~Sunshine~

Diana turned her face away from Max, her gaze avoiding his. The aftermath of their intense moment had left them both emotionally charged, and she couldn't bear to look at him. In a calm yet resolute tone, she spoke, "Max, you have blood all over you. Don't touch me."

Max, realizing the gravity of her words, slowly released his grip on her waist, allowing her the space she needed to gather herself. Diana began to dress and fix her hair with meticulous care, trying to regain her composure.

In a moment of vulnerability, Max couldn't help but voice the question that had been gnawing at him. He asked, his voice quiet, "Why are you torturing me like this?" The intensity of his feelings was evident, and he longed for clarity and understanding.

Diana, her emotions still swirling beneath her composed exterior, breathed deeply and responded with a hint of haughtiness. "You know what I want. If you can do it, I will come back into your life."

Max absorbed her words in silence, his eyes betraying the turmoil of emotions he was experiencing. He was well aware of what Diana sought, but the path to change was not a straightforward one. As Diana prepared to leave, he couldn't remain silent any longer.

"What if I can't change myself?" Max's voice trembled with vulnerability as he posed the question. "Or do you think that if I do change, this world will let me do that easily?" The weight of his past and the challenges he faced were starkly evident in his words.

Diana paused, her hand on the doorknob, as Max's question lingered in the air. She turned to look at him one last time, her gaze filled with a mix of longing and uncertainty.

"Just try to change yourself once," Diana implored, her voice soft and filled with earnestness. "But you can't expect to be really good, Max. The world contains both bad and good things. You can't expect only good."

Max, caught in a whirlwind of emotions, reacted with a sudden burst of excitement. He yanked Diana to face him, his voice eager, almost pleading. "Then why can't you accept me? Why do you want me to be good?"

Diana's fear shone through her eyes as she shouted, her voice laced with desperation, "Because I want a healthy life, Max. I can't keep fearing for our lives every night."

"I..." She seemed to have something more to say, something unspoken. She hesitated and then stopped herself. She knew Max well enough to understand that he was unlikely to change, despite her wishes. What was the point of revealing her love when the gap between their desires seemed insurmountable?

Max leaned in, genuinely curious about what Diana had been about to say. "You... what?" he prompted, eager to hear her unfinished thought.

Diana locked her gaze with his for a few intense moments before finally responding; she did not really want to answer him it, her voice filled with a sense of finality. "I must leave. It's too late now."

Max's face contorted with emptiness as her decision settled in. He slowly released his hold on her, allowing her to step away. His eyes fell to the ground as he tried to make sense of the abrupt departure she was insisting on.

Concerned for her safety, Max tried to change the subject to ensure she would be safe. "Do you have a night shift tonight?" he inquired, his tone tinged with worry.

Diana nodded in confirmation. "Yes," she replied, her resolve still evident.

Max suggested that they leave together for her night shift. "Then let's go," he offered, his voice gentle and concerned about her walking alone in the late hours.

But Diana, true to her independent nature, declined his offer. She replied with a stern face, "I can go alone." She didn't want to be a bother, even as she maintained a steadfast front.

Max was determined to ensure her safety and couldn't bear the thought of her walking alone at that hour. He took a step toward the door, ready to escort her, and said, "I am not that heartless to let a female leave alone at this hour."

Diana couldn't help but offer a light, mocking smile, her words carrying a hint of reproach. "Oh, you can't let a female go off by herself at this hour, but you can traffic women so easily." Her comment, filled with irony.

Max took a deep breath but found no words to reply to Diana's pointed comment. He understood that she had hit the mark, and there was little he could say to justify it. In silent acknowledgment of her truth, Max walked out of the room without further response.

Diana, too, remained silent, lost in her thoughts as she prepared to leave. When she emerged from the building, she was taken aback to find Max sitting in the car, waiting for her. She gasped softly in surprise before climbing into the car.

The air between them was heavy with unspoken truths and the weight of their shared feelings. Max started the car and began to drive in silence, taking Diana to her night shift at the hospital.

As Max drove in silence, a torrent of thoughts raged within his mind. He couldn't find the words to respond to Diana's piercing remark. Inwardly, he wrestled with his own feelings, his thoughts a tangled mess.

'I'm sorry, Diana,' Max thought, his inner voice heavy with remorse. 'I'm unable to respond to that because you are right. But what should I do? It's what we do. I simply can't change it. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can change myself. But I also can't even think of you with another man.'

Diana, seated beside Max, had her own tumultuous thoughts. His actions and his presence in the car spoke volumes, yet questions lingered in her mind.

'You just can't let me be alone, but you also can't change yourself for me.' Diana's thoughts swirled—a mix of longing and doubt. 'Do you really love me?'

The car carried them through the night, each lost in their thoughts, their silent contemplation echoing the unresolved desires and emotions that lay between them. The unspoken question of whether their love could bridge the gap between their conflicting worlds was a haunting presence in the silence that enveloped them.

To be continued.