CHAPTER EIGHT
ONE day quickly turned into thirty days and kihyun wondered when he'd see changkyun again.
if he would ever see him again.
it was silly, thinking that changkyun wouldn't come back to the skating rink, when the boy had already expressed how passionate he was about the sport. besides, before kihyun left changkyun that night at the hospital a few weeks ago, the boy said see you later. but maybe those words were the silly thing he kept holding on to.
kihyun let out an exasperated sigh, leaning his chin on the back of his hand that was holding the tip on the mop. he wanted his mind to stop blabbering, stop tormenting him. changkyun would be back, he kept telling himself. yet, as his gaze lingered on the double doors of the arena each night, not a single soul walked through them. well, one did, but that was just his manager, and they only wanted to talk to kihyun about the report on nayoung's injury.
after spending way too much time on mopping the same spot of the floor, kihyun headed behind the counter, eyeing the skates.
quickly, he grabbed his size shoe, as if doing it fast made him feel less guilty for what he was about to do. no one was around and it was extremely unlikely anyone would be arriving at the rink, considering it was already past midnight.
he tied the laces up, took in a few deep breathes, then stepped onto the ice.
carefully, really carefully, kihyun put his right foot on the ice first. his grip on the railing was firm, but as he put his left foot down next, his grasp tightened.
a part of him - a gigantic part - wished changkyun was right by his side. the boy would probably be chuckling, maybe even cringing, at how terrible kihyun's attempt at skating was. he could barely even move his skates across the ice. kihyun shuffled the bladed boots a few inches, still holding onto the wall for dear life. he almost laughed at his own self, just thinking about how changkyun would react knowing he was super clumsy.
but he already knew that. the one incident which involved spilling over a whole bucket of water explained it all.
once kihyun felt like he found a steady balance, he gradually let go of the railing. he held out his arms, kind of swinging them through the air. it probably looked like he was swimming, just minus actually being in the water part. trying to remember how changkyun skated, kihyun attempted gliding his boots over the ice.
although, within about two seconds, he fell down to the cold ground.
"that's it," he huffed, beginning to pull himself across the ice. "i'm never skating ever again."
it was a lie. kihyun knew it was. because if changkyun ever came back to the rink and offered him help with skating, he would probably say yes before the boy even finished the sentence.
maybe kihyun did miss changkyun a bit too much.
putting the skates back into their correct slot, kihyun flopped down onto the chair behind the counter, making it spin in circles. he leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, thinking of a way to contact changkyun- he realized there was none. after all, the boy said his phone was broken. which he believed. so, it wasn't like he could simply call him.
kicking the edge of the counter with a little bit of force, kihyun spun around in the chair faster.
maybe i should ask nayoung, he thought. a cold shiver ran down his spine just imagining how much the girl would tease him, saying that he had a crush on her 'sweet, baby cousin'.
it wasn't entirely wrong - it was very much the truth - but he didn't want to hear those words, especially when his own brain kept perceiving him; saying changkyun would never feel the same way. that wasn't important right now, kihyun just needed to push those feelings down. yet for some completely strange reason, his heart felt like it was filled with helium, constantly rising and reminding him of changkyun. it wouldn't stop, sink, or leave him alone. it was always there.
"screw it," he said aloud, searching for his phone in his pocket.
he scrolled down to nayoung's contact in his phone, finger hovering over the girl's name. it was weird having her number- after knowing each other for four months, they had never texted or called.
quickly typing a message, he sent it, feeling his heart beat faster and faster.
within a matter of moments, the girl replied, saying that she and changkyun would be back at the rink tomorrow night. immediately, kihyun fist bumped the air, then almost instantly brought his hand down, clutching it close to his chest. he scanned the area, making sure no one was around to see him do that, even though the place was empty.
"one more night," he grinned.
