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Previously on, 'When the Honeymoon Fades'…
“Can you believe what he did?” Alex asked, leaning forward. “Oscar’s boyfriend brought another girl to their apartment.” His eyes, wide with a mix of shock and amusement, darted between Lily, his girlfriend, George and Max. “When he was back in Australia!”
“No fucking way, you can’t be serious!” George gasped, dropping his fork with a clatter. “I fucking knew Logan was a cheater. He always gave me the vibe that he was.” He looked at Max, whose expression was a mix of fascination and horror.
“By the way, it gets worse,” Alex continued. “When Oscar confronted him about it, he literally tried to gaslight Oscar, saying that she was just a friend.”
“What the fuck?” Lily blinked in disbelief. Max’s facial expression was now just full of horror. Neither of them could believe what they were hearing.
“Wait, how do you know this and not me?” George asked.
“Lando texted me about it. Oscar called him, crying the whole of last night.” Alex was now holding his phone, showing the text messages to the other 3.
“I feel sorry for Oscar,” Max shook his head slowly, a dramatic sigh escaping his lips. “This is why he looked so off today during today’s filming for the new intro.”
“I’m gonna set his car on fire!” George exclaimed dramatically.
“He doesn’t have a car for you to set fire to, honey,” Max said nonchalantly.
“You’re not wrong…”
“I know this is too soon for me to say it, but I think Oscar and Lando look good together,” Max added.
“I kinda agree with Max on this,” Alex nodded his head. “Both of them always had the chemistry between them.”
“Yeah, that’s because they’ve been teammates for like 4 years, babe.” Lily chimed in on the conversation.
“Have you seen Lando whenever he’s with Oscar, mate? He’s like a lovesick puppy. And unfortunately, his love is one-sided,” Max added.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's relationship was purely business. Some would say their friendship was fan service, a PR friendship. They traded verbal jabs in their interviews. It was a constant battle between them, one-upping each other. As usual, the media eats each act up, even framing them as the ‘golden boys’ locked in a bitter feud.
Behind the scenes, their relationship was far from being a PR friendship. Initially, it was true, their relationship was purely business; however, as time passed, they spent more time together, and a friendship blossomed between them.
When Oscar walked into the meeting room in the McLaren Technology Centre, Lando knew that Oscar Piastri was going to be his new teammate. A rookie sensation with an icy demeanour and laser-like focus on the track. During Oscar’s F2 and F3 days, he rarely spoke to the media beyond a few clipped sentences and was even colder to his former teams, preferring to work in solitude with his engineers.
And, somehow, Lando was drawn into Oscar’s icy personality even though he was slightly intimidated by him. Throughout their first year together, Oscar seemed to want nothing to do with Lando, offering only terse answers and nods. Most of the time, Lando attributes it to Oscar’s legendary focus and tries not to take it personally, though sometimes he can’t help but be a little disappointed. The media picked up on the coldness between them and had fun with it. Hundreds and thousands of articles were written about their relationship. The McLaren team had to deny the allegations against them constantly.
But, then, bit by bit, Lando starts to notice the little things. Oscar, in his quiet way, begins to show his true colours. After a long day of simulator work, Lando finds a meticulously annotated data sheet on his desk, highlighting the exact corners where he was losing time. There were no notes, just data, which he realised later was from Oscar’s own session. Another time, after a particularly gruelling qualifying, Lando sees Oscar in the debrief room, patiently listening to his engineer’s feedback, offering quiet, insightful suggestions that showed a different side to his meticulous nature.
He starts to see Oscar for who he really is: not cold, but reserved. Like a cat, he was cautious and observant, waiting to trust. But once Oscar does, he is incredibly kind and loyal. One rainy morning, Oscar doesn’t say anything and just offers an umbrella with a small, almost imperceptible smile. Lando felt his heart skip a beat. The world’s coldest driver wasn’t cold at all; he was just waiting for the right person to see him for who he was. And now that Lando Norris has, he knew he had fallen in love with Oscar Piastri.
However, that was a slight problem; Logan Sargeant had already taken Oscar Piastri. It was well known that Oscar was in a romantic relationship with another driver, Logan Sargeant. Lando would often see Logan waiting for Oscar after practice, a quiet presence on the sidelines. The way Oscar’s entire face would soften when Oscar saw him, the way Logan would kiss Oscar’s head as they walked into the paddock.
Lando felt like he was living in a constant state of beautiful, excruciating contradiction. It was a strange kind of hope mixed with a continuous, quiet heartbreak. Every time he saw Oscar, his heart soars. He feels a thrill just being near Oscar, and for a split second, he forgets that he was just a friend and a coworker. The world was bright and full of possibilities.
But that feeling was always followed by the crushing weight of reality. Lando saw the casual touch Oscar shared with Logan, the easy intimacy of a long-standing relationship. It was a gut-wrenching feeling that reminded him of his place on the sidelines. Lando was left to watch the love story he wished he was part of, celebrating Oscar’s happiness while his own heart ached.
It was a lonely existence, a secret Lando couldn’t tell anyone because to him, it felt foolish, or worse, selfish. Lando wanted Oscar all to himself. He wants to steal Oscar away from Logan. How could he have fallen for a taken man? Why did he fall in with Oscar Piastri?
Even when Lando tried his best to hide his feelings for Oscar, Lando’s friends weren’t blind and stupid. They had caught on to what was happening. They knew they had to intervene, not to stop his feelings for Oscar, but to protect Lando from further heartache.
So, they started with a gentle push. “Hey, my cousin is in town,” Max would say casually at paddle. “He’s also a huge paddle player. I was thinking you two could grab a drink or two.”
Lando would go, of course, because he was a good friend. Although Max’s cousin was friendly and charismatic, Lando’s mind was always on Oscar. He’d check his phone to see if the team group chat was active, hoping to catch a glimpse of what Oscar was up to. He would try to listen to his date, but his voice would fade into the background hum as Lando thought about the conversation he’d had with Oscar earlier during that day’s practice.
George was more direct. “I have a friend who’s perfect for you,” he’d announce, showing Lando a picture of his friend. “He’s also a gamer, and you love gaming. Just one date. For me, your bestie?”
Lando would agree, and he’d try. He’d attempt a conversation with George’s friend, but Lando still couldn’t shake the feeling of being somewhere he didn’t want to be. Each date felt less like a new beginning and more like a reminder of the person he wished he were with.
His friends’ well-intentioned efforts became a quiet campaign. The more they tried to set him up, the more he withdrew. Lando knew they meant well, but their actions felt like a constant, painful acknowledgement of his unrequited love. Every new date was a fresh layer of proof that what he wanted was not only unavailable but also something they all wanted him to get over. The dates were meant to be a distraction, but they turned out to have an opposite effect.
One day, Lando had just finished a session in the simulator, his mind still buzzing with data and lap times. While he walked back to his resting area, passing by Oscar’s, which was next to his, Lando heard it—a sharp, strained voice muffled by the closed door. It was Logan, and the tone was unmistakably angry. Lando hesitated, his hand hovering over his doorknob. He couldn’t make out the words Logan and Oscar were hurling at each other, just the rising and falling of a heated exchange.
A few moments later, Oscar’s door was thrown open. Logan stormed out, his face a mask of fury. Logan didn’t even notice Lando’s presence, his strides long and purposeful as they hurried down the corridor and out of sight.
Lando’s gaze snapped back at Oscar’s doorway. Oscar stood in the middle of the room, his shoulders hunched. The visible tension in his body was a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanour. His face was pale, his eyes wide and glassy, and his jaw was set in a way Lando had never seen before. He didn’t just look upset; he was utterly devastated and defeated.
Though Lando’s first instinct was to comfort Oscar, he hesitated. After being teammates with Oscar for the past 4 years, he’d never seen Oscar like this. The man was a rock, an unbreakable force of calm. Lando had no idea what to say, or if he even had the right to say anything at all. He just stood there, caught between wanting to comfort his privacy, the silent, heavy air between them filled with a quiet, undeniable pain.
He knew he couldn’t just leave Oscar like that; the condition that Oscar was in made Lando’s heart break. Taking in a deep breath, Lando knocked on Oscar’s room door.
“Hey, Lando said, his voice soft, a complete shift from his usual playful vibe. “Everything alright?”
Oscar looked at Lando, his eyes now red-rimmed. He shook his head slowly, a silent admission of defeat. He didn’t even attempt to hide his pain, and that vulnerability was more unsettling to Lando than any angry outburst could have been.
Lando entered, closing the door cautiously behind him. He didn’t try to pry or ask what happened. He knew Oscar wasn’t in the right state of mind either to answer his questions. Instead, he pulled up a chair and just sat, a comforting, quiet presence. The sound of rain hitting the glass window filled the void, as they sat there in silence.
Finally, Oscar broke the silence. “I’m just tired of fighting,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse. “Tired of not being enough.”
At first, Lando didn’t say anything, but sat there and listened. He knew better than to offer platitudes. Instead, he just let Oscar pour his heart out, a torrent of frustration and sadness. When Oscar was done, Lando reached out and hugged Oscar, soothing him.
“You are enough,” Lando assured Oscar, his voice firm and steady. “You’re more than enough. You’re the best teammate I’ve ever had, and one of the best drivers on the grid. Whatever Logan said to you… It’s not true.”
Little did Lando know that this was the beginning of the frequent arguments he would witness between Oscar and Logan.
Over the next few weeks, the fights became a regular, painful soundtrack to the season. Lando would overhear them in the corridors of McLaren’s headquarters, in the hospitality suite, and even sometimes echoing faintly from Oscar’s side of the garage. The once-private, muffled disputes were now louder, more frequent, and more hostile.
Lando began noticing the toll these arguments were taking on Oscar’s mental and physical health. It made Lando’s heart break even more, seeing him in this state. His teammates usual calm focus started to fray. During debriefs, Oscar’s attention would drift, his responses becoming short and distracted. His on-track performance, while still excellent, lacked the consistent, unshakeable precision Oscar was known for. He would be visibly more tense before a session, and Lando could see him flinch whenever his phone buzzed with a message.
Soon, the rest of the team noticed, too. The cheerful, easy-going atmosphere of the McLaren garage became strained. Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one dared to comment, least of all Lando. He felt a more profound, more complicated sense of helplessness. All he wanted to do was to help Oscar, but he knew that he couldn’t do anything about it. And, it would be selfish of him to take advantage of the situation.
During mid-season, the rumour of Logan cheating on Oscar became a hot topic. At first, it started in the paddock, and then it slowly spread onto social media feeds. A grainy, out-of-focus photo of Logan getting out of a taxi with someone else late at night. The gossip sites framed it as ‘paparazzi spotting’, but the image was so low-quality that it could’ve been just anyone. Lando, like the rest of the team, dismissed it as baseless gossip.
A few months later, a higher-quality photo surfaced. Logan was seen entering Oscar’s and his shared apartment building in Monaco with another woman. This time, the image was undeniable. The cheater had his hand on the woman’s lower back, a casual, intimate gesture that spoke volumes. The accompanying articles weren’t a question; they were a statement of fact, suggesting a new relationship was blossoming behind closed doors.
The whole situation happened while Oscar was back in Australia during the offseason, taking his break. Before he had left, Oscar had announced that he would be gone for a whole month, so the sudden appearance of Oscar in Monaco was a surprise to everyone.
Lando felt a cold dread settle in his stomach when he saw Oscar at the team factory. The air in the factory was thick with a tense, unspoken dread, too. By now, everyone had seen the photos and read the articles, but no one dared to mention it. It was a shared secret, a painful reality that hung in the silence between the hum of machinery and the murmur of engineers.
Oscar was a ghost of his usual self. He moved through the factory with a practised, hollow composure, a mask of his professionalism so tight that it looked like it was causing him physical pain. His face expressionless, his eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze for fear of seeing pity. Oscar sat in his simulator pod for hours, his focus absolute, but Lando noticed the subtle, almost imperceptible mistakes Oscar usually never makes. Oscar’s reflexes were a fraction of a second slower, his inputs just a hair off. It was the kind of thing only another F1 driver would notice, but it was there, a crack in the armour Oscar had worked so hard to maintain, cracked by Lando.
When Lando passed him in the corridor, he tried to offer a small, reassuring smile, but Oscar barely registered it. He was a man fighting to keep shattering in a place where any sign of weakness could be a career-ender. Oscar was holding himself together with a sheer force of will, but Lando could see the trembling in his hands as he held the steering wheel. Oscar was now a silent, wounded figure in a world of noise and speed, a constant reminder of the painful reality that was current in his life.
Lando couldn’t shake the question that had been gnawing at him: Why? It made no sense why anyone would betray and hurt Oscar. Oscar was a fiercely loyal person, someone who’d do anything for the people he cared about. From Lando’s perspective, Oscar was the ideal partner. He was a good person, a private person, not one to flaunt his success or live a flashy lifestyle. He was grounded, dependable, and genuine—the kind of person you’d be lucky to have in your life.
So why would anyone cheat on him? Why would his partner risk losing all of that for a fleeing fling? Lando couldn’t wrap his head around it. It felt like a fundamental injustice, a breach of the unspoken rules of decency. He kept replaying the moments in his head, searching for a flaw in Oscar, a reason for his partner’s betrayal, but he found nothing. The more Lando thought about it, the more enraged he became. It wasn’t just sadness he felt for Oscar; it was furious, protective anger. It was an insult to his friend, a cruel act that went against every bit of logic Lando understood.
A text came in just before midnight, a single message. ‘Can you talk?’
Lando’s phone buzzed on his nightstand, and he picked it up immediately, not even bothering to check who it was from. He already knew. He hit the accept button, and the line connected.
“Hey,” Lando said softly. He didn’t get a verbal response, just the shaky sound of someone trying to hold back a sob.
“Oscar?”
And the dam broke. A choked, heart-wrenching sob echoed through the phone. It was the sound of a man who had finally given up on being strong. Lando’s own heart ached as well in his chest, a deep, physical pain. He could feel his own eyes welling up with tears, even though he was not the one who got betrayed.
“I saw them, Lando,” Oscar choked out, his voice a raw, broken whisper. “At our apartment. I saw them.”
Even with the short phrases, Lando knew exactly what Oscar was talking about. He just listened, letting his friend finally release all the pain and humiliation he had been bottling up.
“He told me it was just a fling,” Oscar cried, his voice thick with tears. “That it didn’t mean anything, but I saw them, Lando, in my home… with her. He cheated on me.”
“I know, mate,” Lando said, his voice thick with emotion. “I know.”
Lando didn’t try to offer solutions or platitudes. He just listened, his own silence a testament to his friendship. He knew what Oscar needed wasn’t advice, but a witness. A person who would listen to his pain, acknowledge his hurt, and let him know he wasn’t alone. He knew he was the only one Oscar would call, the only one who had seen this side of him. It was a secret, an intimacy shared between two people in the silent language of friendship and heartbreak.
The next day at the McLaren Technology Centre, it was silent, a rarity, just peaceful hums of machinery and quiet concentration. Oscar was hunched over a laptop in a meeting room alone, his shoulders still visibly tense. Lando was outside, chatting with a staff member, keeping a casual but watchful eye on his teammate. It was a long night for Oscar.
All of a sudden, loud footsteps could be heard by everyone, from the end of the corridor towards the direction of the meeting room. The mood shifted instantly. It was Logan, Oscar’s now ex-boyfriend. He looked haggard, his face a mix of remorse and fury. He had ignored everyone, even Lando and went straight to Oscar. The door to the meeting room swung open.
“I need to talk to you,” Logan demanded, his voice low and strained. “I’m sorry, okay? I know I made a grave mistake.”
Without looking up, his jaw set, Oscar replied. “How did you get in here? You shouldn’t be here.”
Logan’s attempt at an apology quickly curdled into anger. “Are you not even going to look at me while talking to me? You’re gonna throw away after everything we had?” I told you, babe, she was just a friend.” He stepped closer to Oscar, his voice rising. “I gave you my sincere apology! What else do you want from me?!”
Oscar finally looked up, his eyes a mix of pain and exhaustion. “I want you to leave. I want you out of my life. I have made myself extremely clear last night,” Oscar gave his ultimatum sternly.
The words were a match to Logan’s fuse. His face twisted in rage, and he lunged forward, grabbing Oscar by the front of his shirt. “So, you’re just gonna throw it all away because of a stupid mistake?!” Logan spat, shoving Oscar against the desk.
It was an instant reaction. Lando saw the shove, and a cold, protective fury surged through him. Lando moved quickly, grabbing Logan’s wrist with one hand and prying his fingers off Oscar’s shirt.
“Get your fucking hands off him,” Lando’s voice was low and dangerous, a tone that someone had rarely ever heard from Lando before. He pushed Logan back, putting himself squarely between the two of them.
Logan stumbled, his face contorted in a sneer. He glanced between Lando’s protective stance and Oscar’s stunned expression. Desperation and venom poured out of him.
“Oh, I get it now,” Logan spat, a cruel, knowing look in his eyes. He laughed bitterly, poking a finger at Lando’s chest. “It’s you, isn’t it? He’s been cheating on me with you this whole time, hasn’t he?”
“What the actual fuck are you saying?” Lando swatted his fingers away.
“You think I’ve never noticed the way you look at him?” Logan raised an eyebrow at Lando in a cocky way.
The accusation hung in the air, a shocking, baseless lie. Oscar’s face went white. Lando felt a wave of cold disgust.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Lando commanded. “Get your fuckass out of here before I call security.”
Logan sneered one last time, a pathetic victory in his eyes as he turned and stormed out. Lando didn’t take his eyes off him until he was entirely out of sight. When Lando turned back, Oscar was frozen, his hands grasping the desk to steady himself. The weight of the new, vile accusation hung in the air like a foul odour.
“Hey,” Lando said softly, his voice cutting through the tension. He walked over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the room, grabbed a bottle of water, and twisted the cap off. “Here, take this.”
At first, Oscar didn’t move, then Lando gently nudged the bottle into his hand. “Drink.”
Oscar’s fingers trembled as he took the bottle, still in shock as to what had happened. He took a long, slow gulp, the sound of the water a quiet, grounding noise in the sterile room. Lando didn’t try to fill the silence with platitudes or questions. He just stood there in silence, his presence a steady anchor in the chaotic aftermath.
Finally, Oscar looked up, his eyes meeting Lando’s. The raw pain was still there, but now it was mixed with a deep, weary sadness. “I’m not… It’s not true. You know it’s not true, Lando.” The words were almost like a whisper, an unnecessary denial to someone who already knew the truth.
“I know,” Lando reassured immediately, his voice firm and unwavering. “We both know it’s not true. Everyone knows it’s not true.”
He placed a comforting hand on Oscar’s back. “That’s just what people do when they’re cornered. They last out and say the most hurtful things they can think of.”
Oscar just nodded, his gaze dropped to the floor. A few sobs left Oscar’s mouth. Lando pulled him into a hug. Lando was at a loss for words to fix this, but he knew Oscar needed him to be there—a silent witness to a heartbreak that he couldn’t mend.
Days later, the official F1 account released an announcement, stating that Logan Sargeant had been fired due to behavioural issues. Oscar felt relieved that he didn’t need to see Logan at the paddock anymore during race weekends.
Oscar’s apartment was a museum of a life that no longer existed. Every framed photo on the wall, every discarded t-shirt on the floor, every cheap souvenir on the bookshelf was a silent testament to Oscar and Logan’s past.
Lando didn’t utter a single word when he entered the apartment. He just looked at the boxes Oscar had set out, grabbed a roll of packing tape, and got to work. He was a silent, efficient machine, his presence a calm counterpoint to the storm of emotion lingering in the air. They started in the kitchen, methodically boxing up the matching coffee mugs and the set of personalised cutting boards.
They moved through the apartment like two ghosts, Lando tackling the logistics while Oscar stumbled through the memories. In the living room, Oscar picked up a framed photo of him and Logan on a holiday in Bali. His hand trembled, and he stared at it for a long moment before his jaw tightened, and he tossed it into a box.
As they moved to Oscar’s bedroom, they found a stack of Logan’s clothes in the closet. Oscar stared at the familiar fabric, his shoulders slumped. “I don’t even know what to do with them,” he mumbled, his voice thick with a mix of exhaustion and disgust.
Lando walked over, picked up the clothes, and without a word, threw them into a bin bag. “We can donate them or, better yet, burn them,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. It made Oscar giggle a little, and it made Lando feel like the happiest man in the world. He managed to make Oscar happy, even if it was for a split second.
Hours later, the apartment looked stark and empty, but for the first time in weeks, it felt like it belonged to Oscar again. The personal touches of a shared life were absolutely gone, replaced by near, impersonal boxes ready to be sent away.
They were now sitting on the couch, resting, when Lando finally spoke. “You hungry, mate?”
Oscar nodded, too tired to speak.
Lando pulled out his phone. “Good, because I’m getting takeout, and we’re going to sit here and eat it, and we’re never ever going to talk about any of this again.”
It was a simple statement, but it was exactly what Oscar needed to hear. He smiled, though it was a tired smile, and it reached his eyes. For the first time since the cheating incident, a weight he hadn’t realised he was carrying began to lift. In that quiet moment, surrounded by the physical remnants of a heartbreak, Oscar knew he wasn’t alone.
The cardboard containers of Chinese food sat between them on the floor, the smell of soy sauce and fried rice a comforting presence in the almost-emptied living room. They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the easy rhythm of two friends who had known each other for years.
“So,” Lando said, breaking the quiet with a laugh. “I saw Alex’s post earlier. He’s learning how to cook now, but he nearly set his kitchen on fire by trying to make toast.”
Oscar smiled, a genuine, soft smile that Lando hadn’t seen in weeks. “He told me about that. Said he almost took out the fire extinguisher and everything.”
They talked for a while longer about silly things—about their ridiculous pre-season workout routines, about the gossip in the paddock, and about the terrible songs Lando had been forced to listen to in the sim. With every minute, Lando felt the heavy atmosphere in the room lighten. Lando was so caught up in the relief of seeing Oscar joyful again that he didn’t even notice himself staring at Oscar. He was captivated by the way the low light caught in Oscar’s eyes, the gentle cursive of his mouth when he laughed.
It was a quiet moment, but it felt earth-shattering. The beauty he saw in Oscar wasn’t just physical; it was the resilience, the quiet strength that Oscar had carried with him throughout the past few weeks. The feelings Lando had been hiding, the ones he’d been denying, came rushing to the surface. He felt an overwhelming urge to close the distance between them, to finally do what his heart had been telling him to do for a very long time.
Lando leaned in, his mind a blur of instinct and emotion. Oscar’s laughter died on his lips, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise as Lando gently closed the gap and kissed him. It was a soft, tentative kiss, but to Lando, it felt like the world finally aligned.
And then, just as quickly as it happened, Lando’s brain caught up with his heart. He pulled back, his eyes snapped open. He saw the shock on Oscar’s face, the confusion and surprise etched into every line. The reality of what he’d just done—the cardinal sin of crossing a boundary with a vulnerable, heartbroken friend—dawned upon him.
A mortifying apology caught in Lando’s throat, he scrambled to his feet. “I..I’m so sorry, I should’ve done that,” he stammered, his voice choked with panic. He rapidly grabbed his keys from the counter and made a beeline for the door. “I’ve gotta go.”
Lando didn’t wait for a response; he had just embarrassed himself. He fled immediately, leaving a stunned Oscar sitting alone on the floor, the half-eaten food and the heavy, new silence a testament to the friendship he had just irrevocably changed.
After Lando had rushed out of his house, Oscar remained frozen on the floor. He stayed there for a long time, the weight of Lando’s sudden departure pressing down on him. When he finally moved, it was to clean up, the mundane task a strange comfort. He got into bed; however, sleep was impossible for him at the moment.
Oscar’s mind was a whirlpool of conflicting thoughts. He couldn’t stop touching his lips. The kiss. It was so gentle, so unexpected. He replayed the moment a hundred times in his head—the way Lando had been looking at him just before, the genuine, unguarded affection in his eyes. It wasn’t a sudden, frantic moment of passion. It was a soft, careful act that felt more like a confession than a mistake.
For the past few weeks, Lando had been his rock, his confidant. He was the one who listened, the one who helped him clean out his house and mourn a love he thought was real. Oscar had seen Lando as a friend, the best friend he had, but now he had to question everything. The quiet kindness, the unwavering support, the furious protectiveness Lando had shown towards him—was it all fueled by something more?
He picked up his phone, the glowing screen a beacon of his dilemma. He wanted to text Lando. To ask, to understand, to demand an explanation. But what would he even say? Did you mean to kiss me? Are you in love with me? The questions felt too big, too scary to put into words.
Oscar turned over in bed, the sheets tangled around him. He was a man who lived his life by logic, by data and numbers. But right now, in this very moment, in the silence of his room, there was no data to analyse, there wasn’t a clear answer to be found. Just a single, confusing kiss from the one person who had been there for him when his world fell apart. He closed his eyes, his heart a painful drumbeat against his ribs, torn between the need to know the truth and the fear of what the truth might be.
The view from the Verstappen’s penthouse was stunning, a glittering expanse of Monaco stretching out beneath them. But Oscar couldn’t appreciate it. He sat on the plush sofa, the silence in the luxurious apartment a stark contrast to the chaos in his head. George handed him a cup of tea, his expression a mix of concern and patience. Max was on the other side of the room, on his sim racing set-up, but clearly listening in.
“I know it’s been rough with Logan,” George started, his voice soft and soothing. “Everyone has seen it. But you look… completely out of it, mate.”
Oscar took a sip of the tea, the warmth a small comfort. “That’s not it, not anymore,” Oscar’s voice was barely a whisper. He hesitated, not knowing where to begin. “It’s Lando..."
There was a long pause. George’s eyebrows went up slightly. “Lando? What’s he done now?”
“He’s been avoiding me,” Oscar confessed, the words tumbling out. “For three days, he has been completely avoiding me as if I’m some sort of plague. At the factory, he would just…” Oscar’s voice trailed off.
George leaned forward. “He was with you after Logan’s little visit, wasn’t he? He was telling us about it. Said that he lost his cool.”
“He helped me clean out my place, too,” Oscar said, the memory making his chest ache. “Got rid of all of Logan’s stuff. We were just… eating takeout, talking, and then he just…” Oscar stopped again, unable to continue.
Max paused his game and looked over. “He what?”
Oscar finally blurted it out, the words feeling alien even to him. “He kissed me.”
George and Max were silent for a long moment; the only sound was the faint beeping from the TV. George’s expression shifted from confusion to slow realisation. “Oh,” George muttered. “Okay.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Oscar said, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “He just… ran out of my house, like it was a mistake.” He gestured helplessly with his hands. “Since then, he has just been avoiding me. What if I’ve just lost my best friend?”
George sighed, leaning back. “He’s probably terrified, mate. He’s been in love with you for years. It’s been quite obvious to everyone.”
Oscar’s head snapped up. “What? What do you mean? No, that can’t be right.”
Max scoffed from the other side of the room. “Please. Have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s like watching a desperate puppy. Not gonna lie, mate. It was kinda of a hard watch.”
“BABE! You can’t just say that!” George playfully glared at his husband.
“I was just saying the truth, schat,” Max shrugged his shoulders.
The bluntness of Max’s comment took some of the sting out of the confession. Oscar felt his entire world shift on its axis again. It wasn’t an impulse; it was a confession. And Lando’s panicked flight wasn’t a rejection of Oscar, but of his actions.
“So what do I do?” Oscar asked desperately, looking from George to Max. “He’s not giving me a chance to talk to him.”
“You have to give him one,” George advised, his voice serious. “He’s in a bad place, too. He probably thinks he’s made a huge mistake and ruined your friendship, especially with everything you’re going through. YOU have to be the one to reach out this time.”
With George’s advice, Oscar stares at his phone, his thumb hovering over Lando’s name. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. He typed out a short text, a simple, direct request that left no room for misinterpretation.
Oscar Piastri
> Hii, would you care for a coffee with me? Meet you at the cafe down the street from my apartment, at 10 a.m. tomorrow? No pressure if you can’t make it. Just need to talk :3
That’s straightforward enough, Oscar thought. He hit send and instantly regretted it. The three dots appeared and then vanished, a silent read receipt that offered no answers. Oscar was filled with a mix of dread and hope. He was desperate for an answer.
Ding…
Lando Norris
>Sure, I’ll meet you there tmr :>
Oscar smiled at the reply he received.
The next morning, Oscar arrived at the cafe at 9:55 a.m. He ordered a black coffee and found a corner table by the window, his back against the wall. Every time the bell on the door chimed, he looked up, his stomach twisting in knots. The minutes stretched into an agonising half-hour. Oscar was starting to accept that Lando wasn’t going to show up.
When the door opened again, there stood Lando Norris, the man Oscar had been longing to see. Lando’s shoulders hunched, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked exhausted, and when his eyes landed on Oscar, his expression was a mix of apprehension and relief. Lando strolled to the table and slid into the chair opposite Oscar, his gaze fixed on the table.
“Hey, sorry for being late. I was on a phone call with Zak.” Lando greeted him delicately.
“Hi, it’s okay, it happens,” Oscar replied with a gentle smile.
The silence that followed was thick, heavy with everything that had been left unsaid. It was Oscar who finally broke it.
“Why did you run away?” Oscar asked, his voice soft but direct, quickly addressing the problem. The problem had been the kiss, but the abandonment.
Lando finally looked up from his legs, his eyes filled with a raw, painful vulnerability. “I was terrified,” Lando confessed, the words tumbling out. “I thought I’d just made everything a hundred times worse. You were so vulnerable, and it was selfish of me to take advantage of it. You were hurting, and I… I kissed you. It was a massive mistake, and I panicked. I was so scared I’d lose you as a friend forever.”
This time it was Oscar’s turn to listen, his heart aching with a new kind of pain. He reached across the table, placing his hand over Lando’s. “You didn’t,” Oscar said quietly. “You didn’t make anything worse.” He squeezed Lando’s hand tenderly. “You made things better.”
“What do you mean by ‘made things better’? Lando was confused and in disbelief with what he was hearing.
Oscar squeezed Lando’s hand again, his thumb stroking gently over the back of it. “You didn’t just help me clean out a house, Lando. You helped me clean out my heart. You were there with me through everything. You weren’t trying to fix me, you were just… being you. The kiss, I admit, was a shock, but it was also a moment of genuine kindness. This kiss made me realise that even though I’ve been a mess, there was still something worth loving in me.”
Lando’s face softened. “Oscar, I…I do like you. I have for a while. Who am I lying to? I have been in love with you since the beginning. That’s why I freaked out. It wasn’t about you; it was about me. I just saw an opportunity, and I took it, but it was the wrong time.”
Oscar nodded, a quiet understanding passing between them. “I know. And I’m not mad at all. But… I don’t think I’m ready to jump into a new relationship right now, Lando.” Oscar looked away, his gaze falling out the window. “I have to heal. The last four years of my life with Logan were a lie. I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Lando’s heart sank, but he didn’t pull his hand away. He understood. He had to. Lando knew it was selfish to hope for a relationship with Oscar, especially right now.
“I know,” Lando’s voice was a low rumble. “I know you need to heal, and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait, Oscar. I’ll wait as long as you need me to. Just.. let me show you how much you mean to me, without any pressure. Let me take you on dates, buy you flowers, and make you dinner. I’ll wait on the other side for you, but let me show you how much you deserve to be loved, please.”
Oscar looked back at him, his eyes glistening. He saw the genuine sincerity in Lando’s gaze, the love that had been hidden for so long. Oscar didn’t have to be ready to fall in love, but he could allow himself to be cared for.
“Alright,” Oscar whispered, a small smile forming on his lips. “We can start with dinner.”
Months later, the F1 circus had gone on its annual summer break. Instead of returning to their separate homes, Oscar and Lando found themselves on a sun-drenched yacht off the coast of Sardinia. Their ‘courting’ period had been a quiet, beautiful thing. Lando had been a perfect gentleman, never pushing, always waiting. Their dates were simple and real—dinners in small restaurants so they wouldn’t be caught by paparazzi, walks through parks, and evenings spent just talking. Lando’s patience and unwavering kindness had been the balm Oscar needed to heal.
They were sitting on the deck, the gentle rocking of the boat and the vast, blue expanse of the Mediterranean around them. Oscar was gazing at the sunset, a breathtaking mix of orange, pink, and purple. He turned to look at Lando, who was watching him, a soft, hopeful look in his eyes. The moment felt right; it felt like a beginning.
Oscar took a deep breath. “Lando,” he began. “These past few months… they’ve been the best of my life. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Lando’s face softened, a silent message of reassurance passing between them.
“I’ve been scared to do this,” Oscar continued, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Scared to trust someone again. But with you, it just feels so… easy. So right.” He reached out and took Lando’s hand, his thumb stroking over Lando’s knuckles. “You’re more than just a friend, and I don’t wanna live my life pretending you’re not.”
He took a final, decisive breath, and a small, determined grin formed on his lips. “So, Lando Norris… will you be my boyfriend?”
Lando’s eyes welled up to tears, and pure joy washed over his face. He didn’t hesitate. Lando held Oscar’s face in his hands. “Yes, a thousand times, yes!”
And as the last rays of the sun disappeared below the horizon, Lando closed the distance between them, and they sealed their new beginnings with a tender, long-awaited kiss.