Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 201: Bookrests

Chapter 201: Bookrests

Music recommendation: Daydreamin’ by Ariana Grande

...

Maxim quirked a brow, "She did?" He had yet to meet her again after she called him ’Papa’.

He made a mental note to take some time off his schedule this week and spend time with her.

After Angel and Diana moved out, it was like they were countries apart even though they resided in the same building.

And he... missed them.

Diana nodded as she smiled cheekily, "She asked you to be her godfather..."

"No," Maxim interrupted her without hesitation.

Diana was startled, "No?" She was a little speechless. Why was Angel also rejected in the same manner as her?

Maxim cleared his throat, "Tell Angel that I have other plans for her and I am working on them."

As a bewildered Diana entered the car, Maxim leaned inside and grabbed her knee.

Diana held her breath as she felt his finger lingering on her skin for a moment before he parted her legs and suddenly, a delicate box appeared in her vision.

Diana’s eyes sparkled, ’’Pastries... You remembered, after all...’’ she mumbled.

The corner of his lips tugged up as he leaned towards her ear, his nose nuzzling in her blonde tresses as he whispered, ’’So, does this compensation work every time? Or just this once?"

Diana clutched the box tighter at the insinuation behind his words, ’’We will see. Depends.’’

’’On what?"

’’On my mood,’’ she arched her neck when he lowered his face and placed a fleeting kiss on her neck.

’’I will take care of your mood in the future, sweetheart. Don’t worry,’’ And with those words, he placed another kiss on the nape of her neck before closing the door, leaving her frozen with a zoo of butterflies flying rampantly in her stomach.

She glanced at the man who entered the car. Black button down. Dark jeans. Dark messy hair. A dimpled smile. So gorgeous that it made her helpless.

Feeling her gaze on him, he tilted his head and looked at her, his smile widening further, deepening his dimples, ’’Ready?"

And Diana felt like he made it so easy for a girl to lose her heart. How had she been immune to his charms all these years?

’’Ready,’’ she nodded as another random thought crossed her mind. Had she really been immune though?

She shook her head, shifting her gaze to the pastries on her lap. Another lingering gaze and she might swoop him in for a kiss.

So dangerous.

...

Maxim parked the car when they reached Lincoln heights. It was the oldest suburb of Los Angeles and the neighborhood was rather quiet except for the rustling of the leaves because of the occasional cool breeze.

The writer in Diana could picturise a serial murderer burying bodies here. The sudden inspiration made her feel like she really should write a book about it.

Shaking her random thoughts off, she turned to him.

’’Tell me where we are going,’’ Diana tugged his sleeve and fell into step beside him as they walked down the street. Why were they here on some random street corner? She was too curious to be patient for his surprise.

Maxim gave her a sidelong glance and nonchalantly grabbed her hand before intertwining their fingers, ’’Too late to run away.’’

She rolled her eyes, discreetly tightening her grip on his hand, ’’I was too impulsive to trust you quickly. You, Maxim Warner, are up to no good. You just want to sell me over for my beauty.’’

"_"

Maxim was speechless for a moment before his eyes darkened, ’’What nonsense are you talking about?"

Diana choked on her saliva as she threw her head and laughed till her chest shook but she stumbled on a loose cobblestone. She would have faceplanted on the sidewalk had Maxim not been quick enough to pull her into his arms. He wrapped an arm around her waist, ’’Careful lest you fall.’’

It’s too late to be careful. The words rested at the tip of her tongue.

Diana licked her bottom lips and stopped trying to get on his nerves lest he really picked her up and shoved her somewhere for real.

After a few minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a small shop with ’Bookrests’ stamped in neon cursive on the board hanging above. Piles of books filled the display, covering her view of the shop’s interior. She caught sight of some creepers hanging above a few discounted books behind the displayed books.

No wonder Maxim parked his car at a distance. The street was only wide enough to accommodate pedestrians.

Maxim tilted his head to the side, catching sight of her dropped jaw as she marveled at the bookstore with wide eyes. Her green eyes sparkled in the neon lights of the board hanging above, ’’You still think I am selling you for your beauty?"

Diana gasped as she shook her head. ’’Of course not,’’ Letting go of his hand, she pushed open the door and stepped inside the bookstore, her heels eliciting small clicking sounds with every step she took.

The heavy feeling of abandonment crashed on Maxim whose face darkened as he looked at the bookstore before following the woman who did not seem to care about him anymore.

’’You are not selling me for my beauty. You are trying to seduce me with this beauty,’’ Diana mumbled, still in a daze.

Maxim coughed twice.

Diana admired the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, the round table in the middle of the store, and the musky scent of old books. The wooden floor was aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

She instantly fell in love with this beauty. For readers, this bookstore could be said to be a dream that had manifested into a reality.

Feeling rather neglected, Maxim narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat. He did not believe that he was not as interesting as these things.

Diana did not pay attention to him, ’’So pretty... These books... These are the bestsellers. Oh my god, I had marked these in my ’TBR’... Wow, there are classics too,’’ After coming to LA, she still got herself a few books to read and during her initial days here, she was still able to read them after tucking Angel to sleep.

But after she started working, it was a far-fetched dream for her to get books and find some time to read them because, by the time she got off work, she could not wait to sleep like a pig.

As the store owner came to greet them, Diana finally noticed how empty this place was.

’’This way...’’ The store owner led them towards an old wooden staircase.

Diana could not help but turn to Maxim, ’’Why is it so quiet here?" she asked the man who seemed to be sulking.

Diana was inwardly confused. Hmm, what happened to him? He still looked fine when they were walking on the streets.

Maxim managed his expression and looked at her, ’’Probably because it’s nighttime.’’

’’Oh,’’ she found it weird. Did people in this neighborhood not prefer reading at nighttime?

The shop owner interjected, ’’Oh, Sir probably forgot that he had booked this place for the whole day,’’ his tone was rather happy. After all, due to being situated in this isolated area, his business was not doing well but he had gotten huge profits out of this customer who booked this place for the whole day.

Suddenly, the bubbly shop owner felt a shiver down his spine. He turned around and his gaze locked with Maxim’s cold eyes. It took him a moment to realize that perhaps he said something that he should not have said.

’’Please take your time to browse through the books. We have the best collection in this underground space of the shop. You won’t be disturbed here,’’ he hurriedly said and walked away as if he was being chased by the ghost.

Diana blinked as she looked at his retreating back before she turned to look at Maxim, ’’You find it funny to lie to me?" she took a step towards him.

Maxim stepped back as he cleared his throat, ’’I just...’’

’’You just what...?"

’’..Wanted you to have privacy as you browse through the books,’’ Maxim’s back hit the bookshelf.

Diana leaned closer to him, ’’Really?" she blinked.

He nodded.

’’Oh,’’ she continued moving closer.

Just as he thought that she was about to close the gap between them, she grabbed a book from the bookshelf behind him and strode towards a round table.

...

MINI DRAMA:

Angel: Mama, what are you doing? *curious*

Diana: Shh, baby, don’t tell anyone. Mama is living every reader’s dream~

Angel: *confused* Really? Mama is so cool!

Diana: *smug* *provocatively smiles at the readers*

_

A/N: I just noticed that the privileged tiers are incredibly messed up for some reason. Please don’t buy the highest tier. It was supposed to have 10 Chapters but somehow the 5 extra Chapters I uploaded did not show up there!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.