unexpected romance | henyang

skateboarding

later that afternoon, at 6pm yangyang wanted to go skateboarding with hendery like they used to on fridays in the past when hendery was also an uni student. so he went to the older's homemade office and asked.

hendery was sitting at his desk, hunched over his laptop. he looked up when he heard the knock, his brow furrowed in slight confusion. 'yangyang? what's up?'

'it's friday,' yangyang said, a playful smirk on his face. 'and you know what that means.'

hendery's eyes widened. 'oh, come on. you know i can't just ditch my work like that.'

yangyang rolled his eyes. 'it's not like you're saving lives here. besides, it's been ages since we last skated together. come on, hendery, it'll be fun.'

hendery sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist yangyang's puppy dog eyes. 'fine,' he said, pushing himself away from the desk. 'but we're only going for an hour. i have things to finish tonight.'

yangyang grinned, 'deal.'

they both went upstairs to change. yangyang was already in his usual skater boy attire: a loose, ripped denim jacket over a black t-shirt, baggy grey sweatpants and his trusty pair of Vans. hendery took a little longer, choosing a comfortable pair of jeans, a printed sweatshirt with a band logo he didn't recognize, and his beat-up converse. he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a vintage photo.

they arrived at the park just as the sun was beginning to set. the sky was a blaze of fiery orange and purple, casting long shadows across the paved paths. the park was surprisingly empty for a friday night, giving them the entire space to themselves.

'i still can't believe you used to skateboard with me every friday,' hendery said, as he placed his board on the ground, laughing.

yangyang chuckled. "you were such a good skater! you know, you could still be really good if you practiced."

hendery scoffed. 'you're overestimating my skills, yangyang. i'm a washed-up skater now. i'd probably end up with a sprained ankle.'

yangyang shook his head, "come on, don't be such a wimp. let's see what you got.'

and they started, the sound of their boards rolling across the smooth concrete filled the air.yangyang, as always, was a natural. he effortlessly zipped around the park, pulling off tricks with ease. hendery, on the other hand, was a little rusty. he kept tripping over his feet, almost losing his balance every other minute.

yangyang couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head as hendery struggled, "you can't really call yourself a skater if you can't even do an ollie."

with a sigh, hendery replied, 'i'm trying, alright? but you're making me nervous.'

yangyang stopped skating and walked over to hendery. 'i'm just teasing you, you know i'm proud of you just for attempting it.'

'well then, you better be proud. i'm about to do an ollie, mark my words,' hendery said, putting his board back on to the ground.

he took a deep breath, stepped on his board, and pushed off with his foot. he wobbled for a second, but then he leaped, catching the board with his foot and lifting it into the air. He landed perfectly on the ground, grinning triumphantly.

'see? i told you!'

yangyang clapped his hands together, "oh my god, yes! i'm so proud of you! that was amazing!'

hendery beamed. 'i told you i could do it.'

they continued to skate for another hour, until the sky was completely dark, and the stars were twinkling above them. they finally ended their session with sore legs and goofy smiles.

"i haven't had this much fun in ages, " hendery admitted, as he slumped down beside yangyang on the ground.

yangyang looked up at the sky. "me too," he agreed, "the stars are so beautiful tonight."

'they are,' hendery said. 'It's funny how you can see the same stars every night, but they look different depending on the day."

yangyang looked at him, a faint smile on his lips. "yeah," he said softly. 'and it's not even the stars, but the way you see them that changes, the way you feel when you see them," he finished, looking back at the night sky.

hendery looked at yangyang's profile, his eyes shining in the dim light of the moon, "it's true, " he said, "it's like everything's always changing, but some things stay the same. like our friendship."

the younger frowned, "yeah, like our friendship."

they stayed there for a long time, just lying on the ground, watching the stars. the silence between them wasn't awkward, it was comfortable, familiar. they didn't need to say anything to understand exactly how the other felt.

the night was young, and the stars seemed to sparkle brighter than ever. yangyang glanced at the older, seeing a contentment in his eyes that he rarely saw. they both knew that this was something special. a simple moment, a shared memory, a moment in time that they'd both keep close to their hearts, a reminder of a friendship that had withstood the test of time and found its way back to itself.

'hey, wanna buy some food? i'm kinda lazy to make dinner.' hendery asked.