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"My body feels like it's been hit by a bus," Lando said, stretching his body.

"Well, tough luck," I shrugged, dropping my gym bag on the floor.

Lando stared at the gym equipment with a look of distaste. He really didn't want to work out today. But then again, he never wanted to.

"Come on, time doesn't start till you're on the machines," Aaron said.

We were lucky enough to workout together most days. It was nice to have a gym partner, especially Lando because he kept things entertaining.

Lando and I met for the first time in F2 nearly two years ago. We weren't very close back then. Both Lando and I had reserved personalities - initially at least. But once we spent more time together, I realized the little British boy was quite the opposite. He just had to get comfortable with me before unleashing... his true persona you could say.

"Are you doing anything later this afternoon?" he asked as we stretched.

"Why?"

"Yes or no?" Lando rolled his eyes.

"Mmm, depends," I replied nonchalantly.

"Sandro."

"Yes?"

"Fine, suit yourself."

"Okay, sorry. No, I'm not doing anything."

"Good, we're planning to go down to the beach and hangout."

"Who's we?" I asked curiously.

"Carlos, George, and I."

"Oh, yeah why not."

"You sound so incredibly enthusiastic!" Lando cheered, making me roll my eyes.

A solid two hours later, I found myself hunched over in pain.

"Cazzo," I swore, glaring at Lando.

He took every opportunity to hit me where it hurt the most, especially when I was doing pull ups on the bar.

I instinctively let go, nearly falling on to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"You snooze, you lose," he teased, clearly happy with himself.

"Alright you idiots, enjoy yourselves today," Aaron said, shaking his head at us.

"I'm not looking forward to our next meeting," Lando called over his shoulder as we walked out.

We had about 45 minutes for a lunch break before I had a short session on the simulator.

"Any places you have in mind for lunch?" he asked as we walked to the hotel.

The smell of the ocean hung in the air and made my hair even curlier than usual. The Algarve was picturesque, showcasing the beauty Portugal had to offer.

"Why would you ask me of all people?" I raised a brow, turning to look at him.

I was the most indecisive person, not that I really cared. I didn't mind going along with whatever everyone else was doing.

"Sorry, I forgot your decision making skills were faulty."

"Sure."

I already knew the bastard was smirking, taking my lack of a comeback as a win on his part.

A loud honk caught me by surprise as both of us turned to look to the left. A black McLaren pulled up beside the curb as the window rolled down.

"Get in losers, we're going food hunting," Dakota smirked, looking over the rim of her shades.

"Impeccable timing ma'am," Lando grinned, hopping into the front seat.

"Hey, I wanted the front seat," I huffed, sliding into the back seat.

The smell of hibiscus immediately filled my senses.

"You snooze, you lose," she shrugged making Lando laugh loudly.

"I just told him that earlier!"

"Shut up, Lando," I huffed.

Dakota shot me an amused look in the mirror as we drove down the coast line.

"How did you even find us?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

"I'm staying at the hotel too and I was pulling out of the parking and I saw you two "trundling along". That workout really gave you two a beating," she teased.

"It was hard, okay?" Lando whined, his pride taking a hit.

"Sure. Anyways, you two are loud as hell and I heard you complaining about food."

"Any ideas?"

"Traditional Portuguese Bacalhau," she grinned.

I snickered at her choice, sharing a knowing look with the brunette.

The perfect dish choice if you ask me. Cod fish.

Boy was I looking forward to dinner. Lando and fish.

What a lovely duo.

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

It was safe to say that Lando did not enjoy dinner.

"Why does this smell funny?" he asked, shifting the spoon in his plate.

"Because it's something you've never tried before. It's going to smell funny," Alessandro replied.

"Are you sure? It smells fishy."

"Lando, we're near the sea of course it'll smell fishy," Dakota replied, rolling her eyes playfully.

He eyed his plate distastefully, but took a bite of his food.

Alessandro sipped his water, eyeing Lando for a reaction.

Dakota cleared her throat, fighting back a smile. Her brown eyes twinkled with amusement as she caught his gaze.

Alessandro smirked at her and raised a brow, setting his glass down. She quickly looked down at her plate, her cheeks heating up.

God, why does he have to be so hot?

A loud retching sound suddenly pulled the two from their little world.

"That's fucking fish!" Lando screeched, pushing the plate away.

Alessandro couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. He and Dakota laughed at his reaction, wishing they'd got it on camera.

"Jesus, that's disgusting!" the Briton exclaimed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He stood up, chugging a glass of water like his life depended on it.

"I feel bad, but at the same time I don't," Dakota laughed, covering her smile with a hand.

"I'll order you something else," he offered.

"If it's fish again I'm telling Zak you broke the simulator last week," Lando threatened.

"You what?" Dakota laughed, shaking her head.

"Shut up, it was an accident. And no, I won't order fish this time."

"Fine."

"Mind telling me how you managed to break the simulator?' Dakota asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Funny story actual-"

"No," Alessandro cut him off, glaring at Dakota as he stabbed his fork into a lettuce leaf.

"Well then," she muttered, going back to enjoying her delicious meal.

Dinner went by quickly as their conversations died down once their food arrived. All three of them were starving after a full day of work.

By the time they left the seaside restaurant, the sun was just starting to lower in the sky.

One thing to know about Alessandro was that he hated water. Or at least, that's what he claimed.

Yet somehow he found himself barefoot on the beach, staring at the vast body of water. George had decided to join them down at the beach.

"No, I think I'm good right here."

"You're not even touching the water."

"No, I'm good."

"What? Come on, dude."

"No, it's fine. I don't feel like getting in the water," Sandro shook his head.

"Hell no, let's go," Dakota demanded, tugging on his arm.

His muscles flexed as he tried to get out of her hold.

The water licked at their feet, splashing up Dakota's legs as she marched into the water.

"No, no, no. Dakota, no," he scowled, wrestling against her tight grasp.

Dakota gave him a devilish grin, splashing him with water. He glared at her, but she simply swam further out into the water.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I hate water," he muttered, following hesitantly. "I think this is far enough."

Dakota shook her head, hopping onto the jet ski and bringing it closer to the shore.

"Get on."

"Fuck no," he shook his head vigorously.

"Fine, then you have to tell me how you broke the sim," she demanded, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, no," he replied, turning away from her.

"Wimp," Dakota muttered under her breath, a scowl gracing her lips.

"What did you call me?"

"A wimp," she repeated, turning to face him again.

"You have some nerve c-"

"Ladies, let's take a chill pill," Lando interrupted, pushing their shoulders back.

"Shut up!" the two exclaimed in unison, making Lando wince.

"I was just trying to help," he muttered, rolling his eyes and taking a step back.

The two glared at each other, her fiery brown orbs clashing with Alessandro's green hues. The sounds of the waves crashing faded and all she could hear was her heartbeat.

Neither wanted to back down. Both of them were just heard-headed as each other. They weren't simply going to give in.

"Alessandro, just go with her mate. You owe her after nearly causing an accident on the freeway," George interrupted their stare-off.

"So you did realize that you cut me off!" Dakota exclaimed, pointing a finger at him.

"Of course I did, what am I? And idiot?" Alessandro rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes, you made it pretty clear that night," she replied indignantly.

Alessandro sighed, finally giving in.

"If you fucking drown me, I'm taking you down with me," he warned.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Have fun kids!" Lando grinned, waving to them. Alessandro turned, giving him the finger.

"Love that for me," Lando said to himself, earning a chuckle from George.

The jet ski rocked gently in the water as he swung his leg over the seat. His hand rested against her bare waist making goosebumps appear on her skin.

Dakota's long hair ticked his bare chest.

She suddenly felt the air thicken around her at the close proximity. She could feel his chest against her back and his breath against her neck.

Sandro smirk when he felt her shiver. His fingers ghosted over her waist making her suck in a sharp breath.

She turned, her brown eyes locking with his green ones. Catching the look on his face, she realized he knew exactly what he was doing.

Turning around to hide her smirk, she firmly pressed on the throttle making the jet ski lurch into motion.

She felt his hold on her waist tighten as the jet ski skimmed over the water.

Fear made his heart drum loudly in his chest. A smile made its way onto his face when he heard her laughter over the sound of splashing water.

The fear he felt slowly began to disappear and his hold on her waist loosened.

"Whoo! Look at you two!" Lando cheered as they whizzed past. His smile turned to a scowl as water from Dakota's jet ski splashed all over him.

"You muppet!" he shrieked, spitting out water. His hair lay flat against his head, covering his eyes.

"What was that, Lando?" Dakota shouted, raising a hand to her ear.

Lando opened his mouth but his response was drowned out by the sound of the motor as Dakota sped away. Alessandro laughed at the Briton's deadpan expression, shaking his head at their banter.

The sun was beginning to set casting a golden glow over the beach.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Very," Alessandro replied, staring out at the vast expanse of ocean. The pink, scarlet, indigo, and violet hues were reflected in the choppy water.

Dakota's heart was racing as they both took a moment to appreciate the sunset. She was aware of his hand resting on her hip, the other resting on her bare thigh.

The Italian finally moved them to run a hand through his hair that was curlier due to the salty water.

Cute.

Dakota shook her head quickly, bringing the watercraft closer to shore before hopping off.

"What are you doing?" Sandro asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"You're driving," she replied, motioning for him to move forward.

"What? Are you insane? I don't even know how it works."

"So? There's a first time for everything."

"Uh, yeah. But not for this," he replied.

She now stood in the shallow water, her head level with his.

"You drive cars at 300 kph, do you not?"

Alessandro narrowed his eyes at her, not appreciating the challenging look in her eyes.

"Now move so I can sit unless you want to go alone."

He didn't protest, moving forward so there was space for Dakota to sit behind him.

"Left hand is break and right hand is gas," she said.

"Uhh, okay. Just press it?"

"No, eat it. What the fuck else would you do?" Dakota replied.

He turned to give her a glare to which she smiled sweetly.He hesitated, gently pressing the right throttle.

He tensed when he felt Dakota's arms wrap around his waist. Thankfully they didn't wander as she kept them clasped together simply for support.

Dakota nearly swooned at the feeling of his muscles flexing under her touch. She didn't notice him shiver, tiny goosebumps appearing on his skin.

The wind felt amazing as the jet ski gained speed.

"Oi, slow down!" Dakota exclaimed when she noticed a wave approaching.

Alessandro followed her command, slowly pressing the brake. It was still going faster than it should, bouncing harshly over the wave.

Her hold on his waist tightened as they were jostled by the water.

"Nearly went flying there," George chuckled as they pulled up beside the two.

"That was amazing," he breathed, a smile finally gracing his lips.

"See, I told you," Dakota smiled and he turned to look at her.

His gaze flickered from her eyes to her parted lips. She could make out the freckles that dotted his nose, the green of his eyes even brighter in the sunset.

Dakota didn't have conventionally attractive features. But there was something about her, aside from her looks, that had drawn him in. Up close, he noticed the small features that were usually blurred to him. The little cut above her lip, her slightly misaligned brows, her long lashes and almond shaped eyes. To him, she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

"I'm starving, does anyone have food?" Lando shouted, breaking them from their trance.

Alessandro looked away, a frown tugging at his lips. This was not good. Feelings were not good. Not in his rookie F1 season.

"We just had dinner!"

"And?"