#it was such a blast finding these new drivers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Hackers stole 65M passwords from Tumblr in 2013.

#it was such a blast finding these new drivers

leclerclov3 · 2 months

Text

｡･:*˚:✧｡ The wild grid

masterlist

✰ Pairing: f1grid x fem!genz!driver!reader

✰ Warning: Suggestive jokes, inappropriate language (a few curse words here and there)

✰ Face claim: /

✰ Summary: in which the world gets a glimpse of how chaotic the new rookie is

yourusername

liked by alex_albon, logansargent, lewishamilton and others

yourusername pre-season testing’s going well if you couldn’t tell

view all

alex_albon scariest moment of my life

↳ yourusername shut up you literally drive fast cars for a living

↳ logansargent no no alex is right

lewishamilton now was that last pic really necessary

↳ yourusername very much so

lilymhe i already miss youuu 🫶🏼🫶🏼

↳ yourusername i miss you too wifeee

↳ alex_albon exuse me?!

↳ yourusername she’s mine albono deal with it

pierregasly that was the first and the last time i go to karaoke with you two

↳ yourusername it literally wasn’t that bad

↳ pierregasly you sang the whole folklore album

↳ yourusername AND⁉️⁉️

↳ yukitsunoda0511 i agree with y/n it was a blast

↳ yourusername this is why you’re my favorite ❤️

user18 Y/N was the best addition to the grid

user72 where did they even find a snake

user29 i want to be apart of their group so baddddd

landonorris should i be offended that there’s no mention of me

↳ oscarpiastri nah mate i think you should be glad she didn’t includ us

↳ yourusername you know i see these right 🤨

↳ oscarpiastri abort mission

↳ yourusername 🤦🏼‍♀️

user45 i just love her relationship with the drivers

user11 what an icon

user65 literally the it girl of F1

929 notes · View notes

fire0nfire · 6 days

Text

king of my heart | smau

pairings: lando norris x fem!reader | pato o'ward x fem!reader

summary: y/n is an F1 content creator loved among the grid and the fans, and more than one person ships her with lando due to how close they've always been. but when y/n goes to her first IndyCar race, the last thing she expects is being involved in rumours with another mclaren driver.

warnings: love triangle? kinda.

author's note: i might turn this into a mini series but i'll see how it goes. btw english it's not my first language so if there's any grammatical error please let me know so i can fix it, ty🧡 now enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------

yourusername posted to their story!

[caption 1; it's indycar weekend in Long Beach, babyyyy!] [caption 2; time for practice and snacks🌞]

patriciooward

liked by indycar, zbrownceo, yourusername, and 83,527 others!

patriciooward INDY500 colors and back in the streeetz🤩

user1 lookin' goooood🔥

arrowmclaren it'll look even better with confetti covering it😉 user2 admin knows a win is coming!! 💪

user3 Este es tu año, cabrón! VAMOOOOS 🇲🇽

user4 is it a requirement to be handsome to drive in mclaren? cause daaaamn

user5 same girl, same

yourusername black is the new papaya fr 🔥 can't wait for tomorrow!

patriciooward hopefully you'll be wearing #5 user6 OMG?!?!!!??? yourusername can't show favoritism! i'm a professional, sir patriciooward it can be our secret then 😉 user7 OH MY- HELLOOOOO? user8 landonorris come get your girl bro!!! user9 omfg mr o'ward i wasn't familiar with your game user10 y/n sweety, wrong mclaren driver landonorris 🤨 user11 she really said i want a mclaren, don't care which one😭 user12 and she's so real for that

user13 let's goooo Pato!! 🦆🧡

user14 y/n and pato's exchange?? NEW SHIP HAS ARRIVED!

user15 i feel like i'm betraying my roots but pato and y/n would be the it couple fr user16 SO TRUE user17 pato and lando deserve sooo much better.

user18 NOT LANDO REPLYING TO THE COMMENT 😂😂

user19 f1twt is about to have a blast with this one 🍿 user20 they already have #teampato and #teamlando hashtags going on 😭😭

yourusername posted to their story!

[caption 1; preparation for ✨qualy day✨] [caption 2; that's how you arrive in style]

yourusername

liked by pierregasly, alexanderrossi, shelovesformula1, and 76,088 others!

yourusername First IndyCar race ✅ can't explain how incredible this weekend was! I’ve had the pleasure of chatting to so many cool people, discovering so much about this series and meeting so many of you! 🧡 can't wait to show you everything soon 😘

user1 what a babeeeee 😍

frosenqvist so great to meet you! hope you come to another one again soon! 🏁

arrowmclaren we second this! user2 she's an indy girl now 😎 tkanaan especially after all the fun we had last night😜 yourusername oh i'll definitely come back for more races (and parties ofc🙊) user3 she's part of the family now! love to see it user4 mclaren team 🤝 us: being in love with y/n

user5 PATO INTERVIEW??!! WE WON

lissiemackintosh so happy to have met you!! 💖

yourusername can't wait to see u again 🥹 user6 MY FAVES 🤩🤩 user7 girls supporting girls 💞 user8 we need a colab!

landonorris y/n get out of there. That's not your family!

carlossainz55 y/n please hurry, the kid has missed you maxverstappen1 y/n please hurry, we can't stand him anymore maxfewtrell y/n please hurry, he gets whiny when you're not around alex_albon y/n please hurry, oscar is about to commit crime oscarpiastri that is correct, so please y/n hurry landonorris when i asked y'all to back me up, this is NOT what i meant 🙄 yourusername if it helps at all, i've miss you all 🫶 (except Lando) landonorris i hate y'all fr user9 this is the kind of content i pay my internet bill for 😂

user10 literal queen 👑

user11 she couldn't become lando's wag so now she goes to indy to try to find a man lol such a clout chaser

user12 girl stfu she's literally just doin her job user13 try not to sound so bitter next time 💋 user14 get a life, hater

user15 MOTHER IS MOTHERING

user16 i don't think we're talking enough about that last photo

user17 RIGHT?! Y/N X PATO LET'S GOO user18 nah y/n x lando >>>>>>>>

patooward Indy looks good on you 💯 i wonder who took that amazing first pic

yourusername credits to you, amateur😘 user19 you can't convince me they're not flirting user20 i truly don't know if i wanna be pato or y/n... i only know i'd hate to be lando rn 😭 user21 y/n and lando are the endgame user22 Y/N X PATO TILL THE END

landonorris posted to his story!

[caption; safe and sound where she belongs]

sooo.... y'all want part 2?

593 notes · View notes

pucksandpower · 9 months

Text

Grid Kids: Awkward Encounters

Sebastian Vettel x wife!Reader x platonic!drivers

Summary: times when your grid kids gained way more insight into your relationship than they asked for

Series Masterlist

The Time Max Just Wanted to Sleep

Max checks into his hotel room after a particularly tiring day at the track, desperately needing some rest. But as he sinks into the plush hotel bed, he’s met with unexpected noises coming from the adjacent suite. Recognizing the familiar voices, he groans, realizing that he’s unfortunately booked right next to you and Sebastian.

Pulling a pillow over his head, Max tries to drown out the sounds but they seem to only grow louder. He paces the room, plugging in earphones and trying to blast some music. Yet, the thin walls of the hotel make it hard to escape the breathy gasps and banging of the headboard coming from next door.

Getting desperate, Max considers going down and asking if any other rooms are still available but then decides to tackle the issue head-on. Grabbing his phone, he shoots a cheeky text to you and Sebastian: Hey, mind keeping it down a bit? Some of us are trying to sleep here!

***

A few minutes later, there’s a knock on Max’s door. Opening it, he finds the two of you, looking sheepish and holding a bottle of champagne.

“Peace offering,” Sebastian says with a grin. “Sorry about the noise.”

Max chuckles, shaking his head. “Next time, maybe we should coordinate our room arrangements a bit better.”

You end up sitting in Max’s suite, sharing the champagne as the initial awkwardness of the evening fades away.

As the night draws to a close, Max hugs you and pats Sebastian on the back, “Thanks for the drink. But next time, seriously, a bit of discretion wouldn’t hurt.”

Sebastian laughs, raising his glass before downing the remaining champagne, “To fewer awkward hotel nights.”

The Time Lance Just Wanted Some Music

It’s a bustling race weekend and the paddock is alive with activity. Inside the Aston Martin garage, Lance is fumbling with the PA system, trying to connect his phone to the system so he can share his new pump-up playlist with the team.

Meanwhile, nearby in an unused back office, you and Sebastian steal a few moments of intimacy away from the spotlight and the stress of the race.

Just as things heat up between you two, Lance unknowingly reroutes the PA system, and suddenly, the sounds from the office you commandeered echo through the entire garage. The mechanics and engineers freeze, their eyes widening in shock, while some try (and fail) to suppress their giggles.

As the soft murmurs and distinctive sounds start echoing through the garage, everyone stops in their tracks. Eyes widen, jaws drop, and awkward glances are exchanged. The team quickly realizes what’s happening and a frantic search begins to find the source of the unintended broadcast.

Max, who ran to the garage at the first sense of drama, snickers, leaning over to Charles who joined him, never one to resist good gossip either, “Seems like Seb’s getting a turbo boost.”

Charles stifles his laughter, nodding, “Definitely achieving maximum force.”

Realizing what he’s done, a horrified Lance scrambles to correct his mistake, finally disconnecting the PA system.

***

You and Sebastian, initially clueless about the unintended broadcast, step out of the room only to be met with a chorus of playful wolf whistles and knowing grins.

Charles leans in, whispering to Sebastian, "You guys put on quite the show.”

Max, laughing uncontrollably, slaps Lance on the back, “Best PA announcement ever!”

Lance, beet-red with embarrassment, mumbles his apologies, “I had no idea! I was just trying to fix the connection.”

Despite the initial shock, the hilarity of the situation soon takes over and the entire team is rolling with laughter. Sebastian, taking it in stride, wraps an arm around Lance’s shoulder, “Well, that’s one way to boost team morale.”

You, trying to hide your blush but failing, add with a smirk, “I guess we just set a new standard for team bonding.”

Later that night, at a dinner with your grid kids, George raises his glass, “To Lance, for reminding us all of the importance of ... connecting. And to Seb and Y/N, for providing today’s unexpected entertainment!”

The Time Lando Just Wanted to Stream

It’s another busy race weekend and the paddock is buzzing with energy. Lando, with some rare free time, decides to give his fans a live behind-the-scenes tour of the paddock on Instagram.

With tens of thousands of fans tuned in, Lando enthusiastically shows off various parts of the paddock. The garages, the control rooms, and the media centers all get their moment in the spotlight.

As Lando continues with his tour, he approaches a drivers’ lounge, thinking it would be a great idea to show his fans where the drivers relax and chat.

But as he pushes open the door, camera first, he unexpectedly broadcasts a very private moment between you and Sebastian. There’s a split second of stunned silence as the three of you stare at each other like deer in headlights before chaos ensues.

“Oops! Wrong room!” Lando exclaims, hastily retreating, his face turning a brilliant shade of red. He quickly ends the live stream but the damage is done.

***

Minutes later, the paddock is buzzing with whispers. Lando, mortified by his mistake, immediately approaches you and Sebastian to apologize.

“I swear I didn’t know! I thought it was empty!” he stammers, clearly distressed.

Sebastian, although embarrassed, pulls Lando into a one-armed hug to calm him down, “It’s okay. We should have locked the door.”

Lando nods, “And I should’ve knocked.”

That evening, as your not so little family regroups, there’s no escaping the topic. But instead of letting it hang awkwardly, the grid kids decide to turn it into a joke.

Charles, holding up his phone, teases, “So, thinking of starting a new career as an influencer couple?”

Max chimes in, “Yeah, your ratings went through the roof!”

In the middle of the laughter, you lean over to Lando, “Maybe stick to streaming video games for a while, okay?”

Lando grins sheepishly, “Deal.”

The Time Mick Just Wanted a Massage

The race had been particularly challenging that week and Mick, knowing how hard everyone had been pushing themselves, thought it would be a kind gesture to gift you and Sebastian a day of relaxation at the luxurious spa resort nearby. The couple’s massage package, complete with aromatherapy and access to private thermal baths, seemed perfect.

Thinking he’d also take the opportunity to indulge in some self-care, Mick booked a Swedish massage for himself around the same time, imagining quietly de-stressing in adjacent rooms.

As he settles in for his treatment, the gentle background music and expert hands of the masseuse almost lull Mick into a nap. But just as he’s drifting off, a familiar, muffled giggle floats through the walls, quickly followed by other ... less innocent noises.

Recognition dawns and Mick’s eyes snap open in horror. Next to him is the couple’s treatment room and it appears that you and Sebastian are finding more ways to relax than what the spa menu offered.

Panicking and wanting to escape the increasingly awkward situation, Mick whispers to the masseuse, signaling that he wants to end the session early. But the sounds, both from the neighboring room and his own racing heartbeat, make it hard to communicate discreetly.

Finally, unable to bear another second, Mick bolts upright, wrapping himself in his robe and leaving behind a very confused masseuse and a half-finished massage.

On his hurried way out, he generously tips the spa staff, adding a whispered plea, “Thicker walls. Please consider getting thicker walls.”

***

After the spa incident, you and Sebastian felt the need to make amends for the unintentional awkwardness you’d caused Mick.

The next morning, Mick receives a package at the door of his hotel room. Curious, he unwraps it to find a luxurious noise-canceling headphone set along with a cheeky note:

For the next time we’re all at the spa (or anywhere, really). May these help you find the peace and quiet you truly deserve!

We are so sorry,

Y/N and Seb

Mick chuckles, appreciating the humor and thoughtfulness behind the gift. Shaking his head with amusement, he sends you a text: Thanks for the headphones! I’ll be sure to put them to good use. And no worries, it’s all in good fun!

The Time Charles Just Wanted to Play the Piano

One breezy evening, Charles, looking to relax, decides to play the grand piano in the lounge area of the upscale hotel you’re all staying in. He’s excited to show off the piece he recently composed and thinks the soft tunes would be the perfect backdrop for the sunset.

As the first notes float in the air, Charles becomes more engrossed in his performance, letting the melody guide his emotions. Guests gather, drawn by his beautiful rendition, creating a small, appreciative audience.

However, as he transitions to a quieter, more mellow piece, another sound begins to subtly accompany his piano playing. It’s coming from the suite above the lounge and the faint but unmistakable noises are in stark contrast to his elegant music.

Charles’ eyes widen in recognition, realizing the suite above belongs to you and Sebastian. Trying to maintain his composure and not draw attention to the … additional soundtrack, Charles decides to improvise.

Switching to a louder, more vibrant tune, he plays with increased vigor and volume, trying to drown out the amorous symphony from upstairs. The crowd, oblivious to his true motives, applauds his versatility, thinking it’s all part of the show.

Once his fingers are numb and you seem to have quieted down, Charles wraps up his impromptu concert with a flourish, earning hearty applause from the crowd.

Later, as he walks past your table during dinner, Charles leans in, whispering with a smirk, “Your ... appreciation for my music was evident but maybe next time, stick to clapping something other than your cheeks?”

The Time George Just Wanted to Hang Up

George is prepping for an upcoming race, headphones in, studying the track layout on his tablet. Your name flashes across his phone screen and he quickly answers, eager to discuss your plans for the weekend.

The conversation goes smoothly and as it concludes, George believes he’s hung up, returning to his race prep. However, the call hasn’t disconnected and as moments pass, he starts hearing faint, intimate whispers, quickly recognizing the familiar voices of you and Sebastian.

Panicking, George tries to hang up but for some inexplicable reason, the phone seems to be in a rebellious mood. In his flustered state, he accidentally switches the call to speaker mode, amplifying the ... private conversation for all to hear.

In a rising state of desperation and embarrassment, George mashes buttons but the phone, now seemingly possessed, continues to broadcast the sighs and moans. His face reddens, realizing that his team, busy in the adjoining rooms, can probably hear everything.

In a final bid for respite, George, driven to the edge, hurls his phone against the wall. The device shatters, mercifully cutting off the call and restoring sweet silence.

Catching his breath, George contemplates the wreckage of his phone, feeling a mix of relief and regret.

Later, when he sees you and Sebastian, he sheepishly explains the demise of his phone. “You owe me a new one,” he jokes, “And maybe a pair of earplugs.”

Sebastian chuckles while you reach up to ruffle his hair, “Next time just put it on airplane mode.”

The Time They Just Wanted to Check the Group Chat Without Having to Bleach Their Eyes

On a quiet evening as you’re prepping dinner, your phone buzzes with a new notification. Wiping your hands, you pick it up only to find a message in the group chat you share with Sebastian and your grid kids. To your horror, it’s a risqué photo of Sebastian, clearly meant for your eyes only but now out there for the entire gang to see.

Immediately, the chat explodes.

Lando: My eyes! My eyes, they burn!

Charles: Seb, trying to spice up media day?

George: Well, that’s a different kind of pole position

Max: Blackmail material acquired 😈

Lance: This is taking teammate bonding a bit too far

Mick: I can never look you in the eyes again

Sebastian, realizing his mistake, quickly responds: Oops, meant to send that to Y/N. Sorry guys

Then, because he’s still a menace at heart, adds: Enjoy the view 😉

Max, always ready with a quip, shoots back: Enjoyed and scarred for life. Thanks, Seb

You jump in, trying to diffuse the situation: Okay, as fun as this is, let’s all delete and pretend this never happened. Deal?

Your grid kids collectively agree, although the jokes don’t stop anytime soon.

***

Later that evening, you find Sebastian slightly red-faced but chuckling. “Guess I need a lesson in texting,” he admits.

“You think?” you laugh, giving him a playful nudge.

To ensure no future mishaps, your grid kids gift Sebastian a book titled “Text Messaging for Dummies” when you meet up the following weekend, turning the awkward incident into a funny memory.

It’s just another day in the unpredictable but always entertaining life with your family.

And you have to admit, it was a nice photo. You make sure to enjoy the view in real life that night.

2K notes · View notes

fangirl-dot-com · 2 months

Text

Chapter 23 - The Dutch Anthem on Repeat

Guys, I think I can finally upload on a regular basis if I can do every Friday and Wednesday? If that's ok? I'm hoping that it will work well for everyone!

This chapter made me laugh, and I remember someone asking for more Grandpa Nando so he makes a good appearance in this one!

Like always, comments, questions, concerns, reblogs and likes are always appreciated! Please enjoy!

Max, along with everyone, was used to hearing the Dutch National Anthem. Sure, everyone joked that it was the Formula 1 outro, but that was life. It wasn’t Max’s fault that he kept winning. Everyone just needed a new and better car to keep up. As he walked into the garage, he knew he was expecting to possibly hear it at the very end of Sunday.

What he didn’t expect was when his foot hit the concrete, the song started blasting through the speaker. The mechanics were trying to hid giggles behind their hands as they watched the confused driver try to find where the sound was coming from. When it suddenly stopped, he got even more confused.

He looked at the mechanics.

“Have you seen the kid anywhere?”

Henry, one of the men that worked on your car, responded, “She’s been in her room since she got here this morning.”

Max let out a tight “thanks” before heading that way. He expected you to be hiding something, but you were peacefully taking a nap with your headphones on. The gag gift that he got you, a blanket with his face all over it, was curled up in your hands. His eyes softened as he walked over to gently wake you up. You did promise him lunch for that day.

He rocked you a bit until you woke up.

You rubbed your eyes as you sat up. “Hey Max.”

A yawn escaped your lips.

“Kid, you don’t have anything to do with the fact that the Dutch anthem played when I walked in?”

“Huh?” you questioned, still really sleepy.

Max just let it go. You seemed like you didn’t know what was going on. You quickly got ready, placing your race suit at your hips.

When Max’s foot hit the concrete again, the anthem started to play. A groan left his lips as you looked around.

The Dutchman looked down at you. “You had nothing to do with this?”

You looked up at the older driver. “Nico took my boombox privileges away when I scared him last week.”

You seemed pretty dejected at the thought of losing your boombox.

Max just quickly kept walking out of the garage with you on his tail. The two of you conversed as you made your way to hospitality. You knew that Max had the priority for this race. It was his second home and you knew he wanted a win after what happened in Belgium.

“So I’m thinking of holding a party after Monza at the house. What do you thing?”

Max thought for a moment.

“That’s a good idea. You going to take a car to the circuit.”

You beamed at him. “Thinking of bringing the spaceship. What do you think?”

Max opened the door to the hospitality, and before he could answer, the Dutch anthem started to play once again. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing you to thud into his back.

You snorted as you heard the song play, causing Max to whip around.

His eyebrow arched. “Sure you don’t have anything to do with this?”

You only shook your head before pushing past him, wanting to get lunch as quickly as possible. Max followed, suspiciously glaring at anyone who looked guilty.

Lando was sitting in the corner, animatedly telling a story to Oscar, who looked dead inside (but was politely listening).

In the middle, Lewis, Charles, and Carlos were all playing on their phones, empty plates sitting in front of him.

Max’s eyes looked back up to see you talking to Fernando. Your eyes were wide as you talked to the Spaniard. He made his way over to the line and grabbed a tray. With each step he took, he was nervous about setting off something that would start the song. When he walked to the table, he just looked at the chair.

“Everything all right Max?” Lando asked from the corner, making everyone look at the Dutchman. His cheeks reddened under everyone’s gaze.

You bit into your sandwich. “Each time he’s walked into or out of a building, the Dutch national anthem plays.”

“Sure it does,” Charles said, finally looking up from his phone.

Now annoyed, Max sat down. Surprisingly nothing happened. He let out a content hum before biting into his food.

However, the moment he took a bite, it stated to play again. Rounds of laughter fell from everyone’s lips as he sat there, looking sad with a bite of food in his mouth.

Not wanting to sit anymore, he stood up abruptly and walked out with the tray. Yet, the song started over once he opened the door. A loud huff left his lips, which made everyone start laughing again.

What he failed to notice was a camera set up in the corner of the room. You turned and looked at it, giving it a thumbs up.

You wiped a tear from your eye. “Aw man, now he’s going to be mad.” You looked at one of the media personelle who was standing in the corner. He took the camera and just gave you a smile.

“He’ll be mad at us, not at you.”

You crossed your arms, not convinced in the slightest. Fernando gave you an upside down smile.

“Come on niña, I’ll take you to Max.”

He stood from the table, waiting for you to follow. Yet, you shook your head.

“Nando, he’s going to be mad and all grumpy and I’m going to be at the receiving end of it in the car. He’s taken Charles out too many times.”

“Hey!”

Your eyebrows pinched as you looked up at the green-clad driver. Your eyes then looked back down at your food.

Fernando sighed, knowing you weren’t going to budge. He turned around and walked out, without the Dutch national anthem playing. He stalked toward the Red Bull garage and was able to walk in.

Every loved Fernando and had great respect for him.

“Anyone know where I can find Max?”

Christian spoke up from the corner. “He’s in his room. Is everything ok?”

Fernando sighed as he rubbed his head. “For a prank, they got someone to play the Dutch National anthem every time Max did something. He got tired of it, so he stormed out. Now the kid thinks that he’s going to be mad at her all weekend. I’m just here to explain because she’s a bit nervous.”

Christian had a sympathetic look on his face. He was sad that you thought that Max would ever be mad at you for something so trivial.

The Briton nodded his head in the direction of Max’s driver room. “Second door on the left.”

Fernando thanked him, before heading that way. He knocked once before the door swung open, sadly causing the anthem to play once again.

Max deadpanned as he waited for the song to stop.

“Is everything ok Fernando?” the Dutchman asked, trying to look around to see if you were there as well. His heart sank a bit when you weren’t seen.

The elder sighed. “So your team thought it’d be a good video to play the anthem every time you did something.”

Max winced. “Oh I know.”

Fernando looked at him weirdly.

“You don’t think I saw the dude with the camera in the corner of the garage or hospitality?”

The Spaniard nodded. He knew a thing or two for spotting cameras on him. You get used to it after being in the field for so long.

“Well, the kid thinks you were going to be mad if you knew that she was in on it.”

Max’s eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. “Oh no no no. Doesn’t she know when I can tell that she’s not sleeping? She’s taken so many naps around me, that I know when she’s actually asleep.”

Max had known from the beginning, since you never woke up so quickly. It always took a few nudges, not just one. And your headphones were off and you barely flinched when he approached you. He was actually amused that you had gone through all the trouble to seem innocent.

Fernando let out a long sigh. “I told her that you wouldn’t be angry or frustrated.”

Max had a determined look. “Let’s go find her. She’s probably either in the Ferrari garage or McLaren.”

“She’s in the Williams garage.”

Max turned around. “How do you know this?”

“It was supposed to be a joke, but she put me on her Life360. Said I was getting old and was at a higher risk of crashing outside of work.”

Max let out a deep laugh at the imagination of you downloading Life360 onto Fernando’s phone.

The two walked out of the garage (this time the anthem did not play) and toward Williams. The two got to catch up on something before they arrived.

They saw the Thai driver first.

“Alex have you see Y/n anywhere?” Max questioned, catching him off guard.

He said nothing, but subtly tilted his head toward the back where Logan was awkwardly standing behind a box. Max’s eyes lit up at he looked at the American, who had a nervous look on his face.

Max put a finger to his lips and saw Logan barely nod. He gingerly crossed the room and looked down. Behind said box, you were clinging to Logan’s leg, playing a game.

He heard you snicker to yourself. “Max will never find me here.”

“Sure kid.”

He could have sworn he saw your soul leave your body as you jumped off of Logan’s leg. The American rolled his eyes before lifting you off the ground and placing you in front of the Dutch driver.

“I think this belongs to you.”

All in the back, Fernando and Alex stood laughing behind their hands.

You looked back at Logan. “Traitor.”

“Come on kid.”

Max gently led you back to the Red Bull garage, but not without thanking Fernando for his help. The Spaniard only patted his back before returning to his own garage. Max watched as you begrudgingly walking in front of him. He quickened his steps to be right beside you.

“I can hear your grumpiness from over here,” he tried to joke, yet stopped when he saw barely there tears in your lash line.

He cooed as he tried to not let you cry.

“Kid I thought it was funny.”

“Are you sure? You looked super unhappy after lunch.” You looked down and kicked a stone.

“Y/n.”

Oh, he said the name (and not the nickname).

You sheepishly looked up at him.

“I’m not mad. And if I was, I’d take it out on the media team and not you.”

You smiled just a bit. “Promise?”

“Promise. Now, let’s go kick some ass so we can listen to the Dutch National Anthem on the podium.”

Race Results:

Max Verstappen – 25 points

Y/n L/n – 18 points

Charles Leclerc – 16 points (fastest lap)

Lewis Hamilton – 12 points

Oscar Piastri – 11 points

Alex Albon – 8 points

George Russell – 6 points

Logan Sargeant – 4 points

Lance Stroll – 2 points

Lando Norris – 1 point

Fernando Alonso

Niko Hulkenberg

Kevin Magnussen

Daniel Ricciardo

Pierre Gasly

Yuki Tsunoda

Esteban Ocon

Valtteri Bottas

Zhou Guanyu

Carlos Sainz – DNF (engine failure)

Champions Standings

Max Verstappen – 309 points

Charles Leclerc – 268 points

Lando Norris – 190 points

Y/n L/n – 181 points

Carlos Sainz – 130 points

Oscar Piastri – 118 points

Lewis Hamilton – 105 points

Alex Albon – 56 point

George Russell – 54 points

Fernando Alonso – 45 points

Logan Sargeant – 36 points

Daniel Ricciardo – 23 points

Lance Stroll – 17 points

Pierre Gasly - 12 points

Valtteri Bottas – 13 points

Yuki Tsunoda – 8 points

Zhou Guanyu – 1 point

Nico Hulkenberg

Kevin Magnussen

Esteban Ocon

Constructors Championship

Red Bull – 490 points

Ferrari – 398 points

McLaren – 308 points

Mercedes – 159 points

Williams – 92 points

Aston Martin – 62 points

Alpha Tauri – 31 points

Alpha Romeo – 14 points

Alpine – 12 points

Haas – 0 points

The cool wind of the Netherlands brushed up against your face as you stood on the second step. If your math was correct, you were still behind Lando in the championship by only 9 points. You’d make it up as long as you didn’t DNF for the rest of the season.

You smiled as you heard the Dutch National Anthem for the umpteenth time that day. Your shoulders started to shake as it continued playing, which made Charles look at you and start laughing as well. Max watched with a grin on his face as you couldn’t contain yourself.

To the people down below, it looked like you were crying since you were wiping tears away (which you were, but the tears were from laughing too hard). Their hearts ached as you were on the second step once again, and not the top one.

But, you were having the time of your life, spraying Max and Charles with loads of champagne. You were on a high right now, and nothing would stop it. You knew that later that night, you’d stay awake going over data and sim times.

Because that second step was sweet, but the top step would be even sweeter.

And you needed the win.

You were starving.

redbullracing has posted

redbullracing no broken trophies this year - orange army you were good to us

liked by y/n.nation, dutch4max, orangearmynation, and 390,204 others

maxmaxmax_super DUTCH ANTHEM YASSSSS

maxie&kid best 1-2 honestly

lastlap_lando NOT THE BROKEN TROPHIES COMMENT

landonorris how many times do I have to apologize?

y/n.89 give it a few years, he still hasn't forgiven me for accidentally eating his stroopwaffle maxverstappen1 BECAUSE IT WAS THE LAST ONE y/n.89 YOUR NAME WASN'T ON IT

y/n&co when are RB going to give her a win?? for real???

best_rookie ROOKIE WIN ROOKIE WIN ROOKIE WIN

y/n.nation WE NEED A WIN?? ADMIN? AUTHOR?? author CALL DOWN - LET ME COOK

autodromonazionale_monza a presto! Viaggi sicuri!

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @glitterquadricorn @laura-naruto-fan1998 @treehouse-mouse @sam-is-lost @kagatinkita @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @myxticmoon @angsthology @cmleitora @agent-curt-mega @graciewrote @ashy-kit @slutofmultifandom @aexitizen-ln4 @sugarvibez @vellicora @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @cashtons-wife @hoetel-manager @xcharlottemikaelsonx @jayda12 @ilove-tswizzle @justme2042 @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @stopeatread @cha-hot @sadg3 @iloveyou3000morgan @s4turnsl0ver @alessioayla @torchbearerkyle @leptitlu @awekbachira @shreks-sugar-daddy @v1naco @stan-josie @mellowarcadefun @badassturtle13 @beskardroids @callisposts @poppyalice2001 @juniper-july19 @lizzypiastri

627 notes · View notes

rafeandonlyrafe · 4 months

Text

kook princess

words: 3.3k

warnings: kind of reference to possible sexual assault?, being rescued from a drunk man by rafe, reader is a kook but new to the outer banks, innuendo/suggestion of sex but not explicit, drinking, partying

taglist: @drewstarkeyslut @rafecamerongirl @f4ll-for-you @dilvcv @winterrrnight @drudyslut @drewsbabygirll @jjmaybankswifes-blog @rafescokenostril @jjsmarijuana @jjmaybankisbae @seeingstarks @angelofcigs @cece45450 @babygorewhore @vanessa-rafesgirl @michelleisheres-blog

you were meant to be leaving the party. you were tired and just want to head back home, so you bid your new friends goodbye and then headed out to the parking lot, only to get cornered by an obviously drunk man.

he has his arm raised, caging your body with how close he is standing to you, the alcohol on his breath reeking. you had one single drink when you first came to the party, you certainly weren't drunk enough to fall for his obvious flirting, especially since he is not someone you find attractive in the slightest.

you tried to step away, to flee from him, but his voice turned gruff and angry and grounded your feet to the concrete in fear of whatever retaliation his drunk mind finds applicable.

footsteps sound, causing you to turn your head. the drunk man turns too as whoever is walking stops, eyes assessing the situation as he stops twirling the keys in his hand.

you glance back to the drunk man, seeing he's still staring and turn back to who is hopefully your savior, mouthing “help.” the second your mouth forms the words, he springs into action, smoothly walking over with a smile gracing his features.

“hey, baby.” he says, slinging his arm around your shoulder, pulling you away from the car you were backed up into. “was wondering where you were.”

“you didn't tell me you were dating rafe cameron.” the man slurs, giving you the strangers name.

“you didn't exactly give me the chance.” you say, melting into your saviors-rafes side, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“you're too drunk, man. find someone to drive you home.” rafe says, before giving him a pointed look. “and stay away from my girl.”

“you got it.” the drunk nods, and you don't wait to see if he does find someone to give him a ride as rafe turns you, weaving through the parking lot until you get to a truck.

“just get in.” rafe says, “you can get out later but let's make sure he's not following you.”

“thank you so much.” you say, climbing into the passenger seat. rafe rounds the hood and gets into the driver's seat, turning the truck on and blasting the heat upon seeing you shivering.

“are you okay?” he asks, and that's when you break down completely, bringing your hands to your face as tears begin to flow, embarrassed that you are crying in front of a stranger, but the relief of being saved from whatever your fate might have been has you overwhelmed with emotions.

“hey, it's okay.” rafe says softly, his voice so different from when he was confronting the drunk man. he hesitatingly puts a hand on your back, rubbing it gently.

“sorry, sorry.” you say, wiping away your tears, sure that your makeup is a mess now.

“it's okay.” rafe says, his large hand still stroking down your back comfortingly.

“i was just so scared.” you gasp out, trying to control the tears that still have the urge to fall. “thank you so much for rescuing me.”

“of course.” rafe says. “although be prepared tomorrow to fight the rumor that we are dating now. im sure most won't believe his drunk rambles, but it'll still get around.”

you can't help but giggle, the thought of just moving to the outer banks and already being the subject of gossip.

“what's your name, sweetheart? ive never seen you around before.”

“y/n.” you reply, tapping at your undereyes to hopefully smooth out your concealer, especially as you calm down and realize your savior is very attractive. “i just moved here. to umm…” it takes you a second to remember your new street address, but then you rattle it off to rafe.

“you're right near me.” rafe says. “let me drive you home? you're in no state to operate a vehicle.”

you bite your lip, wanting to accept the offer but not sure if it's the best idea to get yourself involved with another random man, even if rafe seems normal and not completely smashed.

“ill help you get your car in the morning.” rafe says, and that is what finally causes you to nod. you really don't want to drive, or even move from the spot you're in.

rafe smiles gently, removing his hand from your back and shifting the car into gear.

the ride home is quick, and you chat to rafe about your thoughts on the outer banks since you just arrived, curious about what you have and haven't explored yet.

“that's me right there.” rafe points to his house as you roll past. you nod, making a mental note before he drives the few more blocks to your house, pulling in the driveway when he sees no one else is home.

“where are your parents?” he asks.

“they're already traveling again.” you say. your parents are nice enough, but when you came along as an accident they viewed you more as an obstruction to their world travels for 18 years, but now that you're of age, they let you stay home while they spend what was both their parents money on near constant vacations.

“ah.” rafe says, stepping out of the truck to round the side, opening the door for you. you accept his hand out, not sure if your shaky legs can get you down the tall steps.

“let me just make sure you get in okay, and then ill be on my way.” rafe says, walking with you right up to the door.

“thank you again, rafe.” you say, pulling your key out and unlocking the door, letting it swing open.

“of course.” he nods, before pulling his phone out. “put your number in so i can text you tomorrow about getting your car.”

you nod, taking the phone and punching in your name and number before handing it back, an uncontrollable shiver moving through your body when your hands brush together.

“goodnight.” rafe says, pocketing his phone.

“goodnight.” you mumble back, stumbling into the house, ready to smash your face into your pillow and pass out.

you groan, surprised that the one drink you had caused a slight throb in your head and before you do anything else, the second your feet hit the floor as you slide out of bed, you head to the bathroom and down a painkiller with some water.

you look at your face in the mirror, you manage to smear your makeup off with a wipe last night, but didn't bother cleansing or anything, so you move through the motions now, feeling much more awake by the time your face is clean and moisturized.

you still flop back down onto your bed when you're done, grabbing your phone off your nightstand. your eyes widen upon seeing it completely flooded with texts from your new friends.

girl there's a rumor going around that you went home with rafe cameron?!

DID YOU HOOK UP WITH RAFE?? he is like THE it boy of the outer banks

literally everyone is talking about you and rafe

if these rumors are true im JEALOUS

no way you just moved here and you've already got with rafe?? omfg i want your life 😭😭😭

hey y/n, it's rafe. just let me know when you're up and ready to go pick up your car

you smile at the last text, glancing at the time to realize you slept in until almost noon. you ignore the texts from your new friends, clearly needing to get some more information on who rafe really is, considering their reactions.

hey sorry i just woke up. im ready whenever you are.

you respond to rafe before hopping up, getting dressed quickly in case he was ready right away. you decide on a simple sundress, soft and innocent flowing to your knees unlike the tighter tank top and shorts you were wearing last night.

you head to your vanity next, deciding just on some light concealer and mascara, as well as your signature lip gloss color.

your phone vibrates at the perfect time, just as you slip your feet into some sandals.

ready now. on my way to your place.

you head downstairs and sit on the swinging bench on the front porch, checking instagram on your phone and finding rafes profile, wanting to do a little more digging before clarifying the events of last night to your friends. you don't see any evidence of a girlfriend, but he does have a staggering amount of followers, like the whole island wants to see his mostly golf posts, with a few sprinkled shirtless pictures or fishing adventures sprinkled in.

you close out of the app when rafe pulls into your driveway, not wanting to get caught spying.

“good morning.” rafe says as he hops out, even though its almost noon.

“hey.” you smile, letting him pull you into a hug that you expected to be awkward, but your arms slot so easily around his waist that it just feels natural.

rafe guides you around his truck, again giving you a helping hand in before shutting your door gently for you and moving to the driver's side.

“so…” rafe says as he begins to back down your driveway. “if you're too busy you can say no, but i wanted to show you a bit of the island before we pick up your car.”

“oh my gosh, i would actually appreciate that so much.” you say. “everyone brings up these places names and i have no idea what they're talking about, and neither does google.”

rafe chuckles softly, his eyes fluttering between the road and you. “most of the names are local nicknames. don't worry, ill teach you.”

rafe drives you around the outer banks as the hours tick by, showing you all the popular spots, as well as giving you a rundown of the dynamic of the island, warning you to stay away from the pogues.

your stomach grumbles, and your eyes widen with embarrassment when you realize rafe can hear it. “oh my god, sorry, i just didn't eat any breakfast… or lunch.”

“don't apologize.” rafe says, turning down a road as a new destination comes to mind. “can i take you out to eat though? then we can get your car.”

“yeah, yeah, that'll be great.” you say, not wanting to part from rafes company, already feeling that you've known him for much longer than just a singular day from how easily you get along.

“we can eat at the country club. i'm a member.”

“cool.” you shrug. “im not big into golf but i’d love to learn.” you say, hoping it's not too obvious of a plea to hang out more in the future.

“i can teach you.” rafe offers, and you nod enthusiastically.

“that'd be great.” you say, eyes taking in the lush grounds of the country club as rafe pulls in. he again rounds the car to help you out, and you resist the urge to blush and how much of a gentleman he's being.

“order whatever you want.” rafe says once you're inside and seated.

you look through the menu before deciding on a basic chicken salad. rafe begins to question you on how much you know about golf, and you're glad for playing wii sports golf with your little cousins for giving you a bit of knowledge.

your food arrives, with rafe ordering a steak and you begin to eat, still chatting when your phone begins buzzing incessantly.

“oh my god, im so sorry.” you sigh, picking it up off the table and realizing that a picture must have been taken of you and rafe by someone at the country club, as it's now being spread around.

stop why are you guys the cutest couple ever??

ONE DAY AND RAFE IS ALREADY TAKING YOU OUT TO EAT? GIVE ME YOUR LIFE

he's supposed to be mine omg 😩😩

you show rafe the picture as an explanation for the texts, surprised when his mouth quirks up into a smirk. you figured that he'd be annoyed about the rumors being spread around.

“that's hilarious that people care that much.” rafe says.

“apparently you're the kook prince, at least that's what my friends tell me.” you giggle before taking a sip of your pink lemonade.

“i think i only got that nickname because my dad is a really… prominent figure.” rafe says, which makes you realize out of all the conversations you've had today, none of them have been about rafes family.

“oh.” you hum. “and probably because you're hot.”

“you think im hot?” rafe says, a smiling making his features look even more attractive.

“maybe.” you shrug, a blush coming to your face.

“well i think you're beautiful.” rafe says. “and um… maybe we don't do anything to stop the rumors.”

“are you saying you want to see me again?” you question, glad that your flirting is working out.

“that's exactly what im saying. maybe we let them believe that we are dating and actually start.”

“im down.” you nod, knowing your face must be red, but not caring if rafe sees the effect he has on you.

“perfect.” rafe says, reaching across the table and squeezing your hand with his own.

you keep ignoring the text messages as you and rafe finish your meal before heading back to his truck.

“i kind of don't want to pick up your car.” rafe says, and you look over at him puzzled. “why's that?”

“because i like driving you around.” rafe admits, reaching his hand over to rest it against your thigh. not too high up to make it scandalous, but letting you enjoy his touch.

“well, i like you driving me around.” you admit. “we can pick up my car and then ill go ahead and park it in the garage and use you to get me around.”

“perfect.” rafe says, looking over at you with soft eyes.

“if you're the kook prince, does that make me the kook princess?” you ask as rafe drives you to one of your friends houses. he's been chauffeuring you around for the past week, showing you more parts of the island as well as taking you to the country club for golf lessons. you're glad to spend most of your time with him. you flirt with each other, but you don't do anything beyond holding hands and hugs when greeting each other for the day.

“i suppose it does.” rafe says, pulling to a stop in front of the mansion.

“ill see you tomorrow? probably around 11?” you tell rafe, having asked him already to pick you up from the girls night, since they were begging you to give them the details on your new relationship.

“of course.” rafe says, and you lean over the center console to wrap your arms around him in a hug, loving how soft he touches you as his hand strokes along your side.

you reach for the door handle when rafe let's out an unpleasant sound.

“what is it?” you question, eyes going wide in confusion.

“you have to let me open the door for you.” rafe explains before getting out of the truck, rounding it to pull open your door.

“don't try to open it again, baby.” rafe says, the nickname making your cheeks flare.

“well, thank you for driving me, picking me up tomorrow and being a gentleman.” you say, accepting another hug from rafe, this one accompanied by him pressing his lips to the top of your head.

“see you tomorrow, beautiful.” rafe bids you farewell as you rush up the path to your friends front door, not even needing to knock as hannah swings it open, revealing stephanie and tina as well, all with an excited look on their face.

you turn to see rafe smirking, knowing of course what kind of reaction he gets as the girls pull you inside the house, facemasks and nail polish already ready on the coffee table.

“girl.” hannah sits down, and you follow by plopping onto the couch. “tell us everything.”

-- two months later --

“hey baby.” rafe greets you, eyes looking you up and down. you're dressed in a new golf outfit for your private lesson, a polo tank top and a skirt so short rafe swears the lightest breeze will expose you.

“hey rafe.” you say, looping your arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss to his lips, melting into his body.

“missed you.” you whisper against his lips before pulling away, letting rafe walk you, hand in hand, to the passenger side of his truck, never making the mistake of trying to open your own door again.

“we had dinner together last night.” rafe says as you climb into the seat, buckling yourself.

“i know, and i still missed you.” you smile, still head over heels in that honeymoon phase of your relationship where all you want to do is spend every second with your boyfriend.

“missed you too, baby.” rafe says, stepping up onto the truck to plant another kiss on your lips before shutting the door softly and rounding the bed of the truck to get into the driver's side.

you smile when rafes hand instantly finds your own, your fingers fitting firmly between his.

“ready for your golf lessons?” rafe questions, surprised by how quickly you've learned, still needing to get the precision down, but able to whack the ball quite far for a beginner.

“always ready.” you hum, surprised yourself by how much you've enjoyed golfing, but rafes constant presence sure has something to do with that.

“you wanna go to that party tonight?” rafe asks, eyeing you up and down as you finalize your outfit in the mirror.

“i did not dress up just to stay home.” you say, turning to look at rafe as he leans his head against the headboard of your bed, completely comfortable in your room.

“but you look so hot.” rafe complains. really, he's excited to show you off, but he's equally excited to have you all to himself. you've yet to do anything beyond make out, and rafe has been nothing but respectful of your boundaries.

“why don't we make just a quick appearance.” you say, sauntering over to the bed as rafe turns to place his feet on the ground, letting you step between his legs, his hands coming to rest on your hips. “and then you can come back here? spend the night?”

rafes eyes widen, nodding enthusiastically, fingers tightening slightly on your hips, not sure if he will be able to restrain himself at the party with your obvious innuendo.

“good.” you lean down and press your lips to rafe, not caring that your lip gloss is smearing over his mouth. “now let's go.”

rafe groans, wishing he could convince you to skip the party, but he knows you told your friends you'd be there, so he forces himself to make it through the night, his cock consistently half hard in his pants as you both partake in only one drink, not wanting to be anything more than slightly buzzed for what is about to happen tonight.

“im ready to go now, rafey.” you say, leaning into your boyfriend. you only were at the party for about an hour, but you chatted and danced with your girls, and now you were ready for what the night brought you.

“perfect.” rafe leads you to the truck, admittedly breaking the speed limit a bit to get you back as quick as possible.

you rush inside the house, of course after letting rafe open your door for you, and the second you cross the threshold, you press your lips against his, mouths fighting for dominance as you both stumble further into the house, pushing off walls and bumping into things but not willing to stop the kiss to look away.

“why hello, y/n.” a voice rings out, making you both gasp as you turn to see your parents sitting on the couch.

“i believe introductions need to be made.” your dad says, eyes flickering between you and rafe, whose face has gone concerningly pale.

“uhh…” you stammer, not realizing that your parents would be returning tonight. they don't tell you their exact whereabouts in the world now that you are an adult. “mom, dad this is my boyfriend rafe.”

902 notes · View notes

lecsainz · 11 months

Text

we keep this lowkey

pairings: lewis hamilton x styles!reader

summary: the one where harry styles' younger sister is seen with lewis and everyone starts commenting about a possible romance between them.

authors note: since we had lewis on the podium today, I had to write somethinggg!!!

deuxmoi

liked by leckart, harryhouse, and 18.876 others

deuxmoi New Couple Alert? Lewis Hamilton the formula one champion and Harry Styles' younger sister, Y/N, spotted having a blast on jet skis. Could this be the start of a new power and hot couple? Stay tuned for more updates! ☀️😍

view all 1.710 comment

wagloveer lewis and y/n?! my mind is blown!

hrryswft my two worlds colliding!!

luvf1 I didn't even know they knew each other.

stylesdaily I think they met at a fashion show last year russellsafes wait, wasn't it Harry who introduced them?

lewchamp Isn't she too young for Lewis? girl, you're 25 years old!

verstlerc I thought the same

hateseveryone I don't like her. 🤮

mercgirly lewis trying to hide in the first photo. 😂

yn_styles added to their story

harrystyles added to their story

yn_styles added to their story

yn_styles

liked by harrystyles, lilyjcollins, and 1.638.891 others

yn_styles When you find that special someone who can make you smile even on your worst days... that's the real deal! This man right here has stolen my heart and become my everything! Lewis, you're the one who brings sunshine to my days, makes me believe in fairytales, and shows me what true love is all about.

tag: lewishamilton

Comments have been limited.

lewishamilton You're the sunshine in my life, Y/N! Every day with you is a blessing. Thank you for your love and for making me the happiest man in the world.

harrystyles Hahaha, finally! Took you guys long enough! So happy for you both. Take good care of her, mate! And Y/N, remember to keep him on his toes 😉 Sending all my love and support!

gemmastyles Aww, my heart is bursting with happiness for you both! Seeing my little sis so happy with someone who adores her brings tears to my eyes. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and beautiful moments together. Cherish every second, you two! ❤️

lewishamilton

liked by neymar, dualipa, and 2.087.758 others

lewishamilton When you find someone who understands you in ways no one else does... that's when you know it's something special. My love, you're the one who makes my heart skip a beat and fills my life with so much love.

tag: yn_styles

Comments have been limited.

yn_styles Ah, babe, you're making me blush! 😊 You truly are the most amazing person I've ever known. Thank you for bringing so much love and happiness into my life. Can't wait for more incredible adventures together. Love you endlessly, Lewis! ❤️

mercedesamgf1 Love seeing our champion with his number one supporter! Can we finally say that she's a fan of Mercedes now? 😉🔥

lewishamilton I guess the secret's out! She's been supporting us all along!

georgerussell63 congrats, mate! looks like you found your perfect co-driver in life too. wishing you both all the happiness!

danielricciardo Congrats, you two! Wishing you all the love and happiness in the world. Oh, and Y/N, any chance I can score some free tickets to Harry's show now? 😉🎶

yn_styles Thanks, Daniel! We'll see what we can do maybe a backstage pass for you!

1K notes · View notes

jaeeyaaasworld · 11 months

Text

Trophy girlfriend - CL16

Featuring: Charles Leclerc x Dancer!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Y/n is a trophy girlfriend and is proud about it, fluff, super sweet Charles

Requested: Yes/No

Charles had a new girlfriend and he was proud of who he pulled.

"I'm telling you. I have more rizz than you think, Pierre"

Pierre scoffed, leaning onto the passenger seat of his friend's Ferrari.

"is that why you made all of us come to this specific club tonight? what is it? she's hanging out with her girlfriends here?"

the driver asked in his cocky tone, turning his gaze to Charles that was driving silently while staring at the street, a small smile making it's way to his lips.

"nah. she works here man"

he replied calmly, not even sparing a glance to Pierre. the french man turned towards his best friend, a shocked expression taking over his face.

"is she a stripper?"

Pierre whisper-shouted, making his best friend's eyes widen at the sudden assumption.

"what the fuck, mate? you think I would let her still do that job after getting with me? and even more let all of you see her get naked?"

Charles said, gesturing with his hands all over the place, to make his point even clearer.

"she dances on one of those cubes that you find into these clubs. she's completely covered"

he added, making Pierre nod and turn back towards the road.

"what are you guys talking about? I was talking with mi mama"

Carlos asked from the back of the car, clueless as always.

"nothing, Charles new girlfriend"

Pierre replied, looking towards the backseat, where the Spaniard was seated.

"oh- I'm actually so excited to meet her"

Carlos added, adjusting the collar of his dress shirt while looking through the rearview mirror.

"right, in my opinion he's just tricking us into thinking he pulled her and in reality he didn't"

Pierre teased his friend, earning a small chuckle and an eye-roll from Charles. just in that moment, Lewis' car, with Daniel, Lando, Max and George inside, passed them, music blasting through the windows and them singing their hearts out.

"why are we not doing that?"

Carlos asked innocently, making the other two laugh and turning up the volume of the music currently playing and stepping on the pedal to catch up with the other drivers.

meanwhile: Y/n and her coworkers

Y/n was putting on make-up in the back of the disco she works into, chatting and laughing with the other three girls that were supposed to do cubes tonight. Y/n and Andrea were getting ready, while Monica and Vanessa were just chilling on the couch, waiting some time to get ready since they had the second turn.

"Y/n, did you say that you had a boyfriend like the other day? is it still going well or is it like the last one?"

Vanessa asked, raising her eyes from the screen of her phone on the girl that was putting on her eye-shadow.

"why? what happened to the last one? he was a fun guy, he looked like he was pretty chill"

Andrea asked back, not even knowing that Y/n and Nathan broke up a month after she introduced him to them.

"a little too chill. where were you when we talked about how he cheated on her with Katie?"

Monica told Andrea, making her gasp and stop whatever she was doing to turn towards the girl on the couch.

"they didn't. that bitch- I never liked her, I told y'all so many times and you were still like: nah, she looks so cute, how could she be so mean"

the girl said, referring to the new girl that was accepted in the disco as a waitress.

"it's going well, he's coming here tonight. I don't think I will introduce him to you tho, I know for sure that he is going to introduce me to his friends, he told me he was taking them since they had to celebrate anyway"

Y/n said, stopping her actions for a second and gesturing with her hands all around, just to get back to what she was doing, ignoring all the shocked stares that she was getting from her friends.

"is he using you as a trophy girlfriend or am I tripping? girl, how old is he again?"

Monica asked, finally shutting her phone and sitting properly on the couch, almost worried for her friend's safety.

"oh- come on. he's 25, hot as fuck and a millionaire, plus... I love being a trophy girlfriend if this is how he treats me"

the girl added, rolling her eyes at her friends thinking that he got with an old man or something like that. in reality, Charles was only 4 years older than her, so their age gap was completely normal for a couple. she was 21 and he was 25, nothing too bad.

"ooh, treat you how?"

Vanessa asked for details, since they didn't even ever seen this man nor how he treated her or how he looked at her.

"like: he hit me up on tuesday, asked me what I was doing during the day and if I wanted to go shopping. I was busy that day, since I was at my parents, so he just went like: damn, I just landed in your city. anyway, it's okay, hope you have a good day. I'll pick you up by eight fifteen tonight"

Y/n started telling her friends all the detail of her conversation with Charles, eventually stopping to finish her eyeliner, leaving her friends longing for more of the story.

"okayy, and than what?"

Andrea asked, curious just like the other two.

"I told him: you treat me so well. so he said: cashapp or zelle? matter fact, scratch that, I will send you a stack just because you're fine as hell"

the girl earned some loud gasps from her three friends, as she continued telling them what happened some days ago with Charles.

"I told him: well, thank you, baby. and he goes like: anything for my favorite lady. oh- I gotta go and just let me know, that I could pick up my Ferrari"

some squeals left the girls' mouths, as Y/n zipped her beauty case closed and turned on her little stool towards her friends with a proud smile on her face.

"so you basically have unlimited money, and you're still working here? girl- if I were you, I would be depending on his ass so fucking hard"

Monica said, gesturing with her hands and getting up from her place on the couch, just to sit on the stool that was taken by Y/n just a few seconds ago to start doing her make-up.

"yeah girl. quit this shitty ass job, what you waiting?"

Vanessa asked, only getting a sigh in return from the girl.

"I would love to do that, but i don't want to depend on him that much, what if we break up one day? I will be coming to work here just for a bit more, so that I can get a stable amount of money to do fine on my own and then I'm gonna travel back and forth with him"

Y/n said, smiling widely at the thought of supporting her boyfriend in every race he has by being there with him every minute.

"travel back and forth? what the hell does he do?"

Vanessa asked again, getting up from the couch as well, waiting for Andrea to finish closing her beauty case and get up to take the stool and start getting ready.

"I'm just telling you this: his name is Charles Leclerc, look him up if you don't know who he is"

Y/n finished, smiling widely and walking out of the changing room to walk into the disco, still empty. she could hear the gasps coming from the three girls in the changing room for how loud they were, making the girl chuckle as she sat on the edge of the cube, waiting for the disco to open up.

"and he'll be here tonight? with his friends?"

Andrea yelled, as she sat on the cube that was on the other side of the disco, waiting for the disco to open up too.

"yeah"

Y/n yelled back.

"I want to see him later"

Andrea replied, as they both got off the cube to wait on the side as people started entering. the girl on the other side of the disco only got a wink in return.

Charles finally got at the club

"Charles, you really pulled that girl, are you sure?"

Max asked Charles for the tenth time as they walked out of the cars and started walking towards the entrance of the club.

"oh mon dieu (oh my god). why don't you guys believe me?"

Charles asked, a loud laugh coming out of his lips. the bodyguard looked them in the eyes and opened the gate for them to enter, getting a little pat on the back from Charles and returning the gesture with a smile.

the club was rather empty, there weren't a lot of people, maybe also because Charles rented the place for the night and instructed your boss to only let a few people enter, not too many.

he quickly spotted you waiting beside one of the cubes, making his way towards you and ignoring everyone in between. he was dragging the other drivers along with him, as he approched you. his arms circled your waist from behind and his hands gripped your body without any shame.

"hello, mon chéri"

he whispered in your ear, not even thinking about the few guys that were staring at the two of them in shock. you turned around and wrapped your arms around his neck, pecking his lips gently.

"hi, handsome"

you replied softly, smiling to him lovingly.

"you really have to work tonight, right?"

Charles asked the girl, hoping that the answer wouldn't be affermative.

"I mean- yeah, I could exchange with Katie and go to the bar if it makes you more comfortable tho"

Y/n said, knowing that Katie would agree with everything you ask her because of the whole lot of guilt that she was feeling.

"would you do that?"

the man asked back, eyes shining in the lights at her words.

"yes, of course. you just got here, is only right that I let you decide what makes you comfortable. and I think I'm gonna quit this job in a few days too so... wait- let me go ask Katie, I'll be back"

you get out of your boyfriend embrace and make your way towards the counter to ask your coworker to swap turns.

Charles turned to his friends, them all staring at him with the same shocked face.

"what? you believe me now?"

the man asked, while laughing soundly at his friend's faces, juat as he turned around to meet his girlfriend's gaze, her hand waving around in the air, gesturing for them to come over to the counter.

"can't believe this shit"

Lando said, a sigh leaving his lips as he followed all the drivers towards the counter, Charles in front of them all.

Y/n walking behind the counter, wrapping the apron around her waist as she leaned eith her hands on the counter.

"hello everyone, I'm Y/n, Charles girlfriend. I'll be here to serve you tonight, ask me anything and I'll get it for you. even my friend's number if you want"

you said with a big smile splitting your face in half. the first driver to come up to the counter was Lewis, extending his hand to shake yours.

"Lewis, can I ask you if you do some type of fancy cocktail?"

the brit asked politely, getting a smile in return as you shrugged.

"I told you, whatever you want"

you said, hands meeting each other in front of your stomach.

"I'll get a Versus (a fancy cocktail made with vodka, strawberry vodka and watermelon) then"

Lewis confidently said, making you frown while staring at the man.

"mmh, are you sure about the Versus?"

the man frowned back at you, a big questioning smile resting on his face.

"why? what's up with that?"

a little chuckle left Y/n's lips, making Lewis chuckle as well.

"I mean- it's so sweet, it's something that I would see Lando drink. I see you more for a Desert storm (a fancy cocktail made with bacardi, vanilla cream, china martini and a lemon peel)"

Lewis was shocked from the girls aknowledge in alcohol, as Lando barged in the conversation since he heard the girl mention his name.

"me? you know who I am? hell, I need that thing now"

Lando said, making Y/n nod her head as she let out a chuckle and turned to the other drivers that were listening carefully to the conversation.

"alright so, a Desert storm for Lewis, a Versus for Lando and a champagne glass for the little prince over there. For you guys?"

everyone told Y/n their orders, chuckling softly at her calling Charles 'little prince' and knowing perfectly his order even before he could say anything.

Y/n placed all the cocktails on the counter, as everyone took theirs, the girl waited patiently for the two drivers to give her a response on the fancy cocktail that she gave them.

Lewis was the first to take a sip from his drink, licking his lips right after they left the glass. his eyes widened, looking into the girl's eyes as he drank another sip from the drink.

"dear god, you were right. it is better"

Y/n shrugged, a knowing smile appearing softly on her face as she turned towards Lando, that was waiting for his turn to try his drink. he stopped for a second, eyes a little bit wider than before as they met the girls one.

"how did you know?"

he asked, not even telling her his opinion on the drink, making a little chuckle come out of the girl's lips.

"you know, someone's personality can say a lot about their cocktail choice"

she simply said, leaving the two brits to go towards her boyfriend, that was sitting on a stool at the counter, taking a sip from his champagne from time to time. Y/n leaned on the counter, getting closer to her boyfriend's face, as he was looking her in the eyes, a devilish smile on the girl's face.

Y/n closed the gap between them, placing her lips on her Charles' gently, pulling back in no time, making a sigh escape the monegasque's lips.

"were you saying earlier? that you were going to quit?"

he asked softly, eyes glancing to the small glass of champagne in his hand as he made the liquid twirl around it slowly.

"I think this is my last friday here"

the girl replied, her smile getting wider with time passing.

"have you considered traveling with me full-time like you promised me?"

Charles added, eyes finally meeting Y/n's as he raised his head from the glass, hope still scattered across his emerald eyes.

"not really, darling"

she said sadly, making the man in front of her glance back down at the champagne in is hand.

"you have your flight to Monaco tuesday, right?"

the girl asked, her boyfriend looked up at her, thinking about it for a second and nodding hid head, remaining silent as to express his confused state.

"do you have the seat assignment in your app? could you check it real quick?"

Charles furrowed his eyebrows, getting his phone out of his pocket and placing the glass in his hand on the counter to grip the phone with both his hands. he typed something in his phone as the app finally opened, showing all of the seat placements on the flight.

something catched his eyes quickly, the seat next to his was usually occupied by Carlos or was even empty sometimes, but this time there was a different name over the little seat icon.

"Y/n Y/l"

he read out loud, looking up at his girlfriend with wide eyes, shocked by the sudden news.

"but you said you didn't even consider it"

Charles said, his hands leaving the phone on the counter and a big smile spreading across his face, making you smile just as wide.

"surprise"

#Spotify #charles #charles leclerc #formula one #formula 1 #ferrari #scuderia ferrari #leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x reader #formula 1 x reader #formula 1 x you #formula 1 x y/n #formula one fic #formula one x you #formula one imagine

1K notes · View notes

wolfjackle-creates · 2 months

Note

Please tell me that with 'Johnny and Kitty pocess Superman and Batman' That they are either on a date or go on a date after a fight? Please this needs to happen

@britcision also asked about this one!

So I was looking through what I wrote of this and...it's not that good. It's based on a prompt from back in Nov 2022 and I was still figuring things out back then and needed to rewrite everything I wrote at least once. It's less crack than you'd expect from the title, I'm afraid.

So I'm gonna do part of that rewrite. Because I'm insane and don't have self control. 🤣

Anyway, the prompt is from @zeestarfishalien and can be found here. Oddly it doesn't have half as many notes as I remember it having. Huh. Guess I thought it had more because I latched onto it so strongly.

Anyway, enjoy!

Word Count: 1.6k

-----

"Danny!" yelled Jazz from downstairs.

Danny froze for just a moment. That was Jazz's something-is-wrong voice. He dropped through the floor to get to her that much quicker. "What happened?" he demanded.

She just pointed to the TV where a news reporter was standing in a city. Behind her, Batman stood next to the open driver's side door to the batmobile while Superman floated in the air a few feet away with his arms crossed.

"Don't look at me like that, baby," said Batman.

"I will look at you however the hell I want. You forgot our date, asshole!" yelled Superman back.

The reporter grinned at the camera. "Looks like quite the lover's tiff we've stumbled upon! Who would have ever suspected Batman and Superman of being in a relationship?"

Behind her, Superman used his heat vision to shoot at Batman who cursed loudly before jumping into his car and speeding off. Superman huffed and flew in the opposite direction. Jazz muted the TV while the reporter continued making speculations about Batman and Superman's relationship. Danny stared at Jazz in horror.

"That was—"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think it was."

Danny closed his eyes and thought about the half finished essay he had upstairs and the history test he had the next day and how his parents would be home in an hour. He wanted to cry.

"I have to go to Gotham."

"I'll take care of our parents. Have you had the flu yet this year?"

Danny's laugh had a hysterical edge to it. "Tuck's been keeping track of my excuses. Ask him. I'll just…" Danny let the sentence trail as he transformed and flew out of the house without another word.

Even flying as fast as he could, he didn't arrive in Gotham until night had fallen. He tried to sense Johnny or Kitty or listen for the chaos that always followed them, but the city was so big.

After over half an hour of searching with no luck, Danny was sitting on a roof with his head buried in his knees trying not to cry. He only had so many hours before he had to be back in Amity for school. If he missed any more days, he'd get a suspension and his parents would be livid.

Just then, the clock tower chimed ten. Danny lifted his head to look at the tall building, one of the tallest in the city. He might not have any idea how to find Batman, but surely the other heroes would. Maybe he could get their attention?

In a matter of minutes, he was floating above the clock tower. With a deep breath, he shot an ectoblast up into the sky. Two minutes later, he repeated the action.

Not long after his fifth blast, two grapple hooks attached to the tower near his feet and seconds later he was facing Batman and Robin.

Danny immediately fell into a fighting stance. "Johnny, I'm not going to let you get away with this. Get out of him. Now."

But instead of calling him a do-gooder nerd, Batman pulled out a batarang and held it ready to throw. "I'm not this Johnny," he growled.

Danny relaxed and sighed in relief. "Oh thank the ancients, you got him out. I'm so, so sorry, Batman! I know you and the Justice League are relying on me to keep the ghosts from escaping Amity. Johnny and Kitty must’ve gotten past me. How'd you get Johnny out? Were you able to help Superman? Kitty is at least reasonable most of the time so I hope she didn't give you any trouble. Where are they now? I'll just collect them and bring them back to the Realms."

Robin pulled out his sword and pointed it at Danny. "What do you know of Fa— Batman's condition? Who is this 'Johnny' you speak of?"

Danny's core stuttered in his chest. The kid couldn't mean… He looked past the blade pointed at him towards Batman. "You… aren't Batman. Are you? You're covering for him while Johnny is overshadowing the real one."

Batman put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Lower the sword, Robin." To Danny, he said, "I think you owe us some explanations."

Danny buried his head in his hands and tried to bite back the tears. He was so tired. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. This is my fault. They got past me and I failed. I'm so sorry."

“Desist with your groveling and explain!” ordered Robin.

“Right, yeah. Of course. Sorry.” Danny looked up, but the stars were hidden behind smog and lights. He sighed. “I’m Phantom, of course. Responsible for monitoring the portal in Amity and keeping ghosts from coming through and causing problems on Earth. Also for stopping human hunters from hurting any ghosts. Johnny and Kitty, two ghosts, must have gotten past me. I’m careful, I swear. We set up an alarm on the portal so I know the moment someone comes through, but I missed them somehow. I…maybe they came through at the same time as someone else? I’ve had to deal with Skulker and Boxy so far this week. And Queen Dora came for a visit and one of Pandora’s people stopped by to drop something off. So if Johnny and Kitty came through at the same time… Pariah curse it, I should’ve realized. What a stupid design flaw. I’ll be working on a fix for that as soon as I get out of school tomorrow. I’d do it sooner, but I’ve a test you see. And if I miss any more class, I’ll get a suspension, and then my parents really will kill me again.”

Danny winced when he saw Robin’s fingers twitch towards his sword again. “Sorry! No more excuses. It’ll be fixed ASAP, promise. Um, Johnny is generally into motorcycles, but I think he saw the Batmobile and wanted to take it for a ride so he overshadowed Batman. From what I saw on the news, he blew off a date with Kitty to do it so she’s pissed and followed him and ended up overshadowing Superman. Probably so she could use his powers on top of her own to punish Johnny.” He trailed off and waited for the yelling to start.

But they were silent.

Danny shifted from foot to foot. “Again, I’m really sorry. I know you rely on me to keep this from happening and I swear it won’t again. But if you tell me where you think Batman is, I’ll go retrieve Johnny. Same with Superman and Kitty. I need to get this wrapped up by four, maybe four thirty, so I can get home in time for school to start.” He couldn’t hold back a yawn. He just wanted to sleep.

Batman and Robin exchanged a glance and Batman put away his weapon. “I’ve never heard of you or this Amity before. You’re a kid, who is your Justice League mentor? Why aren’t they here?”

“I… What? Justice League mentor? What are you talking about? All of my mentors are ghosts.”

Robin snorted. “Who informed you that it was your responsibility to monitor this portal that allows these ghosts to invade? Why are you the only one preventing attacks such as this?”

Danny bristled. “I’m not alone! Sam and Tucker and my sister help me!”

“Are they kids like you?” asked Batman.

“If by like me you mean ghosts, of course not. They’re fully alive. I’m the only ghost of the group.”

“No,” said Batman after a pause. “That’s not what I meant. I wanted to know if they were teenagers who still go to school like you or if they were adults you worked with.”

Danny shrugged. “Jazz is starting college next year, but yeah. They’re my friends.”

Batman let out a long breath. “Right. And why do you think the Justice League is expecting you, specifically, to monitor this portal?”

Danny threw up his hands. “Because you told me that!” He saw Batman open his mouth to say something and quickly added, “Not you specifically, but, like, the League. This guy Constantine came by a month or two after the portal opened and saw me and relaxed. Said he was glad to see I was already handling things there. Gave me a number and laughed and said if anyone could handle the situation, it’d be me, but I could call if I needed back up.” He shrugged. “And he was right. So far I have been able to handle it. This is an exception and I’ll get it fixed in a few hours tops.”

Robin ground his teeth. “That lazy magician.”

Batman also muttered something under his breath. “Thank you, Phantom. For doing so much on your own. If you tell us how to free Batman and Superman, we can handle it from here.”

“What?” Danny shook his head in confusion. “What are you talking about? You need specialized weapons that I don’t have on me and containment devices and access to a portal to the Realms to get rid of them. Seriously, I can get this taken care of. Just tell me where Batman is.”

Batman sighed again. “We don’t have much of a choice. Fine. But will you be able to get us these weapons and containment devices if we requested some of you? We’ll pay you, of course. And we’d like more details on what you’ve been dealing with. I’m afraid Constantine… did not share the details of your dealings with the rest of us.”

“Yeah, sure. The weapons are made by Drs. Jack and Maddie Fenton of FentonWorks, based out of Amity Park, Illinois. Their son Danny can help you pick out the most useful ones. Some are more torture device than anything, though, so definitely avoid those. Danny will be able to tell you the difference.”

Batman nodded once, jaw clenched. “Thank you. Now, I’ve just gotten an update on the possessed Batman’s location. Follow us.”

-----

Dick is pretending to be Batman here. If they have a "normal" batman out, then they can show the possessed batman is an imposter.

I saw some debate on the original over whether Johnny would possess Batman or Superman. To me, the answer was obvious. He'd possess Batman because he wanted to take the Batmobile for a spin.

Meanwhile, Kitty is the smart one. She'd go for Superman because then she could use his powers and her own to 1) punish Johnny and 2) prevent anyone from stopping them.

Regarding Constantine: He made an oops, but it's not (fully) his fault. Due to time missions from Clockwork, Phantom is shown to be thousands of years old and is known for fantastic feats. If Constantine had known this was some fourteen year old newly dead kid, he'd have acted differently. Instead, he thinks Danny is older than he is with millenia of experience.

This is free for anyone to continue!

#dpxdc #wolf writes #johnny 13 (dp)#kitty (dp)#danny fenton #ask game #i forgot how fun this prompt is

311 notes · View notes

jedifarmerr · 1 month

Text

Untimely - Joel Miller x F!Reader/OFC (AFAB).

Summary: Joel might have a little crush on his business partner, but it’s no big deal - really.

This can be read as either pre-canon or AU. Reader has a nickname, but physical description is a blank slate

Rating: E (18+ no minors)

Warnings/Tags: Joel’s POV, readers dad used to be Joel’s boss, discussion of absent parents (not reader), very minor discussion of parental death (again not reader), Joel is kinda awkward when it comes to dating, workplace relationship but without power dynamics, squint and you’ll find an age gap (no exact age is stated but she does have a college degree), pining and lots of it, denial of feelings and all that good stuff, and smut in general. I’m not gonna tag everything or this would get way too long but consent is clearly stated and does not have any major triggers (to my knowledge, but let me know if you catch something).

Word Count: 23,000. This was supposed to be a short one-shot, but got out of control. Oops. This is separated into two parts on AO3

Note: I’m back!! I know it’s been a hot minute, but I’m very very excited and very very nervous to share what I’ve been working on in my absence. But here it is!

---

The first full week of September, and Austin was deadlocked in a nasty heatwave.

Days like this made Joel wish he’d chosen a job that involved a roof over his head – or maybe just a little shade. Anything would be better than being crushed under the weight of the cruel Texas sun as it poured down through the bare-bone house. Still, Joel hammered his way through it. Even as the sun baked his scalp and covered every inch of his skin in sweat.

Joel flapped his shirt to dry the cotton sticking to his chest like silicone glue. His walk was more so a waddle, which was honestly his fault for wearing jeans. The denim chafed against his thighs while combing the work site for any loose supplies. All he wanted to do was hop into his work truck, blast the air conditioning and leave, but instead he diligently checked between every wooden beam and around every corner. Despite the lack of drywall leaving barely any hiding spots, it was insane how often Tommy forgot a power drill behind a tub of paint or cement.

Or somewhere else incredibly stupid.

Nothing major today, though. Just a few nails that jingled around in his tool belt as he stepped out onto the future front porch, immediately spotting Tommy. Kinda hard to miss with his big ass head poking out the driver side window while puffing on his daily post-work Marlboro.

“The engine was making that funny noise again,” Tommy claimed, his voice echoing across the dirt lawns and unpaved driveways of the brand new subdivision.

Joel walked past the rusty-white hood, but heard nothing other than the usual ancient roar. There was the radio in the cab playing Foolish Games by Jewel – a favorite of Sarah’s.

“Funny noise, huh?” He eyed Tommy with blatant skepticism before slumping into the dusty cloth seat with a thunk. “Well, sounds like it’s fixed now.”

“Oh yeah good as new.” Tommy burned the soul from his cigarette, then chucked the butt out the window. “This thing’s gotta be what - 10? 15 years old?”

“Something like that.” Joel didn’t know off the top of his head. The truck had been a part of the company even longer than him, meaning it had to be somewhere closer to 15 than 10. From what he could recall it’d been a few years off mint condition even when Danny first hired him.

“Then, how the hell is it still running?”

“Danny’s a smart man who didn’t buy a shitty Chevy,” Joel lightheartedly jabbed at his little brother – a self-proclaimed Chevrolet man, but only because of his buddies. “He knew that Ford was better - built tough.”

“Well, ain’t lookin’ too tough now,” Tommy pointed out and Joel shrugged.

As long as the truck got him from one place to the next, he didn’t care if it was taped together by spit and gorilla glue. He knew for a fact Tommy wouldn’t complain either if a new one was coming out of his wallet instead.

Tommy threw the truck into reverse. “I’m telling you now, you’re gonna regret not buying a new one sooner.”

“What are you gonna do?” Joel snorted. “Put some sugar in the gas tank?”

“I don’t have to sabotage this piece of shit - it’ll crap out on its own soon enough,” Tommy said. “Hell, it could even happen today.”

“Better not,” Joel grumbled, but otherwise went quiet. He didn’t know why Tommy had to put that idea in his head. Sarah was waiting for him at the shop. He couldn’t imagine a worse day for the truck to break down.

For a mile or so, Joel sat on the edge of his seat, carefully listening to the bumps and groans – typical for a truck around Sarah’s age. The engine rattled as Tommy merged onto Highway 183, but it always did when accelerating. He swore it did.

Whatever – enough.

There was paperwork to do. Today’s timesheets were in the glovebox, only halfway complete. So, he pulled out the folder and set to work. At least it offered a distraction from the brakes screeching like a horde of bats during rush hour traffic.

“Did you ever hear from the concrete guys?” Tommy turned down an obnoxiously loud ad for a car dealership in town.

Grunting, he curtly nodded. His pen found Harry’s Concrete at the bottom of the sheet and promptly scratched it out with scathing red ink. Just seeing their name triggered a sour taste in his mouth.

He was used to the concrete guys being flaky, but not like this. These last couple months had been like dandruff in the winter. Brutal. Today, the bastards didn’t even have the balls to call until after lunch. No excuse, either.

“Third day in a row,” Tommy just had to say, as if he needed a nudge. “In my opinion - I think it’s time to hire somebody else.”

“Well, you know who to share that opinion with, and it ain’t me,” Joel chided – annoyed. It drove him crazy how often Tommy needed to be reminded of simple things, like what Joel’s role in the business entailed. For God sake – it’d been over a year now since he became a partner in the company.

Joel could initially understand the confusion. After all, Danny had run the business as a one-man show and everyone, including Joel, thought his daughter would fully take over once he retired. Danny had always said that was the plan anyway, and even named the place: Teddy’s Company.

Originally, Joel had thought Teddy was her real name until three years ago when he finally got the chance to meet her. But how was he supposed to know when Danny never called her by anything else? It wasn’t like Joel had known much about her back then either, and what little he did came from Danny’s vague and blue-moon updates.

College is going well.

Her new job’s treating her good.

She moved into a new place, seems to like it.

Short – brief. Some people probably thought Danny was being crusty but that wasn’t the case. No, Danny was never rude or mean, just quiet. A man of few words who on his more mute days could even make Joel look chatty.

Before meeting her, Joel used to wonder what she’d be like. His future boss. There was a mystery around her that made her seem almost mythical, an enigma. She was like Willy Wonka with her name plastered all over the place: on his shirts, the side of the truck, front and center of the shop. But Joel had no idea who she was.

Even with a gun to his head, he couldn’t have picked her out of a crowd. Or even a line-up. The only picture he’d seen of her was in a popsicle frame on Danny’s otherwise bare desk: The two of them at a petting zoo where she couldn’t be older than six.

Without much to go by, Joel had simply assumed that she would look and act, at least somewhat similar to her dad. He’d built Teddy up in his mind as a strong, burly woman who was gruff around the edges. Someone with a sailor’s mouth and stubby fingernails embedded with dirt and grit and grout.

Instead, they were fake and baby pink. She looked like she had never changed a tire in her whole life.

She probably hadn’t, but she was without a doubt smarter than Tommy and him combined. A graduate from some fancy university in California with an equally fancy business degree. Charming with a nice, smooth voice perfect for sales. If she went to a random street corner to sell bags of cow manure she could sucker anyone, even him, into waiting in line to buy one.

She was down-right impressive. Finances, pitches, and permits, she could do it all. However, the other side of the business – the manual labor, a little more dirty.

Joel had not a doubt in his mind that she had the ability to learn it, but did she want to?

Hell no.

For one, she had this irrational fear over being electrocuted. Back before Danny retired and she first started working at the front desk, Joel had walked in on her changing out a lightbulb, and you would’ve thought a snake had popped out of the ceiling. He’d mistaken it for a fear of heights until a few months back when Sarah refused to let him shower during a rainstorm. Sarah had looked hysterical using her lanky-arms to body-block the stairs, warning him that he’d get fried if he went up there.

“Don’t you know dad, lightning can travel through plumbing? Teddy was telling me all about it today.”

Joel didn’t have a clue where that particular fear stemmed from, but her vendetta against attics, now that he could understand. After all, she’d probably still be in California if not for her dad’s accident.

It was never Danny’s plan to retire so early. Despite the appointments and constant physical therapy, it’d still caught Joel by surprise, though not as much as Teddy’s offer to run the business alongside her. Together. 50/50. Sure, it came with this boring paperwork, but a bigger paycheck as well. Only a fool would’ve turned that down.

Besides, promotion or not – he would’ve stayed and worked for her, regardless.

—

Back at the shop, Joel would usually help Tommy unload the truck, but not today.

Instead, Joel tucked the file under his arm, hung his tool belt on the rack, then made his way through the garage. He entered through the back door, letting it slam behind him. The cool air greeted him, tingling his tacky skin and he shivered.

The vents rumbled inside the white hallway walls, echoing around the shop. Along with two voices coming from the lobby. When he heard Teddy’s laugh, he ran a quick hand through his hair, fixing the damp strands away from his forehead.

He rounded the corner and Teddy was at her desk. Everything from her neck down was cut-off by the high-glass counter, making her look like a floating head. A very nice-looking floating head or a nice head to look at or -

Whatever.

She was smiling at him – that same honey-golden smile that welcomed him every morning. The same smile he wished was here to welcome him every evening, as well. But with how late he worked most days, it was a hit or miss. He could never guarantee she would still be here, except on the days with Sarah.

“You’re late,” Sarah said before he could even say hi.

Joel glanced at the clock above the front door. 5:45. 15 minutes.

“Barely.” Anything less than thirty was a win in his book. It didn’t matter that Teddy chose to stick around and keep Sarah company, he wouldn’t push it. She was his business partner – not a babysitter.

“Still late.” Sarah stepped away from Teddy’s desk with her arms crossed menacingly over her chest. If not for the twitch of her lips, she would’ve appeared deadly serious. The girl never could keep a straight face though for more than a second.

“Let me guess, you’ll forgive me if we can get McDonald’s on the way home?”

Bingo. Sarah tapped on the tip of her nose and Joel huffed a laugh.

“Well, Uncle Tommy drove, but we can ask-”

“We?” Sarah looked at him like he was crazy before shaking her head. “I think I’ll handle this one on my own.”

“What’re you trying to say?” He asked and her lips curved into a half-cocky, half-play smirk that screamed teenage girl. A stage of life he felt rather unprepared for, even more so than diapers and potty training and 6th grade math. The teenage years were bound to be harder than statistics and exponents and long division.

“Come on, dad. When has Uncle Tommy ever said no to this?” She showed off her best puppy dog eyes and alright – yeah, poor Tommy didn’t stand a chance.

But Joel didn’t tell her that. He couldn’t. He was too stunned that the little girl who used to hide behind his legs at the grocery store was the same one who was strutting down the hallway now without even glancing back.

He shook his head in disbelief and looked over at Teddy. “I don’t know where all this confidence of hers has come from recently,” he said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the now-shut door. “But I’m guessing it has something to do with you.”

“Me?” She fluttered her lashes like she was clueless – definitely something she wasn’t.

“That’s right,” he replied as he approached her desk. Her area always smelled clean and homey like fresh laundry in a field of wildflowers. The last thing he wanted to do was invade her perfumed bubble with the stench of his sweat and that specific twang that came from being outside all day. So, when he caught a strong whiff of her perfume, he stopped and propped his hip against the desk before saying, “I think you’re rubbing off on her.”

“And is that such a bad thing?” She squinted at him and unlike Sarah, she could actually keep a straight face.

“No.” He firmly shook his head. “In fact, I meant that as a compliment.”

In an instant, her flat-line lips split into a wide grin. He smiled in return, stupidly pleased with himself for making her light up like that. His gaze momentarily dropped from her lips to the single button left undone on her shirt. The charcoal gray fabric shined in a way that reminded him of moonlight over Travis Lake. It looked soft and smooth as butter. And not to mention expensive. Joel bet if he touched it, even so carefully, the material would immediately snag under his callouses.

Teddy motioned for the file and when he handed it over, he felt a draft under his armpit from the hole in his shirt. He glanced down at his jeans, covered in dirt and mud and sawdust. Filthy. He felt a twinge of self-consciousness. It was hard not to feel like a mess next to her sometimes when she was always dressed so goddamn professional with her pressed slacks and tucked in shirts. Anyone who saw her would think she worked for some big corpo with a koi pond in the lobby. Not a Morton building with more garage than office space.

“They didn’t show?”

Teddy’s voice jolted his attention back to her face. Her lips were pinched, her cherry red fingernail was bleeding into his own pissed-off pen marks. He mentally cursed himself for being too wrapped up in his own stupid head to warn her about the concrete guys. Good going, idiot.

There was nothing he could do about it now, except frown and shake his head. “They called and said-”

“Let me guess, they’ll be there first thing tomorrow?” She bitterly scoffed, clipping the folder shut. The manila spine crunched under her grip before she abruptly turned away from him to face the wall of cabinets behind her. She never said it out loud that it bothered her, but clearly it did and rightfully so.

Working here this long Joel had witnessed these same people treat her dad with respect only to now try and walk all over her. He found it complete and utter bullshit, but was it a surprise? Sadly, not really. Enough years around construction sites and his tinnitus resembled cat-calls more than a compressor.

Still, he fucking hated it. His left eye flinched watching her file away the folder in silence. The protective lobe in his brain flared as his fingers curled and burned into a fist at his side. God – he wanted to go to Harry’s Concrete and give that bald loser a piece of his mind and maybe a black eye, but he didn’t.

He wouldn’t.

No – instead, he continued to bite his tongue until his mouth flooded with the taste of pennies. He’d become used to the tang of copper in his mouth after the roofers, the plumbers, even the electricians that tried her in the past. The only reason he held himself back was because of her. Because she asked him to let her deal with it, and she was perfectly capable of handling things herself. Better than him at it, in fact.

Teddy slammed the drawer shut, rattling the entire cabinet. “I’m not gonna fire them.”

“Okay,” he said without having to think twice. He didn’t expect her to fire them, honestly. She’d explained to him before that she’d never burn bridges prematurely. The grass was not always greener on the other side, especially not in Texas. Especially not in this line of work.

“Or - I should say I’m not going to fire them yet, anyway.” Her voice was steady – determined. “But one more and it’s over. I’m gonna let Harry know that he’s on his last strike when I call him tomorrow.”

“Give ‘em hell,” he encouraged her. Whatever she said in those calls had, so far, been enough to whip everyone who crossed her into shape. Just once, he wished he could be a fly on the wall to witness her in action. She didn’t look particularly tough, but he imagined her being like an asp caterpillar, fuzzy and harmless until poked.

She didn’t linger on the topic, and instead asked about his day. He did the same. Neither had much to report outside the usual.

“So, how was Sarah today? Did she talk your ear off about the homecoming dance coming up?”

She giggled, gathering up the papers on her desk and stacking them into a neat pile in the corner. “How did you know?”

“Cause she found out Monday, and hasn’t talked about anything else since.”

“Oh and it’s only just begun,” she said with a smirk. “Welcome to your life for the next few weeks, Joel.”

Joel scratched at the spot where his temple was already beginning to throb. Why did they have to announce it so early? It was great seeing Sarah so excited, but she kept asking him about his own first homecoming. He hated lying to her, but he couldn’t very well tell her the only thing he remembered was Rachel Borthwick and how she let him feel her up – the first boobs he ever touched – underneath the gymnasium bleachers. The thought of Sarah being that same age made him want to throw up.

He swallowed the thought before it came out all over her desk. “Were you the same way at her age?”

“Oh yeah. I’m sure if you asked my dad, he’d tell you I was worse.” She snorted, almost seeming embarrassed by her younger self. “For some odd reason, I had it built up in my mind that it’d be like that prom scene from Grease. Minus the broadcast and all that-”

“Wait, your dance wasn’t on the news?” He tried to keep a straight face, but he was just as bad as his daughter.

“Shut up.” She playfully shoved his arm and he rubbed it like it hurt. She rolled her eyes, but continued anyway. “My dad didn’t have the heart to tell me, so it was a pretty huge letdown when they didn’t even play Born to Hand Jive. I think I even requested it.”

“How did you survive?”

“It’s a miracle,” she said, and he huffed out a laugh. Three years later, and she still surprised him with every new story she chose to reveal.

There was a split-second where the only sound in the room came from the buzzy-white fluorescent lights above him. Teddy stole a quick glance towards the hallway, as if checking if Sarah was back. She had still not reappeared and he wondered if Tommy had baited her into helping him unload the truck or maybe just sticking around to talk.

Teddy clicked her fingernails on the counter in front of him. “Real quick, I wanted to ask,” she said before clearing her throat. “Have you and Sarah talked at all about dress shopping?”

Joel shifted back a step, his boots scratching against the cheap, gray carpet. “Dress shopping?” He forced the words from his throat, then shook his head. He looked away, feeling a pit in his stomach that reminded him of Muffins for Mother’s Day in elementary school – Mommy & Me at the daycare.

Again – dress shopping was another one of those things girls usually did with their mom’s, but Lisa wasn’t meant to be a mom. She’d even said so herself in the note she left next to her engagement ring on the day she vanished with their dog. Joel wished his own mom was still around to help fill in when the gaps felt too big for him, but sadly, she had passed away before Sarah turned 4. Since then, it’d only been just Tommy and him.

“The only reason I ask is because,” Teddy started, clutching at the dainty gold chain around her neck, “Well, she sorta asked me to take her.”

“Oh.” Joel didn’t know what else to say. Not that it offended him or anything petty like that. God no – he wasn’t delusional enough to think that he would be Sarah’s first choice when it came to fashion. After all, his idea of dressing up was a flannel and whatever jeans were clean. Teddy made a lot more sense than him.

“I didn’t give her an answer, just so you know. I wanted to check with you first.” Her voice was rushed, slightly pitchy, and he realized this was the first time he’d ever seen her even remotely nervous. She must be just as cautious as him about crossing whatever line was supposed to exist in this…relationship? Dynamic?

Joel smiled at her, softly, hoping to ease her anxiety. “Well, thank you,” he said and she appeared to relax at his calm tone. “I have no problems with you taking her, as long as you wanna do it.”

“Of course, I want to, but are you - are you sure? I mean, you could always come with us if you want. We could all go together?”

The offer was tempting, but he declined. He knew Sarah would enjoy it being just the two of them. It could be girl time or whatever.

Teddy pulled out her planner to check on what dates would work best when Sarah came back in. Once she heard the good news, the victorious grin on her face somehow grew even bigger. The last time he saw her that excited was when he surprised her with tickets to Six Flags for her 11th birthday.

Teddy and her started to discuss which stores to hit and what mall would be best, basically a foreign language to him. He should’ve started on closing duties, but instead he found his gaze drawn to Teddy. How she appeared equally as thrilled as Sarah. He always could tell when she was excited by the way she talked with her hands. That smile was downright infectious and –

He noticed Sarah watching him. Her quizzical eyes were glued to his face. Shit. He was staring. Quick. Joel forced a smile at Sarah that hopefully said nothing-to-see-here. He didn’t stick around to wait for her reaction and instead, fled into his office.

For a few minutes, he pretended to check over files and went down the list of closing duties, completely avoiding them until the only thing left was setting the alarm. Finally, he dared to look in their direction again. When he saw Sarah’s focus was entirely on Teddy, the tension drained from his shoulders.

He thought he was in the clear.

—-

“Dad, do you think Teddy’s pretty?”

Joel’s head whipped up and a sharp, pointy fry was lodged into the back of his throat. It burned and stabbed its way down to his esophagus. For a second, he thought he was going to choke and die at his own dining room table from a McDonald’s fry.

“What?” His voice crackled like sandpaper from holding in a cough.

“She asked if you thought Teddy was pretty?” Tommy repeated, loud and clear with a smug grin that he didn’t even try to hide behind his Big Mac.

Joel’s gaze flickered from one set of brown eyes to the next. He was cornered, his back against the bay window. No way out and no one to blame but himself for this mess. He was, after all, the dummy who got caught.

Joel held up a waiting finger, then slowly sipped on his coke to calm his burning throat. He wiped his mouth with a napkin as he wrapped his head around what to say. Lying was out of the question. It seemed more damning than the truth.

The thing was – there was nothing wrong with finding her attractive. It didn’t have to mean anything. It wasn’t like she was asking if he liked her. Not that he did like her. Well, maybe just a little. Just a teeny, tiny crush but it was nothing really. Stupid, honestly. For the most part, he could ignore it.

Joel cleared his throat and gave a casual shrug. “Uh yeah, she’s uh - she’s pretty.”

Despite his best attempt at cool, Sarah’s lips still flickered. Only the corners, as she continued to bathe her fries in a pool of ketchup.

“Have you ever thought about - maybe asking her out?”

A deep laugh barked in his ears and bounced around the tile floor like spiky ping pong balls. “Come on, Teddy’s way out of his league.” Tommy’s hand collided against his shoulder with a hard thwack. It slightly stung.

But Joel didn’t take it too seriously. Tommy hassling him over Teddy was nothing new. Ever since she started working the front desk, it’d been Tommy’s favorite gag. In a weird way, Joel considered it a good thing that he saw it as one big joke. If Tommy had any idea about his silly crush, he would’ve kept his mouth shut instead of teasing him. Tommy might’ve been a lot of things, but he wasn’t cruel.

Sarah didn’t seem to care whether it was a joke or not and scolded her uncle from across the table. She gave him a hard glare before turning back to Joel. She blinked expectantly, not letting him out of this.

Joel sighed. “Sorry, kiddo, but I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” He licked his teeth and sucked a stuck piece of meat from between his molars. There was a laundry list of reasons, but he went with the least complicated. “We work together.”

“So? Two teachers at my school are dating, and it’s no big deal. They didn’t even get in trouble.”

“Wait,” Tommy piped in with a mouthful of bun and sauce. “Isn’t she dating someone?”

Joel swallowed down the salty taste in his mouth, bitter like vinegar. He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“You think so?” Sarah looked at him with clear suspicion. “So, she didn’t tell you that.”

“Well…no. But-”

“Then, how do you know?”

Joel crinkled the empty wrapper into a tight ball, then tossed it into the paper bag. “Somebody sent her flowers at work. Nice ones too.” Too grand to fit in her car, so instead they lived and died in the tiny break room directly across from his office.

“When?”

Three months. “I don’t know, not that long ago.”

“Well, how do you know they weren’t from her dad?” Sarah asked, not backing down. “Or maybe her friends sent them?”

Joel shook his head, recalling the stupid plastic holder that had poked out at him like a giant weed among the long stem roses. “The card said Happy Anniversary.”

At that, Sarah sank into the chair like a deflated balloon. She shoved a whole chicken nugget into her mouth – no sauce. Each dry crunch-crunch grated against the silence.

This recent interest in his love life was new. He wondered if it had something to do with her age or maybe all those rom-coms she watched. She’d never cared about him dating or – she did try to set him up once, a few months ago, with her best friend’s recently divorced mom, but when he shot it down she had quickly moved on.

But she didn’t even finish her chicken nuggets. He noticed a faraway look in her eyes – his eyes, one of the only things she inherited from him. She was somewhere deep in her head, in that big brain of hers that definitely didn’t come from him.

She did eventually perk up when Tommy brought up the new season of the Bachelor, but still wasn’t her usual self. So after Tommy left, Joel settled in beside her on the couch to watch Friends. This show was like her pacifier. Sick or just a bad day, one of Joey’s jokes could cheer her up instantly.

Not today, though. A whole episode later, and she’d barely said a word. Barely laughed, which had him really concerned. He got the sense that whatever was bothering her was something bigger than just Teddy.

“You’re quiet tonight.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and snugged her closer. She collapsed into him like a domino. Full cheeks squished against his shirt. She didn’t respond, and he didn’t press. Only can-laughter existed in the space between them.

Laying like this reminded him of when she was a baby. So tiny, a full head of hair even then. She would fall asleep on his bare chest while waiting for Lisa to return home from work. Looking back, the signs had always been there that one day she would run. She’d practically lived at her job after her maternity leave was done. Hell, she didn’t even take the full 6 weeks. Post-partum, the doctor called it, it’ll get better in time. But it didn’t. There was no medication cocktail that could make her want this life – that could make her want to stay.

“Can I ask you something?” Sarah’s eyes didn’t leave Phoebe and Monica.

“Anything,” he murmured against her hair before placing a light kiss to the top of her head. She no longer smelled of Johnson & Johnson or desitin, but coconuts and lime.

“Are you lonely?”

Even with her feathery-soft tone, the words hit him like a sucker punch, square in the jaw. Where the hell did that come from?

“Do I seem lonely?” The words left him like a reflex, automatic. It was the second time tonight she’d caught him off-guard.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, her shoulders sliding along his t-shirt. “Are you?”

Slowly Sarah lifted her head – her big eyes bore into him and when he could trace every concerned line on her young face, the guilt smothered him like wet mineral wool. It was his job to worry, not hers.

He urgently shook his head. “No. Of course not.”

She silently stared at him, squinting as if somehow it would give her Professor X’s ability to read his mind. Clearly, he did not convince her and so he tried again. Harder.

“Sarah, listen. I am perfectly fine, alright?” He brushed a curly strand of hair from her face, firmly holding her gaze. “If I was lonely, I’d go do something with Uncle Tommy. He’s always asking me to do things after work-”

“Why don’t you?”

Joel couldn’t help but chuckle at her confusion. Of course, she wouldn’t understand. Teenagers always wanted to be out somewhere, doing something with their friends.

“Cause I’m old. And I’m tired. And honestly, I’d rather be home.” With you. The last part never slipped through the gap in his bottom teeth. He never wanted to make Sarah feel guilty for leaving him and living her life.

“You’re such a hermit.” She nudged at his chest, a smile sweeping across her face. Exactly what he’d been missing.

“I prefer homebody,” he corrected, making her burst into a giggling fit. He waited until she went quiet to say, “Either way - you ain’t gotta worry about me, alright?”

Once again, her expression turned very serious. Her eyes darted once, twice, across his face. “Swear?”

“On my life.”

—

Later that night, Joel laid awake in bed fighting to find a comfortable position. Even sprawling out in the middle didn’t work. The sheets were tangled around his legs, his feet – his thoughts equally twisted up from Sarah’s question earlier.

Are you lonely? Was he?

Joel had never considered himself to be lonely. Not really. Or not all the time, at least. For the most part, Sarah and work kept him busy enough that he never gave it much thought.

If he did think about it though, he supposed crawling into bed alone every night could get a little depressing. He was still human, after all. Intimacy was a basic human need. It was just simple biology when he occasionally craved a soft touch or someone to talk with before drifting off to sleep. It’d been a long damn time since he experienced either of those things.

Maybe Sarah was onto something. Maybe it was time for him to get back out there, but oh God. Just thinking about it made him light-headed.

Where would he even start?

His last serious relationship was his only serious relationship. After Lisa left, there was hardly any time for that. Being a single dad, dating wasn’t his top priority.

Sure, he’d managed to squeeze in a few first dates over the years, even less second ones, and he couldn’t for the life of him recall a third. If so, it’d been nothing worth remembering.

Honestly, the only person he’d considered asking out recently was Teddy. It was just a dumb idea that crossed his mind sometime in late spring when too much tree pollen and dust mites must’ve gotten into his head. He’d luckily come to his senses and fast. A few short weeks later, those damn flowers showed up.

If he was being honest, no one else really interested him.

And how could they?

It wasn’t even just about her looks, she was sweet and smart and surprisingly funny. Joking or not, Tommy was right – she was way out of his league and why was he thinking about this right now? Joel cleared his mind with a hard shake of his head. He needed to stop, get some sleep. He didn’t want to know what time it was already. Without looking at the clock, he flipped onto his side, fluffed his pillow, then shut his eyes.

Within seconds, Teddy slithered back into his mind with her perfect smile, the delicious scent of her soap, and those jeans she would undoubtedly wear tomorrow. Casual Friday might actually be the death of him. Denim on her hips was seriously a sin.

Just thinking of her fully-clothed ass made his cock twitch inside his boxers. Somehow that was enough to get him half-hard, the tip snagging over the soft-cotton.

Joel groaned in unison with the bed springs as he flopped onto his back. His palms itched to reach down and squeeze at his cock for a little relief. But he resisted, and forced his mind to somewhere far less pleasant. Broken wires. Wrong-size headers. Clogged drains. A memory of her gripping a PVC pipe invaded his brain and suddenly, it was her small hands wrapped around him instead. How would she look on her knees for him? Would she be able to fit him all in her two hands? If not, would she use her –

“Fuck.” Joel gritted his teeth and fisted at the comforter. Get a grip.

He felt like he was going crazy. Probably from the lack of action outside of his own fist. It was finally catching up with him. Tommy did warn him this would happen and fuck – he hated when Tommy was right.

Joel thought back to the last time he had sex and cringed. Two years ago, but the memory was tattooed in his brain just like the monarch butterfly on the random woman’s lower back. It happened at a sleazy bar where everyone knew Tommy by name. He’d taken too many shots of Wild Turkey, then found himself fucking the woman in a one staller, quick and sloppy, right next to a clogged toilet. Not his proudest moment. He’d go to the grave blaming the whole thing on Tommy, who treated their rare nights out like the bachelor party he was still pissed off that he didn’t get to throw.

The truth was though, even before Joel’s current involuntary celibacy, his sex life had been relatively non-existent.

He hadn’t had sex on a semi-consistent basis since his 20’s. A casual hookup with a lady named Amy, who lived in the same apartment complex as him. No-strings attached. An arrangement born out of pure convenience rather than desire or intense lust. She lived in the apartment below him, and once a week came up after Sarah went to sleep and left before the condom hit the trash can. No surprise it ended once he moved out, and ever since then, it’d been random hookups and one-night stands whenever Tommy and him went out for a night.

Joel sighed and stared up at the moon-stain ceiling of his bedroom, careful not to make any sudden movements in hopes to fight down his erection. While still and quiet might’ve worked to spook a black bear, his boner was sadly proving more resilient.

With every passing minute, the warm tingly feeling in his belly spread like weeds through his body. His fingertips down to his toes. Fully hard, now. It became clear ignoring it was useless. He would just have to get this over with, so he could get some sleep tonight.

Joel forcibly kicked off his blankets, then shoved down his boxers. His cock thwacked against his stomach and the tip was already shiny. He preferred to do this in the shower to avoid a mess, the steady stream of water helping to cover up his dry, cracked hands better than saliva. But something was better than nothing. He spit into his hand until his mouth was dry, then wrapped it around his cock.

Whether in the shower or in his bed, it didn’t matter, Joel always jerked off like it was a chore. Hard and fast strokes where he could barely catch his breath. No need for soft and sensual, just a tight fist to take the edge off. This way, he found it easier to keep his less than friendly thoughts of Teddy at bay.

He tried his best not to think about Teddy while doing this because friends don’t imagine their friends while fucking their fist. And that was all she was, all she would ever be – a friend. If he could he wouldn’t have thought of anyone at all, but he needed someone to imagine to get off.

Instead of Teddy, he pictured a cover model from a 90’s Penthouse Magazine that he’d found in the guest room after Tommy moved out. A pretty brunette with big natural tits, who he didn’t have to work with tomorrow.

His room steadily filled with the wet slap of his hand, the low thrum of the oscillating fan as he pretended the nameless woman was riding him. He was brutally fucking his fist when the woman shape-shifted into Teddy. So abruptly that he could barely register that it was her taking him down to the hilt. Her rolling her hips. Her fingernails scratching over his ribs, his shoulders, his chest with a little smirk even more sinful than her tight jeans.

“Shit,” Joel hissed when he realized, but too late – his hips surged forward as he came. So sudden, so fast, it almost gave him whiplash.

Joel was not usually loud during sex, more of a grunter than anything else, but it had never been so vivid. So real. He could practically feel the wet-heat of her cunt clenching around him. He had to snag his bottom lip between his teeth to keep every needy and desperate sound from bleeding out of his mouth as his cock pulsed and throbbed against his palm. He wouldn’t let himself find out what her name tasted like when he moaned.

Clearly, this was not the first time she’d popped into his mind and he doubted it would be the last. He wouldn’t feel nearly as bad about it either, but there was a fuck-ton of cum on his stomach. Even a little on his chest. Fuck – he came so hard it made him lightheaded.

He let the shame simmer down and once he caught his breath, he carefully dug out a travel-pack of Kleenex from his nightstand. He didn’t even wanna count how many tissues it took to wipe the syrupy-hot evidence from his skin.

He’d be sticking to the shower from now until forever.

—

The days had come and went and over a week later, Joel had not jacked off again. Not in the shower, and definitely not in his bed. But that had nothing to do with Teddy. Seriously. It was just a coincidence.

Work had picked up. The heat wave had died out, giving way to more 80 degree days. Fall was fast approaching, by far their busiest season. There was a brand new neighborhood of bland cookie-cutter slab houses that had him working doubles everyday and judging by today, this week would be the exact same way.

The streets were dark and mainly deserted by the time Joel dropped Tommy off at his apartment complex. Joel glanced at his phone – once again – for any missed calls before heading home. Still nothing. No new voicemails – 0 messages.

The first and last time he heard from Sarah was after Teddy picked her up from school, right before heading into the mall. He’d told Sarah to call him once Teddy dropped her off, but she must’ve forgot. The same way she always forgot to lock the front door. He would be home in less than 5 minutes or else he would’ve called. But he would rather give her a talking-to in person.

For a second, he wondered if she and Teddy were still at the mall, but it was late. Nearly 9.

No one could spend 5 hours there. Hell, he could barely spend more than 2 without going stir-crazy.

The last thing he expected when pulling onto his street was to see Teddy’s car parked in front of his house. The pearly white shell was perfectly lit up underneath a street light.

What was she doing here?

He thought she would drop Sarah off and dip after their shopping trip, but obviously not. Dear God, he hoped she wasn’t waiting on him. Joel whipped into his driveway and hopped out without bothering to grab his tool box in the back.

Inside, the living room was lit up with every lamp turned on, but otherwise empty. It was still tidy from the cleaning he did on Sunday, thankfully. He threw his keys on the console table, shutting the front door with his foot. He heard movement upstairs and headed that way.

“Sarah,” he called out, mainly to give a heads-up and not scare them. “I’m home.”

“Finally,” Sarah said as he stepped into her room. It smelled like that Body Works store at Barton Creek that Sarah loved, but always had him leaving with a headache.

He stayed close to the fresh air and leaned against the door frame. Sarah was perched at her vanity, the counter in front of her completely buried under make-up, nail polish, and a bunch of other crap.

“Teddy’s helping me decide what to wear with my dress.” Sarah swiveled around in her stool to face him.

“Yeah, I see that.” Joel looked over at Teddy, who was standing behind Sarah with an earring pinched in each hand. The smile on her face was genuine. If she was in any real hurry to leave she didn’t show it. “When did y’all get back?”

“I don’t know. 8:15? 8:20? Somewhere around there.” Sarah shared a shrug with Teddy. A little over thirty minutes, not bad. With the mess, he would’ve thought closer to an hour.

“Dinner took a bit longer than I thought it would,” Teddy explained and his brows furrowed.

“Busy night at the food court or something?”

He noticed Sarah and Teddy share a secretive glance, and of course, they didn’t eat at the food court. He should’ve known better than to think Teddy would just take her to Sbarro. But out of every chain restaurant – did she have to pick the damn Cheesecake Factory?

Sarah was raving over the Mac & Cheese balls that definitely cost more than the 10 dollars he sent for baked ziti. Judging by the amount of shopping bags in the corner, Sarah had used her extra spending money on clothes instead of Chicken Costoletta.

He waited until Sarah turned her back to nail Teddy with a knowing look. She swatted it away like a bothersome fly. She could be so damn stubborn sometimes.

Later, he would deal with it. Money was not a topic he liked to discuss in front of Sarah. Besides, there were more important things at the moment.

“So, are you gonna show me this dress of yours?”

Sarah eagerly nodded and bounced over to her bed, picking up the black garment bag. It didn’t even allow him a peek at the color, not even when she hugged it tightly to her chest.

“Well, come on - don’t leave me hanging. I’ve been waiting all night.”

“Dad, you gotta see it on me or else you won’t get the full-effect,” she sassed, a duh implied in her tone. “Go downstairs, you and Teddy can wait-”

“Now, hold on there Sarah. It’s - it’s getting pretty late,” he pointed out, and Sarah’s fraying smile told him that she knew what he was trying to say. He hated disappointing her, but this was the right thing to do. “So Teddy, if you need to go home, don’t feel like you gotta stay.”

Selfishly, Joel wanted her to stay, but why would she? She had already seen the dress, already given up her entire evening for Sarah. This was a free out, and he expected her to take it.

Instead, She crossed her arms over her chest like a defiant child. “No way you’re getting rid of me that easily, Joel,” she said. “I’m sticking around to see your reaction.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she slid past him, her chest brushing against his arm. She motioned him to follow and he did without question.

She led the way downstairs as if she’d been here before. But the few times she’d come by before to drop off paperwork she never made it past the front porch.

His pulse slightly hiked up seeing her in his living room for the first time. Her gaze scanning the camel-colored walls, the pictures of Sarah throughout the years, his guitar that he rarely found time to play. Above the DVD and CD rack was the only real piece of art in the room – if that’s what people would call the painting of waves he’d found at a garage sale, the same one where he got the mismatched pillows on the couch.

Interior design wasn’t his strong suit, but he was still proud of his home. Proud of himself for buying it on his own, for being able to prove this kind of place for his kid. All of this, from the rug to every decoration and lamp. It was best attempts to make this space feel homey – lived in for Sarah’s sake. She would not be the only kid in class growing up in a bachelor pad.

“So, this is Joel Miller’s house?” Teddy spun around to face him and he found that she looked really good next to his coffee table. “It’s nice. I like it.”

“Yeah?” Joel rubbed the back of his neck, toeing the tile-carpet line that separated the kitchen from the living room.

“Especially the Cowboys decor.” She pointed her thumb at the framed blue star logo that was hung up by the stairs. “Did you know I used to wanna be a cheerleader for them?”

Joel’s mouth went drier than when eating pretzels. He rapidly shook his head, mainly to erase the mental image of her in that skimpy little outfit. It would probably haunt him in his dreams for the rest of his life.

He cleared his throat and took a seat on the couch. “I’m surprised Sarah didn’t give you a tour.”

“Oh, she did.” Teddy plopped down on the couch with him, keeping a friendly distance of a cushion. “But don’t worry, the grand tour didn’t include your bedroom. She said that was off limits.” She puckered her bottom lip, pouting as if actually disappointed.

“Trust me, you’re not missing much.”

“But isn’t that where the magic happens?”

Joel accidentally let out a snort. Magic. Nothing close to magic had ever happened in that room, unless what he did last week counted. “I think you’ve been watching too much Cribs.”

Her lips parted, her eyes lit up with a wild look of amusement. “Does Joel Miller secretly watch MTV?”

“Only against my will.” He jerked his chin towards the stairs. “She loves all that shit.”

“Yeah. She did talk a lot about True Life while at din…ner.” Teddy clipped her lips together, catching her slip.

“Trust me, I didn’t forget.” His tone carried a smug edge, making her huff in annoyance. “So, how ‘bout you tell me how much I owe you for it?”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“Teddy,” he warned. Still, she insistently shook her head, refusing to make things easy for him.

“Sorry, but I can’t let you pay me back,” she said. “It wouldn’t be right.”

“Really? How come?”

She straightened her posture, the brown leather groaning underneath her. “Well, for one - it was my decision to take her there, wasn’t it?”

“So?”

“So, it doesn’t make sense for you to have to pay for something I decided, now does it?”

Joel licked his teeth at her loop-hole logic. She was eyeing him with a very serious expression, as if this wasn’t over 30? 35 bucks? Hell, there was probably enough in his wallet right now to cover it.

If this were anyone else, Joel would’ve already said fuck this and drained his wallet of every nickel and dime, just to be safe. He wouldn’t accept no for an answer because he didn’t need anyone’s help or handout. He made enough money to support not only himself, but his daughter perfectly fine. Thank you.

But this wasn’t just anyone – this was Teddy. Whether it was because she did his payroll or because she was so bullheaded, he didn’t know, but she had a funny way of making him fold.

“Secondly.” She lifted a second finger before he could raise the white flag. “It wouldn’t be right for you to pay me back for your own gift.”

Huh? “Gift?”

She hummed in response. “There might be a little early birthday present waiting for you in the fridge.”

He couldn’t remember the last time someone, other than Sarah, got him a birthday present. Most of the time, not even Tommy did; his presence was the present or whatever bullshit he said. But she’d thought of him. Him. The idea made his chest begin to swell like metal on a blazing summer day. He ducked his head to hide the heat rising in his cheeks.

“You didn’t need to get me any-”

Teddy grasped his arm, instantly turning the rest of his sentence into sawdust. His gaze flickered from her hand on his forearm, to her eyes. She really was beautiful, especially in the warm pool of lamp light in his living room.

“I wanted to,” she assured him with a voice as soft as her touch. Her thumb gently skimmed over his arm hair and he held back a shiver with the clench of his teeth. “It’s just Classic Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. A little boring, but Sarah said that’s your favorite.”

“It is.” His voice cracked like a pre-teen and embaressed, he averted his eyes. How ridiculous. He needed to get a grip. Pull himself together. He was acting like a fucking virgin. Joel swallowed and stiffly nodded. “Thank you.”

She gave his arm a small squeeze before pulling away. The spot where she touched him still tingled, still burned.

“It’s the least I could do, since I’ll be missing it.”

Joel brushed her off with an easy wave of his hand. Other than work, he didn’t have any plans, so she really wasn’t missing anything. “I think you’ll have more fun in Phoenix, anyway.”

“Just don’t let Tommy set the place on fire while I’m gone.”

“Do you have that little faith in me?” he asked – teased. It was only a few days. Leaving Thursday, back in the office by the following.

She lightly nudged his arm, just as a door opened.

“Are you ready?” Sarah called out, and his focus shifted to the bottom of the stairs.

“I was born ready, kiddo. So, come on, let’s see it.” Joel drummed his hands excitedly against his thighs.

Waiting there reminded him of the fashion shows she used to put on for him. She’d wait at the top of the stairs until he popped in the Whitney Houston CD. For the big finale, they would dance around the living room to I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

But Sarah didn’t appear in a bright-pink princess costume, but instead a pretty little purple dress. Her heels were real, not made out of cheap plastic or from the Dollar Tree. His little girl looked so grown up. The realization that she was grown up made the back of his eyes burn.

Joel scrubbed a hand down his slack, scruffy jaw, watching Sarah twist from side-to-side. The shiny material swished around her knees.

“Baby girl, you look - beautiful,” he said without trying to hide the crackle in his voice. “The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

Sarah giggled, almost bashfully. “That’s exactly what Teddy said.”

“Well, that’s because it’s the truth,” Teddy stated earnestly. Sarah’s entire face lit up and God – she had such a killer smile. He would never get tired of seeing it.

When Sarah pulled back her hair to show Teddy two different pairs of earrings, she immediately went over to get a closer look.

Discussing jewelry and lip gloss, Sarah’s shiny wide eyes clung to her every word as if it was wrapped in gold, as if it held some infinite wisdom. It suddenly hit him that he’d never seen Sarah look at anyone like that. Not her favorite teacher. Not her best friend’s mom. Not even Mrs. Adler who lived next door and used to babysit her after school.

Poor Mrs. Adler, she meant well but Sarah and her could not have been more different. Thinking about it, Teddy was the first woman that Sarah shared anything in common with, who she didn’t have to share with the rest of the class or came second to a friend.

For once, Sarah had some special bond for herself.

His breath caught in his throat watching Teddy fuss with Sarah’s dress. Her eyes barely leaving Sarah’s bright face as she untwisted a strap and smoothed out a few spots in the back. For a second, he imagined her here with them every night – thought about how seamlessly she would fit into their lives.

Holy shit - what the fuck is he doing? Stop it.

Joel forced himself to look away, pruning those thoughts before they grew. The light, liquid warmth in his chest ran cold. It turned into mercury when it settled in his belly.

Luckily, Sarah and Teddy were too preoccupied with finishing details to notice him obsessively picking at his fingernails. He didn’t know what got a hold of him.

This was insane. She was his friend, his business partner, and whatever she was to Sarah that was more important than a stupid crush. No – he would not complicate a good thing with his feelings. Feelings she didn’t reciprocate. For God sake, she was dating someone else. Get over it.

Joel thought it might be a good thing that Teddy would be gone for a few days. More than ever, he needed some distance. Some time to help screw his head back on straight.

—

Too early on Tuesday morning, Joel sleepily fought the coffee machine until dark liquid gurgled and spewed into the pot.

“Have you heard from Teddy at all?” Tommy asked as Joel filled up a to-go cup.

“Oh yeah, hear from her every night before going to sleep.”

“Really?”

Joel shoved the coffee pot back inside its home, and blinked at Tommy. “Of course not. She’s on vacation. Why would she call me?”

He figured she’d brought whoever she was dating on the trip with her. They were probably going to her cousin’s wedding, meeting her college roommates new baby while he was here - in Texas. Alone. When he thought about it like that, it put everything into some much needed perspective.

Joel didn’t give Tommy a chance to respond before barging out and heading to the garage. He still was not used to seeing her empty desk instead of her warm smile, telling him to have a good day.

“So, do you miss her, yet?” Tommy asked while loading up the truck.

“She’s only been gone a few days,” Joel snorted, as if it was a ridiculous question to ask. “Why? Do you miss her?”

“Miss her coffee, that’s for damn sure.” He grimaced at the cup before taking a tentative sip. “Shit sucks. You add too much water.”

“I’d like to see you do any better.” Joel obnoxiously slurped on his drink, then winced. It did kinda taste like dirt. “She does make it better,” he conceded. “It’ll be nice to have her back.”

The distance had been a good thing for him, though. It was much easier for him to think without her dizzying perfume. What happened in his living room had been just a moment of weakness, of panic. Blown completely out of proportion.

The thing was – he’d always had a crush on her. It was nothing new, and he was perfectly happy with just this. With never being anything more than friends – her in his life, that was enough for him.

It had to be.

“Well, speaking of Thursday.” Tommy spoke in a tone that almost always meant he wanted something. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I gotta leave work early that day.”

“Why? Got an appointment or something?”

Tommy shook his head, then spewed a sob story that lasted nearly the entire drive to the site. His buddy Aaron had just broken up with his cheating girlfriend, and needed help moving out of their apartment. Too bad it wasn’t a different one of Tommy's military buddies or Joel would’ve immediately said no, but Aaron actually wasn’t a douchebag.

“Well, what time would you leave? Cause we gotta finish that block by Friday-”

“She works the night shift, so not until like 3 or 4,” he said, swaying him further. “And Aaron said he’ll pick me up from the site, so you ain’t gotta do anything.”

Joel shrugged, whatever. Fine. They would just have to work late tonight and tomorrow.

—-

So far, Thursday had not gone at all like Joel had anticipated. His reunion with Teddy this morning was disappointingly quick. It wasn’t like he expected her to run into his arms and hug him or anything dramatic like that, but he did think it would be more than just a few minutes of small talk where Tommy dominated most of the conversation with his plans for later.

Which turned out to be total bullshit by the way. 3 to 4 ended up being more like 1:30, ruining his chance to see Teddy this evening. The inspectors would be here tomorrow morning, so the frame had to be finished tonight with or without an extra set of hands.

Now, at 6:30, Joel was just leaving the site. He picked up Wendy’s to make up for his crummy day, only for the burger to be loaded with pickles and onions when he specifically asked for ketchup only. He still scarfed it down, along with a medium dry on the drive back to shop where the only thing that would be waiting for him was an empty office and a fat-ass stack of paperwork. Some supply sheets that could hopefully be knocked out before Sarah needed to be picked up later.

He pulled in through the back entrance and was taking his sweet time unloading the truck. Lowly humming Wedding Bells by the great Hank Williams when the door opened with a screech. The sound echoed around the steel walls of the garage and he jerked, nearly dropping a nail gun on his foot. Somehow, he managed to catch it just before it slid off the rack.

He turned around and - “Teddy?”

“I was wondering what was taking you so long,” she said in a sweet drawl that made his pulse race for an entirely different reason.

He stared at her dumbly, blinking rapidly to make sure this was not just his imagination. She was still here. He wet his throat with a hard swallow. “You surprised me.”

“I can tell.” She giggled and embarrassment swarmed his neck like fire ants. He couldn’t believe she just witnessed him flail around like an idiot. He promptly went back to gathering up the last of the wooden boards and stacking them in the corner. “Did you not see my car out front?”

“I came in off 77th,” he explained, brushing the dust from his hands onto his jeans.

“I could’ve helped.” She leaned against the door, opening it wider as he walked over.

“Nah, I got it,” he said with a casual shake of his head. “Wouldn’t want you to ruin that shirt, anyway.” His eyes dipped over the satiny material, this time a deep maroon.

“It is a great shirt.” She playfully bumped into his side with her shoulder when he stepped inside. The delicious scent of her soap sent an electric jolt up his spine. He matched her steps down the hallway. “What’re you still doing here anyway?”

“Well, there’s the Fox Ridge pitch tomorrow and there’s two more next week. And I have been gone for like a week.” She tucked herself back behind her desk. “Remember?”

Oh yeah, he remembered.

For a few minutes, they caught up on work and talked about homecoming, which was Saturday, and Sarah, who was currently at her friend’s house making posters or whatever for the big game tomorrow. He asked if she enjoyed her trip, which she obviously did from the glow around her. He almost asked about the wedding until he noticed all the files on her desk, the neat stacks of paper labeled with post-it notes that clearly showed she was busy.

He decided not to be selfish and take up anymore of her time and instead went into his office.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she told him before he closed the door. He left it slightly cracked in a way that seemed inviting before taking a seat at his desk. He would’ve just left it wide open if he thought it would be possible to focus. But even the back of her head could be enough to distract him.

Just like the rest of the shop, his office had been recorated by Teddy when Danny retired. He’d actually offered her the office, multiple times, but she refused. She preferred the natural light in the front, and he couldn’t blame her when the one window in here was puny and overlooked the trash cans.

Without her, Joel would’ve left the walls as blank and as white as Danny, the bookshelves just as bare and dusty, and there wouldn’t be a single lamp, let alone two. But he definitely appreciated the lamps this late in the day when the overhead light would burn too loud and bright.

Supposedly, she’d gotten them for free from a friend that was moving. He’d believed the story, at first, until one day she showed up with a giant picture of Yellowstone River, two more of different landscapes. A Golden forest. A mountain range. She’d just stumbled upon them at a Goodwill for the same price as a pizza. And then she’d filled the bookcases that framed his desk with architectural books that would likely never be read and tiny fake plants, which he couldn’t kill. Those she’d claimed were found at a garage sale for the magical price of a gift card to her favorite nearby lunch spot.

She would’ve decorated the office for her dad if he would’ve let her. Danny didn’t care though if she found the space so depressing when it came down to money. But Joel could not find it in him to tell her no when she looked so damn pleased with herself afterwards. She’d done such a nice job that he wished he could use the office more. One day he probably would when Sarah moved out. He had a love-hate relationship with being home alone. The quiet could be peaceful, then other times forlorn.

After finishing up two supply lists for upcoming projects, Joel went to start on a third when his door jarred open with a soft knock. Teddy was hovering around the threshold with a file in one hand.

“Are you busy?”

Joel shook his head, shoving the folder aside then signaling her to come in. She stepped inside, nudging the door shut with her hip. It didn’t latch. No one else was here, otherwise he would’ve pointed it out. But he didn’t know why she shut it in the first place, honestly.

“Sorry to bother you-”

“You’re not bothering me,” he interrupted. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s the Fox Ridge pitch.” She sauntered over to his desk, hips swaying and squeezed into a pair of black jeans. Her shirt was gaping open in the front from the top two buttons being left undone and wasn’t it just one earlier? It was always one, right?

He realized it would’ve been easy to catch a peek of her bra when she bent over to hand him the file, but like a good person – like a good friend – he looked away. His gaze remained firmly fused to her face until she sat down in the chair across from him.

She wanted his thoughts on the pitch, and he agreed to take a look. Based on the first page it looked perfect, and even if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be much help. After all, she was the brains of the operation where he was just the muscle.

“So, how was the wedding?” Joel flipped onto the next page without looking up. “Your cousin’s right?”

“Good memory.” She hummed, sounding pleasantly surprised. Her nails clicked along the steel arm of the chair. “But yeah, the wedding was… it was nice.”

“Was it?” Joel glanced up at her with a suspiciously quirked brow. “Cause, you ain’t gotta lie to me. I won’t tell.”

She clicked her tongue as if her reluctant tone wasn’t what led him to such a conclusion.

“I’m not lying, it was really nice. A lot of family that I haven’t seen in a while was there. And my cousin has amazing taste, so the wedding was gorgeous. It was small and intimate, but.” She let out a big breath. “It’s just everyone except my dad and I had dates.”

“Did you not bring your-” Too late, the words had poured out before he could think twice and he cursed his stupid, overly curious mind. He had no idea what to say to cover up his lapse, so he just didn’t. It just hung in the air and he turned to the next page without reading the last.

“Bring my what, Joel?” Her voice made it sound more like a challenge than a question. He peered up at her and she looked him directly in the eyes. It was as if she knew what he was going to say. It was as if she wanted him to ask.

Joel screwed the blue pen into his grip. “I thought - I thought you had a boyfriend.”

At that, she reclined back in the chair. She crossed her legs and tilted her head as if to study him. “What made you think I have a boyfriend?” she asked with such wild amusement that it confused him.

Didn’t she? Tommy had seen the card, the flowers as well, so it wasn’t something he just made up in his head. She was or used to be dating someone. Oh – maybe it wasn’t a boyfriend, but a girlfriend. Not that he was about to ask. God no. He’d butted into her personal life enough for one night.

“Well, you know.” Joel scratched the back of his head, then pointed in the direction of the break room. “There were those flowers, remember?”

Her eyes widened – her lips parted. “Yeah, I remember. I just, I guess I didn’t think you would.”

“Well, it ain’t everyday someone gets a garden delivered here.” He meant it as a joke, but it came off rather jealous. He tacked on a chuckle for good measure. She snorted, so it must’ve worked.

“Okay fair. I was dating someone, but that’s over. Been over. We broke up like 4 months ago? So, not long after that, actually.”

Joel grimaced. He could barely focus on her being single when he felt like shit. No one wanted to be reminded of their ex. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She brushed off like it was no big deal.

Still, he remained silent as the grave because what the hell was he supposed to say now?

“I was the one who ended things, just in case that makes you feel better.” Of course she was. No one in their right mind would break up with someone as amazing as her. “But since we’re on the topic and all - what about you, Joel?”

“What about me?” Joel finally met her eyes and her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk that made his stomach swoop.

“Do you have anyone special in your life?”

Joel stiffly shook his head. “Can’t say I do.”

“Anyone not special?” she nudged him, suggestively wiggling her brows.

Again – a shake of his head. “I don’t really date.”

“What a shame.” Her voice was almost husky, breathy. She leaned forward slightly. “I’m sure all the single mom’s at Sarah’s school are devastated.”

Joel batted his hand in the air with an ugly snort.

“What? I’m serious,” she said without twitching. Her eyes momentarily flickered towards his lips, and suddenly, his throat felt like the mostly burnt bagel he had for breakfast. “I bet you have all of them wrapped around your finger.”

“You’re just - you’re just saying that.”

“Am I?” Her voice was silky, even silkier than her shirt. There was a cool confidence radiating from her as her fingernails galloped in a slow rhythm along the arm rest.

She was staring at him, pinning him against his seat. The hair on his thighs lifted and tickled the denim. The energy in the room had shifted, the air between them had bent and blurred into something that Joel could not quite describe. But he could feel it, sense it when it surged and rippled between them and sent an electric shiver up his spine.

She licked her lips and rolled them together until they were shiny with her spit. His heart pounded against his chest like an animal trapped and he wanted to pounce over the desk and taste her spit. He nearly did until he felt a stirring in his jeans.

What the hell was going on? What was he thinking? He needed to get his head screwed back on straight before he did something incredibly stupid.

Joel shot from his chair like a firework. Abrupt and loud and white-hot. He turned away and towards the filing cabinets on the back wall. He didn’t have a plan, but there had to be something in there that he could pretend to need.

She was quicker than his flustered brain and rose to her feet before he could make it past the edge of his desk.

“Joel.”

It stopped him, his feet stuck to the floor like wet cement. She approached him like a frightened deer. Steady. So quiet. Her steps barely scratched against the cheap carpet.

Joel realized now, right now was the time to speak. To say something. Anything. Find an excuse. Stop standing here like a dumb-struck baboon. But there was only one word that managed to leave his lips, a breath -

“Teddy.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered into the shrinking space between them. “I know.”

I know? He had no clue what that was supposed to mean, but before he could ask – she cradled the back of his neck and pressed her lips against his. Joel’s eyes widened and all he could see was the soft planes of her face, her fluttering eyelids, the fan of her raven-stroke lashes.

She was kissing him. Holy shit. She was actually kissing him. When he finally registered that, he closed his eyes and was overcome by the taste of her spit and a hint of Burt’s Bees chapstick, which he found oddly arousing.

For a moment, he was too damn stunned to do anything but move his mouth along hers. Then, he realized his arms were hanging like spaghetti noodles at his side and reached out and clutched onto her waist. His thumbs delicately swirled the fabric of her shirt. So damn smooth, just as he expected.

Joel gulped when she drew back, just far enough to meet his eyes. He had no idea what the fuck this was – let along if it was anything at all. Perhaps, this was it. Just a stolen kiss, late one night in his office.

Joel braced himself for her to yank away, to tell him it was a mistake, that she didn’t know what she was thinking. Let’s forget the whole thing.

But she didn’t.

She just continued to toy with the curly ends of his hair, twirling them around her fingers as her other hand fisted the loose collar of his shirt. He was wedged between her warm-heaving body and his desk. The edge was slightly burrowing into his lower back, but currently he couldn’t care less.

Her gaze dipped to where his jeans were painfully tented. A hot burst of shame ignited behind his earlobes. The flex of his fingers bit into the hollow below her ribs.

“It’s - it’s been a while,” he found himself explaining because there was no good reason, at his age, to be this turned on from just kissing.

“Do you want me to stop?” She slid up against him, sealing herself against his chest. It appeared she knew the answer before he could dumbly shake his head.

This time – his lips met hers somewhere in the middle. Where the first kiss was gentle, testing the waters like the first sip of fresh coffee, this one was deeper. More intense – a whole gulp. Her urgent lips captured his starstruck mouth and right then he knew nothing, no one, would ever compare to this. Not even close.

The way she kissed was like some special art form that only she could master. It felt so damn good to have her fingers molding through his hair with baby scratches over his scalp and the scent of her soap flooding his chest with heat. It consumed him, his body, his mind. The rapid pulse in his ears muted his every coherent thought.

When she gently nibbled on his bottom lip, he moaned – Teddy. She licked her name from his lips, then eagerly tasted it on his tongue as if she couldn’t get enough.

And oh God – her tongue was equally as impressive as her other skills. The tip of it dragged over his top palate, making it tingle like a buzz off tequila. She stroked and swirled and twisted around his tongue as if knotting a cherry stem. No one had ever taken the time to explore him so thoroughly. Frankly, he didn’t know there was that much of his mouth to explore.

Despite her exploration, Joel’s hands were burning into her waist, still holding her at 10 and 2 like a student driver. Like this was a chaperoned middle school dance. Slowly he roamed them down to grip her hips, but no further. He didn’t want to push it. He didn’t want to scare her. He didn’t want to spoil this moment from something stupid like getting too greedy.

Joel was fully okay with her in the driver seat. Even though he was usually in charge, he was happily letting her lead. Well, actually, he didn’t know if he was really letting her or if she just was. He didn’t care either way when she was touching him.

She broke the kiss and her lips swerved to his cheek. His jaw, paying extra attention to the patch in his beard where no hair could grow. His head tipped back when she buried her nose into the crook of his neck and deeply inhaled. After a hard-days work he likely smelled of sweat instead of his soap, but she groaned anyway.

“Have you ever thought about this before?” She breathed against his neck.

“I mean, I-” He choked on his words as her tongue slicked over the thick vein beneath his jaw. “I - I tried not to.”

“But you did.” He could feel her lips split into a grin before she sucked on a spot below his ear. He hoped it would leave a mark. The idea of seeing it tomorrow in the mirror made his cock twitch and throb and it ached.

“Uh-huh,” he whimpered, rather pathetically. It actually sounded like it fucking hurt.

“You know what?” She playfully nipped at the spot that would soon sadly fade. She then met his gaze with a coy grin. I thought about you too.”

“You did?” he croaked.

She hummed in response, her fingers trailing down his chest. His stomach quivered, his breath catching before she stopped just above the band of his jeans and whispered, “But unlike you - I didn’t try to stop.”

Joel growled, unable to form a coherent thought. His brain was too preoccupied trying to process how any of this was happening. It had to be a dream or an optical illusion or some shit. No way it could be real. But her small hand cupped his cock and that certainly felt real.

“Fuck - you feel even bigger than I imagined.” She palmed at his bulge with a light pressure. His knees nearly buckled despite the thick, denim barrier.

Now, he was really wishing he jerked off last night – or anytime in the past week or so. God – he was pent up. It wouldn’t take much for him to break.

“Can I see it?”

Joel’s mouth went half-slack and she blinked at him without flinching.

“Yeah,” he managed to squeak out. Not great, but at least coherent.

She sank to her knees, her eyes never leaving his. Pretty. Pretty. So damn pretty. Those two undone buttons exposed the tops of her breasts, the peek of a plain white bra that he found sexier than he should’ve.

His restless hands found solid ground on the desk behind him. Just in time as she balled the hem of his shirt in her tiny fists and bunched it towards his waist. The office air blew cool over his newly bare skin.

Joel wondered how he compared to the type of guy she usually dated. Did she like meatheads with six packs? Or guys with scrawny arms? Or did she like them somewhere in the middle; someone more like him? His body used to be more solid in his 20’s, but softened with age. He was still strong though, still firm in most spots aside from his stomach.

He caught himself sucking in as her wild eyes wandered over his husk-tan skin and across the dark scatter of hair around his navel. Then, she devoured it, mapping every inch with her wet, hot mouth.

It was a miracle that he managed to stay upright under her attention. Any attention was new. He was not used to any teasing or foreplay or whatever delicious torture this was called.

No.

Joel was used to his own calloused hands. Quick, rough fucks with women who called him Joe or Jack or something else entirely because why did it matter if it meant nothing.

But did this mean anything? To him, yes. To her – he had no clue. Dear God – he hoped so, though.

With a smirk she unzipped his jeans and shoved them down by his knees. The wet spot on his boxers was impossible to miss. Of course, he’d worn light gray today instead of something discreet like black.

“It’s been awhile,” he sheepishly reminded her. He didn’t want her to think he was always this big of a mess. Because he wasn’t. Seriously, he really wasn’t.

“It’s alright, just relax.” She leaned forward and mouthed at the stain.

But it was impossible to relax when her nose nudged the underside of his cock, her mouth was so close to the tip that every muscle in his body tightened. He gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring with the remnants of his dwindling self-control.

She must’ve realized she was ruining him because she pulled back with a wicked grin. She hooked her fingers into the elastic waistband and tugged. His freed cock nearly smacked her in the face. The flush red tip was weeping.

“Shit, you’re thick,” she gasped. Women had told him that before, but he much preferred hearing it from her. The sweet honesty in her voice, the clear surprise. It stroked his ego and filled him with a strange sense of pride as if he’d actually accomplished anything profound, and not just good genetics.

She licked and spit into her palm before stroking his cock with a loose fist from root to tip. Her thumb swiped over the blunt head, smearing his pre-come and making his hips jerk and involuntary spasm.

Joel opened his mouth to apologize, but was quickly silenced by her tongue: warm, wet, the slightly rough texture tracing over the thick vein that ran down his length.

He gripped the desk until his knuckles bleached. She placed her free hand on his hip as if to help steady him before guiding him between her perfect, plush lips. Just the tip, at first. But it still was nearly enough to finish him. He didn’t remember the last time someone put their mouth on him.

Joel desperately wished to witness this moment. He wanted to memorize the glossy gleam in her eyes, the way she looked in front of him and on her knees and how her mouth stretched perfectly around his cock. But it was too much. The weight between his thighs was becoming oppressive. If he watched, he’d shatter. And he’d be horrified if he finished that fast.

So, he focused on the ceiling tiles instead. On the black specks that formed different shapes as she took another inch of him into her feverish mouth.

Already, she had him panting like a dog. Unable to fully catch his breath even when she released his cock with a loud pop. She continued to pleasure him with long strokes of her fist. Her tongue dipped into his leaking slit, lighting up nerve endings that he didn’t know existed. It ripped an ungodly sound from his mouth.

“Oh, you liked that?” she asked, very smug. Then repeated the movement once, twice, before eagerly swallowing his cock again.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” His hand flew to her shoulder and squeezed as she took him deeper – deeper. Holy shit. Where did she learn to do this? This was like pornstar level good.

She had taken him halfway down her throat when he felt a shock run across his spine, a familiar tugging in his balls. His release was building and brewing in his lower belly like a thunderstorm.

But Joel clenched his teeth. No – he could not come. Not yet. He needed to get himself under control before he finished in less than five minutes.

He shut his eyes, but not even the rumble of his eardrums could drown out the loud, lewd squelch of her mouth. It was fucking filthy. The swirl of her expert tongue around his shaft had him unraveling fast like a loose spool of thread.

“Teddy,” he moaned her name as he got close – too damn close.

He tried to tell her to slow down, but the words stuck in his throat. Nothing came out except grunts. Just short groans. Her lips kissed the cusp of her fist, completely engulfing him in her honey-slobber and the softness of her hand.

His hips instinctively bucked, the head of his cock bumping the back of her throat and she gagged. The walls of her inner mouth shuddered and pulsed around him and –

“Shit.” His eyes flew open but before he could warn her – she hollowed her cheeks and sucked.

He groaned her name, low and unrestrained, as the pleasure electrified his spine. It arced down his thighs before he could push her off. For a moment, he lost himself in the high, in the tide of her mouth. His cock twitched and throbbed on her tongue as he came.

Hard.

As if he hadn’t come in months – years.

In a daze, he blinked down at her and saw his cum dripping down her chin, leaking from the corners of her mouth as she continued to twist her fist and suck down the aftershocks. It would’ve been easily the most erotic sight, if it didn’t suddenly hit him how fast he came.

The light-headed euphoria quickly morphed into vertigo. He was horrified, mortified, staring down at her.

He didn’t know what to say, and for once, it seemed like neither did she. She released his cock from her mouth, but otherwise didn’t move. Not even to wipe the come off her face.

She swallowed, and opened her mouth. But a familiar ding tore through the thick, sticky air. The bell above the front door.

“Joel? Teddy?”

No way. It was motherfucking Tommy.

—-

The idiot had forgotten his house keys in Joel’s truck. In the cupholder, nonetheless.

Joel had somehow managed to button his jeans, and hand her a tissue before Tommy busted into his office. She’d pretend to blow her nose to clean the come off her face, riddling him with another level of shame. So embarrassed that he could barely look at her without feeling like he swallowed a handful of nails.

He threw Tommy the car keys to get rid of him, but found out that Aaron had left. Tommy had told him that Joel could just drive him home without even asking. And usually it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But Tommy was so goddamn clueless. He just swung around the door frame, blabbering about how the girlfriend showed up and there was a big blow up in the parking lot and Joel was just waiting for him to notice the smell of sex and sweat or even the cloying embarrassment. Or Teddy’s swollen and suck-plump lips and surely Joel looked like a flushed-beet wreck.

So how did Tommy seem to remain completely oblivious?

When Sarah called a few minutes later, Joel left. Well, first he made sure everything was locked up and she was safely in her car, but otherwise fled like a coward.

The shop had officially disappeared from his rear view mirror and now Joel couldn’t remember if he even told her goodbye. She just gave him the best blow job of his life, and he couldn’t even wave?

“Are you gonna get Sarah or drop me off first?” Tommy asked and Joel snapped at him like a venus fly trap.

“Doesn’t really make sense to go out of my way just to drop you off first, now does it?”

Tommy threw up his hands. “Well, fuck. How am I supposed to know where Sarah’s friend lives?” He hurled himself against the passenger seat and mumbled under his breath, “Asshole.”

Joel winced. He was kinda being an asshole, taking out his anger on Tommy. He wasn’t even mad at Tommy. Annoyed, yes, but not mad. The only person Joel was mad at here was himself.

He was mad at himself for cumming too fast, and even more so for running away afterwards like a scared hound with his soft, spent cock tucked between his legs. Recalling the complete shit show, Joel’s grip coiled around the steering wheel until the leather squealed in protest. He could still feel the ring of her spit drying around him.

Joel sighed and stared out the windshield at the night sky, the truck bouncing along the uneven back road full of potholes. Why did it feel like he just fucked everything up?

“Hey, are you alright?” Tommy’s voice was lower, quiet – concerned.

Joel scratched at his jaw, at the bald patch she’d kissed, before nodding his head.

“Yeah, sorry - I’m just tired.” He’d rather die and be reincarnated into a gnat than tell Tommy about how he just prematurely ejaculated. He’d had enough embarrassment for one night.

“Did I-” Tommy paused and for a moment it seemed like he decided to keep his mouth shut. Until he sighed. “I don’t know, but did I interrupt something between you and Teddy?”

A little too late to start being observant, Tommy.

Joel approached a red light, the truck crawling to a complete stop.

“Come on. What would be going on between us that you could interrupt?” Joel looked over at Tommy and his brows were furrowed. In the pool of orange light from the street lamps that speckled the cab, Joel saw the realization flash across Tommy’s face. The moment everything clicked into place.

Joel abruptly turned away, not in the mood for pity. After what felt like forever, the light finally turned green.

“Joel, I didn’t realize that you-”

“Don’t.” His voice was quiet, stern without being rude. “Just don’t.”

For once, Tommy didn’t demand to have the last word. Instead, he slowly and silently fell back into the seat as if to fade into the shadows. She still had a boyfriend as far as Tommy knew, and Joel would not be informing him otherwise. This way was easier.

The rest of the drive was filled with Willie Nelson’s album Always on My Mind, the rumble of the engine, and the buzzing of Joel’s thoughts.

How was he supposed to face her tomorrow?

—-

On Friday morning, Joel drove to the shop with a terrible pit in his stomach. His eyes felt gritty, and there was a dark shadow of gray underneath from a restless night sleep. He ate a bland piece of toast for breakfast, and even that made him feel sick. When he turned onto the street, he thought it might reappear all over the windshield.

But Teddy was not there. Just a pink post-it note on the full, freshly brewed coffee pot.

Fox Ridge pitch - Wish me luck.

He’d forgotten that it was this early. Joel supposed he’d have to get here on time this evening to see her.

Joel spent the day trying not to go insane. Despite the pounding of his hammer, memories of last night beat against his skull. Anytime he touched his lips, or the spot behind his ear, he could practically feel the ghost of her kisses. They had been desperate, heated. Hadn’t they? It had seemed she’d wanted him, just as much as he’d always wanted her. She’d even admitted to imagining him in some sexual way.

But what about now?

He didn’t have a clue.

Eight hours later, and halfway from a complete tailspin, the truck decided not to start. The engine clicked and clicked and clicked, but never went. Even though he begged for it to start. The concrete guys had tried to jump it with no success. It’d taken everything in him not to sock Tommy in the jaw when he gave him that told-you-so look while calling a tow truck.

The concrete guys were still on their best behavior and gave them a ride to the mechanic shop. It was run by one of Tommy’s highschool friends, Zach, who was nice enough to stick around past 5 on a Friday night.

5:25 and this was a fucking nightmare. He couldn’t imagine a worse day for the truck to die. As if he hadn’t fucked up enough last night when he bolted, the last thing Joel wanted as her thinking that he was avoiding her. The least he could do was extend the same courtesy she had this morning.

So midway through Tommy and Zach examining what was under the hood, he broke away to call her.

Joel slapped his cellphone against the flat of his palm as he headed outside the entrance. With a deep breath he dialed the shop’s number. The ring-ring-ring in his ears made his chest feel like it was about to explode.

“Teddy’s Company, how can I help you?”

“Hey Teddy.” He cleared his throat. “Hey, it’s Joel,” he said, very awkwardly.

“Hey! Hi. What’s up?”

Joel kicked at the loose rocks by his feet. “Well, the truck - uh the truck’s acting up. We had to get a tow, and Tommy and I are - the mechanic’s checking it over right now.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah, so I just wanted you to know - I don’t know when we’ll get back to the shop.” Joel lightly hit the center of his head with the circle of his clenched fist. He sounded like an idiot.

“No - yeah. That makes sense.” Silence crackled on the other line and it was unbearable.

Joel scratched his temple, unsure what to say next. He wanted to talk about last night, just to get it over with, but it wasn’t the right time. That was not a conversation to have over the phone. Not like at work was much better, but still.

“Well,” Teddy broke the silence. There was a rustling of something on the other line – papers? Her bag? “Do you need-”

There was a massive boom behind him – Tommy pounded on the glass door and motioned him inside.

“What was that?” she asked and Joel mouthed at Tommy to give him a second.

“Sorry, it’s Tommy. I think the mechanic’s done with the inspection.”

“Okay - well, I was just gonna ask if you guys-”

Tommy banged again – harder. It was Friday, so he probably had a date with his favorite dive bar. Joel glared at him and flipped him off.

“It sounds like you need to go,” she said.

“Sorry.” Joel rubbed the back of his neck and he was gonna kill Tommy. “But uh - have a nice weekend, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, you too, Joel.”

Once Joel found out the battery just needed to be replaced, Tommy’s pissy mood made a lot more sense. It would be a decently fast and easy fix – at most an hour.

Joel plopped down in a chair in the lobby and mindlessly flipped through a car magazine. He didn’t even register the pictures that swished by, too busy reeling from that awkward phone call.

Had he really told her to have a nice weekend? He wanted to melt into the cracks and scuffs in the black-and-white tiles. Real smooth, Joel. He sucked at this shit.

What was going to happen next?

He couldn’t tell where her head was at from the phone call that somehow didn’t even last as long as him last night. God – she probably thought he had some type of erectile dysfunction and he couldn’t even blame her. There was no excuse for a man at his age to cum that fast from a blow job, nonetheless. He was not a fucking teenager.

The longer he sat there in the empty lobby with the melancholy of Johnny Cash’s voice, the more he began to doubt. It spread and swelled in his lower abdomen like a virus. Syphilis. If it festered for too long, he felt like it might turn him insane.

He didn’t know how he would survive the weekend like this.

—

Saturday was usually his day for relaxing. All his responsibilities could wait until Sunday, but he couldn’t sit still.

Up early, he and Sarah went to the Farmer’s Market and ran errands until lunch time. He deep cleaned the house in the afternoon. The entire main floor was vacuumed and swept, the kitchen counters looked brand new, and even his bed was freshly made with dryer warm sheets. He was determined to keep busy instead of wallowing in his looming conversation with Teddy.

It might’ve worked if Sarah didn’t innocently keep bringing her up. With homecoming tonight, she was apparently in the mood to reminisce, especially after she’d gotten all dolled up.

They were halfway to her friend Ashley’s house and the drive had been filled with Teddy. Their mall trip – the dress – the tiny details Teddy helped pick out.

“I brought my polaroid camera.” Sarah pointed at her overnight bag in the backseat of his truck. “So, you can take a photo of me and show Teddy on Monday.”

“Oh, yeah. She’ll like that.” Joel forced a smile as the hand of his knee flexed, biting into denim.

He couldn’t help but feel a stab of guilt every time Sarah mentioned her. Teddy would never cut Sarah out, he knew that, but things were bound to be different now. It couldn’t go back to what it used to be, not after she’d seen his cock and swallowed his come. The relationship would inevitably change between them.

He just hoped their friendship could be somewhat salvaged. For Sarah’s sake, especially.

Joel was able to push that out of his mind when they arrived at Ashley’s house. The Murphy’s had been nice enough to invite the entire group, including parents, to come over and take photos. He couldn’t imagine fitting 14 teenagers and their moms in his puny backyard where he could barely fit a playset. Luckily, the Murphy’s lived on a big, well-landscaped lot that backed up against a man-made lake, and not directly into a neighbor’s house.

The few other dad’s who showed up were all huddled together under the covered patio with their eyes transfixed on the TV screen. The Longhorns were taking on the Wildcats. Still in the first quarter, so it wasn’t even a good game yet.

Instead of cracking open a beer, Joel joined the mom’s by the rose bushes.

“Oh my God, Joel. Sarah looks beautiful.”

“She’s gorgeous.”

“Stunning.”

They all complimented Joel as if his genes actually put up a fight. Sarah was Lisa’s exact twin. Even more so when her gorgeous thick curls were pulled back into a loose bun with a few loose strands framing her face. The mom’s were right though – Sarah did look beautiful. But then again, she always did; with or without all the glitter and make-up.

Sarah’s date was a scrawny, soccer player with red hair who was her best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend. Eric. Joel could hardly believe his daughter was at an age to even have a date, even if it was just a set up. It made him feel incredibly old when the kid called him sir.

Based on first impressions, Eric seemed nice enough. The kid took a few photos of Joel and Sarah together in front of the Mexican bush sage. The purple flowers were almost an exact match to Sarah’s dress. Joel had hoped that somebody would offer when he’d changed out of his dusty clothes earlier and into a different, slightly nicer white t-shirt and a pair of his best dark wash jeans.

Still, while Joel wouldn’t threaten the kid with a fist or scare the shit out of him with a war story like Tommy would, Joel did give Eric the look – Don’t try anything, bud. When Joel shook his hand, it felt like wet paint.

Good.

Joel thanked the minivan moms for driving, Ashley’s mom for hosting the sleepover afterwards, while snapping enough pictures to fill up two of Sarah’s bulletin boards.

“You look beautiful, baby girl,” he told Sarah one more time before hugging her goodbye.

She promised to be good and handed him the developed Polaroid, specifically for Teddy. He stashed it safely away in the middle console of his truck then drove away.

At home, an empty living room quietly greeted him. Not yet 6 P.M. – the sun continued to shine and slice through the curtains onto the beige carpet. Joel had no idea what to do with the rest of his evening. Football, he supposed. Maybe rent a movie – Ocean’s Eleven or Training Day, something Sarah had no interest in ever seeing.

He whipped up a ham and cheese sandwich and cracked open a beer. Rather than eating alone at the dining room table, he set up on the couch and ate in the company of Longhorn football.

It didn’t take long, not even halfway finished with his sandwich, before a Folgers commercial came on and he thought about Teddy. She never even used Folgers, but just coffee in general made him think of her. At this point, it was actually pathetic how everything reminded him of her.

For a few minutes, Joel debated on calling her and figuring this shit out already. This limbo was killing him. He even pulled out his phone from his back pocket, found her name in his contact list and let it taunt him, his thumb hovering over the call button for longer than he’d like to admit.

But what would he say if she answered?

It had been two days and he still had no clue. He was still trying to figure out how to navigate this whole situation. He wanted to handle it with care but it felt like holding a dandelion puff in his rough calloused hands. Inevitably, it would break and fall apart with something as simple as a gust of wind. Joel carelessly tossed his phone on the coffee table and groaned.

At halftime, he went and cleaned off his empty plate in the sink. Using his hands always helped distract him. Maybe he needed a hobby. He could always play his guitar, finally learn Never Going Back Again. He’d always wanted to try out woodworking since it used to be his dad’s favorite pastime.

Joel was drying off the dish when the doorbell rang.

“Hold on,” he yelled, wiping off his hands with the rag. He didn’t know who that could be, but he’d bet everything in his wallet right now it was Tommy. He knew Sarah would be gone all night, and probably wanted to drag Joel to some bar across town for a wild night out.

Joel was coming around to the idea of spending his night in a smoky, loud bar instead of cooped up in his house when he opened the door. It was definitely not his brother, not even close.

“Teddy.”

She was on his front porch in a pale blue sundress that instantly made his mouth water. The buttery light from the budding sunset sky behind her framed her silhouette.

“Sorry to just stop by.” She smoothed down her dress and tugged at the hem. “But can I come in?”

—-

She didn’t say why she was here when he let her inside, but he supposed she didn’t have to.

It was actually Joel who broke the silence. “Do you want anything to drink?” he asked. His mom would lurch from her grave if he didn’t act like a good host.

“Water,” she said with a small smile. “Tap’s fine.”

It was a good thing she didn’t follow him into the kitchen. His hands were shaking so bad that he nearly dropped the glass on the tile floor.

When he came back into the living room, she was sitting on the couch. He handed her the glass, his fingertips brushing over hers. She politely thanked him before taking a tentative sip. The cushion whined under his weight when he sat. These were the exact same spots from the night she was here with Sarah. This time, however, the empty cushion felt less like a safety net and more like a boulder about to crush him.

He turned off the TV, the newfound silence giving further evidence of what happened the other night.

She clinked the glass onto the coffee table, then clasped her hands stiffly in her lap. On the very edge of her seat, she looked ready to bolt at any moment. “I knew Sarah would be at the dance or, at least dinner.”

“Yeah, dinner. I think the dance starts around 8,” he said and she nodded. He wished he would’ve remembered to bring the Polaroid inside. Maybe it would’ve helped ease the tension.

But no – he needed to quit procrastinating and apologize for how he reacted the other night.

Buck up – do it.

For a moment, Joel searched for what to say, scratching the skin around his neck where it felt thickest.

“Joel,” Teddy said before he could speak. She shifted in her seat and when she opened her mouth, he braced himself for her to call it nothing but a mistake. “I wanted to come by and apologize about the other night.”

His brows furrowed.

“Apologize?”

“Yes, Joel,” she answered, very sternly. He noticed a pained look in her eyes before she stared down at her stark white tennis shoes.

“What? I - what?” He sounded like a bumbling drunk and for once, he wished the right words would just come naturally to him.

She sighed.

“After our phone call yesterday,” she started, only stopping for a split-second to clasp her gold necklace between her fingers. “I feel like I might’ve pushed things too far the other night. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable-”

“Uncomfortable? No. Shit.” Joel insistently shook his head. He would personally damn himself to hell if he sat here any longer and let her take any blame for this. Exhaling, he scruffed a hand over his jaw. “Look, I’ll admit - I panicked, but that ain’t on you.”

“How is it not?”

“Cause you did nothing wrong. Fuck. I’m the one who should be apologizing, alright? I acted like a goddamn idiot, Teddy. It’s just-” Joel let out a self-deprecating laugh, bashfully tucking his chin towards his chest. “I don’t usually, ya know - that fast. Just got embarrassed, that's all.”

He absently rubbed at a patch of distressed leather on the arm of the couch.

“Well, I never wanted to make you feel embarrassed.” She scooted closer – closer. Slowly. For what felt like the first time since the night in his office, Joel properly met her eyes. “All I wanted was to make you feel good, Joel.” Her voice was husky, almost seductive. She smirked and his heart banged inside his chest like a caged feral cat.

“You did make me feel good,” he admitted, rather shyly. “Just wish I could’ve made you feel good, too.”

“Who says you can’t?” Her eyes darted across his face, to his lips, to the rise and fall of his chest. She gripped his shoulders for balance before swinging her legs over him. Her knee lightly bumped into the arm of the couch and his hands instantly went to her hips, helping to steady her on his lap.

Joel stared up at her dumbly for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief. His thumbs toyed with the hem of her dress, bunching it up further until he could brush over the bare flesh of her thighs. Goddamn, she was so soft. So pretty.

“What do you want, Joel?”

Everything. “Whatever you’ll give me.”

“No, Joel. What do you want?”

The last two days – hell, the last two years bulldozed into him. Every feeling and thought he’d suppressed and ignored crashing into him like a wrecking ball. He’d spent so long convincing himself this would never happen, but now – everything he ever wanted and never thought he would have was right here. Right in his lap.

And something inside him suddenly snapped.

“You gotta know by now, Teddy. You gotta know.” The words spilled out of his mouth and he hated how it sounded. It didn’t make any sense. Joel shook his head and ran his hands down her thighs to lightly squeeze at the spot above her knees for stability. “Fuck, I ain’t any good at this shit,” he said, in a rare moment of vulnerability.

She cupped his face so delicately like he was made of porcelain. With a small nudge, he met her gaze.

“This is gonna sound very middle school, but do you like me, Joel?” she asked and he snorted.

It did sound juvenile, but he instinctively tugged her closer and nodded his head.

“Good. Cause I like you and I want you, Joel. Only you,” she said. “So what do you say? Wanna give this a shot?”

“You fucking know I do.” His hand slid behind her neck, his thumb traced over the perfect curve of her hair line. “Now, come here.”

When his lips met hers – it was desperate and sweet like cream soda. His mouth crashed against hers with every bottled up dream and fantasy of her mouth, her lips, her tongue. It surged hot and bright through him.

His hand was a firm weight on the small of her back as he pulled her in as close as humanly possible, until only denim and a dainty sundress could separate him from her.

She clutched onto his shirt collar before gently rocking her hips against his growing bulge. He tensed his thigh, catching on her panties. She whimpered, already so sensitive, and he couldn’t wait to learn all the sounds she made.

He couldn’t fuck her on the couch, though. Not properly, at least. Definitely not like he wanted to or how she deserved. Still, he let himself enjoy this for a few minutes. Dry humping like teenagers in her parent’s basement before breaking the kiss with a soft peck to her top lip.

“Would you wanna go upstairs?” He dragged the back of his hand over her thigh, his knuckles hiking up her dress to reveal a little more skin.

“Oooh. Am I finally gonna see Joel Miller’s room?” She gave the tip of his nose a quick kiss before crawling off of him.

She held his hands the entire way upstairs until he led her into his room. “Told you, you weren’t missing much.”

“I don’t know about that.” She glanced at the navy blue walls, at the painting of a grazing deer in what appeared to be somewhere in Montana. It hung above his golden oak headboard. She pointed at the basic beige comforter, three pillows lined up against the frame. “I’m gonna be honest, though, I didn’t take you for the type to make your bed.”

“I did a little cleaning today.” Joel shrugged as she kicked off her shoes by his laundry basket.

“Well, isn’t that convenient?”

Joel managed to only kiss her twice before getting on the bed. He scooted into the middle, using two pillows to prop and cushion his aging lower back. Again, she eagerly climbed over him. She yanked her dress over her head, leaving her in only a lacy black bra with a pair of matching panties that cut high on her hips. The tiny, pink flower on the waistband was just the cherry on top.

She must’ve noticed the look on his face because she giggled as if she was completely innocent. “Do you like it? I wore it for you.”

“Fuck me,” he murmured. “Look at you, you’re gonna fucking kill me.” His hands roamed from her ribs up to paw at her bra and he squeezed just hard enough to watch them pour out over the top. He growled from deep in his chest before shoving his face in between her breasts. He traced the lacy material with his tongue before kissing along his slick trail. “Can I take it off?”

Smirking, she reached behind her and unclipped it for him. The bra joined her dress on the carpet in seconds. He licked his lips and admired her bare skin – the curves of her body in the coppery-golden glow from the sunset spilling in from the window. When he cupped her breasts, he swore they were made for his hands. His thumbs slid across her sensitive peaks, feather-light, but her breath still hitched – her head tip back and even the column of her neck was gorgeous.

He replaced one of his thumbs with his tongue, flicking the tip of it over her nub again and again. Kitten licks that made her clutch the back of his head. The way her fingers rooted into his hair was almost possessive and she held him flush against her chest as he sucked her nipple into his needy mouth.

Her breathing grew ragged and she tried to find friction. She rutted against him, but his hands captured her hips, holding her still before she could graze his cock. Too much dry humping and he’d be actually come in his pants like a teenager.

“Be patient, sweetheart,” he murmured and she whined. He didn’t allow her another chance to complain before his mouth switched to her other breast and adored it with equal attention. It’d been ages since he took his time like this and he lost himself in the feeling of her soft, scented skin on his face.

“Joel,” she moaned. It was desperate and raw and hands down the most erotic sound he’d ever heard in his life. It snapped him from his reverie and he grazed his teeth once more over her spit-swollen bud.

“I know.” He petted her hips before cupping her sex. The lace was soaked and sticky around her cunt.

Her hips bucked into the flat edge of his palm and for a moment, he watched her shamelessly ride his hand. Her brows furrowed – her fingers clutching his shirt for support. He was suddenly aware that he was completely dressed, and he found it strangely erotic. A part of him enjoyed it, maybe a little too much.

“Let me take care of you.” He patted her on the hip before ordering her to lay back. She didn’t need to be told twice.

Joel moved, so she could take his spot in the center of the bed. He tore off his t-shirt and threw it with her clothes. She watched him with glossy, moon eyes as he crawled between her spread open thighs. He captured her lips in a tender kiss before swerving to the swell of her cheek and down the slope of her neck. Gently, he nipped at her collarbone and she wiggled impatiently.

But he still went slow when dragging the tip of his nose from her breasts and along her stomach where he placed a soft kiss above her belly button.

When he settled back on his knees, he saw her chest rising and falling. Her bottom lip was stuck between her teeth and she was fisting the comforter. It was hard to believe she was really here, even as his fingers stroked her thigh. She was actually in his bed in nothing but soaked black panties.

Joel laid down on his stomach, spreading her thighs even wider to make room for his broad shoulders. Face-to-face with her lace covered cunt, he could smell the sweet, primal musk.

He sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling nervous. He enjoyed going down on women, but it had been awhile since he did anything more than just enough to get someone wet enough to take him. And he really wanted this to be good.

It felt like it had to be good, after his last fuck up.

“Joel? Are you okay?” She brushed back a tuft of hair that had fallen flat on his face.

He shut his eyes but there was no hiding when his face was mere inches from her pussy. “It’s just been awhile.”

“Well, we don’t-”

“No. God - I want to.” Joel groaned and dejectedly dropped his head against her thigh. He kissed at a mark above her knee. Her skin felt so warm against the stubble of his cheek. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?”

A moan dripped from her lips as he mouthed his way to the dip where her thighs met her hips. His nose nudging along the elastic seam.

“I’m not usually like this, but fuck - I wanna make you feel good.” He sucked at the spot directly above that damn tiny pink rose and her hips lifted off the bed, almost chasing his mouth. “Want you to know I can take care of you.”

“You can - you can,” she practically chanted. “Just God. Please, Joel.”

“Okay, I got you. It’s okay,” he whispered before peeling off her panties. He lifted the flimsy to his nose and inhaled without thinking. She smelled so delicious, musky, like sea salt and jasmine. He lost himself in her womanly scent and stuffed the fabric into his mouth and oh God – the taste. Dully sweet, a citrusy-tang that tingled his tongue. He devoured it.

It wasn’t until her panties were licked clean that he came up for air. His eyes opened to find her staring at him. Her mouth gaping – pupils carbon-black.

With a shy smile, he tossed the panties, now soaked with his spit, behind him. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she panted. “Fuck, that was hot.”

He snorted.

“Well, you taste damn good, sweetheart,” he said, situating himself comfortably between her thighs. Now, there was nothing, not even skimpy lace separating them. She was completely hairless, which was actually a first for him. Joel didn’t have a personal preference, though he did like how easily he could see how turned on she was. Her entire sex was swollen and glossy and perfect. Licking his lips, he peered up at her. “I wanna make you feel good, so let me know if you don’t like something, alright?”

She quickly nodded, her chest hitching with anticipation. She wanted this. She did.

He kissed the top of her mound then experimentally licked her slit, keeping his tongue soft and flat. He deliberately stopped just before her clit, avoiding it. For now. He planned to build her up slowly, steady. Words had never come easy to him, so instead he’d show her what he could not articulate.

Despite his own painful desire, his focus remained solely on her as he lapped at her cunt: He teased and nibbled and sucked on her folds. Letting her little sounds and sighs guide him to find her most sensitive spots. He didn’t know what he’d been so worried about before. Eating pussy was just like riding a bike.

“More,” she pleaded, and how could he deny her after she’d been so patient?

Her back arched when the tip of his nose grazed her clit. He smirked against her cunt, the pit in his belly stoked by how worked up she was. It fueled his confidence and his tongue swiped over her clit. She wound her fingers through his hair and tugged.

Hard.

And Oh – that did something to him. His cock twitched, or at least, tried to. Pack so tightly against the seam of his jeans. Again – he swallowed the urge to hump the sheets for some relief, snubbing his own arousal for hers.

As he toyed with her clit, his fingertips skimmed over her slick, hot-heated sex. The thick bulb of his pointer finger caught on her entrance and she immediately clenched, as if trying to capture him. Greedy little thing.

Still, he peered up at her for permission that she happily granted. He started out with one finger and inched inside her until he could not physically go any further. He cursed under his breath. She was warm and soaked and so tight.

When finally he squeezed in a second finger, her knees slightly bowed. Even though she was wet enough for him to slip in without any resistance, he rocked into her slowly, mindful to let her adjust. He curled his fingers, trying a few different angles before finding that spongy spot.

Immediately, she jerked with a deep, filthy moan.

Got it.

His fingers worked just as relentlessly as his tongue that was circling and swirling and flicking her clit. So responsive. Her walls spasmed around him as he thrusted into her a little harder. A little faster.

“Oh my God.” Her voice was as shaky as her thighs. He could feel her starting to swell under his tongue.

Joel didn’t want to stop, but he needed to see her come apart. When he leaned back on his knees, her hand shot out. She latched onto his forearm with a death grip.

“Wait! Wait! Joel!” Her voice was high-pitched. Frantic. Her cunt clenched furiously around his fingers as if she could not bear to let them go. “I’m almost there. I swear, I’m close.”

She bore down, attempting to fuck his hand as if she needed to prove she was telling the truth. Like he could do nothing but sit here, and she could get herself off. Joel felt something ugly and bitter twinge in his chest. It made him wonder how often she was left high and dry and unsatisfied by the people she fucked.

Well, not anymore. Not with him.

Once his hand lightly pressed on her abdomen, she stopped. Her gaze found his. Her eyes glossy and wild and fucked out. It looked like the only thought in her head was how badly she needed to come.

“Don’t worry, I ain’t done with you, sweetheart,” he assured her as his hand on her stomach moved lower and lower. “Just wanna see you when I make you come for the first time.”

A filthy moan split her lips when he circled her clit with his thumb. The panic on her face was instantly replaced with relief. Pleasure. She looked gorgeous on the verge of an orgasm.

“Does this pretty little pussy feel good?”

“Yes - yes - don’t stop,” she cried out. “I’m so close.”

“I know, sweetheart. I can feel it.” And he could. “I got you.”

She moaned his name as she came undone underneath him. Her arousal was dripping down his knuckles and onto his sheets. He caught himself grinding into the air, desperately wishing it was his cock instead of his fingers making her come.

Her clit pulsed under the pad of his thumb like a beating heart. Insatiable, he sucked the taste of her off his fingers then wiped his mouth.

She drew him down into a sloppy, wet kiss. The painful bulge in his jeans catching on her bare flesh. By some miracle, though he didn’t burst right then and there.

She pawed at his bare shoulders. “I need you,” she murmured against his lips that were still buzzing with her wetness. “Please Joel, I want you.”

“Greedy,” he mumbled, grinning against her cheek. He gave her hip a playful pinch before jumping onto his feet.

Quickly, he shed his jeans along with his pre-come stained boxer briefs. His cock was heavy. The head swollen into a furious shade of red, closer to purple than pink.

The light outside was starting to fade into gauzy, gray dusk. So, Joel flipped on the bedside lamp before pulling out a fresh box of condoms from the nightstand. He tore through the plastic wrapping with his teeth, but slowed down when opening the tin-foil packet.

“How do you want me?” She asked as he securely rolled on the condom.

Up? Down? He didn’t care. “Surprise me.”

She shot him a mischievous smirk before flipping onto her stomach. Rising onto all fours. This woman. He had no idea what she would pick, but his first guess never would’ve been doggy.

He admired the dream-like curve of her spine and she invitingly wiggled her ass. Seemed she was trying to give him a heart attack. Did she know how sexy she was to him? She had to. She had to know what she did to him.

“Is this okay?” she asked, and Joel growled his approval. He climbed in behind her and palmed at the plump flesh of her ass.

She opened herself wider until he could see everything. “Shit, sweetheart,” he hissed, marveling at where her sex glistened with his spit and her orgasm.

Joel had to squeeze at the base of his cock before dragging the tip through her slick folds, all the way up to her puckered hole. Even that felt good. Almost too good. And he wasn’t even inside her, yet.

Once Joel was lined up with her entrance, he noticed how small her cunt looked next to him and didn’t even try to push in. He questioned whether or not he could fit. It was just a fact that he was thick. Even though she was soaked, this would be a tight squeeze.

Fuck. Now, he was really regretting only using two fingers instead of three.

“Joel” she whined, but he still didn’t move.

“I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“No, I can take it - I promise,” she whimpered. “Joel, please.” She tilted back against him, making it impossible to say no.

“Okay. Alright,” he said soothingly, calmly rubbing the arc of her hip. “I’ll go slow.”

And he did. For both his and her sake, he inched into the heat of her cunt. His gaze was welded to the painted deer above the headboard. Watching himself disappear inside her would’ve been too much. The feeling of her pulsing around him was already almost too much for him to handle. Without the condom, this would’ve been over before it could even begin.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. You’re big,” she choked out, her walls fluttering around him. “I need - I need a second.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Yeah – he needed one too.

There was a long minute where the only sounds in the room were of his harsh breaths, her suppressed whimpers. Then, a slight creak of the bed.

He leaned forward, his chest lightly pressed against her back. His arms caged in around hers, palms flat on the bed to help support his own weight as he draped over her body.

“You feel so good.” His lips brushed over the top of her spine and she shivered. “I know it’s a lot. I want you to know it’s a lot for me too.”

“Oh, Joel,” she mewled as he buried his face into her neck. She smelled and tasted just like salted caramel.

“You’re perfect, sweetheart. So good.” He kissed behind her ear, along the back of her neck. “I’m gonna move now, alright?”

“Please.” The word dripped from her lips – the only answer he needed.

He stayed close to her, his breath puffing against her neck as he fucked into her. Nice and slow and tender, at first. She met his thrusts in perfect sync. Each one allowing him deeper and deeper inside her and he didn’t even know how that was possible. It was as if her pussy was molding to fit him, to take even more of him. It felt very intimate and overwhelming.

He thought if he was staring into her eyes that he might’ve cried. Sex had never felt like this before. Not with Lisa, not even when they accidentally made Sarah. If he was being honest, sex had always felt somewhat impersonal; stilted, distant, like a glory hole in a gas station, just minus the sketchy bathroom wall.

But here, right now with her – this felt sacred. He had no clue how he ever managed to live without this.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted you?” Joel laid his damp forehead between her shoulder blades and picked up the pace.

“Joel.” She gasped. His name seemed to be the only word she could say. It was as if he had completely consumed her. Her mind. Her body. Her every neuron. He kissed each vertebrae within reach, claiming more of her.

More.

“So damn long,” he answered. “And so fucking bad. Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen and look at you now, sweetheart. Just taking it. So good, just like I knew you would.”

“Oh God, Joel.”

He felt her shake, her arms appeared ready to give out and collapse. He wouldn’t let that happen. So, he widened his stance, the comforter bunching up around his knees. Carefully, but without warning, he fully pulled out and she wailed like it physically hurt.

“I got you.” He shushed her, wrapping his arm around her waist and sealing her to his chest. “Come on, come here.” He guided her upright along with him and she groaned once the weight was off her arms.

She sank back down on his cock instantly, her ass flush against his thighs. He felt even closer to her, somehow, in this position. Her skin was on fire, the sweat making her back stick to him like gum. Her pussy was drenched and dripping down his balls.

He could feel her all over him. Everywhere. It amazed him how he managed to last this long.

Joel gripped her hip, his other hand went to cup her breast. When he gently rocked forward at the perfect angle, she clenched.

“Goddamn.” He squeezed her breast, continuing to hit that same spot. “How are you so tight?”

“It’s you, Joel.” She gasped. “No one - no one has ever been this deep.”

The dormant, possessive part of his brain lit up and he growled. Joel buried himself to the hilt, until he could not claim another inch. No one but him had ever touched her here.

Just him.

Only him.

His.

She was soaking wet, white-hot, and he could feel himself throbbing inside her. Joel wanted to come so badly. The spicy-musk of her skin was swirling in his lower belly with a powerful, burning heat. On the brink of bursting.

“Fuck, I’m not gonna last much longer.” He pinched her nipple as his other hand went down to play with her clit. “I wanna make you come.”

Her only response came in a whine, a frantic nod.

Joel thrusted into her with long, deep strokes that made the bed shake. The headboard hit the wall in a dull, rhythmic thud that filled the room. Just like her trembling, needy moans, his own low groans, and the heady-salt scent of sex.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and haled his mouth toward hers. She kissed him, or more so, tried to. It was more of just lips devouring whatever was within reach: cheeks and chin and the curve of mouths. It wasn’t the best angle, but it didn’t matter.

In this moment, nothing else mattered to him but her.

Despite the tightness in his balls, Joel somehow held back his release. He gritted his teeth, burrowed his face into her neck, and quickly rubbed her clit. The high-pitched sound of his name lingered on her swollen lips as her walls squeezed around him like a fist.

It wasn’t until her cunt was spasming around him that he finally drove forward. He was buried so deep inside her that he practically snarled when he came.

He spilled into the condom, but pretended to be filling her up instead. He would watch his cum drool out of her, only to stuff it all back in with his fingers.

Joel clutched her against him as his hips gave a few final jerks. He would have liked to stay inside her until he went completely soft, but the condom was overflowing. Cum or her slick or more likely a mix of both was soaking into the hair between his thighs. He decided not to test the durability of this specific condom brand. The last time he did that, well – it was obvious how that turned out.

Holding the condom at the base, he slipped out of her and dropped onto his ass with a few pops and cracks. Damn, he really should stretch more.

His eyes fell to where her legs were spread and her sex was still gaping from him – for him. His mouth went dry. He wanted to lean over and quench his thirst, fill her with his tongu-

“What’re you lookin’ at there?” The sound of her lilted voice made his gaze abruptly snap to her face.

He must’ve been blushing because her lips split into a smug grin. Clearly, she knew what caught his attention. But even after two orgasms, she was still a little sassy. Still too damn perceptive for her own good, meanwhile he could barely form a coherent sentence.

She straddled his thighs, careful to avoid his semi-soft cock.

“It’s okay, you can look. I mean, it’s yours now, isn’t it?” Her soft, small voice cut through the post-sex fog in his brain. She was looking so vulnerable, so exposed, completely naked in his lap. Even he was more covered up than her, and all he had covering him was a flimsy, full condom that he had not yet found the energy to get up and throw away.

Isn’t it? Joel got the sense it was not a genuine question, but more of a reiteration – a confirmation. Are we on the same page?

Whatever she meant, he nodded his head.

“It is.” He cradled her cheek. “But only if it comes with the rest of you. I’m a greedy man, sweetheart. I want it all.”

She beamed at him.

“Well, that makes two of us,” she declared while brushing a sweaty tuft of his hair out of his face. “I want everything you come with, Joel. And when I say everything - I mean everything. The whole package.”

She might’ve not said Sarah’s name, but he knew that’s what she meant.

His lips parted, amazed by how easily the words came out of her mouth. That was the first time a woman had ever acknowledged that he came as a two-for-one deal without even a hint of cynicism in their tone. Obviously, Joel realized a kid was a lot to take on. Especially since Lisa wasn’t in the picture at all, but there were some women who made it sound like Sarah was baggage, which was insane. Sarah was the best part of him.

Speechless, Joel kissed her firmly on the mouth. It was warm and sweet and surging through his chest like an electric current. This is what it was supposed to be like. He could feel her lips break into a smile before he pulled away.

“Stay here. Let me get you cleaned up.”

She laid back on the bed without argument, and he disappeared into the bathroom. Joel stuffed the condom into the tin-foil wrapper, then buried it under wads of tissues and empty toilet paper rolls at the bottom of the trash can, just in case Sarah used his bathroom. He didn’t want her to see that.

After cleaning himself up, he returned with a warm, damp washcloth. She looked pleasantly surprised, a little shocked. Wordlessly, she parted her legs with enough space for him to fit.

“Such a gentleman,” she finally said after he gently wiped down her thighs.

“Maybe.” He moved over her tender, swollen folders with even more caution. “Or maybe I just wanted to get a closer look.”

He winked and she giggled.

“You had your face buried down there like twenty minutes ago - don’t think you can get much closer than that.”

True. Joel snorted and tossed the washcloth into his laundry hamper. He went over to his dresser and dug out an old, oversized t-shirt from the bottom of his drawer.

“Caught this at a Longhorns game from one of those t-shirt cannons,” he said when handing her the folded shirt with her panties on top.

“Ooooooh impressive.” She playfully wiggled her brows, just slightly taunting him. He didn’t expect anything less.

His boxers from earlier were still damp, so he put on a fresh pair.

“So, what time are you picking Sarah up?” she asked, seemingly waiting to bring up his kid until he wasn't butt-ass naked.

“Actually, she’s staying at her friend’s house tonight.”

“Well, that’s interesting.”

Joel hummed his response. He was grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the closet when suddenly the home phone on the nightstand lit up, ringing. Only solicitors called that phone, anymore – shit, his cellphone was downstairs.

He would’ve ignored it, but what if it was Sarah?

Joel raced to the phone with his pants still clutched in his hand. Once he saw the caller ID, he groaned.

“It’s Tommy.”

She nodded for him to answer, and so he did. Very reluctantly. “Hello?” Joel swore if Tommy was in jail again, he was going to let him rot there until next week.

“Hey there, Joel.” Definitely not jail – too happy. “What’s going on?”

“Uh,” Joel paused and looked at his bed where Teddy was laying in only his t-shirt and a pair of panties. What a beautiful sight. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself; Tommy wouldn’t believe him even if he told the truth. Joel tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder, so he could put on his pants. “Nothing.”

Teddy grinned at him like they were teenagers lying to their parents.

“Nothing? Huh?” Tommy snorted. “Then what’s Teddy’s car doing in your driveway?”

Oh no.

Joel nearly tripped over his pant leg on his way to the window. The street lights were on, but the sky was still a light enough blue where he could clearly see Tommy standing in the driveway, waving with a classic little brother grin on his face. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was coming by to drag your ass out and wait - are you fucking shirtless?”

Joel cursed, backing away from the window like it burned him. The cover was blown and he hoped Teddy didn’t mind, but it wasn’t his fault that his brother came over uninvited. He looked at her and she was just smiling, appearing wildly amused.

She shrugged, then yelled. “Hi Tommy.”

Tommy howled in his ear, loud enough that he could hear it through the glass. She immediately burst out laughing, no longer having to hide. Joel shook his head, but he couldn’t even be annoyed or mad. Not right now.

“You dirty dog.”

Fucking Tommy.

#pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller x f!reader #joel miler x reader #joel miller fanfiction #last of us fanfiction #joel the last of us #joel x reader #joel miller

228 notes · View notes

whowantslovergirl · 4 months

Text

Spoiling you

JJ Maybank x kardashian rich! reader (reader is female with she/her pronouns)

warnings: jj being made fun of (jokingly),cursing, established relationship, kissing, Y/N being a triggering type of rich LIKE WHAT YOU MEAN 500,000 DOLLARS IS CHEAP, just cute fluff

outer banks masterlist

Summary: Y/N loves spoiling JJ

posted: January 9,2024

When Y/n the richest girl on the island and JJ the poorest guy on the island got together everybody thought they were doing some big dumb joke. But it was definitely real.

JJ’s friends always make fun of him for it of course jokes only. Y/n’s friends always say she can find better but she is never budging.

Only downside for JJ is that Y/n’s love language is giving gifts and she loves spoiling him. He always says how it’s not needed but she doesn’t care. One time he came to hang out with the newest phone, even Kie didn’t have it yet.

“Woahhh new phone Jay?” John b says seeing the phone. “Fuck off alright yes I have a new phone.”

“Y/n got it for you?” Pope asked. “Of course she got it for me. I told her I didn’t need this but she got it anyway.”

“I think it’s sweet that she gives you stuff for no reason.” Kie said playing with the phone.

Of course JJ loved the phone but he just likes earning things instead of it being handed to him.

______

“Ok close your eyes!” Y/n said while looking for his gift. “Y/n I swear if it’s something big-.”

“Shut up! Ok hold out your hands.” He did and he felt a box in his hand. “Ok open!” And he did.

It was a watch and not any watch,

a fucking Rolex. The newest model at that.

“Y/n what the fuck! This is like a 500,000 dollar watch!”

“Do you like it? I even got it customized for you. It has P4L in the band. And don’t worry about the price, pretty cheap for Rolex.

Only Y/n would think half a million is cheap.

“Yea I love it but I can’t accept this. I just know this was lot of money.”

“Yes you can and you will! Ok? I love you.”

“I love you too Y/n” and they shared a kiss.

“And you better wear this all the time it was such a pain to get this.”

_____

“A Rolex?!” Kie exclaimed.

“JJ do you know how much these are?” Pope asked and JJ nodded.

“She spent half a mil on me.”

“What the fuck?!” They all exclaimed.

______

JJ and Y/n were walking around with their hands intertwined.

“Wanna play 21 questions Jay?” He just nodded.

“What’s your dream car?”

His eyes widened. “Y/n you’re not getting me a car are you? I don’t even have a license!”

“No of course not! Just asking?” He didn’t believe you but after a lot of convincing, he gave in.

“Fine a nice starter car would probably be a dodge challenger.”

He’s so gullible.

“Alright cool I will be right back ok?”

He nodded and knew something was up.

_____

All the pogues were chilling around the front by the lake and they hear music blasting. They all turn and see a black car with a red bow on it.

Y/n stepped out of the car.

“Surprise Jay!”

They all just stood there.

“A fucking car!” Pope yelled.

“Oh my god I might get it with Y/n.” John B said.

“Y/n what is this!” JJ said walking up to her.

“It’s your car and I’m paying for your license and anything you need so you can actually drive it. Do you not like it?”

“I love it! It’s just a car?!”

“Look at the interior!”

He did and he can’t lie the inside is pretty sick. The drivers seat has his initials in it and the passenger seat has yours in it.

He fucking loves it.

He ran up to you and gave you a big hug and you giggled. “I’m taking it that you love it?” He just nodded enthusiastically. You hand him the keys and he instantly gets in with you and take it for a test drive.

You love spoiling JJ.

THREE MONTH BREAK IS CRAZY but im backkkkkkkk 👅👅👅👅

#my lovers on top #outer banks x reader #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #kook reader

291 notes · View notes

steddio · 1 year

Text

Eddie can’t listen to music anymore. God knows he wants to, would give anything to lose himself in a particularly intense guitar riff, or bang on the steering wheel of his van like it’s a drum kit, or just generally annoy those in his vicinity by refusing to turn down “that noise” (as his neighbors call it). Music was his life, his sanctuary, his whole reason for being on this stupid, fucked up planet.

But now, music makes him jumpy, panicky. Hands clenched into fists, the back of his neck prickling. He can’t help but look for the threat, for the reason music is being played. Eddie finds himself sitting in silence now, when before he couldn’t stand it. His bedroom eerily quiet, cassettes shoved in a shoebox, stereo covered with an old t-shirt. He drives with the windows down, radio off, listening only to the mundane sounds of small town Indiana.

He can’t even play guitar. Three days after he woke up covered in bandages, head aching, Wayne had brought Eddie his sweetheart, mumbling something about not wanting Eddie to be bored in the hospital. Eddie had tried to play, he really had. But just touching the strings sent him back into that life-or-death mindset, and suddenly his mouth felt like it was filled with blood and he couldn’t breathe, and the nurse had to rush in and help him release his death grip on the guitar, take deep breaths, count to ten.

After, he threw the provided pamphlets about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the trash and tried to convince himself he didn’t really need to play guitar anymore. As Dustin is so fond of reminding him, he already lived the most metal moment of all time, embodied it, played for the lives of everyone he loves, for Chrissy’s death, for Hawkins’s survival. His sweetheart helped save the world, and now it’s enough that she’s only decoration in their new government payout trailer. It has to be enough, because he can barely look at her, can’t touch her without shaking, without almost throwing up.

His friends must notice. They must, because he’s been avoiding band practice, hasn’t scheduled any D&D sessions, staying far away from everything that used to bring him joy because it doesn’t. Not anymore. And sometimes he wishes they would say something, that anyone would acknowledge this 180 degree shift in Eddie’s entire being. But Jeff and Gareth are giving him space, letting him heal. And the kids are kids, dealing with their own trauma and shit. So it’s just Eddie and the silence.

—

Eddie is listlessly staring at his bedroom wall, actively trying to think about nothing, when he hears a car horn honking. He ignores it, sure that it’s irrelevant to him. The horn honks again. Then a third, fourth, fifth time, followed by, “Munson, dude, I know you’re in there!”

And what the fuck. Because Eddie knows that voice, and there’s absolutely no reason for Steve Harrington of all people to be outside his trailer. They’re not even friends! They’re just… trauma bonded. Or whatever. Maybe Eddie should have read those pamphlets.

He peeks his head out the window to see Steve shading his eyes with one hand, the other on his hip. Eddie waggles his fingers in a hesitant wave, even more surprised when Steve’s face breaks out into a grin.

“There you are, buddy! Come on, let’s go!”

Eddie begrudgingly grabs his jacket, swinging it on as he slams the door of the trailer behind him.

“Um, dude, what’s up?”

Steve only waggles his eyebrows in response. “You’ll see, but c’mon, we’re running late.”

Eddie slides into the front seat of Steve’s BMW, eyes glancing to the radio, which is blasting some Top 40 station that not only sounds like nails on a chalkboard but is already making Eddie uneasy. Steve hops in the drivers seat and, as if he can read Eddie’s mind, turns the radio off before pulling out of the trailer park.

The ride is quiet, but comfortable. Steve has the windows down, it’s a breezy summer day, and Eddie feels something underneath the listlessness that has infiltrated his brain like cobwebs. Anticipation, maybe even excitement.

Steve pulls into the Wheelers’ driveway, and Eddie follows him inside the house, down to the basement, where Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will have set up their D&D table, Will at the head wearing… is that a wizard hat?

“Welcome back from banishment, Eddie!” Dustin shouts as soon as he sees him, smiling widely. And Eddie can’t help but smile back. Because these are his kids, and he missed them, and he really did feel banished even if it was somewhat self-imposed.

Four hours later, after part one of a thrilling campaign led by Will (who really is a promising DM, Eddie has to admit), he no longer feels like that. He’s glowing, breathless, warm. The feeling buoys him through the car ride home, Steve having left and then returned to drive Eddie back. And if that good feeling allows Eddie to glance a little too long at Steve’s hair blowing in the wind, his left hand loosely resting on the steering wheel and his right on his thigh, then that’s Eddie’s business and no one else’s.

They fall into a routine. Steve picks Eddie up, drives him to the Wheelers’ house for an afternoon of D&D, and drives him home. Eddie tries not to be too obvious in his appreciation of Steve in the summer sun but he’s just a man, okay, and Steve didn’t earn his reputation for nothing.

Every time, Eddie offers to drive himself, but Steve just laughs, shakes his head. “Get in the car, Munson.”

And every time Eddie does, Steve turns the radio off. Doesn’t say anything, doesn’t acknowledge it, but their car rides are blissfully quiet. Light and easy in a way that silences aren’t when he’s alone.

—

It’s pouring rain one afternoon, rattling the roof of the trailer. Eddie is contemplating whether he can get away with smoking out his bedroom window when he hears a familiar car horn. As he approaches the car, Eddie hears what can’t be, but what is unmistakably the sound of Steve… singing? Softly, almost under his breath, Steve is singing along to the radio. He cuts off when he sees Eddie, offering a half wave and a lopsided grin. As Eddie slides into the front seat, Steve turns the radio off.

“Hey why do you do that, man?” The question slips out before Eddie can stop himself.

“Do what?” Steve looks confused.

“Turn the radio off. When I get in the car.” Now that he’s asked, Eddie finds that he needs to know. Why of all possible people, it’s Steve who’s been the most accommodating.

Steve shrugs, puts the car into drive, turns onto the main road before answering. “It bothers you,” he says simply.

Eddie must look confused when Steve glances over because he continues. “I never see you listen to music anymore. I figured it must bother you. And hey man, if anyone understands fucked up reactions it’s me. I can’t hear fireworks or see Christmas lights anymore.”

Eddie barely manages to nod his thanks, to present a facade of normalcy while his mind is racing a million miles an hour. He knows that Steve has been through some shit, clearly he had even before Eddie walked headfirst into whatever the fuck is going on in Hawkins. But he never expected Steve to be so… observant. Not of him at least.

The D&D session takes his mind off the mortifying knowledge that Steve is paying attention to him. They’re approaching Will’s grand finale, and Eddie is caught off guard by how normal it feels. To be excited about a campaign, to mess around with the kids. To laugh, unironically.

The ride home is tenser than usual but as they pull into the trailer park, Eddie musters the courage to reach out. To touch Steve’s arm and mumble a quiet but sincere “thank you.” He doesn’t stay to see if Steve responds, but the pads of his fingers burn where they met Steve’s bare forearm, and he falls asleep that night with the ghost of a pop song in his head.

—

A week later, Eddie finds himself in the backseat of Steve’s car, his usual shotgun seat occupied by Robin. In situations like these, it’s hard not to feel left out, like a third wheel. Steve and Robin orbit around each other in a way that Eddie never has with anyone. But their jubilance is addictive and Eddie can’t help but be drawn in. A lone planet in their binary star system.

They’re telling some inside joke, something about Muppets, and Steve is glowing in the way he only ever does with Robin or Dustin, beaming like a carefree teenager instead of gazing sadly out of eyes that look too old for his face. Eddie is breathless, finds himself laughing along, eyes glued to Steve’s mouth (his smile, not his lips, Eddie lies to himself). Robin launches into song and there’s a moment when Steve joins in, and it’s ridiculous but possibly the most glorious thing Eddie has ever heard because it’s music. It’s music and it makes him feel safe.

After a blissful few seconds, Steve cuts off, as if catching himself, turns to meet Eddie’s eyes, face halfway between joy and panic. Robin doesn’t seem to notice, and Steve has one hand up as if to stop her before Eddie shakes his head slowly, starts to smile. Steve’s face begins to relax again, one eyebrow raising in question.

“Don’t stop,” Eddie mouths.

Steve turns back to Robin, picking up the thread of their foolish imitation. And maybe Eddie is still lying to himself because is this really music? But he thinks it might be the most beautiful sound regardless.

They drop Robin off at home and Eddie climbs up to the front seat, winking at Steve’s feigned outrage about “the leather, dude!” Steve backs out of Robin’s driveway, gets halfway down the block before he pulls over.

“Hey I’m sorry about earlier,” he starts softly. “I got carried away. I hope—. Well. I hope you’re okay, man. I know music bothers you.”

Eddie feels a blush rising at this ridiculous, lovely man and his concern. Steve is looking at Eddie, brow furrowed, assessing every minute detail of his face as if searching for evidence of injury. Eddie wants to reach out and smooth it with a touch, to make Steve laugh again in that carefree way. He settles for reaching out in a different way, laying a piece of himself bare.

“It doesn’t. Bother me, that is. Not when it’s you.”

The silence that follows is expectant, Steve’s expression hard to read. They’ve been on the precipice of something for weeks now, and Eddie has stepped off the ledge. But as always, Steve is there to catch him. His grin is lopsided, eyes warm, as he sings softly,

“But I know, uh-huh, that you're sad. And I know I'll make you happy with the one thing that you never had, baby I'm your man.”

And Eddie has half a second to think Wham!? Really? before they’re kissing. They’re kissing in the front seat of Steve’s car and Eddie has the sudden, embarrassing, wondrous urge to turn the radio on. So he does.

#steddie #stranger things #steddie ficlet #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve is a wham! fanboy in this #eddie is in the car with a beautiful boy and the beautiful boy can SING???#A writes

1K notes · View notes

stillenha · 4 months

Text

new years kiss series: heeseung

heeseung x you; friends to lovers au, fluff

summary: you and heeseung are designated drivers for your friend groups at a new years eve party and you can’t tell if he was more drunk (in love) than you words: 2.6k warning: alcohol consumption a/n: writing a nye kiss series to start this new enha writing blog! a masterlist will be made soon once i post the other stories of this series. hope you all enjoy reading my fics! happy new year! ♡♡♡

The night was getting long. There was nearly an hour left before the new year and you finally found yourself settling down by the table counter in the kitchen after greeting other friends and joining groups for food and some chit chat time. You felt relieved that you went past the loud karaoke set that has been blasting all night since you arrived at the party.

Your cup of fruit punch was set on the table in front of you, along with your phone. You peeked out at the window of the porch and saw some people lighting up fire cracker sticks. You would join them but it’s too cold out and you didn’t have the energy to do more tonight. All you could do was sigh. You were exhausted and Heeseung noticed. He just got off from a pool game in a different room when he saw you there.

You noticed a mistletoe up on the hall and wondered why it wasn’t put down yet before you even realized he walked through it.

“So who are you trying to kiss tonight?”

“What?” Your eyes widened at the question when Heeseung walked up with a cup of fruit juice in his hand and sat next to you.

Heeseung, who you knew since high school, was wearing all black. It was his style and he had a leather jacket on, which didn’t really match winter. This was typical: he’s very different from others in a way that you kind of find him attractive at times. You wouldn’t call it a crush after all of these years. He’s just… really nice to be around with.

When he saw that you were still staring at him with a shocked look, he looked at the mistletoe then back at you, and nudged his head at the decoration. You came to your senses and shook your head. “I just can’t believe they still have a mistletoe up here.”

“It’s Jake.” Heeseung tilted his head, hissing a bit. “I think he’s still trying to kiss his crush.”

“Christmas is over though.”

“His spirit is still up for it, for the new year at least.” Heeseung chuckled, noticing how some red decorations were still up in his house. He took a drink from his cup before setting it down. You laughed quietly along, then he asked, “I’m not really into new year kisses, unless the person I’m with feels the same as me.”

“Sorry to break it to you but I may not be interested.” Though it would be nice to have someone to kiss, and it would have to be the same feeling as his.

“It’s all good.” He grinned. “You seemed so busy earlier. Now, you’ve settled down?”

“Finally, actually.” You had the biggest sigh ever and he followed your breath to the cup in front of you.

“Oh, and you’re drinking fruit punch too?”

“Yeah,” You chuckled at how excited he sounded. “I’m a DD tonight.”

“Same.” Heeseung showed you his cup, then his lips twisted to the side uneasily. “Why are we so bad luck?”

“You’re right.” There went another sigh. “When I think about the year, only the bad days come to my mind.”

“You sound like you went through a lot.” Heeseung fiddled his fingers at his cup, and turned to you.

He could feel how long you’ve thought about the year all night. You were everywhere, and he meant literally. Every spot he was, you were there, and Jake’s house was like a big mansion. It seemed like you just wanted to get the day over with, and that was probably how your year went.

“How do you feel now?” Heeseung asked genuinely.

“Lifeless, but there’s an urge of fun trying to come out of me?” It felt like a confession, but you truly wanted to feel something and just didn’t know what to do for that to happen.

“There’s some hope.” He nodded, whispering to himself. He noticed the confused look on your face and he grinned. “What I mean is, today can be a good day. You just have to remember that you get to choose whether it is or not.”

You softly laughed, not because of how true his words were but the way his hand moved when he was making his point.

“That is true.” Your smile died down and you sighed. “I wish I realized that sooner. It just seems easier said than done.”

“Then, can I ask you what you want to do right now?” Heeseung suggested. He leaned onto the countertop and rested his head onto his fist. His blinks were slow, eyes stuck on you under that smile, so sweetly waiting. It felt like he was doing that the whole night, trying to listen to you.

“I honestly want a drink, but I can’t. I want to be responsible.” You looked away, finding your friends having the best night with their lovers. You wondered why you even said yes to being their designated driver for tonight when you should be having fun too. Somehow, you couldn’t feel the joy to get up and join them. It could be this conversation you’re having with Heeseung but you also didn’t want to end it because you felt seen in his presence. He’s listening to you and you didn’t want him to stop.

“You don’t have to be responsible.” Heeseung’s voice teased and you almost glared at him, then he continued. “I can be responsible for you.”

“Be responsible for me?”

He nodded once, then he turned to you. “The choices you make tonight.”

“How are my choices your responsibility?” You asked softly, hoping that you didn’t sound mad or crazy.

Heeseung pointed his chin to your phone that vibrated a second ago on the table. “It looks like your friends don't need a DD anymore.”

Your face burned up in joy as something ignited from inside of you. Your shocking face made him grin widely. You shook your head, still in denial that what you read from their texts were true. “No, no. I probably shouldn’t.”

“I said I can be responsible for you tonight.”

“What about your friends? Don’t they need you too? I just think it’ll be a hassle to drive so many people-”

Your words got cut when Heeseung called out your name, a tiny laugh followed shortly. He sounded desperately tired of your complaints, but also as if he was teasing you again.

“I promise you they won’t need me. They will leave with other friends later or end up sleeping here tonight. It happens every year.”

“Really?” You’re not a party goer to confirm but you couldn’t believe him just yet. He nodded once, then you continued. “That means you’ve been to plenty of new year parties.”

Perhaps, since you met him. You didn’t want to assume, and it hit you that he may have kissed plenty of people too. You could be slapping yourself for thinking that, but instead, you found yourself blushing.

“Yeah, but I don’t drink when it comes to big parties like these. Many friends can be irresponsible. I’d rather look out for them than get myself in some kind of trouble that I might regret.” Heeseung grabbed his fruit punch cup and took a drink before he cheered it at you. “Do you trust me now?”

“I’ll go get a beer.”

Heeseung grinned, as you stepped away. In a way, he felt proud that you’re listening to yourself but little did he know, you were willing to drink just a little so you could stay sober for him. For a second, you thought how peer pressuring that was, but then again, you wanted to drink too. A beer won’t do much to you. As you grabbed a can from the fridge, you peeked at his back. You had no idea what he’s really up to but there’s definitely something on his mind.

“What the heck?” Your voice jotted his head to you when you sat back down on the seat next to him. You set your drink on the table and leaned your head close to his hand to take a better look. “You made that just now?”

“Yeah.” Heeseung closed his fingers to tighten the napkin ring he made on his index finger. It had a butterfly at the top of it. His smile seemed to never leave the night as he adored how awed you were. “Do you want it?”

Without giving you a chance to answer, he took off the ring, held your hand up and slipped it through your finger.

“It’s so cute, wow. You’re… you’re a wizard.” You complimented before you opened the can of beer. You took a drink of it in two big gulps to wash your burning cheeks away.

“No one has ever called me that.” Heeseung laughed. You couldn’t tell if he liked it or if he was making fun of it. You just couldn’t help to explain.

“I really mean it. You don’t see people going to parties and making tangible stuff like this. They just drink, dance, and be loud.” You were still awed at the artistry work he did that was now wrapped at your finger. “I want to learn how to make this.”

Heeseung was relieved. You were listening to yourself and didn’t shy away from what you wanted to do. “I can teach you.”

In that moment, you met his eyes and the world seemed to stop around you. Heeseung began to lean in. Slowly, you followed his move. You didn’t keep track of the time or realize how close midnight was going to hit.

All of a sudden, you both heard a shout of his name from the microphone where a few of his friends were karaoking from. You both moved back quickly and your eyes followed that loud voice.

“Where is Heeseung? Where is he- OH THERE HE IS!” His friend pointed at him then waved his hand for him to come. “Dude, this is your song! You have to sing this! Come on!!! It’s Mistletoe!!!”

Heeseung shook his head as his friends laughed loudly through the room. You could almost tell this song seemed to be an inside joke within his friend group. You’d probably ask about it later because he looked so embarrassed right now. He got up from his seat and walked backward slowly, then he waved a hand at you with a shy grin. “I’ll be right back.”

You nodded and watched him dash to his friends. They cheered for him as one of them played the song and the other handed him the microphone.

As you watched him sing, you couldn’t tell if he was drunk or not. He seemed to blend in with his friends, and it looked so funny that you couldn’t stop smiling. Heeseung kept looking over to you, as if he was singing for you. With just that song, you felt like Christmas was still here.

By watching him and knowing he’s in your presence, your face was clouded by something you didn’t recognize. Whatever that may be, you found yourself a bit calm from his smile, a bit unguarded from the way he talked, and a bit in love from that closeness earlier. You wouldn’t allow yourself to hold back anything else now because his words seemed to always be right.

You applauded as the whole room cheered. One of his friends was announcing how soon the new year was going to be. Heeseung made his way back to you, just like his words. Your shy smiles mirrored each other. He didn’t sit back down on his seat because you stood up. A hand of yours hid in the pocket of your pants and the other, the one with the butterfly ring, held onto the counter as if you’re leaning onto it.

“I always forget how good you are at singing.” You complimented again. Why is he so good at everything?

“Thanks.” His shy smile was still there when he looked down at his feet.

Your eyes met again, somehow deeper than before. As your lips calmed, you wanted to take the initiative and follow your heart once again.

“Say, what are you doing tomorrow?” You asked.

Heeseung slightly tilted his head but his grin peeked out. “Why?”

“I don’t have anyone to spend the new year with. I hope it will be you.” It was almost as if you were whispering to him when you confessed. Your words were slow and the silence between you both moved the same length. His chuckling nod said it all.

“I would like it to be with you, too.” He said.

Your sweet gazes were everlasting. You didn’t want this moment to end. How perfect it would be, you both heard a friend of his counting down to the new year before everyone else followed. Heeseung hadn’t left your eyes and he moved in close enough that you would feel the heat from this chest.

“I know I said I don’t do new year kisses, but I want to kiss you right now.” He confessed, almost hesitating.

“I think we feel the same way.” You played from his words earlier and he was amused. “Can I kiss you too?”

“Since you asked so nicely… Yes.” He was teasing again. It made you laugh before he held an arm behind you and your ring-fingered hand gripped at the front zipper of his jacket. You felt breathless against his body and it’s contradicting how hot you were feeling when chills ran down your back. Heeseung’s nose could almost touch yours when he greeted you, “Happy new year.”

It felt silly to say it before it actually hits midnight and you almost laughed at the thought of it. The countdown was getting louder and your lips beamed. “Happy new year, Heeseung.”

His smile turned into a sweet grin. You could feel his beating heart against your chest when your lips touched. His lips were warm, and they parted so he could give another smooch against yours. That kind of touch ignited sparks from your stomach. You lips brushed along with his and the venomous scent of his cologne made you dizzy. His hand cupped between your ear as he deepened the kiss and gripped your back tighter. You felt his hot breath tickling your cheek, fingers pulling him closer at the collar of his jacket. No one had ever kissed you like this before. He did more than you would, and you wished he wouldn’t stop, so your lips parted and kissed him a bit harder back, just like how he taught you earlier.

The sudden loud cheers around you woke you up before you both pulled away, noses still close together. Your breaths were deeply soft and quiet. You both remained standing, arms still at each other. For a moment, Heeseung felt astonished by the things you were learning from him. It was worth opening his eyes to when he noticed your flushed cheeks. You both shared soft laughs before letting each other go, except your hand. He wanted to hold them all night if possible.

As you both sat back down on your ‘designated’ seats, you had one thing on your mind: you should be doing this every year. Not the kiss because you couldn’t handle yourself, but the thought talk…

Just kidding, maybe both.

#enhypen imagines #enhypen #enhypen scenarios #heeseung #heeseung imagines #enha imagines #heeseung x reader #friends to lovers #fluff #kpop imagines #series #series: nye kiss

123 notes · View notes

gallilovesf1 · 4 days

Text

P1 Into You: Goodnight

🏁 Character Introductory 🏁

MASTERLIST

Pairings (applied to the whole fic): Sergio Pérez x FemHorner!Reader, Toto Wolff x FemHorner!Reader, Lewis Hamilton x FemHorner!Reader

Warnings: Slow burn, mentions of sexual topic, Dom/Sun dynamic, Soft Dom! Sergio, Dom! Toto, angst, cheating, fluff, mentions of death

Author's Note: I haven't seen someone write for Sergio so I'll just do it myself, this will be a long fic so bare with me! Enjoy!🏁🏎️

══════☆════════════☆══════

You graduated as a mechanical engineer at Harvard University, honestly it's one of your greatest achievements in life. Before your mother passed you promised to her that you’ll be a mechanical engineer just like her and you did, years of studying hard, all those sleepless nights, it eventually pays off.

Of course as expected, your dad's not happy on what you've done, you did what he also wanted, worked as one of the engineers in Red bull, you expect him to compliment you for a little but he didn't, except he pressured you enough to cry every night, blaming yourself that why aren't you good enough for your dad to be proud at you, but the good thing is your brother, Jonathan. One of the drivers in red bull is supporting you, you and him always have the best bonds as siblings. He teaches you some stuff on formula one, telling you the basics, like the teams and its drivers, team principal. Besides that he also supports you as an artist, growing up you always love drawings, you always tell your parents how much you love doing tiny doodles and showing it to them, but as always the only person who cares about you is your mom and your brother.

“Y/N?” Your brother says as you snapped back into reality, “Earth to Y/N?” “What-?” “I said, Dad needs us in the paddock, are you coming?” “Yeah, give me a minute-” you said as you grabbed your phone as you and your brother went to the paddock.

You and your brother arrived in the paddock as your saw checo, your best friend and also one of the drivers of red bull alongside your brother.

You met checo at your brothers first win in sakhir grand prix 2020, Checo’s on podium 1 while your brother is in podium 3, you're so happy for your brother that day, checo and your brother celebrated their victory as a team, later that night the red bull team threw a party and you had a blast, you made some new friends, talk so some new faces, until checo approached you, “Y/n, Right?” He smiled shyly as he looked at you up and down, “Yes, that's right, You're Sergio, right? Congrats by the way, you did so well earlier!” You complimented him as he smiled at you, ‘god he's handsome’ you thought, “Ah- Thank you, that's- really thank you.” Checo's cheeks turned light pink, “Call me checo, everyone calls me that and I think you should too.” He smiled, “Checo” you said as you liked the way his name sounds, “Yeah-” he chuckled.

Since then you and checo got really close, he always treats you, going on a dinner date with him, watching a movie with him, having some fun time together, and lastly going in some art museums around the world whenever the team travels for the race.

He knows that you're a big fan of art, he knows that you always liked drawings as a kid up till now, he thinks that you deserve to be treated like what he's doing, making you feel worth it and not neglected.

“Y/N, Luz solar-” says checo as you heard his little nickname for you, “Checoooo!” You run towards him as you give him a tight hug as if you haven't seen each other in years, “How are you?” You said as you smiled up at him, “I'm doing good, Miel, how about you did you enjoy the city here in Mexico?” He smiled at you, “Yeah! I liked it here already, though I haven't explored the city yet since you know, dad always needed me here” you rolled your eyes as checo chuckled, “Luz solar, I'll tell you what, after the practice we can go and take a look at the city, we can eat and maybe find some museum to go in.” He smiled as I pats your shoulders, “Can I come?” Your brother says as he looks at checo then to you, “ye-” “No.” You said “¿Porque mi amor?” (Why, my love) Checo says as he looks at you confused, You chuckled, “Dummy of course you can go! You two are my supporters, I wouldn't be like this if you guys weren't here for me!” You smiled to both of them as checo and your brother chuckled, “Ah, sí, after the race ok? We'll talk about it later-" Checo winks at you as he leaves, leaving you and your brother.

“I swear he likes you-” your brother teased as he scoffed, “He's literally way much older than me, what do you mean?” You looked at him confused, “C’mon, you and checo have been friends for 4 years now and you think checo doesn't like you? He always treats you like you're his wife!” Your brother said as he chuckled, “He's always like that, I think he's just kind and sweet, he knows everything between me and dad, so maybe he's just making me feel appreciated in a way he can.” You said as you had flashbacks of your moments with checo.

It's true, Checo's been treating you as if you're his wife. Honestly, you find checo attractive and god he's so perfect, his eyes, his face, the way he looks at you whenever he talks and listens when you're talking. You liked him, but you just don't know how you will say it to him, you don't want your friendship with him to go to waste if your relationship with him didn't work out.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The Free practice was done and you cheered your brother and checo as they got the pole position 1 and 2, Checo is in P1 while your brother is in P2, his highest position so far in this season.

“You did great!” You said as you hugged your brother, “Thank you sis! I'm excited for tomorrow-” your brother replied as he pulls away from the hug, You saw checo walking towards you while smiling, “Checoooo- you did great P1 is your highest so far! I'm proud of you-” you cheered as you hugged checo, “Thank you, Mi amor, Are we still going out though?” “Hell yes!” You said as you looked checo in the eyes, admiring his brown eyes, “Way to go checo!” Your brother said as they hugged each other, “You did well too.” Checo smiled as they both pulled away from each other, “C’mon let's get out of here I'm excited to explore the city!” You said as the three of you went to change clothes.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The three of you arrived in a restaurant, not far away from the paddock, you entered first as you bumped into a tall man, you felt like you bumped into some hard wall, “I'm so-” you said as you looked up seeing The team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff.

“I'm sorry-” you said shyly as you looked up at him, ‘Fuck, he's tall.’ you thought, he leans down at you slightly, “It's ok, don't apologize.” He said, smirking down at you.

“Is that Toto?” Your brother says, asking Checo, “Yeah and that's Y/N talking to toto?” They both looked at each other confused. “Y/N-” checo called your name as you looked behind you seeing your brother and checo walking towards you, “I'm really sorry I didn't see you passing by-” you apologize again as you lowered your head in embarrassment, Toto said nothing as he looked down on you as he nodded and left.

“You ok?” Checo said as he looked at you slightly confused, “Yeah, I just didn't see him that's all-” you said smiling at him, “Toto? You didn't see him?” Your brother chuckled as he teased you, “I Don't know, I don't even know who he is, ok?” You said chuckling. “That's the team principal of Mercedes, one of our rival teams, dad hates that guy.” Your brother replied, “That's him?!” You said shocked, “Yeah, your father and Toto are not the best of friends.” Checo said as he looked at your brother and you, ‘Why would dad hate him, he looks kind though-’ you thought, “Hmm, I see, let's just forget it- we need to celebrate for what happened on the practice earlier!” You said as you smiled at Checo and your brother.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The three of you sat down as Checo asked the waiter for the menu, the three of you took a while from choosing what to eat, “Since it's your hometown, why don't you tell us what's the best food to order?” You said looking at Checo while smiling, “Yeah!” Your brother agreed as checo grins “Ok- how about we choose this?” He said pointing at ‘Torta’ in the menu, “Torta? What's that?” You asked, “Well it's like a sandwich filled with a lot of vegetables and meat-” he said looking at you then your brother, “Well that's sounds delicious to me-” your brother said smiling as checo looks at you, “What about you Y/N?” “Hmm I want to try it!” You said as Checo smiled at your words.

Few minutes later all of your orders have arrived, checo ordered a torta with a diet coke on the side, your brother ordered the same, while you ordered a torta and a sparkling water, the three of you ate and exchange conversation, you liked the food that Sergio suggest to eat, “So, why did you bumped into Toto earlier?” Your brother asked, making checo nod, “Yeah, it's impossible for you not to see him, that guy is tall!” You chuckled, “Well yeah I didn't kinda see him because I was admiring the outside view of the restaurant, plus I'm really excited so I didn't bother to look In Front of me, the next thing I realized is that I felt like I bumped into a wall-” The three of you chuckled, “That's a weird and funny interaction of you and toto- is that the first time you saw him in person?” Checo asked, “Well…Yeah- given that dad only describes him with words and I only saw him in interviews and pictures, so I wasn't expecting he'll be that intimidating…” ‘and damn hot…’ you thought.

The three of you exchanged conversation as you remember that there's a museum close by the restaurant, “Checo, can we go to the museum across the street, please?” You begged as you gave Checo an irresistible eye, checo chuckled, “I don't know should we go, Johnathan?” Checo asked your brother as they teased you, “Hmm let me think about it checo-” Your brother teases you too, you looked at them unimpressed, “alright, ok, jeez-” your brother says as checo chuckled, checo paid the bill as the three of you head out, checo and your brother searched the museum that you might like, “Y/n, what about this?” says checo showing you a picture of ‘Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico’, “Wow- that looks so beautiful…” you said as checo looks at you saying “Yeah, Beautiful…”

You, Checo, and your brother arrived in the museum, you proceeded inside as Checo and your brother bought some tickets. Inside you saw a lot of beautiful carved stones with a lot of symbols in it, you took a picture to post it later on your Instagram, “Enjoying already, Y/N?” Checo asked seeing you taking a picture, “Yeah- these are beautiful-” You chuckled, as you saw your brother having his alone time at the other part of the museum, you and checo strolled along the museum, checo took some pictures of you, “We should take a picture!” You smiled as Checo seemed to be surprised, “Yeah, ok” you took out your phone as you took a photo of you and Checo, Checo's arms are on your shoulders as he looks at you, while you're looking at the camera smiling. You smiled at Checo, “Should we post that? I mean ya know?” As a mechanic of redbull and Checo a red bull driver, you don't want controversy or issues in the paddock, so whenever you and checo are going out or taking pictures you always ask him permission or he will ask you permission to post the pictures, “Of course- it'll be good for your Instagram eh?” He chuckled, “ok ok- I'll just tag you and Jonathan-”

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

After thousands of pictures with Checo and your brother you decide to go home to get ready for qualifying tomorrow, “I'll see you guys tomorrow ok? And I know that both of you will do well tomorrow.” You hugged your brother and checo, “Thanks sis! Love ya!” Your brother said as he opened his hotel room door, waving to Checo and you.

Your brother lives in 4th floor of the hotel, while you and checo lives in 5th floor, he said he wanted to be close to you just Incase you need anything, you find it very thoughtful of him, I mean…he's always like that to you, sometimes you think why you and checo aren't together.

You and Checo entered the elevator, he pushed the number 5 button as you posted the pictures on your Instagram, tagging checo and your brother. Silence filled the elevator, Checo's the one who breaks the silence first, “So, how did it go? Did you enjoy it?” He looks at you with full admiration, your eyes lit up “Yes! I enjoyed it a lot- I wasn't expecting Mexico to be a beautiful place, so thank you Checo.” You smiled at Checo as the elevator door opened. You walks out first then checo, standing In Front of your door as checo took a picture of you, you chuckled, “What's that for?” “Nothing, you just look beautiful.” He smiled, “Hmm..” you opened your door as you turned to face checo, “Thank you for today checo, You're the best.” You said tip toeing and kissing checo on the cheeks, “Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow.” You saw Checo's face turned red, you went inside your room quickly, closing the door behind you, ‘Fuck, why did I do that-’ you thought as you sat on the floor.

Checo's still standing outside your door, still shocked by what you just did, “Goodnight too…” he mumbled, smiling as he left going to the other door beside your room, opening it as he caressed his face where your lips once were.

══════☆════════════☆══════

Omg I hope you like it! This part of the fic is All about checo and Y/N, and of course the meet of Y/N and toto!!

Taglist: (Let me know if you want to be added to our taglist!🏁)

@cheyxfu

@simbelmyne20niniel

@barcelonaloverf1life

#toto wolff x reader #toto wolff #mercedes #red bull formula 1 #red bull racing #sergio perez #checo perez #sergio checo pérez #f1 fic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 #f1 fanfic #mercedes formula one #mercedes f1

60 notes · View notes

ironbatpaperturtle · 14 days

Note

How does Lucifur get close to Adam in your modern au? Does he 'coincidentally' go to the same spots as Adam does from what Lilith has told him before?

It's just Lucifur at the mall menacingly staring down adam from the food court as Adam is in some record/music store browsing albums or replacement string.

That's so funny lol. What I imagine is that Lucifer and Adam would coincidentally meet fr fr. But as time goes on Lucifer would start stalking Adam.

Wait lemme just

_____

Lucifer started his car, Lilith at the passenger side, fixing her makeup. Not like she needed makeup.

"I can't believe you had to meet my ex like that" Lilith sighed shutting her compact mirror.

"Hmm? I mean his fine, not that his fine, yknow, fine looking? Well he wasn't as ugly as I thought -- but uhh y'know I'm uhh . . . SUPRISED! Cause you were able to bag him or no its the other way around. How, HE, was able to bag you"

Lilith giggled "you are so cute Lucifer" Lililith dipped down, catching Lucifers lips into hers. Before they could turn the innocent kiss into a full blown make out session a loud honk was heard.

"HOW BOUT YOU MAKE A PORNO VID TOO!" The honk belonged to Lilith ex. He was in the drivers seat, the coy smirk he had made his piercings glow. He cackled before driving off.

"Ugh one of the reasons I broke up with him"

----

The 2nd time Lucifer met Liliths ex was when he was getting a smoothie. Only this time he wasn't with Lilith.

"For Adam!"

"Move it, christ!" Adam cursed pushing through a crowd of people, including Lucifer. He grabbed the two smoothies, bringing it to an empty table. He proceeded to shove the straw inside then sipped, grabbed the second smoothie and did the same thing.

Maybe it was because the man had the last word when they first time met, or because he was disrespectful to his girlfriend that Lucifer found himself walking towards the man's table.

"Both of those for you? Careful, I'm pretty sure jeans have a size limit"

Adam, who was busy scrolling through his phone and sipping his first drink glared at the perpretator.

Lucifer expected an insult or a snarl but was suprised when the mans face brightened with recognition.

Adam detached from the straw with a pop. Something Lucifer didn't find attractive.

"Lilith's little boy toy? You stalking me?"

"More like your presence causing a disturbance"

"Yeah I get that a lot" Adam teased using his legs to bring a chair near Lucifer. Lucifer reluctantly sat.

"I'm feeling pretty malovelent so I'm going to give you free advice" Adam started, leaning back. "Back off kid, I know Lilith's a baddie but she's to old for you"

Lucifer's never felt more insulted. Did this guy really think he was a kid? Usually he'd feel happy that he doesn't look his age, even in his fourties he still looks like his in his prime.

"Kid?! How old do you think I am?!" Lucifer exclaimed banging his palms on the table. One of the smoothies to shake from the force, Adam steadied it with his hands.

"Jeez kid, no need to feel so butthurt, I don't know 20, 21?"

What the fuck

"For Lucifer!" Lucifer jolted at the mention of his name turning his attention at the cashier.

"Lucifer huh" Lucifer whipped his head back to Adam, the same coy smile plastered on his face. Adam stood up grabbing both of his drinks "Bye Lu-lu"

Adam turned around and walked off. Lucifer too stunned from the nickname couldn't bring himself to get the last word. Also shit that ass.

"FOR LUCIFER!"

The 3rd time Lucifer met Adam was when he was at the music store. His fiddle needed new strings. The store he frequently visits were underconstruction. So with his trusty google maps he was able to locate another music store.

He watched as Adam restocked some strings, humming to a rock song blasting from the speakers.

This time, this time he'll get the last word.

He entered and a chime was heard "What can I-- heyo kiddo here to buy strings for your violin lessons?" Adam snickered at his own joke.

"Ha! It's a fiddle not a violin asshole"

Adam snickered again, what a dweeb. "Cool kid knock yourself out"

And so, almost everyday Adam and Lucifer would coincidentally meet. Adam always getting the last word.

One day Lucifer was so frustrated with himself, especially when he visited the music store again, he didn't even know why he comes back when his usual store was done with construction, and didn't see Adam. Just a random guy named Peter.

Like what the fuck, he should be happy, he should feel happy.

Lilith must've sensed his frustrstion since she told him to get ready. For where? He doesn't know. He only knows that they were taking an uber instead of his car.

They landed at the club, something something Eden. Not that it matters. Because when they had to double check Lucifers ID to confirm his age, the only thing Lucifer remembers was Adam's teasing words.

"C'mon Luci loosen up" Lilith massaged her boyfriend's arm, "dance with me"

"Let me get us a drink first" Lucifer smiled at Lilith, detaching himself from her grip. His girlfriend was literally right there why tf was he musing about Adam. Not like the guy did anything extra ordinary, he wasn't even nice to Lucifer. All he did was tease him.

"What can I get you"

"One-- four shots vodka"

Lucifer downed the 3 and took the last one intending to give it Lilith. Tonight he'll focus on Lilith, no more thinking of her ex. He saw her dancing with a girl.

"Lucifer meet Eve!" Lilith exclaimed with a giggle, tucking a strand of hair to her ears.

Eve had wide innocent looking eyes, the countless piercings made her look off. It was like mixing two different genres together. She was a brunette, a bit off from Adam's usual brown hair but eh.

"Nice to meet you!" She exclaimed shaking the hand that wasn't holding the shot of vodka.

"My boyfriends going to play in a while, you two should watch it!"

Just in time, the lights began to dim. Fake smoke releashed from the stage

"AND NOW: EXORCISTS"

Lucifers eyes widened, on the stage was Adam, and others, but it was Adam. He was holding a guitar, wearing a black cropped shirt, leather jacket with spikes, leather pants, combat boots and a chocker. Adam was . . . Oh no.

____

When the song ended Lucifer excused himself from Lilith and Eve.

____

"Sup Lulu, you faked your ID or something" Adam snickered at his own joke. The amount of times he teases Lucifer never gets old.

Adam waited for Lilith's boy toy to give a sorry excuse for a comeback. Honestly he can't see the appeal.

"You were beautiful" and Lucifer, he doesn't even know, he doesn't know why he said it in such a love-struck voice, why he enjoyed the way Adam's blushed at the compliment. How his blush reached his ears, making the silver earrings shine.

Lucifer watched as Adam turned his head, saving face. But Lucifer kept his gaze on Adam, this time he didn't have his jacket.

He observed the belly button piercing, how his croptop was skin tight revealing the outline of nipple piercings, and when Adam turned and practically walked away, Lucifer kept his gaze on the two dimple piercings on his back.

----

Anyways after that night, safe to say Lucifer would start stalking Adam, he'd also try his best to make Adam flustered again.

---

I wrote this in the gym so sorry if its wacky. I JUST ARGHHH. SOMEONE PUT A COLLAR ON ME.

#hazbin hotel adam #adamsapple #modernAU

76 notes · View notes

saintslewis · 8 months

Text

❝ Infrunami ❞ • LN4

pairing: lando norris x black fem! driver reader

summary: in which it’s enemies to lovers at first but lando finds his feelings and quick.

warnings: cursing, arguments, pettiness, descriptions of a crash, typos.

taglist: @thisismeracing @goldsainz @planete777

saint's team radio: this is from a lovely request right here and i do hope it lives up to your expectations! i loved writing this and i hope you enjoy it 💗

a bit of social media.

Bahrain. The first race of the season and most importantly, your first race in McLaren. The sweat at the back of your head was threatening to fall as the sun blasted on everyone who wasn't underneath shade. Walking through the official paddock entrance, you looked through your tinted sunglasses to see many people ranging from media, fans, teams, family and more. As soon as your orange and dark green Nike dunk lows touched the ground, cameras rushed in front of you and random words were thrown at you but you knew you had to focus on one thing and that was to get to the McLaren motor home.

"This is going to happen every time you step foot into a grid entrance around the world and don't take anything they say seriously, especially right now since it's your first race in F1." The voice of your media person, Leah, said in your ear. You held your purse handle more tightly as you continued walking. Fame was destined when you entered this sport but gosh, was it overwhelming with all the fans and criticism about you. However, you knew that you would face this with your teammate by your side.

"What are those big cameras for?" You asked Leah, noticing the enormous cameras in front of you and to the side. "Netflix." She simply said and you decided to smile and wave to both cameras, already establishing the kind of personality you would portray to the media and the rest of the world.

"Y/n!" McLaren's team principal and your new boss, Zak Brown, exclaimed happily as you walked into your team's motor home and the entrance was decorated with welcome signs, flowers and all types of snacks for everyone to enjoy. Your eyes wandered around the room and you greeted the team that was present but you could feel someone sending daggers through your back. You turned around only to see your new teammate, Lando and his face said everything you needed to know that he was clearly unhappy with your arrival. As you made eye contact, he walked out of the room and went upstairs with his arms crossed and the meanest scowl on his face.

"Hey n/n, you've got a few things you need to film with Lando before going on the track with Lissie later on. And fix your face, your dislike for each other is showing." Your best friend and assistant, Renee, looked at you and smiled at the eye roll you sent her. "We don't dislike each other, just don't look at me funny and we're cool." You said as you clutched the handle of your purse once again and made your way upstairs.

"And that's it. Thank you guys!" The producer for McLaren's youtube channel called out to you and Lando. You hated the whole experience because you had to pretend that you could even be in the same room together. Anyone could tell that he was only giving you the cold shoulder and that struck a nerve because you truly wanted to bond and possibly be friends with him but that all ended when he looked into your eyes this morning.

"Hey Lan-" Before you could even finish your sentence, he got up from the swivel chair and walked away once again, making you sigh. Coming up to you was his media personnel, Charlotte with a sorrowful look with her hands fiddling. "I'm so sorry, he's never usually like that. I'll try talk to him." She apologised on his behalf. You could just feel the pitiful looks some of the media staff gave you because obviously the room was still full of people.

"It's cool. Just tell him to get his shit together for the anthem." Your tone had completely changed from hurt to trying to push your anger away. Charlotte clearly noticed the difference too as she dismissed herself from the conversation and went in the direction that Lando went in. Turning around, you faced your assistant with a smile that showed that you wanted to get the fuck out of the room and get on with your other activities.

The crowd was quite loud as you heard them from the garage as they would chant their favourite driver's name. You placed your AirPods in and wiped your nose a little, avoiding your nose piercings. The fireproofs were extremely comfortable as you walked to where the rest of the drivers were getting ready to be welcomed to Bahrain with their national anthem. Standing in between Lando and Charles, anyone could tell that you would much rather interact with him than your teammate and you knew shit like this would get you in trouble but until the unnecessary attitude leaves, you would continue giving him the same energy.

"It's light out and away we go!"

"Y/n L/n has created history as the first female formula 1 driver to have a podium in her first race in McLaren, congratulations!"

Australia

"You've been on a roll, Y/n. Teach me your ways!" Daniel exclaimed as you, Alex, Charles and him had huddled in front of the McLaren motor home. It was pretty hot out as you all wore sunglasses to shield the suns rays from your eyes. "I know this'll sound bad but I just think about whatever's waiting for me after the race while thinking of hype songs while driving." You shrugged your shoulders after what you said.

"Essentially like you're in a movie?" Charles chuckled. "That exactly what it is, Charlie." You smiled and carried on the conversation with more jokes. From wherever you are, you could always feel someone staring at you. Looking up, you saw Lando standing by the large window looking down at your little group, feeling his breathing becoming quicker the longer he stared. The two of you had kept the little staring contest on until someone had startled him.

"Mate, I've been calling your name for at least two minutes now." Oscar's voice eventually reaching his ears after a moment. "First, she's basically the favourite after Bahrain and Saudi now my boys ditched me to hang out with her? What the fuck?" Lando immediately complained as he let go of the railing to face the McLaren reserve driver who looked at him with complete disbelief. "You don't like Y/n?" Oscar questioned while taking a bite of the cookie in his hand.

"Well isn't it obvious, mate? It's this weird look she gives me every time and the cold shoulder and- where did you get that cookie from?" Lando began but cut off his own rant to look at the mouth watering sugar cookie in his friends hand. "You won't like the answer." Oscar said, taking another bite, careful to not spill any crumbs on the ground.

He groaned out loud when he eventually realised that you made the cookies and clearly everyone received them besides him as he saw most of the drivers eating them throughout the afternoon. "I'll see you later, mate." He said, patting Oscar on the shoulder before making his way to his driver room, avoiding any signs of Charlotte yelling to go change. As he stepped in, he smelled a sweet scent and turned around to see a paper towel with two McLaren themed sugar cookies on it with a note next to them. His heart softened as he went closer to the cookies. He picked up the note and quickly placed it down with a bit of a smile on his face.

You're still a bitch but I make great cookies so eat them. hope you fall on your ass,

y/n.

yourusername

yourusername: lil backstory for y’all 🤭 1: it’s just me looking cute as always. 2: meet Bella and offset, random seating arrangement or was it? 🤨 3: LEWIS TOOK ME TO GO SEE QUEEN BEY AND TAYLOR OMGGGGGGG 4: mood 5: the bracelets for everyone 😚 6: Charles was taking a picture of my outfit 🧍🏽‍♀️

tagged: bellahadid, offsetryn, lewishamilton, charles_leclerc

view comments

user i literally love you

taylorswift13 it was amazing meeting you! 🩷🩷

yourusername you too! (screaming, crying, throwing up rn)

bellahadid madam President 🫡

yourusername leave the motorcade story ALONE anyways, sleepover?

lilymhe still don’t wanna talk to you but you’re gorgeous or wtv 🙄

yourusername i’m sorry i threw the club so far away ☹️

lewishamilton we still have paris fashion week

yourusername superstar shit or something 🤭

user aren’t y’all supposed to be driving all the time???

yourusername we are, we just need to be rockstars rn

user THE BRACELETSSSSSSSSS

user she’s a swiftie??? i love her even more 🥹

user why isn’t she interacting with Lando tho??

user that’s none of our business

Miami

A not so pleasant qualifying for either of you even though you placed P2 while he placed P15. He was your worst enemy throughout the session as you would fight through all the corners and curves. As much as you brought the drama to the race, you were livid.

You couldn't even pretend to enjoy such a historic achievement because you were walking awfully fast to the McLaren garage, ignoring the voices of the officials and your team as you couldn't spot him in the garage so you walked to the upstairs section where your drivers rooms were. Finding him and his friend, Max Fewtrell, leaning on a counter drinking water, unaware that the session had ended. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you, Norris?" You said as you entered the room, not even worried about the camera crew following you. Max being a good friend to Lando and acquaintance to you, he forced everyone out of the room to not escalate the situation further.

"What's wrong with me?! Do you not know how to drive?" He asked, pointing at himself and controlling his voice to avoid his voice cracking. Sighing out, you had to choose your words carefully. "I'm quite good at driving. look at the previous races. You don't fucking drive that tractor like it's a construction site." You spoke, not breaking eye contact with the boy.

"Bullshit! Your driving put me in P15! You could've crashed me into the wall." He began raising his voice a little but that was to piss you off even more. "Lower your tone, Norris. You know goddamn well that the wall was far away and you didn't want to move when you were asked to. What is your issue?" You scowled. The longer you spent in the room with him, the worse your insults were going to get.

"What's my issue? What's my issue, y/n?!" Lando began chuckling as he asked his questions, his face turning the slightest of red. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "I don't have the time for your shit. Do your job better tomorrow." You said with such venom in your words and turned to walk out of the room, seeing cameramen pressed against the door to any bit of your argument for content. Walking through the small group of them, you made your way to your drivers room to cool down.

Monaco

Thursday, Media Day

The conference room wasn't as warm as it was outside. The oversized McLaren themed football jersey was incredibly comfortable and your lv trainers perfectly matched the chilled look you had going on. Sitting as comfortably as you could on the white couch, your teammate next to you was fidgeting around and was avoiding any type of communication with you.

In your head, you cursed him for looking so handsome with his facial hair that he has been trying to grow for some time now. The all white outfit was something you did not expect from him but gosh, did you love it. What derailed you from having a wandering eye on Lando was the argument you two shared nearly three weeks before Monaco. That would immediately change your mind on how you thought of him.

Lando, on the other hand, had to force himself to not stare at you. You were practically glowing next to him, your jewels shining brightly and your perfume scent was enough for him to think of you everytime something sweet lingered around. He would never admit it to himself that he took a liking to you but the more he complained to his friends, the more they were convinced he liked you.

"Hi, I'm Madison from FemmeFormula. This is more of a personal question for you, Y/n. The friendship bracelets have been doing the rounds on the socials by the way, thank you for my one. What really inspired you to make them?" She asked, visibly happy to ask you since the interaction you shared this morning from the morning.

"Hi Madison! Uh, recently went to The Eras Tour and then a few swifties gave me bracelets and I wanted to make my own to give my fellow drivers." You answered with a smile on your face, lifting your wrist to look at the custom bracelet you made yourself.

"And where's yours Lando? Surely it got lost in the mail." You smirked, knowing you were slowly getting on his nerves because the smile seemed innocent to the journalists but he exactly what you meant.

"I'd like to hope it's even in the mail." He have a fake smile, earning a few laughs and trying to not show any other emotion than whatever it is he has going on.

Another journalist stood up and introduced himself to you two. "Harrison here from ESPN. This one is for Y/n again. Would you consider yourself the number 1 driver for McLaren and would you ever let Lando through since you're bringing home the wins? He hasn't been as consistent as-"

"Okay Harrison, I'll stop you there," You sat upright for this one. "Lando has been here longer than I have and I absolutely respect him for being such an amazing driver. Yes, our team relationship hasn't looked the best the past couple of weeks but that's sportsmanship. Now, if you'll all excuse us, we have a Grand Prix to tend to." You finished, placing the mic on the couch and stood up, fixing your shorts and extended your hand to Lando with him immediately taking it.

Hand in hand, you walked out of the conference room with cameramen and journalists hot on your toes until you made it to the secret entrance of the McLaren motor home.

"Um-"

"That was called sportsmanship, Norris. See you on track." You spat out, letting go of his large hand and walking to your drivers room, leaving the British boy stunned.

Spain

The orange romper was the perfect fit for the hot Spanish weather and you knew you looked good, showing off your glittering skin with the matching bucket hat. The sounds of Rosalia's 'Motomami' blasted through your AirPods as you waved at the crowds during the driver's parade and the gap between you and Lando was very noticeable but you couldn't care because you were there to win and spoil yourself afterwards.

"If you could stop pacing around, then you would stop our nerves too." Renee said, playing with a pen watching you become anxious all over again. The feeling in the pit of your stomach has been weird from the moment you woke up. Your stomach felt like it had been tied with a rope and the deep breaths practice weren't really helping at the moment.

"I mean think of it like this; nothing bad has happened since you woke up. It has been, dare i say, a perfect day. Whatever it is will pass quickly and you could be battling Max for the Championship." She smiled, trying her best to lighten your spirits but something was off and you couldn't put your finger on it.

"Not too much on the championship talk, that's gonna upset some people." You joked, eventually stopping in the middle of the room and adjusted your fireproofs one last time before heading out to the track.

Your sunglasses perched perfectly on your nose, the gum you were chewing still had all its flavour, your wig was layed so good that anyone could say 'lace where?', the setting spray on you working wonders because it didn't smudge the last race and your lipgloss was poppin. Physically, you looked like you had the whole world in the palm of your hand with your charm and confidence guiding you but gosh, you felt like you could cry any moment now.

Feeling a large hand on your shoulder, you saw the tattoos and immediately recognised the hand to be Lewis'. You two looked like partners in crime with the matching sunglasses and the same confident walk you both had as you walked towards your garages. "The teammate thing you two have will go away soon, y'know? If it doesn't, you always have a place in Mercedes." Lewis smiled wide with his last sentence, walking a little faster to his side of the garage.

You hoped it would go away soon but if the attitude is still there, then so be it.

"Mate, you have to talk to her at some point. I'm getting tired of leading your fan club." Daniel complained as he stood next to Lando, a few minutes before the start of the race. Lando snapped his head at Daniel. "I can't. Everytime we interact, we always fight." He rolled his eyes at the thought of it. He truly wanted it to end but if you wanted to continue it, then so be it.

"And who's fault was that? You didn't welcome her in properly, you didn't even show up for her welcome dinner. Most of the grid have done really cool stuff with her because they welcomed her in. She would come to me and say how much she wants to be anything with you at this point but just not fighting." Daniel expressed, looking around to make sure no one was hearing the conversation.

"Oh god, imagine how she feels..." Lando trailed off once he started thinking about most of your interactions. "How do I fix this?" He asked Daniel who truly wanted to laugh at his friend's desperation to make things right with you.

"You have to go race soon. But just know, she likes kpop, Beyoncé, the beach, Taylor Swift and Lewis Hamilton but I think the world knows that one. Have fun, mate!" Daniel began walking away with a smile and a wave to Lando who was stressing his life away.

Turn 15

It was staring at you as you inched closer and closer to it but you knew you couldn't make it past it even you tried. The car hadn't been your best friend today and it made sure to show the world that your winning streak was about to be broken.

Fighting off Perez and Sainz was incredibly hard and caused such damage to your tyres and brakes everytime you would oversteer. Carlos had eventually fallen behind you and Checo and you swore he had something out for you today. Approaching the turn, you felt your body turn cold when you felt Checo's rear end collided with your side and that sent you flying into the wall with a very hard impact, one that could make you pass out for a few minutes.

You kept your hands onto the steering wheel, shuffling your feet together to make sure that they were still moving and you moved your neck a little, immediately feeling a pain on the right side. "Are you okay? Y/n, please answer!" Your radio engineer stressed out, the silence falling upon the McLaren garage when you didn't answer immediately.

Your eyes were fighting to close, to just relax your body and wait for whatever help that was coming. You obviously had no idea how bad the crash was, how the crowd was silent whilst filming the scene, how much Lando was panicking once he heard.

The safety car was deployed once the yellow flag had been waved and both McLaren's were both on the side of the road with one driver makes his way to see the other, hoping to be given a chance to fix it. The paramedics were already attempting to remove you from the car, your body slumped a little but you did move your head, giving the world a sign that were okay.

He rushed to your side to hold your helmet as they took it off your head, your makeup truly not smudging. The paramedics had let you sit in the ambulance whilst they had gotten ready to take you to the track clinic. Looking up, you see him look at you with such concern.

"Is the safety car out? Cause it'll help Hamilton-"

"Y/n." He deadpanned.

"I'm okay, Norris. Go finish the race for me and you both. Don't make the both of us out of the race." You weakly smiled, feeling the pain on your side hit you as you moved a little. "I'm so sorry, Y/n. For everything. I want to make things right with you after this." Lando's eyes said everything you had been wanting ever since this weird situation began.

You leaned in to hug him and he was surprised, returning the hug with much more energy than you expected. You lifted your race sleeve to show two bracelets and you slipped one onto his wrist, watching him look at hit with curiosity. "I kept yours with me." You winked at the flabbergasted man who's cheeks were slowly turning red.

"Now seriously, go finish the race." You shooed him out of the ambulance and watched your new companion run to his car immediately get back into the race with one thing on his mind and that was you.

yourusername

yourusername: LIFE UPDATEEEEEEE ‼️ 1-3: LANDO TOOK ME TO GO SEE BEYONCÉ AGAIN AND SHE WAVED AT ME AND SAID MY NAME AND I LOOKED GOOD AHH.

4-6: LANDO ONCE AGAIN TOOK ME TO SEE SEVENTEEN AND TWICE OMG I LOVE THIS MAN PLS

5: just me looking cute as always 🫦

6: my sister made this hat for me 🥹

7: look at this cutie patootie (but extremely sassy!)

tagged: landonorris

view comments

landonorris practicing choreo was HELL but I loved it

user where did you find this one?????

yourusername f1 🧍🏽‍♀️

sza the first outfit my GOD

yourusername 🤭

beyonce so glad to see you again 🩷

yourusername it was lovely seeing you

landonorris she’s actually running around screaming

yourusername you can’t say this about me on Beyoncé’s internet

mclarenf1 the papaya fit 😋

yourusername can’t leave my duties as the papaya princess 😣

user ik this is late but the fact she can easily beat max is so impressive to me and i love it

yourusername it’s my favourite thing ever

maxverstappen1 yeah yeah 🙄

user OOMF THEY BOTH REPLIED TO YOUBEISNEISJS

Fin.

#formula one x black reader #x black fem reader #f1 x reader #f1 x you #formula one x reader #x black reader #f1 imagine #lando norris x reader #lando norris x black reader #lando norris x you #lando norris x y/n #lando norris fanfic #lando norris imagine #f1 fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #fanfic #☆ ‧₊˚ saint’s media pen #saintwrites #Spotify

242 notes · View notes

nayziiz · 3 months

Text

Team Dynamics | LN4

Summary: To celebrate the launch of their 2024 car for the upcoming F1 season, McLaren hosts a masquerade gala event that sees two souls connect and lead to a whirlwind romance. Unfortunately, the pair realise soon after that they are to work together quite closely after they agreed it would only be a one-night thing.

Warnings: Smut, alcohol, one night stand, unprotected sex

Pairing: Gemma (I don't like writing with Y/N or reader) x Lando Norris

Series Masterlist

PART 4

The reciprocity of Gemma's Instagram follow adds a layer of anticipation to Lando's daily routine. He finds himself frequently checking her profile, eagerly awaiting any new posts. However, Gemma maintains a certain mystery by refraining from sharing updates, leaving Lando to wonder about her activities.

As Gemma embarks on her first day in the paddock, she arrives early, greeted by the buzz of mechanics and a few interns. The morning unfolds in the McLaren hospitality suite, where she enjoys a quiet breakfast with newfound friends before the chaos of the day's activities commences.

Simultaneously, Lando, accompanied by his trainer, Jon, and Max, arrives early at the circuit. After engaging with fans and signing autographs, he eventually makes his way to the hospitality suite. Upon entering, Lando's eyes immediately scan the room, and his gaze locks onto Gemma's side profile. A brief moment of surprise and recognition crosses his face as he freezes in place. Gemma, initially unaware of his presence, turns to see who has entered the suite. When their eyes meet for the first time in weeks, a warm smile lingers on her lips, but before any further interaction can unfold, Lando hastily rushes out towards the garage. The unexpected encounter stirs a mix of emotions within Lando, leaving him grappling with the impact of seeing Gemma again after weeks of anticipation.

“Mate, where are you going? I thought you wanted breakfast?” Max asks as he hurries after his friend.

“She’s here. Why’s she here? She said she worked at the factory. What’s she doing here?” Lando blasts as he finds his driver’s room.

“Alright, calm down. It’s just a girl.” Max retorts.

“That’s not just a random girl, Max.” Lando breathes.

“Yeah, I think we’ve established that she’s your soulmate.” Max jokes and shakes his head at his friend.

As Lando sits down and pulls up Gemma's Instagram, he discovers a recent Story that she posted just before he arrived at the circuit. The image captures her breakfast with a caption that reads, 'First day things.' The realisation that she did share a glimpse into her day brings a mix of relief and curiosity to Lando. However, before he can delve deeper into his thoughts, his PR manager interrupts, urging him to join her for some media questions.

Meanwhile, Gemma, still in the hospitality suite, feels a sense of confusion over Lando's abrupt departure. His hurried exit leaves her pondering, and doubt creeps in—did he misinterpret something, or did he think she lied to him about her job? Gathering her things, she decides to head to the garage, still mulling over the unexpected encounter. As she makes her way toward the area where the cars are located, lost in her thoughts, she inadvertently collides with someone turning the corner.

The collision interrupts Gemma's internal musings, forcing her attention back to the present moment. She looks up to find herself face to face with a familiar face. The realisation dawns as she meets the eyes of the person she crashed into—a member of the McLaren team. The unexpected collision becomes a moment of connection, a reminder that amidst the chaos of the paddock, there are still opportunities for unexpected encounters and perhaps a chance to clarify the misunderstanding with Lando.

“Gemma.” Lando blurts out when he sees who he’s bumped into.

“Hi.” Gemma greets him as his PR manager stays behind him.

“You’re here.” Lando comments, surprise clear on his face.

“I got a promotion.” She explains.

“Gemma will be one of the analysts for Oscar’s car.” Susan, Lando’s PR manager, states, clarifying Gemma’s role and presence in the paddock.

“That’s great, congratulations.” Lando responds, turning back to face Gemma.

“Thanks.” Gemma smiles, suddenly feeling flustered and uncomfortable under his gaze. “I’ve got to get set up.”

Gemma smiles at Lando once more before she disappears to the pit wall. Lando watches her departure, appreciating the sight of Gemma dressed in the McLaren uniform and sneakers, a far cry from the elegant attire of the gala night. Despite the differences, he finds a certain allure in seeing her don the iconic papaya colours of the team.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other.” Susan comments as they get back to walking to the media pen.

“We met at the launch.” Lando explains. “She’s a smart one. Good thing she’s helping us here, though.”

“I’ll rather not ask for any more information, but, please Lando, don’t make a mess of it with her. Just keep your head down and focus on racing.” Susan suggests. “We’re looking to win a championship, not having to diffuse any scandals.”

“Yeah, we’re just friends.” Lando agrees as he follows Susan to the media pen.

As Gemma reaches the pit wall, Zak Brown, McLaren's CEO, leaps out of his seat with a welcoming smile. Eager to acknowledge Gemma's presence and contributions, he extends his hand to shake hers. With genuine enthusiasm, Zak introduces her to the engineers and team members gathered around him, highlighting her role as one of the analysts for Oscar's car.

Gemma, grateful for the warm reception, exchanges greetings with the engineers. The pit wall becomes a dynamic space buzzing with activity, and Gemma quickly immerses herself in the professional environment. As she takes her place among the McLaren team, the camaraderie and shared passion for racing create a sense of belonging, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her career within the world of Formula 1.

“I was so happy to hear you accepted our offer.” Zak comments.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity, thank you.” Gemma states as Oscar approaches them.

“Oscar!” Zak exclaims. “Just in time. Oscar, this is Gemma Mayfield. She’s going to be one of the analysts for your car.”

“Hi, very nice to meet you.” Oscar greets Gemma and shakes her hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Oscar.” Gemma responds.

As the conversation unfolds on the pit wall, Gemma and Oscar delve into the intricacies of the upcoming race. They discuss Oscar's expectations based on pre-season testing, analysing data and strategies to ensure a strong performance on the track. The professional exchange transitions into a more personal topic as Oscar mentions his girlfriend's interest in karting but reluctance to let him be her teacher.

Gemma, always up for a challenge, offers a solution. “Tell Lily I'd be happy to take her out for a karting experience during the season. I can keep an eye on her while you focus on your racing duties.” Gemma suggests with a friendly smile.

Oscar, appreciative of the offer, gladly exchanges numbers with Gemma to facilitate the planning of this karting excursion for Lily. The exchange not only solidifies a professional connection but also introduces a friendly dynamic between Gemma and Oscar, creating a sense of camaraderie within the McLaren team as they prepare for the challenges of the upcoming race season.

In the brief interlude between FP1 and FP2, Oscar and Lando find themselves engaged in conversation. The atmosphere in the McLaren garage is alive with the sounds of mechanics fine-tuning the cars, and the air is charged with the anticipation of the upcoming session.

“Have you met your new data analyst yet?” Lando wonders.

“Gemma? Yeah, she’s great.” Oscar responds. “She’s offered to take Lily karting.”

“Did she?” Lando smiles.

“Wait. Why’re you asking about my data analyst?” Oscar asks.

“No reason, really. I met her at the car launch and haven’t really spoken to her since. She was still working in the factory at that point.” Lando explains.

“Ah. She doesn’t happen to be the mystery girl you’ve been hinting at since pre-season testing?” Oscar teases with a knowing look.

“Possibly.” Lando shrugs.

“I can send you her number if you ask nicely.” Oscar informs his teammate.

“Please, Osc.” Lando pleads. Oscar chuckles before unlocking his screen and sending Gemma’s number to Lando.

“Just don’t tell her I gave it to you.” Oscar implores.

“I won’t. Thanks, mate.” Lando speaks as he heads to his driver’s room.

In the quiet solitude of his hotel room after the second practice session, Lando finds himself caught in a whirlwind of contemplation. The ambient glow from the bedside lamp casts a warm hue across the room as he sits on the edge of the bed, fingers idly tapping on his phone screen, contemplating the decision to reach out to Gemma. The weight of unspoken words and lingering emotions hangs in the air, leaving him both hesitant and eager to bridge the gap that has formed between them.

With Gemma's contact pulled up on his phone, Lando stares at the screen, pondering the right words to convey the complexity of his thoughts. The room seems to echo with the tension of unspoken sentiments, and after a moment of internal debate, he presses the call button, the device coming to life as he holds it to his ear.

As the phone rings, thoughts race through Lando's mind, each chime signalling a step closer to an uncertain outcome. Finally, Gemma's voice breaks the silence on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” Gemma asks once she answers the phone, her voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

“Hi, stranger.” Lando replies, a playful tone underscoring his words.

“Lando?” Gemma questions, her voice betraying a hint of uncertainty.

“Happy to hear you recognise my voice.” He teases, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

“Mmh.” She hums in response, her voice a soft acknowledgment that lingers in the air.

“You know, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” He tells her, his tone playful yet carrying a hint of genuine concern.

“You do?” She replies, curiosity colouring her response.

“Yeah. I give you possibly the best night of your life only for you to dip before I even wake up.” He informs her, a blend of humour and mild reproach in his words. The atmosphere between them holds a mix of lighthearted banter and an underlying current of vulnerability, as if they are tiptoeing around the unspoken emotions that linger in the wake of their shared experience.

“I did leave you a gift, though, didn’t I?” Gemma counters, taunting him.

“So you did. But, I couldn’t even make you breakfast.” He adds.

“It was just a one time thing, Lando. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to expect breakfast.” She explains. “No strings, remember?”

“So, we can’t even be friends?” Lando wonders.

“Friends?” Gemma repeats.

“Or nothing at all.” Lando quickly replies.

“We can be friends.” Gemma finally agrees.

“You don’t regret anything?” Lando asks.

“No, I most certainly do not regret a thing.” Gemma assures him. “Do you?”

“I would be insane if I did.” Lando responds, causing Gemma to chuckle.

“You’re quite persistent.” Gemma states.

“Again, I’d be insane if I wasn’t.” He informs her. “So, tell me, would my friend like to join me for dinner later?”

“Lando-” She starts, but cuts herself off. “Let’s just be friends first before we do anything together, especially alone.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Lando reluctantly agrees. Gemma was dead set on keeping things professional and to keep their one time fling in the past.

“But, I’ll have breakfast with you in hospitality before qualifying.” Gemma suggests as a consolation. “You know, to make up for the fact that I left before you woke up.”

“I’ll take that.” Lando smiles, even though she can’t see him.

Their conversation, though laced with playful banter, hints at a complex mix of emotions and unspoken desires, leaving the future of their connection uncertain yet intriguing.

#f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 imagine #formula 1 #lando norris #lando norris fanfic #lando norris fic #lando norris smut #mclaren #mclaren f1

79 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

sapphoscore

alz

jthamon

Julien T. Hamon

m1ssword

jessi

hermajestythequeenie

Queenie 🦋

recycledevice

Sell Old Mobile At www.Recycledevice.com