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Lando staggered forwards, the exhaustion of the day finally taking its toll. It had been a rollercoaster, having reached the highest high before crashing right down again. And now, he longed to curl under the duvet and hide from the world. However, that wasn’t possible. He was expected to plaster a smile on his face, pull his hood up to combat the torrential downpour and carry on like nothing had happened. He supposed that nothing had happened – a victory sure as hell hadn’t! His phone had been ringing, a constant buzzing echoing through the room. He couldn’t bare to look at it, couldn’t bare to see the pitiful messages or the sadness in their words. He just wanted to wallow in his self-pity, just for a moment. He pushed his key into his hotel door.
At the sight of the flashing light that appeared, Lando wanted to cry. The frustration had been building all day but this was the final straw. He wasn’t sure what he’d done but the fates were not on his side today. Not baring a trip to reception, he slumped against the wall and drew his knees to his chest. He knew he would have to leave eventually, he couldn’t stay in the corridor forever, but for now, he craved a moment of respite, of much needed solitude. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sat there, his forehead positioned on his knees, blocking out the light but he was surprisingly comfortable. It was probably being out of the public eye, allowed to feel the overwhelming misery that had been weighing on him.
“You alright cabrón? Lost your key or something?” The familiar voice pulled Lando back to the present. Lando lifted his eyes and spotted the vibrant red before him. It was only at this point that Carlos spotted the tear-stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes. The laughter left Carlos’ eyes as he realised the situation before him. He hurried across the hallway and helped Lando to his feet.
“Come with me Lan…” He whispered softly as he slipped his arm around Lando’s waist, holding up the unsteady man. He rushed them through the hotel hallway, heading for the direction of his own room. He didn’t care who he pissed off, he wasn’t letting Lando back into the savage world of the watching media. They didn’t need to see him right now, not like this.
Once through his own door, he helped Lando take off his shoes and climb under the duvet. The sight tugged at his heart. Lando was buried deep, the thick duvet exposing just his redden eyes and messy curls. He longed to climb into bed with him, to hold him close and ease the pain. But that wasn’t what Lando needed right now. Or rather, it wasn’t who Lando needed right now. Pushing aside his own feelings, he looked at Lando and knew what would make the younger man feel better right now.
“Do you want me to call him?”
Lando nodded, looking incredibly sorry for himself. Mastering a fake smile of his own, Carlos picked up his phone and dialled the number. He had it stored in his own phone, claiming it was for emergencies, Lando had typed it in when they were teammates. So far, he had yet to use it but each time he scrolled through his contacts and his eyes landed on M, jealousy bubbled inside. Still, he pushed those feelings away, spoke briefly to Max before handing Lando the phone,
“He needs you Max…” He turned to Lando and smiled weakly, “I’ll be back in a bit cabrón, feel better soon…” Carlos said softly before slipping out of the hotel room door. He wasn’t sure where to go right now but he needed to give Lando his privacy. He knew how much the young man had wanted this moment. He’d been seeking his own victory for so long now too but this had slipped through the fingers of his best friend. And Lando deserved better. Instead, Carlos made the decision to head to the hotel bar, the thought of a strong beverage easing the ache in his own heart.
Meanwhile, at the sound of Max’s voice, Lando had perked up a little. The urge to be at home was overwhelming, he longed to be tucked under Max’s arms as he held him close. But he still had the long plane journey ahead of him and that was when he could even get out of here and head to the airport – his worldly possessions were still behind the door of his own room. His flight wasn’t scheduled until the next day anyway but Lando didn’t want to stay in Sochi a moment longer than he had to. He made a mental note of asking his boss if they could switch the flight to tonight. That way, he would get an extra night with Max before flying off again.
“Your time will come Lando, I promise…” The words had been spoken many a time today but leaving Max’s lips didn’t leave Lando with the same growing annoyance, they didn’t sound like they were laced with pity. Instead, they sounded true. Lando could believe it when Max said it. Max was right. His time was coming. His time was coming sooner than anyone expected. He was going to rise from today, stronger, and better than ever before. He had been denied the win but that wasn’t going to happen again. Next time, that victory would be his and the champagne would taste sweeter than ever before.
“Thanks Max, don’t wait up for me tonight. I love you…” It was a pointless request as it was something of a tradition. Since lockdown, since Max hadn’t needed to wake early, he would wait up for Lando’s flight, no matter how late it was. He wanted to be the first person to greet the smaller man. He wanted to kiss him, hold him tight. And even though Lando had told Max not to wake up, he secretly hoped that it would be the same tonight.
“I love you too Lan, safe flight…”
Lando had allowed himself enough time to wallow in self-pity but that time was over now. He knew what he had to do, he knew he had to stand tall and fight. He knew that was going to start with telling Zack that he wasn’t up to media commitments today, that he had to go home early. He knew that the team would have to come up with a thin excuse, one that everyone would see through when his heartache was so obvious, but this was what he needed. He needed Max. After hanging up the phone, he climbed out of Carlos’ bed and scrawled a note on the hotel pad. He owed a lot to Carlos, he was thankful that his best friend had found him, that he had taken care of him. But now, Carlos needed his own room back and Lando needed to go home. He didn’t even care that everything he owned wasn’t with him, he would ask the team to be so kind and pack it up. He needed to go, needed to get out of here. He needed to go home, to go to Max…