Any news on if my lifeline (Next chapter of EQDS) will be let out of its cage đ„ș
asking myself that too đ
but⊠as a little treat, heres the intro to Chapter 10: CLIPPING to ward off the withdrawal
âââ
âLando,â Carlos said, accent warm and unmistakable. âAbout time.â
Landoâs stomach dropped. Not the good kind of recognitionâthe kind that made his mouth go dry and his palms sweat.
Carlos fucking Sainz. In white linen like heâd wandered out of a yacht brochure, sleeves rolled like he was heading to brunch in Ibiza instead of smashing balls in Richmond. Dark hair swept back, eyes big and brown and fucking ridiculous. Expensive. Effortless.
And shorter than Lando expectedâjust a little over his height. Which somehow made it worse. How could someone not towering still radiate boss-level confidence?
Daniel pushed off the Aston Martin heâd been leaning againstâall coordinated athleisure and designer trainers that screamed I have a personal shopper. He bounced a padel ball lazily against the ground, catching it one-handed. Sunglasses slid halfway down his nose, eyes dragging slow over Lando. Too knowing.
âLook who finally crawled out of the club,â Daniel said, grin wide but edged. âYou sober enough for this, mate?â
Heat prickled up Landoâs neck. His vintage Juve jersey suddenly felt cheap. Faded. The SONY logo cracked and peeling. Mesh shorts clinging wrong to his thighs.
âIâm fine.â
âCourse you are.â Danielâs smile sharpened. âRetro chic. Very Hackney flea market.â
Carlos stepped forward, hand outâno, not a stiff handshake, a dap. Smile easy, shoulders relaxed. âCarlos. Good to finally meet you.â
Landoâs brain stalled. He went for it anyway, nearly fumbled the grip with his big hands, but Carlos adjusted quick, smooth, saving the rhythm before it collapsed. Warm. Smaller than heâd expected. Steady enough to make his chest go tight.
âLewis,â Lando blurted, then winced. âFuckâsorry. Carlos. Obviously. I know who you are.â
Daniel doubled over laughing. âOh my god.â
Carlos just grinned wider, eyes crinkling. âIâll take it. Lewis is not so bad, no? Very fast also. I donât mind.â
Lando wanted the ground to open up.
âAnd I know who you are too,â Carlos added, grin tugging sideways. âOscar plays your music all the time. Very good stuff.â
Lando blinked. âHe does?â
Oscar was suddenly at his shoulderâwhite polo, navy shorts, like heâd stepped straight out of a Ralph Lauren ad. His ears had gone pink.
âDonât let it go to your head,â Oscar muttered, elbow brushing Landoâs arm. Voice steady, almost fond. âHeâs still half asleep. Arenât you?â
The save landed so neatly it almost felt true.
âYeah. Long night in the studio,â Lando mumbled. Guilt twisted his stomach. Oscar was covering for him. Again. Without being asked.
âAh.â Carlos nodded, leaning in conspiratorially. âThe creative process. Very mysterious.â He dropped his voice. âI wrote one song once. In year six. About⊠pizza. Didnât win the talent show.â
Daniel groaned. âHere we go.â
Carlos only shrugged, grin crooked. âWhat? It had rhyme.â He tapped Landoâs shoulder like they were co-conspirators already. âBetter than Juveâs last season anyway.â
âUnited, actually,â Lando muttered too fast.
Carlos lit up. âUnited? Even worse. Butârespect.â He winked. âPain builds character.â
Daniel was already laughing again. âYou two are gonna get along. Same tragic taste.â
Lando didnât know whether to feel included or roasted alive. Probably both.
Oscar cleared his throat, eyes flicking between them. âArsenalâs top of the table and none of you are talking about it,â he said, deadpan. âBut weâre not here for footy, so maybe save it for the pub.â
Carlos laughed. âTop of the table, he says.â
Daniel flicked the ball heâd been palming up and caught it again, smirk sharp. âGod, you really are boring, mate.â
Oscar only shrugged, mouth twitching. âStill winning, though.â
And LandoâLando just felt the heat creep higher, because somehow Oscar managed to sound like both a smug Arsenal fan and the grown-up in the room, and that made his chest feel too tight.