The sidewalk outside the restaurant was buzzing with people when Langa parked his moped on the side of the road, pausing to glance up at the evening sky. Behind him, Reki took off his helmet, shaking out his hair, and Langa squeezed the handlebars, because Reki's body was so warm when they sat together on the moped like this. Reki always hugged him around the waist to keep his balance, and Langa wasn't ready for that part of the night to end.
"Ready?" asked Reki, when Langa glanced over his shoulder, Reki was grinning so wide his cheeks were round. Langa squeezed the handlebars more tightly. It was such a lively night, couples and families walking by and laughing, and maybe if things were different, Langa and Reki could hold hands as they walked into the restaurant, cramming into a booth so small their knees would press together. Langa had always wanted to know what it would be like to go on a date with Reki. He knew he would probably be too awe-struck to say much, he would just sit there and stare, and maybe Reki would be nervous, too, maybe he'd fumble with his water and laugh too much and get all sweaty.
Langa shook himself, trying to get rid of the fantasy, and Reki leaned forward and unclipped Langa's helmet.
"Don't zone out on me already, man," he said, affectionately, ruffling Langa's hair with his warm, warm hand. "The night is young."
Langa swallowed and nodded. Reki paused, looking at him, still smiling, but then the smile faded a bit and he raised his eyebrows.
"You good?" Reki asked, and Langa wanted to lie, but when he cleared his throat the only thing he could manage was,
"Um, it's kinda..."
"Are you nervous?"
Langa nodded, relieved. Reki scrunched up his face, sympathetic, and then he tucked Langa's hair behind his ear. Around them the night was alive with sounds, car doors slamming, but when Reki touched his ear the only thing Langa could focus on were his eyes: big and brown and caring.
"You don't have to be nervous," said Reki, but Langa knew that he understood, and it made his heart squeeze. Even when Reki let his hand fall, their legs were still pressed together on the moped, and Reki hadn't moved to climb off. "Are you worried about the language thing?"
Langa hesitated. "Sort of," he said, even though it wasn't the only thing he was worried about. "Sometimes if a lot of people are talking and...and I don't know how to ask them to repeat themselves, I just go along with whatever they say."
"You shouldn't just go along with it," said Reki, and Langa didn't know how to answer that. They had only come to the mixer because he had gone along with that girl's horrible invitation, but he didn't wanna tell Reki that, and after a pause Reki clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Even through the fabric Langa could feel the bony bump of the finger Reki had broken twice in the same place. "Do you want me to order for you?" Reki asked. "Will that help?"
Langa fiddled with the handlebars. "Yes, please," he said, even though he knew how to order his own food. It was just nice, that Reki would think to do something like that for him, and he wanted to sit at the table with Reki's arm over his shoulders, while Reki chatted with the waiter before ordering for both of them. Sometimes he felt like he belonged to Reki, somehow. "Thanks."
"No problem, dude," said Reki. He scrambled off the moped, leaving Langa's back cold, and Langa stuffed the key in his pocket as he stood up slowly, trying to stall. A couple of guys walked past the storefronts holding hands, heads bent together in laughter, and for a moment Langa's stomach clenched, afraid that Reki would notice and say something.
But Reki just grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the entrance, hopping over the curb. "Man, I'm nervous too!" he said, even though he didn't sound nervous to Langa. "But also excited. Hey, is there anyone in particular you wanna sit next to?"
