Hands In The Stars

4. The Road To Your Heart

Datui and Ai made their way down the streets of Changchun and towards Datui's house after a long day of studying. The damp summer air warmed their backs as they chatted quietly along the way. The chit-chatter of the couple slowly stopped as they looked around at the still mostly abandoned houses surrounding Datui's parent's house. A gloomy aura always hung over these small cabins. Some, completely devoid of people, still like death, other's way too overcrowded. Ai stopped right outside the yard and watched as Datui opened up the front door. With one foot inside the hallway he turned to her.

"Aren't you coming in for a second?" Datui asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched Ai slowly shake her head in response. She simply turned her gaze upon something else, and Datui sighed, stepping deeper into the hall. He struggled to avoid tripping over the excited dog that circled his legs.
"Well, whatever you say then. Or more like- Whatever you don't say." He chuckled with satisfaction, digging his hand into the pocket of his father's jackets, pulling out the thick leather wallet. The door behind him slowly began to blow shut by the outside breeze. Datui threw down his school bag onto the floor and looked around the hallway for a second. His eyes landed on the small black shoulder bag and he tucked the wallet into it. With the nag over his shoulder he caught the glimpse of his somewhat messy hair in the mirror hanging on the brown hallway wall. He quickly ran his slim fingers through the strands and looked himself up and down. Satisfied, he grabbed the keys for his scooter and two helmets from a shelf and made his way back outside, slamming the door shut behind him. His eyes quickly spotted the short black haired girl kneeling down on the grass, watching a small bird sitting not far away from her.

"You're so small mister... And so round..." Ai quietly whispered, not taking notice of Datui's presence. Datui looked at the two with a confused expression for a few seconds before he slowly walked up beside Ai, causing the bird to fly away and eventually disappear behind the many buildings. Ai let out a quiet, disappointed sigh.
"Hey, girl." He finally caught her attention, her dark eyes looking up at him. "Put this on." He demanded. Datui held out one of the helmets down towards his friend.
"Huh?" Ai mumbled, looking at him for a moment. She turned her attention to the helmet in his hand as she slowly began to get up from the grass. Reaching her thin hands out, she grabbed it. The glossy red paint reflected the sunshine from above. Her eyes turned back up to Datui, confused.
"Why? We- uh, we are not going on that scooter now, are we..? Wha- are we even allowed to? What if the military... You know" She asked, a bit concerned.
"No, it's fine Ai! I got my certificate and ID for it. As long as you also have your ID on you we should be fine. Come on, live a little, it will be good for you." Datui chuckled. Ai nodded as Datui turned his heel and began to make his way over to the scooter. He put his own helmet down onto the seat and tied his long hair up into a loose bun. "Come on now, hurry up and put it on so we can leave already." He added, sliding his helmet on and seating himself onto the vehicle.

Ai took a minute to process what he had just told her before she nodded and put the helmet down onto the cold, damp grass. She walked up to Datui, gently grabbing onto his fist. With care, she pulled off one of the many black hairbands he had around his wrists.
"Thank you!" She said as she took a few steps back and tied her long hair into a low tail. She looked at him and smiled a bit at his flustered expression before she picked the helmet back up and put it on, making sure it sat right.
"Well, ready then?" Datui asked, feeling Ai struggling to get up for a second, then finally settling. She wrapped her thin arms around him and leaning in as close as their big helmets would allow. Datui smirked to himself as he felt the short girl's body against his back, and he turned on the vehicle
"You could... Consider this a date, Ai."

*

Reaching the big city, Datui struggled to find somewhere to park. Once they had settled and locked up, Datui let his long hair out and ran his fingers through it a few times, trying to untangle some of the worst knots. 
"So, what do you want to do first?" Datui asked with a small smile once he was finally done combing out his hair with his long fingers, only to put it back up into another loose bun. "We got all night on us, I don't have to be home until, uh, never, so the night's all yours."
"Ah, I don't know, I thought you had a plan..? I don't really mind anything. As long as you're having fun, so am I." Ai told him. "But we can go through the shopping mall if you'd like, I know you usually have fun there." She continued with a soft voice, stretching out and hearing her joints crack a bit. 
"Oh, well I don't have a plan, it's more fun if we figure sometthing together." Datui watched the short girl with a small smile. "How about we go get something to eat first, before checking out the mall. There's apparently some big sale right now on the entire summer selection in town, it will probably be hella crowded. We might not get any food at all if we don't go now." He told Ai, grabbing her hand and starting to slowly walk towards the big city street. "What about that western restaurant? My dad took me there once and they have really cool stuff!"