JAPAN

★

"Tell us everything, please."

Sophia smiles at her screen, getting comfortable on her hotel bed, two pillows behind her, keeping her from slouching. Her phone is held in front of her, Dina and Olivia taking up the entire screen, faces scooched close to be in frame simultaneously.

Sophia had just landed in Japan, Thursday afternoon, since she wasn't needed before, and immediately collapsed on her temporary bed. The flight had been too long and too uncomfortable for her to get any real sleep, so she was excited to get some rest.

However, her friends had other plans, facetiming her immediately after she sent them a text assuring she had landed safely.

So now here she is, eyes drooping, but having to explain herself to her friends, who wouldn't leave her alone until she spoke.

"Hello to you too."

"Oh, come on, Soph. We have been dying to know what's going on, you can't leave us hanging!" Dina says, her bangs falling in front of her face, as she scrambles to make them look presentable.

Olivia nods along, pushing her own blonde hair behind her ears, an infectious grin on her lips.

"Fine, fine," Sophia caves, preparing herself to relive everything from these past couple months.

So, she tells them everything. From everything she's learned, to getting promoted, to seeing Lando again for the first time, to breaking the rules to yell at him through the radio, to their little truce.

By the time she finishes, Dina's jaw is hanging open, whereas Olivia has an almost scared look on her face.

"What?" Sophia asks, urging them to voice their thoughts.

"You've had a more eventful life in two months than I've had in three years," Dina remarks, earning a scoff from Sophia.

"Whatever you wanna call it."

"For the record," Olivia starts. "Lando is definitely still into you."

"What?" Sophia's voice comes out louder than she intended, and she winces, before repeating in a lower tone. "What?"

"Yes. I mean, come on. He wants to make up for everything, bothers you at work, thanks you for literally shouting at him. I don't know, Soph. Seems clear to me."

"I... I don't know. I don't think so, but, either way, it would never work out again. I don't want to repeat the past. Doesn't seem healthy," Sophia explains, her eyes focusing on a random spot on the wall.

"Never say never, babe," Dina says, bringing Sophia's attention back to the call.

She sighs, giving them a weak smile, when her stomach suddenly rumbles, the sound so loud it reaches the call.

"Did you eat anything on the flight?" Olivia asks, grimacing.

"Barely. The food wasn't great. I'm just gonna go get something. I'll talk to you guys soon, okay?"

After they finally hang up, Sophia rummages through her suitcase to find a presentable outfit to go out in the streets of Japan for the first time, but nothing too much, considering she's only going to buy a snack.

She settles on a white sweater and her most comfortable pair of jeans, quickly pulling them on, grabbing her key card and leaving, her empty stomach her only motivator.

Sophia is on the fourth floor, but she's unsure how many other team members are in the same hotel, considering the size of McLaren.

She walks out of the elevator, stepping into the fancy lobby, bigger than any hotel she's ever been in. The hotel is modern, black and white adorning the walls and the furniture a perfect array of neutral colors, giving a not quite cozy, but comfortable vibe.

Sophia makes her way to the exit, without giving the rest of the building too much attention, eager to escape the enclosure and step into some fresh air.

She swiftly grabs her AirPods from her pocket, pushing the earbuds in until they rest comfortably in her ears. She absentmindedly grabs the handle to push the door open, while simultaneously looking for a playlist she feels like listening to. Right when she's about to click on a Greek artist she likes, she's interrupted by a voice.

"Soph?"

Sophia turns, her hand slipping from the door handle as she comes face to face with Lando, wearing a pair of washed out baggy jeans and a black Quadrant sweatshirt, one of the many.

He's slowly walking up to her, his fingers absentmindedly drumming on the key card held in his hand. Sophia instinctively removes the earbuds from her ears, discarding them back in their case.

Sophia finds herself stopping and waiting for him to reach her, more than ready to face him. Although her friends' words stay in her mind, she's not as guarded as she once was.

"Hey."

Lando looks down at her, the height difference always there, and Sophia resists the urge to stand on her tiptoes.

"What are you doing out here so late?" he asks, tilting his head.

Sophia scoffs. "It's not that late."

"It's 1am."

"Well, I could ask you the same thing. You should be getting your beauty sleep."

Lando laughs, bringing a smile to Sophia's lips.

"I don't need it."

"Now, who told you that?" she jokes, crossing her arms.

"Hey," he responds, feigning hurt.

"But, really. You should get some rest, be good to go tomorrow."

Lando lets out a sigh, his eyes wandering, his look distant.

"I'm a bit nervous. Feels like I didn't start off well and... They're expecting a lot from me this year."

His eyes remain away from hers, his mind anywhere but with her. Sophia frowns as she looks at him, noticing his clenched jaw.

There's a brief silence, before he finally turns his attention to her, easing up a bit.

"Anyway, you probably don't want to listen to-"

"No. I do."

Lando regards her for a long moment, the muscles in his face relaxing, as he allows his lips to pull into a weak smile.

"Where were you off to? Can I walk with you?" he asks, and Sophia doesn't hesitate in agreeing this time.

ᯓᡣ𐭩

"What are you getting?"

Sophia swivels around, glancing at Lando who's standing in front of the other fridge, clearly having no idea what to choose.

"I don't know." She goes back to looking over her options. "I kind of want an energy drink, but I also want to get some sleep."

Lando scoffs. "Come on. We're talking about you here. You've built up such a tolerance in caffeine that an energy drink will actually put you to sleep."

Sophia turns back to look at him again, cracking a smile. Memories of late night studying with him or even with him on call run wild in her mind, but she forces them back.

"You're right."

"Just don't get a Red Bull."

Sophia frowns. "Why?"

Lando tilts his head, looking at her through his lashes. "Don't want to rep the wrong team, do you?"

A laugh escapes her lips, and she moves her eyes from the Red Bulls she'd been eyeing to the Monsters in the fridge. She picks a flavor, and, after pulling it out of the fridge, holds it in front of her to show him, earning a nod from him.

Sophia moves over to other aisles, on the hunt for a late night snack. Lando trails after her, seemingly also after the same food.

She picks out a couple of treats that look good enough, while he keeps his hands empty, only to finally get a protein bar from the end of the aisle.

"Good to go?" Lando asks, nodding to the cash register.

"Yep."

Sophia goes up to the cashier, exchanging polite greetings, as she discards her items for him to scan.

While she's fishing her wallet out of her purse, she hears the familiar sound of a card being tapped on the machine and she looks up to find Lando grinning at her.

She sighs in defeat, grabbing the bag with their things, while Lando gets the receipt, and they finally leave the little shop.

"You really didn't have to pay for that," Sophia says the moment they start walking back, falling into step next to each other.

Lando shrugs. "I wanted to."

"Thanks."

He turns his head, his eyes travelling from her face to the bag she's holding. Without a word, he slides his hand under the handle, taking it from her with ease.

"You don't have to be extra nice to me or something. We're good," Sophia reassures, disliking this behaviour, the constant walking on eggshells around her.

"I know. Can't a guy be a gentleman anymore?"

It's Sophia's turn to look at him, his smile bringing one to her face too.

Lando's gaze falls on her sweater, lingering for a beat too long, before Sophia has a realization.

"Hey," he says. "Didn't I get you that?" he asks, vaguely pointing to her sweater.

Sophia purses her lips, looking down as if to analyse the shirt, but really just to keep her eyes anywhere but on him.

"I guess you did."

"Sophia, I'm... really sorry. For everything."

She forces herself to look at him, instantly regretting it.

Everything he said, all the memories that came back, brought her straight back to the past, every suppressed emotion making its way to the surface.

She has to hold back tears when she speaks. "I know. It just... wasn't the right time."

"Yeah," Lando agrees, though his voice is low, regretful. "It wasn't."

They've reached the hotel entrance by now and Lando pushes the door open, standing to the side to allow Sophia to step in first, muttering "Thank you."

She leads the way to the elevator, thinking twice before pressing the button for the fourth floor.

"Which floor are you?" she asks, avoiding his cutting gaze.

"Third."

Sophia presses both buttons, crossing her arms while the elevator rises, shaking slightly on its way up.

"I hope we don't die here. We still haven't eaten these," she says, breaking the ice that's built up again, gesturing to the bag held in his hand.

Lando manages a chuckle, and pulls out his bar, holding out the bag for her.

"Thanks for tonight," he says.

"I didn't do anything."

"You did. Your presence is reassuring."

Sophia stares at him, but she doesn't get a chance to respond because the elevator dings and he walks out.

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dear reader!

i really like this one