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At the end of the day, they were just teammates. What if their eyes said otherwise? What if their smiles indicated something more?
Oscar leans against the pit wall and watches Lando, deep in conversation with a mechanic. The echoes of the final race still in the air reminding that the season has just ended. More specifically Oscar’s rookie season has just ended.
He couldn't help but replay the moments of the season—each curve of the track, the roar of the engines, the taste of victory and the sting of defeat.
It was a journey, full of highs and lows and strengths and weaknesses. Full of laughs and tears and smiles and stress. But most importantly, full of Lando, the anchor that steadied him through the chaos.
Oscar deliberately counts to three Mississippi before looking away; a trick his little sister had taught him back when avoiding the gaze of a curly-haired girl in his middle school class seemed like a matter of life and death.
However, these days, Oscar no longer fears the embarrassment of being caught staring. Now he wears his vulnerability with a newfound confidence.
Moments later, he feels the need to stop pointlessly gazing at every corner of their papaya-colored garage, an irrational fear gripping him that, in the eyes of everyone else, he must either appear lost or simply foolish.
If he's honest with himself, both are true when Lando isn’t next to him. He has accepted that without Lando, the garage transformed from a sanctuary to a labyrinth.
He decides to open his phone and mindlessly scroll through Instagram with the most robotic of gestures. “No thoughts head empty” as the Internet always says.
And oh well, that reminds him of Carlos and that silly expression he wears when lost in thought during press conferences. Oscar can’t help but feel an ache in his chest while thinking of Carlos and how he always smiles so bright around Lando and how Lando smiles back and how matching those two are and how jealous he is of their friendship and how…
Oscar's thought process abruptly stops as an intense sensation of being watched washes over him. It's not just the feeling of eyes on him; it's as if someone is actively burning his skin with the intensity of their gaze.
For a moment, he imagines this must be how animals feel in a zoo cage—scrutinized, fully on display, and unable to escape.
In response, he decides to meet the gaze, lifting his eyes to match with -oh, what a surprise- Lando's.
Oscar hopes to find some hint of sentiment there but Lando's eyes offer no easy answers. Each step of the curly-haired racer toward him feels like a countdown and Oscar's adrenaline spikes with every passing moment.
When, finally, Lando stands in front of him he can only think of “It’s lights out and away we go” and this time he is willing to race for his life.
It's not a race on the track; it's a race for understanding, for connection, for something beyond the confines of the garage.
Lando speaks first, breaking the spell. "You know, I never thought I'd get so attached to your rookie mistakes," he says with a playful glint in his eyes.
Oscar smirks, relieved by the ease in Lando's tone. "Well, you've had a whole season to get used to them. Impressive, isn't it?"
Lando's smile widens, and he looks at Oscar playfully." Yeah, impressive is one way to put it. But seriously, it's been a hell of a season. We made a good team."
"Yeah, we did," Oscar agrees, his gaze softening. "I couldn't have asked for a better teammate."
Lando's expression turns more serious, and he takes a step closer. "I hope you know that it's not just about the races for me."
Oscar nods, a lump forming in his throat. "I know and Ι fully relate, mate. This season wouldn't have been the same without you."
Lando's eyes soften, and for a moment, it feels like the world around them fades away. "Oscar," he starts, his voice low, "there's something I've been wanting to say."
Oscar holds his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "What is it?"
Lando takes a deep breath, and then, with a slight smile, he says, "Let's not make this just about the season, okay? I don't want it to end here, I don’t want us to end here."
Oscar's heart skips a beat at the word choice, and he smiles, genuinely and full of vulnerability. "I'm all in, Lando. Whatever comes next, I'm ready for it."
Lando's eyes hold a mixture of relief and something deeper, something Oscar can’t really decipher. Lando steps even closer, their shoulders almost touching.
"I'm glad you said that" he admits, his voice a soft murmur. "Because there's a connection between us mate. Call it chemistry, call it whatever you want, but it's something I don't want to ignore."
Oscar's heartbeat quickens, and he takes a moment before responding, "I've felt it too. And I'm not planning on ignoring it either."
At the end of the day, they were not just teammates, because their eyes said otherwise, and their smiles indicated something more.