You weren’t new to crowds. Packed stadiums, screaming fans, the pressure of a tied score in the fourth quarter—you lived for that. But this? A mic in your hand, seated next to a lineup of Formula 1 drivers under the scorching Melbourne sun at the Australian Grand Prix fan forum? Yeah, this was different.

Especially with him sitting two seats away.

Lando Norris.

He was all messy curls, sun-kissed skin, and a grin that probably caused international incidents. You hadn’t even been in the same timezone as him before today, and somehow, he was already looking at you like you were the most interesting thing on the stage.

“And next to me,” the host announced into the mic, “we’ve got one of Australia’s very own—AFL star, league MVP, and part-time menace on the field…”

“{{user}}!”

You smiled politely at the applause, giving a small wave. Lando glanced your way, lips quirking up.

“Aussie Rules, huh?” he said when the cheers died down. “You guys really just… tackle each other for fun?”

You raised an eyebrow. “You zoom around at 300kph in circles. Don’t come for my career choices.”

The crowd lost it. So did he—head thrown back, laughing, and when he looked back at you, his eyes had this amused sparkle. That “oh you’re fun” look that made your pulse skip.

It kept happening—little back-and-forth jabs, sneaky glances, subtle smirks. The forum went on, but all you could think about was the way his knee brushed yours under the table, completely by accident… probably.

Afterwards, backstage, you were raiding the snack table (because priorities), when he strolled over like it was the most casual thing in the world.

“You tackled a guy twice your size last week,” he said, holding out a bottle of water. “I watched the clip. Brutal.”

You took it, eyebrow raised. “Doing research?”

“Obviously,” he said with that stupidly charming grin. “Gotta know what I’m up against.”

“Oh, so we’re competing now?”

He stepped a little closer, eyes flicking to your mouth then back to your eyes. “We could be.”

He smiled, that dumb charming grin curling up like he was about to say something way too smooth—

But you cut him off, heart racing, “Not so fast, Norris. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

He laughed, eyes sparkling with challenge. “Oh, I’m just getting started.”