Renga

If it were your last day

Langa tilted his head back, eyes closed, smiling against the warm sunlight streaming in through the open door of rekis garage. Summer was his new favorite season. He had decided only moments ago as the sun had warmed his back as he watched rekis freckles dance across his features, even more dark and numerous than before, "Reki?" Langas mouth moved before his mind fully processed the words clumsily spilling from his lips, "did you..." He squinted at reki for a moment before continuing, "did you always have so many freckles?"

Reki cackled and almost toppled from the stool he was perched on, "I get more in the summer time," he explained after he righted himself and adjusted his headband, unintentionally ruffling his crimson curls.

Langa leaned further against the work table, his head resting on one of his palms as he continued staring. He furrowed his brows slightly, "but why? How do they get there?" He looked genuinely confused.

Reki looked incredulous for a moment before he thought about it and realized he didn't really know either, "I'm not sure, it just happens, Langa," he chuckled softly at the end of his name.

Langa had been pretty much satisfied by this answer. He was just happy to be here in the afternoon sun with reki, watching the fading light caress rekis freckles one last time before dusk. It would be okay, reki wore evidence of the summer sun on his cheeks in the form of adorable summer freckles, and langa was oh so in love. In love with summer of course. Yeah. Summer.

Reki cocked his head sideways, causing his headband to slip just a bit. Rekis eyes flicked upward as if he could see it, (he couldnt, he's just goofy) and fixed it before returning his gaze to langas, "whatcha thinking?"

Langa was jerked out of his daze by rekis hand waving in front of his face, "langa, hello, you in there?" He rapped his knuckles gently on langas forehead, still wearing that giddy sideways grin that made langas heart feel like it had suddenly caught fire.

"Wha—huh?" Langa responded, trying to remember what they'd been talking about. He clasped his hands together in front of him, "could you repeat that?" He smiled a little to let reki know he hadn't meant to ignore him.

Reki leaned forward slightly on his stool, he couldn't help it. He wanted langas attention, "I just wanted to know what you were thinking so hard about? Looked like you might spontaneously combust or something."

Langa shook his head a little too hard, and then, "no i uh," and he didn't know what to say because he couldn't say what he really had been thinking, no those words had never been said aloud, let alone to reki. But it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore, "I was just thinking about your freckles," he blushed furiously. There. That was true enough.

Reki just rolled his eyes and shot him a signature reki grin, "so can we do something else now? The boards need to set anyway."

"Yeah," Langa bobbed his head, smiling in rekis direction just because he liked the feeling.   

The boys went from working in the garage in the hot afternoon sun, to sprawling about rekis living room in the dimness of the falling night.  The girls had gone to sleep just moments before and rekis mom had busied herself cleaning up dinner before she too went to bed. 

"Don't stay up too late boys, okay?" She said as she headed down the hall.

"Kay, mom!" Reki reponded jubilantly. 

"Hey Reki?" Langa began.

"Hm?"

"I was wondering," he blurted, "say tomorrow was your last day on earth.  What would you do with your last day?" 

"I suppose I'd probably skate," reki replied, without thought, "although, I wouldn't want to skate alone on my last day alive.  You'd have to come too."