A Familiar Stranger - Part 4
Not pregnant.
The doctor said he wasn’t pregnant.
That was a relief to know, right? But, why did he feel slightly disappointed with the result?
Hmm, he shouldn’t be thinking about that right now. He had something more important he should focus on. Ohno had agreed to become his housemate. He didn’t tell Nino directly, of course. Instead, the information came from Aiba who told him that Ohno wasn’t mad at Nino for being rude earlier. They hadn’t had the chance to meet again after dinner at Sho’s house. But, today, Ohno would come to see the house.
And, Nino was nervous thinking of how the meeting would go. Especially because they would be alone this time. Both Sho and Aiba couldn’t join them because they had things to do for their wedding. Urgh, why would those two idiots have to do the cake tasting today? And, why would today be the only day Ohno was free to come to the house? Why today? Was the man perhaps tricking him so that they would be alone? It’s possible, right?
The sound of the doorbell startled him. He glanced at the clock to see the time, wondering if it’s Ohno who rang the bell. Eh? It’s only 11 AM. Aiba said Ohno would come around 2 PM. So, it couldn’t be him at the door, right?
Sighing, Nino went to answer the door. And, when he opened it, as expected, it was Ohno.
“You’re early,” chided Nino. “Don’t you know how to look at the clock?”
The man chuckled. “Is this how you greet your guest?”
Nino snorted. “You’re not a guest. You’re my future roommate,”
“Well…” The man retorted. “I haven’t officially moved into your house yet. So, I am your guest today,”
Nino glared at the man and then stuck his tongue out before letting Ohno in. His guest seemed to be bringing a lot of things to his house so Nino couldn’t stop himself from throwing another sarcastic remark at Ohno.
“Ready to move in, I guess,”
“If you want me to move in now…” said Ohno, smirking. “I have no problem with that,”
“Shut up,” scolded Nino. “Why are you here early? I thought you will come after lunch,”
The man didn’t answer. He simply smiled at Nino, which only served to make him angry.
“Are you deaf? I’m asking you a question,”
The man continued to smile before taking out his phone. He seemed to be typing on the phone before shoving it to Nino. There was a note on it.
I thought you wanted me to shut up. That’s why I didn’t say anything.
Geez, Nino snorted. This man was annoying.
“If I ask you a question, you should answer,” said Nino. “How can we live together if you keep making me angry?”
“Trust me, we can,” Ohno said confidently.
“Urgh… whatever,” said Nino. “So, why didn’t you tell me you will be early?”
“Eh…” Ohno frowned. He took the phone from Nino’s hand. “I thought I already… ah!” The man tapped his forehead. “Sorry. When I woke up this morning, I remembered my promise to you. So, I decided to come here before lunch. But, I forgot to text Aiba to inform him. Sorry,"
“Promise? What promise?"
The other man smiled sweetly at him. A smile that made his heart skip a beat when he saw it.
“I promise to cook curry for you,” Ohno chuckled. “I know you don’t remember… So, let me refresh your memory. When we met in the pub, I told you that curry is my speciality. But, you don’t believe that I can cook. So, I promise to cook for you,”
"You don't have to do it for me," said Nino coolly, hoping he wasn't blushing. "I can just eat…"
"Instant ramen?"
Nino was startled when Ohno cut him off. He glared at the man in dissatisfaction, starting to regret his decision to let Ohno stay with him. This would not be easy.
“It’s not healthy, Beautiful,” said Ohno, failing to look stern. “Thank goodness, I will be living with you. I’m going to make sure you will eat healthy food from now on. Well, I guess I should start now if you don’t mind,”
Nino didn’t say anything as he led Ohno to the kitchen. If the man wanted to cook for him, he better accept it before Ohno changed his mind. At least, he wouldn’t have to think of what to eat for lunch today. And, Ohno seemed to be a good cook, judging from the dinner that he had at Ohno’s house before.
“What do you want me to do?” Asked Nino while Ohno put all the stuff he brought on the counter.
“Nothing,” answered Ohno. “Just sit there and play your games,”
“But…”
“This is what we agree on,”
“When?” Nino asked stupidly before he realized the mistake that he made. Of course, Ohno was referring to the meeting in the pub.
“If I recall correctly…” continued Ohno. “You said you won’t help because the curry might be delicious because of your help. So, let me do this on my own, okay? You can just sit there and watch me, Beautiful,”
“Stop calling me beautiful, you idiot,”
“You shouldn’t call me that. I am your Teddy Bear. So, call me Teddy Bear, okay?”
Ohno winked at him and Nino stuck his tongue out as a response. The two of them then minding their own business. While Ohno was busy cooking, Nino pretended to be scrolling on his phone as he watched Ohno preparing the meal from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t want to admit this, not to Ohno or anyone else. But, despite the teasing, it was comfortable being around Ohno.
Nino didn't know how much time had passed. He didn’t realize he had stopped pretending to look at his phone and was now staring straight at Ohno. It calmed him to see the way Ohno worked.
“Beautiful,” said Ohno without taking his eyes off the potato that he was peeling. Nino immediately looked away, praying that Ohno didn’t notice what he was doing. Thank goodness, Ohno didn’t say anything about it. “You are not good with spicy food, right?”
“Let me guess…” said Nino, hoping he sounded normal. He didn’t want Ohno to know how flustered he was. “You know about it from our conversation in the pub,”
Ohno lifted his face and simply smiled before continuing with his task. Nino took a deep breath as he remembered there was something he needed to ask Ohno about that night.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked timidly. In his mind, he thought of a way to ask the question without being weird.
“Sure, Beautiful. You can ask me anything,”
“Hmm… that night… did we meet Matsumoto-san?”
Ohno lifted his eyebrow. “Do you mean Matsujun? Yes, we met him. He is your boss, right? Someone who makes your life miserable,”
Geez, did he complain about Jun to Ohno? What else did he tell this man?
“So, why are you asking about him?” asked Ohno, bringing Nino back to the conversation they currently had.
“Hmm… well, what did I do when I met him?”
“Oh…” Ohno had a weird smile on his face. “I’m not sure, actually. After drinking in the pub, we went to a club. Matsujun wasn’t there at the time yet. Then, I went to the washroom. When I got back, you were punching him,”
Wow. He punched Jun. It would be great if he could remember that moment. Jun must be surprised when his fist landed on the man’s face. Ah, he would love to see it. If only he wasn’t drunk at that time, he would take a picture of Jun to cherish the moment.
“Why did I punch him?” He asked Ohno.
The man shrugged him off. “I told you, I’m not sure. I dragged you out of the club. And, when I asked you about it, you said that you went to confront Matsujun… You were mad because of the new project so you want to rant about it to him. And, he sort of challenged you to punch him. So, you did,”
Oh yes, the project. He wasn’t mad at Jun. He was just frustrated because Jun ordered another colleague to take over the project from him. Jun did so because he wanted Nino to become the leader for a new project. It was childish of him for acting like that. But, he wanted to work on that project until it was completed.
So, was that the reason he punched Jun? He didn’t know. The reason was too weak. He wouldn’t punch Jun just because of that. There must be something else, right?
“Since Sho-chan is a friend of that thick eyebrow, are you a friend of his too?”
Ohno laughed. “Do you always call him that?”
“Whatever. Are you his friend?”
“Not really. I’ve met him a few times but we barely talked,” explained Ohno. “He usually comes to our house when I am working. So, I don’t think we are friends. He is just an acquaintance to me,”
When Ohno mentioned his work, it reminded Nino that he had something else to ask the man. He still didn’t know what the man did for a living because Aiba wouldn’t tell him. It was weird. What’s so special about the man’s job that Aiba refused to tell him about it?
“Speaking of work…” Nino began. “If you don’t mind I’m asking… what is your job?”
“A spoiled young master of a vastly wealthy man,”
“Huh?”
Nino was surprised by the answer that came from Ohno. Something about Ohno’s expression made him think that the man was lying. But, it sounded true as well. If Ohno is a young master as he claimed, it would explain why Aiba thought he wouldn’t have any problem paying the rent. So, he didn’t know if he could trust the man or not.
“Just kidding, Beautiful,” Ohno chuckled. And, Nino felt stupid for believing that the man could be a son of a wealthy man.
“Unlike you, I don’t have a permanent job,” explained Ohno. “I prefer doing a lot of works rather than sticking to just one job. On Monday and Thursday, I work as a fitness instructor. I’m also a freelance designer. And, sometimes, I work as a caterer like that night you came to my house for dinner. My boss suddenly called. He asked if I could help since one of the workers was sick,”
Nino couldn’t understand the way Ohno worked. For him, it’s more secure to have a permanent job. But, he wouldn’t judge it. And, since Aiba said he didn’t have to worry about the rent, he decided to trust Ohno. Sho didn’t seem to have any complaint about it so hopefully, everything would be okay.
“So, would you like to look at your room now?” asked Nino.
They had just finished eating. As Nino expected, the curry was indeed delicious. He didn’t compliment the dish in front of Ohno. But, he had a second helping. So, it would prove that the curry was to his liking.
“My room?” said Ohno, tilting his head.
“Yes, your room,” answered Nino, frowning. “Right now, it is Aiba’s room. But, after you move in, it will be your room,”
The explanation was too redundant. Why would Ohno need him to explain about it? It was so easy to understand.
“I thought we are going to share a room. So, shouldn’t it be our room?”
“Why do we have to share?” said Nino, starting to feel annoyed with the man again. “There are two rooms in this house. So, you will sleep in your room. And, I will sleep in my room. We don’t have to share,”
“But… when I came in earlier, you said I’m your roommate. So, if we’re roommate, we should share a room. If not, we are housemate, not a roommate,”
“You…”
Nino was dumbfounded to hear the explanation from Ohno. He didn’t know what to say to counter the statement. Yes, he said that Ohno would be his future roommate. But… urgh! This man is so annoying. Didn’t he know? Roommates could also mean sharing the same house.
“Sorry…” said Ohno, smiling. “You are so cute when you are angry,”
“Whatever. Come, let me show you to the room,” The faster he showed the room to Ohno, the faster the man would go home.
“One moment, please,” said Ohno as he sat on the couch. “I’m tired,”
“Geez,” sighed Nino. Yes, Ohno indeed looked exhausted. But, Nino couldn’t help but think that Ohno was just pretending so that he could stay longer in the house.
“Ne, Beautiful…” Ohno called him. His eyes were closed as he leaned on the couch. “I’m sorry, okay,”
“For what?”
Nino immediately asked.
“For what happened that night. I shouldn’t… you know… You are drunk…”
“It’s okay,” Nino immediately cut him off. He didn’t want to talk about this. “Just let it be. I’m just… hmm… relieved that I didn’t get pregnant,”
“I’m also relieved,” said Ohno. “But, it isn’t because I don’t want to take responsibility for what happened. I just… I don’t want us to get together only because of the baby. I’m worried about how it will affect the baby. And, I know I’m a stranger to you right now. But, I hope it will change soon,”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well… isn’t it obvious? I will try to make you fall in love with me. And, help you solve the problem you have with your mother. If we start dating, you can introduce me to her. You don’t have to avoid her call anymore,”
“Wait… I also told you about my mother?”
“Yes, Beautiful. You told me everything… well, maybe everything... about you,”
“What else did I tell you?”
They were interrupted by the bell. Who the heck showed up this time? Nino rarely had a visitor coming to his house.
“Wait for a second,”
He told Ohno and then hastened to the door. Before he opened it, he looked through the peephole, surprised to see the guest. It was his mother.
A/N: So, what do you think of this part? I hope it is okay. Let me know what you think of this. It will be very much appreciated :)