You learned early how to protect yourself.

Not in a dramatic way. No building walls, no consciously pushing people away. More subtle than that. You let closeness happen, but never completely. You stay friendly, open, interested, but always with a small step of distance. Just enough to leave before it hurts.

Maybe that’s the price of earlier stories. Of feelings you took too seriously. Of promises spoken too lightly.

When Pietra invited you to a dinner with friends, you had no expectations. She was loud, as always, pulled you through the room, introduced you, laughed, talked. You nodded, smiled, listened.

And then you were sitting across from him. A guy with curls, who leaned a bit too far forward when he spoke. Who listened more than you’d expect. Who looked at you like you weren’t background noise.

After a while, you started seeing each other regularly. Dates you never called dates. Sitting side by side, hands brushing by accident. Sometimes you kissed. Sometimes it stayed at closeness, at looks, at conversations that lasted deep into the night.

He texts you from airports, hotel rooms, countries whose time zones you have to check. He sends you photos of sunrises, of things that remind him of you.

You always reply. You tell yourself it doesn’t mean anything. Because it was Lando who said it first. “I’m not really looking for anything serious right now.” It feels like a quiet contract. No expectations. No obligations. And it works. Too well.

You’ve always been private. Your Instagram is calm. Still, people pay attention. Especially the ones who’ve followed Lando for a long time. Fans who don’t just watch races, they notice patterns.

You appear at first accidentally. Then more often. Next to Pietra, to Max, to Lando. Fan pages post screenshots. You get analyzed, your expressions, how close you are to him. It’s never mean. “If it's to much, we can slow down.” He said one evening as you were sitting next to each other on your couch. You just shook your head.

The dates become more romantic. Not intentionally. It just happens. Candlelight dinners. Longer walks. His hand finding yours more often. His looks lingering.

You notice you’re starting to look forward to things you used to avoid. His messages. His closeness. That feeling of almost. And that’s exactly what scares you. The thought that this might become something serious creeps in. You try to push it away. Remind yourself of old patterns. Old wounds. But Lando is…different.

He doesn’t ask for more, yet he gives it anyway. He’s there without clinging. Honest without pressure. And the more time passes, the harder it becomes to pretend this is all just casual.

Your birthday arrived faster than you’d like. You celebrated with family, with friends. Lando wasn't there. A race. Obligations. You FaceTimed late at night. His voice tired, but warm. “I hate that I missed this.”

Two days later, you unlock the door to your apartment and stop abruptly. Balloons float near the ceiling. Blue. White. A small cake on the table. Next to it, a bouquet of your favorite flowers. And then you see it.

The Tiffany & Co. bag. Your heart skips a beat. “Surprise.” A voice says behind you. You turn around. He's standing there. Tired. Nervous. Real.

You’re standing across from each other. Everything unspoken between you. The months. The closeness. The fear. He takes a deep breath. “I know we said no pressure. No labels.” A small smile. “But I don’t want almost anymore.” He opens the box in his hand. The necklace glimmers, subtle. Elegant. You. “Will you..be my girlfriend?” He asks softly. You nod, smiling. “Of course.”

Later that evening, you post a picture. A quiet night. A second cake. The necklace around your neck. In the background, just a hint of the blue bag. You don't think much of it. But somewhere on the internet, someone else does. A video pops up. Lando at the airport, in your city with the same Flowers.

Your lying next to him, your legs draped over his as he draws small circles on your thigh. "Everything ok?"