"Please help me."

This echoed in Luhan's mind briefly before the girl suddenly pulled him closer and spun around with her hands in his. He followed her gaze, drawn by the strong attraction of his body towards hers. He suddenly realised that three men were standing a few metres away from them, their expressions hard and suspicious.

"Ahjusshi." The girl next to him addressed them.

"It's nothing. I'm just meeting my friend...from eh..school." She glanced up at him with desperate eyes, eyes that urged him to follow her act. He hesitated. Before Luhan had the chance to respond, the ahjusshis strove towards them and started pulling the girl away from him. Luhan watched as they harshly grabbed her by the wrist, actions cold like security guards. He couldn't stand the look on their emotionless faces.

And the girl. She grabbed onto him with all her might, refusing to let go.

Suddenly Luhan's heart skipped a beat and he swung her towards him, acting as a barrier between the men and her.

He searched for her eyes.

"Run!"

He tightened his grip on her and they rushed towards the open street, the cold wind brushing against their flushed faces. Behind them the men yelled and sprinted. As the chase intensified, the two started gasping for breath. Luhan spotted an alleyway exit and led her towards it, gently pushing her against the wall and leaning in to cover her, his arms protectively locked around her.

"Be quiet." he whispered gently. They held each others' gaze and Luhan's heart beat rapidly. He looked away, the darkness concealing the slight blush of his cheeks. They held onto each other in silence, their rushed hearts racing against each other. Footsteps approached and left as the ahjusshis continued their run down the dark, murky main road. The girl let out a sigh of relief.

Luhan gave a quiet smile, relieved. The girl gave a small cough and he quickly detached himself from her, their touch leaving a speck of tingle on his skin and body. She looked up at him and smiled brightly.

"Thanks for that. Luhan."

They met their faces again, and this time the moonlight illuminated her face. A face of familiarity stared back at him.

No way..Luhan thought. It's...

The girl broke his chain of thought and her face lit up.

"Yes, thought it was about time you remembered me. It hasn't been that long." she reminiscied, her eyes suddenly deep in thought.

And she was right. Memories of their childhood zoomed through his mind- their classes, eating ice cream, playing soccer. His classmate Ange, short for Angelta. She always preferred a less girly name...always wanted to play soccer with the boys...his childhood crush. Ange.

Luhan took a step away in surprise, his eyes locked on her.

She took the intitiative to sit down and he tentively sat down next to her. He learnt that she had fled from her strict family, who were adament that she attend their chosen University overseas.

"But what I really want.." she said, directing a determined gaze at him, "...is to pursue music. I'm not going to give up on my dream."

The intensity of her eyes, her eagerness, reached somewhere deep within his heart. He flashed a shy but encouraging smile.

"Do what your heart tells you, Ange."

Luhan sat back, memories flashing before him as he recalled his very own dreams only a few years before.

Before he noticed it, Ange had fallen asleep, resting her head on his shoulder. He took off his coat and hung it around her. He looked at the girl before him, a sudden yearning to hold her, hug her, give her strength. He leaned in until his face was almost touching hers and closed his eyes.

He must've dozed off after that because when he next woke it was already the morning, the busy BeiJing city awake and going. He found his coat around his own shoulders and looked to his right. Ange was gone.

***

Luhan took his only piece of luggage out of the car and walked towards the airport. His heart felt heavy.

As he checked in crowds of fans surrounded him. He greeted them absent-mindedly but happily gave out autographs and posed for photos. He reached into his pocket to grab a pen but his hands suddenly fell on something delicate and cool. He took it out in surprise. It was a bracelet. The beads spelt out LULOVAN.

Time suddenly froze and Luhan stared at the bracelet in disbelief. He forgot the masses of fans around him, forgot about his return flight to Korea and could only hold the precious possession in his hand. Ange.

Luhan immediately pushed himself through the crowd, his eyes searching desperately. She must be here. She must be. He ran through the surrounding lobbies, his heart beating wildly. Ange, Ange, Ange...Ange!

He finally found her. She was standing at the entrance to the toilets, her eyes on him. She noticed him staring right at her and hurriedly turned away, dashing into the toilets. Luhan ran after her.

He caught up easily and slipped his arms swiftly through hers, pulling her into a spare lavatory and pushing the door to a close.

He directed a hard look at the ground before looking up to meet her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he questioned in a low tone. His eyes were fixed on hers as he reached into his pocket once again to reveal the bracelet he had made for her during their school days.

"It was a love declaration. LULOVAN. Luhan loves Ange. You knew that, didn't you?"

He looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I... I was too shy to tell you my feelings. I didn't want to lose you. I had to hide them again and again. And you're telling me.." he hesitated. "..You're telling me that you knew all along?" His voice was demanding, cold.

Before she could explain Luhan let out a despaired sigh and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her long silky hair. Tears rolled down Ange's cheeks. How she'd thought about him everyday. How she wanted to tell him that she felt the same way. How she missed him.

"I..." Ange began.

But Luhan stopped her. He brought her face closer to his, wiping her tears with a delicate swipe of his finger. His expression softened and he brought his fingers down to her lips.

"Shhh..."

And he leaned in towards her, his lips meeting hers with passion and desperation. The soft touch of their lips brought a tingle to their bodies as they leaned in even closer to each other. He held her by the waist and spun her back towards the door, their lips lingering and unable to break apart. Her heartbeat pulsed uncontrollably as he moved his hands up her back and swished them gently into the midst of her soft hair. They held each other in their own world, locked in a romance that took too long to begin. Becoming breathless, the world around her started to go blurry and she leaned onto Luhan even more. He held onto her, breaking the kiss but staring deep into her eyes.

Luhan's eyes were beautiful and clear as he smiled at her. He brought his face close to her ear.

"You know, Ange.." he whispered. "It's never too late."

And with that he reached out for her hand, hung the bracelet on her wrist and fastened it.

 

THE END

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed it and all find your true love one day! <3