After her rebirth

Maximilian shrugged. "I wasn't thinking about anything. What did you just say?"

Katniss gave him a serious look. "Maximilian, come on. You're totally lying. You were definitely thinking about something. Is it something you don't wanna tell me?"

Maximilian ruffled her hair playfully. "Why do you always think about random stuff? I was just listening to you talk about how close they are and wondering what you mean by 'close.""

He was worried Katniss might get the wrong idea, so he quickly explained what was on his mind.

Katniss suddenly got it. "You were thinking about something so simple for so long?" Maximilian frowned a bit. "Simple?"

He knew he wasn't great at picking up on people's emotions. It was something he'd been aware of since he was a kid. But he never thought it was a big deal.

"Of course it's simple. Even though they bicker, you can tell they're familiar with each other. They're in sync, which makes the atmosphere feel right."

"Okay." Maximilian still didn't quite get it, but he nodded anyway.

Seeing his serious expression, Katniss knew he probably didn't understand. She thought about Maximilian's condition and sighed.

Maybe Maximilian wanted to understand, but his condition made it tough for him.

Maximilian asked, "Why'd you just sigh?"

Katniss suddenly leaned closer and asked, "Maximilian, have you felt loved recently?"

She remembered Jesse saying Maximilian lacked love and needed to feel more of it. She had been trying hard to make him feel loved, but she wasn't sure if he had noticed.

Maximilian froze for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Are you confessing to me?" Katniss was taken aback. "What?"

Maximilian said, "Let's talk about it at home."

Katniss was surprised by his sudden suggestion to go home. "Now? Isn't it too early?" They were at a birthday party, and she had spent half the time wandering around without properly greeting the birthday person. More importantly, she wanted to use this opportunity to gather some information, but she hadn't found the chance yet. Maximilian thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to stay for the second half of the party?"

Katniss considered it and said, "Maybe we should stay a bit longer?"

She didn't particularly enjoy crowds, but she had come with Maximilian hoping to discover something. The memory of Maximilian's suicide in her past life haunted her, and she wanted to find the reason or the truth behind it.

She couldn't believe that the gentle man in front of her would take his own life.

"Why are you suddenly staring at me like that?" Maximilian noticed Katniss looking at him with an expression he couldn't decipher.

Katniss suddenly hugged him. "Maximilian, I really like you. You have to take care of yourself."

Maximilian held her tightly. "Okay, I like you too."

His voice was magnetic yet slightly hoarse, and his eyes were filled with tenderness.

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that if you're not reading this book on nel5s.com, you might be missing out on the complete story. Head over there to dive into the next chapter-it's all free!

After a while, Maximilian let go of Katniss.

Her cheeks were a bit red, and she whispered, "Shall we go back inside?"

Maximilian naturally agreed. "Sure."

They stood up, and Maximilian wrapped his arm around Katniss as they walked towards the hall.

From a distance, Clara saw them heading inside and decided to follow.

As they entered the hall, people approached them to chat. Maximilian would pull Katniss closer whenever someone came over, as if declaring his territory.

Desmond had noticed them earlier but hadn't greeted them. Now, Brynn was dragging him over.

Desmond thought Brynn wanted to greet Maximilian, as most people who approached them were there for him. Many girls, even those with boyfriends, would seize the chance to talk to the handsome Maximilian.

But to Desmond's surprise, Brynn's target was Katniss.

"Hey, nice to see you here!" Brynn waved at Katniss with a friendly smile.

Katniss looked at Brynn in confusion. "Hello?"

Brynn was holding Desmond's hand, and Katniss guessed their relationship but couldn't understand why Brynn was greeting her. Brynn seemed to have no ill intentions.

Brynn asked, "Don't you remember me?"

Hey there! Just a friendly reminder that if you're not reading this book on nel5s.com, you might be missing out on the complete story. Head over there to dive into the next chapter-it's all free!

Katniss hesitated, wondering if it would be rude to say she didn't remember.

Brynn continued, "It's normal if you don't. I saw you before, but you might not have noticed me. You saved my friend on Oak Street when you passed by. I was right there." "Oak Street? The girl who fainted from heatstroke?"

"Yes, that's my friend." Brynn recalled the incident with fear.noveldrama

If Katniss hadn't passed by and saved her friend, her friend might not have survived.

The shock of her friend's condition was still vivid in Brynn's memory.

After that, Brynn had been trying to find the person who saved her friend. Her friend didn't know what Katniss looked like, so she had asked Brynn to help find her.

Unexpectedly, Brynn found her here.

"Is your friend okay now?" Katniss asked.

She remembered saving someone from heatstroke on Oak Street but hadn't followed

up after the ambulance arrived.

"She's fine. She felt better in the hospital thanks to you! My friend has been asking me to find you so she can thank you personally."

Brynn took out her phone. "Can we exchange contact info? I'm Brynn Elise. What's your name?"

Desmond watched nervously as they exchanged contact information. He didn't want Brynn and Katniss to connect, as Katniss knew many things about him, including his relationship with Clara.

But things didn't go as he hoped. They exchanged contact information and chatted happily.

Maximilian stood beside Katniss like a guardian, giving Desmond no chance to intervene.