“Sasha took her on a run this morning. He said she stopped around the halfway mark and decided she wasn’t going to move. He waited for hours for her to get up. He even tried to drag her up, but every time he touched her, she started screaming for help as if he were trying to abduct her.”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that fell out.
“You think this is funny?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said honestly, leaning back in my chair. “A little.”
“Of course you do,” Max muttered, running a hand over his face.
I didn’t say anything, but my mind wandered to her sitting there on some random bench, arms crossed, chin tilted up in that way she looked when she was daring the world to push her.
It was stupid. Ridiculous, even.
I admired it.
Most people in her position would’ve folded. They’d have begged, bartered, broken under the pressure. Not her. She pushed back even when it was self-destructive.Especiallywhen it was self-destructive.
It wasn’t smart. Hell, it wasn’t even productive.
“Diego stays,” Max said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I’ll figure out what to do with him later.”
I nodded, standing and adjusting my jacket. “Fair enough.”
I’d made it halfway to the door when Max’s voice stopped me.
“Marco.”
I turned, one eyebrow raised. “What now?”
“Would you pick her up?”
“No.”
When I reached the door, my hand rested there, hesitating to turn the handle. I didn’t want to get involved. Ishouldn’tget involved. I wasn’t assigned to deal with Valentina’s tantrums. Seven hours on a bench? I couldn’t handle someone stubborn enough to spend seven hours on a bench. I hadn’t even thought that level of stubbornness possible, and I’d dealt with some truly obstinate people in my time.
“She’s not my problem,” I said, more to myself than to Max.
“No. But you’re the only one I know who could deal with her. You don’t bring emotion into it. You won’t let her sit there like Sasha did.”
I turned slightly, narrowing my eyes at him.
I could’ve walked out. Said no. Let someone else deal with it.
So why was I still standing there?
I didn’t say anything for a moment. Max didn’t push. He never did. He just waited.
Finally, I sighed, turning back to face him fully. “What’s the address?”
Max smirked faintly, pulling out his phone and typing something. A moment later, mine buzzed in my pocket.
I didn’t say anything as I pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway. The sound of my footsteps echoed faintly against the walls, each one a reminder I could’ve said no.
She didn’t want help. Didn’t need it. Most people would call it childish, but watching her dig her heels in like that, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was something else. A refusal to surrender to anything, even common sense.
The drive to the park took longer than I thought it would. Maybe it was the traffic that made it feel so far away. That, or the fact I had no desire to be here. Either way, by the time I’d found a parking spot and started walking, I was already annoyed.
Seven hours. How crazy did someone have to be to sit in the same spot forseven hours? What was she even getting out of this? Why was I the one who had to handle it?
