[ Apologies for any awkwardness within the story. I'm still trying to get back into the flow of writing. I promise these updates will get better ^^ Thank you for all your patience. <3 ]

The night was cold and it seemed like no one was going to follow Luhan out after he had left the scene. The air nipped at his skin, but he was too numb to feel anything but at least he could breathe out here. Inside the house, he was constricted of air, feeling as if he couldn't breathe when everyone began bringing up Nayoung.

He never meant to let her down. He never meant for any of those things to happen and maybe if he had just been a better guardian, Nayoung would still be with them and all this bull would have never happened. 

They wouldn't have been kicked out of school, the constant judgement of his school peers wouldn't exist, and he and Lay wouldn't be fighting over Eun Ri. 

But in the back of his mind, he knew things happened for reasons and maybe it wasn't all bad because all of it brought Eun Ri to them.

In his small time of silence, his mind was racing about Eun Ri. It was not like he ever hated Eun Ri genuinely, more like his stubborn mind trying to push her away along with the memories of Nayoung she brought with herself. They were so alike and Luhan couldn't have another Nayoung incident in his life. Not when he hadn't healed from the first incident.

His silence was soon broken when he found Sehun coming outside. Turning his head at the shuffling sound of footsteps, he saw the younger, hands in pocket as he sat down next to the older. "It's pretty cold out here isn't it?"

"I guess, what are you doing out here?" Brow raised, he looked at the other, trying to put on a nonchalant facade.

Sehun could easily see through his hyung that the older had been deep in thought, most likely about Nayoung and Eun Ri. Though Luhan had never admitted it, everyone could easily see why Luhan had hated Eun Ri at first once they realized it, but they could also see that Eun Ri had grown on the cold male. 

From all the times where Luhan was driven crazy by Eun Ri, everyone could honestly tell it was more than what he said as excuses. He wasnt the type of person to invest so much time into someone he truly hated and didn't care about.

"To check on your stupid ." The younger chuckled softly as Luhan scoffed amusedly. A soft sigh escaped his lips as Luhan turned around and looked back inside. "Is Eun Ri in bed yet? It's kind of late."

"She should be." Sehun said glancing up at her dark window.

Luhan nodded and turned back around, facing the direction he was in before. "Good. It's been a long night for her."

"And you too, you know."

The older male shrugged slightly, kicking the patch of grass in front of him and letting out a frustrated sigh. His head a mess and he didn't know what he wanted anymore, whether it be Eun Ri or Lay's friendship. He wondered many times before why he couldn't have both but he knew in his heart that this was just as hard for Lay as it was him. 

"I'm fine," the usual.

Sehun scoffed slightly, as if he hadn't heard that one repeatedly before. "You need to talk this out with Lay hyung."

The younger looked stern and firm on his statement to show the older that there was no more time to fool around. Feelings were getting involved, people were going to get hurt, and silence would not help anything. If anything, the silence would only further make the situation tenser. 

The older chinese male knew that his dongsaeng was on a roll somewhere with his words. As much as he would love to just "talk it out," it was not that easy to go up to someone and be like, "Hey, I like Eun Ri, you like her too, I think we should come to compromise."

In the end, he knew Eun Ri would choose only one male and he wasn't sure if he could take the pain if it wasn't him. And trailing right behind the heart break would be the demolishment of his friendship with Lay.

People would question why he couldn't just be friends with Lay even if he was dating Eun Ri, but it's easier said than done. 

"I'll do it when I'm ready." Luhan simply stated.

The younger sighed, getting frustrated as he stood up and dusted himself off. He wanted to help his hyungs but he could see that this was something that they would have to do themselves. 

"Suit yourself."

And with that, Luhan was in the darkness, alone again but this time, no one else came out.

___

The morning was rough. Eun Ri had not seen any of the guys together since the night before. This morning, it almost seemed as if they were divided among themselves.

Some left to go out, others opted to work on their bikes in the back, some just stayed in their rooms. It wasn't like them and it began to scare her a little. 

She hated to think what Teenfinite said was true but their accusations only became stronger and stronger with every passing minute. Instability reaked the house along with the deafening silence. 

The air was tense whenever the males passed by and some seemed to gang up against others. She knew they were trying to keep it discrete with happy smiles but she could see through their facades and plastered smiles. 

She didn't understand why they couldnt tell her what was wrong or why they were trying to hide it. As if she didn't know them enough by now. 

The night before, to which she was oblivious to, when she went off to her room, was basically an argument zone over who was right and who was wrong, about Nayoung, Teenfinite, who should get Eun Ri, etc. It left all the guys split down the middle and basically not on speaking terms.

Half thought the fight between the other males was unnecessary while others thought it was to protect their pride and Nayoung herself who wasn't there to be able to defend the slander against her. Teenfinite was a whole other issue; how to stop them and what to do to protect Eun Ri because at this point, she became a walking target, not only to herself but to EXO as well. 

Finally, the argument that led to the dispute in the morning: Eun Ri. They shouldn't have treated her as an object within their fights but it happened. The guys all being friends, didn't want to see any of their members hurt, but it was hard when what was tearing them apart was also another person they loved so dearly. While some thought Eun Ri should be with Lay since he liked her from the beginning, others thought Luhan was more compatible and deserved a shot at her too.

Among the fighting, there were some who hated the idea that Eun Ri should be with one over the other. She was her own person and no matter what everyone said, only she would make the decision in the end. 

Immature as it was, the guys couldn't come to a consensus on who was justified and who wasn't and it began tearing through the gang like scissors to paper.

Even by high noon, everyone who was home at their lunches seperately. All day, Eun Ri hadn't talked to Lay nor Luhan and hardly exchanged words with the others until lunch. She sat next to Sehun who seemed to be peeved about everyone as he angrily nibbled at his sandwich, ripping off the crust aggressively.

"Yah...Sehun, you're ripping your sandwich to nothing." She scolded as he stared at his plate which was basically 99% of his sandwich. 

The male sighed softly, realizing the frustration pent up inside him was getting to him. Setting down his sandwich, he leaned back onto the kitchen chair and looked at the girl sheepishly. "Sorry-- just a lot on my mind right now."

She raised her brow at the male and seized the opportunity to find out what had happened for herself. "Like...?"

"J-Just stuff." The male replied, clearing his throat slightly. He wasn't suppose to technically tell Eun Ri since everyone had decided it was best to act like everything was okay for the sake of her. They didn't want for her to see them fighting, especially after what Teenfinite had claimed about them being unstable. "It's nothing, don't worry."

"Oh Sehun, dont you lie to me." Eun Ri said sternly. "Something is obviously up and you guys are trying to hide it from me. Badly I may add."

"We're fine Eun Ri--"

"No youre not."

"Yes we are."

"Sehun."

"Eun Ri."

She pursed her lips frustratedly and stood up from the table. "Fine." 

Ignoring Sehun's pleas behind her, she emptied her plate into the sink and made her way towards the front door towards the front yard where maybe she could sit and think to herself for a bit. She was tired of the tension within the house and she just needed some air to breath in.

As Eun Ri opened the door, she abruptly bumped into someone's chest. It didn't take her long to recognize the soft cotton scent wafting from the male. Her eyes shifted upwards hesistantly to find Lay looking at her, slight tinge of red of his cheeks. 

"A-Ah sorry Ri." He said, taking a step back, feeling a bit more shy than usual around her.

She rubbed the nape of her neck shyly as she looked at the male, trying to prevent herself from blushing as well. "It's fine. No harm." 

A slightly awkward silence took over the atmosphere before Lay decided to speak up. "So where are you going...?"

"Just outside to sit." She simply replied. 

Lay could see from her expression that something was bothering her but he felt too shy to ask, afraid to seem to prying of her personal thoughts. "O-Oh okay. I'll leave you to that then." He said, taking a step back to let her out first before he went inside.

Eun Ri was a little disappointed he didn't ask why or ask if he could join her, but his decision was his. She nodded meekly and stepped outside, her mood dropping just a bit more as Lay went back inside without any other words. She let out a soft sigh and headed out in the front yard, trying to distance herself from the house until she felt at ease.

She was walking along the small dirt road that led to their warehouse in silence until she heard a low rumbling of a motor coming up ahead of her. Lifting her head, she met eyes with Luhan and suddenly her feet were glued to the ground. 

His motorcycle slowed down near her until he came to a complete stop at her. "Where are you going?" He asked, his voice almost empty. Eun Ri was a bit unsettled by his sudden cold tone but she shook it off nonetheless.

"Just a walk around the yard. It was getting hot so I decided I'll just be out for a bit."

"Don't you realize it's dangerous to be alone." He said. Sure, it was broad daylight out but in their neck of the woods, it was quiet, perfect for napping someone up without bystanders to stop them, making her an open target for Teenfinite.

But she didn't understand that. Eun Ri pursed her lips in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest at his statement. He was being ridiculous. As if anyone would try and pull a stunt like that when it was broad daylight out. She knew they worried for her but sometimes, she felt way too constricted and she wasn't use to the rules, especially when she lived on her own and by her own rules for so long. 

"Youre overexaggerating Luhan. I'm walking around our property, I'm fine." She refuted back.

Luhan's brows creased slightly at the girl's attitude, "You don't know that."

So much for their peace because both of them could feel their tempers rising and patience dwindling with each other once more. 

"Luhan, it's daylight out. Teenfinite probably has other things to do than stalk around here and wait for me."

He let out an amused scoff, finding it funny how Eun Ri seemed so sure of herself when she knew almost nothing about the other gang compared to him. "That's what you think Kitten. You don't know those guys."

Eun Ri stayed silent for a bit, straightening up to show she was not going to budge from her spot at all. 

"So go back to the house. I'll give you a lift back." Luhan said annoyed, not in the mood to deal with her. 

She looked at the male with an incredulous expression, her lips parting slightly in shock. "No. I don't need to go back home Luhan. I said I'm fine." She refuted back, adament in her decision.

"Eun Ri, stop being so stubborn and get on." 

His patience was dwindling with her. Why couldn't she just listen for once? Didn't she understand theyre all just worried about her? 

And that was the problem for Eun Ri. She knew they all loved her dearly and that they wanted to keep her safe so that there wouldn't be a repeat of the Nayoung incident, but they were becoming overbearing and far too protective of her. She knew that they were only looking out for her but couldn't they see she could handle herself at times too?

"No." 

Luhan growled slightly as he stepped off his bike and made his way towards the girl, grabbing her wrist. "Eun Ri. Now."

She tried pulling back from his hold but his fingers tightly locked around her wrist to the point where his fingers were placing immense pressure on her bones. "Stop, let go of me Luhan!" Eun Ri spat, struggling against his hold. 

His grip tightened as she began to struggle. Feeling himself slowly losing the fight, he took his other hand and grabbed her other wrist to lock himself to her. "You stop being so ing stubborn and come back." He said, beginning to fight back against her struggles. 

The two began to kick up dirt and fight against each other as either one refused to budge from their positions. Eun Ri began swatting at Luhan, hitting him on the head as he tried to bend down and pick her up from the waist.

"Ow! Stop it Ri!" He yelled out as she grabbed a fistful of his hair. 

Eun Ri kept her grip tight on his hair until she felt his arms shifting around her waist, in attempts to throw her over his shoulder. "Don't ing touch me Xi Luhan." She spat, trying to pull away and retreat backwards. 

"I don't get why youre being so stubborn!" Luhan spat back as he shifted his position back to grabbing her wrists and prying her hands off his hair. 

Now they were face to face, glaring at each other. 

"And I don't get why you can't just leave me alone. I said I was fine." She said, words hissing through her teeth.

Luhan furrowed his brows as his lips formed into a deeper frown. "That's what you think."

Eun Ri stopped her struggling. The fight had shifted from physical to now just words. There was no more fighting and hair grabbing but now it became a war of words as the two shot daggers at each other. 

"I know you guys just want to protect me, but don't you guys think it's overbearing sometime?" 

Luhan knew they could sometimes be irrational and overprotective but what else were they suppose to do when she was in constant danger? His grip began to loosen on the girl because he knew she had a point but he still wanted to let her see from their perspective as well. "Well sorry if I don't want to lose you." He said, his eyes widening slightly when he realized he had said the wrong thing.

Eun Ri wasn't sure if she had heard correctly but from seeing the male's shocked face, she was sure she had heard correctly. 

"I mean we. We don't want to lose you. I don't think the others could handle losing you like they did Nayoung." Luhan said quickly covering up his words.

She wasn't sure how to respond to his blunder and whether he actually meant it or not. It was weird but the second she heard, I, her heart began pacing a bit quicker, similar to how she was around Lay. The thought of Luhan being the one to be afraid, made her want to go back, so he wouldn't have to fear anymore. 

But now that he was denying what he had said, she didn't know how to feel anymore. She almost felt hurt. It was weird but she actually felt hurt that Luhan had treated it as if it was a stupid mistake and that he simply just used the wrong pronoun. 

Eun Ri let her hands fall to her sides where Luhan slowly let them go. 

"Fine, let's go back then. I'm sure the others are worrying where I am." She said with no further words as she voluntarily mounted the back of the bike and waited for Luhan to climb on.

He was stunned for a second, realizing that his correction possibly could have hurt her. As if he didn't know her by now. The look on her face read offended, hurt and it was all probably because he changed his I to a we. It made him almost elated to see she cared whether he was worried for her or not but at the same time, he was frustrated because he basically made himself seem like a total . 

"Ri...I didn't mean that I don't care." Luhan said slowly as he walked towards her carefully, slightly worried she'd punch him in the face or something.

She didn't know why she was making such a big deal out of it but it truly made her feel as if he didn't care the second he treated it as a mistake but she tried her best to show she was not affected. "Right." She muttered coldly, keeping her gaze away from Luhan.

"Can we just go back now. You were rushing me earlier and now you're not even taking me back." 

"Not until I fix this." Luhan said, crossing his arms at her. Ironic how the sitatuation flipped but Luhan refused to let it end on bad terms especially when they all had enough things to deal with currently. "You know I didn't mean to make it seem like I don't care."

Eun Ri let out a slight huff and kept her gaze directed towards the ground. "Uh huh."

"Eun Ri, can you at least look at me when I talk." Luhan said softer this time, not wanting to spark another argument with her. He slowly made his way closer to her and cupped her chin gently, tilting her head up since he knew if he didn't manually make her, she wouldn't listen.

When his finger tips touched her skin, she felt a jolt of energy run through her body. She blinked a bit as he tilted her head up to have her eyes meet with his doe ones. With his face in such close proximity to her, she began to have trouble controlling her heart rate as it continued to speed up until she felt like she was about to burst. 

"What I meant was that we don't want to lose you Eun Ri, and that we includes me okay? It's not like I don't care."

"Then why couldnt you just keep it as I ?" She asked boldly. "Did you really need to cover it up?"

Luhan was becoming a bit confused as to why it bothered her so much. There was no logical explanation to him as to why she cared so much whether he admitted he, alone, was afraid to lose her. 

"Ri..."

"I know you said you didnt mean for it to seem like you didnt care, but it sure felt that way." She grumbled under her breath.

Almost subconsciously, the pad of his thumb began her cheek softly, causing her to freeze as she felt tingles throughout her body at his soft touches. 

Luhan remembered how back when Nayoung was mad at him, he would do anything to apologize and show he was sorry. It was no different with Eun Ri now. It frustrated him to know he had hurt the girl unintentionally and the only way he dealt with trying to apologize was through physical actions: hugs, innocent touches, anything to show that he cared and that he was sorry.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?" He said softer this time as he gave an apologetic look to the female. 

She almost felt small and shy under his gaze. Just the way he looked at her made her weak and his doe eyes made it hard not to forgive him even though he technically had no real reason to be sorry. 

"I-It's fine." She stuttered, cursing in her mind for her stupid blunder.

Luhan's lips curled into a slight smile at her stutter as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "I do want you to know I do care about you Eun Ri. As funny as it seems since I've "hated" you for so long..." He said slowly, his mind taking over his words and lips. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He said, this time not changing his I's. 

Eun Ri blushed slightly, her mind in disarray from all the different emotions she was feeling inside right now.

The two met eyes briefly before they locked gazes subconciously, silence taking over the situation but this time it was almost a warming silence, no tension or awkwardness. It wouldn't have been surprising to hear their hearts battering against their rib cages through the dead silence. 

Eun Ri thought the situation would have ended there and they would have headed back until she felt two soft plush lips against hers. Her breathing hitched slightly as she gazed at Luhan's face, softly grazing hers as their lips met. 

Updated November 07, 2014

...

hi.

/coughs.

I apologize also for the crappy chapter. Like I said, I'm still trying to get back into the flow of writing and I just need to refreshen my mind on where I wanted to go with this story. Also sorry for such the long wait, especially when I said I was back like two months ago orz. My school term just ended so I was bombarded with work and tests for the past month or so but now I'm free of it and since school has been going on for about three months now, I'm more used to how things flow so I should be able to manage my time much better now. 

Again, I would like to thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story since my last update which sadly was MONTHS ago. OTL SO SORRY. So many things just came up in between but I don't want to bore you guys with details heh. But i am glad to be back <3

Already working on the next chapter. Hopefully which will be much better than this one xD. I'll have it finished and editted as soon as possible. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy this update <3