One Week

A/N: See how much I love you all? I'm uploading this even though I'm going to be incredibly late for work … sorry I didn't get it done yesterday! I'm really flattered that so many people have taken the time to review this! Thank you so much to all of you!

Just some general information … if anyone's been looking at the reviews to check out the plot dreamschemer suggested for me, you should know that she PM'd me with something completely different and more complex. So no clues yet, I'm afraid!

Thursday

He debated not going to get coffee today, knowing that the longer he kept this up, the harder it would be for him to go back to a life without her. But once again, his feet took on a life of their own and led him into the coffee shop.

She was working the machines again, and she beamed when she saw him come in.

He joined the queue, feeling her eyes on him. When he got close enough, she waved at him happily and called, "Morning, Syaoran-kun!"

He blushed slightly despite himself. "Morning."

The boy at the till took his order, glaring at him the whole time. The one putting out the muffins was also glaring, and Syaoran had the feeling that she was popular here.

Suddenly, the idea that she might have a boyfriend struck him, and he felt incredibly depressed as he walked over to his usual table. What were the odds of a girl like her not having someone? It could even be one of the boys that worked here …

He had to stop this. Ten years was a long time. In ten years, she would have created a life he knew nothing about. He knew so little of her now. He didn't know how she came to work here, if she was full or part time, if she'd been to university, if she still lived at home … she was a stranger to him …

"You're sad again, huh?"

Syaoran looked up, no longer shocked to hear her voice. "What makes you say that?"

She sighed, placing his coffee and his croissant down on the table. "You're pulling a face."

He frowned self-consciously. "I am?"

"You are."

There was silence between them for a while, but she didn't leave. Finally she tilted her head and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

He laughed despite himself. He was a stranger to her, and yet she was still willing to give it her all and try to help him. "No. But thank you."

"Is it to do with work?"

"I – no," he answered.

"You're family?"

"No." He was starting to smile now.

"A girl?"

The smile fell off his face.

Suddenly she gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm being so nosy, aren't I? I get like this sometimes; I ask too many questions …"

He shook his head. "You can never ask too many questions."

Her hands fell away from her mouth and she smiled, and he was comforted in knowing that if nothing else came of this week, he had at least made her smile.

"Okay then, here's one," she said, leaning forward curiously. "Where do you work?"

"Uh …" There was no harm in telling her that, right? "I'm in charge of my family's businesses – I basically make sure they're running smoothly, make and break deals, that sort of thing."

"Wow!" Her eyes were wide. "That sounds amazing." She paused, frowning slightly as she fiddled with her braided hair. "Then how come you have time to sit here at ten o'clock in the morning?"

He laughed. "I'm from Hong Kong – I'm actually only in Tokyo on business, so I have a lot of time to kill between meetings."

"Ah." She sat down across from him. "So when do you go home?"

"On Sunday."

She nodded. "Is that why you've been sad? Because you're missing your home?"

"I –" He sighed. That was one way of putting it. "Not exactly."

"Still," she shrugged, propping her chin up on her hands. "When I miss home, I just think of all my family and friends and how happy I'll be to see them again when I get back."

He smiled, not knowing how to tell her that he didn't have friends any more.

Suddenly someone at the till called for her, a new boy who was fumbling with buttons and change, and she waved at him reassuringly.

"I should go," she sighed, getting to her feet. "But you know, things are never as bad as they seem. Don't worry – everything will be all right. I'm sure of it. See you tomorrow?"

He nodded, and she beamed happily before rushing to the boy who had now managed to drop several coins all over the floor.

Everything will be all right. The invincible spell.

Thank goodness she never found out that it wasn't invincible.