Chapter 5- Langa's POV:

"What...?" Reki wheezes.

"How do you 'act like a couple'?" I ask, stunned, thoroughly confused, and in a state of flustered panic.

What. WHAT. "Act like a couple"? Couples kiss. Couples go on dates. Couples do literally everything I wish I could do with Reki. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?!

"Y'know, the usual stuff! Hold hands, be cute around each other to the point that you make us all want to vomit. Go out on a date I'll literally pay you." Joe explains.

"Wha- can I pick truth- um, Langa are you alright with this?" Reki stammers.

"Uh," I don't know what to say, so I just stutter out an "if you're alright with it...?"

This comment earns a few whoops and cheers from the group, except my apparent pretend boyfriend, who still looks baffled, and I look down at the carpet, embarrassed.

"Even I can appreciate this dare." Miya sniggers, putting an arm around me and another around Reki, pulling us close together so that our shoulders are touching. We look at each other, both bright red, and he whispers an apology to me. I whisper back a nearly silent "it's okay".

"Aw, already you're being secretive." Miya sighs.

Apparently, there are a lot of requirements to being a couple.

"I myself have had thousands of relationships," Joe exaggerates, earning a disbelieving laugh from Cherry, which he ignores, "and there are many things you need to do."

"Such as, what?" Miya asks. He seems interested, like he's been anticipating this moment for a very, very long time.

"I know zilch about dating people," Shadow admits, "educate me, while you're at it."

"Wow, am I the only one who's been in love?" The muscular man gasps sarcastically, "Who would've thought!"

"Nice try, Romeo, but I'm here too." Cherry scowls.

Joe ignores him again. 

"Anyway. Your first challenge is this..."

"We have challenges?" I interject, still thoroughly puzzled by this idea.

"Yes, you do." Miya shushes me, eager to hear the end of Joe's sentence.

I look at Reki, trying very hard not to smile at how eager I am to hear the challenge. I notice that his expression seems to be a mix of nervousness and confusion.

Wait, he's nervous? I think.

Probably because he doesn't want to act like we're together. I decide. That decision hurts me slightly but it's most likely true.

"We'll start practically miniscule..." Joe instructs us, pausing for dramatic affect.

"Yeah, yeah, what do we have to do?" Reki snaps.

"Just hold hands."

Just hold hands. As if the mere thought of that doesn't send shivers down my spine.

Reki gently slips his hand into mine and looks away from me. I can tell he's blushing.

OH MY GOD, YOU'RE HOLDING HANDS WITH REKI KYAN-

My suddenly dysfunctional brain goes into overload as soon as our fingers intertwine. I immediately like this challenge. It feels so nice to hold hands with someone, especially when that someone is Reki and his hands are really warm and soft and he looks so cute and he's blushing...

"Awwwww, how sweet!" Cherry says impassively, not looking up from the current page he is writing on. He seems so uninterested in this.

The next few minutes are full of semi normal conversation, and a few more truths and dares. But the only thing I can focus on, no matter how loud or crazy my friends are being, is Reki's hand in mine.

"Hey guys, it's 9pm." Miya informs us from his perch on the bean bag, flicking off his Switch.

"Oh, crap! You kids better get home." Joe says, probably worried he'll get in trouble from our parents for causing us to stay late.

As we get up, Reki lets go of my hand, which is quickly noticed by Shadow.

"Oi! Not allowed." He says deliberately, wearing an expression that tells us he won't drop the subject until our hands are clasped again. Not that I'm complaining.

We say nothing as we leave the restaurant, even though I'm really tempted to say something like "this is so awkward, isn't it?" or "I'm not mad at you for getting us into this, by the way." or even simply "thank you!".

But I say nothing, and neither does he, until we've walked for a while.

"Is it possible to skate holding hands?" Reki asks suddenly.

"Probably," I reply, "but we'll most likely screw it up."

He doesn't look up from the ground as he mutters a question.

"Do you want to try?"

"Sure... I say, and we drop the boards to the ground and get on.

Skating with another person really close to you is difficult, and it feels funny at first, but we both eventually get used to it and before very long we manage to figure it out.

In truth, I'd imagined countless scenarios like this one before, and doing it in real life feels a thousand times more amazing than any picture I could fathom in my head.

Soon, we're skating as well as we would be individually, just slightly closer together. It's like the entire world is shut off, and it's just us. Everything seems quiet and I can only hear the wind in my ears and feel my hand holding Reki's and my feet on the board...

"Uh, I think we just went past my house..."

I snap out of it.

"Oh."

As we attempt to stop the fast-moving skateboards, to say we fall is an understatement.

We stumble onto the grass, boards flying away in different directions, but I'm too happy and adrenaline filled for it to hurt much, though it probably will tomorrow.

I scramble up onto my hands and knees, crawling over to check if my skating partner is alright, and I know he is as he starts laughing. I lie down next to him and find myself laughing too. 

"That was really smart of us..." I gasp through the laughter.

"Yep," the redhead replies, "got distracted, there."

I sit up, wanting to hit myself for the question on my mind.

"Distracted by what?"

He looks away from me, and instead stares at the grass.

"You." He says quietly.

"Oh."

I don't really know what else to say.

"It's cold, let's get home." Reki says abruptly.

"Yeah, lets." I reply, speaking as soon as he has finished his sentence as to avoid an awkward silence.

We get back to my friend's house.

"So, we have to do this for a month?" I ask, expecting him to slam the door in my face.

"That's what Joe said? Maybe we'll be able to convince him otherwise. I get it if you don't want to pretend..."

"No, it's fine with me." I interrupt, perhaps too quickly.

"Oh, well, it's an okay from me too." Reki says.

I look at him, slightly surprised.

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Langa... and I'll hold your hand again."

I don't skate home, instead I walk, feeling like I'm the main character in a cheesy musical.

Reki held my hand.

He said he'd be alright with pretending to be my boyfriend.

He got distracted by me!

I listen to the happiest music I can find as I walk the mostly darkened journey.

When I get there, I fling the front door open excitedly, calling out greetings to my mother.

"Hi, Dad, love you!" I smile, greeting the family portrait of my parents and me by the door.

I practically skip into the kitchen. 

"You're in an alarmingly good mood!" Mum remarks, leaning against the bench. I hug her and kiss the top of her head before I leave the room.

"Just a good day."