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Beneath a cloudy and raining sky, Victoria rushes through puddled streets and masses of people to the campus library. Her hair is damp, fringes sticking to her forehead, and her breath is hollow, maintained through deep and slow breaths as she slowly dries herself with a few sheets of tissues.

Many people do not know but beneath the armor and enamel that Victoria wears, she is full of vibrant sunshine. She has long, straight hair as black as raven and a pair of large, round eyes filled with water and gleam; she has a small and tall nose that sits perfectly above a set of puffy, cherry shaped lips.

Perhaps she is not the most beautiful of women, but Victoria is no less than attractive in the eyes of many. To most, she is like an adorable baby-faced doll that they want to protect.

“You’re soaked.”

Victoria purses her lips. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“The mathematics section is up on the third floor.”

“I got an eighty eight on my math exam; that’s passing, Shim Changmin,” Victoria argues.

Said boy simply smiles provocatively at her, in a rather playfully condescending manner. “Cappuccino?”

“I’m not in the mood for coffee right now.”

“What’d you do this time, Sherlock?” Luhan teases, joining them at the entrance. After taking a glance at him, Victoria hands over a few sheets of tissues to him.

Changmin shrugs.

“Did the two of you stay out real late again last night?” Victoria asks.

Luhan scrunches up his nose. “Does it show?”

“Your eye bags are big enough to carry my textbooks,” Victoria nods.

Out of reflex, Luhan dabs at the pouches under his eyes and makes a mournful crying face. Shaking his head, Changmin grabs Victoria by the wrist and drags her inside.

“The notes you gave me yesterday worked like magic!” She exclaims, turning towards the tall boy.

He smirks proudly. “I know.”

“Tch,” Victoria rolls her eyes. As they are halfway to the elevators, she stops and takes his hand that’s wrapped around her wrist into the palms of both of hers. “Ah! Minho said that he and Liyin will be stopping by next month for spring break.”

“So?” Changmin asks.

Victoria clicks her tongue again and switches over to Luhan. Her hands subconsciously release Changmin’s hand but he places a little bit of pressure into his fingers to hold her hand still; it’s a subtle gesture and Victoria doesn’t even realize it.

“His cousin, not mine,” Luhan grins, pointing at Changmin, “Also, your friend, not mine.”

“Funny,” Victoria comments, “you didn’t say that when I first got here and they asked you to show me around.”

Luhan glances at Changmin. “Well, that’s a little different…”

“How?” Victoria frowns.

Changmin clears his throat and tugs on her hand, dragging her towards the elevator again. “If you can think of where to take them, I’ll be in charge of driving.”

“It’s a promise!” Victoria exclaims happily, tightening their clasped hands in excitement.

Although he doesn’t return the enthusiasm, there is the blossom of an equally satisfied smile on his own lips, hidden from her through their height difference. He supposes every sort of relationship always starts from the brink of an open promise.

Luhan has always found it uncomfortable how Victoria’s face never turns red, no matter how hard or how often he teases her.

So, when he dishes out one day on how flattered she should be about being ‘favored’ by Shim Changmin amongst all the beautiful and y women on their campus and she doesn’t so much as bat an eyelash, he can’t even begin to explain his frustration.

“Are you really that ignorant or are you just pretending to be stupid?”

Victoria doesn’t understand.

“Do you know how many girls would die to hold Shim Changmin’s hand? He only takes the initiative to hold your hand,” Luhan exclaims dramatically.

She doesn’t know whether she should be crying or laughing at this point, really. “So?”

“You’ve been hanging out with him too much!” Luhan groans. “You sound just like him.”

“Luhan, take a breather,” Victoria laughs, patting him on the shoulder. “I know best what’s going on between the two of us.”

He sighs. “If he’s not confident enough to take the first step, can’t you? If the two of you keep dragging it out like this, one day it will just fade out.”

“Maybe,” Victoria shrugs.

“Or what if he’s stolen away by another girl?” Luhan asks her. “Wouldn’t you feel upset over that?”

“Maybe,” she repeats once more.

Luhan furrows his eyebrows. “Is Changmin not worth fighting for?”

This is a question that Victoria has asked herself many times in her life. What was truly worth fighting for to her? Kris was someone she really liked but she easily let him go. She had always wanted to be a dancer, but she gave up her dreams to ease her parent’s mind. No matter what it is that she’s ever wanted, nothing has seemed important enough for her to actually persist on.

Is Changmin the same?

“What’s so bad about Changmin?” Luhan asks. “He’s from a decent background, he’s tall, he’s good looking, he’s amazing at his studies and he’s very good at taking care of people—“

She raises an eyebrow at him.

“When he wants to,” he adds. “I know he really likes you, so, can’t you try a little harder?”

However, what she wants to know is, “if he likes me as much as you say he does then why can’t he be the one to put in a little more effort?”

“Changmin’s a little different…” Luhan says, stuttering over his words a little.

Victoria smiles helplessly in reply, “or maybe I’m the one that’s not worth fighting for.”

The one time Luhan actually tries to help Changmin with his life, it isn’t very well received.

“Why did you tell her all that?” Changmin grumbles, running his fingers through his hair coarsely. “We both know it will never be a satisfactory conclusion between Song Qian and I.”

 Luhan clenches his jaw. “How do you know if you don’t try?”

“I’ve tried a lot of things in my life, Luhan, and what I learned best was that no matter how hard I try for anything I want, in the end it just goes the way my parents decide,” Changmin tells him. “It’s not worth it.”

“You’re not worth it? Or Qian’s not worth it?” Luhan wants to clarify.

Changmin’s voice is caught in his throat. “I—“

“Forget it,” Luhan says, words gritted through his teeth, “this is what I get for actually caring.”

After Luhan leaves, Changmin punches his fist onto the study table surface and tightens his jaw, veins protruding through his neck. On one hand, he feels like a total and on the other, he feels entirely useless.

Months and months of ambiguous interactions have passed between him and Victoria and he knows that he’s interested in her as more than just friends. However, years and years of experience tell him that all the illusions of his current happiness will be shed to dust once his family learns of their relationship.

If Changmin takes it one step further, will he only be hurting Victoria deeper?

Moments later Changmin receives a text message from Victoria.

I want to eat Mango Ice. She says.

Changmin smiles to himself and replies, Where are you?

Outer space.

I’ll bring you some.

Right now?

How about next year?

I’ll be ready in ten minutes.

You have five minutes to come outside.

He receives no reply and he can imagine Victoria running around her room in a panic, throwing garments around as she hurries out the door. Chuckling to himself, he grabs his keys and throws on his jacket before making his way to his car.

Luhan is still in the parking garage, kicking his sneakers into the ground as he speaks on the phone.

Jumping into his car, Changmin drives the car up to Luhan lowers his window after honking his horn. “Mango Ice?”

Silently cursing him, Luhan comforts the person on the other end of the phone and then quickly ends the conversation, getting into the passenger’s seat. “Which baby is it this time?” Changmin mocks.

“The one we met last week at the club,” Luhan says, lifting his eyebrows playfully.

Changmin scoffs. “Sugar? Or Peppermint?”

“Krystal.” Luhan informs him.

“Meth?” Changmin laughs.

“Only in your dictionary,” Luhan rolls his eyes. “Why the sudden crave for Mango Ice?”

His question, however, is soon answered when they pull up into that familiar dorm driveway and that familiar little face is waiting for them in the distance. “You’re so whipped,” Luhan says softly before Victoria gets into the car with them.

Changmin whacks his fist into Luhan’s shoulder.

“Ow!”

Victoria’s eyes widen in surprise. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Luhan scowls while rubbing his arm, “someone is just a little moody today, nothing new.”

And then Luhan wonders how the two people beside him can act as though nothing had ever happened between them—as though their issues have not been brought to attention and their feelings have never been revealed to each other.

As per usual, Victoria does not blush and does not fret, even when Changmin casually reaches over to feed her a spoon of his strawberry flavored shake or when he demands to have a taste of her mango ice dessert. Victoria doesn’t panic or pull away when Changmin wants to throw an arm over her shoulder or quietly hold her hand under the table.

In return, Changmin doesn’t resist when Victoria forces him to eat his most hated marshmallows and he doesn’t glare at her when she extends a napkin to his face to wipe away a stain of sweets on the corner of his lips.

Honestly, they are everything a couple is only without the title.

“You two make me sick,” Luhan groans, picking at his bowl of fruits.

When one person comes to a focal point with another person, meaning, when two people come to a common understanding and know exactly what one another needs and want from each other, everything else seems to kind of just fade away into oblivion.

For instance, when Zhang Liyin and Choi Minho show up in Nanjing without Kris Wu in tow, Victoria and Minho sort of just exchange glances as Liyin smiles at Victoria brightly.

“Qianqian, you have no idea how much I missed you,” Liyin tells her, nearly on the verge of tears, wrapping her arms around Victoria and hugging her so tight that Victoria cannot even breathe properly.

Victoria does the same, burying her face into the crook of Liyin’s neck.

“Who’s that?” Liyin then asks, after they’ve pulled apart, pointing at Changmin.

“Oh,” Minho grins, “that one’s mine.”

Changmin simply slaps Minho’s arm away when Minho wants to reel him in for a hug. “I’m with Qian.”

“If it weren’t for me, you would never have met her.” Minho deadpans.

Changmin kind of just glares at him with no real threat.

“Changmin is Minho’s cousin,” Victoria explains. “So, do you want to eat first or rest first?”

Liyin rubs her stomach. “I’m starving!”

“Tangbao?” Victoria grins at her.

Liyin pinches her cheeks. “You’re the best!”

Or, when two people stand on entire opposite ends of a spectrum but can see each other the clearest out of all the other colors, those two people must share a side unless they want to be overwhelmed with the mixing and mingling of all other existences.

For instance, when Luhan arrives at the scene of the restaurant and he sees how awkward Victoria is sitting between Minho and Liyin and Changmin is kind of just staring and glaring at her the entire time.

When Luhan looks a little closer, he can see a vein about to pop in his neck.

“Hi…” Luhan smiles weakly.

Victoria visibly sighs. “You’re late!”

“Oh, sorry, I—“

“Yeah,” Minho interrupts him, “we were just talking about Kris. You know, the guy that Liyin is dating but had the biggest thing for Victoria that one year of high school—did I ever tell you about him?”

Luhan wonders how Zhang Liyin hasn’t already suffocated Minho to death.

“Don’t listen to Minho, he’s crazy,” Victoria frowns. “What do you want to eat?”

And it isn’t as though Luhan is just going to leave Victoria out in the wild, waiting for the forest creatures to come and attack her. At this rate, he probably won’t even see Minho’s bones by the end of tonight, to be honest. “Tofu and chicken strips sounds good.”

“I heard that’s an iconic dish of Nanjing!” Liyin grins excitedly.

He nods. “It’s one of the better known ones. I quite like it.”

After Luhan settles down beside Changmin, almost directly across from Victoria, he clears his throat rolls a kink out of his shoulder.

“You alright?” Victoria asks him.

Luhan smiles, “long night.”

“Which night of yours isn’t long?” Changmin scoffs.

Minho thins his lips. “Are you still living the wild nightlife?”

“Nightlife, yes,” Luhan admits, “wild, not so much.”

Changmin smirks. “He likes the nice ones now.”

“Since when?” Minho laughs.

“Since Song Qian,” Luhan teases, scrunching up his nose in a cute manner. However, to his dismay, Victoria doesn’t as much as blink, needless to say blush or fumble around. No fun.

“Seriously?” Minho coughs, glancing over at the girl sitting beside him and pointing an accusing finger at her. “Her? You? I don’t see it.”

That earns him a blow to the ribs by a skinny but strong elbow by said girl.

Luhan laughs. “Just kidding; I don’t have a thing for snabbing my friend’s girls.”

Somehow, his words don’t quite sit right with a certain someone at the table. Dinner is soon served, the medium sized table decorated with cuisines and dishes of all sorts and colors. As always, Luhan, Minho Song Qian and Liyin are delightful company and Changmin sort of just quietly sits in his corner.

From beginning to finish, his eyes don’t quite leave the shadows of the two girls.

In Song Qian’s eyes, he sees a gentleness that he’s never seen before and it is only for Zhang Liyin. A part of him feels insecure—there is something about this Zhang Liyin that feels oddly and dangerously familiar.

It won’t be long until he realizes why.