Cupid - Part 8
For a second, Nino forgot about the anger and fury he felt for the man standing in front of him. He reached out, wanting to hug Ohno because he missed the businessman so much. But, when the hands almost touched Ohno's soft hair, he remembered what happened. Ohno had been ignoring him for a week and now he appeared, acting as if he had done nothing wrong. Urgh, this annoyed Nino so much. So, instead of hugging Ohno, he pushed the man away.
"Little Cupid?" Ohno seemed puzzled. "What's wrong? Are you angry at me because of the text?"
Nino glared at the man. What a nerve! Ohno didn't reply to any of his texts since their date. And, now, he dared to ask why Nino treated him like this. Wasn't it obvious? So, no, Nino won't give him a second chance.
"Ahem,"
Jun appeared from behind, clearing his throat to announce he was there. Nino only responded with a glance at his boss before he walked away from them. He was aware that everyone else was watching them but he was in no mood to talk with anyone right now. If they wanted to gossip about him, go ahead.
"Good evening, Ohno-san," Greeted Jun. "How was your flight?"
Nino scoffed when he heard that. He knew Jun deliberately asked Ohno about the so-called flight as proof that Ohno was indeed away. Whatever! Would it hurt Ohno to tell Nino about it? No, right?
Ohno, however, ignored Jun as he hurried towards Nino. He pulled Nino to look at him but once again, Nino pushed him.
“Little Cupid?” said Ohno. “Why are you angry at me?”
Nino answered him with a glare. He didn’t want to talk with Ohno right now. Instead, he focused on what he wanted to do, which was to save all the documents on his laptop. Then, he switched off the device before putting it in his bag.
“Matsumoto-san…” He heard the businessman called his boss. “Why is Little Cupid like this?”
Good, now he called Nino with the nickname in front of everyone else. But, Nino was too angry with the man so he didn’t bother to correct him.
“He’s angry because you ignore his texts,” answered Jun. “Also, you forget to tell him about going to LA. So, he’s mad about that too,”
“Huh?” Ohno was confused. “But… I’ve told him about going to LA,”
“No, you didn’t,” Nino quickly denied. His resolution to ignore Ohno disappeared when he heard something that was a contrast to what happened. “When did you inform me? I don't remember. Why don’t I have any memory of that? Easy! Because you didn’t tell me,”
“But… I did tell you. I sent you a text…” Ohno took out his phone. Nino rolled his eyes as he watched Ohno scroll his phone to look for the non-existent text. If Ohno sent him a text as he claimed, Nino must have it in his phone. But, no, he didn’t receive that text. So, there’s only one reason. It’s a lie.
“Here… look…” Ohno shoved the phone to Nino’s face. Nino only saw it from the corner of his eyes. Indeed, there was a long text from Ohno. Nino was surprised to see it so he looked at the text carefully.
“I texted you on… Oops…”
Nino turned to look at the man standing next to him. Truthfully, he wanted to laugh when he realized why he never received the text. Apparently, Ohno didn’t realize the message wasn’t delivered because he didn’t press send. Even if he pressed send, Nino won’t get the text because the phone was on plane mode. That would explain why Ohno didn’t receive any of the texts that he sent.
“Baka,” Nino said to the man who grinned at him. “Did you check your phone? Don’t you think it’s weird that your phone didn’t make any noise for the past few days?”
“Err…” Ohno scratched his head. He smiled shyly at Nino before he offered a long explanation. “People usually contact me through Sho. And, I rarely use my phone to contact anybody. I only use it to read about fish and watch videos on youtube. But, I don’t have time to do either of those this week because of work. And, I also didn’t think you will text me because we’re in a different time zone,” explained Ohno. "And, maybe you want some time to think about us," He added in a low voice. Nino could barely hear it, making him wonder what Ohno meant by that.
“So, you went to LA?” asked Nino for confirmation, remembering what Jun had told him before. Now that he looked properly, he noticed a suitcase near his desk. It must be Ohno’s.
Ohno nodded his head. “If you receive my text, you will know that I will be back today and I will go straight here from the airport to meet you,”
“What else do you talk about in the text?” Asked Nino, thinking about the long text he saw earlier. He became even more curious when he saw the blush on Ohno’s face. Hmm, what was it that Ohno put on the text?
“Hmmm… I will tell you but maybe not here,”
Nino was startled for a minute until he remembered where he was. Oh my, he’s in the office right now and everyone had watched the two of them. He avoided looking around when he heard a few giggles around him. This was embarrassing.
“Okay, let’s go,” said Nino. “J said I can go home early today,”
"Sure," Ohno nodded his head and went to get his suitcase. Then, he approached Nino again, offering his hand for Nino to take, which Nino gladly complied. Everyone in the office already knew about them so there's no harm in letting them see more.
"Enjoy your date, brat!" Said Jun, waving his hands at them as Nino and Ohno walked away. Nino stuck out his tongue at Jun as a response.
"Sho-chan didn't pick up his phone," said Ohno with a pout. "He's probably sleeping,"
"Did you make sure that your phone is not on plane mode?" Nino took the chance to tease Ohno. The two of them were in a cafe near his office, waiting for Sho to come. They wanted to have an early dinner together. But, Ohno didn't want to bring his suitcase along because it's too troublesome. That's why he's been trying to call Sho but his assistant didn't answer the phone.
"Yes, it's not on plane mode anymore," Ohno shoved the phone towards Nino to prove that he didn't make the same mistake again. Nino responded with a chuckle. Ohno was too cute.
"So, what do we do?" Asked Nino.
"Hmmm…" Ohno tapped his chin, appeared to be thinking. "How about we go home first and then meet again later after I take a shower? I don't like how I smell right now,"
"Yes, you are very smelly," Nino teased the businessman again. Indeed, Ohno didn't smell as wonderful as always, but it wasn't unpleasant. "Aren't you tired, Ohchan? You've just arrived from LA,"
However, he was surprised when Ohno pouted.
"You are still angry at me. So, you don't want to go out with me anymore,”
Nino chuckled when he heard the reason why Ohno was pouting. Ohno looked cute when he pouted so Nino pinched the chubby cheeks. It wasn’t enough so he squeezed the cheeks.
“Ouch, that hurts!” Ohno exclaimed, pretending to be angry. He playfully pushed Nino’s hands away. “Stop squeezing my cheeks,”
“Who asks you to be so cute? Your cheeks are so soft… It felt so nice to touch it,” Nino continued squeezing the cheeks despite the protest from Ohno. "Consider it as a punishment for ignoring me,"
"But, I did not ignore you,"
"Yes, you did. Anyway, show me the text, please? I want to know what you wrote,"
"Hmmm…" Ohno looked back and forth between Nino and his phone. He seemed to be thinking about something. “It’s not important. So, maybe you don’t have to read it. Besides, I already deleted the text,”
“Eh?” Nino was surprised. Why did Ohno delete the text? Didn’t he say he wanted to show the text to Nino?
“I’m too embarrassed by what I wrote in the text. I wasn’t thinking properly at that time,”
Okay, the more Ohno talked about it, the more Nino wanted to know about the text. But, if the businessman refused to tell him about it, what should he do? If he continued pestering Ohno about it, would the businessman tell him?
“Don’t be mad, Little Cupid,” Ohno said when Nino stayed silent for a while. Nino wanted to laugh as he looked at Ohno’s face. The businessman seemed to be anxious because of his silence. “I don’t want you to ignore me again,”
“At least, tell me what it is about,” Nino pleaded using his puppy eyes. “It makes me uneasy to know you hide something from me,”
Ohno sighed and then he nodded his head. He took out his phone and then clicked a few things. Oh, so, Ohno hadn’t deleted the text as he claimed. Perhaps he put it in his note or something. After fiddling with his phone for a few minutes and taking a deep breath, Ohno finally handed the phone to Nino.
Nino took the phone. A part of him felt guilty for making Ohno do this. But, as he said, he didn’t want Ohno to hide things from him.
He looked at the phone, reading the long text on the screen.
Little Cupid, I’m sorry about the deal. Sho-chan just told me about it. I’m sorry. I didn’t know Sho-chan forced you to go out with me using the deal. It’s unfair and I’m truly sorry for that.
To be honest… hmm… don't take this the wrong way but I am disappointed. Well, I don't know how to describe my feelings when I know about the deal. I'm not happy. I started to question your sincerity. But, every second spent with you felt real. I enjoy being with you and I hope you feel the same way too.
I want to talk about this. But, I'm going to LA for a few days. When I get back on Friday, I will go straight to your office so we can talk about it. I hope it's okay. And, let's use this time to think about how we feel for each other. I hope our date may have changed your feeling for me and I still have a chance to win your love.
Nino put the phone on the table. As he thought, Ohno was affected by the deal and started to doubt Nino's sincerity in this relationship. Strangely, Nino wasn't offended by the revelation. If he was in Ohno's place, he would have the same thoughts as well, considering the strange situation they were in.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Asked Nino. "Or, have you changed your mind? That's why you didn't want to show me this text,"
"Hmm… I don't know,” said Ohno. “Why didn’t you tell me about this, Little Cupid? Didn’t I ask you about it during our first phone call?”
Nino nodded his head. He remembered the awkward phone call as if it happened yesterday. He can’t believe it happened just a week ago. The two of them had just met but he was already comfortable to be around Ohno as if they had known each other for a long time.
“From my text, it may sound like I doubt your sincerity,” Ohno continued. Nino stayed silent, deciding to let Ohno express his feelings first. “Maybe I am. But, rather than this about doubting you… it’s about I’m losing my confidence. Do you still remember what I told you after our first kiss?”
Nino nodded his head. When Ohno didn’t contact him after the date, those words kept on replaying in his mind and became the source of his anger at Ohno. The other man had promised he wanted to win Nino’s heart no matter what. But, what he did was the opposite of what he said. Now, after knowing where Ohno had been, he felt silly for feeling angry at the businessman.
“As I’ve told you before, the kiss made me realize how much I love you. I am confident to win your love because you agree to go on a date with me even though you rejected me before that. You are playful and enjoy teasing me. So, I think you reject me when I first asked you out because you want to tease me. But, when I know about the deal, I am heartbroken. I cannot stop thinking that you have zero interest in me. If it’s not because of the deal, I don’t think you will ever go out with me. I kept thinking about it and that’s why I sent you that text,”
Nino stayed silent, trying to think of how to respond. Honestly, he felt terrible for keeping a secret about the deal. For him, it wasn’t a big deal. But, he should know better. Since it was the very first thing Ohno wanted to confirm before their date, of course, this would affect him badly when he knew about it. So, perhaps Nino should tell him about it.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you about the deal,” said Nino. “But, honestly, it wasn’t the reason I agree to go out with you. That’s why I don’t tell you about it,”
“Really? You really want to go out with me?”
Nino shook his head. He felt bad when Ohno looked gloomy once again because of his confession. But, he had to be honest with the businessman so this kind of misunderstanding could be avoided in the future.
“I agree because I want Jun to stop pestering me,” said Nino. Ohno remained gloomy so Nino hoped what he said next would return the smile on Ohno’s face. “And, I’m actually glad he did that. If not, I won’t be able to get to know you,”
And just like magic, Ohno smiled at him once again.
“I’ve told you, right?” said Nino. “Do you remember what I said after we were attacked by the girls in the aquarium? I like you… My feeling for you may not be as deep as what you feel for me… but, with time, I think I will fall in love with you,”
Ohno’s smile grew wider hearing what he said. “I’m happy to hear that because I’m not going to give up on you,”
Without warning, Ohno took Nino’s hand on the table and brought it closer to him. Then, he kissed it softly. Nino blinked his eyes rapidly, too shocked because of Ohno’s daring action. But, he didn’t take the hand away.
“So… what should we do about your luggage?” asked Nino suddenly, pointing at the suitcase next to Ohno. He wanted to change the topic of their conversation before Ohno did something that would make his heart beat faster.
“I’ll meet you after I send it home,”
“And what should I do while waiting for you? I will be bored. If I wait too long, I will just go home,”
“Hmm… do you have other ideas, then?”
Nino sighed and then started thinking about it. The idea came almost immediately. But… hmm… was it too early to do it?
“You have an idea, right?” asked Ohno and Nino nodded his head.
“Hmm… how about I follow you home?” suggested Nino, hoping he wasn’t blushing as he said it. “We can order dinner and eat there. Or, you can cook for me after you take a shower. You promise me curry, remember?”
“...”
Poll
A/N: Do you think they are moving too fast? Will anything happen between them at Ohno's house. Hahaha. Let's see, ne...
In case you didn't notice, I've also write this, which centered what happened to Sakuraiba after Aiba dragged Sho from Ohmiya in part 5.
The part about Ohno forgetting to press send after writing a text is the very first part that I want to write. But, in my initial idea, the setting was different. I also like to keep my phone on plane mode so that I won't be bothered. So, I hope that part about Ohno putting his phone on plane mode wasn't weird.
As always, thank you for reading this fic. I hope you enjoy this part and will let me know what you think about it. I really appreciate all the comments and thoughts.