Max sat back and stretched his legs out in front of himself as he closed his eyes for a few seconds, allowing himself to rest as he felt the cool wood floor beneath himself.<br/><br/>Pyotr has worked them hard, and this was only the beginning. But, the Russian’s methods did their trick: the competitive fire inside him that had been reduced to nothing but smouldering embers since Bella had gotten herself into trouble was starting to reignite, flickering away even then. He knew that, oh he did, he craved the feeling of being top dog once more, of proving himself and just, well, enjoying the ride too.<br/><br/>And yet now he was stuck working with none other than Olivia - how<em>wonderful</em>- even if they did need each other, as much as he hated to admit that. But no, he couldn’t get too close, having put up with both Bella and the rival couple all at once was tiring... Her actions reflected on him, and vice versa, they’d worked so closely together that wasn’t too surprising.<br/><br/>And so, it made him think, turning his attention to Olivia after dwelling on his thoughts.<br/>“Never thought I’d be taking<em>you</em>to Nationals...”