Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 35

(Y/n)'s POV

I breathed in the fresh, salt-sprayed air once we arrived. It was different from the perfumed city atmosphere, leaving a refreshing aroma of nature. Seeing the look on Reki's face, I knew what he was thinking.

The two of us were gliding away on our skateboards, the others following suit whilst Shadow was left behind with all the bags and luggage. A wide grin graced my face as I accelerated and pushed harder.

"Why are you naked?" Miya asked.
"To get tanned. The ladies like it," replied Joe.

I glanced at the green-haired male, who was indeed boasting his muscles. A sigh left my lips, my head shaking at his behaviour. It wasn't until I heard Miya's next comment that I took the time to look at Cherry.

"Why do you have a parasol?"
"I don't want to get sunburned," Cherry stated.
"Geez, you guys are like polar opposites. Sometimes I wonder how you're friends."
"Deep down, he knows he likes my presence," Joe joked.
"You're really getting on my nerves," commented Cherry.

Shadow suddenly honked the horn, yelling at the adults to take a turn driving. I laughed, seeing his irritated expression, the frown pulling at his lips. Neither Cherry nor Joe made a move to stop.

"Oi adult, he's talking to you," said Cherry.
"I'm not an adult. Right now, I'm a boy," Joe replied.

He grinned and raced to perform a trick over the giant slab of rock in the middle of the path. I swerved to the side to avoid his landing, seeing as how I was in front of him.

"Whoa, how did you do that trick?" asked Reki.
"It's all about the feeling," Joe exclaimed.
"Well, did your 'feeling' not sense I was there?"
"Nah, I trusted you'd move."

I rolled my eyes when he flashed a wink my way. Horror plastered itself on my face as he leant closer with his hands reaching for my head. Instinctively, I covered my hair and sped around the corner, all the while peeking through my hands.

Joe whistled in surprise, yet a smile stretched his mouth nonetheless. Reki gave me an encouraging pat on the back while I remained unsure of what everyone was so surprised about. Miya heaved a sigh and took the effort to explain.

"You passed that corner practically with your eyes closed and your hands covering your head. How'd you do that?" he said.
"Instinct? Practice?"
"You're helpless."
"Thank you."
"Beach!" Langa suddenly exclaimed.

We turned to see the glistening ocean caressing the golden sand in the distance. Our blue-haired friend seemed overly excited to witness the sea that was welcoming us with open arms. I didn't feel particularly different about it though.

Langa was running towards the ocean, with the rest of us trailing after him. I dipped my feet into the warm sand after removing my shoes, funnelling in deep. I had never found the beach interesting enough to visit on a regular basis, instead preferring the skateparks and city streets.

"He's lived in the mountains all his life," Reki exclaimed.
"I guess that would explain his unusual excitement," replied Cherry.

The others were in their swimmers and rushing towards the water, aside from Cherry. He had set up an umbrella to block the sun from tanning his skin. A sigh left my lips before I went to dump my stuff beside him.

"You not gonna swim?" he asked.
"I will. Give a girl some time to change, will you?"

I stripped out of my shorts and top, putting them away in my bag. I had already put on my (f/c) bikini beforehand, knowing the boys would rush to the beach as soon as they arrived.

"Sure took a while to strip," Cherry deadpanned.
"Alright alright, I'll leave you in peace."

Reki was eagerly waving me over after pushing Langa in. A smile graced my face, my feet already moving towards my friends. Shadow suddenly jumped up from beneath the surface of the ocean, scaring me so much that I jumped only to be caught by a laughing Reki.

"You were in on this? Idiot!"
"*laughs* Your face was priceless!" he exclaimed.
"Tch, just wait till I get you back for that."

His feet slipped, caused by his contagious laughter. The ocean seemed to swallow us whole, drowning us in a vacuum of blue. I immediately came back up and gasped for air, pushing the still laughing Reki away from my sight.

Featherlight fingers brushed hair away from my eyes, startling me as I realised I had fallen right beside Langa, who seemed to have been knocked back down when Reki slipped.

Shadow had gone to pick up Miya, who was growling and clawing at him like a feral cat. He happily threw the boy into the water after Langa hurriedly dragged me away from the point of impact.

"Did you two form a team or something? Stop dragging everyone into the water!"
"Yeah, unless you wanna experience that for yourself," added Miya.
"Come on, it was just a bit of fun," Reki retorted.

I rolled my eyes, hiding the smile that had slipped onto my face before heading back to the shade where Cherry still remained. Within a split second, his drink was in my hand and going down my throat.

"That was the only bottle I had," he exclaimed in irritation.
"Then run along and buy some more."
"*sigh* And just why should I do that?"

I stood up, my body still dripping wet from my dip in the ocean. He realised my intention and sat up, his look daring me to get water on his clothes. I grinned and sat back down, hearing his sigh of relief.

"Aren't you gonna get Reki back for that?" he asked.
"Later. What about you? Not swimming?"
"No."
"I'm sure if we cover your body with loads of sunscreen, you won't tan or get sunburnt."
"Very funny."
"I'll get Kojiro- wait, isn't that girl the Ruka lookalike we saw last time?"

We both turned our gazes to the girl who was walking towards our group of friends. She neared Langa, tilting her head to peer at him curiously. A strange ache in my chest blossomed as she unexpectedly grabbed his hand and pulled him to play in the sea. I frowned.