"Okay, let's go." With these words Michelle started leaving. She didn't look at his face, thus she didn't notice the complicated emotions warring there.

  "Um. About that thing you said last time. Do you still mean it?" Luke hesitantly asked Michelle in a small voice, after a few seconds of pondering in stride next to her.

  "What thing?" Michelle's face remained emotionless. Luke had no visual clues as to what she was thinking right now, and it bothered him. Luke helplessly furrowed his eyebrows. It was a taste of his own medicine. Now, after being treated coldly by Michelle, he finally realized how she must have felt all this time, while being constantly rejected by him. He had hurt her badly. Thinking of this, his heart began throbbing in his chest. Was there any chance that he could fix this? He had no idea. In fact, he still had very mixed feelings about Michelle. He had been so sure that he could never love her, but finally seeing the pain he had caused her made his icy heart thaw. And now, he wasn't so sure about his previous decisions.

  "Nothing. Just forget it." Michelle's indifference was like cold water being poured over him. Only now, did he realize that sometimes, being treated coldly hurt even more than being the object of anger. He didn't know what to say to Michelle anymore. It felt like they were slowly drifting apart.

  The way back home was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Both of them were in deep, but different thoughts. The atmosphere was a bit awkward. They had become complete strangers, not a couple. Luke wanted to change it, but he just didn't know how.

  "Are you still sleeping here tonight?" Michelle asked with a surprised look. She really couldn't understand his recent actions. She had originally hoped that maybe

  elf-respect.

  Then there was silence. The two of them stared at each other, not saying a word. Neither of them was willing to look away. It seemed that they were both trying to penetrate the empty look on each other's face, and see what the other was thinking. Michelle was wondering what Luke really wanted. He had possessed all of her once, but he didn't cherish what he had. All Michelle wanted now was to avoid more heartbreak. Across the room, Luke was also wondering what Michelle wanted. He wanted so badly to know if he could ever hold a special place in her heart again.

  Unfortunately, they were not the only ones who were hurting. On the other side of the globe, Leena was also suffering, having left her family and friends behind. Surprisingly, it had already been a full month. She hadn't expected that she could make it this far when she first left the country. But time flew by swiftly, and she kept busy. She was constantly drawing and working, trying so hard to avoid thinking about Kevin and the rest of the people she missed. But now, she had finished all her work. Unoccupied by work, all the thoughts about Kevin suddenly rushed back. She missed him so badly.