𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝙴𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚘 - 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝙴𝚢𝚎𝚜!

1. The night of his absence. The absence of his eyes.

He grabbed the black skateboard as I scanned through the Braille skating park. It was so empty and quiet and familiar but unfamiliar at the same time. And he was so quiet, moving with his own pace that I just silently followed him through the beige ramps. I used to be into skating a few grades down; I wanted to learn back then but just never got the chance as I only watched my friends. Now he dragged me out here to 'teach me the basics'. It feels bittersweet and useless because he leaves Thursday and it's Monday, and he thinks we can get the basics in by one session — what the fuck am I going to learn in one session? I mean what's the point in even starting now since I'm almost 16 and barely have free time, not considering the fact that none of the group skates anymore.

We stepped over a big ramp and I paused dead in my track, the big beautiful spread of orange red peaked over the Oak trees a mile out. It was a September afternoon and golden hour spread over AstraWood Village like it was gold. I could see Moonvale all the way down the hill — Mr and Mrs Kooks local store I help out at a few times a week. It was squeezed in with the other little local village stores. AstraWood was full of trees, and gardens are all over the village. The entire village decorates all over, for every holiday, and Autumn was definitely spread out over every inch of AstraWood.

I immediately looked down at the feel of his fingers curling through mine, and he pulled me up on a ramp twice my 5'4 and half ass. He jumped down and walked away to the sidewalk to drop off his gym bag. It wasn't no secret that I was terrified of heights, so I thought he was just gonna wait for me to slowly jump down but as I sat over the edge first, filled with fear looking down at the ground literally 5 feet down, it was embarrassing, I suddenly see him walking back towards me. "Alright!" He wrapped his hands around my waist, alerting every cell in my body to be aware of his touch for no reason. I was still a little taken back at the fact that he even came back to help but I still shamelessly leaned forward to grab his built shoulders for dear life. He smelled like expensive cologne with hidden irresistible notes; his dark brown curls were a perfect mess over his forehead and the golden hour spread gorgeously over his tan skin, making him look flawless.

He licked his bottom lip focusing behind him before I felt a very light whoosh and I was up in the air, too easily for my liking. We did a complete turn, the slight wind sending my long wavy curls over my shoulder and onto him before my feet touched the sweet, safe ground again.

~

"Ok." He dropped the skateboard in front of me and I slowly pulled my lips back from my blue raspberry slushy as panic and confusion shivered down my spine. What?

"Wave, get on!" He head-hinted me towards the skateboard, his hands shoved in his pockets.

... "... No." I almost chuckled in disbelieve before taking another sip of my slushy. His face fell plain, at both me and my damn slushy as if he couldn't believe me but he couldn't possibly just except me to get on the damn skateboard? — He quickly walked towards me before stretching out his hand for me to grab for balance — He didn't understand that the wheels would literally immediately start rolling the second I step on it, I have no experience.

"It's getting dark." He growled.
"I'm not going first." I said flat out, absolutely terrified.
His ocean eyes had turned to such a sharp vibrate shade of blue under the orange-red sunset, I swear they were the only thing visible on his face.
He looked at me as if he knew I would chicken out the moment we start and he was just painfully right.

"I wanna watch first.. anyway!" I say quiet but reassuringly as I took a seat on the sidewalk. It wasn't okay. I already knew I wasn't gonna be able to get on that board with those free-will wheels and he seemed too irritated to handle to argue with so we could just go home... so I took a comfortable seat on the side walk, watching him with my slushy I convinced him to get on the way from our local Frost~vale. He didn't get one. He just stood there and was in a good enough mood to pay while I went to do my business in their cute little bathroom. I told him to at least look over the menu just in case he did find something he wanted. He didn't; he just paid straight after I was gone.