Will you marry me - Our Memories Together Part 1
As it turned out, Aiba had graduated from becoming his roommate to his neighbour. Aiba’s boyfriend, Sakurai Sho, lived in the same apartment building as Ohno but on a different floor. When Nino told his best friend about his new apartment, Aiba was ecstatic to learn they would live nearby. Well, it was good news for Nino too since it made moving out from their current apartment easier. They could just rent the same lorry to carry their stuff to the new place.
Nino moved into Ohno’s apartment on the last day of the month. Since he would start paying the rent for the next month, he had asked his new roommate if he should pay extra. But, the man just brushed him off, saying it was totally fine as long as Nino treated him for lunch or dinner once he had settled down. That seemed reasonable so Nino agreed.
Not only generous, but Ohno was also helpful. On the day Nino moved in, Ohno had helped him carry the boxes. And, while Nino unpacked his stuff in the room, Ohno prepared another surprise for him.
"Hmm, Ninomiya-san," a hesitant voice sounded outside the door when Nino decided he had done enough unpacking for the day. The rest would have to wait.
Without wasting any seconds, Nino hurried to answer the door, wondering why the man was looking for him. Did he perhaps make a lot of noise while unpacking, thus, bothering the man? He hoped not.
“Yes, Ohno-san,” said Nino as he opened the door. “Is something wrong?”
“Ah… no,” Ohno shook his head. “Hmm… let’s eat. I make curry for you,”
Well, he didn’t expect that. But, it was not a surprise. Since he met the guy, Ohno had been nice to him. Sometimes, he just thought that Ohno was too good to be true. But, he could feel the man’s sincerity so he refused to think ill of his new roommate.
He was hungry so of course, he wouldn’t refuse the food. Besides, it was free. But, he couldn’t deny that it put quite a pressure on him to think of what to do for Ohno later.
Anyway, before he could agree to eat with Ohno, his phone suddenly rang. He excused himself to answer the phone, feeling excited to see it was Aiba who called him.
“Hello, Aibaka!” he greeted his friend cheerfully.
“Geez, stop calling me that!” scolded Aiba. “Nino-chan, are you hungry? Let’s have an early dinner. It is Sho-chan’s treat. I’m on my way to your new house. Your new roommate can come too,”
Aiba ended the call before Nino could say anything. Worse, the sound of the doorbell echoed in the house. That must be Aiba, thought Nino. He was certain that Aiba only remembered to call to inform Nino that he would be coming when he was just a few steps from the house. If it was indeed Aiba, this would mean Nino had violated a rule set by Ohno, which was to notify his roommate if he had a guest coming.
Ohno went to answer the door before he could stop his new roommate. A cheerful voice outside indicated that his worry wasn’t baseless. It was indeed Aiba.
“Hello, you must be Ohno-san,” greeted Aiba. “I’m Aiba-chan, Nino-chan’s friend,”
The reply that came from Ohno was too soft for him to hear. Whatever it was, he had to move faster. Hopefully, this mistake won’t make Ohno throw him out of the house.
“Sorry, Ohno-san,” He quickly apologized to Ohno. “I know I should notify you if I have a guest but this baka only let me know just now. He won’t stay, I promise you. He just wants to bring me out for dinner,”
“Oh…” said Ohno. He seemed disappointed and at first, Nino didn’t understand why until he remembered the man had made curry for him. Knowing that it was ungrateful of him if he didn’t eat the meals that Ohno prepared for him, he quickly added.
“But, I won’t go…”
“You won’t go?” Interrupted Aiba before Nino could finish what he wanted to say. “Come on, Nino-chan. You must be hungry. I bet you haven’t eaten anything since morning. Besides, you don’t have to spend any penny. It’s on Sho-chan,”
Now that his friend mentioned the name again, Nino realized that Aiba wasn’t alone. His boyfriend, Sakurai Sho was with him. Nino had met the guy a few times before but they aren’t close.
“Geez, Aibaka… could you let me finish first?” chided Nino. “I don’t want to go with you because Ohno-san makes curry for me. I want to eat curry with him instead of going out with you,”
“Oh…” said Aiba, nodding his head a few times. “Sounds delicious,”
“You can join us if you want,” said Ohno. He looked happier this time. “I made plenty so I think it will be enough for all of us,”
“Eh?” said Aiba. Even Nino was surprised. He thought Ohno didn’t like company. “Are you sure?”
With a smile and a nod from Ohno, Aiba shamelessly invited himself inside the house, dragging the reluctant Sho with him.
Even though Ohno and Sho had been living in the same building for quite some time, this was the first time they talked. Of course, they had bumped into each other in the elevator or the gym. But, they merely nodded as a way of greeting at those times.
Aiba was too nosey, asking a lot of questions to Ohno during dinner. But, Nino wasn’t mad at his friends. Those questions allowed him to know more about his new roommate. From the conversations, he found out that Ohno worked as a book illustrator. The job allowed him to work from home. He might need to go out for meetings or ideas sometimes but most of the time, he won’t have to do so thanks to the internet.
Strangely, while his job made him stay inside, his hobby and interest brought him out. Ohno enjoyed camping and fishing. His love for dessert and pastry demanded him to go cafe hopping to taste delicious sweets. Upon hearing that, Aiba beamed with happiness.
“Let’s do it together!” exclaimed Aiba. “I also love sweets. It will be more fun if I have a partner to do it,”
And, Ohno easily agreed to the suggestion. The two of them seemed to be getting along. Well, it made Nino feel happy to see it.
“I’m sorry for Aiba-chan,” said Nino when it was just the two of them in the house. “He is noisy and shameless,”
“It’s okay,” responded Ohno. “He is nice and kind. I like him,”
“Hmmm…” Nino was hesitant to continue. But, he thought he should address this issue. “Are you mad at me?”
“Huh? Why would I be mad at you?”
“I violated two of your conditions today,” answered Nino. When Ohno looked at him in confusion, he elaborated. “First, I have a guest without notifying you. Second… well… because of my guest, we had a party. But, don’t worry. He is the only close friend I have. So, I think he will be the only one who comes here. And, Sho-chan too. Since those two are always together,”
His explanation earned him a chuckle.
“I’m sure what we did just now was not a party,” said Ohno. “It’s okay, Nino-chan… sorry, I mean, Ninomiya-san,”
“You can call me Nino-chan if you want,” said Nino. “In return, can I call you Ohchan?”
“Of course, you can,” said Ohno, smiling brightly at him. “Anyway, about the rules, I think it was unfair of me to make them. This house is yours as much as it is mine. You can have a guest whenever you want. I understand sometimes it just happens. You cannot notify me in advance because sometimes people just like to make a surprise. What happens today is the perfect example, right?”
Nino nodded his head, agreeing with what Ohno said. “You are too nice to me,”
“Hmm… well, this is the first time I am actually comfortable with my roommate. I don’t want to lose you so that’s why I try to make you happy living here,”
“It’s too early to decide since we have just started living together. But, promise me, if I ever do anything that makes you unhappy, please let me know,”
“Of course, I will,” promised Ohno. “Anyway, I get you a housewarming gift,”
Ohno took out a plastic bag from the drawer and handed it to Nino. Frowning, Nino took the bag from Ohno, wondering what it was. He didn’t expect it to be an apron. It was a yellow apron with blue hearts all over the surface. Seemed like he had seen something similar before this. That was when his eyes noticed the apron in the kitchen. It was similar to the one he had in his hand. Unlike his apron, the apron in the kitchen was blue and covered with yellow hearts.
“Is that yours?” asked Nino, pointing at the apron.
“Uh-huh,” Ohno nodded. “I think it’s cute so I bought one for each of us,”
“This would make us look like a couple,”
“Hmm… a couple of weirdos, I guess,”
“You’re the weirdo. I am normal,”
“Nope, I think both of us are weirdos,”
Nino had a smile on his face as he thought of his first day in the house. The apron that Ohno gave him was still in the kitchen, as well as Ohno’s. For the past five years, they had cooked together numerous times, wearing matching aprons. As he thought, Aiba often teased him for wearing it because it made him and Ohno looked like a couple. He wanted to see the look on Aiba’s face when he found out about their upcoming wedding. They would be a real couple after this.
“Nino, aren’t you sleepy?” Looked like Ohno had woken up. “Why are you smiling like an idiot?”
“Nothing,” said Nino. “I was just thinking about my first day living here. Can’t believe it has been five years,”
“Hmmm… can’t believe it either. Hey, do you still remember the first time you met Matsujun?”
Nino nodded as the memory came to him.