"Done?" Yixing asked after Luhan entered the car.

The older had asked to be taken to the Music University. He said that he will return the pouch that he picked up in the airport. Even though Luhan didn't directly said that the pouch belonged to that person that he saw, based on the way he carried and looked at it, Yixing is pretty sure that his assumption is correct.

Luhan released a heavy sigh before nodding. He looked out of the window, staring at nothing. His eyes felt so distant, like he's mentally unattached to the real world. Yixing nudged him out of his absent mindedness to remind him to put on his seatbelt as the younger started the car. As soon as the older did what he was told, he was back to staring off to a distance.

When they were on the road, Luhan's phone rang but the older simply ignored it. Yixing recognized the ringtone very well, and he knew that the call is coming from Luhan's parents. The young musician felt bad for the older's parents but they really shouldn't call or meet with Luhan right now. Even if it wasn't entirely their fault, their actions still led to that unfortunate accident.

~*~

Five days at Yixing's place, he sits alone in the living room. It will still take another week before his next project so at the moment he's stuck home. It will still be a couple of hours before Tao comes back from shooting. Luhan switched on the television but nothing struck his interest. Then, he just lied down on the sofa and stared at the spotless ceiling of the place.

Even if his co members were the ones that forced him to stay at Yixing's place, he still find the situation better than staying at his lifeless house. Atleast here, he have someone to wait for and someone to eat with and to talk to whenever he feels down. Maybe if he did this before, he wouldn't have such a hard time moving on. He already gave up the idea of trying to act strong because he got scolded too many times now, so whenever he feels like crying, he does openly. But being alone is still a problem. He looked at the clock not too far away from where he is and figured that he have enough time to look around before any of them comes home.

He took his coat and grabbed his face mask just in case he needs it. He took out his car and drove away with no specific destination. He passed by a few shops but he's in no mood to go shopping. He saw some restaurants but he has no appetite at the moment. In the end, he drove to the small cafe he found three years ago. It was a perfect place to stay at, he just hoped he found it earlier so he could've shared it with... He sighed once. Every single thought that he have always lead to that. He was far too hurt and far too tired but he still couldn't help himself from having those thoughts. It occupied such a huge part of his life. His past. That it was almost impossible to remove it completely from his thoughts.

He parked his car outside, grabbed his laptop, wore his face mask and entered the cafe.

The cafe was small but it was nice. It has a few round tables but Luhan always chose the table at the corner specifically for people that came alone. It faces the inside too and it is positioned at the corner on the same side of the door, so he can observe the people inside but he'll be barely noticeable. The bitterweet smell in the air calms him down and the quietness of the place soothes his nerves.

He approached the barista that manages the shop and gave a quiet greeting. Through his frequent visits to the shop, they had grown quite close. They sometimes chat with each other when there are few people in the shop, but when the shop is busy, the barista is too occupied for small chats and Luhan needs to hide to avoid attention.

"The usual?" the middle-aged man asked.

"No. Just something light. Maybe a latte?" he answered. He usually leaves it to the barista to choose his drink, he just gives a vague order and the man will take care of the rest.

After that, he walked back to his seat and sat comfortably as he waits for his order. There were two customers sitting at the table near him but they didn't even spare him any attention. This is one of the things he loves in cafes, because people come here to relax themselves, they don't actually mind their surroundings much.

In a few minutes, his order arrived  but the extra plate confused him, plus the fact that the barista himself served him and not one of the part-time waiters in the shop. The plate contains a small slice of sponge cake and strawberries. He definitely didn't order for this. He gave a questioning look at the man, but the barista had already seated himself in another chair.

"My treat. If the shop wasn't so busy, I'll be asking you what's wrong. You looked like you just lost the world." 

Luhan was surprised. He never told anyone except his co-members about what happened. Plus he never told the shop owner his past, but if even he can tell that something is wrong, he might've looked pretty awful right now.

"Enjoy the food." the man said, finally standing up to go back behind the counter.

Luhan slowly drank his coffee and ate the cake. The pastry was perfect with the latte, it wasn't too sweet and just have the right amount to let him enjoy the taste. Somehow, it calmed him down; the drink, the food and the place. He leaned back and opened his laptop, when the door opened and the bell attached to it rang. Luhan looked at the new customer and with just one glimpse, his peaceful afternoon was no more.

He wore a huge thick coat and black skinny pants. His skin looked so fair and his lips bright pink. His eyes looked beautiful and sharp, just like a cat's and he moved with such grace as he entered the cafe. Another man followed from behind, saying sentences in Korean. It was a good thing that Luhan traveled to Korea a lot that he grew fluent with the language. He could make out what the guy with him was saying.

"This is a really good place for coffee."

"Thanks. I really wanted to find a good cafe." 

Even his voice. Even the voice. It totally made Luhan's system go haywire. He doesn't want to be here anymore. His comfortable seat suddenly became too stuffy for him to breathe. The bittersweet smell of the place suddenly suffocated him and the quiet people in the shop suddenly felt too crowded. He couldn't think straight. He was panicking and couldn't breathe. He felt the need to escape. He fixed his things and left his food unfinished. He stood up and did his best to avoid the two men's attention as he tried to exit the cafe.

But before he can reach the door that was only a few steps away, a hand lightly grabbed his wrist and as he looked back, he saw. For the first time, he saw his face properly. Beautiful round face, fine lines, single-eyelid cat-eyes, small nose, thin pink lips. Even his small hands were a perfect fit. It was too much. Just too much. He couldn't breathe anymore. He was losing air. The place felt so closed, so locked , so crowded. But he tried his best not to show it on his face. He doesn't want to be rude because the beautiful guy has nothing to do with his self-inflicted pain.

"I didn't get to thank you last time for returning my pouch. I'm sorry. And thank you." he said in a nice soft voice that didn't fail to pull at Luhan's heart strings. It had been too long, too damn long since he felt like that. His fast beating heart didn't help with the difficulty with his breathing. He felt dizzy and light-headed. He swayed and ended up leaning on the smaller boy for support.

"A--Are you okay?" he asked as he struggled to support Luhan's weight.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm sorry." he said, quickly collecting himself and leaving the place.

He enetered his car and waited until he had calmed down and regulated his breathing. He looked back at the cafe and saw him looking at his car with a worried expression. His friend came back and lead him to their seat but he still kept on looking at Luhan's car. It was a good thing that his car's windows are tinted, or they'll be staring at each other.

After a good few minutes, he finally drove away from the place, wishing that it will be the last time they cross roads. What he didn't know is that fate is just getting started.