chapter two, proximity.
contains: lando norris x leclerc!reader (oc!marissa). female!reader. written smau. slightly angst. yearning. exes.
soundtrack: hate that i made you love me - ariana grande word count: 1.7k
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The sun was lazily climbing over the Melbourne sky; it was the complete opposite of last night, silent. The morning was warm and breezy, which made everything more peaceful, exactly what I needed, since I’m feeling the consequences of the last three drinks I had at the end of the night.
Oscar and Lily volunteered to host the drivers' brunch in the hotel. The terrace was private and welcoming; as I entered, the group was scattered around the big long table, and nobody was expected to be charming. As much as I’ve missed the partying, I also loved this quiet family-like moment.
"Good morning, beautiful people," I said, sitting across from Carmen and George. Alexandra and Charles arrived too, sliding in next to me.
"Good morning, lady. How are you doing after last night?" Alexandra asked.
"As usual, regretting half of the drinks I had," I said, lifting my sunglasses to rest on my hair.
Charles snorted. "You never learn, do you?"
I shrugged, sipping my coffee.
Carmen slid a plate of pastries toward the middle of the table, already halfway through her own. "There's croissants, but Lily hid the good ones from George and Alex after last time."
"That was one time," George said.
"You two ate the entire tray."
"We were hungry." Albon protested
Although it was a drivers' brunch, not all of them came; it ended up being just our usual friend group. Carlos and Rebecca arrived last. Rebecca greeted everyone with kisses on the cheeks while Carlos already had a coffee in his hand. “Are we discussing anyone's crime from last night already?”
“Not yet, but I can’t wait," Lily Muni said, making everyone chuckle.
“So you weren’t gonna wait for me?” Lando said, walking through the door.
I watched him across the table, sunglasses on despite the shade. His curls were messy, but it seemed like he tried to fix them; his shirt was not unbuttoned to the end, and it was a bit wrinkled. He dropped into the last available chair.
"Rough morning?" Charles said, sliding a coffee toward him.
"Something like that."
George squinted towards Lando in silence, drawing everyone's attention to what he was looking at, a pretty visible purple bruise on his neck.
"Definitely a rough night though,"
Lando's hand went to his collar a little too late, which only confirmed there was something to hide. "It's nothing."
"I don’t think so." Carlos joined the banter
"I ran into a cabinet."
"You ran into a cabinet," George repeated, delighted. "With your neck."
"It was a low cabinet."
"Was it blonde?" Alex teased
Charles reached over to pull Lando's collar down himself for a better look. "Oh, mate. That's — no, that's not a cabinet. That's a whole kitchen."
"Can we talk about something else?" Lando said, trying to use his shirt to cover it
"We could," Carlos said. "But I don’t think we want to."
I kept my eyes on my coffee, stirring it slowly, though I hadn't put anything in it that needed stirring. Again, that reality check invaded my mind.
When I looked up, Lando’s eyes were on me. Just for a second, something almost apologetic in it, like he wasn't sure what to do with that.
I raised an eyebrow, unhurried, and let myself smile in response to his gaze.
──
An hour went by, and after eating and drinking, the guys all gathered on one side of the table talking about boring things, and the girls decided to explore the terrace, taking pictures. A lot of ‘the lighting is better in here’ later, we settled on a couch far from the guys.
When we collapsed against the cushions, I noticed Alexandra watching me in my peripheral vision; the girls were scrolling through her shots, and I was observing them. When I finally looked up, she asked.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You've been a little quiet since you know who showed up."
I was fine, but I could be better. Without saying a word, I shrug as an answer.
"Is it annoying?" Rebecca pressed gently. "Being around him?"
Lily Muni glanced over from where she was scrolling through the photos, sharp enough to sense the shift in conversation. "Wait, yes, can we talk about it, please?"
"Are they actually together or is that just a thing?" Carmen asked, “I’m a bit lost with their story and yours too”
“I honestly don’t know what’s up between them. I haven’t talked to him in almost a year, and about our history, it feels like it’s been a long time but also not enough time,” I confessed.
"For how long were you two together, again?" Lily Muni pressed.
"Officially together, almost five years."
"Five years?" Carmen looked actually shocked. "That's–that's not a high school thing, that's like, a whole thing."
“Yeah.” I pressed my lips together
"But are you ok now?" Lily Zneimer asked
“I think I’m good; it is very confusing to be around him and not feel comfortable acting the same, but there’s no anger between us; it's just- that,” I hesitated, organizing my thoughts. “It used to be easier.”
“Do you miss him?” Rebecca asked, trying to sound casual
“Rebecca!” Alexandra scolded her
“What? This is a safe space; we don’t judge.”
I couldn’t avoid chuckling at their interaction.
“I think there’s a part of me that does miss him, or maybe miss what we used to be,” I paused, trying to land on something honest. “It's like going back into something I spent a year learning how to live without. And now he's here, and he looks at me like nothing's changed…so.”
“But you two did change,” Alexandra says
“I know, but…it’s still a lot to deal.”
“I think the most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Do you see yourself getting back with him? If so, it makes you feel good…” Carmen said
“Yeah, I’m working on it.” I lowered my head, nodding.
We moved on, talking about something else, catching up about life, and when they decided to leave, I said something about leaving too, but it was a lie. My mind was still circling back to the questions, looking up for answers.
I did think about Lando more times than I should. But it was still unclear, especially after seeing him, touching him and…
“Hey, I thought you had left too,” Lando's voice interrupts my thoughts.
“H-hey, yeah, I’ll go in a minute,” My voice sounded…nervous? “You scared me.”
“That’s why you have been avoiding me?”
“I’m not.”
“Then won’t mind if I stay here with you, right?”
“There isn’t a cabinet waiting for you in your room?” I teased him
He shakes his head, laughing softly as he sits down on the couch next to me. “Good to see you are still sharp.”
“Some things never change”
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his eyes spark a bit when he says, “Yeah, what about us?”
My chest does something dangerous. I shake my head and force myself to look away. “Lando–c’mon, don’t do this.”
“Mariss, we haven’t talked in months. I’ve reached out, but I haven’t seen you apart from pictures on the internet. I think it’s a fair question,” he said quietly, like he’s been holding onto that for months. “I missed you and I-I wasn’t prepared to see you and how much that would…”
“Yeah, I know,” I breathe out, fidgeting with my hands. “I missed you too”
His whole face changes when I say it, as I’ve just given him confirmation and permission to hope, and I hate that I did that.
"So what does that mean?" he asks, shifting closer, and I lean back, trying to keep a distance.
"I don’t think it means anything," I say, and my voice sounds brittle even to my own ears. "Lando, we can't just... we broke up and moved on with our lives; there’s no us anymore."
His body flinches a little, and his brows raise. It breaks my heart a little to see a spark of disappointment rest in his eyes.
He leans back, facing forward, and takes a deep breath. “So everything we had gone through…is supposed to be gone?” he asks, lifting his shoulders and dropping them.
“No, it’s just that…” I swallow this big lump in my throat. “I’ve spent months dealing with the fact that we went from being everything to nothing.”
His jaw tightens. "It wasn’t all fun and easy for me too."
"I know," I say, softer now. "What I mean is that everything we had gone through is why I can’t do this right now. Our history is a big part of who I am, more than I had realized, and I can’t go back to that guilt of the past and the hiding and deflecting and not letting things from the outside affect me.”
He's quiet for a moment, and I can see him wrestling with something, deciding whether to push.
“You know, we’d talked for months and months before ending things, and there’s still a lot to unpack. I’ve made a lot of mistakes back then and even now, and the hardest thing is that you are the only person who I would ask for advice.”
“I’m still me; our friendship didn’t end with our relationship. I just…we can’t mix things up.”
He nods like he’s defeated. “Just please, don’t become a stranger again.”
I smile softly. “ I won’t”
We held our gaze to each other like it was screaming everything all at once. The familiar beat of my heart towards him started. It never ended.
"Mr. Norris?" A hotel staff member appears from inside, looking apologetic. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Miss Corceiro is waiting for you in the lobby; she said it’s urgent.”
The moment shatters.
Lando closes his eyes, frustration flickering across his face before he stands up. He looks at me again but now with regret and tension.
“I’m sorry, talk to you later, okay?” he says quietly.
“Sure”
He slides his hands down his thighs and stands up. For a second he doesn't move, almost like he's getting ready to say something, but instead he just turns and walks away, and I'm alone again with the conversation left hanging.
I’m walking back to my room with the weight of Lando’s and my words. My thoughts were spiraling between the past, the present, and the future. It’s a fine line between standing on my decision and following my heart.
He has someone now; he did what I asked back then; he gave me the space and moved on. But why does it hurt?
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@paddockgossip
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paddockgossip: from the season opener celebrations to monday brunch, the traditions lives on!
The drivers were seen enjoying the night post-race in one of the most exclusive clubs, with a special DJ session by our race winner Lando Norris. The driver were spotted with actress Magui and friends until late in the night.
We received pictures showing that Alexandra Saint Mleux, Rebecca Donaldson and Marissa Leclerc were also present with Charles, Alex Albon, Carlos, George and Carmen!
By morning, the crew grid assembled for a gorgeous melbourne morning for their annual brunch. The friends' gathering was hosted by Oscar Piastri and Lily Zneimer and was attended by Charles, Alexandra, Marissa, George, Carmen, Alex, Lily M, Rebecca, Carlos and Lando!
Swipe through for some moments shared by the group. 💫
view all comments
user7: the things i would do to be around them user19: can't believe admin forgot to mention that leo was there too user13: just like old times!!! :') user65: i just KNOW some of them are still hungover in this brunch user99: magui, drunk lando and marissa under the same roof is cinema user02: how can they look good even when they're brunching??? user83: magui didn't attended the brunch? ↳ paddockgossip: from what we know, no! but there's pictures of her outside their hotel. user5: marissa leclerc. that's it. that's the comment. ↳ user32: she's looking SO HOT!!! ↳ user5: right???
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