we?” Molly rolls her eyes at her friends dramatics but stays quiet. “You snuck out the back of your hotel with just me and your PR manager - no security, might I add! - wearing the most garish color of orange I’ve ever seen in order to surprise a guy you’ve met once with tickets to your show tomorrow night to make up for the fact that he got turned away at a show weeks ago after he tried to sneak backstage!”  

Molly huffs a laugh, shaking her head, “You left out the part where he made me a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.”

Cora throws up her hands at the insanity. “Oh, how could I forget that!”  

Before Molly can come up with a retort, the unassuming sedan that Goldie was driving pulls to a stop. She’d somehow managed to wrangle last minute VIP parking that was usually reserved for drivers and celebrities without letting onto the fact that it was Molly Chapman using the passes.  

Goldie turns in her seat to glare at Molly, “This is as far as you’d let me plan so I’m flying blind here.” 

If there was one thing Goldie Miller was allergic to it was spontaneity. This entire stunt was causing her to break out in hives. 

Molly glances out the back window of the car. She truthfully hadn’t thought this far ahead in the plan but she’d make something work. Out of the corner of her eye, Molly sees a low slung black McLaren park a few spots down. She watches as Oscar Piastri opens the passenger door and hoists himself out of the car. 

“I’ve got an idea.” Molly mutters before she throws her door open and strides away, long legs carrying her towards the McLaren driver she’d only met briefly once. 

Cora and Golide scramble out of the car as fast as they can, eyes swinging wildly around the parking lot to see if anyone else was watching Molly stalk across the crowded parking lot. 

“Oscar!” Molly calls just as he turns his head to say something to the man who had been driving the car. 

Oscar’s head swivels towards the sound of Molly’s voice, confusion flashing across his face when he sees her approaching. It takes a moment for it to register who exactly the short blonde is standing in front of him dressed in an orange halter top and cream linen skirt. 

He glances over to the man standing on the drivers side door who is watching the scene unfold with a look of mild amusement. “That’s Molly Chapman, isn’t it?” 

The man nods. 

“Oh good, you remember me!” Molly smiles. For a moment she’d been worried Oscar wouldn’t remember who she was and try to call security on her thinking she was some random crazy fan trying to assault him. 

Oscar blinks, his lips parting slightly. “I mean, my sisters have been listening to you for years, of course I recognize you.” 

The word catches in Molly’s throat. Recognize. Oscar didn’t remember her because she’d made an impression on him back in Bahrain. He might not even remember that he met her. He’d recognized her because of her fame, not because she'd made an impression on him as a person.

Before the distinction has any time to take hold, Molly pushes away the pinch in her chest, choosing to ignore the way the words made her feel like she wasn’t a real person. 

She pastes on the most dazzling smile she can muster and nods. “Well then maybe you can help me with something.” 

The man standing on the other side makes a show of checking his watch and looking pointedly at Oscar as he clears his throat. Molly senses she only has a few moments to make her case, ignoring the way Goldie is staring daggers into her back for causing a scene. 

“I can try.” Oscar says carefully.

“I was hoping maybe you could help me get in to see Lando?” 

Behind her, Cora groans. Golide shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingertips. 

Oscar grins. 

“I don’t know if you heard about what happened in London but…” Molly starts but she pauses as both Oscar and the other man start laughing. 

“Oh, we all know what happened in London.” Oscar chuckles. 

Molly smirks, “Kinda unfortunate that clip went viral, isn’t it?” 

Oscar shrugs before shutting his door, knowing that he has to start towards the paddock or else he’s going to be late. 

“Not unfortunate at all for anyone besides Lando.” Oscar pauses, turning to Molly with a confused look on his face again. “Why do you need my help though? You’re literally Molly Chapman. I’m pretty sure you could just walk up to the paddock gates and they’d let you in.” 

Molly nods. She was aware that she was probably making this much more dramatic and difficult than it really had to be. In all actuality, she probably could have just had Goldie take care of giving Lando the passes that were securely tucked away in the bag that dangled from her shoulder. It would have been easier and much less complicated than what she was doing now, but it also felt impersonal. 

“I know.” She agrees, walking with Oscar as he starts towards the paddock gate. Behind her, Goldie introduces herself to the man who’d been driving the car and Molly swears she hears her apologizing for making them late. Cora trails behind as well, watching her friend sweet talk her way into the paddock like it was nothing. 

"You're right, I totally could but if I did that it would become this big thing and people would gossip and the photographers would take all the attention away from you guys.” Molly nibbles at the corner of her lips as she sees the crowds waiting for the drivers to arrive as they get closer to the entrance. 

It wouldn’t be long until someone spotted Oscar and by default, her too. 

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t always like being the center of attention and would prefer to just kind of slip in and then slip out without anyone knowing I was here.” 

Oscar pauses, knowing that if he doesn’t make a decision quick, the crowd was going to spot him. And if the crowd spotted him, at his home race, walking in with Molly Chapman of all people, it would be chaos. 

100 feet ahead of them, a few heads swivel their way as it seems people are catching on to the fact that Oscar is approaching the paddock gates. The fans are prohibited from coming into the parking lot where the group is still standing but they’re even closer now to the crowds. Oscar notices one fan in particular raise his phone towards them as he elbows the woman standing next to him in a Ferrari cap. 

“I think they’ve already figured out you’re here, mate.” The man murmurs behind them. 

The moment hangs there, taut between the group as they all try to figure out what the best course of action is without causing even more of a scene. 

Goldie is the first to speak up. “I've got an idea. Cora and I will cause a distraction at the front gates. We’ll try the ‘just show up and ask to be let in’ approach. When the press sees Cora, they’ll be occupied.” Goldie swings her gaze over to Oscar now, “Is there a back entrance?” 

Oscar and the man beside him nod. “There’s another entrance about 200 meters the opposite way. We’d have to double back towards the car but there aren’t as many fans there and I usually can get away with not needing to stop for anyone.” 

Goldie nods, “Perfect. You three go that way then and we’ll meet you at that hospitality suite thing that we were in when we went to the race in Bahrain.” 

Oscar nods, serious look on his face. He liked Lando a lot, he was a good teammate and over the last year and a half, they’d gotten to be decent friends off the track. He also knew how much Lando had been crushing on Molly lately. He knew that his teammate had tried to be breezy about the entire concert and stream debacle but deep down, Lando had been pretty mortified. If Oscar could help sooth the edges of embarrassment that he knew Lando had to be dealing with in private, he was going to do his best. 

Taking off his hat, Oscar tugs it onto Molly’s head before grinning down at her. “There, now you’re even more incognito.” 

Molly beams up at him, “Thanks, Oscar.” 

She wasn’t quite sure what had possessed Oscar to help her but she appreciated the Australian’s help anyway. 

“Okay, let’s go.” Oscar nods in Cora and Goldie’s direction as he watches them walk towards the paddock gates. They wait until they’re sure that enough of the attention is focused on the surprise appearance of Cora to slip back towards the car, their destination of McLaren’s hospitality suite firmly in their minds. 

The security barrier at the main gates of the paddock beeped as Lando waved his credentials in front of the screen. He didn’t wait to see his photo pop up, just heard the loud chime and pushed his way through the barrier. He was running late, as usual, so Lando didn’t really have time to stop and chat to the track photographers like he usually did. 

McLaren’s hospitality suite was, of course, on the opposite side of the paddock in Australia so he had a hike on his hands. Lando tapped out a message to Claire, his PR officer for the weekend, as he hustled through the paddock. 

“Lando!” A distinct French accent calls from one of the tables in front of the Ferrari building. 

Lando pauses, eyes falling shut. When he opened them again, he glances over at Jon who shakes his head. “Just give me a second, okay?” He says before changing direction and walking over to the metal barrier that Charles Leclerc was seated behind. “Hey, Charles. What’s going on?” 

Lando could tell from the smirk on the Ferrari driver’s face that he was about to be on the receiving end of more Molly Chapman related teasing. Ever since that stupid clip from Max’s stream had gone viral and Alex had sent the TikTok to the driver’s WhatsApp group chat, he hadn’t heard the end of it. 

“Did you see who’s here today?” Charles leans back in his chair, taking a sip of water from the glass in front of him. 

Beside him, Pierre smirks like he’s in on some joke that Lando isn’t privy to yet. 

Lando shrugs, aware that Jon is probably tapping his toe in silent encouragement to get a move on. “I literally just walked through the gates and I’m late. If you’re going tease me, can we finish that during the drivers parade?” 

It didn’t bother Lando that he was the butt of the grid’s jokes, not really. He had gotten over caring what people think about him a long time ago, he had to if he was going to survive the level of fame that came along with the career he had. 

What did bother him though, was the fact that he had potentially blown it with Molly before he’d even had a chance to get in an actual conversation. When the clip of him shooting Max’s character in the head and Max’s outburst afterwards had gone viral, Lando had to assume that it had made its way to Molly somehow. He imagined he looked like an absolute psychopath, the story of how he’d tried to sweet talk his way back stage to give her those stupid friendship bracelets didn’t reflect all that positivity on his mental stability. 

“Molly Chapman was spotted walking through the south gates with Oscar and Arthur.” Pierre says, watching Lando’s face for a reaction. 

Lando’s stomach drops. “She’s..." He pauses, clearing his throat. "She's here with Oscar?” 

Neither Charles or Pierre seem to pick up on the fact that Lando’s face has gone pale or that he shoves his fists deep into the pockets of his black wash jeans. 

“Showed up in his hat and everything.” Charles says, brows rising a bit at the way Lando’s frowning. “Moved on a bit quick from his high school sweetheart, but I guess landing Molly Chapman isn’t half bad.” 

Lando wanted to punch Charles for calling Molly ‘not half bad’. 

“Well, hopefully they’re happy together.” He grits out before turning on his heel and stalking away. 

The walk from Ferrari to McLaren is quiet, with Jon following just a few steps behind Lando. The entire time, Lando runs through the last few conversations he’d had with his teammate. How his family was here for his home race, how Oscar was excited to have them in the paddock, how he was even a little sad that his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t be there for his home race like she had been last year. Not once in conversation had it come up that he’d been planning on bringing Molly. 

By the time he’s walking through the sliding glass doors of Mclaren’s suite, Lando has worked himself into a jealous fit. Oscar knew he’d been crushing on Molly, knew about the concert debacle and knew he’d been trying to figure out a way to sweet talk his way into Molly’s concert tomorrow night just down the road in Melbourne. 

It made no sense that Oscar would do this to him, it just wasn’t the kind of person his teammate was. Or at least so he thought. Maybe Oscar had seen the way Molly had affected him and developed a crush too. Maybe that was why Molly’s management team hadn’t reached out since that stream clip had gone viral. 

Because she’d told them not to. 

Because she was with Oscar already. 

Lando is spiraling as he takes the stairs up towards his drivers room two at a time. Jon is still behind him, waffling between saying something about needing to focus for the race and just letting Lando work the anxiety out of his body before he needs to worry about locking in. It was always a delicate balance with Lando, especially with the way he could get into his head so easily. 

The first thing that causes Lando to pause once he gets to the top of the stairs are the voices. Two of them. One is the distinct Australian accent of his teammate and the other? The slightly raspy, southern accent has the hairs on the back of Lando’s neck standing up. 

He rounds the corner to see Oscar leaning against the wall right outside of Lando’s driver’s room. The woman he’s talking to is facing away from him, her blonde hair cascading down her back from underneath what Lando can see as an OP81 McLaren hat. 

His heart sinks as he realizes he’s going to have to do the walk of shame around Oscar and his new girlfriend just to get to his driver’s room. Lando takes a tentative step into the otherwise empty hallway, heart hammering in his throat. He couldn’t figure out why Oscar was doing this to him, it was so unlike him to behave this way, flaunting something like a new relationship with the person the entire world knew he was crushing on without even talking to him first. 

Lando would’ve understood if they’d met back in Bahrain and hit it off. He would’ve backed off, not even tried to go to the concert in London. Maybe this was Molly’s idea, a payback humiliation ritual to punish him for dragging her name through the public sphere so loudly. 

“There he is!” Oscar pushes off the wall, smile on his face. 

Lando swallows hard around the boulder of anger that’s risen up in his throat. Why was Oscar so happy to see him? Did he really hate Lando so much that he was actually grinning at the thought of flaunting his new relationship around right under his nose. 

Molly turns then and despite the fact that Lando’s having a full on existential crisis about why his friend actually hates him so much, he’s rendered speechless by the fact that she’s actually standing there in front of him. 

Oscar takes a few steps towards Lando before patting him on the back, “I’ll leave you to it then.” He says, winking at Lando as he walks past. 

Lando’s face pulls together in complete confusion as he tucks his hands back into his pockets. “Wait, you’re here to see me?” 

Molly tilts her head, small smile on her face. “Who else would I be here for?” She asks. 

Lando doesn’t have the guts to tell her he’s spent the last twenty minutes spiraling thinking that she was dating his teammate in secret. He palms at the back of his neck, “I’m just surprised you’re here, that’s all.” 

A shadow of something that looks like unease crosses Molly’s face but it’s so fast Lando thinks he might have imagined it. Behind him, an intern shuffles past as discreetly as possible, but fails. The interruption suddenly reminds Lando that they’re right out in the open, the staff lounge that he knows Jon and probably some of Molly’s people are in, totally able to listen in on their conversation, just meters away. 

He glances over his shoulder and sure enough, as soon as his head swivels around he sees a pair of heads, one blonde and curly, the other brunette, snap back out of sight. 

Molly laughs softly, shaking her head. “Sorry about them,” She raises her voice so the two spies can hear her confession, “Goldie and Cora are just a little nosy.” 

Lando chuckles, “Do you want to talk in my drivers room? I’ve got a bit before I have to start getting ready for the race.” 

Molly’s brows shoot up as if she’s just remembered there’s an actual race in a few hours. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. Am I keeping you from something important?” 

Lando shakes his head, guiding Molly back towards the door of his drivers room, “No, you’re fine.” 

It wasn’t fine. He had an engineering meeting in about ten minutes but there was no way in hell he was going to tell her that. 

He closes the door behind him before turning to look at Molly, who is standing in the middle of the sunlit room. There’s a couch tucked away in the corner, in front of a TV he mostly uses for watching replays of old races and practice sessions. A massage table sits in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the backside of the paddock. Lando doesn’t spend a ton of time here, usually just pre-session warm ups or if his family is visiting but it’s comfortable enough to be a respite from the bustle of the paddock. 

Molly’s hands wring together and Lando is surprised to see how nervous she looks now that they’re alone. He’s used to seeing the Molly that the world gets to see, the confident songbird that captivates stadiums night after night.  

This Molly though? This Molly was soft and unsure and almost insecure in a way that Lando can just feel that not many people get to see. 

“I saw the clip from your friends Twitch stream, about you getting turned away by security.” Molly says into the quiet as Lando crosses the room, coming to a stop a few feet away, hands in his pockets. “I wanted to give you VIP passes to make up for what happened.” She smirks and Lando sees a flicker of her confidence tug at the corner of her mouth. “They come with a price though.” 

Lando lifts a brow, “Oh, yeah?” 

Molly nods, “Yeah. I want the bracelet you made for me.” 

For a moment, Lando is speechless. Never in a million years had he thought that the friendship bracelet thing would have worked. It had been mostly a joke after seeing Kelly’s daughter handing them out in the paddock one weekend. He’d been ready to murder Max the night of the infamous stream but maybe after this, he’d have to thank his best friend for exposing him instead. 

The corner of Lando’s mouth lifts in a grin as he nods, liking the way electricity sparks in his chest sparks when Molly looks at him. 

“Deal.” He says. “Go sit down on the couch and I’ll get them.” He watches as Molly takes a few steps towards the couch behind her. “Do you want something to drink? I only have water in here but I can get catering to bring you whatever.” 

He ignores the fact that he his engineering meeting was starting in less than seven minutes. 

“No, I’ll just take the payment for the VIP tickets.” Molly teases as she drops down onto the worn leather couch, tucking her feet up and under her skirt. 

Lando huffs as laugh as he digs around in the duffle bag. When he turns around, the reality of what’s happened in the last ten minutes hits him like a punch to the chest. He’d been trying to figure out a way to make this happen, how to get in front of her again so he could make a better impression, because he felt this undeniable tug whenever he remembered she existed. He’d been trying to manufacture this moment and here it was, effortlessly slotting into place when Lando least expected it. 

When he sinks down onto the couch next to her, three bracelets are dangling from his index finger: the one with the LN4 and his phone number, an orange and black one with the words ‘McLaren loves Molly’, and a third neon yellow and black bracelet with his initials. 

He sucks in a breath when Molly reaches out, hooking her fingers around the plastic beads so she can put them on her wrist. 

For a moment, Molly looks down at the bracelets, not quite believing that she’d actually pulled this off. When they’d been alone at first, the anxious nerves had thrummed through her body like an electric current. Sitting here now though, with her feet tucked under her and the the bracelets finally in their rightful place on her wrist, Molly wasn’t anxious anymore. There was something about Lando’s presence that was grounding her and if it hadn’t been so comforting, she probably would have been more freaked out about it than she was. 

“I feel like the universe keeps inventing ways to get us to notice each other.” Lando says quietly, like he’s nervous about putting a voice to the magnetic pull that seems to sparking between them. 

Molly looks over at him, sheepish smile on her face. “To be fair, this one is kind of me just throwing myself at you to get you to notice.” 

Lando runs a hand through his curls, loving the way a cotton candy pink blush skitters across Molly’s cheeks. 

“Fair.” He says with a shrug, “I like it.” 

Molly blinks, almost like she can’t believe what he’s saying. 

“It’s not too much?” Uncertainty edges into her voice and Lando has the strangest urge to pull her into his lap to reassure her. “I just saw that we’d be in the same place at the same time, again and with how insane both of our schedules are in the opposite directions, it felt a little like serendipity.” 

Lando chokes on a laugh. “I was thinking the same thing.” 

Chapter Text

The distant sound of the opening artist floated through the hallways of the backstage area as Molly sat in front of the mirror for a last minute touch up of her makeup. Victoria, her makeup artist for this leg of the tour, dusted a brush dipped in glitter over her collarbones just as Molly looked towards the door of her dressing room for what felt like the twentieth time. 

“Are you expecting someone, sweetheart?” Victoria asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

Molly’s eyes flick to where her phone sits, screen dark, on the counter in front of her. No messages from Lando since they’d exchanged a few texts last night about the race. She was trying hard not to be disappointed that he wasn’t there yet despite the show starting in less than half an hour. The last opening act was finishing their set and soon she’d have to start warming up her voice and making last second preparations. 

“Oh, no. Not really.” Molly lies, turning back to look at herself in the mirror. 

She almost doesn’t recognize herself with the heavy makeup she has to wear during performances. You’d think she’d be used to it by now, the perfectly polished veneer she had to wear night after night. It should’ve felt like a second skin at this point in her career, like the Molly on stage was more her than the person that crawled into bed, exhausted every night after performing for hours. Sometimes it grated on her how fake it all was. Of course, she loved performing for her fans, loved hearing the audience come alive when she took those first steps out onto the stage at night but sometimes she wished the fame didn’t come with such high expectations and standards. 

It was hard to think of why someone would want her for the person she was behind the makeup and glitter so she was already mentally preparing for Lando to bail, ghosting her after realizing that getting involved with someone like her would be more trouble than it was worth. 

Behind her, Cora lounges on the couch, lazily scrolling through her phone. She glances up at Molly’s denial of waiting for someone, brow raised. She doesn’t say anything though because Cora knows her friend would never admit to watching the dressing room door like a hawk for the last hour. 

“Well,” Victoria tuts, moving to start cleaning up her makeup kit now that Molly was ready for the show, “If he said he’d be here and he’s worth your time, he’ll be here.” 

Molly blinks, not sure how to respond to the woman’s accurate reading of the room. 

Before she can come up with a response, there’s a knock at the door. Rhett Dunham, Molly’s head of security, pokes his head.  “Ms. Chapman, there are three…” Rhett searches for the correct word as a frown pulls at the corner of his mouth, “Gentleman…here to see you. Goldie apparently has given them the green light to be back here. I have my doubts though.” 

Molly hates the way her stomach swoops low when she hears a familiar voice grunt “Okay, rude.” From behind Rhett. 

She doesn’t even spare a look at Cora. She knows the brunette is sitting on the couch across the room, smug look on her face, desperately trying not to shout ‘I told you he’d be here!’ Like she never had a doubt in her mind at all. 

“You can send them in, Rhett.” 

Rhett casts a doubtful look over his shoulder one more time before reluctantly swinging the door open further. Molly’s heart catches when she sees Lando walk through the door, dressed in a loose fitting black button down, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and jeans. 

“I am so sorry we’re late.” He says, taking a few steps towards Molly, anxiety knitting his brows together. “Bozo The Clown over here kept getting distracted.” Lando tosses an exasperated look over his shoulder towards one of the two men behind him.

The man, who is wearing one of the tour shirts that has a giant photo of Molly’s face splashed across the entire front, flashes a huge grin at Molly as he holds his hands up in surrender, “I wanted merch before everything sold out!” He says. 

“I am pretty sure the woman standing in front of you could have probably gotten you any merch you wanted, Danny.” The third man, who has the best head of hair Molly has ever seen, chimes in from beside who Molly assumes is Danny. 

“He’s right, you know. I could’ve gotten you anything you wanted, no cost.” Molly says, taking a few steps towards Lando, whose eyes haven’t left hers since he stepped in the room. 

Danny shakes his head, “Absolutely not, I am a patron of the arts! I could never let you gift me merch when I can support the artist instead.” 

Lando shakes his head, smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. The other man pinches the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes. 

“Molly, the psychopath wearing your face on his chest is Danny. The normal one is Carlos.” 

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Molly steps forward, shaking each other their hands before turning to where Cora is still sitting on the couch. “This is Cora.” 

Danny’s jaw drops open once it registers just who Cora is. “Oh my God, no way.” He whispers, Australian accent thick with shock. “I loved you in The Wedding Date! I’m a huge fan.”

The Australian drops down next to Cora on the couch and begins to ask her questions about the movie that she was going to start filming at the end of the month. Carlos joins the conversation so Lando and Molly are left to shift away from the group. 

“I really am sorry,” He says quietly. “I tried to leave earlier but Carols was having hair problems and then we got here and I kept having to redirect Danny.” Lando shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, “It’s not often that I have to be the responsible adult of the group.” 

Molly tilts her head back on a laugh and Lando is mesmerized by the way the glitter dusting along her collar bones catches the light. She’s got the same gold dress on that she wore that night Lando saw her concert the first time, the beaded bodice reflecting the glow of the dressing room, making her blonde hair look like it was almost luminescent. 

“It’s okay, I’m glad you found your way even if you had to do a few side quests.” She says, cheeks blushing in a way that has Lando’s jaw clenching. 

There’s another knock at the door and a moment later Goldie steps into the room. “Sorry to interrupt but it’s time to get set up Mol.” She turns to the rest of the group, “I can get you guys set up in the VIP tent too.” 

Molly nods, that familiar feeling of locking in and getting focused for the upcoming show settling over her shoulders. This was usually the time of night she got a little anxious. No matter how many times she’d done this show, she still got butterflies every night right before she took the stage. And with Lando here tonight, it felt a little bit heavier, like she wanted to make sure that the show tonight was the best she’d done all tour. 

The group shuffles out and for a moment, Molly and Lando are alone. 

“Good lu-” Lando cuts himself off, his eyes going wide with horror, “You’re not supposed to say that, are you? Fuck! I mean…what else do I say? Is ‘break a leg’ really a thing?” 

Molly can’t help the laughter that bubbles up, “Good luck is fine, Lando. Thank you.” 

Lando’s shoulders drop in relief, “God, I’d hate to be the reason for the show to go south or something.” 

There’s a heavy silence that hangs between them for a few moments, like there’s something that could be said into the quiet but they’re both too shy to say what’s on their minds. Lando was dying to touch her, he hadn’t worked up the courage to give her a hug the day before at the track but he didn’t want to push things too quickly. 

“Molly, you’re on in three!” Golide pokes her head into the room. 

“Okay, Golds! I’ll be right there.” She replies, without taking her eyes off of Lando. Goldie just rolls her eyes but ducks back out without saying another word. 

“I..uh…I’ve got to go. But, we usually hang out back here after the show for a few hours. It takes a bit to come down from the adrenaline rush, as I’m sure you know.” She chuckles and Lando feels something twist pleasantly in his stomach. He liked that he seemingly made her a bit nervous. “If you guys want to come back here…we’d love to have yo, if you don’t have someplace to be or whatever.” 

A sly grin slips across Lando’s face, enjoying the way the tips of Molly’s ears have gone pink. He likes how it feels making this confident, powerful woman blush like a teenager. Lando decides then and there that his new mission in life is going to be to make Molly Chapman come undone with him. He had a feeling the woman that was standing in front of him, the shy, soft version of herself who wasn’t ever allowed to be that way in public, was the person that Molly longed to be when she knew she was safe. All he wanted was to make her feel safe enough to let that mask down.

Lando opens his arms and Molly folds herself into his warmth. The electric spark that flares between their two bodies is something neither of them expect even though they probably should have. The chemistry between them up until now had been palpable and now that Lando had his hands on her, he was pretty sure that he’d never be satisfied until he felt her in his arms again. 

The thought was thrilling and insane all wrapped up in one dangerous little glittery package. 

“We’d love to.” He murmurs, sending a shiver down Molly’s spine. 

The lights go out just as Lando, Danny, and Carlos slip into the VIP tent minutes after watching Molly scamper down the hallway backstage. The entire crowd erupts in screams and cheers as the graphic of a clock ticks down high above the stage. Lando knew from seeing the show once already that this was the last few moments before Molly appeared on stage for the first time. 

There are a handful of other people in the tent, but no one Lando recognizes. No one seems to recognize him or the other two drivers that have tagged along either, which is kind of a relief. 

Yesterday after she’d given him tickets, Molly hadn’t been able to stay to watch the race despite him asking her several times. She had rehearsals to get to and a few interviews to prep for so watching the race hadn’t been an option. It had flattered Lando even more though, knowing that Molly had gone out of her way to see him even with she might not really have had the time. 

So because she had slipped in and out without really being recognized, beyond just a few blurry fan photos that had made the paddock rounds before quietly disappearing (Lando suspected Goldie had something to do with this but he wasn’t totally sure), the press really hadn’t gotten wind of it. 

But Lando knew its was only a matter of time. Especially if the date he had planned tomorrow night went well. He knew he wanted to pursue Molly and he knew that eventually, if he got his way, the press was going to find out and everything would be out in the open. It didn’t bother him, her level of fame. It made it easier, almost. She knew what it was like to live in his world, to be recognized on a street corner and chased after for a photo. Molly was, in all reality, more famous that Lando was if he was being honest so he knew it might be him that would have to do the adjusting. 

“This is insane!” Danny yells over the screaming fans. 

Lando just nods, eyes glued to the stage as he listens to the song that’s playing over the speakers. It’s different, he realizes, as the stage opens and the audience catches the first glimpse of Molly’s blonde hair.

 The song is different. 

“Our secret moments in a crowded room. They got no idea about me and you. There’s an indentation in the shape of you.” Molly’s voice echos over the crowd, the screams getting louder as they realize what song she’s singing to open her show.

Lando nearly chokes on his disbelief. This isn’t the song that she began every show with. He knew from his late night internet sleuthing that Molly was very rigid when it came to her set list. Every song was the same with the exception of a few ‘surprise’ songs that happened in the second half of the show. 

But she was changing it tonight. 

“”Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo…” Molly is fully on the stage now, beaded golden dress shimmering underneath the harsh stadium lights. There’s a spark in her eyes, a shift of mischief as if she’s goading Lando on from on stage, like it’s a secret as to why she’s singing this song first tonight. 

A secret that only the two of them are in on. 

“She’s singing ‘Dress’.” Someone standing to Lando’s right screeches. “She NEVER sings Dress this early!” 

Lando shakes his head as Molly grins towards the VIP tent between the chorus and second verse. She knew exactly what she was doing and both of them could feel the shimmer of attraction sparking between them, even with thousands of other people in the room.

Lando: There’s going to be a black McLaren waiting for you at 5pm. Goldie has the details. Can’t wait to see you. :) 

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” Molly asks the night after her concert. 

 Beside her, Lando has one hand on the steering wheel, the other is on the gear shift between them. He keeps his eyes on the road but smirks as he shakes his head. “And spoil the surprise? Not a chance, Princess.” 

He sees her pout out of the corner of the eye, his hand gripping the steering wheel a little harder reflexively. 

“How do I know you’re not kidnapping me then? I’d probably be worth a fortune in ransom money.” Molly teases, her elbow inching closer to Lando’s as he navigates the sleek sports car down a crowded street. 

With every inch that Molly moves her arm, Lando’s heart rate spikes. He just knows Jon is going to have a field day looking over his Whoop data tomorrow morning before their training session. 

The two chat for a few more minutes before Lando throws on the blinker and turns into a nearly deserted parking lot on the edge of a busy suburb. Molly faces forward, head tilted as she reads the giant sign that the’d just passed. 

“Mel’s Mini Golf and Arcade?” She reads, slightly breathless and disbelieving. A sincere laughter bubbles up as she shakes her head, “You’re taking me mini golfing?”

Lando smiles over at her as he guides the McLaren into a parking spot near the front door. “I had a few ideas that I ran past Goldie last night and she said that you’d love this the most.” 

Molly beams at Lando, smile lighting up so brightly it probably could’ve powered the entirety of London. “My dad used to take James and I mini golfing every summer when we visited our grandparents. They had a house on the Jersey Shore and we’d spend weeks up there with them when we were kids. The mini golf course by their house was my favorite.” She laughs again, shaking her head, the memory from her childhood making her eyes go misty. “I can’t remember the last time I played.” 

Lando nods, shy smile on his face. He hadn’t known it would mean this much to her but he was pretty sure he’d do anything to make sure Molly always smiled the way she was right now. He made a mental note to send Goldie a thank you text and a giant gift card to somewhere expensive.

Popping the drivers side door open, Lando gives Molly a look that is supposed to say ‘stay right there.’ Before hopping out and running around the front of the car. He opens the door, grinning when Molly listens and stays put. 

“Good girl.” He murmurs as he reaches down to take Molly’s hand to help her out of the low slung sports car. “You don’t touch a door handle when you’re with me, okay?” 

Molly looks properly flustered as she just nods, crimson blush dusting its way across her high cheekbones and it takes all the control Lando possesses not to reach out and run his fingers over the soft skin there. 

The two walk towards the entrance and it’s only when Lando opens the front door to the little hut that sits at the front of the property that Molly finally glances around, “There’s no one else here.” She says as she looks over at Lando with a puzzled look on her face. 

Lando nods, walking towards the counter where two teenage boys stand, looking a little bit more than slightly starstruck at the pair. “I rented out the entire place for the night. I wanted you to be able to relax without having to worry about anything. Goldie dropped by earlier with a handful of NDA’s and several threats of bodily harm if any photos of us leak tonight.” 

Molly shakes her head, “That sounds like Goldie.” 

“She’s kind of terrifying.” Lando says. 

“Goldie may be little but she’s a tiny little tornado. I’ve seen full grown men cower in fear from her before.” Molly chooses a putter from the counter before giving the two teen boys openly checking her out a demure smile before she turns back to Lando. “I’ve often said she should’ve been a drill sergeant instead of a PR mastermind.” 

Lando plucks a neon orange golf ball out of the basket on the counter before tipping his head at the boys, who hand him a score card and tiny pencil. As Molly studies the basket, presumably looking for the game winning golf ball, Lando studies her. She looks impossibly casual in a brightly colored maxi dress and sandals, camel colored leather cross-body bag slung casually over her shoulder. There’s a bit of a chill in the air but Lando’s got a jacket for her in case she needs it. Her blonde hair tumbles down around her shoulders in messy, windswept waves and Lando wonders almost absentmindedly what it would feel like to run his fingers through the strands as he openly stares at her. 

“Are we going to play or are you going to stand there and stare at me all night?” Molly says, smirk on her face. 

It’s Lando’s turn to go crimson, blushing hard at being caught but he manages to recover quickly. “It wouldn’t be a hardship.” He says with a shrug. 

Molly laughs, rolling her eyes, “Maybe you’re just afraid you’re going to lose to a girl.” 

Lando tosses his head back and cackles, “There’s no way I’m losing to you, Princess. You just said you haven’t played in years and in case you’re not aware, I’m pretty much a professional golfer.” 

Molly snatches up a pastel pink golf ball before flouncing out the door towards the first hole. She tosses a look over her shoulder, waves fanning out behind her. Lando just stares after her, teasing forgotten as he’s mesmerized by the way her body moves in the dress she’s wearing.

“Sounds like we should make a little bet then.” She challenges, lifting a brow as Lando finds his feet and follows her out into the cool Australian twilight. 

Lando crosses his arms over his chest as Molly props her hands onto her hips. “I don’t know.” He says, mockingly wary. “When I make a bet, I play to win.” 

Molly shrugs, “Same, Norris. I think you underestimate my mini golf prowess though, so make this bet at your own risk.” 

Lando takes a step towards Molly then, so he’s close enough for her to feel his warmth and crowd her space just a bit. The breeze that’s scuttling through the branches of the trees nearby catches his cologne and carries it to where Molly stands. She draws a deep inhale, something that Lando doesn’t miss. He smells like cinnamon gum and something darker with a tangy metallic after taste. He’s so close now that if he lifted his hand out of the pocket of his jeans he could reach out and brush his fingertips over the bare skin at her elbow. 

“Winner gets to choose what we do for our second date.” The way his voice drops an octave, all smoke and husky desire has goosebumps littering Molly’s arms, a delightful shiver skittering up her spine. 

“Bold of you to assume there’s going to be a second date.” She says but it doesn’t come out confident or teasing. 

The way her voice has gone embarrassingly breathy has Lando dragging a thick index finger up her bare shoulder. 

“I’m not assuming, Princess.” He pauses as his gaze drops to where the goosebumps have erupted in the wake of his touch, the corner of his mouth hitching up in a knowing smirk. “Now, do we have a bet or are you too chicken to admit you’re going to lose?” 

“You’re about to find out why my brother refused to play with me once we both hit middle school.” Molly turns away with a playful flip of her hair, placing the pink golf ball on the little green square right before she knocks it into the hole on the very first shot. 

An hour and a half later, Molly is doubled over, laughing so hard she’s wheezing as Lando stares at her, dumbfounded. 

“There is actually no way you just beat me by nearly ten strokes.” He pouts, his competitive streak coming in hot and strong as he stares down at the scorecard in his had. 

There was absolutely no way he’d lost this terribly when he was the one who was supposed to be this big shot golfer. If anyone found out about what had just happened, Lando knew that he’d never live it down. Carlos would have a field day. 

“Are you accusing me of cheating, Norris?” Molly laughs breathlessly as she leans her putter against the side of the hut after they’d finished up on the eighteenth hole. 

“I’m not not accusing you of cheating.” He mutters. “I just can’t figure out how I lost so badly.” 

Molly turns around to face him but continues to walk backwards on her tiptoes towards the arcade part of the property. It was late but they still had a few hours before their time was up and neither of them were ready to leave yet. They had spent the entire time on the mini golf course laughing and trading stories about what their lives were like growing up. 

Molly told Lando what it was like growing up on a cattle ranch in rural Texas, how she spent her summers bouncing between family in Texas, New Jersey, and Alabama, and how she’d stumbled into her fame by being discovered after singing in a talent show on a New Jersey boardwalk one balmy summer night. 

Lando told Molly about how he’d tried everything from horseback riding to dirt biking before landing on his passion for racing go karts. He confessed that he still sometimes wondered what the hell he was doing, driving million dollar machines at breakneck speeds in the pinnacle of motorsport when he really felt like an imposter the entire time. 

“I’m surprised you’re such a sore loser, Lan.” The way Molly’s eyes sparkle when she says his name like that has Lando’s chest clenching in a way that is wholly unfamiliar. “With the way you were swinging that putter, I’m honestly shocked you do anything but lose when you’re golfing.” 

Lando sputters in shock. “Rude!” He cries before chasing after Molly so quickly she squeals in surprise. “Get back here!” He laughs, grabbing her around the waist before hauling her to him. “If you’re going to be a brat, at least do it while I touch you.” Lando’s voice goes low and smokey again, sending shivers down Molly’s spine as she finds herself pressed up against him. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Molly whispers, her gaze dropping to Lando’s lips before they flick back up to his. “I’m a good girl, remember. You said it yourself earlier.” 

The electricity that sparks between them is palpable, all heated looks and shortened breathing. Lando leans in so that his lips are just a slight brush away from Molly’s cheek. He lifts one hand to tuck a stray strand of shimmery blond hair behind her ear as his other hand flexes into the flesh of Molly’s hip. 

Molly circles her arms around Lando’s waist, pulling him impossibly closer because suddenly the only thing on her mind is getting as much of his skin on hers, the searing heat of his touch branding her in a way she knows she’s going to have to write a song about tonight. 

Lando chuckles darkly as he shakes his head, “You’re dangerous, Miss Chapman.” 

“I think you like it though.” She whispers. 

“That’s a correct assumption.” 

And what an assumption it was. They hadn’t spent more than a handful of hours together but Lando was already trying to figure out when he could see her next. He knew it was insane, thinking that something between them could work. With the way they lived, the way they were always traveling in different directions. Molly was Molly Chapman after all, the most untouchable woman in the entire world, famous beyond even his comprehension. 

But here, under the fluorescent lights of the mini golf course in a random suburb of Melbourne, Lando felt almost brave with the impossibility of it. He wanted to try, even if it lead to something that broke him beyond repair. Because the woman standing in front of him was worth it. He had a feeling that whatever was going to come next after he dropped Molly back at her hotel that night, this was just the beginning of something that was going to be very important to the both of them. 

“I already can’t get enough of you, Princess.” Lando confesses quietly, enjoying the way his words paint a pink blush across the cheekbones of the woman leaning into him like she needs him to stand. 

He idly drags his thumb across the smooth swell of her cheek, grinning when Molly leans into his touch. She hadn’t been prepared for tonight, hadn’t expected the way Lando would affect her. She felt…normal. Felt like she could let her guard down around the man who was holding her in his arms. It was something so rare for her, for her to feel like she didn’t have to put on a mask for someone who wasn’t already in her immediate circle. Even then, Molly always kept bits of herself guarded from her family too. It felt different with Lando though and it made her stomach feel queasy in the most delightful way. 

“Lando…” She says, his name a breathless whisper that has his grip tightening on her waist even more. 

Lando decides then and there he’d do anything to hear Molly say his name every day for the rest of his life. 

“Yeah?” 

The moment hangs, stretching out between them despite the lack of distance separating them. There’s an electric spark in the air that both of them can feel, like they’re on the precipice of something so inevitable that they can’t possibly rush it. 

“I think I want you to kiss me now.” 

Lando draws back, taking in Molly’s entire face, how she’s staring up at him, green eyes wide and vulnerable in a way that he just feels no one else gets from her. It does something to his heart, realizing how he’s managed to make her feel safe enough to be this close to him and he knows he’d do anything to protect that vulnerability that he knew Molly didn’t often get to show to anyone. 

“Anything for you, Princess.” Lando murmurs, low and thick like summer honey, before he lowers his lips to hers, covering them with his own. 

For a moment, neither of them move. It feels heavy, that moment where the chemistry that had been fizzling just beneath the surface is finally allowed to bubble over. They savor the press of lips against lips before Molly lets out what sounds like a sigh of relief. A sigh of relief that she’s finally getting to do what she’d been thinking of since she’d slipped into Lando’s McLaren earlier that evening.

For Lando, it feels like the entire world sparks to life. Like he’d been living in a muted world of grey and hushed noises until the moment Molly pressed her lips to his. He slides his hands up her shoulders before bringing both of them to cup her jaw, his thumb dragging across her cheek, smiling against Molly’s lips when she sighs against him again. 

Molly searches for anything to hold onto while she allows Lando to deepen the kiss, tilting her head upwards chasing the heat from his mouth. She nearly gasps when his tongue slips past her lips, exploring the warmth that he’d been thinking about all night. Her hands fist at his dress shirt, the soft cotton bunching between her slender fingers. One hand goes up to palm at the back of his neck, trying to get him closer than he already was. 

When Lando pulls back, Molly’s lips are kiss-swollen and she’s desperate for more. Something like a whimper sounds in her throat and Lando chuckles, rubbing his thumb over her pouting bottom lip. Molly blinks, totally caught off guard by the intensity of the kiss they’d just shared. 

And just like that, Lando is suddenly the one who all her love songs - past, present, and future - are about. 

Chapter Text

Sweat clings to Molly’s skin, making it feel unpleasantly clammy as she scampers down the backstage ramp towards her dressing room. Above her, the crowd that sits where they can still see behind the black and silver curtains shout her name and scream praise as she makes her way off stage. She lifts her head towards the people, waving and smiling so wide her cheeks ache. 

The moment she steps into the hallway that shields her from the audience, Molly’s shoulders slump and she stops, palms bracing against her knees as she tries to draw in a few full breaths. The show is long, almost two and a half hours of non-stop singing that requires the stamina of a professional athlete. 

Most nights, Molly handles the crush of performance well, living for the feeling she gets from feeding off the crowd around her. Tonight though, tonight feels different. She’s tired and has felt on the edge of exhaustion since her second set. It was her fourth and final night in Melbourne and she had just two days to rest and recover before beginning a five night stint in Sydney. 

Exhaustion settles so deeply in her bones, Molly begins to think she won’t be able to make the quick walk from where she is down the hallway towards her dressing room. Somewhere just out of her periphery, she feels Goldie and her father watching her. They know by now that she sometimes crashes like this after shows and give her the distance she needs when the adrenaline begins to leave her body. 

They won’t step in just yet. But they’re there. Watching. Waiting. To make sure she’s okay. 

“I’m fine.” Molly mutters as she stands up straight again. Her heart is still hammering in her chest and she can feel a headache forming at the base of her skull. 

“We know you are, sweetheart.” Her father placates in a way that tells her that they are, in fact, worried she is not fine. 

Molly blinks over at the pair before reaching for the water Goldie is offering her. “It was just an intense show tonight, that’s all.” 

“It’s been a hard stretch.” Goldie says, visibly relaxing when Molly takes a few steps towards her dressing room. “You’ve got a few days off now though so you can rest. I’ll get you a massage booked in the morning.” 

“Can we make it an extra deep tissue massage?” Molly asks as she pushes through the door of her dressing room. “That woman who di-” She stops short the moment the door swings open, shocked into silence at the scene in front of her. 

Several giant vases overflowing with blooms of peonies cover every flat surface in Molly’s dressing room. Bursts of pink, blue, purple, and white cover the room, their scent hanging heavy in the air. Behind Molly, her father chuckles. If she had turned around, Molly could have seen him shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Oh my God?!” Goldie gasps, utterly dumbfounded at what she sees when she peeks around Molly’s shoulders. “That’s the third time this week he’s turned your dressing room into a flower shop after you go on stage and I cannot figure out how that man is doing it!” 

Molly shakes her head, walking over to the card that sits in a pale pink envelope in front of a particularly large bunch of pink peonies. No body on tour could figure out how Lando had managed to coordinate the flower delivery without Goldie, the ultimate guard dog when it came to Molly, knowing. 

Slipping her index finger under the flap, Molly opens the card as she half-listens to Molly speculate with Nathan over who the mysterious helper could be. 

I’m sorry I couldn’t be there tonight but I promise as soon as I can sneak away, I want to be in that audience again. I wish I could have stayed in Australia longer but I’ll see you soon, I promise. Call me if you feel up to it when you get back to the hotel, I want to tell you how pretty you are. 

XO, Lan

Molly sets the card down, heart squeezing sharply before she turns to where her dad and Goldie stand in the doorway. 

“Can you guys give me a second? I’m going to call him real quick before I change.” 

Nathan’s eyes soften as he looks over at his daughter. He’d had a front row seat to the damage Tommy had done to her so seeing her happy over the start of something new was enough to melt his heart. He nods before turning away to give Molly some privacy and Goldie follows suit, shutting the door softly behind her. 

Now that she was alone in the quiet dressing room, Molly had a chance to think. After their date earlier in the week, Lando had stopped for pizza on the way back to the hotel before they spent another several hours on the floor of her suite talking until nearly two in the morning. The only reason he’d left in the end was that he’d had to catch a flight to somewhere in the Middle East for a golf trip he’d had planned with Alex and Carlos. 

Lando had offered to stay there instead, had even pulled out his phone to cancel his flight and tell the other two drivers he was going to stay in Australia until he had to go to Japan later in the week for the next race. Molly had convinced him not to, though. She insisted that there was plenty of time for them to be together and she wasn’t in a rush. 

There had been more to the story though and now that she was a week removed form Lando’s presence, she was regretting it. Of course, Molly wanted to have him stay the extra time with her but there was something that was nibbling at the back of her mind. Her relationship with Tommy had started off burning brightly and intensely, searing to an out of control flame much too quickly. Molly was afraid of history repeating itself because while she did feel like there was something different about what her and Lando could have. 

It was new but it felt promising. That night that he’d left her hotel room, slinking out of the door well past the time she knew her father would find appropriate, Molly had started jotting down lyrics. They were barely there wisps of songs that still didn’ have melodies attached to them but they were there. It was scary, writing songs about someone she had feelings for again but it was how she coped. It was how she had gotten herself through the breakup with Tommy and it was how she was going to get through the anxiety of whatever this was with Lando taken root in her heart. 

Molly drops down onto the couch, the cold leather biting into her sore shoulders. She reaches for the jacket she’d swiped off Lando that night at mini golf. If she held it close enough to her nose, she could still barely get a whiff of his cologne. 

She taps at the screen of her phone before hitting the FaceTime button on Lando’s contact. It only rings twice before the swooping noise sounds and Lando’s face appears on the screen. He looks tanned and relaxed as he’s sitting somewhere brightly lit, the sun beating down on him from above. It may be nearing midnight in Melbourne but he’s about seven hours behind her so Molly is pretty sure he’s either still on the golf course with Carlos and Alex or somewhere near there. 

“Hey, Pretty Girl.” Lando says, voice smooth and bright. “I didn’t think you’d call me for a while, you just got off stage.” 

Molly smiles at the screen, barely resisting the urge to take a screenshot of Lando on the other end, he’s so handsome. His curls are fluffy and messy, like he couldn’t be bothered to style them while on this brief break from his grueling schedule. 

“How’d you know I just got off stage?” She asks, head tilting to the side curiously.  

Lando looks away from the camera sheepishly, biting at his lip. Just off camera, she can hear someone that sounds a lot like Carlos laugh loudly. “Go ahead, tell her what you were doing, mate!” He calls teasingly. 

“I was watching someone’s TikTok live stream of your concert tonight.” Lando confesses, the tips of his ears turning a bit pink. “It was kinda grainy, they didn’t have great seats, but I just wanted to hear you.” 

Molly’s heart stumbles behind her ribs, the casual way he confesses to seeking out a shaky video of a concert thousands of miles away while on a guys trip taking her out emotionally. 

“Lan.” She breathes, completely at a loss for words. 

Lando runs a hand through his curls, causing them to stand up at even odder angles. He still looks a little sheepish and a touch unsure, like he’s not used to being this vulnerable with someone but it’s softer now. Like the feeling is less scary the more he gets used to it. 

“Thank you for the flowers, by the way.” Leaning forward, Molly plucks a particularly large pink peony bloom out of the nearest vase and buries her nose in it. When she lifts her eyes back to the screen, Lando’s got a big grin on his face. 

“Has Goldie figured out who’s putting them in your room yet?” 

Molly tosses her head back and laughs, shaking her head, “No! And I think it’s driving her a little insane.” Snuggling deeper into Lando’s jacket, Molly curls her feet under her and leans her head sideways on the back of the couch. 

Lando’s heart catches when he realizes she’s wearing his jacket still, the way Molly makes him feel shifts something in him that he can’t quite understand just yet. It’s like he knows something has changed, something new has the potential to start here but both of them are just scared enough not to want to put it into words yet. Lando’s patient though. He knew Molly’s history with her ex and knew that in some ways, she was still healing. 

“Are you ever going to tell us who the mystery flower merchant is?” Molly asks, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

Lando smirks, shaking his head, “Not any time soon.” 

Molly rolls her eyes, “Not fair.” She pouts. 

“You’re so dramatic.” Lando laughs.

“Oh, I’m aware.” Molly is about to say more but instead, a giant yawn escapes instead. She barely manages to slap her hand over her mouth before she buries her head in her elbow. “I’m sorry.” She mutters. 

“You’ve got to be exhausted, baby.” Concern colors Lando’s voice, his brow furrowing as he realizes just how tired Molly’s eyes looked. “Have you even changed out of your stage clothes yet?” 

Molly shakes her head, suddenly overcome with bone numbing exhaustion again. “Wanted to call you first.” She says softly. 

Lando’s eyes go a bit watery at the way Molly says it, the vulnerability in her voice not something that she allows show through very often. “And I’m glad you did, but I think you should go get changed and go back to the hotel.” 

Molly nods, unable to argue with what sounds like a very appealing idea. “Can I call you when I get into bed?” 

“You can call me whenever you want.” He tells her honestly. “We just got off the course for the day and don’t have any plans tonight other than dinner at the villa. If you feel up to it, I’ll make sure my phone is on so we can talk, okay?” 

Molly smiles sleepily, nodding just a bit. “Okay. I’m going to go get changed then.” 

“Bye, Princess.” 

The glittering lights of downtown Sydney reflected off the windows of Molly’s high-rise suite. It was late, bordering on being too late for her to still be up but she was lost in one of those song-writing tunnels that sometimes happened. Papers were scattered all around her as she sat on the floor, back up against the couch that faced out towards the brightly lit city skyline. 

She’d been at this for hours by now, having come up to her room after dinner with her dad earlier in the evening. It had been her one day off that week before having three shows in a row in her last Australian city on her tour here. She was physically exhausted from the travel and back to back shows in Melbourne and no in Sydney but apparently, her mind hadn’t gotten the memo. 

Molly had tried to relax earlier in the night, took a long everything shower before slipping under the creamy sheets of the king sized bed of her hotel room but the mental energy that was zapping around in her brain had been too much. Despite the fact that her body didn’t want to seem to move, her brain forced her from bed and onto the floor as she’d pulled her guitar out from the closet. Molly knew she was powerless against the songs that lived in her chest, knew that they chose the time to come out and that she was just a passenger along for the ride. 

The lyrics were coming smoothly tonight as she thought back on the last few weeks. Molly still hadn’t been able to see Lando since their date in Melbourne but they’d FaceTimed as often as they could, which never seemed enough for either of them. 

She hadn’t been able to talk to Lando today yet, the almost nine hour time difference between where he was and where she sat almost seemed a big hurdle to overcome so early on. She’d been in her head all day about it, wondering if she was being stupid for allowing the British driver consume so much of her thoughts. 

When Molly gets in her head about things, she knows there’s only one thing that’s going to allow her to feel settled again. It’s always been a coping mechanism for her, how she dealt with the big feelings and complicated stories that made her heart heavy. 

She had bits and bobs of a song down on several sheets of paper, her mechanical pencil several sticks of graphite short because of how she kept snapping them as she scribbled out thoughts and words. Molly was never a clean songwriter, her process was never quiet and subdued. It was loud and intense, messy while always being just this side of controlled chaos. It was when she felt the most alive, the most useful as if she was actually doing the thing she’d been placed on earth to do. 

 Molly has a pen in her mouth, and one stuck in her bun as well, long forgotten from hours ago when she’d shoved it in there in frustration when a line just hadn’t been working, when her phone flickers to life, buzzing loudly on the coffee table across from where she’s sat on the floor. 

Normally, she wouldn’t answer the phone while she was mid-writing session, it was actually unusual that the phone’s lit up screen was enough to pull Molly away from the blinders she had on when the creative wave hit. For some reason though, her eyes were just distracted enough and Molly was just frustrated with this bridge enough, that seeing Lando’s contact photo flash up at her is enough to make the breath catch at the back of her throat. 

Swiping the answer button over, Molly beams when Lando’s face fills the screen. It’s sunny where he is, the light casting golden rays over his curly hair. She does some quick mental math and figures out he’s probably just finished up with his day at the MTC and either already back at the flat that he keeps in Woking for when he’s in town or somewhere quiet in the MTC itself. 

“Hey, pretty girl. I’m surprised you answered!” Lando’s voice holds a hint of scolding but she can tell he’s pleased she did. “It’s late there, isn’t it?” 

Molly nods, leaning back into the soft cloth of the couch behind her. “Nearly midnight I think.I’m oddly restless tonight, just trying to get some energy out.” 

Stretching her legs out in front of her, Molly raises both of her arms above her head so Lando gets a quick flash of what she’s wearing before he stares at her ceiling. Both her sleep shorts and tank top are the same color dove gray and he swears he catches a glance of bright pink slippers. One of the straps of the tank top slid down her shoulder hour ago, something that Molly hadn’t even noticed. 

But Lando notices. 

He adjusts the phone so he can hold it a bit more comfortably and Molly sees a flash of what she recognizes as the back of his gaming chair at his flat.

“Restless?” He asks, concern knitting his brows together. He pauses, unsure if he wants to push on or let her put words to her mood herself. 

He decides to press a bit. 

“Wanna talk about it?” He asks, carefully. 

Molly looks away from the camera then, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. A gesture that has Lando biting back a groan. He can see that she’s having an internal debate with herself, like she was deciding how vulnerable she wanted to be in this moment. Lando allows Molly to wrestle with it on her own, sensing that she needed to put words to it herself.

Molly knew Lando wouldn’t push, wouldn’t make her say the words out loud if she didn’t want to but she also knew that she was safe with him. He’d done nothing in all the time they’d spent together on the phone late at night and in the stolen moments between their mutually busy schedules to show that he wasn’t anything but 100% into her. 

“It’s going to sound silly.” She warns, nerves at being so vulnerable making her heart race. 

“I doubt it.” Lando says softly, the curve of his lips hitching upwards in a smile that has Molly’s chest clenching. 

“I’ve been sat here for the last however many hours trying to get this anxious energy out because...” Molly sucks in a breath. “Because I miss you and I know it sounds stupid because we’ve spent no time like, physically together but I can’t help it and my normal coping mechanism of writing a song about it is making me miss you even more.” The words tumble out of her mouth so fast because Molly knows if she stops to think about the confession she just put a voice too, she’ll be too embarrassed to continue. 

For a moment, Lando says nothing. His silence sends Molly’s pulse through the roof and her cheeks turning crimson. She knew she should have just shut up about it, should have never confessed about how much time she spent thinking about him, about how much space he took up in her mind despite how little time they’d spent together on the same continent. 

After a few beats though, a slow smile spreads across his face before he starts to chuckle. Molly buries her head in her elbow, groaning at the thought of Lando laughing at her. Suddenly the way her song had been going was looking like it would need a complete rewrite. Panic sits heavy on Molly’s chest, crushed under the weight of potentially seeing something that wasn’t really there to begin with. 

“Don’t make fun of me!” She whines, tears threatening to spill as she regrets opening her mouth in the first place. 

“No, baby, no! I’m not making fun of you!” Lando insists. “Hey, look at me.” He holds his breath for a moment, hoping she’ll listen to him. 

“C’mon, pretty girl, don’t hide from me.” He murmurs, waiting for Molly to peek out from behind her elbow with just one eye before he continues. “There you are. Come on…I wasn’t laughing at you, I swear. I was laughing because Oscar nearly punched me today. I was a cranky asshole during our entire training session together and when he asked what the fuck was wrong with me the only thing I could come up with was that I was missing you too fucking much.” 

Molly blinks at the phone, totally caught off guard at Lando’s words. She wasn’t used to the direct way Lando often communicated with her. With Tommy, it was all guesses and quiet wondering if they were on the same page. He never entertained talks of what was bothering her, always insisting that she would be fine if she just stopped thinking about it and that she shouldn’t question his feelings for her. 

With Lando it felt different and despite the fact that they’d only been doing this for a few weeks, she felt more secure in the knowledge that he was defiantly on the same page as her when it came to how she was feeling about him. It was hard being away from him and she still wasn’t even sure if this was going to work out with how different their schedules and lives were but at least she didn’t have to wonder if she was the only one willing to try to make it work. 

They both fall quiet then, the weight of their shared confessions hanging heavy between them. The whirr of the air conditioning unit mixes with Molly’s steady breathing as she drops her gaze to the guitar sitting beside her. 

Lando follows her gaze but he can only see just a bit of the guitar in the frame. “Can I hear the song?” He asks softly, not sure if he’s pushing too far too quick. 

Molly had mentioned once that songwriting was deeply personal to her and she was a notorious perfectionist. Sometimes the producers she worked with had to tell her that they wouldn’t allow her to fix anything else on her album otherwise they’d fall behind. He knew it was a big ask and was hoping she wouldn’t shut him out. 

“You…want to hear it?” She asks, almost nervously. 

Lando nods, wishing he was there instead of thousands of kilometers away so he could take her chin between his fingers and make her look at him. “I do.” 

“It’s not finished.” Molly says quickly, her eyes darting back up to meet Lando’s gaze. “I mean, it’s not even remotely ready to even be recorded yet. It’s rough…nothing like what you’ve heard at my concerts.” 

“You could sing me your grocery list and I’d think it deserved a Grammy, Princess.” Lando deadpans before going silent. 

He raises his eyebrows as encouragement to continue. 

Molly reaches forward and pulls a vase of flowers that had been sitting on the coffee table. She props up her phone against the heavy glass before adjusting the angle and making sure Lando could see. When she’s satisfied with the angle, she scoots back towards the couch and picks up her guitar off the ground. 

Legs crossed, Molly drops her gaze towards the guitar in her had as she picks at the strings. At first the song isn’t anything more than a few strummed chords but Lando leans forward when he feels the music shift. 

“Put your lips close to mine, as long as they don’t touch.” Molly dares a quick glance at her phone. Lando is holds so still it’s almost like he’s expecting her to disappear if he even blinks. 

“Out of focus, eye to eye, til the gravity’s too much.” Her heart hammers at the way something unfurls in the center of her chest. The melodies that had been elusive all day suddenly flickered to life. “I’ll do anything you say, if you say it with your hands.”

Lando still can’t manage to tear his eyes away from Molly. The rasp in her voice is more pronounced this late at night as she battles the fatigue of her day. There are light shades of gray dappling underneath her eyes, but there was a sincerity in them that shifted the axis of Lando’s world. 

“And I’d be smart to walk away.” Molly’s brow furrows, and she drops her gaze to her guitar. “But you’re quicksand.” She flicks her eyes to gauge Lando’s reaction and is rewarded with the a smile that left her breathless. “This slope is treacherous. This path is reckless.” 

Another pause as she strums a few more chords. “This slope is treacherous. And I like it.” The pace picks up for what she’s thinking might be the bridge or even a second verse. “Two headlights shine though the sleepless night and I will get you alone. Your name has echoed through my mind and I just think you should, think you should know.” 

Another pause to strum a few more chords, the melody stitching itself together in a way that feels magical. Molly lifts her eyes to make eye contact with Lando for the next part, “That nothing safe is worth the drive and I would follow you, follow you home. I would follow you, follow you home.” 

After a few more strums of her guitar, she lets the last notes die around them, floating on a new string that’s stitched the two together over the last several minutes. 

“That’s what I have so far. Like I said, it’s not finished and the bridge is still giving me fits but I’ve almost got it figured out in my head. I just have to figure out how to get what I have in my head match the words that get written down.” 

Lando just blinks at the woman sitting on the other side of the phone. He’s gone very still as his brain struggles to catch up with the lyrics he’d just listen to. The melody, hauntingly soft, had sounds like honey on a warm summer night. 

Before tonight, Lando didn’t know you could be addicted to the sound of someone else’s voice. 

“Say something, Lan.” Molly pleads, anxiety strung out on his silence. 

He shakes his head, “I literally can’t find the words, Molly. That was…” He coughs to hide the way his voice almost breaks. “That was beautiful.” 

And even those words felt bitter and cheap in comparison to what this girl was doing to his heart. 

“Can you sing that bridge that you’ve been working on?” He asks.

Afterwards, her guitar long forgotten, Molly curled up on her side in bed with the phone glowing back at her, Lando’s lazy grin keeping her from wanting to sleep. 

Molly had been to China a handful of times in her career but not in several years. When her jet touched down at the Shanghai airport, Molly was a barely contained spark of excitement. If she managed to pull of the surprise she’d set in motion a few days ago, she was going to be so pleased with herself. 

It takes a while for her jet to clear customs and by the time Molly, Goldie, Nathan, and Molly’s mother Clara are all in two twin SUV’s heading towards the Shanghai International Circuit. The group chatted aimlessly about nothing in particular while the city buzzed by. With each passing mile, the butterflies in Molly’s stomach felt like they were multiplying at a rapid speed. 

There’s a back entrance to the circuit that next to nobody knows about and that’s where the two SUV’s pull to a smooth stop. Nathan is the first to emerge from the car, papaya orange hat tugged low over his eyes. He helps his wife out of the car first followed by Golide. Molly is the last one to emerge, the click of the boots she’s wearing snapping sharply. 

“Is Zak ready for us?” Molly asks, slipping her phone into the Birkin 25 she’d bought in Paris last year. 

Nathan nods, holding out an elbow to his wife before starting towards the gate. Golide and Molly follow behind, chatting about today’s schedule. The walk McLaren’s hospitality suite is uneventful. The last practice session had just wrapped up and the paddock was too busy to notice anything beyond the chaos buzzing through the crowd. 

They slip into building with Zak greeting them at the door. He goes to Nathan first, greeting his friend with a handshake and claps on the back. Cora is on the receiving end of a hug and asks after Zak’s wife while Molly allows her eyes to wander. She doesn’t see any sign of him and hopes they timed it perfectly so that Lando was still tied up in debriefing meetings. 

“So good to see you again, Molly.” Zak steps forward for a hug, embracing Mollly like she was his own. “Good to see you, Goldie. My staff speaks very highly of how well you’ve been working with us.” 

Golide waves a hand away, dismissing the praise. “I’m just doing my job.” 

Zak laughs, shaking his head before he looks back at Molly. “I’ll take your parents into my office, go on up to his room. First room on the left, his name’s on it so you can’t miss it. I had Jon unlock it for you after Lando was in the car.” 

Molly gives the man a gracious look and smiles. “Thank’s Zak.” 

Following his directions, Molly finds Lando’s room easily and shuts the door behind her. Like his room in Melbourne, this one was small but well furnished. A black leather couch sat tucked in the corner opposite of a small desk that had Lando’s jacket from this morning slung over the back of its chair. A refrigerator hummed to Molly’s right but she just walked right towards the couch, nerves suddenly almost too much to handle. 

She doesn’t have to wait long and before long, the door handle jiggles. “Oi! Jon!” She hears Lando yell. “You forgot to lock my room, you muppet!”  

The door handle turns and Molly thinks she might pass out. When Lando enters the room, his race suit is slung so low on his hips, it should be illegal. His papaya and black hat is turned backwards, a few curls making their way out from under the cap. 

Lando notices her legs first. She’s got on sheer black nylons and on for a moment, Lando’s brain malfunctions. The black leather skirt that peaks out from underneath a thigh-skimming black and orange knit cardigan. The silver belt that chinches in at her waist glints in the fluorescent lights of his room. 

He freezes. 

“Molly?” He breathes and Molly’s cheeks go pink. “What…” Lando blinks like he’s trying to figure out is she’s actually real. “Are you really here?” 

He’d been distracted all morning, the weekend not quiet going the way he’d wanted and when Molly had sent him a message earlier that she’d be off grid for a while he was annoyed at how much that ate at him. He didn’t like the fact that he kept checking his phone to make sure he didn’t somehow miss a text from her saying…something. 

Lando had needed to put that to the side though when the final practice session of the weekend started. He wasn’t quite sure how the weekend was going to go. He felt good about it but Lando was always pessimistic when it came to his performance. The shield of low expectations lessened the blow of realized failures. 

It was his greatest weakness and he knew that he needed to work on it now or else it would come back to haunt him later in his career. 

When he saw his phone screen was still blank after Jon handed it back to him when the session was over, Lando felt the edge of anxiety in his chest sharpen. He was planning on making a trip to wherever Molly was on Monday but the silence that screamed at him today was distracting him. 

But now, the entire world shifts. Molly is in his drivers room, sitting on his couch, waiting for him. 

In a few short strides, Lando is tugging Molly to her feet before he hauls her to his chest. “Are you kidding me?” He chuckles into her hair before pressing a kiss there. 

Molly laughs, snaking her hands around his waist. “Hi.” She murmurs into Lando’s chest. 

Swapping spots with her, Lando sinks to the couch before pulling Molly down with him so she’s fully sat in his lap. “Does the press know you’re here?” He asks, nosing at Molly’s jaw until she tilts her head back so he has access to the crook of her neck. He draws in a deep breath, the scent of her lily of the valley perfume settling over his senses like a blanket. 

Molly pulls back and shrugs as she brings her hands up to frame Lando’s face. His hair was messy and sweaty, a few errant curls sticking haphazardly to his forehead, like he was badly in need of a haircut and just hadn’t had the time to schedule it. She can still see the slight indent of his radio wires in his skin. Lando shudders when she drags a long fingernail down the path.

 “Probably. Goldie leaked a story to a few of my fan pages and People magazine. I’m sure it’s on Twitter by now. We’re using my dad’s friendship with Zak as cover, no one should think I’m here for you.” 

Something sticks in Lando’s jaw about the last part of her statement. Sure, there were huge implications about the public knowing about them so quickly, he knew that. He knew that they should figure out what this was between them and if it was even going to be sustainable but the possessive part of him already wants the entire world to know that his stupid friendship bracelet stunt had worked and he got his girl. Lando pushes his ego to the side though, deciding to enjoy the fact that all of his anxiety from earlier had been for nothing. 

“You’re unbelievable.” He says, skimming his lips along the edge of Molly’s jaw, enjoying the way she squirms in his lap under his touch. 

Molly swipes her thumbs across his cheekbones, grinning down at him brightly. “Thank you. Can you please kiss me now?” 

Lando chuckles but obliges, slotting his lips over hers. When he does, the entire world goes quiet. He tastes like cinnamon gum and smells faintly of gasoline and motor oil but to Molly it smells like home. His lips work hers over gently at first but the moment Molly sinks her fingers through his curls and tugs, the kiss turns more desperate. 

Molly sighs, her whole body going slack as Lando digs his fingertips into her hips. She’s the one to lick into Lando’s mouth first, her tongue pressing into him hot and eager to be as close to him as she possibly can. Lando groans when she nips at his bottom lip, bringing one hand up into her hair and tangling his fingers in the thick locks. 

Molly shifts her weight so her knees are bracketing Lando’s lap, all decorum flying out the window. She rolls her hips into his, tentatively at first, like she’s trying to see what feels best and how Lando responds. Molly gets a little bolder, almost grinding down on his lap while Lando tries to see through the fog of desire, just as there’s a discreet knock at the door. Reluctantly, he pulls away, resting his forehead against hers. 

He clears his throat. Molly gives a half-hearted sigh and giggles as she seals her lips to Lando’s neck. 

“Yeah?” He calls, voice breaking when Molly nips at the skin just behind his ear. 

“You’ve got press duties in five, Lando.” Jon calls, a teasing lilt to his voice. 

“Got it. Be right there.” 

Molly pouts but slides off his lap without argument. “Stupid work.” She grumbles, watching Lando stand. 

He strips out of his racing suit quickly, blushing when Molly lets out a soft wolf whistle, as he tugs on a pair of jeans and his team polo. “Do you want to slip out first and find your parents?” 

Molly stands and crosses the room to where Lando is standing. She brushes her fingers through his hair, enjoying the way his eyes roll back when she tugs gently. “I guess. But I’ll see you tonight, right? We’re staying at the same hotel as the team.” 

“You couldn’t keep me away.” Lando tells her, hands settling firmly on her hops. 

Molly presses one last kiss onto his lips before heading towards the door. “Good luck in qualifying if I don’t get a chance to talk to you.” 

Lando just nods as he watches Molly slip out the door quietly before bringing his fingers to his lips, the memory of her kiss still clawing at his mind long after she’s walking down the hallway. 

*Afterwards, on Twitter* 

User928 MOLLY IS IN THE MCLAREN GARAGE IN CHINA. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 

user921 Relax you animals, her dad is BFFs with Zak. No way she’s there for Lando. 

User019 Has anyone seen an up close picture of her wrists??? Is she wearing the bracelets??

>>>user222 I can’t find a single good photo of her up close!!! 

>>>user145 We need someone inside the paddock. Who’s got the cash to pay off a mechanic to get a picture 

>>>user001 y’all are nuts 

User342 I mean, she’s GOTTA know about the bracelets at this point??? 

User018 She’s been glued to her dad’s side all afternoon, no way she’s there for Lando. 

>>>user554 LET US HAVE OUT DELUSIONS. 

User827 ok but her outfit today??? FIRE. The orange and black cardigan??? The sheer tights??? Master class from our girl today. 

Chapter Text

The studio was Molly’s sanctuary. Much like how songs were how she solved problems inside her head, the studio was where she went for the final closure on whatever she’d been working on lately. She was never particular about much when it came to traveling and how she liked things. Molly supposed she was one of the more easy going celebrities, not really caring if she didn’t have the best view or the most luxurious suite available. She truly wasn’t picky. 

There was once exception though. The studio. 

Where other celebrities might be particular about the thread count of their sheets or how cold they preferred their water, Molly was obsessively particular about how she recorded songs. There were rules. Each rule had a reason, it wasn’t like they were arbitrary but they were rules all the same and Molly expected them to be followed by everyone in her camp.

One of the biggest rules Molly had was her strict No Television On While Recording rule. There was almost always a TV screen or two in whatever studio she was in but they were never to be turned on. She didn’t like the distraction and preferred to have everyone’s focus on the music that was being made. 

Which was why Tank Newton was staring at Molly like she’d grown a third head when she asked him where the remote for the TV was. Tank had been working with Molly for so many years, they’d both lost count. The first song he’d help produce with her on her debut album had been the lead single and was still, almost five albums later, one of her most well-known songs. He knew Molly’s creative process inside and out, could read her moods like a book with one single glance. So when she’d come into the studio on the first Friday afternoon of May, he’d been wildly confused at her request. 

“I just want to watch the first practice session.” Molly told him as took the remote from Tank’s outstretched arm. 

“The first what?” He asked, totally mystified as he watched Molly download the F1TV app onto the studio’s smart TV. “Molly, what are you talking about? You never allow the tv to be on while we’re recording.” He turns to Goldie, who’s sitting on the couch across the room, typing on her phone. “Do you know what’s wrong with her?” 

“Lando.” Goldie says flatly without looking up. 

“Lando Calrissian? The Star Wars character?” Tank asks, not even remotely understanding what was going on anymore. 

Molly snorts a laugh as she logs into her app before selecting the live streaming session that was just beginning. “Lando Norris. The driver.” 

Tank stares, “What?” 

Molly heaves a sigh, her shoulders slumping. 

“I met a boy.” She says miserably. “And he’s considerate and funny and smart and is the most handsome man that has ever looked at me.” Molly closes her eyes, slapping her hands over her face in embarrassment. 

Tank stares at the blonde, unsure of what to make of what she’d just said. It wasn’t too long ago that Tank had stood in this same New York City recording studio opposite Molly as she’d recorded one of the most gut wrenching break up songs and swearing off men in the same breath. 

“Oh.” Is all the reply he can manage between biting the inside of his cheek and suppressing the laugh that is threatening to escape. 

Molly narrows her eyes. “Shut up.” Goldie snorts a laugh and Molly turns her glare on her manager, “You too.” 

Tank holds his hands up in the air in surrender, “We didn’t say anything!” 

“You looked like you wanted to say something.” Molly grouses, tossing the remote back onto the table. 

Tank takes the bait this time though, 

“Is he ’Treacherous’?” He asks, referring to the son they’d been working on yesterday.

Molly nods her head, pinching at the bridge of her nose. “And Risk, and Everything Has Changed, and Guilty As Sin.” 

Tank shakes his head, shoulders shaking, “Oh, miss girl.” He scolds. 

“Shut up!” Molly laughed, shaking her head. The lyrics to Risk alone was enough for Tank to get an idea of why she was feeling so conflicted, so scared. 

“If he’s all these great things, what’s wrong? Why are we acting like this is a bad thing?” 

Molly flops down into one of the two chairs that sit in front of the recording setup. There shouldn’t bet be anything wrong. Molly should be thrilled that things are going so well between her and Lando. After she’d surprised him in China, they’d managed to spend a few days together before he’d had to go back to England and she’d had to go to New York for this recording session. 

That felt like forever ago though and ever since Lando had been in Miami for race week, it felt like they’d barely spoken. 

“It’s just…” Molly pauses, searching for the right word. “Hard.” 

When Tank stays quiet, knowing that there’s more to her mood than that one sentence, Molly continues. “Every single moment together has to be planned or else it’ll never happen. We’re both so busy and have our own things going on that it’s a miracle we’re on the same continent at the same time!” 

Goldie stares now too, having put her phone down at the panicked tone in Molly’s voice. She’s pacing now, with both Goldie and Tank looking on, letting her work out the anxiety in her head. Just as Molly turns towards the TV, hands on top of her head, the camera flashes to Lando’s car. The broadcast is on mute but she knows it’s his by the neon yellow t-cam mounted behind his head. 

“And we have to hide everything. We didn’t even leave the hotel when we were in China because if one of us is spotted with the other, the rumors go absolutely insane and…” She stops to allow her mouth to catch up to her racing mind. The panic that flutters in her chest making it hard to put words to her feelings. 

“I just don’t know if he’s going to think I’m worth all this trouble.” Molly says quietly, tears stinging the corners of her eyes as she watched Lando fly across the pavement on the screen in front of her. 

“Have you seen the way that man looks at you?” Goldie asks from her spot on the couch, eyebrow raised. 

Molly shrugs, eyes dropping to where her hands sit in her lap. But she knew. She knew how Lando looked at her and it scared her while at the same time filling her with some silly sense of hope that this time, somehow it would be different. He would be different. 

Because she did see the way Lando looked at her. The way he stared at her like she was some ethereal being that was more myth than actual skin and bone. He looked at her like she was the solution to all of his problems and loving her might be the easiest thing he’d ever done. Lando looked at Molly like the sun rose and set with her moods even though this thing between them was so brand new it was practically nonexistent other than in the spaces in their heads. 

But in the quiet of the evenings when he was busy, when she was performing and he was alone at the hotel, Molly wondered. She wondered if that was going to be good enough for Lando. If she was going to be good enough for Lando. 

Tank takes a step towards the door that leads to the recording booth, “So let’s use that.” He says, watching as her eyes go wide with the weight of his words. “Use all that anxiety and how you’re feeling right now and pour it into the song. You wrote Risk about this, didn’t you?” 

Molly pouts, “I hate how well you know me.” 

Tank laughs, rolling his eyes, “Its not that I know you so well, which I do.” Molly narrows her eyes at the man, “It’s just that you’re so easy to read. I will bet you a hundred bucks that we get in there and record Risk today and you’ll walk out feeling better than you do now. It’s how you operate, Molly. So, let’s go get that song recorded so you can start feeling better, yeah?” 

Molly’s shoulders sag. She knows Tank is right. That she’s too much in her head and she needs to let it out. Bits of the song float around in her head while she does what Tank has requested, shutting the door behind her so she’s in the soundproof booth alone. 

“God, I’m actually invested. Barely even met yet. Watch this be the wrong thing. Classic. God, I’m jumping in the deep end. It’s more fun to swim in. Heard the risk is drowning, but I’m gonna take it. I’m gonna take it.” 

Lando doesn’t even make it through the first corner of the sprint on Saturday before he’s knocked from behind and spun out. He’d fucked up quali the day before and had started near the middle of the pack and ended up collateral damage after 2 cars got to squabbling into turn one. 

He tried not to feel the frustration of another weekend getting away form him. He’d been in this sport for several years now, knew that this was just the luck of the draw sometimes. But this was the first year he felt like he had a good car under him and felt like he was going to be able to fight for wins against the likes of Max and Charles. 

He DNF’s the sprint, losing out on a handful of points that might have come in handy later in the season, but is back on the grid for qualifying just a few hours later. He doesn’t have much time for anything beyond shoving a few bites of the salad Jon fixes him between engineering debriefs and media duties, but he does manage to text Molly a few times. 

There had been a worried text waiting for him when Jon had handed him back his phone after he’d been cleared with the doctors. 

Princess: 

I saw what happened. Goldie didn’t like me yelling at the TV, she said I reminded her of a Midwestern dad screaming at the Packers on a Sunday afternoon. Whatever car hit you is an asshole. I hope you’re okay. Call me if you feel up to it. Miss you. 

He’d chuckled at it, the thought of Molly standing in front of the TV in the studio, yelling at the screen so loudly that it made Goldie mad. Lando had replied quickly, saying he was fine and that he’d call her after he got back to the hotel. 

By the time Lando is tapping the key against the door of his hotel room later that night, he’s exhausted. He’d been asked at least a dozen times what it felt like to be racing in Formula One for so long without having a win. He’d been asked if he thought it was his fault, that DNF, because he hadn’t qualified higher on the grid like Oscar had. It seemed as if the media had taken this negative story line about him this weekend and run with it. 

Lando was miserable. 

The weight of the entire team’s expectations hung heavy around his neck as he toed off his shoes and made a beeline for the bathroom. He desperately wanted to drown his frustrations in the steam and heat of a scalding shower before sleeping off this bad mood that had been plaguing him since he’d gone off in turn one. 

Tossing his wallet onto the bed, his phone follows along with his team jacket and polo that’s damp with the day’s sweat and Miami humidity. Just as he’s turning towards the bathroom, his phone flashes to life. 

Molly’s face lights up the screen and for the first time since Australia, Lando hesitates. He doesn’t want to bring her down with his mood. Doesn’t want to hear platitudes that he’ll ‘get ‘em tomorrow’ when he’s, once again, starting from the middle of the pack. He’s had enough negativity for the entire day but he wasn’t sure he could take the positivity either. 

He hasn’t spoken to her all day though and Lando craves the sound of her voice like his lungs crave oxygen. Torn between wanting to talk to her and wanting to brood by himself for the remainder of the night, Lando stares at the phone like it’s about to attack him. 

In the end, his desire to talk to Molly wins out. He’ll keep it light and try to pretend he doesn’t want to die inside. She doesn’t deserve to listen to him grip after her long day either, and she shouldn’t have to be deal with the emotional burdens that he was dealing with tonight. 

“Hi baby.” He says, answering the phone right before it goes to voicemail, hoping to keep his tone light. 

“Hi.” She says, carefully, like she isn’t sure what kind of mood he’s going to be in. “How are you doing?” 

Lando heaves a sigh. He wants to talk to her about the crush of expectations he feels like he’s drowning under. He wants to tell her how he feels like he’s an imposter and doesn’t deserve his seat. How people are calling him a fraud and saying he doesn’t deserve his seat. How now that he has a good car and a competitive teammate, maybe Lando isn’t as good as everyone once thought. 

He wants to tell Molly all of this but can’t find the courage to flay himself open like that. He doesn’t want to be a burden. He can’t stomach the thought. 

“I’m okay. A little sore but still in one piece.” 

“Sore?” Molly asks, her voice thin and a bit panicky. 

Lando hates the way that he’s causing her to sound like that. The truth is he’s bruised and had a mild concussion but had faked it through the medical tests well enough that no one had even noticed. 

“We weren’t going that fast when Stroll clipped me but it was enough. I’ve survived worse.” 

“Worse?” Molly repeats, voice going small. 

Lando drags a hand over his face. Fuck. He hadn’t meant to say that. He hadn’t meant to upset her. It seemed to be a thing of his today, saying and doing the wrong things. If he had qualified better yesterday, he wouldn’t have been in Stroll’s way today. And as a result, he wouldn’t be scaring Molly right now. 

“It’s fine, Princess.” He insists, knowing that using her favorite nickname will help.“The cars are super safe, okay? It was a low speed crash that didn’t even require all that much time to fix.” 

On the other end of the line, Molly breathes into the silence. “Okay. Are you going to be okay for tomorrow? Starting 5^th is good, right?” 

“It’s not pole, but it’s not awful.” He lies. 

Quiet stretches, awkward and thick. 

“Are you okay, Lan?” Molly asks into the silence. 

Lando clears his throat to buy himself some time. He wasn’t okay. He felt like the walls were closing in on him and all he wanted to do was go to sleep and pretend that none of this was happening. 

“I’m fine.” He lies again, wincing. “I’m just tired.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t keep you then. I just wanted to hear your voice.” She confesses carefully, like she’s not quite sure how open they’re being tonight. Like she doesn’t know how safe it is to be vulnerable with him tonight. And Lando hates it. Hates that he’s not making her feel safe. 

“I’ll call you tomorrow before the race, okay? I’m just exhausted and not very good company tonight.” 

“Oh. Okay. Of course. I’m sorry if I was a bother.” 

Lando’s shoulders drop. “Stop. You’re not a bother.” 

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Lan.” 

Lando blinks, “Okay. Sleep well, pretty girl.” 

Molly stares at the black screen, not liking the curl of dread that’s settled in her stomach in the last five minutes. She couldn’t tell if Lando sounded off because of his difficult day or because she had called him so late at night. Her eyes flick to the clock that sits on the kitchen wall of her New York City apartment. It was barely 11pm and she knew Lando frequently stayed up hours later, even on race weekends. 

“It’s probably not about you.” She whispers to herself, standing from the couch after shutting off the TV in the living room. 

Molly moves around the apartment, shutting the kitchen light off and shuffling towards the bathroom. She’d owned this place in the West Village for a few years now. It wasn’t her favorite place she owned, but it did the job well enough. She didn’t stay in New York often but when she was, the penthouse apartment was cozy enough to keep her coming back. 

Lando had sounded exhausted but he’d also sounded like he didn’t want to talk to her. Maybe she shouldn’t have called him first. It was just that they’d been missing each other so much this weekend, she had gotten tired of waiting for him to call her. 

The frustration she’d felt yesterday resurfaces as Molly washes her face and brushes her teeth. She knew that when she was with Lando, there was no place she’d rather be. He was hilarious and always did what he said he would. He was kind and kissed her like he was competing for an olympic medal. 

But was that going to be enough?

She wanted to be in Miami desperately. Had considered cutting her sessions with Tank short this afternoon to fly down to where Lando was. It felt cruel that they were on the same continent and still so far away. Lando was going to be able to get away for a few days later in the week but it felt empty without him, watching him on the TV knowing that she wasn’t going to bet here for him when he got home. 

It was also just so early on. It was only six weeks ago when they’d had their first real conversation. They’d only spent a handful of hours together without the help of a screen, was she just getting ahead of herself? Maybe he hadn’t wanted to talk to her tonight, felt like she was a bother and too much for him. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if this was just some fling to him and when things got too serious, or when the public made it hard to be together, he’d cut and run. 

It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. She’d dated people before Tommy. Both famous and not, it always seemed like she was too much for them. She was too much to handle and didn’t give them enough of a reason to stick around. 

Maybe Lando was going to be the same. 

As Molly flicked off the bathroom light before heading towards her bed, the creamy white linens freshly washed this morning by the cleaning service she’d hired last year, she felt her heart squeeze. Like it was already anticipating the way Lando might hurt her. He probably wouldn’t mean it. He wasn’t cruel like Tommy, but Molly knew that unlike Tommy, she wouldn’t survive losing Lando. 

The lights were switched off and, for the first night in several weeks, Molly doesn’t text Lando goodnight. 

“…And Lando Norris WINS the 2024 Miami Grand Prix!” 

Molly stands in front of her TV, tears steaming down her face as she watches Lando cross the finish line with no one ahead of him for the very first time. She knew just how much this meant for him. She knew how hard he’d worked, how worried he was that he’d never get this, how relieved he must be as Lando did his cool down lap. 

They play his radio, his cries of joy and relief sending shivers down Molly’s spine. She sits on the edge of the coffee table, knees pulled up to her chest, staring up at the papaya colored car displayed on the screen. The camera cut to Zak, who was shouting loudly and clapping. 

The only thing that would have made this moment even better would have her being in the paddock witnessing one of the greatest moments of his life. Molly’s heart ached that she wasn’t there with him. She regretted not flying down yesterday, even though she still wasn’t entirely sure if they were even okay. 

They had spoken briefly that morning, as Lando had gotten ready to go to the track. He’d been distracted, Molly had clocked that the moment she’d picked up his call. She didn’t entirely blame him, she knew Lando had a lot on his mind and he seemed to get a little short on race mornings. She knew that he held himself to an impossibly high standard and that yesterday’s DNF had been hard on him. 

The way he’d been distant all weekend though, it’s grated at her. Not because she thought it was her fault but because she didn’t know how to fix it. Was this just how he got on weekends that weren’t really going his way? She’d been around for three races so far and while Lando had been distracted for all of them on Sunday, it hadn’t been like this. 

The conversation had been short. They’d chatted about Molly’s Sunday plans of going on a walk and to brunch with Cora, who just happened to be in the city at the same time. She’d asked after his car, and how it was feeling after yesterday’s DNF. He’d entertained her questions and hadn’t really rushed her off the phone, but he hadn’t been attentive and present like she was used to. 

Molly tried to tell herself that it was okay. He was having a rough weekend and she needed to relax. Lando lived an incredibly stressful lifestyle, one that could change on a razors edge. She knew this because she lived a similar life. 

Molly watches the way Lando launches himself into his crew, mascara running freely now. She wished that she’d had been there, in the crowd to see the look on his face up close. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the gap in his front teeth that she found adorable, the way he smelled after a shower. 

Picking up her phone as the interviews being, Molly taps out a text that she knows he won’t read for hours: 

I am so proud of you, Lando Norris! You drove amazing today! Call me when you can, I want to see your handsome, race winning face. Xoxo

Dinner is simmering on the stove when Lando finally calls. 2 salmon filets are in the oven, covered in lemons and some butter and on the stove are her mom’s famous garlic green beans and lemon risotto. Molly doesn’t usually cook like this, especially when she’s alone in the city, but tonight she was so restless from all of the feelings and thoughts she’d had running in her head since Thursday. 

Molly does her best to bury that anxiety when she hears her phone buzz, the screen lighting up with Lando’s face. She doesn’t want to bring him down or give him any reason to worry, especially when she knows he’s going to be on a high celebrating his first win. 

“Hi Race Winner!” Molly croons when Lando’s face appears on her screen. 

He’s grinning wide, curls damp from what she assumes is a combination of sweat and champagne, his eyes are bright with excitement. 

“I did it! I really fucking did it, baby!” 

Molly’s heart catches when he calls her baby. 

“I’m so proud of you!” She gushes. 

“Did you watch? You saw me win, right?” Lando flops down onto the couch of what looks to be his drivers room. 

It’s been several hours since he crossed the finish line but he was just finishing up the last of his media and team duties. Outside, the sun hung low, burning the ocean with its orange glow. He could hear the sounds of the team moving around on the other side of the door, packing up for the next circuit and getting ready to head home before the next race. 

Molly chuckles, leaning against the counter top as she eyes the risotto. “Of course I did, every moment before and after. I think Cora blocked me because I wouldn’t stop texting her race updates.” 

Lando chuckles, grinning into the phone. Molly has her har swept up in a claw clip at the nape of her neck with a few errant pieces of hair falling out of the messy style. It doesn’t look like she has a stitch of makeup on and the glasses that sit on the bridge of her nose are totally new to Lando. He hadn’t seen her look this casual with him yet and it set something off in him that made him feel off center. 

“What are you doing now?” He asks, knowing they hadn’t had much of a chance to talk over the last few days. 

It had killed him, not being able to call Molly until just now, hours after he’d crossed the finish line. The first person he’d thought about when Will had come over the radio and said he’d gotten P1 was Molly. It had knocked the breath out of him then, the realization. He’d never felt that way about anyone he’d dated before. It was always his parents he thought of first, or the team, when he had a good result. He’d been surprised when it was Molly’s green eyes and smile that had flashed in his mind when he thought about who he wanted to tell first. 

Molly hums, flipping the camera around to show Lando what she had on the stove. “Just cooking some dinner. If Cora can find it in her heart to forgive me, I think she’s going to come over and watch a movie later.” 

“That’s nice that she’s in town.” Lando comments, the sheer domesticity of watching Molly cook has his heart squeezing painfully. 

Molly nods, glancing away from the food and back towards the screen, “Yeah, she just started filming for the new show she’s doing on Netflix so she’s been in the city for a while.” 

“If she’s still in town later in the week, we should all go out to dinner or something.” Molly’s mood shifts then and Lando sees the hesitant look on her face. “Or not, we don’t have to go out at all. We can just hang out at your place.” He says quickly. 

Molly’s shoulders droop, “I’m sorry, I know you probably want to go out and have fun when you’re up here. Its just that…” 

Lando holds up a hand, “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. I get why you’re hesitant right now and I don’t want to push you okay? We go at your pace. You’re not ready to go public yet, that’s fine.” 

Molly nibbles at her bottom lip, her eyes darting away from Lando’s. The guilt that she had when she’d realized how she’d frozen at the suggestion that they go out ate at her now. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go out, it was just that if they went out with Cora there was just no way that the paparazzi wouldn’t get wind of it. And with things so delicate now, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. 

The anxiety from earlier, of her worrying that Lando won’t want to deal with the circus that was her personal life, resurfaces. Her cheeks flame in embarrassment and Molly swears she’d do anything to get off the phone with Lando right then. 

“Princess…” Lando murmurs, seeing the way her eyes have gone a little distant. 

His heart aches that he can’t be there to take care of her. He can see the anxiety written all over her face and hates himself for being the cause of it. 

“Hey, look at me.” He prompts again, waiting until Molly drags her eyes back to the phone screen. “We do this at your pace, okay? You get to decide what we do. If you want to keep me a secret for the next twenty years, I’m okay with that. If you want to go Instagram Official tomorrow, I’m okay with that too.” 

Molly chuckles, rolling her eyes at how silly she’s being. “Are you sure?” She whispers. 

“One hundred and fifty percent sure.” He says, without hesitation. 

Molly opens her mouth to say something but she’s interrupted by a banging on the door behind Lando. His head snaps around just as the door opens and a tall man steps in, broad shouldered and dressed in navy blue and red. 

He doesn’t seem to notice Lando is on the phone because he comes up right behind him and starts shouting, “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Half the grid is waiting for you to go out. This guy that owns one of the hottest bars in Miami was in Red Bull’s hospitality today, he’s sending a car for us all in ten minutes.” 

Lando hesitates, his eyes flickering to where Molly is looking back at him, eyes wide. “Give me a second, okay Max?” 

The man, who Molly suddenly recognizes as Max Verstappen, heaves a dramatic sigh and rolls his eyes. “Two minutes and then I’m dragging you out here, okay? The fucking models won’t dance with themselves tonight, race winner! If you ever wanted to bring a girl home from the bar, tonight’s the night, mate!” 

Lando closes his eyes, muttering a curse under his breath. 

In New York, Molly’s heart stutters to a stop, the pain squeezing tightly at her ribs. She drops her gaze from where Lando is looking at her, panicked. “Molly…” 

“No, it’s okay, Lan. I get it. You want to go out. You just won your first Formula One race. You deserve it!” The words tumble out too quickly, like she’d rather be anywhere else. 

“Molly, you know I won’t be dancing with anyone, right? Let along going home with anyone. Max is just being a fucking idiot.” Lando says, running his hand through his hair as Max slams the door shut behind him. 

Molly shrugs, face going a bit too bright. “It’s okay if you want to. It’s not like we’re exclusive. You have fun. I’m going to finish dinner, my salmon should be done. Have fun tonight, okay?” 

“I’ll call you when I get back to the hotel?” 

Molly shrugs, refusing to make eye contact with him now. “If you want, sure. Listen, my salmon is burning. You have fun, be safe.” 

She hangs up without waiting for a response. 

Chapter Text

The sun hasn’t even risen past the New York City skyline before Molly is woken up the next morning. At first, she’s confused. She distinctly remembered not setting an alarm the night before. Her recording session was later in the afternoon and Molly had wanted to forget last night had ever happened so she had planned on sleeping as late as humanly possible to avoid processing any of her feelings. 

Her therapist would’ve accused her of showing anxious avoidant behavior. 

Molly would have said she was just tired. 

And it would have been a lie. 

It takes Molly several moments to realize just exactly has woken her up. Outside, the dawn is just beginning to form in shades of purple and pink, the orange and yellow of the sunrise still somewhere off in the distance. She taps at the screen of her phone, ignoring the missed calls and texts from Lando, Cora, and Goldie, to confirm that it’s barely 5 o’clock in the morning. 

And then she hears it again, only clearer this time. 

Knocking. 

But, it’s really not just knocking. It’s more like insistent banging. Like someone on the other side of the door is panicking as they slam their fist into the door over and over again. Instinctively, Molly knows she’s not in any real danger. She has security posted outside her building 24/7 and Rhett was pulling the night shift last night. If there was a building fire or intruder, there wouldn’t be any reason for someone to bang at the door. 

Which leads to even more confusion as Molly tumbles out of bed, barely finding her footing on the cold hardwood floor. Who in the world was banging on her door at 5am after making it past the head of her entire security team himself? It wasn’t Goldie, she had a key. So did her dad and mom, but both of them were in Texas this week anyway. Cora could barely make it out of bed before noon on a good day, so Molly was pretty certain it wasn’t her. 

By the time she’s tugged on a crewneck over her shoulders, Molly is shuffling down the hallway, rubbing at her eyes as they blink awake in the dim morning light. Everything has a purple tinge to it, like she’s wearing lavender colored glasses. A few more bleary blinks has her vision focusing a little better just as Molly reaches for the handle of her front door. 

“Lando?” Molly gasps, hand flying to her throat. “What…what in the world?” She blinks harder, somehow convinced that she’s completely imagining the fact that the one person she’d been dying to see all week was actually there, right in front of her. 

Lando’s shoulders droop. He looks exhausted. Like he hasn’t slept all night and considering what time it is, Molly is almost certain that’s the case. There are dark smudges underneath his eyes and his curls are messy, almost completely undone and fluffy, probably from how many times he’d run his fingers through them. 

“Hi.” He croaks, his voice dry and crinkly around the edges. “Did I…uh, did I wake you up?” His eyes go downcast, like he hadn’t really figured out what he was going to do if Molly had actually answered the door. 

Which was completely accurate. 

Molly arches an eyebrow, “Lando, it’s 5am. Of course you woke me up.” 

Lando runs a hand through his curls again, tugging at the end. His jaw flexes as he looks away, like he can’t figure out what words belong in the space between them. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll go…I shouldn’t have come this early. Go back to sleep, we can talk later.” 

Lando takes a step backwards, away from where Molly leans against the doorframe. She looks stunning, all soft and rumpled from sleep. The old black crewneck is so worn out and threadbare, it’s paper thin but cotton soft. He’s pretty sure it’s her dad’s, judging by the Texas A&M logo all but faded to nothing on the front. Her hair is braided into submission, the waves she’s been wearing more naturally lately tamed for just the night. It’s a Molly that no one ever gets to see and Lando is so miserable he can’t even enjoy it. 

“I didn’t say you had to go.” Molly calls. 

Lando pauses, the expression on his face a mixture of relief and uncertainty, like he couldn’t quite believe Molly wasn’t kicking him out. 

“Are you sure?” 

Molly takes a step into her apartment, holding the door open for him. “Of course. Please, come in.”

Lando follows silently behind her, shutting the front door before following her into the main living space. The penthouse has an open concept layout with exposed brick and floor to ceiling windows that face east. The kitchen on the left melts away into the dining room that gives way to a cozy living room. The hallway on the right leads down to several bedrooms, a small recording studio and workout room. 

Molly pads over to the couch before sinking down into the corner. She pulls her legs up to her chest, watching as Lando follows behind her. She pats the spot next to where she sits, inviting him to join her. He’s hesitant at first, like he’s still unsure about what he’s doing there. 

“I’m not mad at you, you know.” Molly says into the thickened air between them. 

Lando tilts his head back against the headrest of the couch and closes his eyes. Pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, he shakes his head.

“You should be.” He groans. 

“Did you end up going home with someone last night?” Molly hates the question and is pretty sure she doesn’t actually want to know the answer but there had to be some reason why Lando was so upset with himself right now. 

She couldn’t be mad though. She had said it herself just last night. They weren’t exclusive. There was no loyalty expected between them. They’d barely been together more than a handful of times. He had just won his first F1 race last night and had gone out, rightfully so, partying with the rest of his young, rich, attractive driver buddies. 

She couldn’t be mad but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be destroyed over it. 

Lando’s head snaps towards Molly, the anguish in his expression stealing the breath from Molly’s lungs. 

“What? No. I…” Lando scrubs his hands over his face again. “I told you last night I wasn’t going to do that, and I meant it.” 

The relief that floods Molly’s veins feels like ice. Loosening the grip she has on her knees, the muscles in Molly’s shoulders start to un-bunch themselves. 

“I mean, it’s okay if you did. Or if you wanted to. Like I said last night, it’s not like we’re exclusive or anything. You can do whatever you want.” She tries to sound breezy about it, but Molly’s words come out thin and fragile. 

Lando’s brow’s knit together as a frown tips down the edges of his lips. 

“What if I want to be?” He says softly, testing the waters. 

Molly blinks, her breath sticking in the back of her throat. “What?” 

Lando inches closer to where Molly is curled up in the corner of the sectional. When she doesn’t move or pull away, he reaches out, closing his hand around her wrist. 

“C’mere.” He murmurs, tugging gently. 

Molly obeys, allowing Lando to pull her towards him. She ends up in his lap, head tucked up underneath his chin, arms wrapped around his neck. Lando’s arms fit securely around her middle as he pulls her deeper into his chest. They kind of just melt together like that for a moment, Lando giving her time to breathe against him. 

“What if I wanted this to be a more permanent thing? The kind of thing where you stay at my place on when we have breaks. Where I fly to you on off weeks and you hold my hand in the paddock. The kind of thing that means I can kiss you whenever and wherever I want.” 

Molly wouldn’t be surprised if her neighbor three floors down had been able to hear the rattle of her heart against her ribs. 

“You’d want that? With me?” Molly says it in a way that sounds like she can’t quite make sense of what she’s hearing. Like she’s surprised Lando wanted that with her, of all people. 

Lando chuckles, pressing a kiss to the crown of Molly’s head. He tightens his grip on her, the warmth of his breath tickling the outer shell of her ear. 

“I’ve wanted that since the moment I met you.” He whispers. 

Molly pulls back, her gaze meeting his in a way that’s full of uncertainty and just the beginnings of trust too. 

“I’m not an easy person to date.” She warns. 

Lando shakes his head, “Being with you has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Princess.” 

Ducking his head, Lando presses a kiss to Molly’s temple before trailing featherlight kisses down along the curve of her neck, towards his favorite spot just behind her ear. Nibbling at the skin there, Lando hums in delight. 

“I only ever want to come home to you.” His words fan out over her skin, heated and strung tight. “I promise.” 

Molly feels herself nodding as she reaches up to bury her hands in Lando’s thick hair. It’s a tangled mess and her fingers snag on a few curls, but the groan that rumbles in Lando’s chest has Molly grinning to herself. 

“Okay.” She murmurs, lips pressed against his temple. 

Lando shifts Molly in his lap then, so she’s straddling his thighs. His hands fall to her hips, fingertips flexing as he looks up at her, eyes heavy lidded with sleep still. 

“God, you’re so pretty.” He says, voice thick with awe. 

Molly loses her fingers in his hair again, tugging a little harder so Lando’s head is tilted back, throat exposed. She latches her lips there, sucking a tiny love bite into a place she knows a camera will catch. 

Neither of them care. 

“Fuck, I thought I lost you last night when you hung up.” 

Molly knew she had to be honest. “I wasn’t quite sure you hadn’t.” 

Lando’s hands grip at her hips harder as he curses under his breath. “I’m so fucking sorry. I shouldn’t have gone out with Max and the guys. I was miserable the entire time.” 

Molly shakes her head, her hands settling on either side of Lando’s face, “It’s okay, Lan. I think maybe this had to happen for both of us to realize how…real this is.” 

“You know Max felt so bad for saying what he did with you on the phone he called his pilot at midnight and had him get out of bed to fly me up here. He said he didn’t even know I was talking to someone and was absolutely mortified.” 

Molly can’t help the giggle that bubbles up from the back of her throat. “I was wondering how you got up here so early.” 

Lando grins, “He wanted to come with me so he could apologize for being an asshole in person.” 

Molly drops her head into the crook of Lando’s neck as she laughs. “He sounds just as over the top as you are.” 

Lando smirks, “Why do you think we’re such good friends?” 

Molly hums before going quiet again, listening to the steady thud of Lando’s heart as she curls herself even more into his body. He’s warm and smells faintly of sweat and the cinnamon gum he carries around at all times. It’s comforting and grounding in a way that is brand new to Molly. 

It’s a feeling she could find herself getting used to. 

“Have you even been to sleep since yesterday?” She asks after a few moments of quiet. 

“I think I fell asleep on the plane for an hour or so.” Lando says roughly. 

“Why don’t we go back to bed for a few hours then. I have a session in the studio this afternoon but that’s not for hours now.” 

Lando slips one arm underneath Molly’s legs as he tightens the other around her shoulders. Standing from the couch, he adjusts his grip so she’s secure in his arms. 

“As long as you let me cuddle you back to sleep.” He says as he walks towards the other side of the apartment. 

“It would be a crime to do anything else.” Molly says just as he steps through the threshold of her bedroom. 

Sunlight streams in through the half-open blinds the next time Molly opens her eyes. The first thing that she notices is the heavy weight slung across her waist and the fingers that curl around and under her side, gripping at her like if they loosen even the littlest bit she may just disappear. This time, it is her alarm that’s woken her up, the chime dragging her from the deep sleep she’d slipped in a few hours earlier. 

Behind her, Lando makes a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl as his arm flexes, curling her tighter to his chest. He’d pretty much passed out the moment they both had climbed under the covers, having pulled Molly so close that her back had been flush up against his both. 

“Don’t you dare think about getting up right now.” He murmurs, breath tickling the back of Molly’s neck. 

Lando hooks his leg up and over her hip, even further trapping Molly in his warmth, as he buries his nose in the crook of his neck. 

“God, you are clingy.” Molly huffs a laugh, reaching over to shut the alarm off before she turns around in Lando’s arms so she’s face to face with him. 

“I can’t help it if that was the best five hours of sleep I’ve gotten in years.” He yawns before mouthing at Molly’s jaw line, leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses as he works his way towards her lips. 

“So what you’re implying is that I’m just a giant teddy bear to you?” Molly teases, allowing her hands to roam down Lando’s back before slipping up and under his shirt. 

“A very cute teddy bear.” Lando confirms as he reaches towards Molly’s thigh before he yanks it over his hip so they’re even further tangled in each other. 

Dipping his head, Lando finds that spot at the base of her neck that has Molly sucking in a satisfying breath as his fingers explore the hem of her sleep shirt. She’d lost the sweater shortly after climbing into bed, Lando being warm enough for the both of them. Molly rakes her fingernails down his back, scratching at the warm skin hard enough that goosebumps litter his arms. 

“I hope you don’t actually plan to get out of this bed anytime soon.” Lando mumbles into her neck. 

 “I have to be in the studio in a few hours.” Molly giggles as she tries to pull away, unsuccessfully. 

Lando grips at her hip even harder, shaking his head as he refuses to let her move any further away from him. One of his hands drops to the back of her thigh, holding her in place.

Lando makes a sound that sounds like he’s protesting this idea, the growl rumbling at the back of his throat. “So you’re just going to leave me all alone in bed?” 

Molly pulls back so she can look at Lando fully now, who gives her the most pathetic pout she’s ever seen. She leans forward, nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth. Lando responds by rolling his hips into hers. 

“You can come with me.” She says, lips not leaving his. 

Lando pulls away, blinking. “You hate having people in the studio with you.” 

Molly shrugs, cheeks blushing at the vulnerability she’s suddenly feeling creep into her chest. “I do.” She pauses at the confusion that skitters across Lando’s face, brushing an errant curl off of his forehead before continuing, “Usually. But you’re different. I want you there.” 

Lando clears his throat like it’s suddenly gone dry, “You sure? I know I kind of just showed up on your doorstep like a lost puppy...” 

“A very cute lost puppy.” Molly interrupts, dropping a kiss onto the tip of his nose. 

Lando huffs a laugh, pulling Molly impossibly closer, “Thank you. But I was just going to say, I understand if you have things that you want to get done alone. I didn’t come here expecting anything, I just needed to see you. To tell you that I’m serious about this, about us.” 

Molly’s chest feels like it’s expanding ten times the size that it should be just seeing the way Lando looks at her. She’s never had anyone look at her like that, like she’s the prettiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on and he’s the luckiest man on the planet just being allowed to be in her presence. 

“And I’m telling you,” Molly says, nipping at Lando’s shoulder, “that I want you to come to the studio with me this afternoon. Please?” 

Lando rolls onto his back, dragging Molly with him so she’s forced to straddle his hips. Her hair tumbles down around her shoulders, the braid having come loose sometime during their early morning nap. The bright morning sunlight reflects off of her hair so it shimmers in a way that makes it looks like she’s got a halo burning around the crown of her head. Lando is struck speechless for a moment as he wonders just exactly what he did in order to get this lucky. 

“God, you’re gorgeous.” He whispers, reaching up to tangle his fingertips in the ends of her waves. “You don’t even have to say ‘please’, baby. All you have to do is crook your finger in my direction and I’d do whatever comes out of your mouth next.” 

Molly shakes her head, “That’s a dangerous thing to tell a girl like me, Lando Norris.” 

“It’s also the truth.” He says, eyes wide open and honest. 

Molly hums and nods, enjoying the way Lando is looking at her like she’s got stars in her eyes and sunlight in her hair.

On her nightstand, Molly’s phone buzzes with an incoming text from Goldie letting her know the schedule for the rest of the day. Lando groans and Molly leans forward, pressing one last kiss to his lips. 

“Why don’t you get in the shower,” Molly suggests as she climbs off of Lando, reaching for the Texas A&M sweater that had been tossed on the floor earlier. “I’ll make us some breakfast…” Her eyes flick over to the clock that sits on her bedside table. “Lunch.” She chuckles. “Goldie is sending a car in an hour or so.” 

Lando groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. “So that’s a no to spending the rest of the day in bed?” 

Molly tosses a towel in Lando’s direction before shuffling out towards the kitchen to see what she has in the fridge. “Correct. But today is my last session for a while, so I’m all yours until you have to go back to being a big shot racing driver.” 

“Thank God.” She hears Lando mutter before the bathroom door shuts and the shower turns on a few moments later. 

Lando had been right when he’d said that Molly didn’t like extra people when she was working on a song. It intimidated her, making her feel like she had to perform for the people that were just sat there watching her like she was some monkey on a stage. There was a very distinct line for Molly and that line existed strictly between the world she occupied when she was working on a song and the life she lived on stage. 

Tank knew that better than most, having worked with her on at least a handful of songs on each of her albums so far, which was why he was confused when Molly walked in, hand in hand, with Lando later that afternoon. His eyes darted from the couple to where Goldie was following behind, giving her a bemused look. Goldie just shrugged, brows raised like she was just as surprised as Tank was. 

The studio that they’d rented for the week was cozy and warm, something that was important to both Tank and Molly. Out in the main room there was a piano, several guitars leaning against the wall, and a drum set tucked away in the corner. On the opposite side of the room from the overstuffed sectional that took up one entire wall sat a long desk that housed several computers and mixing boards. When they weren’t actively recording something in the soundproof booth that sat even further beyond the small room, Molly was curled up on the couch or sitting in front of the computers with Tank working out the melody of whatever song they were working on. 

“Tank, this is Lando.” Molly says by way of introduction as she throws her bag onto the corner of the couch. 

Lando reaches out his hand to shake Tank’s meaty one as he gives him a friendly grin, “Nice to meet you. Thanks for letting me hang out today.” 

Tank shakes the hand a little harder than necessary. He was protective over Molly in the way an older brother might be and was always a little standoffish whenever he met someone who was new to her world. “No need to thank me, Molly is the one in charge here.” 

Molly snorts a laugh, rolling her eyes, “That’s not true, mister ‘don’t you dare bring shrimp back into my recording studio ever again’.” 

Tank drops down into the chair in front of the main desktop and scoffs, “The smell of that shrimp was offensive.” 

“It was Din Tai Fung!” Molly laughs, incredulous. 

“I’m with Tank on this one.” Lando pipes up from his spot on the couch. “Any sort of seafood is offensive but to bring it into an enclosed space? Gross.” 

Molly whips around, staring daggers at the British driver, “Watch it.” She says, pointing at him, “I can still kick you out.” 

Lando just shrugs, not phased by the threat and Tank finds himself laughing. “Oh, I like him.” 

Molly huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. “I didn’t come here to be bullied over my dietary choices. Can we get started? Some of us still are still professionals here.” 

The smile curling at the corner of her mouth gives Molly away as she grabs a guitar from the corner of the room, sinking into the chair next to Tank. 

Tank just shakes his head but pulls up the recording that they had made yesterday. It’s unfinished and raw, but it’s the beginnings of a song that Molly had finished earlier in the week. “That first verse and chorus of State Of Grace was working yesterday, do you want to start on the second part?” 

Molly nods, dropping her gaze down to the guitar in her hands. Beside her, Lando shifts so he’s sitting deeper in the couch. He was surprised at how he didn’t feel out of place like he’d been expecting to. Tank and Molly seemed to have a good working relationship, communicating with little more than looks and half sentences. 

“I like that beginning melody that goes like-” She pauses, humming three notes, one lower than the next two. “Can we keep that kind of the same throughout the song?” 

Tank nods, moving the recording of what they’d done yesterday back to the beginning so he can hear the notes again. He pulls out a piece of notebook paper with what looks like Molly’s handwriting on it. “Yeah, I like that beat too. It feels timid, almost shy. That’s what you’re going for, right?” 

Molly nods, strumming a few more notes before her eyes flick sideways, colliding with Lando’s gaze. A small smile lifts at the corner of her mouth and Lando’s heart stills. This song was about them, wasn’t it? He’d heard the one that she’d been working on in Sydney a few weeks ago, but that was only bits and pieces. This seemed to be a new song that she’d been working on. 

The recorded song fades to a distant whisper and Molly picks up where it stops, fingers strumming the guitar so the same melody from the recording floats around the room. 

“You come around and the armor falls. Pierce the room like a cannon ball. Now all we know is don’t let go.” She takes a breath and Tank nods. 

“I like that ending, the repeating dun dun dunnnn.” He comments quietly and Molly nods, glancing down at the lyrics between them. 

“We are alone, just you and me. Up in your room and our slates are clean. Just twin fire signs, four blue eyes.” Molly looks up and Lando swears his heart ceases beating for a moment. 

Had he been unsure of the fact that this song was about them, he couldn’t question it now. The way she’s looking at him, vulnerable and open, is something Lando just knows instinctively is something that Molly doesn’t give people often. His heart hammers against his ribcage as he holds eye contact with Molly for several more moments.

“Try picking up the tempo for this next verse, I was thinking about it last night and I think we need to build up the anticipation more here in the middle.” Tank comments, jotting down a few notes on the paper. 

Molly nods before taking a breath, looking away from Lando. “So you were never a saint and I’ve loved in shades of wrong. We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts.” She takes another breath as Tank reaches for the guitar that had been sitting next to him. He joins in, providing the harmony to what Molly had been singing by herself, “But this love is brave and wild.” 

Molly’s fingers freeze on the guitar as she lets Tank take over the music part. Her eyes flutter shut as she allows the music to wash over her. She’d been struggling with this part yesterday, not sure of which direction she’d wanted the song to go but something unlocked in her chest as she’d been looking at Lando then. The events of the last 24 hours feel overwhelming all of a sudden, the way the doubts she’d been dealing with all weekend had simply evaporated the moment Lando had shown up at her door. 

She looks over at Lando, eyes wide and sincere. “And I never saw you coming. And I’ll never be the same.” 

Tank nods, but stays quiet. He’s worked with Molly enough to know when to interject something and when to just let her untangle the song that’s in her head on her own. He sees the way Molly is looking at Lando and clocks the way Lando is staring at Molly with an expression that Tank recognizes as one that he’s looked at his own wife with. 

Abruptly, Molly stands and crosses the room, feet moving quickly as if she’s afraid she might lose the music that has come to her in the last few moments. She sits at the piano, hands finding the right keys almost on instinct. Tank stops his guitar. Lando freezes too, the moment stretching thick and tight as she works out the next few notes that she hopes will fit with the next verse. 

“This is a state of grace. This is the worthwhile fight.” The piano gives the song the depth it had been missing with just the guitar and Molly smiles to herself, nodding as she hunches over the keys. “Love is a ruthless game unless you plat it good and right.” She works out the harmony, taking a few breaths to see if the music fits with what she’s trying to accomplish. 

On the couch, Lando sits frozen, watching the way the music just dances out of her fingers. 

“These are the hands of fate. You’re my Achilles heel. This is the golden age of something good and right and real.” 

A few more notes and Molly lets the music die out until a blanket of quiet settles itself over the room. Lando’s breath is caught in the back of his throat as he watches Molly blink down at the piano, like even she was surprised at the way the song had felt once she gave it life. 

Tank clears his throat as his grin splits his face. He’d been working with Molly long enough to know when a song just works for her and this song was going to be one of the greats, he knew it. His eyes flick over to where Lando sits, still as a statue like he’s in shock too. 

“Please tell me someone recorded that.” Goldie murmurs from her spot on the couch. 

Tank’s heart stops. He’d been so caught up in the song that he’d forgotten to open up a voice note on his phone. “Fuck.” He says under his breath. 

“ I did.” Lando says into the heavy silence. Heat prickles at the back of his neck when all three sets of eyes swing over to him, surprised. “I…uh…I recorded it on my phone.” He holds up his iPhone as evidence. 

From her spot at the piano, Molly beams at him. She stands and crosses the room quickly before sinking down onto Lando’s lap, her arms snaking around Lando’s neck. 

Goldie and Tank exchange a look of amusement, this affectionate side of Molly someone they’re wholly unfamiliar with. 

“My hero.” She coos, pressing a kiss onto Lando’s cheek as he blushes, his arms curling around her waist. 

Tank blows out a breath, just thankful that someone had a recording of the magic that had just happened there. “Mine too, Jesus Christ.” 

Molly looks at Tank, bright smile on her face, “A few more times then maybe we can try actually recoding that one?” 

Tank nods, “I think it’s almost ready.” 

Molly lays her head on Lando’s shoulder, satisfied feeling curling low and warm in her stomach. “Perfect.” 

Chapter Text

“I just don’t understand why it has to be Ferrari red.” Lando pouts, flopping down onto his couch as he glares at Molly through his screen. 

Molly rolls her eyes, considering the merits of just completely hanging up on the diva. She sucks in a breath instead, sending up a silent prayer for patience. 

“For the fifth time, you baby, plans for this dress have been in the works for months.” Molly levels Lando a look as her makeup artist for the night dusts something across her cheekbones. “You were still trying to figure out how to sweet talk your way backstage and give me a friendship bracelet when I met with the team from Dior about this dress, Lan. I can’t just switch it because my boyfriend prefers orange.” 

Lando swears his brain malfunctions for a moment when Molly calls him her boyfriend. He was still getting used to how good that sounded and it almost (almost) makes up for the fact that Molly looked like she belonged in the Ferrari garage. 

“It’s papaya. Not orange.” He sniffs. 

Beside her, the makeup artist huffs a laugh at Lando’s dramatics. 

“And papaya washes me out, especially in photographs.” Molly reasons.” I am wearing a red dress to the American Music Awards, not joining the Tifosi. It’s not that deep, baby.” 

Lando narrows his eyes, “How do you know what the Tifosi is, huh? Doing your research into other fandoms to see if you look better in scarlet and gold?” 

Molly throws her hands up in the air. 

“I swear that man is more dramatic than you are sometimes.” Goldie mutters under her breath from her spot behind the hotel rooms desk where her laptop sits in front of her, answering last minute press requests ahead of that nights awards show. 

“Sometimes?” Molly laughs. 

“I can hear you both!” Lando calls, his voice muffled from the other end of the FaceTime call. 

“We know!” Goldie yells back, rolling her eyes before turning back to her laptop, clearly dismissing any further discussion. 

“You’re all set, Miss Chapman.” The makeup artist interrupts the bickering, small smile on her face. 

Molly glances up at her reflection and grins. Molly generally loved more dramatic looks for when she had to do red carpets and Sola had risen to the occasion once again. Her eyes were rimmed in thick black liner, the wings at the corner of her eyes sharp enough to cut someone. Eyelashes that were closer to butterfly wings, long and dramatic, fluttered as Molly batted her eyes down at Lando’s image on her phone, who smirked back up at her, argument seemingly forgotten. She wondered if he was going to make a big deal over the crimson red on her lips, the glossy pigment shimmering as she smiled. 

“Thank you so much Sola. It’s perfect.” 

“You are so welcome. Good luck tonight, I’ll be rooting for you!”  Sola says as she shuffles towards the door, leaving Molly and Goldie alone in the hotel suite. 

Molly stands, walking towards the floor length mirror that her stylist had left in the room before she flips the camera around so Lando can get a good look at the entire outfit. The red fabric that drapes across her left shoulder, spilling down over her curves before gathering at her hip shimmers in the late afternoon sun. The skirt of the dress pools around her bare feet, a few extra inches of fabric brushing the ground without the help of her stilettos. A slit slices up one side, exposing the sheer black nylons that cling to her legs. 

Lando lets out a low wolf whistle. “I’m going to need you to wear that again when we’re on the same continent.” He says, the rasp in his voice sending a shiver down Molly’s spine. 

“Okay! Hey! Still in the room!” Goldie calls before stalking out like she’s on fire.  

“That’s on you, babe.” Molly shouts over the slamming of the door before turning back to the phone. “Do the gloves look okay or is it too much?” She holds out her free arm, showing off the elbow-length red gloves that had been Goldie’s initial suggestion. 

“Are you joking me? I think you’re singlehandedly going to be responsible for gloves coming back into style after tonight.” 

Molly chuckled before flipping the camera back so Lando could see her face. His heart thumped heavily in his chest as they made eye contact again. It hadn’t been that long since they’d seen each other, with Molly once again using her dad as cover to attend the race in Monaco last weekend but it certainly felt like forever for Lando. 

His eyes soften as Molly sinks back down into the makeup chair. They were planning on meeting at her New York apartment tomorrow evening to spend a few days together before Lando had to go to Montreal for the race in Canada. If he hadn’t been needed in Woking that day, he would have made the flight out to meet her a day early. 

In the short time since they’d been a couple, Lando had learned that he needed to be very intentional with his time but sometimes, work had to come before anything else. Molly understood though, the pressures of her career just as high stakes as his. So even though they didn’t get to spend enough time together as they’d like, the moments they were able to steal away from the real world and get lost in each other was precious and made their bond something that neither of them had experienced before. 

“I miss you.” Lando says suddenly, unable to quell the ache in his chest before it spilled into his words. 

Molly’s eyes flare, smile winking at the corners. 

“I miss you too.” She murmurs. “But we’ll be in the same place this time tomorrow.” 

Lando breathes a sigh of relief as he runs a hand though his hair. “Thank God.” 

The couple chat for a few more minutes before there’s a knock at the door and Goldie is telling Molly it’s time to leave to get to the red carpet in time. 

“Are you going to watch tonight or are you going to get killed in Tarkov all night with Max?” Molly asks as she’s shuffled towards the hotel elevator. 

“Are you kidding me? I’ve already got the red carpet live show streaming on YouTube and my DVR set to record the entire thing.” 

Molly blushes, her stomach twisting delightfully. “Aw, you don’t have to. I’m sure Max misses you.” 

“Max can fuck off. My girlfriend is literally performing at the American Music Awards after she receives her Artist of the Year award.” 

“Lando!” Molly hisses, superstition getting the best of her as the elevator speeds towards the ground floor of the hotel. “I haven’t won anything yet, knock that off.” 

“Whatever.” Lando waves a hand. “You’re a shoe in.” 

Molly rolls her eyes but secretly she preens under his confidence. The elevator slows, eventually whispering to a soft stop. Above their heads, the chime signals their arrival on the ground floor. 

Molly’s eyes cut back to Lando’s face. “Okay. I have to go. I’ll call you later tonight, but it’s probably going to be way late by the time I get back.” 

“I don’t care, call me whenever. Be safe. Have fun.” 

“Bye Lan.” Molly kisses the air before the screen goes black. Her eyes flick towards where Goldie and Rhett wait for her outside the elevator. “Alright, let’s go.” 

The smell of buttered popcorn floats in from Lando’s kitchen just as the host announces that Molly will be performing after the commercial break. 

“Hurry up! She’s on next!” Pietra calls from her spot on the couch as Lando juggles a second bag of popcorn. 

“I’d be in there already if you didn’t insist on a special bag of kettle corn popcorn all for you.” Lando grouses as he pours the sweet and salty snack from the bag into a smaller second bowl. 

Juggling the two bowls and an energy drink, he makes his way back to the kitchen just as a second commercial begins to play. 

“Thanks for the help, you asshole.” Lando growls at Max as he hands him the larger bowl of buttered popcorn he’d made for the two of them. 

“I asked if you needed help and you said you had it under control!” Max says, incredulous. 

“The shouting when I burned my hands on your girlfriend’s popcorn should have been an indicator that I was lying.” Lando bites back as he settles down on the couch. 

When Max had called him earlier in the day to see if he wanted to play Tarkov that night while he streamed, Lando had said he couldn’t because he’d be busy watching Molly at the American Music Awards. After some good-natured teasing about being a simp (which Lando didn’t really argue with), Max had invited himself and Pietra over to watch with him. 

“I still cannot believe that friendship bracelet stunt actually worked.” Pietra muses from her end of the couch as she shoves a mouthful of popcorn in her mouth. 

“You know, if it weren’t for me and my stream, she would’ve never heard about that.” Max quips, narrowly avoiding the pillow Lando lobs at his head. “You should really be thanking me, not trying to behead me.” 

“If it weren’t for you, I’d still have my dignity in tact.” Lando mumbles but he doesn’t argue further because he knows Max is right. 

“Mate, you lost that a long time ago, long before you even knew who Molly even was.” 

“Shut up.” Lando hisses, reaching for another pillow. 

“Shhh!!” Pietra shushes the boys as she whacks Max on the shoulder. “Both of you shut up, she’s on!” 

Lando leans forward, remote in his hand, and turns the volume up. The stage is completely dark with the exception of one single spotlight in the middle where Molly stands at the microphone. She’s dressed in a shimmering silver gown the color of moonlight, the skirt pooling around her feet making it look like she’s floating on the pitch black stage. Her hair is pinned up and out of her face with just a few curls from earlier left out around her face.

 It almost looks like she’s removed half her makeup that had been on her face for the red carpet show just an hour earlier. It softens Molly in a way that Lando didn’t expect. She looks innocent but brave, like the song she’s going to be singing requires the audience to focus on the music instead of how she looks. 

“Do you know what song she’s singing?” Pietra whispers as the lights go up enough so that you can now see two guitarists sitting on either side of her, both strumming the beginning notes of a song Lando doesn’t recognize right away. 

“No.” He shakes his head without looking away from the screen. “She wanted it to be a surprise.” 

“Say you’re sorry, that face of an angel comes out just when you need it to.” 

Pietra gasps, hand covering her mouth as she realizes what song it is. Lando’s heart stalls too and he blinks at the screen. This was the song that had been speculated to be about Tommy when she’d put it on her last album. She’d never confirmed it. But she’d also never denied it either. 

“As I pace back and forth all this time ‘cause I honestly believed in you.” A piano joins the accompaniment but the music stays soft and delicate, allowing the audience to focus on the words. “Stupid girl, I should’ve known. I should’ve known.” 

Lando knew, a lot better than most people, how much Tommy had destroyed her. They’d fallen down that rabbit hole one late night FaceTime call a few weeks ago when Molly had opened up the closely guarded part of her that she refused to expose to anyone else. 

It hurt, listening to Molly talk about the way Tommy had spoken to her in private. The remarks about her body, her career, even the songs she wrote. It enraged Lando just knowing that Tommy had been allowed to say those things to Molly and he’d vowed to her that night that he’d never treat her that way. 

Lando knew she’d never performed this song on her tour. He’d asked why during that long talk about Tommy when Molly had confirmed White Horse was about him. Molly had told him that while the song had been cathartic to write and record, it had been to difficult to sing on stage. She’d explained that when she sung a song that she’d written, a lot of times the memory of why that song existed in the first place would bubble up to the surface, even if she’d long worked out the problem in her head. 

White Horse was no different. Molly had told Lando that night that it was too difficult to sing because it still hurt too much to remember the things that had broken her so recently. The fact that she had found herself brave enough to finally sing it, and during a show where she knew Tommy would be in the room for, was enough to knock the breath out of Lando’s chest. 

“I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairy tale. I’m not the one you’ll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell.” 

The pain edges into Molly’s voice just as the camera cuts to a shot of Tommy Green sitting in the audience. Pietra gasps, swatting Max on the bicep once again. 

“Shut up.” She hisses and Lando shakes his head. 

Tommy barely conceals his rage knowing that the camera is on him as Molly sings the chorus but Lando can see it in the sharpness of his eyes, the way his jaw flexes like he’s physically having to restrain himself. 

It’s a beautiful sight. 

“Maybe I was naive, got lost in your eyes and never really had a chance.” The camera cuts back to Molly now and the corner of her mouth lifts in the slightest of grins. “My mistake, I didn’t know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand.” 

The music swells as the camera pans out so the entire stage is visible along with most of the audience. Everyone in the performance space sits quietly, completely enamored with the quiet strength that Molly is singing with. Lando knows how hard this must be for her, especially knowing that Tommy is in the audience. 

“I guess that confirms White Horse is about Tommy.” Pietra comments. 

Lando nods, “He was a true asshole to her.” 

“The way he looked like steam was about to come out of his ears is absolutely going to go viral.” Max comments as Molly goes into the last bridge of the song. 

“Yeah, he did not look happy.” Lando says but his eyes stay on Molly who is now looking directly at the camera that’s on stage with her. 

“‘Cause I’m not your princess, this ain’t a fairytale.” She takes a breath, her smirk growing wider as she continues singing, “And I’ve finally found someone who does actually treat me well.” 

And then she winks. 

Actually winks. 

“No fucking way.” Pietra squeals, kicking her feet against the floor as she collapses into Max. 

“What? Why is everyone losing their minds?” Max is the picture of confused as the camera cuts to the audience. 

Several celebrities are chuckling, shaking their heads as they whisper to their neighbor behind their hands. 

“Those aren’t the words.” Lando says shakily, leaning back into the couch. 

He scrubs at his face, his heart hammering. 

Max looks over, confused, as Molly finishes the song and is clapped off stage. “What? Why would she change them? I don’t get it.” 

“God I have failed in educating you on Molly Chapman lore.” Pietra moans. “She basically just gave a big public ‘fuck you’ to her ex while confirming she’s seeing someone new all at the same time. 

Max’s eyes bounce from his girlfriend over to Lando, where he’s still sitting back in shock. “Well that’s certainly a big deal.” 

“The internet is going to break trying to figure out who it is.” 

Lando shakes his head, chuckling to himself. She’d been so cagey about the performance earlier, refusing to tell him what she was signing. For the entire performance he’d been assuming that it was because White Horse was an emotional song for her to sing in public but in the end, it had been more. 

Up until now, Molly had been hesitant to do much more than hint at the fact that her and Lando were together. He’d been surprised when she’d posted that photo of the back of his head earlier in the month. He didn’t mind the secrecy though, not really. He knew how Molly felt about him and how serious they were. He also understood that the level of celebrity Molly had was different than anyone else he’d ever dated before and knew he had to be patient. 

But now? This was the clearest indicator that she’d given him, and the world, that she was ready to start talking about what Lando meant to her publicly and he had no idea what to expect next. 

“No, because I thought he was going to hulk smash something on live television.” Sabrina Carpenter laughs over the din of the crowded afterparty. 

Molly swirls her glass around by the stem, grinning down into her wine. She had been particularly proud of the fact that she’d managed to keep what song she’d be performing that night. The look on Tommy’s face when the camera had cut to him had been worth its weight in gold. 

“If boys don’t want breakup songs written about them, then they shouldn’t be assholes.” Molly says with a shrug, smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. 

Molly leans back into the booth that was tucked in the corner of the nightclub that had been rented for that nights afterparty. She hadn’t really wanted to come, hadn’t wanted to change into a third dress of the night so she could continue to pretend she wouldn’t rather be on a plane back to New York so she could see Lando quicker. But the Vogue afterparty wasn’t just something you skipped. It hadn’t been an option if she wanted to stay on Anna Wintour’s good side, even if Anna herself wasn’t there that night. You just didn’t snub Vogue. 

So, Molly had changed into her third dress of the night. The black mini dress shimmered under the low lights, its cutout back showing off Molly’s lean figure. When Molly had called Lando briefly in the car ride from the venue to the club, he’d been unable to form sentences for a few moments thanks to the miles of leg the illegally short length showed off. 

“It’s not nice to tease me.” He had whined, much to Goldie’s dismay. 

“I’ll see you in less than twelve hours.” Had been her response. 

“And then I’m not letting you out of bed for the next 48.” He’d said with a smirk. 

Goldie had gagged then, loudly reminding them of her presence in the back of the SUV. 

“So are you going to tell me who you were singing about at the end there, girlie pop?” Sabrina snaps Molly out of her memory. 

Raising her glass to her lips, she raises her eyebrows. Sabrina was one of her closest friends in the industry. They’d collaborated on a few songs over the years and usually found each other at these kinds of events. 

Molly knew that Sabrina would be the last person to gossip about her personal life which was why she nods. “It’s really new. Like, really really new.” 

Sabrina squeals, smacking at Molly’s elbow playfully. “It’s the guy from the Instagram posts, isn’t it?” 

Molly rolls her eyes and nods again, attempting to hide her growing smile behind her wine glass again. She had greatly underestimated the internets power when it came to shoe identification. Within hours of Tank posting the photos, there had been a very loud corner of her fan base that had somehow figured out there was a huge possibility that it had been Lando in the photos. Nothing had been confirmed or denied, of course, but it had been fun to watch the internet whip itself up into a tizzy once again a few hours later when the last photo in the carousel Molly had posted also contained a mystery person. 

She knew that after tonight’s little lyric change, there would be more fuel to the fire. 

Molly lifts her eyes to just above Sabrina’s head just in time to watch none other than Tommy Green walk through the door. 

Her heart stalls. 

“Fuck.” She says under her breath, dropping her gaze back to her friend, hoping that somehow Tommy misses the fact that she’s less than twenty feet away from him now. 

Sabrina turns just in time to see Tommy spot Molly from across the room. “Oh, shit.” She murmurs. 

The grin that crawls across Tommy’s face is nothing short of predatory. Molly’s grip on her wine glass tightens and she flicks her gaze across the room, desperately trying to find Goldie in the crowed. His whiskey glass was already half empty and Molly knew when Tommy drank, he could get mean, crowded afterparty be dammed. There was no use in trying to get away now, Tommy was less than ten feet away and she knew that there were dozens of sets of eyes on his tall frame ambling her way. 

Molly tilted her chin up, bringing her wine glass up to her lips as he closed in. 

“Good evening ladies.” He says, voice whiskey smooth and mellow, like the southern gentleman he played on stage. 

“Tommy.” Sabrina sniffs, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Relax, Sab. I’m not here to cause any problems.” Tommy says without taking his eyes off of Molly, who’s gone extremely pale in the last ten seconds. 

Sabrina snorts. 

“What do you want, Tommy?” Molly asks, setting her now empty wine glass down on the table in front of her with a surprisingly steady hand. 

“I just wanted to come over here and tell you how much I enjoyed your performance. It was…” He pauses, “Enlightening.” 

“It didn’t look like you were enjoying it from where I sat.” Sabrina says cooly. 

Molly huffs a laugh. 

Tommy frowns but just turns to Molly, dismissing Sabrina’s comment. “It sounded like congratulations were in order. Although I already had my suspicions that you’d already moved on.” 

Molly heaves a sigh, she knows he’s trying to bait her into an argument. It was his MO to the letter. Act innocent and push her buttons until she snapped and then he’d make her look like the bad guy. It didn’t matter to Molly anymore, she didn’t care what he thought and was just tired of him trying to goad her into a public argument. 

“Oh yeah? What made you suspicious?” She decides to indulge him. 

“Well, I just remembered back when we started dating, you put on a bunch of weight. The public called it happy relationship weight or something? I just noticed you looked a little bigger than the last time I saw you in person and it got me thinking.” 

Molly’s entire body goes still, her stomach dropping out from under her. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sabrina gasps, taking a step towards Tommy like her tiny body could protect her friend from the six foot three man standing in front of them. “What a vile thing to say to someone, Tommy.” 

Tommy holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying! I saw the comments on your most recent post of you in the studio. Other people are noticing too.” He smirks, his eyes narrowing in a way that tells Molly he knows exactly that he was doing. “Personally, I think it’s great that you’ve found someone to put up with your moods. If you’re gaining weight like that, he must be a pretty good guy.” 

Molly’s heart hammers against her sternum. Suddenly the room is too loud, too crowded, and too hot. 

“God you really are a horrible human being, aren’t you?” Molly murmurs, surprised at how steady her voice comes out. 

“I’m just looking out for you.” Tommy’s tone is all faux innocence and intentional provocation. “I know how much the public’s opinion of your body matters, so I wanted to make sure you knew exactly what people were saying.” 

Somehow, Sabrina manages to flag Goldie down from where she’d been talking to a Vogue exec. Before Molly has a chance to blink, she finds herself staring at the back of a curly head of blonde hair, Goldie having stepped between her and Tommy without a second thought. 

“We’re done here.” She hisses. 

If looks could kill, Tommy Green would have been a dead man.  

“If you don’t want me to call my contacts at every PR agency from here to Nashville and get you black listed from any future publication and professional opportunity for the rest of your pathetic career, you’d better turn around and walk away.”

Tommy’s eyes flick from Goldie’s icy blue eyes back to Molly’s. He seems to weight his options, trying to decide if Goldie is bluffing or if he should take her threat seriously. 

“Whatever.” He laughs, trying to play it off. “I was leaving anyway. Just remember what I said. People are noticing, Molly.” 

Molly can’t help the pit of anxiety that blooms thick in her stomach as she watches Tommy disappear into the crowd. 

Chapter Text

The bathroom swirled with steam that smelled like lavender and vanilla as Molly finished up blow drying her hair after her post-hot yoga shower the next afternoon. She’d gotten up at an ungodly hour to get back to New York before Lando got in from London. As she’d boarded the jet for the quick flight into the city, Molly had occupied the time after take off by checking out the coverage from last night. 

Which had been a mistake. 

Molly should have known better. 

She did know better. 

But it didn’t stop her from doing it anyway. 

Admittedly most of the comments had been positive. There had been a lot of chatter of about her changing the lines and speculation over who it could have been about. She’d seen a few that mentioned Lando but for the most part, the general public hadn’t put it together.

Those weren’t the comments she was looking at though. There had been so many comments and criticisms on her body. Just like Tommy had said. They all echoed everything he’d said the night before. How her belly was just a bit pudgier, her waist thicker, her arms looking less toned. It had been exactly what they’d all said when she’d started dating Tommy. 

After dragging herself back to her apartment, exhaustion and anxiety pulling thickly at her chest, Molly spent nearly 45 minutes standing in front the mirror. It was true that her Dior dress last night had needed a bit of tailoring at the last minute. Her silver Elie Saab dress she’d performed in and the black Dior minidress from the afterparty had still fit like a glove. 

“I swear she’s packed on a few over the last few weeks. Someone get her a trainer, quick!” 

“You’d think with how much she’s dancing on stage every night, there’d be no way Molly would gain that kind of weight that fast.” 

“Jesus, how much is she eating!?” 

She’d booked back to back hot yoga classes ten minutes later. 

After her hair is finished, the front pieces pulled up and out of her face by a clip, Molly wanders back out into the kitchen. After her yoga sessions, she’d had Rhett stop by the grocery store to stock up on things she never kept in the house but knew Lando would like along with things to cook dinner for the next few nights. 

While the anxiety of what had happened last night with Tommy combined with the comments she’d been paying too much attention too still sat heavy in the pit of Molly’s stomach, the fact that Lando was already in New York and on his way to her apartment allowed her to focus on something positive for the first time that day. 

Molly goes sliding across the hardwood floors when she hears the knocking. It’s certainly less panicky and urgent compared to the last time Lando was knocking on her front door in New York. The door flies open and Molly practically launches herself into Lando’s arms, earning a small ‘oof’ from him as the impact of Molly’s body connects with his. 

He chuckles, wrapping his hands under Molly’s thighs as she wraps them around his waist. His bag drops from his shoulder into the crook of his elbow before he briefly lets go of Molly to allow it to hit the floor. 

Molly’s lips are on his before Lando has a moment to breathe. 

“Well, hello there pretty girl.” He murmurs into Molly’s mouth. “That was quite the welcome.” 

Molly chuckles as she pulls back, her eyes flaring as she looks down at Lando. His eyes are tired but he’s looking at her like she’s hung the stars in the sky and it nearly takes Molly’s breath away. 

“I missed you.” She confesses, biting at her bottom lip. 

Lando takes a few steps towards the interior of the apartment while he manages to somehow pepper kisses along Molly’s jaw. She tilts her head back against the wall Lando presses her up against once they’re inside and the door is closed. With her neck exposed like that, Lando dips his head and presses open mouthed kisses along her collar bone. Molly sighs like she can finally breathe for the first time in her life. She runs her fingers through Lando’s sleep-mussed hair as Lando flexes his fingers into the curve of her ass he’s got a hold of. 

After a few more moments, Lando gently sets Molly down on her own two feet before dropping one last kiss onto her forehead. 

“How was your flight? Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat. I stopped at the store after my yoga class this morning.” Molly chatters as she leads Lando deeper in the apartment. 

He sets his bags down by the couch before sitting on the arm as he watches her bustle around the kitchen. He’d expected a softer Molly when he’d gotten in today, not this edgy little tornado that felt a lot like the Molly that he saw on stage. Something in the back of Lando’s mind niggles at him but he can’t quite place the source of the concern. 

He pushes the feeling aside, “I could eat. But wait, yoga class? Didn’t you say you were going to go on a run before you left the hotel this morning?” 

Molly pauses, bottle of water halfway to her lips freezing mid-air. 

She blinks. 

“I ran out of time to get a very long run in and I felt like I needed something more intense.” 

Lando nodded. As an athlete he understood that push that some people got when their body craved a greater physical release. With him, it usually only happened when he was racing under an extreme amount of stress and the only way to cope with the increased demand on his body was to be a little bit harder on it. 

“Are you okay?” Lando asks abruptly, his line of thinking making that little niggling in the back of his brain get a little louder. 

Molly turns to him, eyes bright, “Of course I am.” 

Lando runs his hands through his hair as he watches Molly walk towards him from the kitchen. He spreads his knees wider so Molly can tuck herself closer to him. Snaking her arms around his neck, Molly ghosts her lips over his cheekbone. 

“Did you like my performance last night?” Molly murmurs as she drags her lips down Lando’s jaw. 

He shivers when her tongue slips out, licking at his pulse-point in his neck. 

Lando clears his throat, his fingers digging into the arm of the couch underneath him. “The lyric change at the end was my favorite.” 

Molly pulls back, her eyes searching his, “Yeah? It wasn’t too much?” 

Lando brings his hands up to frame her face, brushing a thumb over her cheek. “You had Pietra giggling and kicking her feet at how cute it was.” Molly huffs a laugh, satisfied smirk on her lips. “Max wouldn’t stop calling me a simp for the rest of the night because I kept rewatching you sing.” 

“I’m glad you liked it.” She says before stepping out of Lando’s arms again. “Now, you never answered me. Are you hungry? I got things to make my Aunt Jenny’s award winning salted chocolate chip cookies.” 

“You had me at salted chocolate.” Lando says, plopping down onto the barstool as he watched Molly begin to gather things to make cookies. “I have to warn you though, I am hopeless in the kitchen.” 

Molly turns away from the fridge with a carton of eggs in her hands, “Oh, I know. I’ve seen the cooking video’s McLaren has had you do over the years.” 

Lando’s jaw drops in mock offense before he pauses, shrugging.  “Okay, that’s fair.” 

Molly shakes her head, the relief at redirecting Lando away from the questions he’d been asking sliding through her veins like ice. 

The smell of roast chicken, garlic, and onions wafted through the air of Molly’s apartment. Lando had tied back the curtains earlier to allow the golden light of the evening to spill into the living room, dapples of shimmering sunset casting their glow across the kitchen counter as Molly kneaded some dough. 

“You know, we could have just ordered pizza.” Lando says from where he sits across from Molly at the counter. 

Molly wipes her hands on the dish towel that’s thrown over her shoulder raising an eyebrow at him, “Are you saying you’d rather have pizza than my grandmothers garlic roasted chicken, mashed potatoes - with gravy, might I add - and asparagus?” 

Lando blinks, caught off guard at the seemingly hostile territory he’d just stepped into. “Uh. No. Of course not, baby. I was just saying I don’t need you to cook me these big elaborate meals. I would be satisfied with pizza and a bottle of wine. That’s all.” 

He stands, rounding the counter before catching Molly’s waist with his hands. He freezes when Molly flinches, his fingers stopping their perusal of her hips. She’d been…off all day but this was the first time Lando had noticed her be overtly bothered by his touch. 

“Is everything okay?” He asks carefully, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as he smiles down at her. “You’ve seemed a little cagey since I got here.” 

Molly takes a step out of Lando’s grasp and turns towards the oven. She doesn’t answer right away and for a heart stopping moment, Lando thinks he hears her sniffle like she’s begun to cry. 

“Molly.” Lando says softly. “Baby.” He murmurs when she doesn’t move to say anything. 

He knew a good avoidance tactic when he sees it and she’d been trying to dodge him all afternoon. They’d ended up tangled up on the couch together while the cookies had cooled on the counter earlier but as soon as he’d made a move to try and turn the cuddling into something more urgent and needy, Molly had suddenly become very interested in the movie he’d put on as background noise. He hadn’t pushed then, knowing that Molly had been feeling tired and overstimulated after the awards show the night before but now? 

Now he knew something was off. 

“Molly, what’s going on?” He asks gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. 

She stills at his touch, flinching again when he rubs his thumb roughly over her skin. Molly had thought that she was being a little better at hiding her anxiety today. She’d thought she’d talked herself out of the spiral of thoughts and memories that had taken over her entire consciousness ever since Tommy had made those comments to her last night. 

Apparently she’d been wrong. 

“Molly…” Lando’s voice heats with concern.

She blinks rapidly, orienting herself to the task at hand. 

“I’m fine!” She chirps, pasting what she hopes is a convincing smile on her face. “I’m sorry if I’ve been weird today.” Molly leans forward, pressing her lips to Lando’s as she wraps a hand around his neck. “Just tired after all the stuff last night. I’m fine. I swear.” 

The timer for the asparagus beeps on Molly’s phone then and she spins out of Lando’s grasp, plucking the oven mitts off the counter next to the oven. Lando narrows his eyes on her retreating frame. He may not be the most intelligent person on the planet but he read people as well as he read telemetry numbers. 

There was something deeper lurking under Molly’s behavior, he could feel it in the tips of his fingers as they brushed at Molly’s lower back.  

“You know, you never told me if you saw Tommy last night.” 

Molly freezes. 

There it was. 

“Um…” She stays there in front of the oven, baking sheet of roasted asparagus still in her hand. “No. You know what, I didn’t. I had heard that he was at the Vogue party but I didn’t see him.” 

Molly turns around then, a stage smile fixed on her face, as she moves to take the parmesan dusted vegetables off the baking sheet and onto a serving dish. She doesn’t say anything further and for a moment, Lando lets the silence settle between them. He knows he’s in dangerous territory now and that he has to be careful not to push Molly too far. He didn’t want her shutting down on him like she had twice already today but he could feel that there was something wrong with her in his bones. 

“That’s good.” He says slowly, watching as Molly turns to bring the chicken from its resting spot on top of the stove over to the counter where the rest of the food is. 

“Do you need any help?” He asks, deciding to let the question rest for now. 

“I have a bottle of wine in the fridge, could you get it and bring it to the table? I’ll get everything else and then we can eat.” 

Lando does as instructed and by the time he’s setting the bottle down on the table, Molly is bringing the chicken to the table. He pours each of them a glass of the wine, white and sweet just like he knows Molly likes. 

“This looks so good.” Lando comments, serving himself a healthy portion of mashed potatoes. What Jon didn’t know about his meals while he was with Molly wouldn’t hurt him. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to spoil me.” 

Molly grins from behind her wine glass. 

“That’s the plan.” She muses, picking at a small piece of chicken she’d served herself. “Get you addicted to my food so you’ll never leave me.” 

“I have news for you, princess.” Lando reaches out, his hand covering Molly’s knee, “I’ve been addicted to you since day one.” 

The two chat through the rest of dinner, catching up on what they’d both been doing that week while separated. Lando had spent most of his time in Woking on the sim and training while Molly had been focused on prepping for her performance last night. 

Now that Molly was on what equated to her own summer break, having taken a break between her Australian tour and the start of her European tour at the end of June, her schedule was a little bit more open. She planned on going up to Montreal with Lando the following weekend and they even discussed having Molly come stay in Monaco with him for a while after Canada. 

Lando is on his third helping of mashed potatoes when he pauses, staring straight at Molly’s plate. “I feel like a broken record tonight baby but are you okay? You’ve barely touched any of your food.” 

Molly’s cheeks heat as she pushes her spoon into the small helping of potatoes she hadn’t actually touched. “I have a bad habit of eating while I’m cooking and then not being hungry when it’s all finally finished. I’m fine, just full.” She confesses. 

Lando’s eyes narrow. He’d been with her in the kitchen the entire time and hadn’t seen her put anything in her mouth. She hadn’t eaten more than half a cookie earlier either, saying that she’d eaten a big sandwich right before he’d knocked on the door. 

“Okay…” He says slowly. “If you’re sure.” 

Molly can tell he doesn’t believe her and panic tugs at her chest. She had thought she was being sneakier than she really was. The chicken really did smell good and asparagus was one of her favorite vegetables. The potatoes were a little rich but that was how she liked them too. Every time she thought about taking a second bite though, Tommy’s words from last night echoed in her ears. 

To counter her lie Molly spears at an asparagus. The calorie count flashes through her mind involuntarily but she lifts the fork to her mouth, taking a bite. She chews but it feels like dust between her teeth. She does the mental math, trying to tell herself it’s okay if she has to eat the rest of the food on her plate to appease Lando. Her double yoga session had done its job earlier in the day and she knew exactly where she stood in her desired deficit. It would be okay, she thought, as she lifted the fork to her mouth again to finish off the spear of asparagus. 

“I am, Lan. I promise.” She lies again, the words bitter on her tongue. 

 “Get over here.” Lando growls later that night, tugging Molly down so quickly she topples down onto the bed. “I haven’t kissed you nearly enough tonight.” 

Molly squeals as Lando paws at the hem of her shirt. After dinner they’d watched a few movies before Lando had wandered into the bedroom with Molly right on his heels. It hadn’t taken much time for him to make his way over to her bed. When Molly had gotten close enough for him to grab at her, he’d hooked his fingers in the waistband of her sweatpants and yanked her down onto his lap. 

“Well I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of you and your kisses.” She giggles, running her fingers through Lando’s curls. 

Lando shakes his head, a satisfied hum sounding in the back of his throat as he runs his hands over Molly’s thighs that bracket his hips. “You are so fucking gorgeous, did you know that?” 

Molly smirks down at him, wiggling her hips against Lando’s lap so that she can feel him grow harder underneath her. “It’s always nice to hear.” 

Lando cranes his neck upwards so he can make contact with Molly’s neck. Molly curls her body into Lando as he locks his arms around her waist, pulling her further into his lap. His lips latch onto the spot just behind her ear that sends shivers down Molly’s spine, sucking a little love bite into the skin there. Unless Molly wears her hair pulled back, you would never be able to see if but just knowing that he’s marked her sends Lando’s pulse through the roof. 

They’d just seen each other less than two weeks ago in Monaco but it felt like an eternity to both of them. Lando’s hands roam up and down Molly’s back, her thin strapped tank top providing too much of a barrier between his fingers and her skin. Molly sighs, bringing her lips down to meet Lando’s once again, slipping her tongue into his mouth moments later. He shifts backwards towards the headboard, pulling Molly with him so she stays sat right on his lap, his mouth not even leaving hers as he works his tongue over hers. 

When he settles his back against the wooden headboard, Lando slips his hands underneath the thin fabric that had been teasing him since he walked through the door. Molly sucks in a breath at the heat that pools low in her belly as Lando drags the tank top up and over her head. They only break their kiss momentarily, just long enough for Lando to get her top off and toss it somewhere in the bedroom. 

“God, I missed this.” Lando groans, his thick fingers running up and down Molly’s sides. “I missed you.” 

As an answer, Molly rolls her hips harder into his. Lando runs his hands down and around her hips, hooking his thumbs around the front of her stomach, dragging them across the skin of her tummy. 

Molly freezes. 

“Jesus Christ how much is she eating?” 

“Someone get her into the gym again, I beg of you!” 

“Her belly looks so big in that dress!” 

The comments from last night strike like lightning, stealing the breath from Molly’s lungs. She slips off of Lando’s lap, suddenly having a hard time breathing. It felt like she’d been splashed with a bucket full of ice water. 

“Molly…” Lando’s voice sounds panicked but it’s muffled against the roar of blood in her ears. “Molly. Baby. Hey, look at me. What’s going on?” He pauses, his head spinning with how quickly the mood shifted in the room. 

“Noth-” 

Lando shakes his head, “Don’t you dare tell me nothing.” He reaches down for Molly’s shirt that he’d tossed onto the ground just moments ago before he hands it to her. “You’re shaking and you look like you saw a ghost.” 

Molly doesn’t say anything right away, the noise in her head too loud for her to focus on anything. All she could feel was the way Lando had grabbed at her stomach, Tommy’s words from the night before echoing in her head like an unwelcome song set on repeat. 

Lando gets up when it becomes apparent that she’s not going to say anything and runs into the kitchen. Molly blinks after him, still unable to do much more than move air in and out of her lungs. Moments later, he returns with a glass of water, pressing it into Molly’s shaking hands before he sits back down beside her. For several minutes they sit in silence, Lando not entirely sure what he should do other than just be there. He doesn’t want to push, doesn’t want her to shut down but Molly’s reaction felt like it had been building up all day. 

Internally, Molly is spiraling. She hadn’t meant to react the way she did when Lando had touched her, it had just happened. One minute she was fine and in the next breath she felt like she was being choked. 

“Listen.” Lando says roughly, his fingers finding hers as he laces them together, giving them a squeeze. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m sorry if I pushed you too far, too fast. I need you to talk to me though, please. Something’s wrong and it’s killing me not to be able to help.”

Guilt squeezed around Molly’s windpipe, cutting of her airflow. She tries to answer, even finds the courage to open her mouth but before she can get anything out, her heart starts hammering in her throat all over again. Tommy’s words play over and over again in her head instead, the memory of Lando’s fingers digging into the soft flesh of her stomach triggering her even further. 

Pain flares cold and sharp behind her ribcage as she tries to find the words to what she’s feeling. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes as Molly fights to keep them from spilling over onto her cheeks. 

It’s a battle she loses. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Lando coos in her ear, his voice going soft and pliant when he sees the tears falling. “Can I touch you?” He asks softly. 

Molly can only nod. 

Reaching out, Lando slips one arm around her waist and pulls Molly into his lap. Her arms go around his neck automatically and Molly finds herself sinking into the heat of his body, allowing the press of his skin against hers to ground her in something that feels real and safe. She buries her head in Lando’s neck, the tears coming hot and fast as the comments from earlier flash behind her closed eyelids. 

Lando doesn’t say anything for several minutes. He just rocks her back and forth, murmuring soothing sounds in her ear as Molly shakes against him. He’d known that something was off with her all day, had felt this breakdown brewing since she’d lied to him about being perfectly fine the first time. 

“You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong but you need to tell someone, baby. You’re really upset and I don’t want you dealing with this alone. Do you want me to get Goldie? Your dad?” 

Lando tries not to let it bother him that she won’t tell him what’s wrong but he knows how high her walls are built. She doesn’t answer right away but clears her throat once before taking a sip of water. A few more deep breaths and Molly seems to overcome the initial panic that had been keeping its grip firmly around her throat. 

“I uh…” Her voice comes out watery around the edges but Molly takes another deep breath as Lando waits patiently, his arms holding her tightly to him. “I’ve never had the best relationship with food over the years. People are vile when they can hide behind a computer screen and my weight fluctuates really easily, especially when I’m stressed.” 

Lando’s grip tightens as he draws in a deep breath trying to process what Molly is telling him. 

“I lied when I said I didn’t see Tommy last night.” Molly confesses as she untucks her head from under Lando’s chin so she can look him in the eye. “He found me at the Vogue party to tell me that he’d already suspected that I was in a new relationship because of all the weight I’ve gained recently.” 

Lando stills, rage surging white and hot in his veins. “What the fuck? Who says that to someone?” 

Molly chuckles, “A lot of people. It was all over the comments from last night show too. How my tummy is bigger and my arms extra jiggly. I mean, I know I’ve put on some weight in the last few months but I didn’t think it was that bad.” 

“Okay, first of all, your body is fucking perfect and I’m obsessed with every inch of it, so knock that off.” Lando says fiercely, hooking his finger under Molly’s chin so she’s forced to look at him. “Second of all, Tommy said all that shit to get back at you because you humiliated him in public. Rightly so, by the way. The guy is a fucking tool.” 

Molly shakes her head, “I mean, I guess but he wasn’t the only one saying it. I spent the entire flight this morning reading all the comments and I just…” She drops her head back onto Lando’s shoulder and closes her eyes. “I just felt like I was back in that really dark place I was when Tommy and I first started dating. He was always telling me to eat less, workout more and that I was getting too big to be seen with him.” 

“Is that why you’ve barely eaten today?” Lando asks quietly. 

“Between the public and Tommy, I’ve been dealing with critiques on my body since I was fifteen. If I can control my weight, I can control the narrative around my body so that it doesn't get too out of hand. Skipping meals and losing weight is the easiest way to get people off my back." 

Lando’s heart shatters at Molly’s words. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that the general public had always had an obsession with women’s bodies, especially those who were as famous as Molly was. Seeing Molly crumble under the sharp words though, it set his protective nature into overdrive and had him seething with anger. 

“It’s part of the reason I learned to cook. It was easier for me to control the calories I put in my body if I knew exactly what was going into the food I was eating.” 

“And you use the ‘I ate while I was cooking’ excuse to get out of eating once all the food is done.” It’s not a question Lando asks, it’s a statement that has Molly nodding her head. 

“I guess I wasn’t as slick as I thought I was.” She says with a wobbly chuckle. 

“Nope.” Lando murmurs, nuzzling his jaw across the top of Molly’s head. “I like looking at you too much for you to get away with anything sneaky like that.” 

“You sound like a stalker.” Molly mutters against his neck. 

“I mean, you knew what you were getting into. I tried to sneak backstage at one of your concerts when I’d only met you for like, ten seconds weeks before.” 

Molly’s shoulders shake with laughter and she pulls back, eyes still watery and red but there’s a smile on her face now, even if it is a weak one. “I’m sorry.” She whispers with a sheepish look on her face. 

“Don’t be.” Lando says, tightening his grip on Molly as he presses a kiss onto the top of her head. “I’m just glad you finally told me what was going on in that pretty head of yours.” 

They’re both quiet for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts of what had just happened. The way Molly had put trust in Lando and opened up to him sticking in Lando’s chest. He knew it was a big deal and he didn’t want to break the fragile threads of connection that had been weaving their way between them for weeks now. 

“They’re wrong you know.” Lando says into the heavy space between them. “Your body is perfect the way it is and I will personally fight any asshole that has the balls to say otherwise.” 

Molly chuckles before she slides off of Lando’s lap. Her chest feels lighter now that things are out in the open. For the first time all day, she feels like she can take a full breath without wanting to scream. 

“Will you let me heat up some leftovers for you? Or we can go get ice cream or something? Pizza maybe?” 

Molly pauses, the familiar dread of eating something when the comments are still floating around in her head inching up her sternum. 

Lando sees the panic in her eyes and reaches for her hands. “Something small then? That chicken was really good, I can heat up some in the microwave for you. I may be helpless in the kitchen but I can reheat food pretty well.” 

Molly’s eyes flick from Lando’s face back towards the kitchen. She knows that he’s not going to drop this so Molly nods, agreeing to some heated up leftovers. 

“Good. Then we can watch another movie or whatever until you fall asleep, okay? I’m here until Wednesday night, we have plenty of time for…other activities.” Lando says, smile crinkling at the corner of his eyes. 

“Okay. That sounds like something I can handle.” Molly says, following Lando into the kitchen on shaky legs. 

Lando turns, his hand still holding hers, pulling Molly into a hug. “Thank you for telling me what’s going on.” He murmurs into the crown of her head. 

“Thank you for caring enough to ask.” Molly whispers back.  

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The curtains were drawn tight against the blanket of darkness that settled over the hotel late Saturday night. The air conditioner hummed softly, the only sound in the hotel besides the faint strums of Molly’s guitar. They’d been back from dinner for a while now, the quiet exhaustion of the day finally settling over both Molly and Lando. 

Despite the physical fatigue that made Molly’s eyes sting, she was anxiously strumming at her guitar trying to work out the energy that had danced in her chest all day. She’d been able to calm herself down enough on Friday that Lando hadn’t noticed anything wrong. She didn’t want him to, had wanted to try to decide how to handle the confrontation with Carmen before bringing it up to anyone. But as Saturday wore on, the anxiety of people whispering about her and the potential of seeing Carmen around the paddock had worn thin on her nerves. 

Molly sat in the middle of the bed, legs crossed while Lando lounged closer to the headboard, his elbow propping his body up on his side. Lando had been watching her all evening just like he was now, his cool hazel eyes not missing the way Molly’s mouth tipped down in the slightest frown as she worked out the chords in her head. 

He’d first noticed something was off that morning when she’d been wound up tighter than a spinning top, tension sitting thick and high on her shoulders and between her eyebrows. It was in the way Molly held herself that had shifted overnight, like her light had been dimmed just a fraction. He didn’t know what was causing it though and it was starting to drive him mad. Nothing had happened in the paddock all of Friday as far as he knew but she had spent the entire day on edge despite her desperate attempts to keep a brave face. 

Molly had thought was doing a good job of hiding it, the way Carmen’s accusations had affected her. She thought that she had tugged that mask up with enough force that not even those who were closest to her would notice. Molly had always prided herself on her ability to pretend everything was fine, that she was strong enough to handle what was being asked of her. 

And for the most part, she was right. 

She couldn’t hide it from Lando though. He saw how her jaw twitched when she thought no one was looking, heard the way her accent became more prominent as she fought a losing battle to keep herself locked up tight. 

Lando knew it was only a matter of time before she snapped but he also knew that he had to let her come to him. So he sat patiently on the bed the night before the race, watching the storms rage behind Molly’s eyes as she pieced together a melody that sounded haunted and mournful. 

It was getting late and Lando knew they were both exhausted but he also could tell that he needed to let Molly work this out. He heaves himself off the bed, padding towards their shared bathroom to start getting ready for bed. Maybe giving her some space would loosed up her tongue and get Molly to let him in. 

Molly stays where she is but places her guitar beside her, watching Lando walk away from her. The sink turns on and she can hear him starting his routine for bed and she knew that she had to talk to him before the night was done. She’d never survive race day tomorrow, not with Lando starting P3 at his home race with the potential to pull of a huge win. The emotions would be too high, the exhaustion too much to overcome. 

“Lan?” Molly hears herself asking before she even realizes the words are forming in her mouth. 

The bathroom sink shuts off and Lando appears in the bathroom doorway, his chest bare and boxers peaking out from beneath low slung gray joggers. “Yeah, baby?” 

He sounded relieved, Molly thought. Like he’d been waiting for her to ask him something all day. Her eyes fall to the cream colored duvet beneath her as she picks at an invisible piece of lint. She’d spent an absurd amount of time today trying to figure out how to bring up what happened on Friday and was still at a loss. George was one of Lando’s closest friends and she was about to put herself squarely between them. 

When Molly doesn’t say anything, Lando frowns before crossing the room, his feet shuffling softly over the carpet. He sits down on the bed, the mattress dipping underneath his weight as he settles beside her. “What’s got you all inside your head tonight, pretty girl?” He murmurs, reaching out hook his finger underneath her chin, tilting it upwards so her eyes find his. 

“Have you heard any rumors about us in the paddock this weekend?” Molly asks softly. 

Lando blinks, caught off guard by her question. “Uhm, no.” He says slowly, “No, I haven’t. I mean, I don’t really pay much attention to that stuff anyway but no one’s said anything to me. Why?” 

The comments on her recent Instagram post flash through Molly’s head along with Carmen’s words. How the engineer from another team had said that Lando had never been in a long term relationship and how it all seemed suspicious. How the entire paddock was apparently whispering about them behind their backs. 

Molly chews on her lower lip, her fingers fighting together in her lap. She desperately wants to climb into Lando’s lap, to allow his presence to soothe the ache in her chest over one stilly little conversation. Molly knows she’ll shatter if she does though, she won’t be able to hold herself together and she knew Lando had other things on his mind that were more important. She knew she shouldn’t be distracting him from his race tomorrow. 

She just couldn’t help it. 

“Carmen asked me how much I was paying you to be with me yesterday.” 

The words hit Lando like a blow to the chest. He blinks down at Molly, completely loss for words at first. He’d sent Molly with Carmen and Lily hoping that they’d hit it off but at the very least, he’d expected her to be safe with them. 

An assumption that had apparently been wrong. 

“I’m sorry, she what?” 

Molly blinks rapidly, trying to hold off the tears that sting at the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks burn hot with humiliation and she swears she’d rather melt straight into the earth to keep from having this conversation. Panic surges at her chest, the anxiety that Molly had been fighting all day finally threatening to drag her under. 

Lando clocks the panic as soon as it bubbles to the surface and within seconds, he has Molly in his lap, her body curled into his as she shakes. Leaning against the headboard, Lando wraps his arms around her as she tucks her head beneath his chin. 

It takes several minutes but eventually Molly finds her voice. “Carmen said that the entire paddock thinks our relationship is one big PR stunt and that no one believed that you could actually hang on to a relationship for longer than three weeks.” 

Lando swallows thickly, stunned into silence by what Molly is telling him. It didn’t make any sense. Carmen had always been cordial to him, smiling and inviting him over to parties when she hosted things at George’s Monaco apartment. Why on earth would she behave this way to his girlfriend? 

Humiliation burns through Molly. She hated that she cared this much about what other people thought but the pain that lanced through her veins when she thought about people gossiping about her and Lando’s relationship was almost unbearable. 

“She said I looked like I belonged in a NASCAR infield, not a F1 paddock.” Molly repeats the words Carmen had thrown at her.  “Which like, isn’t as much of an insult as she thinks it is. NASCAR is fun but the way she said it…” Molly flushes at the memory of the look Carmen had given her when she’d said it. 

Lando’s arms tighten around Molly’s body as if he can protect her from the words that he hadn’t been around to defend against. “Jesus fuck, Molly.” He whispers, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what to say. I mean, I know that’s one of those crazy theories that’s been circulating online since the Vogue profile but I didn’t think anyone who actually knew us would listen to it.” 

“She made some biting remarks about my outfit and how she couldn’t believe you’d be with someone like me.” 

Lando rakes his fingers through Molly’s hair, tugging so she’s looking at him again. “I want you to listen to me, okay?” He pauses and waits for Molly to nod. “I’m the one who’s out of my league here, not you. There’s no reason on this fucking planet that I should have been able to land you, so that is utter fucking bullshit that you’re not good enough for me, you got that?” 

Molly’s breath catches in her throat but she nods. 

“Do you want me to have Laura do some sleuthing? See if there’s any merit behind her claim? Personally, I think Carmen’s fucking full of it and is trying to get a rise out of you because of who you are. I can have the team see what's going around though, if you want me to.” 

“I really don’t want anyone else knowing how upset this had me. It’s so embarrassing that people are even saying this. That they think that I don’t deserve you.”

Lando reaches down and laces his fingers between the spaces of hers and squeezes, “Those people who are saying that are delusional and stupid.” He says with a forceful tone of finality. “I just never thought someone in my circle would buy into that bullshit.” 

Molly shrugs, the anxiety over what had happened loosening in her chest. It's still there, the buzzing undercurrnet of 'what if she was right' still lingers but for now, Molly trusts that Lando knows what he's talking about.

“Can we just keep what happened between you and I? I don’t even want you talking to George about it.” 

Lando shakes his head, “Baby, no. I’ve got to tell George. He needs to know how she treated you.” 

Molly looks up at Lando, expression pleading, “No. Baby, please. You’re right, she’s jealous and projecting." She says it with more conviction than she feels, not entirely convinced there isn't a kernel of truth in what Carmen had said to her the day before. "I should have spotted it from a mile away. I don’t want that to come in between you and George. I’m a big girl, I can handle her.” 

“If that's what you want, then fine but I'm not happy about it. I can always run George off track or impede him in quali or something, just say the word and I'll do it.” Lando says, mischief sparking in his eyes as he brings Molly’s hand to his lips. 

Molly shakes her head, chuckling low underneath her breath, “You know what else she said?” 

“There’s more?” Lando groans. 

“She told me dating you was obviously a great marketing ploy to help me break into the European market.” Molly barks a laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Me! The same woman who has sold out every fucking stadium from London to Stockholm to Munich at least three times each needs help breaking into the European market.” 

Lando chuckles, shifting Molly in his lap so her legs are bracketing his thighs. “Unhinged behavior, really.” 

Molly looks down, chest squeezing when she sees the way Lando is looking up at her. “Thank you for talking me down.” 

Lando reaches up to tuck a piece of hair behind Molly’s ear and grins, “I wish you would’ve told me sooner. You’ve been a basket case all day.” Lando winces when Molly swats at him but holds his hands up in surrender, “I just mean that next time you get in your head like this, I want you to talk to me.” 

Molly drags in a deep breath. “I’m not used to sharing that kind of burden with someone.” 

Lando shrugs, his palm coming to rest at the bast of her neck. He pulls her in closer, pausing just before their lips touch. “I know, but I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want you to have to ever write songs about a broken heart anymore, okay? I’d do anything to have every album you ever write from now on be about how much you’re loved and how happy you are.” 

Molly’s voice catches in the back of her throat at the warmth that curls low and slow deep in her belly. It’s comforting and thrilling all at once, something that she’s never felt before, a fact that has her idly wondering if she can manage to capture it and turn it into music. 

“Okay.” She whispers, voice raspy in a way that she only allows for Lando now. "I trust you."

The kiss Lando presses into her lips is dizzying, patient and strong in a way that has Molly sighing into his warmth. It’s slow and unhurried, Lando’s way of reinforcing the words he’d said to her that night. Molly meets it with equal intensity, wanting him to feel how much his words meant to her in that moment. 

“I love you.” Molly says as she lifts her shirt up and over her head, Lando’s large calloused hands slipping up and over her torso. 

“I love you too, pretty girl.” Lando says before dragging Molly’s mouth back down to his in another desperate kiss. 

The heat builds slowly, stoking low and hot at the base of Lando’s spine. It sparks to a dangerous flame when Molly’s hips grind down in his lap, slow and deep against too many layers of fabric. Lando fists one hand deep in her hair while the other drags slow and heavy down the line of her body, drawing riot of goosebumps from Molly as he teases the bare flesh beneath his fingers. 

“Do you like that?” He asks, voice dropping an octave as the air thickens between them. 

It takes a herculean effort from Molly just to nod her head, she’s so lost in the sensations Lando is drawing from her now. She can feel him harden beneath her the more she rocks her hips back and fort against him. When Lando tips his head back against the headboard, Molly takes full advantage of the way the corded muscles of his neck are on display, flattening her tongue so she can lick a heated strip towards the sharp cut of his jaw. 

Lando’s throat bobs as he tries to bring himself back to earth. “Fuck.” He grits out between his teeth, his fingers digging bruises into Molly’s hips as she continues the slow back and forth grind of her hips, refusing to let up and give him a break from the friction. “You’re going to be the death of me.” 

Molly threads her fingers through Lando’s curls as takes his earlobe between her teeth before closing her lips around it, sucking it into her mouth. Lando’s hips snap up involuntarily when she scrapes her teeth down his neck again, finally latching hotly onto the skin at the crook of his neck.   

Lando’s large hands grab for anything to anchor him to the moment, his palms closing around the lacy bralette that covers Molly’s chest. He takes a handful of each, kneading the soft flesh there between his strong hands, and smiles when he hears the gasp tumble from Molly’s lips. His fingers pull at the lace, yanking it to the side. Lando’s grin goes feral when he sees the way her nipples are already hard and pebbled, her back arching deeper into his hands. 

Molly grips at Lando’s curls harder, yanking hotly when he takes one of her nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the sensitive flesh. Her hips snapping back and forth, faster and faster as the heat ignites the air in the room.

“Lando.” His name sounds like a prayer, Molly says it so reverently. “Oh my God.” The words hiss out of her as Lando’s teeth scrape against the sensitive flesh. “Lando, please I need you inside me.” 

A thrill runs down Lando’s spine at the breathless plea that spills from Molly’s kiss-swollen lips. He swears he’d do anything to keep her hips rolling against his lap for the rest of his life. 

“Beg for it. Beg for my cock in you, pretty girl. How badly do you want it?” Lando is so hard he can barely think straight but the command comes out stronger than he thought possible. 

Molly squirms, hips rolling back and forth at a lazy pace, a small whimper spilling from her throat. He cheeks burn with the embarrassment of being so needy for the man beneath her but she’s almost to the point where she can’t care anymore. She needs him, needs the reassurance that Lando means everything he’s said tonight. That he loves her and that he’ll do anything for her. 

“Please, baby. Please fuck me. I need you inside me so bad, I’ll do anything. Anything to have you fuck me.” The pleas sound more like babble than any coherent sentences as Molly’s eyes flutter shut.  

The thrill of hearing Molly beg for him sends liquid fire spilling down Landos’ spine. He knows how locked up tight Molly spends her days, how she has to be perfect, always performing and always on that this side of her? This needy, pliant, submissive part of her personality is something that no one else gets to see. The fact that she can let go for him like this, that he has the ability to make her come undone with just a few licks of his tongue makes Lando’s vision blur. 

To see how much trust she places in Lando by letting go and begging him has his chest tightening with emotion, the intensity of Molly’s whimpers grounding him to the moment. 

Lando shoves the waistband of his joggers down over his hips, finally letting his cock free after straining at his pants for the last several minutes. He sucks in a breath with the cold air hits the already damp tip of his cock, sticky with his precum. The way Molly’s eyes flare with hunger doesn’t escape his notice despite the dizzing way his head spins. 

Molly doesn’t even bother taking her sleep shorts off, she just yanks the silky fabric to the side before pitching up on her knees, her hands finding their way to Lando’s shoulders for balance. She gives him a heated look, nibbling at her bottom lip in the exact way she knows sends sparks shooting down Lando’s spine. 

He looks up at her, seeing the way her pupils are blown wide as her chest heaves, and reaches up to run his thumb over her lips. A groan rumbles deep in Lando’s chest when Molly captures his thumb in her mouth, tongue swirling around the tip as she sucks on the thick finger. 

Lando’s fingers find Molly’s hips, ensuring he has control over how fast this goes. “Go on.” He rasps, voice thick with anticipation and desire. “Ride me, princess.” 

Slowly, so agonizingly slow that has Molly’s eyes rolling back, she lowers herself down on Lando’s length. Thumb still hooked on her bottom teeth, Molly bites into the flesh in her mouth before Lando drags it out, swiping a wet track across her cheek. 

She’s already soaking wet, she can feel the way the head of Lando’s cock slides through the mess between her legs. “Lando.”  

“That’s it, pretty girl. Take what you need.” 

Inch by inch, Molly lowers herself down onto Lando, his length filling her up so completely she can barely catch her breath. Her nails grip desperately at his shoulders as she searches for something, anything to ground her. The stretch that she feels as Lando slides into her, thick and hot and desperate, has Molly whimpering as she collapses against his torso.

Her head falls into the crook of Lando’s neck, mouth falling open in silent shock when she finds herself fully seated on his cock. For a moment the only thing either of them can do is breathe. Hands freeze, still with the shock of being so physically close. Sounds of praise and pleasure stick in Lando’s throat, his brain going fuzzy with how tightly Molly is gripping him with her pussy. The fluttering pulse around him fills Lando’s entire consciousness. 

When Molly catches her breath, she begins that slow back and forth grind once again, the feeling of Lando being so deep inside her emptying out anything else in her head. Both of Lando’s hands grip at her hips as he guides her back and forth at first, the only thing he’s able to focus on is how tight Molly is around him. 

Once Lando catches his breath, he clutches at Molly’s hips, lifting her up and down just as slowly as she’d been riding him moments before, watching the way her eyes flutter shut as he empties her out and fills her up over and over again. Molly continues to swirl her pelvis around, Lando’s pubic bone creating decision friction against her clit. 

Molly pitches forward, overwhelmed by the sensory overload. The sound of Lando’s cock sliding in and out of her, the feel of him buried deep inside her, the way he’s strong enough to lift her up and down on him so she barely has to do anything. It’s all so deliciously too much that she can barely stand it, her breaths becoming ragged and stuttering as she feels the pressure build between her legs. 

“Please don’t stop.” She begs, burying her head in the crook of neck once again. “‘M gonna come baby.” 

Lando hooks one arm around Molly’s waist, forgoing having her bouncing on his cock as he continues to have her ride him back and forth, the mess between her legs leaving his stomach slick and wet. He can feel the orgasm building deep in the pit of his stomach too and knows he’s not going to last long. 

With one hand, Lando reaches between them, his thick calloused fingers finding her clit swollen and needy. He drags his fingers over it, stroking it over and over just the way he’s learned how Molly likes it. 

This is enough to set her off and within moments, Molly’s fingers are digging painfully at his shoulders as she shudders over him. Her mouth drops open on a silent cry, the waves of her orgasm threatening to drown her while she’s still breathing. The only coherent thing that comes from her lips is Lando’s name as she pulses quick and strong around him. 

Feeling her pussy grip at him like she needs him to survive sends Lando over the edge, spilling hot and furious deep inside Molly. He curses under his breath, one of his hands pulling so hard on her hair Molly whimpers in pain. He immediately stops, latching his mouth onto the closest thing to him: Molly’s shoulder, where he bites down while he rides out the last shockwaves of his orgasm. 

The air is thick with the smell of sex and for a moment, neither Molly or Lando say anything. The only other sound in the room besides their panting is the quiet hum of the air conditioning unit, the quiet droning lulling them both into a floating sense of suspended reality. Goosebumps pebble Molly’s chilled skin, something that doesn’t escape Lando’s notice. 

“You’re shivering.” He murmurs in her ear. 

“Adrenaline crash.” Molly mumbles, shuddering even harder when Lando’s warm breath tickles the edge of her ear. 

Lando’s arms circle her waist, pulling her deeper into his chest so his warmth seeps into her skin. He knows they should go to sleep, that one of the biggest races of the entire year is in a few short hours but there’s nothing that could get Lando to pull out of Molly at that very moment. 

“I can’t get enough of you.” He whispers, watching as Molly’s eyes flutter open, her green eyes wide and glassy. He presses a kiss to her temple, “Rest now, we’ll clean up in a bit, okay?” 

The exhaustion of the day combined with how hard she’d just come undone around Lando threatens to pull Molly under, sleep begging at the edges of her consciousness. She hums her agreement before letting her eyes fall shut once again, trusting that Lando will take care of her when he’s ready. 

Sunday morning dawns gray with threats of rain. Off in the distance there’s blue sky and if Lando knows one thing, it’s that the weather today is going to be unpredictable. They have to be at the track early, the pre-race activities taking up hours of time before there are even any cars on track. 

By the time they’re walking through the gates, the clouds have started to stack up on themselves and Lando asks Jon for what felt like the tenth time what the chance of rain was. 

“Lan, I’m sure the forecast hasn’t changed in the last ten minutes.” Molly gently scolds as she takes his hand inside the paddock. 

It was just a small group this morning. Lando and Molly, Jon walking in front of them with Rhett and Goldie bringing up the rear. Lando’s family was already up inside the motorhome waiting for them, having arrived just minutes before they had pulled into the racetrack carpark.

Molly tried to ignore the fact that she was going to meet all of Lando’s siblings, his sister-in-law, and nieces today as well, the lingering effects of yesterday’s anxiety still loosely clawing at her throat. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if Lando’s siblings shared the same opinion that Carmen had shared on Friday. It was bad enough that the gossip had made it around the paddock, even if Carmen had been exaggerating how many people were whispering. The thought of Lando's family sharing the same opinion sent her stomach dropping straight to her feet.

Lando sighs dramatically, “I know. I like driving in the rain it’s just Silverstone in the wet is chaos and I just want to mentally prepare.” 

Jon slows his pace a bit so he’s on the other side of Lando now, sensing his driver might need a bit of a talking down. He knew Lando tended to get like this, all in his head while he tried to anticipate for all outcomes, which only led to him overthinking and making unnesscessary mistakes that hurt him in the long run.Lando's ability to sense what was going to happen before it did on track was usually one of his strongest attributes of being a racing driver. It reared it’s ugly head before a race with unknown conditions and it tended to bring out the worst in Lando so Jon knew he needed to get ahead of this spiral before it even began. . 

“Hey, so let’s do this.” Jon starts, attempting to distract Lando from his train of thought. “Let’s prepare for a wet start and go through everything that could happen. You’ve started here in the wet and the dry and you always do better when it’s slick out there.” 

Lando nods, squeezing back when Molly tightens her fingers around his. Having her there today was grounding Lando in a way that he hadn’t expected. When he’d woken up with Molly tangled around him this morning, the heat of the night before still lingering on his skin the same way her perfume had infiltrated his entire existence, Lando had been surprised at how settled he’d felt. Usually, his home race was the most stressful one on the calendar. He wanted more than anything to win it just once and starting in P3 today with the car he had underneath him, he knew it was a possibility. 

Having Molly there was keeping him tethered, something that didn’t go unnoticed by everyone in the garage that weekend. 

“I want to talk through my options with Will when we get into the engineering meeting.” He says, the McLaren motorhome coming into view as they make their way through the paddock. 

Around them, cameras click and people yell both Lando and Molly’s name, calling for their attention as they navigate their way down the dusty path. A few kids run up to Lando asking him for his autograph and at least three little girls approach Molly, offering her friendship bracelets. 

By the time the group is walking up the ramp that leads into the McLaren motorhome, both Molly and Lando have a stack of friendship bracelets each, Molly’s mingling with two of the three Lando gave her all the way back in Australia. Now that they weren’t a secret anymore, Molly could wear them without worrying about getting questions or giving them away. 

“Lando,” Laura is waiting for them when they walk through the sleek sliding glass doors, “Your family is upstairs waiting for you.” 

Jon quickly excuses himself, telling the group that he’s going to go grab Lando food and get everything set up in the small drivers room on the first floor ahead of Lando’s media duties and meetings that morning. Goldie says she’s going to go get set up in the comms room, needing to coordinate some last minute things for Molly’s concert in London later in the week. 

Lando turns to Molly before they make their way up the stairs, “You good?” 

Molly blushes. “I’m fine, but you don’t need to worry about me today, I want you to focus on the race, okay?” 

Lando shakes his head before grabbing at her hand again, leading Molly towards the VIP lounge on the second floor, “I won’t be able to concentrate on the race unless I know you’re okay.” 

Molly’s chest tightens at the sincerity in his voice. It’s still new, this whole being cared for in a way that doesn’t make her feel like a burden and sometimes she still doesn’t know how to handle it. 

“I’m good, I swear.” Molly leans in just as they get to the top of the stairs, Lando’s family coming into view, “Last night made me feel like an entirely new person. That thing you did with your hips while I was on top of you? Mmmm.” 

Lando’s head snaps sideways, his gaze turning heated in an instant. Molly can see he’s replaying her riding him in his head all over again. Her smirk turns wicked as Cisca notices the couple has walked into the lounge and starts towards them. “You’re evil.” He hisses before turning towards his mother. 

To Molly’s surprise, Cisca gathers her up in her arms first, squeezing the blonde into a tight hug, “Molly dear, it is so good to see you!” 

Molly hugs Lando’s mother back tightly, her heart stuttering in her chest when she sees Lando beaming at the way Cisca has fully accepted Molly without any questions. “It’s good to see you too!” She says before she’s passed over to Adam who is waiting behind his wife. 

“Those photos in Vogue were to die for.” Cisca gushes as she moves over to her son, gathering him up in her arms as well. “And that interview? I’m so glad Lando is treating you well but you have permission to give me a call any time he needs to be put in his place.” 

Lando makes a sound of offense as Molly dissolves into giggles, “Thank you for that, I will certainly take you up on that.” She turns to Lando, “You hear that? You have to behave or else I’m going to call your mother on you.” 

Lando rolls his eyes but the smile that crinkles at the corner of his mouth gives him away. “Whatever.” 

“If you need more backup, you can always call us too!” A brunette about Molly’s age steps into the group, grinning wickedly. “Hi, I’m Flo.” 

“I will absolutely take you up on that. It’s hard keeping him in line sometimes.” Molly laughs, extending her hand towards Lando’s sister. “I’m Molly, it’s nice to meet you.” 

It takes a bit of time, but eventually all of the introductions are made and the family is chatting idly while they wait for Lando to be needed in his engineering meeting. On the edges of the group, Lando’s niece hovers nervously. Molly can tell the little girl wants to approach her, the hesitation on Mila's face clear as she hides behind her mom’s legs. Eventually, she seems to get enough courage to approach Molly, Lando’s family watching as Mila darts out from behind Savannah and running up to her, tugging on Molly’s skirt. 

Molly crouches down, grin on her face as Mila takes a deep breath in, clearly trying to gather the courage to talk to her. “Hi, sweetheart. It’s so nice to meet you finally, Lando talks about you all the time!” 

Mila swallows, her eyes darting behind her to where her mom stands. Lando had told Molly once that Mila was a huge fan of hers and she knew the little girl was starstruck. “I love your songs.” Mila says finally, her voice soft and hesitant. 

Molly gasps dramatically, “You do? That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day! What song is your favorite?” 

“Mummy and I always sing ‘Love Story’ in the car on the way to school! But my teacher at nursery school plays ‘Shake It Off’ every day during wiggle time, so I think that’s my favorite!” 

Molly chuckles, “I’ll keep that in mind when you come to one of my concerts, I’ll have to make sure I sing both just for you.” She taps Mila on the nose with the top of her finger enjoying the way the little girl lights up at the thought of two songs sung especially for her. 

When Molly stands she looks over at Lando’s brother and sister-in-law, “I’m doing three concerts at Wembley this week, if you guys want to bring Mila to one of them.” She turns to where Lando’s sisters stand near their mom, “You guys too, just send Lando a text with what night you want to come and I’ll take care of it. VIP tent tickets and everything.”

“We’ll do that, thank you!” Savannah says, smiling softly at the way Mila is now bouncing up and down at the thought of going to a Molly Chapman concert.  

Flo and Cis look like two foxes in the hen house, they’re both so pleased and Molly’s heart flutters at how she’s managed to connect with every member of Lando’s family so far. The anxiety she’d had over meeting Lando’s siblings lessening now that she'd met everyone. After Friday’s encounter with Carmen and the negative attention her relationship with Lando had spun up, Molly was glad that something was going right this weekend. 

It feels like ten seconds, like Molly blinks and they’re on their way to the garage to get ready for the anthem and see Lando climb into the car for the P3 start of his home race. Lando had left a while ago, needing to head to the grid with Jon ahead of the national anthem. Unlike previous races, Molly didn’t have to hide behind the pretense of tagging along with her dad so she waiting in the lounge with the rest of the Norris family before they all walked the short distance over to where they’d be watching the race from the garage. 

Molly is near the back of the group, Mila and her mom leading the way, when she hears a familiar voice calling her name. Her head swivels to where the voice is coming from and sees Lily standing by the Williams motorhome, hands wringing together in front of her. Molly pauses, momentarily unsure of what she should do. She knew that Lily hadn’t been a fan of what Carmen had said yesterday and that there was the potential for her to be somewhat of a friend to Molly but something caught in her chest that warned her Lily wasn’t to be trusted. 

Goldie pauses, eyes bouncing between where Cisca has stopped a few feet away and where Molly stands. 

“You guys go ahead, I’m going to say hi to Lily real quick.” Molly says, skirt swishing around her ankles as she moved towards where the brunette stood, still looking somewhat uncertain. “You too, Goldie. I can get to the garage from here.” 

Goldie narrows her eyes at the anxious look on Lily’s face and the cautions one on Molly’s. She had sensed something was wrong earlier in the weekend but hadn't pushed. She knew that if Molly needed her, she’d come to her for help. “Okay, but don’t take long. The anthem is starting in ten minutes.” 

Molly nods, “I won’t be late, I promise.” 

Goldie nods and starts towards where Cisca and the rest of the family has continued on. The only person that remains behind is Rhett but Molly is so used to his presence by now, she just nods at him, knowing he won’t follow Goldie to the garage. 

“I won’t keep you long,” Lily starts, tugging at he hem of her shirt, “I just wanted to apologize for Carmen’s behavior on Friday. I known her for a few years now and I have never seen her act like that before.” 

Molly shrugs, the apology easing something in her chest, “It’s fine, it’s really not your apology to make but I appreciate it.” 

“I read her the riot act after you left and haven’t spoken to her since.” Lily tells her, biting at the corner of her lip. 

That surprised Molly. She was unused to loyalty from people outside of her circle but the way Lily spoke to her, earnest apologies written all over her face, Molly felt that she could trust the things Lily was saying. “I didn’t mean to come between you two, I’m sorry.” 

Lily shakes her head, “She was being a petty bitch and I told her as much.” Lily takes a breath then, like she’s trying to decide if she wants to say the next thing that’s on the tip of her tongue. “She was wrong, by the way. The things she said about everyone in the paddock thinking you two are PR. Anyone with eyeballs can see how much Lando adores you.”  

“Thank you for that." Molly says quietly.

She wants to beleive Lily, wants to believe that there aren't a paddock full of people trading theories about why she's in Lando's life but there's something that sticks in her chest when she thinks about it. The rumors online have to be coming from somewhere and it makes sense that the people who think they know Lando would be the ones to start it.

“I’m sorry, you probably have things to do. I don’t want to keep you too long, I just wanted to make sure you knew Carmen was wrong and that everyone who knows Lando can see how much he loves you.” 

“Are you going to stick around after the race this week?” Molly asks, struck by a sudden idea. 

Lily nods, “Yeah, Alex has some sim stuff to do at Williams and I was just going to hang out in the city.” 

“Do you and Alex want to come to a concert? Lando was telling me how Alex used to work out to my music back in their rookie year.” 

Lily doubles over with laughter, “Oh he is going to kill Lando for that. He’s so embarrassed he was such a fan when he found out Lando and you were together. He thought you were going to think he was insane.” 

Molly laughs, “Never! Please come, I’d love to hang out with you more. I don’t have many friends in the paddock yet, none really if you don’t count Lando.” 

Lily nods, a small smile on her face, “Of course, we’d love to. Alex is going to die.” 

“If you know of anyone else in the paddock that’s a fan, just get a list together and send it to Lando with when you want to come and I’ll have Goldie arrange everything.” There’s a mischievous glint in Lily’s eye that has Molly pausing. “What?” 

“You know who else is a huge fan of yours? George. He’d never admit it but that man has your entire discography memorized.” 

"I kind of got that impression on Friday when I met him." Molly says with a laugh, "It sounds like Lando is going to have to extend a personal invitation to both George and Carmen then."