Chapter 4

• "What you just said is a big step, Ada. I'm amazed. I'll get you the best psychologist in the city, and I'll take care of the cost, the best professionals will help you."
• His enthusiasm was contagious. I realized too late that my eyes had filled with tears, blurring my vision.
• "Hey, please don't cry," he quickly said, his voice breaking, pulling the chair next to me and intending to hug me.
• I was shaken by the tears, and the feeling of emptiness in my chest resurfaced, although the relief for peace of mind was just around the corner.
• Max put his arm around my shoulder, intending to hug me. It felt so warm to have him by my side, it was strange to feel the touch of a man as gentle and friendly as him, and in a way, it felt good. Max was comforting.
• "I didn't have the money to pay for a psychologist and seek help," I confessed in a whisper, torn in two.
• "You are not alone and you will not be alone again, Ada. You are and will be my friend, I am here to pull you out of the darkness, we will move forward together. I promise you."
• Although it sounded somewhat silly or absurd, that person by my side was the only one I could count on.
• I took care of washing the things he had dirtied to cook, there were utensils that were not mine and clearly he had brought them from his apartment. I could never afford the pots, cutlery, and glasses he had used to prepare me something to eat.
• Max had really surprised me.
• What was that melancholic moment? Surely I scared him and he thought he was dealing with a crazy person. I didn't want to scare him with what was happening inside me, I didn't intend for him to think poorly of me.
• Max had been very nice to me, I didn't want to push him away.
• "We'll do the following," he said, sitting next to me while washing the dishes. "Tonight is a very special one, there will be very important people and even investors interested in my parents' stocks. There will be free food and drinks everywhere. We have to go as presentable as possible, but you must stand out, Ada Gray."
• "I will do my best to make you proud of me. I will buy a dress so you won't be embarrassed. I have some money from my ex job, I took the trouble to take it out of the cash register myself," I confessed, remembering Walter's face when he saw me grabbing the bills that belonged to me.
• "Is that the reason you wanted to commit suicide?" Max was scandalized. "Because you lost your job? Ada, I can get you a job if you want..."
• "No, I have deeper problems than that. Quitting my ex job was the best option I had. It's a food place that is a bus ride away from here. My boss had the habit of humiliating, harassing, and exploiting me. I decided to quit, and now I'll have to look for another one since wanting to commit suicide didn't work," I pressed my lips, somewhat angry with the rescue situation.
• I noticed out of the corner of my eye that he frowned when I told him, I even noticed how his fists clenched and he tried to hide his anger towards Walter. It was nice to know that we could hate the same person.
• "I think you did well to leave a place where you were not respected."
• "Sometimes you have to leave certain places to heal," I replied, shrugging.
• I rinsed the last dish and he dried it, putting it in a paper bag where he had brought it along with the other kitchen items.
• "I'll take care of the dress and buy you some killer heels," he said, excited, and I even thought he was imagining me in that fun mind of his.
• "Are you sure you can afford those things?"
• "Ada, money is the least of my concerns. Don't worry. You have no idea what a huge favor you're doing me."
• "I'm glad to know I'm good for something."
• He lifted my chin and forced me to look at him. The touch of his finger on my skin made me shiver in a certain way. Our eyes met in such a warm way.
• "You are more important than you think and very valuable," he said, with his voice so soft and deep that it made me feel small.
• His words brought a smile to my lips.
• "Keep saying those things and I'll end up believing them, Max," I laughed, moving my face away from his finger.
• "Really, I will show you that you are valuable and sensational, Ada Gray," he assured me with a wink and taking his things. "I'll go to work, buy that dress and those shoes that will look great on you tonight," he smiled, taking what belonged to him to leave and stopped in his tracks when he reached the door, frowning. "I'll also take care of fixing this door," he added.
• "Stop worrying about me and go to work!"
• "As you command, Miss Gray," with a military salute gesture where his fingers touched his forehead and then moved away, he left.
• Before he clumsily closed the door that clearly didn't close, I shouted:
• "Wait!" he stopped, puzzled and waiting for me to say something. "Thank you for everything you're doing for me."
• He smiled at me, with a tender expression, and that made me blush.
• "Thank you for letting me save you, friend. I'll pick you up at seven."
• I felt a certain satisfaction in being able to make a friend. It was nice to have one.
• It was seven o'clock on the dot, someone knocked on the door. I had to move the chair that was stuck to the door so it wouldn't open because Max had broken the lock and it opened on its own.
• "Surprise," he opened his arms wide, so I could see his outfit and with a couple of bags in his hands.
• I didn't recognize him. Max had dyed his hair red, styled with a small tuft on his forehead with gel and short on the sides. He had cut his hair and it looked great on him. His caramel eyes radiated enthusiasm, he was wearing a dark, fitted tuxedo, making his athletic, tall body and muscular arms look good. My new friend was a real doll. What fascinated me the most was his freckled face.
• I instantly felt sorry for not being as dressed up as him, but wearing the same clothes I had on this morning.
• "You're so perfect and I'm not dressed up. I'm sorry you find me like this," I admitted, embarrassed.
• "You are beauty by nature, Ada. If you are fascinating without makeup or elegant clothes, I can assure you that seeing you in the clothes I brought you will be a unique experience, my friend."
• "You speak in such a beautiful and strange way. I'm starting to suspect that you weren't born here, Max," I said, allowing him to enter my dreadful home.
• Clearly, he didn't belong in the same world as me.
• "I was born in Argentina and moved to New York with my family when I was thirteen. So I learned to speak not so fluently here. I still have a lot, a lot to learn," he replied.
• "Wow, Argentina! That's so beautiful to hear," I exclaimed.
• "Even more beautiful is what I brought for you tonight, lovely Ada," he said, placing bags with different logos on the small kitchen table and looking at me with a huge smile.
• "How much money did you spend, Max?" I asked, burying my face in my hands as I recognized the brands on the bags and knew that each item could cost a fortune.
• "Can you stop thinking about the cost of everything I get for you? Relax, friend," he replied.
• I laughed at hearing the word "friend" from his mouth again. Perhaps he said it to make me feel less alone, to make me feel accompanied.
• "I'll give you privacy so you can change, put on makeup, and turn yourself into a goddess," he handed me the bags, which I clumsily took and hugged against my chest, my eyes wide open, "I can't wait to see you in that."
• There was intensity in his eyes, a certain curiosity that made me feel strange. Max was very handsome and intriguing.
• "I'll do my best not to disappoint you," I whispered, and I went to my room, curious to see what he had chosen for me.
• I closed the door and left the bags on the mattress. I bit my lip, wondering which one to open first. I opted for the Victoria's Secret bag and blushed, almost deciding to save it for another occasion.
• "Why did you buy me underwear?!" I shouted from the room.
• He took a while to respond, which intrigued me.
• "Because it just so happened that I was passing by the store! Don't worry, I have no intentions of taking my friends to bed, take it as a small gift," he replied from the living room.
• "I don't want this kind of gifts, Max! It's too intimate," I protested.
• "Noted, I'm sorry!"
• I didn't allow myself to open it, so I chose another bag, in which I found a beautiful dress that left me speechless. God, it was too much.
• It was a red dress, with a sweetheart neckline that held the breasts and very thin straps of the same color that adorned the shoulders. The dress was so long that it surely reached my feet, perhaps with the intention of covering the shoes. It was so beautiful and so simple, a perfect mix of elegance.
• I carefully placed the dress on the bed and proceeded to open the bag containing the most beautiful pair of shoes in the world. Even the box was beautiful, I couldn't imagine the contents.
• As I imagined, fiery red shoes with a strap that could help keep them on my feet and prevent them from falling off. I thanked with all my heart that they weren't stiletto heels, as I didn't know how to walk in them.
• The other bags contained dangling silver earrings, necklaces to choose from, and pure makeup, like eyeshadows, mascara, lipsticks, eyeliners...so many things that overwhelmed me.
• Max knocked on the door, making me jump because I was too captivated by everything he had given me.
• "I'm worried that you're too quiet, show some signs of life, please," he said, sounding concerned.
• "I haven't committed suicide, Max."
• "Can I come in?"
• "Yes."
• He opened the door slowly and entered, with a smile and his hands tucked into his expensive pants.