Ivy was alerted by the sound of the door opening and she adjusted her headphones, lowering them to her neck as she walked out of Diana's room while holding Angel.
Her footsteps slowed down when she witnessed Maxim and Diana entering the house together.
She blinked. Unlike the grey clouds from earlier, it was all rainbows and sunshine at the moment.
Diana was doing all the talking and Maxim still had his usual expressionless face on but the vibe between them was different from how it had been all the time.
She glanced at Angel who was looking at them with droopy eyes.
''How did the dynamics change? You are wondering as well, aren't you?" she mumbled to the baby girl who blinked her round eyes.
Shaking her head, Ivy walked towards them, "Dee! You are not leaving us, are you?" she sadly extended her vacant hand towards Diana, wondering whether that was the reason they were getting along well at the moment. Was it some kind of farewell bonding?
Diana blinked, her attention shifting from Maxim as she glanced at Ivy who had her hand outstretched like an abandoned kitten, ''No, not yet,'' she patted the back of her hand.
''You will leave soon then?" Ivy's face fell.
Maxim's brows furrowed slightly.
Diana dodged the topic. She stepped closer and kissed Angel's head, wanting to take her into her arms but the girl was now gradually dozing off on Ivy.
Ivy, ever the chatterbox, got distracted immediately, ''We had a lot of fun. Oh, we listened to country music, I taught her how to use a laptop, play games—''
''She is an infant. I doubt she learned something,'' Diana chuckled, cutting her off.
''Of course, she did. She is going to show her talent when she grows up...'' Ivy pouted, ''Dee, you must be hungry, right? Let me serve you—''
Poor Ivy got interrupted by Maxim this time, ''Just put Angel to sleep. I'll serve the food.''
''But how can I let you do that? Oh my god, it's my job. I am such a prim and proper person. I can't accept dollar bills without a guilty conscience if I don't do my job correctly. I mean I know it's old school but I am very righteous. I am so righteous that—''
''Ivy,'' Maxim cut her off with an arch of his brows, his gaze pointing towards the headphones around her neck.
Ivy followed his gaze, ''Latest one...?" she mumbled.
Maxim narrowed his eyes.
Ivy sighed, looking at Diana sadly, ''My heart will just break into pieces if our little princess wakes up. I will feel way guiltier so let me just tuck her properly,'' she hopped away like a happy kitten with Angel.
Diana tilted her head to the side, ''What was that?" she laughed, shaking her head. These adorable people were growing on her.
She followed Maxim to the kitchen and sat up on the kitchen counter, watching the man as he started heating the food.
''You don't have a night shift tonight,'' she remarked, noticing that he did not look like he was leaving.
''Are you still leaving?" he asked, without raising his head to look at her.
''Huh?"
"Do you still want to leave?" Maxim tilted his head and glanced at her, ''Angry about yesterday?"
Diana lowered her head. She jumped off the kitchen counter, ''Maybe.''
''I am sorry,'' Maxim repeated, walking towards her.
''I know you are..'' she mumbled, ''Wait. Don't tell me you did all that attitude shift because you were feeling sorry for me about yesterday and not just because you are genuinely sorry?"
He frowned, ''How is that different?"
''Of course, I don't want you to treat me well or anything because of guilt.''
''I feel sorry, not guilty. I was right on many levels,'' Maxim walked towards the dining table, ''About what I said yesterday.''
Diana followed him, trying to collect her dropped jaw, ''What do you mean by you were right? You... Why did you even apologize then?"
''Because regardless of the facts, I shouldn't have raised my voice,'' After arranging the plates, he turned to look at her, ''I shouldn't have been so hurtful. Shouldn't have brought you to the verge of tears. That's what I am sorry for.''
She didn't cry in front of him. But he noticed?
Diana looked at him, stunned. Maybe because Maxim barely conversed about things in detail, or maybe because she was used to his one-liners, it always struck a chord in her heart when he said things like this.
''So, you're sorry because you raised your voice at me, not because you said the wrong thing?" Diana asked.
''I phrased it wrongly but I was stating facts,'' Maxim said with a light shrug.
Diana scoffed, ''I don't know whether to kill you or...'' she shook her head, ''...praise you for that.''
''I thought you were going to say something else,'' Maxim mumbled, pulling the chair for her.
Diana took a seat, ''What?'' As he pushed her chair forward, she realized that she was sitting on the head chair of the dining table. She was about to stand up but Maxim placed his hand on her shoulders, pressing her down.
She flinched instinctively.
''Just sit,'' he said, taking his hands off when he noticed her reaction.
Diana gulped softly, rubbing her shoulders.
It was weird, sitting on the head chair.
When she was 14, she once sat in her mother's chair at the dining table to eat breakfast. Nobody was around and she was eating alone so she never thought it was a big deal where she sat but...
Her mother came back home earlier from work in a bad mood and she poured the whole jug of juice on her and lashed out at her for not following the rules of the mansion and for being unruly.
She was scared of being beaten and maybe that fright led up to her being down with a fever. On the first day of her being sick, the maids informed her mother and the woman believed that she was pretending to get sympathy and she was locked up in the room.
But the next day when her mother saw how sick she was, she hugged her and cried and apologized again and again... She took the day off from work and took care of her till she got better.
Ever since that incident, Diana never messed up things like sitting on the wrong chair.
"Are you sick?"
Maxim's concerned voice brought her out of her reverie.
She shook her head.
''You are pale,'' he frowned, ''Upset? Still angry?"
Diana ended up laughing, ''No, I am not angry at you. Not even one percent.''
Maxim picked up a spoonful of rice and placed it in his mouth, ''Why won't you stay then?" his voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
Diana glanced at the spread of Chinese dishes in front of her. Ever since they started eating together, most of the days, it was Chinese food. And all the three other people in the house were Americans, well except that she thought that Logan was of Chinese origins given his features.
But regardless, she told them that they didn't have to do this. And the common reply was—they loved changes.
It warmed her heart even though she tried not to be used to it.
''I have all my fondest memories of you and if you feel like things have changed and we are no longer friends, then it's fine. But I don't want us to fight,'' Diana clutched the spoon in her hand, ''I don't want us to end on a bitter note where we won't say hello if we ever cross paths in the future,'' Yesterday, she was angry in the heat of the moment but he was angry too.
And she knew that if both of them got angry at the same time and kept arguing like that, then it might escalate. She never wanted every beautiful memory with him that she cherished to be ruined in momentary anger.
''I am not sure if it will happen again. If I will make you angry somehow and if... I get angry. If we fight or it gets too serious.''
''We used to argue before too,'' Maxim said, placing his spoon down.
''You said that things are not like the way they were before, Warner,'' Diana propped her cheek on her palm, ''I don't even know how to coax you in case you are angry. I don't even know if you will kick me out the next time we fight. You made it sound like 6 years turned us into strangers.''
''Then, let's get to know each other all over again,'' the man leaned back on the chair, crossing one leg above the other as he raked his fingers through his hair, ''I won't disappoint.''
Diana's lips parted. Cuteness and Maxim could go along quite well at times, ''What if I say that it's too risky?"
''Then I will respond with—you are worth every risk.'' The man casually said as he resumed eating again, clueless about the flurry of emotions he left in her heart.
Worth every risk? Was she?
Unbeknownst to her, a soft smile played on her lips as Diana glanced at the bowl of chocolate ice cream sitting next to the Chinese dishes.
An odd combination.
But exactly the one she loved.