FOR A MONTH, MALAIKA AND LANDO HAVE been keeping in touch since that fateful night in malaika's living room. you could say they were in their "talking stage" with the painful flirting over facetime and constant good night/good morning texts. malaika felt like a teenager again, spending countless hours talking to and thinking about the jock boy she had a crush on.

in fact, things were going so well that lando invited her to the next race in barcalona and to stay at his apartment in monaco the week before. malaika wasn't sure what her summer plans were, but it definitely was not running around with a race car driver she made out with once. 

"he did what?" jasmine shrieked when malaika told her about the invite. "mal...you have to go."

"what about you? and jake? you guys should come, too."

"please, i don't pay for f1 tv for nothing. we can watch the race from here. you have to go and see your man!"

"he's not my man." malaika defended, trying not to smile. "we decided to just...keep things slow. lando said that the last public girlfriend he had was subject to a lot of hate and he doesn't want that to happen to me."

"aw!" jasmine smiled. "that's kind of cute. so you guys aren't dating?"

"not yet." malaika shook her head. "but...he did ask me out."

"malaika!" jasmine gasped. "and you said no?"

"well, i didn't say yes." malaika admitted. "he offered to keep things low and secretive, with just our close friends knowing and i did consider it, but then i thought about the risks. what if people found out? i'm no stranger to hate, believe me, but i don't want things to end badly between us."

"mal." jasmine started, talking her best friend's hands. "i saw the way you looked at lando and the way he looked at you when you first met. you guys kissed on the first date and he's been texting you non-stop. i've never seen anyone care for a person as much as lando cares for you., and you only met a month ago. logan's told me that there's a whole drivers' group chat where lando talks about how much he likes you."

"really?" malaika couldn't help but smile at her friend's words. just the thought that lando might like her just as much as she likes him makes her feel like a giddy seventeen year old.

"ask logan for help, too. he can probably cover for you in the paddock." jasmine thought. malaika shook her head.

"then i need you to come with me. if people make rumors about me and logan, you have to deny them."

"me? but logan and i aren't even dating."

"yeah, but you two have been crushing on each other since middle school. and tabloids have already written articles about you two so it wouldn't be hard to believe." she said. jasmine gave her a look, but also let out a sigh meaning she conceded

"fine. but we're bringing jake with us." jasmine said. "if he found out we're going to monaco and barcelona without him, he'd be pissed."

"i'll talk to lando." malaika nodded. she caught the look jasmine was giving her and sighed. "and i'll tell him i'm down for the whole secret thing." she said. jasmine let out a noise of excitement. 

"ahh! i'm so happy for you. let's go pack!"

two days later !

"I THINK I COULD GET USED TO you dating lando norris." jacob said as he got comfortable into his first class seat that lando had so generously taken care of for them. the plane was flying to nice, france, where lando was planning to pick them up from. jasmine and jacob would be staying at a hotel near lando's apartment while malaika would be staying with lando (for obvious reasons like another movie night). 

"shut up, jake." malaika rolled her eyes. "we're not dating yet."

"i hear that emphasis on the 'yet', mal." jasmine told her. "have you spoken to him about it?"

"i was waiting until we met again." malaika admitted. "i feel like a conversation about our future relationship should be something we have in person rather than over the phone."

"that's valid." jacob nodded. "man, this is the best graduation present i've ever recieved." he turned on the small television by his seat. "do not disturb for..." he checked the time on his screen for the flight duration to their layover stop in london. "eight hours."

"no one wants to speak to you, jacob." his sister rolled her eyes at him before turning back to malaika. "did you at least tell him you wanted to talk about it in person?"

"no..." malaika admitted. "i kind of changed the subject when he asked."

"mal! give me your phone." jasmine held out her hand. malaika hesitated, but she knew to trust jasmine, so she handed the phone to her. jasmine opened her texts with lando on imessage. 

"what are you doing?" malaika asked, apprehensively. jasmine shushed her. 

"let the expert do her job." she said. "aw, is he pinned?"

"jasmine!" malaika snatched the phone away. "you are not texting him. and yes, he is pinned."

"that's adorable." jasmine sighed. "at least tell him that you'll talk to him when you see him, yeah?"

"fine, i'll tell him." malaika said. when she didn't turn on her phone, jasmine gave her a look. "you mean now?"

"of course i mean now? what, you thought you'd text him after you're already in his apartment?"

"good point." malaika nodded before turning on her phone to the messages app. clicking on lando's contact, she thought about what she wanted to say. 

IMESSAGE

malaika
heyyy
ERASED

hiiii
ERASED

hey lol
ERASED

hi
ERASED

hey!

lando
hiii
ERASED

hey!
ERASED

yooo
ERASED

hello!

malaika
so
i was wondering if we could talk
once i get to monaco

lando
were you planning on staying silent?

malaika
what
oh
no
i meant like
talk about us

lando
oh
right
yes
what about us?

malaika
remember when you asked
if we could date but keep it a secret
and i kinda just changed the subject

lando
yes...

malaika
well
i'm willing to hear you out

lando
really?
like fr?

malaika
yes
like fr

lando
FUCK YEAH
ERASED

this makes up for me fumbling montreal
ERASED

okay cool

malaika
cool

lando
i'll see you later mal
have a safe flight :)

malaika
thank you!
see u later!!

maha speaks :)

do we want cutesy airport reunion or cutesy movie date pt. 2 (not robbed this time)