Not for Sale - Part 3
The next day, Nino woke up early thanks to a certain someone. Around eight in the morning, Jun had started banging on his door, making it hard for him to sleep. At first, Nino ignored it, assuming Jun would stop if he received no response. However, for each passing second, the bang became louder and louder. Not only that, but Jun also started to sing outside his room. Cursing, Nino got up from his bed and opened the door.
“Junny!” Cried Nino, glaring at his friend. “What’s wrong with you? It’s only eight! Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
All he got as a response was a grin from Jun. Geez, why was this man up so early on a Sunday? Jun wasn’t good at waking up early and he was usually grumpy if he had to. But, that wasn’t the case this time. The mischievous smile on his face was proof of how happy he was.
“Good morning, Kazunari,” greeted Jun, still smiling wickedly.
Nino squinted his eyes. Was this his roommate? Perhaps an alien abducted Jun last night and took his place. That would explain the man’s weird behaviour today.
“What do you want, Junny?” Nino asked. “As I said… it’s only eight. Can you let me sleep?”
Without waiting for a response from Jun, Nino tried to shut the door but Jun stopped him.
“It’s already eight, Nino! You should get ready!”
“Get ready for what?”
“For your date with Ohno-san!”
Oh…
Nino had no words as a response to that. Of course, he remembered that he had agreed to meet Ohno today. But, it would be at 10 AM and the cafe was only ten minutes from his house. Getting ready at 8 AM seemed ridiculous.
“I’m not going,” informed Nino. He pushed Jun aside and went to lie on the couch in the living room. His roommate followed and pulled him to sit before taking a seat next to him. Stubborn, Nino laid down on the couch again, putting his head on Jun’s lap this time. Sighing, Jun didn’t force him to sit again and simply stroked his hair softly. Nino kept his eyes close to continue sleeping. But, of course, Jun wouldn’t let him do so.
“Not going?” Jun echoed. “What do you mean?”
“It means… I’m not going to see Ohno-san,”
“Why?”
“No reason,”
“But…”
Jun didn’t have the chance to continue what he wanted to say when the door was unlocked from the outside, revealing Aiba. Their roommate was wearing running attire. Among the three of them, only Aiba could wake up easily in the morning. After waking up, he usually went jogging and then prepared breakfast for them once he got home.
At first, Aiba looked at them with a frown. However, in mere seconds, he suddenly looked excited with a dreamy look on his face.
“Awh!” said Aiba, clasping his hands together. “It’s nice to see the two of you like this. No bickering… treating each other softly and gently… if you guys were like this every day, it would be peaceful,”
Neither of them said anything regarding the comment from Aiba. Indeed, they often squabbled. However, both of them were also capable of -quoting Aiba’s words- treating each other softly and gently even though it was a rare occurrence.
“What do you want to have for breakfast?” asked Aiba, taking a seat on another couch. “Ah, but Nino-chan is going out, right? Do you want to eat before you go?”
“I’m not going,” repeated Nino to Aiba this time. And, as expected, Aiba was surprised to hear the announcement.
“But, why? Didn’t you promise Ohno-san you will go to see him?” asked Aiba. Both he and Jun had the same expression on their faces as they stared intently at Nino, waiting for an answer.
Nino remained silent. He couldn’t find the right words to describe how he felt. On one hand, he was curious to know why Ohno was looking for him. But, at the same time, he was also afraid that Ohno might be dangerous. He couldn’t sleep properly last night, thinking of various things that Ohno might do to him. And all of them were bad. Yes, Aiba complimented Ohno, telling Nino what a nice guy Ohno was. But, those words didn’t mean anything to Nino.
“I’m not going,” He repeated what he had said before. Firmly. “I don’t care what you want to think. But, I don’t want to go to the cafe. I will just stay at home today. I don’t care if he’s going to be mad or sad but my decision is final. I’m not going,”
He saw the way Jun and Aiba looked at each other. Without saying anything, he knew they weren’t happy to know that he’s going to ghost Ohno. Aiba sighed and looked ready to protest but he was stopped by Jun.
“If that’s what you want to do, we will not force you,” said Jun. “Now, move aside. Your big head is heavy,”
Nino stuck his tongue at Jun, refusing to move his head from Jun’s lap. So, Jun started to tickle his body, making it hard for him to stay still. Admitting defeat, Nino did as he was told, watching as Jun walked away to his room. Frankly, it was weird to see Jun being so understanding about his refusal to meet Ohno. But, perhaps because Nino was too sleepy, he didn’t think much about it.
And, as it turned out to be, it was wrong of him to trust Jun that easily. He should know better. Jun would always come up with a plan to trick him. Ah, he felt stupid!
It happened around 10:30 AM, thirty minutes after his planned meeting with Ohno. Nino was eating his breakfast when the bell echoed inside the house. Nobody was around -Jun went out and Aiba was taking his shower- to answer the door. So, Nino had to drag his feet to the door to see who came. He had a bad feeling. What a coincidence it was that Jun wasn’t home when someone came to their house. What if… Ah, if Jun did what he thought, the man would pay for this!
He opened the door angrily, expecting to see the man he should be meeting today. However, it wasn’t Ohno at the door. Instead, it was a man Nino had never met before. The guest was taller than him, perhaps around the same height as Jun. He was quite handsome. Nino eyed the man curiously, waiting for the guest to explain why he had graced the house with his presence.
“Oh, hi…” said the man politely. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. But, I’m looking for Aiba-san. Is this his house?”
So, this is Aiba’s acquaintance.
“Yes. There is someone named Aiba living here. But, I’m not sure if it’s the same Aiba you’re looking for. My Aiba is stupid,”
The man smiled.
“I don’t think he is stupid,” responded the man. “A bit clumsy, perhaps,”
“Ah… so, are we talking about the same Aiba-chan?”
"I hope so," said the man, chuckling. "It will be a waste coming here if I didn't find my Aiba,"
The man had a nice sense of humour. Nino instantly found himself liking the man. They could be best friends.
“So, is Aiba-san here?” asked the man. “I’ve called and texted him. But, there were no responses. That’s why I come here,”
“He had been busy since morning,” explained Nino. “He is taking a shower right now so why don’t you come inside first, Mr… I’m sorry, you didn’t tell me your name, right?”
“It’s Sakurai,”
“Okay, Sakurai-san,” said Nino.
He let Sakurai in. However, before he could ask the man to take a seat, Aiba appeared from the bathroom with only a towel wrapping around his waist.
“Nino, where is the…. Whoa!”
Noticing that they had a visitor, Aiba immediately stopped talking. Nino watched the two of them carefully, almost laughing to see how their faces were now red. They both lowered their heads, trying to avoid looking at each other.
“Sakurai-san… what are you doing here?” Aiba finally broke the awkward silence.
“Ah… I tried to contact you,” explained Sakurai, repeating what he had told Nino before. “But, you didn’t answer my calls or texts,”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t check my phone,” said Aiba, blushing. “Take a seat. I will be back in ten minutes,”
And, then, he dashed to the bathroom, leaving Nino alone with Sakurai again. Sakurai continued to stare at Aiba’s retreating figure and of course, Nino didn’t miss the soft way the man looked at his friend. Sakurai likes Aiba, Nino was sure of that. And, he knew Aiba also felt the same way. Did Sakurai come here to go on a date with Aiba? Well, if it’s true, he didn’t have to do anything, then.
But, they weren’t going out on a date. When Aiba returned to the living room, the two of them were talking about an emergency at work. Nino didn’t pay much attention to their conversation. Instead, he was thinking about a way to get both Sakurai and Aiba to admit their feelings for each other.
“Nino-chan, we’re leaving,” said Aiba, breaking Nino out of his reverie. “Will you be okay alone?”
“Leaving? Where are you going?” He asked confusedly.
“I have some works to do at the office with Sakurai-san,” explained Aiba.
“Oh…” responded Nino.
“You will be okay alone, right?” Asked Aiba again. Before Nino could retort, telling Aiba that he wasn’t a child and he could handle staying alone, his roommate started to ramble about lunch. “I will be late. So, I don’t think I will be home to prepare lunch. And, Jun isn’t home too. So, can you make your own lunch? Don’t eat instant ramen. It’s not…”
The rambling was cut short when they heard someone unlocked the door. Seemed like Jun had returned. Yeah, Nino didn’t have to worry about lunch! Jun could make it for him.
“Jun, you’re home! Make…”
He broke off. Indeed, it was Jun who opened the door. But, he wasn’t alone. Standing right next to him was someone that Nino didn’t want to see. It was Ohno.
Damn you, Jun!
A/N: Did anyone remember I said this story will only have 2 or 3 parts? This should be the last part but my brain didn't seem to agree. So, there will be part 4 and hopefully, it will be the last part.
Okay, Jun seemed to be a jerk here by going against Nino's wish. But, maybe he had a reason for bringing Ohno home. His action will be justified in the next part so please don't think badly of him. Thanks to him, Ohno had a chance to meet Nino.
Let me know what you think of this part, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)