And That's How We Meet
Pairing: OhMiya
Summary: Ohno answered a weird phone call...
What a bad day!
Ohno had been grumbling since he woke up this morning. It was thanks to a phone call from his mother. As usual, she complained about his lifestyle as a workaholic and asked him to get married. If not, she will find someone for him and in fact, she already had a few candidates.
Urgh… he didn't want to do that. Not yet. Just like everyone else, he also wanted to settle down, to have someone by his side for each moment in his life. It may be hard to believe for some people but he's actually quite a romantic person. He didn't want to meet his loved one in an ordinary way. He had never imagined how they would meet, but he wanted it to be unique and epic. Each time people asked about their meeting, they would gasp to hear the story of how they met.
However, as the CEO of his family's company, he was too busy with work, making it impossible for him to have a unique encounter with his destined person. An office was not an ideal place to have such an encounter.
But, he was wrong.
His bad mood escalated when he arrived at the office in the morning. He was quite late than usual. Some people might think that as a boss, it’s okay to be late. But, he didn’t like that. He wanted to be a good example for his employees.
When he arrived, the phone was ringing but his secretary, Aiba Masaki, was nowhere to be seen. He was annoyed to hear it ringing so he answered the call.
“Niji yori kimi wa kirei da…”
He was startled when someone was singing when he picked up the phone. The voice… It was too mesmerizing. Just by listening to the voice, he could feel something that he had never felt before. Feelings that he could not explain with words. He was happy to listen to the voice and it helped him recover from his bad mood.
The caller greeted him cheerfully. He said something that Ohno couldn’t quite process but he was sure the caller had mentioned Aiba.
The only thing he could do was laugh. The situation was too absurd. He had just thought it would be impossible to meet someone while working. He never paid too much attention to people before. But, now… he's interested to know the person at the end of the line.
"Do you call to sing for Aiba?" It's the first thing that he could think of. Maybe, this person is Aiba's boyfriend. That would explain why the song he sang said Aiba is more beautiful than the rainbow. But, shouldn’t he call Aiba’s handphone instead of the office?
"I'm sorry, Ohno san," the person apologized. Oh, he knew who Ohno was. So, it could mean he's one of Ohno's employees. "I call to confirm your meeting with Matsumoto from the planning department."
Oh. So, the caller was not Aiba’s boyfriend! What a relief! If he was not mistaken, Aiba’s boyfriend is in the IT department, not planning.
He shook his head, trying to concentrate on the conversation. What did the caller say just now? Meeting with Matsumoto? Oh, that Matsumoto. Ohno recognized him. He's one of the best employees in his company. Perhaps the caller was his assistant. Had he seen the assistant before? No, he didn't think so.
His schedule was on Aiba's desk and he immediately scanned the schedule for a meeting with Matsumoto.
"At 3 PM, right?"
After Ohno confirmed that the meeting will proceed as planned, the caller asked if he had anything to inform Matsumoto. There's nothing for him to tell Matsumoto but he wanted to tell the caller something. A voice at the back of his mind quietly whispered to him to ask the caller out. The thought of meeting the caller made him even more excited.
Aiba, however, chose that moment to appear, frowning when he noticed Ohno was at his place. Aiba didn’t say anything as he approached him. Damn! Seeing Aiba there, he had no choice but to be professional as he continued his conversation with the caller. He didn’t want Aiba to know he was flirting with one of the staff.
"Nothing for Matsumoto san but there's something for you."
Did he sound harsh? No, he didn’t mean to say it coldly like that. He didn’t want the caller to think he was angry because of what happened just now.
He was silent for a while because he couldn’t think of what to tell the caller, thanks to Aiba’s intense stare. Ah, why was Aiba ruining his chance to meet his destined person? No… no… he still had a chance. Just relax.
He took a deep breath as he told the caller to meet him during lunch break. And then, he quickly put the phone down.
“Nino,” Ninomiya Kazunari lifted his face when his manager, Matsumoto Jun arrived. “Please confirm my meeting with Ohno san.”
Nino nodded his head. He’s working as an assistant for Jun in a company owned by Ohno Satoshi. According to the schedule, Jun had a meeting with Ohno this afternoon. However, due to the big boss’ hectic schedule, the meeting was sometimes rescheduled. That’s why Jun had asked him to confirm prior to the meeting.
He dialled the extension for Ohno’s secretary, Aiba Masaki. While waiting for Aiba to pick up the call, he sang the last verse of a new song that he had just finished composing. It’s his habit. He often felt bored listening to the tut while waiting for the call to be connected. Aiba had picked up the call but he sang until the end of the verse because Aiba already knew his habit.
“Niji yori kimi wa kirei da…” He finished the verse and then greeted Aiba. “Hello, Aiba chan! How is my singing today?”
A soft laugh was the response he received.
Eh?
His eyes widened, realizing it wasn’t Aiba at the end of the line. He blinked his eyes, desperately thinking who that person might be. The voice sounded familiar but nothing came out in his mind because of how embarrassed he was. This was the first time someone other than Aiba had heard him singing. It’s true that he always did this but he always stopped when the line was connected. He will only continue singing if the person he called was Aiba.
“Do you call to sing for Aiba?” The person at the end of the line asked. His voice was soft and he sounded sleepy. There’s only one person with that kind of sleepy voice and it made him even more embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, Ohno san.” He apologized. Ohno always seemed to be an easygoing person and rarely scolded his employee but he didn’t want to take any chances. Would Ohno fire him because of what he did? He shouldn’t sing while working.
Remembering his work, he quickly stated his reason for calling Aiba. "I call to confirm your meeting with Matsumoto san from the planning department."
"Matsumoto… planning…" Ohno chanted. Nino could easily imagine the way Ohno was flipping his planner to check the schedule. "At 3 PM, right?"
"Yes," He answered. "So, are you okay with the meeting time?"
"Yes," Ohno confirmed.
"Okay, I will inform Matsumoto san." He scribbled something in his notebook. "Is there anything else you would like to inform Matsumoto san?"
"Nothing for Matsumoto san but there's something for you."
Nino gulped when he realized Ohno's voice sounded too cold for his own liking. He didn't think he had ever heard Ohno's voice this stern before and it made him worried. There's no doubt Ohno wanted to fire him because he played around during work! Ah, he should really get rid of his habit!!!
He was sweating as he waited for Ohno. But, his boss seemed to take his time, probably to torture him.
"Meet me in my office during lunch break," Ohno finally said after a while. And then, he ended the call abruptly.
Nino was shocked with the abrupt ending. Oh, man, this was bad news. He should better find a new job now!
“Who is that?” Aiba didn’t waste his time to ask.
Ohno scratched his head, thinking of what to answer. Their relationship was a bit weird. He may be Aiba’s boss but sometimes the title had no effect on Aiba. Yes, Aiba respected him as a boss but sometimes the taller guy can be a little bit overbearing especially when Ohno was doing something stupid. He still remembered how Aiba made him go home after he told the guy his intention to stay in the office until midnight to finish his work. Aiba nagged him, telling him that he should rest because they still had time before the deadline.
“Matsumoto’s assistant, I think. He called to confirm our meeting.”
“Ah…” Aiba nodded his head a few times. “It must be Nino chan!”
Nino? The name sounded cute, he thought to himself. Even his voice was cute. Ah, he hoped the person was also cute.
“Did you ask him out?” Aiba grinned. Man, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Aiba, afraid his friend would know what he was up to. But, Aiba already knew what he told Nino. So, was there any point to hide about it? Maybe he could get a few tips from Aiba to know Nino better.
“Do you know him well?” He shyly asked. Aiba’s grin was even wider. “Is he still single?”
“Yes!” Aiba nodded his head eagerly. “Don’t worry. He’s not dating anyone right now! So, why are you interested in him?”
Ohno scratched his head. Should he tell Aiba what happened just now?
Aiba looked at him with his puppy eyes, making it hard to refuse him. Taking a deep breath, he told Aiba how Nino was singing when he answered the call. Nino seemed to be an interesting person and that’s why he wanted to know more about Nino.
"This is so funny!" Aiba told him. He laughed loudly as he talked, making it hard for Ohno to understand what he was saying. "You know… hahaha… I told him to stop singing… hahaha… but, he didn't want to get rid of his habit… he told me that one day, someone will answer his call while he is singing and that person will love his voice and then ask him out on a date."
Ohno couldn't see his face right now. But, he was pretty sure he was blushing because of how embarrassed he was. What happened just now was exactly like what Nino had predicted!
"It was just a joke." Aiba continued laughing. "But… to think that it finally happens… ah, I can't wait to see his face!"
Ohno stayed silent. He didn’t know how to respond.
"Where are you going to take him?" Aiba asked. He had finally stopped laughing.
"I don't know," He hadn't thought about it yet. "Where do you think we should go?"
Ah, he should ask Nino to go out with him for dinner, not lunch. The time spent with Nino for lunch will be limited. But, he couldn't wait to see Nino, that's why he asked to meet him for lunch. Hmm…but... if everything goes well, maybe they could have dinner together tonight.
"Hmmm…" Aiba scratched his chin. "You have limited time to spend for lunch so you could only eat around here. But, if people see you with Nino, they will start gossiping and Nino doesn't like that…"
Aiba trailed off. What Aiba said was true. Nino wasn't the only one who hated gossip. He also didn't want people to gossip about him. What should he do then? Cancel the lunch date?
"I could order take out for both of you," Aiba said after being silent for a while. "You could eat with him in your office alone."
Ohno thought for a while and then nodded his head, agreeing.
"Okay, I will order from his favourite restaurant, if you don't mind. He's quite picky."
Ohno only smiled when he heard that. He wasn't a picky eater so he will let Aiba decide. Ah, he couldn't wait to see Nino.
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