Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 200: A date?

Chapter 200: A date?

Ivy blinked, ’’But I don’t have a home to miss. Don’t you know that my mother is dead?"

Diana looked at the girl who said those words calmly like she was talking about the weather. In the end, she sighed, ’’Forget it..’’

’’Dee, what’s going on between Sir and you?" Ivy swiftly changed the topic.

Diana choked on her popcorn but she forced the cough down when she saw Angel who was peacefully lying on her lap and playing with the edge of her dress as she watched TV, ’’You tell me... you kept the secret for so long. I had no idea he lived there, nor did I know that you had a job out there. How long were you going to keep it from me?"

Ivy scratched her neck, ’’It was his idea. I only played along,’’ she pushed all the blame on Maxim and for a fact, she was not really lying about it.

Before Diana could speak, her phone started ringing.

She picked it up as soon as she saw the caller ID.

"Ana, are you free?" Maxim’s cool voice was heard from the other side.

Diana looked at Angel’s lazy face and poked the girl’s cheek as she replied, ’’Why do you ask?"

’’I want to take you somewhere. Will you...’’

’’Okay,’’ she cut him off with a smile, ’’I will go with you.’’

There was a pause on the other side before Maxim asked doubtfully, ’’Really?"

’’Of course.’’

’’That easy?" he still sounded suspicious.

Diana was speechless, ’’Unless you want to kidnap me? Do you want me to reconsider?"

’’No, we are good like this,’’ Maxim sounded calm.

Diana lowered her voice when she spotted Ivy’s gradually enlarging ear, ’’What about my compensation?"

"It’s with me. Get dressed and come down.’’

Diana started to nod but then she paused, ’’Wait where are we going? What is the dress code? What am I supposed to wear?"

’’Anything you like.’’

"_"

For someone like Diana who was used to dressing properly anywhere she went, it was rather confusing. The only time she wasn’t dressed properly was probably when she ran from home with Angel, dressed in a biker outfit. The leather jacket and scorching heat had almost made her faint.

She still got goosebumps when she thought about that day, "What do you mean by anything you like? I can’t wear formal to a party nor can I wear a flashy dress to the hospital. I need to be dressed appropriately...’’

Maxim interrupted her, ’’You really can wear anything you like. If you wish, you can wear formal to a party and a flashy dress to the hospital. I don’t mind at all. You look good in anything,’’ with that said, he hung up on her.

At other times, Diana would have been infuriated that he hung up on her but for now, she just felt heat rising on her cheeks as she sat there in a daze. Her fingers holding the popcorn were still frozen mid-air.

’’Dee...’’ Ivy leaned closer to examine Diana, ’’You are red.’’

Diana blinked.

’’O-Of course, it’s because Angel has burrowed herself on me,’’ Diana looked at the little girl who was snuggling closer to her with a hint of guilt, ’’That’s why it’s hot,’’ she poked Angel’s chubby cheeks. Her darling certainly won’t mind being framed by her.

Angel looked at her with wide eyes and smiled, ’’Ma...Mama...’’ she reached her small hands towards her.

Diana melted as she pulled the little girl in her arms and smothered her little round face with kisses, ’’You are my lucky star.’’

The little girl giggled and turned to Ivy, ’’Vi... Vi...’’

’’She has started calling you as well,’’ Diana’s eyes brightened.

Ivy’s heart warmed. It has been a long time since she felt something like this. She looked at the evening sky through the window as the birds returned to their homes before letting out a soft sigh. This felt good.

30 minutes later.

A heap of clothes was gathered from the walk-in closet in a trail towards the room and Diana had a bra hanging from her ear as she squatted on the floor and shuffled the clothes.

Angel was sitting on a small heap of clothes, holding a straightener in both her hands. She almost looked like some fairy Princess sitting on a throne to bless her subjects.

Ivy’s lips twitched, "Dee, you look like you are going on a date," she could not hold her tongue back anymore.

Diana froze when she heard that. She glanced at herself in the mirror and removed the bra from her ear. Her hair was straightened and there was slight makeup on her face but she was still donned in a bathrobe.

She grabbed a cotton shirt and wiped her lipstick clean before scrunching her hair with her fist, "How about now?"

"You still look like you are out on a date," Ivy’s eyes widened in disbelief when Diana messed her hair completely till it resembled a bird’s nest and then looked at her again with a ’What about now?’ gaze.

Ivy gulped, "But you still look pretty."

Diana’s face darkened, "So you said that I look like I am going on a date, not because I am overdressed but because I look pretty?"

Ivy nodded, "Of course—" she stopped herself from talking when Diana glared at her.

It took Diana another 30 minutes to finally chose a dress and get dressed with the assistance of Angel and Ivy with the former motivating her with her giggles and the latter hyping her up verbally.

Diana did not why she felt so nervous. Strange. It must have something to do with the weather.

Or maybe she was the strange one here.

She coughed and glanced at Ivy, "I texted Dex and he told me that he will be late," After getting Daisy’s response, she immediately called to make sure that she wasn’t getting bullied but Daisy sounded so cold that Diana realized even if Ryle bullied her, he won’t escape scot-free.

But she still could not stop worrying about Daisy. It was that feeling that no matter how strong or capable her sister was, Diana would still worry about her over the most insignificant things.

And for one, she knew that no matter how calm Daisy seemed, she did not want to part from Angel at all yet, she was stuck with Ryle. Diana sighed.

"When he comes back, ask him to call me," she added after some thought, "And you... In case, I am late *cough*... Make sure to go to bed with Angel," Diana kissed Angel’s forehead and shot Ivy a glare as she said that.

Ivy touched her dark circles dazedly. She thought it had gone unnoticed. Alas...

Diana turned around and left.

Once she got inside the elevator, she could feel her heartbeat going in a flurry. She rubbed her chest.

With a small frown on her face, she could not help but wonder, "I think he made sense... Maybe I have some heart issues..."

When the elevator door opened, her breath was caught in her throat.

Maxim took in the sight of Diana dressed in a baby blue blouse that was paired with a simple white pencil skirt and white heels. Her mid-length blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her face... was slightly red.

He leaned closer to her, softly pressing the bouquet of dahlias to her body as he spoke beside her ear, "Pretty."

Diana grabbed the flowers, feeling slightly flustered. Her toes curled in her heels at the sound of his deep voice in the shell of her ear, "Thanks. You paid for it this time?" She softly hit his chest with the bouquet and stepped back from him.

Maxim arched a brow. She hadn’t been this jittery when she left his place earlier this morning. Perhaps, she was still a bit tired?

Maxim nodded, "How did you know I got the flowers from that place?"

"Just a guess," Diana tucked her hair behind her ear as they walked out of the building.

"I did pay for it this time," Maxim touched his forehead with the tip of his index finger as he continued, "And the shop owner told me that she knew what happened there. She said she happened to check the cameras after finding the cash you left and she accepted your apology..." his voice grew smaller and smaller, showing how embarrassed he was.

Diana’s nerves eased as she burst out in laughter and held his arm. How cute! Should she get him drunk more often?

She sighed as she looked at the flowers in her hand, "Why did you switch to dahlias?"

"They... don’t mean anything. I was worried you’d be sick of roses," he looked at her face as she looked at the flowers. After a brief pause, he added, "If you prefer roses, I can get them for you the next time."

Diana tilted her head to look at him, "No, I like these. They are pretty."

Maxim tilted his head to the side as he mumbled under his breath, "Less than you."

Diana, who was admiring the flowers, did not catch the words he uttered softly.

When they reached his car, he opened the door for her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she glanced at him, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief as she spoke, "Angel asked me to pass a message to you."

"She did?"

...

A/N: Dear readers, do tell me if you want the sex scenes to be detailed in the future or do you want me to skim through them? Even though it’s my book, I won’t necessarily make you read something you don’t prefer haha! So, please share your preference so that I can dole out the right amount of stuff for you ;)