Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 192: I want to be there for you

Chapter 192: I want to be there for you

Diana was always proud of the fact that she knew and understood him the most in the world yet she felt like she paled in comparison to the way he deciphered her thoughts and actions.

’’Then... This is not the first place that you showed me. What if I chose some other place?" she looked at him doubtfully.

’’I own some properties there. I would have moved out of this place,’’ Maxim said nonchalantly like he was simply discussing today’s weather with her.

"_" Diana was blinded by the shine of rich that enveloped her with his statement.

She wanted to say... Fine, you are rich. I will listen to your words.

Clueless to her thoughts, Maxim had different things on his mind.

Who could have thought Angel would end up smiling in this building and that made Diana choose this place? It was convenient for him because he did not have to move out, ’’I just... did not expect to speak about this while I was drunk,’’ his voice was lower this time.

Diana stifled her laughter, ’’Truth to be told, you did not mention that you live here. It was a wild guess until I stalked you yesterday and saw that the elevator was going up,’’ she was just pushing his buttons but she did not expect him to walk out on her in anger. He was so drunk earlier and she was unsure whether he was fine or not so she followed him out of concern.

Ryle’s mansion was in the completely opposite direction yet Maxim showed up at Silver Regency conveniently all the time. He picked her up almost every day and dropped her back. And he even randomly showed up at her place at times.

If it was anyone else, she would not have had any doubts. But it was Maxim. He was capable of doing such silly things.

Who could have thought her wild guess was on point? He did stay in the same building.

She did not know how she felt when she discovered it. Happy? Frustrated? Maybe both or neither. It was a strange feeling which made her kiss him without a second thought.

’’And... I came back to Beijing but there was some issue with the admission procedure. I did not see my name there on the list of qualifying students. I had initially wanted to look into it, but I got a call from mom’s previous workplace. I was told that she collapsed due to overworking without a break. I rushed back to LA overnight.’’

After his grandfather passed away, his mother took over all the responsibilities. And all those years, she gradually started seeking financial security more than anything. She developed anxiety issues over it. Sometimes, she would take more than three jobs because she was scared that one of those days, they would wake up with nothing. That habit of hers turned obsessive gradually. Even after he took some part-time jobs and reassured her that they would be fine, she would sneak out of the house for a job.

He could not stop her because she would just lock herself in the room and refuse to talk with him, saying that he was trying to meddle in her life and decisions. All he could do was take care of her.

But after that incident where she collapsed and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks, Maxim did not want to leave her side anymore. He did not go back to Beijing.

Diana quietly listened as he narrated his past calmly as if the person he was talking about was not himself.

Hazel... in her eyes was always a happy person but she never had an idea about the things she went through. To her, both Hazel and Maxim were like sunshine. They made her life better and bright but what about their lives? Who made it better for them?

Maxim seemed so calm while speaking about the past that tears welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head to avoid his gaze. She hated it when she cried and she especially hated it when she cried in front of him.

When they were young, she could still stay cool and composed in front of him. Yet, after she came to Los Angeles and met him again, for some reason, her emotions were no longer under her control. She could not pretend to be fine even if she tried to.

Probably because the gap of 6 years had made her completely helpless against him. She just wanted to be herself with him. Just as much as she wanted him to show his real self to her. She wanted to know him more. And most importantly, she did not want to lose him again.

’’...Even after I joined the hospital, she wanted to keep going with her jobs,’’ Maxim’s gaze was unfocused. It seemed like just yesterday yet 6 years passed in the blink of an eye, ’’...I took her to a therapist. It seemed ineffective initially but after months, Mom started getting over her anxiety of not having enough.’’

He reassured her that they would never go back to the past and instead of doubting his words or inserting what-ifs as she did in the past, Hazel said she trusted him. She told him that she would rely on him from then on.

She said that she wanted to do everything that she had missed out on.

As for Diana... Maxim missed her.

But she never reached out to him.

There were just hours of distance between them if he considered taking a flight. Yet it felt like they had drifted far away from each other.

At some point, the thought of reaching out to her sounded like an absurd idea.

What if she did not smile just as brightly as she did in the past when she looked at him? What if... he was the only one who was unable to move on?

The more she heard, the more tears trickled down her cheeks.

She thought he did not keep his promise. She thought he forgot about her. She kept suffering in that place.

Little did she know that all that time, he had been suffering too.

’’I am sorry... I am sorry...’’ Diana sobbed, pressing her palms on her face as her chest heaved up and down, ’’I am sorry...’’

Maxim was startled. His gaze snapped to the woman whose shoulders were trembling as she sat on the kitchen counter, her back hunched as soft sobs escaped her mouth.

A sense of helplessness enveloped him. Without giving it a second thought, he grabbed her wrists and removed the palms that covered her face.

As he looked into her reddened eyes, Maxim felt his heart breaking, ’’Sshhh... It’s okay. Stop crying.’’

’’It’s not...’’ Diana sobbed, ’’I misunderstood you... I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore.’’

’’How could that be?" he held the back of her head and pressed it onto his chest as he rubbed her head gently, ’’I would always want to see you,’’ his gave inadvertently fell on the tattoo on the corner of her wrist. He kissed the spot gently, ’’I am sorry as well.’’

’’For...?" Diana sniffed as she tilted her head to look at him.

The tip of her nose had turned red from crying. His lips tugged up into a faint smile when he saw the look on her face, ’’For ignoring you back then. I never meant it...’’ When he hurt her, he was more hurt. He blamed his younger self for being so immature and for not holding onto her tighter.

’’It’s okay. Let bygones be bygones,’’ Diana said in a determined voice as she instinctively rubbed her face on his chest to wipe her tears on his shirt but a moment later, she realized that he was not wearing one.

He was stunned.

She was dumbfounded.

Her face grew warm as she looked at his bare chest.

Diana averted her gaze.

Maxim chuckled when he saw her bashful face. He wanted to remind her that she saw much more than just his bare chest. But looking at how red she had turned, he did not provoke her anymore.

He raised his hand and stroked her hair, ’’Stop thinking about it.’’

Diana glanced at him. How could she stop thinking about it? Her heart ached just at the thought of the things he had gone through.

Maxim always said that he wanted to protect her. But... ’’I want to protect you too. I want to be there for you when you need me,’’ she shook her head, ’’But I was not around when you needed me. How can I stop thinking about it?"

Maxim never blamed her for not being there because she was not the only person at fault back then. He had equally hurt her, ’’Maybe the time was not right,’’ he shrugged a shoulder, ’’How about you start protecting me from now on?"

When she heard his words, Diana fell into contemplation. His words somehow made sense and did not make sense at the same time. What’s done cannot be undone and the past was already in the past. He was right about that.

As for protecting him... Why did she feel like he did not need her protection anymore?

She glanced at him suspiciously.

Maxim had no idea what she was thinking about but upon noticing her suspicious look, he did what he was best at. Acting innocent.

He blinked twice.

Diana’s heart melted like ice cream. Forget it, he might not literally need her protection. But given how innocent he was, he would be duped without having her around.