Somehow, that exchange between her and Luhan had lifted some weight off her shoulders. At least he was not completely ignoring her. It greatly mattered that he wasn't. She felt her courage returning and it told her to seize the moment. It's today or later; later might just lead to never and she couldn't let that happen.

Dara sighed in relief once the dinner was heading to an end. Sehun had not uttered a word about the Library incident. That was something to be thankful for.

Suho handed the payment to the waitress. They all thanked him for the treat, and then wished him a 'happy birthday' once again.

See looked at her watch; it's already half past nine. She had to think of a way to get Luhan alone. What excuse was there that wouldn't sound weird, not to mention, suspicious in the eyes of their friends?

As everyone got up from their seats and stepped down from the platform to put on their shoes, Bom (who was surprisingly quick to put on hers) grabbed Dara (who was quick as well) by the arm and dragged her a few feet away from the rest.

"Now's your chance, you better take it. I had a feeling Chanyeol's going to ask if he could walk with you back to the dorm. I'll handle him and you go handle Luhan, okay?" she whispered, and then gestured a 'you can do it, fighting!'

Dara had no objections to her plan. Bom left and walked towards Chen and Chanyeol, linking her arms around each of theirs so they couldn't escape; it was done more for Chanyeol's sake. Dara saw Chanyeol was hesitant at first and then he relented eventually. Bom said she needed to drop by a pharmacy store to buy something. The three of them bid her, Luhan and the others goodbye before stepping out. Minseok (who was talking with Minzy), followed by Suho, CL, Lay, Sehun and Tao stepped out as well. All of them were obviously headed to the same direction, opposite Dara's way. Minseok glanced at her while she stepped out the door, his smile saying 'go for it.' She smiled back, grateful for the silent encouragement.

She was aware that Luhan was behind her. She felt a chill run down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on its ends as the cold wind grazed her skin. Then she realized she left her jacket. In her haste to get it, she had forgotten Luhan was behind her. She bumped into him; her forehead grazed his chin and felt strong arms steady her. When she looked up, her eyes met a steady gaze so intense she momentarily forgot they were not alone.

"Sorry. I uh, forgot my jacket inside," came out like a squeak, an uncomfortable one as she gently freed herself from his warm hands and felt regret afterwards.

"I got it." She didn't notice it was hanging on his arm.

"Thanks," she said, trying to read him. His proximity was causing her to feel warm, warmer than what the jacket could provide. A light blush crept on her cheeks at the thought. She took it, careful not to touch his hand, backed one step away and wore it, barely keeping her hands from trembling. That moment broke when Minseok shouted at them both, "Dara! Luhan! We're going. You should walk together since you're both heading to the same direction."

Dara and Luhan exchanged looks, as if waiting for the other to object to that practical suggestion. When neither of them seemed to have any objections, they turned and waved at Minseok and his company. They both watched as the seven disappeared into a corner.

How bad could it be? She really had no choice but to it up. When she looked at him, he gestured as if to say 'after you' before he stepped beside her, a foot in between them.

The first few minutes were spent in silence. She could feel a soft wind blew and the leaves' rustle in response. She busied herself counting the light posts they passed by, her eyes crinkled in concentration. On the fifth, he cleared his throat and then said "Did you figure it out?" His voice betrayed no emotion; just the usual tone she was used to hearing, filled with disinterest. 

She glanced at him, his profile looking somewhat serene in the dim light. If that question caught her off-guard, she immediately covered it up. He made it easy for her by being the one to instigate the topic which she found hard to talk about. At the same time, he made it hard for her because he put her on the receiving end--- she had to answer.

"Yes." She did not feel like saying it that time; it was too soon. "What were you doing at the Library yesterday? Sehun mentioned earlier at lunch that he saw you." Arms at his sides, he kicked a stone they passed by; it went tumbling into the metal trash bin with clink.

"I was-- I'm doing some research..." She had to look at him; his expression gave nothing away but as they passed another light post, she could see his right cheek flushed, in embarrassment maybe, of being caught. She looked ahead and noticed the streets were practically deserted save for some shops that were either preparing to close or still open.

"About what?" she probed, hoping the conversation will make them both feel comfortable in each other's presence. 

"About kissing."

Just when she thought he wasn't going to say anything else, he added "It's your fault I was there in the first place." There was no hint of complain in his voice but her eyes widened nonetheless. She turned to him sharply only to see that he was smiling back at her. He was teasing and she couldn't help but return the smile. She had never seen this side of him. "What else did Sehun say? Did he come up with a nickname for me?" He sounded nervous about the nickname.

"Don't worry; I don't think he'll even try. I told him that maybe you found the book by accident. I guess he accepted that possibility. I'm sorry to have put you in such a stressful situation," she said sincerely.

He chuckled, as if he thought of something funny that only he knew about and he'd share it if she probed deeper. "No problem. I learned a lot about it anyway."

She was curious as to what amused him. "Found something interesting?" she inquired.

"Yes. On a medical perspective, according to the book, kissing lowers cholesterol, reduces stress, stimulates cardiovascular activity and lowers high blood pressure as well. But you probably heard that already," he spared her a glance, waiting for confirmation.

"Only that it reduces stress; I read that somewhere. The others I haven't heard of." It amazed her how casually they talk now and it was about kissing. She had considered the word as taboo, yet when she heard it from him, it sounded normal. It was only earlier she felt the unbearable tension. But now, no one would guess they've been there.

"Also, kissing burns up calories in exercising dozens of little face muscles, increasing blood circulation which helps smooth out wrinkles."

"Interesting," she couldn't help but note as they passed by the university gate.

There was only a few blocks away until they see the dorm. Soon, they would have to part ways at the lobby and she had not yet said anything about what she had to say.

"Honestly, it was a burden. I speculated a lot and in doing so it stressed me out." He rubbed the back of his neck, out of habit. 

"What did you speculate?"

Luhan realized there's no harm in talking about it. They were way past feeling embarrassed. "I thought you might be stressed or something. Weird assumption, right?" He laughed lightly at his own hypothesis while she pondered about it.

"No, I'm not stressed and it isn't weird," she said, and mildly his arm brushed her left arm. He realized the distance between them had diminished to less than a foot. He put his hand inside his pocket for safe measure.

"I also thought, since you're stressed, maybe I was the only person around... that's why you..." he shook his head, smiling sheepishly, hoping she got what he meant and she'll fill in the blanks.

She could not prevent herself from laughing. It was like music to his ears; it's different from the kind that grated the ears. She stopped and apologized again for putting him up to it.

Luhan realized that if she wouldn't be able to give him an answer tonight, maybe he had to say something. Clearly, he figured out what he felt. But he couldn't say it outright. Without a doubt, the cycle wouldn't stop if neither of them confessed. So he considered doing something spontaneous, like looking for a sign. Such that will force him to give her a hint on what was on his mind and then maybe Dara will do the same.

If they reached the dorm and she said nothing about that first question, he wil