🧡 ᴜɴᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ — ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 14: ᴛʜᴇ Qᴜɪᴇᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴏᴀᴅᴄᴀꜱᴛ 🧡
ꜰ1 x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ʟᴀɴᴅᴏ ɴᴏʀʀɪꜱ ᴀᴜ | ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ + ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ
⚠️ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ:
ᴘᴀᴘᴀʀᴀᴢᴢɪ/ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ
ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ
ʀᴇꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ-ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴛʀᴇꜱꜱ
ɪɴᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛꜱ (ʟᴜᴄᴀ’ꜱ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ)
ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ ᴇxᴘᴏꜱᴜʀᴇ/ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ
ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴄʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ-ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ
The sky outside was still tinged with pale silver when (Y/n) made her way down the promenade. The air smelled like sea salt and early pastries, the city not quite awake but never fully asleep.
She turned the corner where the old fig tree curved toward the boutique’s alley, only to see him already there.
Leaning against the side of his car, cap pulled low, coffee in hand.
Lando.
He looked tired, hoodie sleeves pushed up, eyes shadowed not just by his sunglasses but something heavier. He gave her a small nod as she approached. No smile this time.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
They got in and drove.
This time, it wasn’t a scenic cliff or a noisy marina. He took her to the roof of a quiet parking structure a few blocks inland. No paparazzi. No PR staff. Just a gentle breeze, the soft hum of the city waking up beneath them, and the distant scent of espresso from a café far below.
They stood beside the car in silence for a moment, until (Y/n) broke it.
“You saw the thread.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t want to believe it’d spread this fast.”
“It always does.”
Another pause. He looked over. “You okay?”
She met his eyes. “Are you?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. It’s like… everything’s coming in fast now. Press. Oscar giving me that look. Even Andrea asked if I was distracted. I told him it was just the car setup. It wasn’t.”
(Y/n) looked away. “I never meant to affect your driving.”
“You didn’t.” A beat. “But hiding you? Pretending it’s all nothing? That’s affecting me.”
Her breath caught.
“But you said—”
“I know what I said,” Lando interrupted, quieter now. “But things change. People change.”
(Y/n) hesitated, her arms crossed against the wind. “And what if it doesn’t go away? What if they dig? What if they find out everything?”
Lando didn’t answer at first. Then, carefully: “Then maybe it’s time we figure out what ‘everything’ even means.”
(Y/n)’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… do we keep pretending this is temporary? Or do we start thinking like it’s not?”
He stepped closer. Not crowding her, just close enough that she could feel the warmth of him in the cold morning air.
“I’m not saying it’s easy,” he added. “But I’m not scared anymore. I can’t be.”
She swallowed thickly. “You’re not the one carrying the weight.”
“No. But I want to help carry you through it. If you let me.”
It was the gentleness in his voice that did it. That undid something in her. She blinked fast, looking up at the hazy sky instead of him.
“You’re really not scared?”
He smiled faintly. “Terrified. But I’d rather be terrified with you than pretend I don’t care.”
Later that day, the boutique buzzed with soft chatter and folding tissue paper. Carla hung up a rack of linen dresses while Amara rang up a customer.
(Y/n) stepped into the back with a small sigh of relief, dropping her tote beside her.
Carla followed, holding her phone, her face lit up in half-shock. “So… do I congratulate you now or wait for the press conference?”
(Y/n) groaned. “Please tell me it’s not more photos.”
“Nope,” Carla said. “It’s a post.”
She flipped her phone around.
A photo. From behind. Lando and (Y/n), side-by-side on the parking deck, backs to the camera, the sun casting gold between them. No tags. No location. Just the caption:
Sometimes the quiet moments speak loudest.
Amara peeked over Carla’s shoulder. “That’s his account.”
“Yeah,” Carla added. “Guess he’s not hiding anymore.”
(Y/n) stared at the image for a long time, her chest rising slowly.
The caption felt deliberate. Unrushed. Honest.
And in that moment, for the first time since the bathroom test, she felt like maybe—just maybe—she didn’t have to carry the whole world alone.
Meanwhile, across town, a phone buzzed against an empty espresso saucer.
Luca picked it up slowly, scrolling through the post.
He zoomed in.
His mouth twitched, just slightly.
He set the phone back down and signaled for another drink.
“Let’s see how long that lasts,” he murmured.
To be continued... 🧡
🧡 ᴜɴᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ — ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 15: “ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢᴜʏ” ɢᴇᴛꜱ ʙᴏʟᴅᴇʀ 🧡
📝 Note from the Author: Second post of the day, Alarwynnites 😭 You already know I couldn’t resist, I had to drop another one for the chaos-hungry hearts 💥
Thank you again for all the love, support, and unhinged reactions. You make this little corner of the internet feel like home 💫
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With love, me 🧡