1 week, 7 days, 168 hours and god knows how many minutes, let alone seconds. 

Tomorrow would be the start of a new day, a new week for him. Yet nothing felt refreshing or new to him, simply another day without Yuri. Their last encounter was memorable and didn't exactly end the way he expected yet he re-lived that day as many times as he could. 

Monday rolled along- day 8 without her. He wanted to give her space. He could tell that was what she wanted just by looking in her warm brown eyes. The effects were rolling in, the same ones Hei Jin told him about. Physically and emotionally attached, and a strong need for one another. Just like now, he wanted her next to him even if they weren't touching or even speaking.

Like last time, Luhan quickly finished his work, editing photos and such before opening his personalized files to where Yuri's smiling face was the first thing that greeted him. It wasn't creepy at all since she has secured a spot on an upcoming magazine he got for her, just for her. All he needed was her consent which gave him an excuse to see her once more.

The day dragged on longer than he would have liked and he left the building some time during the night. He skipped breakfast and missed lunch, too engrossed in his work to make her pictures more perfect than they were already. Not a single feature on her face was changed, nor her tanned skin or her wavy hair. All the editing was put into the background, and the few words that were sprawled across the top with the magazine's title and name. Once Luhan was finally pleased with his work, he left.

The night was warm and a cool breeze ran through the empty streets. He enjoyed the silence since it let him concentrate on his thoughts. He missed Yuri and there was no doubt about it.

She looked so... Scared.

Even while in deep sleep, her face was contorted into different phases of fear. It was like she was having the worst nightmare ever and her face gave away all emotion, letting him follow her through her dream- disbelief, acceptance, fright and desperation. What could she be dreaming of?

It was too painful to watch her in that state and even the comfort of his arms could no longer calm her. He laid her back in bed and knelt to the side of the bed while gently shaking her awake. What could possibly be her reaction when she finds herself in his place, on his bed?

"Come on, wake up." He whispered softly. He felt her clutch his sleeve tightly while trying to bury herself into his chest, right where she belonged. He felt those sparks again, running up and down his arms then spread throughout his body. "It's okay." He said quietly, his breath fanning her cheeks as her eyes peeled open.

"Lu..." Her voice cracked as she tried to keep the tears from reappearing. 

"It's fine. It's okay." He held her closely, running a soothing hand up and down her back. "Don't think about it, forget it." He told her and she eventually calmed.

She remained unmoving in his arms, but her steady breathing stopped him from freaking out. She moved her head from his chest to the crook of his neck. The calmness that surrounded them was comforting, better than before when she was panicking. He wanted her calm; he liked it when she was calm.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, slowly pulling away, but an urge took over him as he pulled her back.

"No need." He assured.

"I-I guess you deserve an explanation." Just by the sound of her voice, he knew she was uncomfortable.

"It's fine." He gave her a small smile which didn't feel forced- for once. "Tell me when you're ready."

"O-Okay," 

They spent the rest of the day together in his flat, watching movies on Netflix. She made it her mission to stay as far away as possible from Luhan and he didn't question why. Whenever he would reach out to her, she flinched and moved away. He wanted to ask her so badly, but didn't want to cause her anymore discomfort which could cause a strain on their already fragile relationship.

At the end of the day, she left with a simple goodbye. When she walked out that door, he felt a piece of him leave with her.

Once again, he was found wandering outside. He noticed how he was only a block away from where Yuri lived and his body started moving on its own- it's not like he was fighting it anyway. He was actually excited to see her again, her smile, her brown eyes, all of her. Maybe Hei Jin was right, scintillas do exist and he found his. This thought encouraged him to go ahead and knock on her door. Besides, he needed her permission to use her picture.

"Just say hi... Be casual... Don't creep her out..." He told himself while taking large intakes of air, waiting for her to answer the door.

From the other side of the door, he heard shuffling which made his heart jump in excitement, but then nothing happened. He frowned and knocked once more, but still no answer. He didn't try to hide his disappointment as he his heels to leave, but the sound of something crashing made him pound on the door.

"Yuri? Hei Jin? Are you guys okay?!" He felt a small pinch in his chest when he heard quiet sobbing. Something was wrong, she was not okay.

He backed up, giving enough space to give a hard enough blow to break down the door. He tried and tried again to break the door down, but it seemed like it didn't want to budge. He was becoming more desperate and his shoulder was hurting badly to the point where it couldn't take anymore abuse, but he didn't give up, he didn't want to. Instead, he switched sides and used his other shoulder until the door finally gave away.

Luhan scrambled to his feet and almost fell back at the horror that lied before him. The cozy little living space that he was so used to was completely ruined, destroyed. All that was left were pieces of furniture and other things scattered here and there. He walked over them, looking around for any sign of Yuri or Hei Jin.

"She's gone... They're gone... He's gone..." His ears picked up a soft voice and sobbing coming from upstairs.

"Yuri?" He called out and it all became silent which worried him. He wanted to get up there and help her, but the ladder was nowhere. He couldn't get up there. "I-It's me!"

The sobbing started again and he heard things moving around which sent him into panic mode. He didn't like this situation one bit. He felt so useless and it frustrated him so much that he wanted to pull all his hair out.

"Yuri, please!" His voice became strained and raspy as he cried out to her. "Let me help." He said in a softer tone than before since he didn't want his voice betraying him.

Soft scuffling sounds brought his attention back up to where Yuri is supposed to be. A wooden ladder started descending and he quickly grasped it, and didn't hesitate to climb up, eager to see her again. He already felt even more broken without even seeing the damage that has happened to her. 

The exact moment he straightened up, he felt a small blur rush to him and cling to his waist. A familiar scent wafted through the air and he wrapped his arms around Yuri's petite, trembling body. He rubbed his nose into her hair as his hand ran through her hair. Luhan rocked their body from side to side while shushing her soft sobs.

"What happened?" It didn't come out as a question, more like a demand. He walked over to the misplaced bed and sat down, letting her sit on his lap.

"She's gone." She whimpered. "Just like them..."

"Who?" He asked softly.

"Hei Jin. She left me and so did my parents." She sobbed loudly, pain coming back fresher than ever. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together.

"Oh my God," He whispered and pulled her closer. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Please don't leave me..." She whimpered, his shirt.

"I-I won't. Don't worry." He whispered into her hair which calmed her incessant sobs.

Moments of silence passed and Yuri finally settled into his arms, sleeping soundly for the first time in a while. Even in her state, Luhan still found her cute with her little red nose. He brushed pieces of hair off her face delicately before lowering her body on her misplaced bed.

For the next few hours, Luhan stayed at Yuri's place, cleaning up and checking on her if she stirred in her sleep to lull her back. Her place looked decent and cleaner than before, but there were still pieces of broken glass and wood scattered around. He walked around, picking up some photos that were smashed and he stopped frozen at two pictures; one with Hei Jin and Yuri when she was around 9 years old. The other one was a simple picture with Yuri's golden skin standing out and her beautiful features.

"She's a model, you know? Always loved posing for the camera as soon as she could even open her eyes." 

Hei Jin's words seemed to echo in his mind as a small smile played on his lips. She really was a model waiting to be discovered. He chuckled to himself while promising Hei Jin to keep her granddaughter happy. He would give her all his happiness which wasn't a lot to begin with. Hopefully, it would be enough for her.

"Luhan...?" A soft yet raspy voice called out which made him rush to her.

"Right here," He panted as he knelt beside her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly with the ends of her sleeves. "Always," He added firmly, admiring the simple beauty before him.

"Thank you," She gently caressed his cheek with her thumb before her hand dropped, but he quickly picked it back up and held her hand with his. He could never get used to such a feeling- the tingling sensation. The silence became unbearable and he finally found something to talk about.

"I- uh, I came by to ask you permission for..." He trailed off, suddenly finding it hard to make a single coherent phrase once her eyes were fully focused on him.

"For what?" She sniffled softly.

"To- uh..." He shook his head lightly. "Can I use your photos in a magazine? You would be on a cover and-" He wanted to ramble on, but froze when he heard her giggle. "What's so funny?" 

She shook her head, too. "I don't know." She said truthfully. "HeiHei always wanted me to be a model." There was this sad glint in her eyes which pained him to see. "She would also..." She trailed off, as if having the conversation in her mind.

"'She would also' what?" He urged on. Talking about the good moments she shared with Hei Jin might lessen the pain of losing her. 

"She would also tell me everything she knew about scintillas." She said, a sad smile planted on her lips.

"Do you believe in them?" He asked curiously, hoping she did believe in them since he sure did.

"At first," She spoke softly, a sad smile always on her lips. "But then I stopped when I realized that they were just silly stories that she liked to fill my mind with."

"Silly stories?" He echoed.

"I became very socially awkward because my mind was completely wrapped around my own scintilla." She chuckled bitterly. "A waste of time." She mumbled quietly.

Sometime in the utter silence, his hand found its way to hers and entwined his fingers with hers, giving a firm squeeze. She let out a small gasp, feeling the waves of tingles rush through her body. He also felt it, but found himself loving it more each time. He would never get used to the feeling, but he started being comfortable with it. He knew this was a sign, he knew she was his scintilla.

"I don't think it's a waste of time," He whispered softly, pulling her flush against him, the sensation intensifying. "I keep telling myself if you've realized that already."

Her eyes, wide with something that resembled disbelief, stared intently at their hands, her thumb caressing over his skin, feeling the tingles erupt. Slowly, her eyes climbed up to meet his and he offered a small smile, one that felt so sincere that it made him forget all those times where he would force the muscles in his face to lift the corners of his lips.

"I have now." She smiled back. 

TO BE CONTINUED...