Message from You - Part 2
Not long after that, his birthday and also the day for hiking had arrived. He was looking forward to celebrate his birthday with his friends. It was the first time for him to do so because he usually celebrates it with his parents. However, his parents weren’t in Tokyo right now. They were both in New York for a vacation. They already called him early in the morning to wish him happy birthday and apologized for not being here to celebrate it with him. He just shrugged them off, telling them to enjoy their vacation.
When he arrived at their meeting spot, there was only Nino. Both of them regarded each other with a nod. It was awkward to be left alone with Nino. He hoped Aiba and Sho will arrive quickly.
He took out his phone when it rang. It was Sho.
“Hello.” He greeted his friend. “Where are you?”
Hearing what he said, Nino moved closer to him. Maybe he knew the call was from Sho.
“Satoshi!” Sho seemed to be in panic, making Ohno worried. “Masaki is sick. I’m really sorry but we cannot go out with you today.”
“Ah…” Ohno didn’t know what to say. He had been looking forward so much for this. Now, he had to spend his birthday alone. “It’s okay. Tell Aiba chan to rest properly. I hope he will get well soon.”
“I’m really sorry, Satoshi.” Sho said once again. “Is Nino there? Please tell him I’m really sorry okay.
“Don’t worry.” Ohno tried to reassure him. “Take care of Aiba chan properly okay.”
He ended the call. Before he could say anything to Nino who had been watching him attentively, the guy beat him to it.
“Is Aiba chan okay?” Nino asked with concern.
“He’s sick.” Ohno informed him. Nino stayed silent for a while. Then, he took out his phone and dialled a number.
"Hello, Sho san. How is Aiba chan?" Nino said. His worried expression was evident.
"Ah, I'll be there in 20 minutes… Eh, it's okay… I could help you… Oh, okay. Call me if anything happens." Nino ended the call. He looked disappointed.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Nino blinked his eyes in surprise, as if he had just remembered Ohno was there.
"Nothing. Sho san said he could take care of Aiba so I don't have to go there." Nino explained. "Well, I should go home."
Nino had only moved a few feet from him when he stopped the guy. Nino's retreating figure looked so dejected. It made him feel that he shouldn't leave the guy alone.
“Yes?” Nino looked at him with a frown. He stayed silent while his hand still holding Nino’s tightly, not knowing why he stopped Nino.
“Since you’re here…” Ohno began, still unsure if he should continue with the crazy plan in his head. “Why don’t we just go there together?”
He found it cute when Nino widened his eyes with surprise. He himself was surprised with what he said. But, he didn’t know why he acted like this. He remembered being annoyed with Jun’s cousin when they were small. But, now, he didn’t feel annoyed at all. Instead, Nino’s presence comforted him even though both of them were awkward to each other.
“Hmmm… I don’t really want to go hiking.” Nino said. At first, Ohno thought Nino had rejected his invitation to go out. But, the way Nino looked at him told him a different story. Nino wanted to go out with him but not for hiking.
“So, where do you want to go?”
“Eh?” Once again, Nino made another surprise look. Ohno smiled, thinking of how adorable he looked. “Is it okay for me to choose? It’s your birthday.”
“Well, if you want me to choose… you will not like my choice.” Ohno informed him. He deduced that Nino didn’t really like to go out based on his conversation with Jun on the phone. Once again, he found it weird. Nino seemed to be quite similar with Jun. Even though Jun never said he didn’t like going out, each time Ohno texted him, he’s usually working or playing games. It's different than Jun that he remembered from his childhood. But, well, people changed, right? Even Nino wasn't as clingy as before. Instead he seemed to prefer isolating himself from other people. It seemed like he only let a few people inside his space.
“You want to go hiking?” Nino asked. Ohno only nodded his head. Nino stayed silent as he thought about it. Well, it didn’t really matter for Ohno. As long as Nino was willing to accompany him on his birthday, he didn’t mind going to whichever places Nino wanted to go.
“Okay, then.” Nino said, surprising him.
“Eh, are you sure? We don’t have to go there if you don’t want.”
“I’m totally okay with it. It’s your birthday, after all.” Nino said. Ohno smiled at him before both of them headed to their destination.
“That was a fun trip.” Nino exclaimed on their way home. Ohno only smiled at Nino. It wasn’t what he had planned but it was still good. As he had expected, Nino didn’t really enjoy outdoor activity. So, instead of climbing, they simply rode a cable car to get up the mountain. Then they simply walked around, going to the food stalls around there and visiting the shrine. They went home without climbing to the summit, deciding that they’ve seen enough.
But, there's something embarrassing happened while they walked together to the shrine. Nino almost fell down when they climbed the stairs together. When he saw that, he quickly wrapped his arms around Nino and pulled the guy closer to save him from falling down. However, as they were too close with each other, he felt that his heart beat faster than usual. His arms refused to cooperate with his brain. To make it worse, Nino didn't even push him away. They continued to embrace while staring into each other's eyes. Thanks to a cough from someone near them, they reluctantly let go of each other. Their cheeks were red. Both of them didn’t talk about it, pretending that it never happened.
“Do you think Sho san will be angry if I call him again to ask about Aiba chan?” Nino asked. Ohno only smiled at him, remembering what had happened earlier.
Nino called Sho from time to time during their trip, asking for Aiba’s condition. He called Sho every 30 minutes. The call had annoyed Sho that he told Nino to stop calling because the call disturb Aiba who was resting. Nino stopped calling him after that but he still looked worried.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Aiba chan is fine.” He assured the other guy. “Sho will take good care of him. He’s a mother hen.”
Nino only smiled in return before he mumbled. “Aiba chan is very lucky.”
“Because of Sho?”
Nino nodded his head and then continued. “Both of them are lucky. They’re each other’s first love.”
Sho never told him anything about his love life so he didn’t know much about his relationship with Aiba. But he knew Aiba was initially Sho’s friend before both of them decided to take their relationship further. He didn’t know Aiba was Sho’s first love. Indeed they’re lucky. Not everyone can be with the first person they love.
“It’s wrong but I envy them for that.” Nino mumbled softly. But, when he noticed Ohno was looking at him, his face turned red. And, the only thing Ohno could think of at that moment was how adorable Nino looked right now. He didn’t want this day to end.
“I’m hungry.” He blurted out without thinking. “Do you want to go and eat with me?”
“You’re still hungry? We ate a lot just now.” Nino said, smiling teasingly at him. He didn’t know how many versions of smile Nino had. But, all the smiles were too cute and adorable. His heart stopped beating each time Nino smiled at him. And all those smiles looked genuine, unlike the smile he had seen during their dinner a week ago.
“At least eat cake with me for my birthday.” He said. Nino only nodded his head with another breathtaking smile.
Nino brought him to a cafe for late lunch that day. He said the cafe belonged to his friend and maybe they will get a discount if they ate there. Furthermore, the food was really good. Ohno simply followed him. He liked to try a new restaurant, after all.
“Welco… Ah, Nino.” The man at the cafe greeted them. He appeared polite at first but when he noticed Nino, his smile was brighter. “You’re not alone today.”
“I never come here alone, senpai.” Nino said as a way of greeting the man.
“Yes, but usually you come here with Matsumoto or Aiba. This is the first time you bring someone else. Who is this?” The man asked. He looked at Ohno curiously.
“This is my friend, Ohno Satoshi. Ohchan, this is my senpai, Kimura Takuya. Before this, we worked at the same company and he was my mentor. But, he decided to resign and open this cafe.” Nino introduced the two of them.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Ohno bowed his head at Kimura who did the same to him.
“Senpai, it’s his birthday today. Can we get a discount?” Nino smiled softly at Kimura. His senpai, on the other hand, gave him a sideways glance before he responded.
“Discount? Nothing else?”
“If it’s possible, can you treat us for lunch today?” Nino winked at his senior. Kimura only laughed loudly.
“I know it.” Kimura exclaimed. “Go and take a seat. I will take your order later.”
“Thank you, senpai.” Nino beamed with happiness as he pulled Ohno to one of the empty seats.
After they took a seat, Ohno looked around the cafe. He liked the atmosphere of the cafe. It’s simple and yet still looked sophisticated.
“You’re going to like the food here. They're really delicious.” Nino said, handing him the menu.
“What would you recommend?”
"Hmmm…" Nino examined the menu. "Better ask senpai. I usually eat the same thing."
The way Nino responded once again reminded him of Jun. Whenever Ohno asked what he ate for lunch, the answer will be the same. Special bento from a convenience store near his office. So, one day Ohno asked if the bento was really delicious. His answer surprised Ohno. He told Ohno that he's a picky eater and the bento was the only one without ingredients that he hated. Furthermore, it's cheap. Looking at the way Nino sneakily asked for a treat from Kimura just now, he wondered if Nino was a cheapskate, just like Jun. But, Jun wanted to buy games for Nino. Was he really a cheapskate, then?
"Then how do you know all the food are good?"
"Because Aiba chan and J have tried all the food. They said they're really delicious."
Ohno was surprised to hear what Nino said. Jun had tried all the food here? It's totally different than the image he had.
But, before he could ask any further, Kimura appeared, ready to take their order.
"The same thing, Nino?" Kimura asked and Nino only nodded his head. "How about you, Ohno san?"
"What would you recommend?"
"What's your preference? Do you have any allergies? Can you handle spicy food?"
Ohno simply told him that he could eat everything.
"Good, not a picky eater like your companion." Kimura said, smirking at Nino. "I have a few recommendations."
Kimura showed him a few dishes. According to him, they're the most favorite dishes in his cafe. After a few minutes, Ohno finally decided on what he wanted to eat.
"Is Jun a picky eater?" Ohno asked while they're waiting for their order to arrive.
"Well, he likes to try new things." Nino explained. "But, he's very particular."
Nino went on to explain how particular Jun was with his food. However, Ohno didn't pay attention as he became distracted with the way Nino played with his fingers. He kept making movements like he was playing with a drum. It was something that he noticed since earlier when they were in the train. Nino looked restless if he didn't move his fingers. It's like he always has something in his hands to make his fingers kept moving.
"You love to play games too, right?" Ohno blurted out when Nino was telling him an incident about Jun and steak sauce. Nino was surprised by his sudden interruption.
He fidgeted in his seat as he nodded his head. "How do you know?"
"Ah, because Jun said he will buy you a game and I notice you will be restless if you don't move your fingers. Did you and Jun always play together?"
"Sometimes." Nino answered. His voice sounded distant. It wasn't obvious but it certainly felt different than the way he was enthusiastically talked before.
"Oh, I have an impression that he likes to play games."
"He does." Nino nodded his head. He smiled at Ohno. However, Ohno had a feeling that he was forcing himself to smile. Because it didn't reach his eyes. Even though he wanted to ask if he had said something wrong, he didn't.
Ohno waited patiently for the door to be opened after he rang the bell. A mere minutes after that, a little boy opened the door for him. But, it wasn’t the person he was waiting for.
“Ohchan!” Nino said excitedly when he saw him.
“Where is Jun?” Ohno said. Nino seemed hurtful because he ignored him but that didn’t stop him from answering him with the same enthusiasm as before.
“Jun chan is in the toilet. Ne, can I play with you and Jun chan today?” Nino asked.
Ohno only shook his head. Nino was too annoying. He was too clingy. He cannot be with Jun alone because this little boy always wanted to join them. He didn’t understand why Jun would allow him to follow them.
“No!” Ohno said. Maybe Jun didn’t have the heart to refuse Nino because they were family. But, Ohno wasn’t a family so he can tell Nino to stop disturbing them. “Please don’t play with us anymore. I want to be alone with Jun.”
Nino looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by his sudden outburst. He looked like he wanted to cry. Ohno felt bad for shouting at him but he didn’t apologize. It was Nino’s fault.
“Ohchan!” Jun’s voice sounded from behind Nino. Nino moved aside to allow Jun to stand next to him. “Let’s go.”
Ohno beamed with happiness when he saw Jun, forgetting what he did to Nino earlier. He took Jun’s hand in his, ready to go. They walked a few steps away from the door before Jun stopped in his tracks. He turned behind and looked at Nino.
“Nino, let’s go.” Jun released Ohno’s hand and went to his cousin. He tried to pull Nino but the other didn’t want to move.
“I don’t want to go. I will just stay at home and play. It’s too hot outside.” Nino said. Jun stared at him in confusion.
“But you’re excited to go out just now.” Jun pointed out. However, Nino shook his head. He waved them goodbye and closed the door without saying anything.
Since that day, Nino had stopped playing with them. He hadn’t seen Nino at all after that, not until the day he moved out from the town.
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