Run the world

a sign of life

*Lia*

I pulled the jacket a little tighter around me. It had been almost impossible to sneak up here, but I had to see Max. I had to talk to him.

That he would not do this to me was out of the question.

I might have been insecure about a lot of things, but not when it came to whether Max would hurt me or not. He would never do anything that would hurt me and certainly not that.

So why would he have opened up to me like that? Why should he have gone to so much trouble?

He had no data on me and I was 1000% sure of that.

Nevertheless, my job was on the line right now. So far this weekend I was still sitting at the command post, but there were already internal discussions.

About whether I had violated my duties when I had let Max into my hotel room. I had worked in front of him a few times, but it had never been things that said anything about our car. It had always just been set up adjustments and they had never interested Max.

Still, his father's statements were incriminating.

For whatever reason he did that. He not only got me into a lot of trouble with it, but also his son. I knew what they had done to him. I had witnessed how much hate had been directed at him.

I just hoped that he would come. I just had to see him.

No matter what my lawyer had said. Right now, I needed to see him.

I winced a little as the door opened behind me. For a moment I almost expected that someone had come up here looking for me, but then I was relieved to find that it was Max.

He immediately came up to me and pulled me against his chest.

"I didn't steal any data." he whispered "I would never do something like that to you, Lia. Never."

"I know, Max. I know.", I replied and wrapped my arms around his body.

His closeness was all I needed "I have no idea why dad would say something like that. I just... shit Lia, I'm so sorry. If you lose your job over this..."

"It'll all work out somehow. No one can have any data. Only you were in my room and you didn't steal any data, so what should have gone outside? Nothing from me, anyway.".

"They just didn't believe me. Everyone thinks I really had something to do with it."

"But you have the right chat histories. Wherever those other ones came from, they weren't real and there's proof of that," I looked up at him "I know it must hurt like shit to get that much hate and I'm sorry they're all taking it out on you, but the truth will come out. One way or another."

"I hope so." he whispered, dropping his face to the top of my head "Shit, I was really afraid you'd think I'd do something like that too."

"I know you wouldn't," I let my forehead fall against his chest.

It had been out of the question for me from the beginning, but I hadn't really had much to say anymore. Everyone was just freaking out. Understandable, considering what was at stake right now.

But I was sure that there was no data of mine that had somehow come to the public. If there was any data at all.

Because I still doubted that anything had leaked to the outside world at all.

"Can we just stay here forever?" he grumbled into my hair.

"Maybe we should just leave," I said half-seriously, "elope and start a new life somewhere else."