15 Befriend Maxim again
Maxim opened the door to the passenger seat wordlessly.
Diana was speechless, ''It's your car?" She rounded it, looking at the unique numberplate that was meant for VVIPs.
At times like this, she was reminded of the fact that the years have changed not only their connection but it has changed both of them in a lot of ways.
They were no longer the pair of calm and disaster friends in which she was the disaster to his calm. They were more like strangers now with him not knowing what transpired in her life and her being clueless about how much he has changed.
Maxim did not respond once again. He just looked at her quietly with a gaze that said 'What do you think'.
''I guess it is,'' Diana slid inside the passenger seat and Maxim placed his hand near the roof of the door quietly.
As soon as she turned to look at him, he retracted his hand before she could notice.
Diana reached both her arms for the baby but Maxim walked around the car and got inside the driver's seat while still holding the baby in his arms.
'Bite him, angel. This is your chance,' Diana mumbled inwardly as she looked at the baby intently.
The baby blinked at her.
Diana sighed. She had yet to have teeth. Peeing and pooping were out of options too because she was wearing her diapers.
''You didn't answer me,'' Diana spoke up once again, ''How did you know that I was there?"
Maxim glanced at her with a small frown between his brows, ''I could sense a gaze on my back.''
''And that told you that the gaze belonged to me?" Diana removed the suit jacket from her head and threw it into the backseat, ''You didn't seem to be surprised when you stood up and turned around to look at me.''
''You were eavesdropping,'' Maxim said.
Heat rushed to her face for being caught red-handed. It would not have felt that awkward if not for the fact that they weren't friends anymore, according to him.
To her, Maxim Warner was still her friend and she would jump at the first chance to start their friendship from the scratch once again. Only if he let her.
''I wasn't,'' she said, ''It's a public place, anyway so I was kind of appreciating the view.''
Maxim raised a brow at her.
"What? You two looked good together,'' she shrugged.
His eyes darkened as he quietly placed the baby on her lap.
Diana cooed the baby closer to her as she took out a small bottle from her backpack and put it in the baby's mouth, ''So, how did you—''
''I saw your reflection in the ceramic coffee mug,'' Maxim interrupted her as he stepped on the accelerator.
Diana nodded and glanced out of the window. That made sense.
The car turned quiet.
Maxim looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he drove.
After 15 minutes, the car came to a halt.
Diana glanced at the unfamiliar road before she turned around to look at Maxim questioningly.
He did not say anything as he alighted the car and walked to the other side before opening the car door for her.
Before Diana could step out, he took the baby from her arms.
She glanced at him with furrowed brows.
Maxim cleared his throat, ''You are not good with those.''
She followed his gaze and glanced at the sliders she was wearing. It was true. She could run a mile in her pointed stilettos but she would end up falling head fast whenever she wore flat shoes.
It has been that way since she was young. It was like an instinct to stumble or fall once and twice whenever she wore these kinds of shoes.
But it seems like this hasn't happened lately. Maybe because her mind was focused on her new responsibility or maybe because her flat shoe phobia was cured miraculously.
''You remember,'' she whispered, alighting the car, ''Why are we here though?" Diana changed the topic calmly.
What he did at the café was upsetting but what he did in the morning was still the winner of all upsetting events of her day. He told her they were no longer friends because they grew up or something like that.
As much as she was eager to befriend him again, but hey, she had feelings too. And she was used to cute and gentle Maxim. The current him... was hurtful at times.
And she would be damned if she did not hold a grudge over it till the day she died. Hell, even her ghost would hold a grudge over it. Hmph!
''You wanted to have lunch,'' Maxim said as he shut the car door and walked in a particular direction.
Diana glanced at the Chinese restaurant he just entered.
She blinked and quickly followed after him.
He flashed a card at the front desk and the man bowed to him just like they do in their culture before they were ushered towards a private room.
''It feels like I am in Bejing,'' Diana said, marveling at the traditional setup of the private room.
She took a seat, reaching out to hold the baby who was still being carried by Maxim.
Maxim glanced at the baby who had drooled all over his chest before he glanced at the woman whose blonde hair resembled a birds' nest, biker outfit paired with sliders. She had her bag slung over one of her shoulders, messing one side of her outfit.
His fingers twitched and he gulped, reaching out to tuck her hair properly behind her ear.
Diana blinked, ''What are you doing?"
''No offense. It's my OCD,'' he mumbled, adjusting the collar of her leather jacket.
Diana: "…'' Did he just indirectly call me dirty?
Once Maxim was done with Diana, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned the drool from the baby's face before he wiped the wet patch on his chest.
'On a second note, he has always been a clean freak,' Diana thought, bringing the sleeping baby to her arms once he passed her.
There was a knock on the door and soon two waiters walked inside with two menus in their hands.
After they placed the order, it was only both of them left in the room.
Of course, there was the baby… who was still sleeping.
Diana glanced at Maxim suspiciously.
So, he noticed that she was about to have coffee and a sandwich for lunch and he brought her here to feed her some good Chinese food. It was an impossible hypothesis on her part, right?
He must have grown a conscience since he saw that he interrupted her peaceful lunch and to compensate her for it, he just brought her here to eat which coincidentally happened to be a Chinese restaurant on their way.
Hmm, it's best to confront him than guessing it randomly and wasting her brain cells.
''Why did you bring me to this particular restaurant?" Diana asked him.
Maxim glanced at her, ''In case you miss home,'' he said nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather.
Diana blinked. So, it was not just because this restaurant fell on the way. He did bring her here to this particular Chinese restaurant on purpose.
In case you miss home, he said. Did she miss home? Sigh, what a thing to wonder.
''And…''
The door opened and four waiters and waitresses stepped inside, serving the food on the table.
Woah, they are fast. Or maybe this man is getting VVIP treatment.
Once they left, she looked at him questioningly, ''And?"
Maxim looked at her, blinked twice, and averted his gaze.
''What is it?" Diana was speechless. Was… Was he being coy?
''And I brought you here to apologize for the way I acted in the morning,'' he said rather sheepishly, ''I am sorry,'' his voice was barely above a whisper.
Diana had to pinch her thigh to stop herself from laughing, ''Sorry, you said something?"
''I am sorry,'' Maxim averted his gaze, looking anywhere but her.
''Warner, this just happens to be one of those days where a bucketful of water went inside my ear when I showered. Do repeat what you said," she blew her nails and spoke in the proper posh accent English like some Victorian-era princess.
Maxim's lips parted and he looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes, ''I said I am sorry,'' he repeated, louder this time.
Diana's smile died as she leaned back on the couch, ''It's okay. Being the generous person that I am, I was not going to hold grudges even if you did not apologize to me,'' she blinked at him.
He looked at her nonchalantly but somehow she could read the words 'As if I believe you' written all over his face.
Weird, he did not even say it but somehow… just somehow she believed that those were the words running inside his mind.
''Also, does that means that you don't mean anything that you said in the morning?" Diana asked him, ''As in… are we still friends?" she continued asking him as they ate.
''I apologized for being rude to you,'' Maxim said, his brows slightly tugging together, ''Not for stating the obvious.''
She stopped eating for a moment as she looked at him, ''Whatever it is,'' she switched the topic swiftly, knowing that she would get nothing except for a bad mood if he continued it, ''You owe me one.''
Maxim tilted his head.
''You just used me as a cover to escape the situation with your girlfriend—''
''Ex-girlfriend,'' Maxim interrupted her.
''It's the same thing so what I am saying is—''
''How is it the same thing?" Maxim interrupted her yet again.
Diana blinked, ''Why are you so hung up on that anyway? I am trying to state more important things here.''
''This is more important to me. How are ex-girlfriend and girlfriend the same thing?'' Maxim wiped his face with a silk napkin.
''Girlfriend, Ex-girlfriend, in both the cases, she is somehow related to you,'' Diana explained, ''So…''
''If she is my girlfriend, then that means I am in a relationship and if she is an ex then that means I am single,'' Maxim spoke.
Diana was amused. This must be one of those rare times when he was willing to utter his words without being stingy about them, ''Why does it matter anyway? I don't need to know about your personal life when I am trying to make a point here.''
''It matters,'' he held her gaze, ''To me, it does.''
Diana lowered her head, ''Fine, say that you just used me as a cover to escape the situation with your ex-girlfriend and on that note, you owe me one.''
''You can ask for anything. I will compensate,'' Maxim said, propping his forehead on his fist as his finger tapped on the table.
''Anything?"
''Yes.''
''Be my friend again,'' Diana said, without missing a beat, ''You said we were no longer friends because we grew up and drifted apart so, let's be friends again as grown-ups,'' she said with a bright smile on her face.
