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When the invitation arrived at his door, Lando couldn't believe it. It took him days to accept that his college ex-boyfriend was getting married. The same boyfriend Lando was still in love with to this day. The invitation was beautiful, just as Lando imagined when he thought about marrying Oscar. The golden letters contrasted against the white paper with details in a faded green tone. A sigh escaped his lips, wet with the tears that had fallen without him even realizing. His name was written in a pretty font, but Oscar and Lily's names were highlighted in cursive. That Tuesday, Lando didn’t leave the house. The following Wednesday was the same.
—
Two months went by, and Lando's nightmare knocked on his front door. It was Oscar's wedding day. His suit looked nice; he had dressed exactly as it was on the invitation. A black suit with some green detail. When he heard the honk outside, he quickly deduced it was George and Alex; they had also been invited to the wedding. Lando left the house, turning off the lights, looking at his couch while seriously contemplating whether he should go, but he would. He locked the door and hurried to the car, entering through the back door. George was responsible for buying the gifts with everyone’s money, as Alex and Lando wouldn’t know how to choose gifts.
The journey was silent; Lando had said very few words as he was too deep in thought regarding the wedding, and George and Alex respected that. When they parked in front of the church, George, who was driving, simply turned around and looked at Lando with his deep blue eyes.
— I know this might seem really strange, going to your ex's wedding that you still love, so if you want to leave early at the party or don’t even want to step into the hall, just let me or Alex know, please. We are your best friends above everything; we want what’s best for you. — Lando nodded, knowing he wouldn’t say anything. Deep down, George and Alex knew that too.
— Don’t hide somewhere to drink alone and cry; if you want to talk at any time, George and I will be there for you. — Alex was more brief with his words, typical of Alexander Albon.
— I won’t; if I want to leave, I’ll let you know, I swear. Now let’s go, I think we’re a bit late.
When they entered the church, a wave of sadness washed over Lando. Everyone present knew about their past, and some even stared at Lando shamelessly. George seemed to be looking for someone specific, and when he found him, he quickly grabbed Lando and Alex's hands. It was Charles, a friend of the three. Lando greeted him with a small, forced smile on his face, quickly looking away and down at his black dress shoes. He was lost in thought, perhaps thinking about how he would get out of there without being seen, how he would get drunk enough to be thrown out of the wedding...
Lando was so lost that he didn’t notice when the doors opened; everyone stood up, and Oscar entered with his mother to the sound of some instrumental that Lando didn’t recognize. And wow, Oscar looked beautiful, just like the last time they saw each other, two years ago. Since they were at the back, it was easy for Oscar to look in their direction. When their eyes met, Lando felt as if his world was collapsing, and then he recognized the song. The Scientist, by Coldplay. Oscar had mentioned that when he married Lando, he would enter to that song. Norris's green eyes were now glimmering a blue hue due to the tears, he blinked a few times and looked away, staring at the altar. There was a lump in his throat; Lando was screwed.
Minutes after Oscar ascended the altar, the instrumental of You Belong With Me began to play loudly in the church just as the doors opened. Everyone stood up again, and when Lily entered the church in her beautiful white dress, Lando felt his throat close up. You Belong With Me was the song Lando would have entered to. She looked stunning in a way that Lando would never be if he married Oscar. Deep down, he knew that Lily and Oscar would end up together; that was what his college paranoia said, and they were right. Lily smiled in the direction of Lando, Alex, George, and Charles; Lando reciprocated, after all, she was his friend. And certainly, the other three did too. When Lily reached the altar, all the guests sat back down. Lando lowered his head and let some tears roll down his face. The ceremony began.
Two hours later, the ceremony ended. At the moment of the "I do," George placed a hand on Lando's shoulder for support. Lando imagined himself on that altar, wearing a white suit with green details. He imagined himself smiling at Oscar and reciting the wedding vows he had discarded on his cell phone three years ago. And none of that would happen because Oscar was married now. Oscar and Lily had left the church to the sound of Young And Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. Lando had imagined so many times leaving the church alongside Oscar to that song.
On the way to the reception hall, Alex asked him if he was okay. Lando didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t, and the tears still streaming down his face betrayed that. Alex understood immediately; George was merely casting some sad, understanding looks at Lando through the rearview mirror.
When they arrived at the reception hall, they quickly searched for table number 28. End Game by Taylor Swift was playing at a low volume; it was part of the wedding playlist Lando listened to when he imagined marrying Oscar. Charles was sitting at the next table with Carlos and Pierre, Pierre who was clearly the third wheel.
About twenty minutes later, the hall fell completely silent, and the lights went out. Everyone stood up to applaud the newlyweds entering through the reception hall doors. Photograph by Ed Sheeran was now playing. It was the couple's first dance song, and Lando had suggested that for his wedding with Piastri. Alex draped his arm around Lando's neck for support, but it didn’t help. During the chorus, Norris let out all the tears he could. Everyone in the hall was crying, so he could pretend it was because of the emotion, but it was sadness. His heart was completely shattered; he was suffocating with his own sobs.
— I can’t do this. — Lando whispered to Alex, who enveloped him in a hug. Next to him was George, who was gently patting his back. It hurt as if they were ripping his heart out of his chest. His luck was that they were at the back of the dimly lit hall; no one would see Lando crying for being at his ex's wedding.
The next dance was to "18" by One Direction, the age at which he and Oscar met. But it was also the age at which Oscar and Lily met. Lando stepped away from Alex, looking gratefully at him and George. George had noticed that Lando still had tears welling up in his eyes, and it broke him inside. Lando was his best friend; he didn’t deserve to go through this torture. The third dance was to an instrumental of "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor. Lando recognized that all the songs had been added to his old shared playlist with Oscar, and that was breaking him even more. When the chorus of the song came, golden confetti burst out. That had been his idea.
About ten minutes later, the dance floor was open. Contrary to what he had thought, Lando hadn’t drunk a drop of alcohol. He just sat in his chair, staring at a fixed point on the floor while his friends drank and danced. He didn’t know how long he had been like that, but it was long enough for Oscar to come to the table. He sat in the chair that George had been in before being dragged to the dance floor with Alex by Charles. Lando looked up, knowing that his eyes were probably vacant and empty; that’s how he felt.
— Congratulations on the wedding. I’m happy that you… chose her. — Lando's voice came out broken; he cursed himself for it; it didn’t seem real now. But it wasn’t real. He wasn’t happy.
— Thank you, I think it was always her. — Always her. Always her. Always her. That felt like a stab. Lando forced a smile.
— Yeah, I know. Thanks for the invitation, by the way.
— I… really hoped you would come. I was happy when I saw you. — Oscar lowered his head, and Lando wanted to die. He couldn’t despise him one moment and then say he was happy to see him the next. Lando cleared his throat.
— Well, I think I need to go. Alex made some gesture, and I think George has had too much to drink; congratulations again. — Lando spoke hurriedly and got up; Alex hadn’t made any gesture. Oscar held his wrist.
— I still love you, Lando. — His voice came out whispered, and now Lando wanted to kill Oscar.
— Then why? Why did you marry her? Why didn’t you marry me? Oscar, we had everything! — He couldn’t shout; he was choked up from recent tears.
— I couldn’t; you don’t understand. Lando, you are free; I’m not. I couldn’t marry you given the place where I work.
— You could. If you really wanted to, you would find a way. Thanks for the party; it was amazing. — His tone was firm now; Lando felt stressed. He pulled his wrist free from Oscar’s grip and walked away, heading towards Alex, who was trying to balance a cup of beer on his head.
— We need to go. — Alex quickly understood, nudging George, who was drinking a cocktail that Charles had made. Lando went over to Lily, smiling sadly and wishing her a good married life. She was made for Oscar, and now he understood that.
Outside the hall, George and Alex bombarded him with questions about what Oscar wanted, and Lando spoke. Even if Oscar was right, there was no way to go back to having a relationship with him. Oscar was a famous guy; he appeared on television sometimes, and people knew about his life. Lando didn’t. Lando had a private account on Instagram and Twitter; he posted more pictures of his friends than of himself. They were now different; there was no turning back.
Lando Norris would always love Oscar Piastri, no matter how much time passed. Oscar Piastri would always love Lando Norris, no matter how much time passed, but he couldn’t have him.