After Hana pulled out of the hug, both of them said nothing for a while, just sitting there – or in Luhan's case lying, as his head was resting on her lap. Although it was late autumn already, the weather wasn’t all too bad, despite those chilly breezes that caressed their bare skin roughly and tousled their hair gently. Seconds passed, minutes passed, but even as no words were exchanged, both seemed to communicate through the warm touch of the girl's fingers on Luhan's closed eyes. Her touch was light as a feather's, almost as if one strong blow of the wind would take it with it. 

An eternity seemed to have passed when Hana broke the silence at last. “What about friends?” She asked, her fingers now brushing over his lashes. “It tickles,” Luhan mumbled, squeezing his eyes, and the girl proceeded to his cheek again. “Why didn’t your friends visit you?”

A dark chuckle slipped from Luhan's soft lips. “I've been an … so naturally, they all left.”

The girl's eyebrows knitted in disbelief and she responded, “You're anything but an , Luhan.”

“How would you know?” Although he didn’t mean to offend her, Hana remembered once again that she didn’t really know a lot about him, about his past less than anything, upon hearing his rhetorical question. And her expression hardened. It did hurt a bit to hear that from him.

She was just about to sigh, when a thought crossed her mind, and she retorted, “I just know. I may not have known the past you, but I am a hundred percent certain that this heart–” she paused and her healthy hand wandered to his chest, left side, “ –has always been a kind one. To me, you're an angel.”

Oh, how Luhan wanted to believe her words. How much he wanted to trust those innocent words, but they were too pure for him. “I'm afraid you're wrong, though,” he whispered, opening his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips, and the girl's eyes widened mildly at the smile he was giving her. It was so full of sadness that the girl simply didn’t know what to say.

“Hana.” The way he said the two syllables of her name made it sound more like a nightingale's melody, instead of a simple bisyllabic name. And for a second Hana lost herself in the sound of it.

“I'm not an angel. Anything but an angel,” he whispered, bitterness evident in his voice.

The girl didn’t want to give up so easily. “If being utterly kind to a stranger, who's been nothing but rude and cold to one, isn’t kindness, then tell me what is,” she challenged, her lips forming into a smile as she was sure it'd be her victory. But the sad gaze the male gave her unsettled her certainty. “You think too highly of me. I'm not that kind,” he slowly said. Was it just her or did his voice crack?

“What are you saying? You're not that kind? Luhan, that's what you've been doing the past three months. I can perfectly remember the first time you helped me … in summer when I was here crying by myself,” she retorted angrily.

“You're naive, Hana,” Luhan said as he looked her in the eyes. The look in his brown eyes was indescribable, but if the girl were to choose one that came to her mind upon seeing it, it would be painful.

“But maybe that's why I like you,” the male mumbled, averting his gaze from her eyes and looking at the grass. Not looking, he reached out to caress Hana's hair. The girl stiffened, eyes widening and lips parting. She stared at Luhan, speechless and overwhelmed by those few words that were incomprehensibly mumbled.

When Luhan turned a bit to face her again, he smiled upon seeing the shock in her eyes. His lips twitched in amusement before he pulled her down with his hand around her neck. He placed a brief but sweet kiss on her lips and smiled at her afterward. It all happened so quick that the girl was left staring at him, her eyes even wider than before.

It took her several seconds to recover and once she did, she replied, “I ... I like you, too. A lot, even.” She wasn’t sure if what she was feeling could be called love, but there was no denying that he was important to her. He was important to her, necessary for her to live … vital.

Maybe ... maybe, it was really love.

The smile Luhan gave her as response to what she said, confused the girl. He didn’t seem surprised as she had been. The look in them was sad, albeit not as sad as the painful one from before.

A few days passed after Luhan had told her he liked her. Nothing much changed about his behavior, and they continued to spend their days at the lily pond – their secret place – despite the weather that was becoming colder. Their talks continued, and slowly Luhan was telling her more about him, but somehow, what he told her still didn’t help her grasp his core. The things he told her were superficial. They didn’t reveal his current thoughts. Didn’t help her solve him.

Hana might know a bit more about his life now, but somehow it felt like the more she learned, the more complicated did the puzzle become.

Luhan was a mystery, after all.

The girl gazed at the male who was lying on the grass while he looked at the sky in an ever so relaxed attitude. It was a normal day and yet a different one. For she had enough. Enough of not being able to solve this mystery, enough of only receiving shallow hints.

“Luhan, stop this,” she said. To him, it was out of nowhere.; to her it was what had occupied her mind all the time.

“What?” He glanced at her, confused at the sudden words.

“This! You're hiding something. You're different from a few days ago when you first told me more about you … On that day you were so different, but I liked it because – because,” the girl stuttered, “you seemed real at that time,” she finished with a weak voice.

Luhan smiled. “And now I seem surreal?” He asked jokingly, despite the seriousness of the girl.

Hana shifted her gaze from his eyes to his lips, not wanting to get distracted by the magic of his eyes again. His eyes that always managed to make her lose her focus.

“Now, you are … like water,” she stated, her voic