Will you love me? - Part 3
“Man, you look awful, Nino-chan!”
Nino frowned, wondering if the man who had just entered the elevator was talking to him. Well, there were only the two of them right now and the man said his name. So, that must mean the man was indeed talking to him.
Nino raised his face to confirm his thoughts and found his neighbour, Aiba Masaki, looking straight at him. Nino’s furrow deepened, accompanied by a pout. Who gave Aiba permission to call him amiably like that? They’re not that close!
“Why are you home early, Nino-chan?” said Aiba, looking at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“Shouldn’t you be working?” Nino returned the question to Aiba. He didn’t know what Aiba’s job was. But, since it’s still office hours, shouldn’t Aiba be at his workplace too?
“I just finished my shift, Nino-chan,” answered Aiba. He was now pouting. “Don’t you know I am a nurse, Nino-chan? I don’t work regular hours like you,”
“Whatever,” Nino was relieved to see the elevator finally stopped at his floor. “And, don’t call me Nino-chan,”
He got out of the elevator and as they were staying on the same floor, Aiba followed behind.
“Why can’t I call you Nino-chan?” Aiba tapped his shoulder. “It’s cute and you’re cute,”
Nino could only roll his eyes, not in a mood to respond to the man. Geez, Aiba is so annoying. But… Nino smiled to himself, realizing something. He had just spent a few minutes with Aiba. And, somehow, not even once he thought about Ohno. Not even for one second. Aiba annoyed him so much that Nino didn’t have time to think about Ohno.
“Have you eaten, Nino-chan?” Asked Aiba, breaking Nino out of his trance. “I’m about to make lunch. How about you join me?”
“Hmm… sure,” answered Nino, realizing that he hadn’t eaten anything since last night. And, Aiba wanted to give him free lunch. So, better take advantage of that, right? And, maybe… spending time with another person would make him stop thinking about Ohno. And forget about the confession from Jun.
Nino let out a sigh, thinking about his boss. Was Jun serious about the confession? Perhaps he was just messing with Nino. But, that was so out of character for Jun to mess around like that. Still… It's hard to believe. Why would his boss love him? He was just a plain, lame guy. If he was outstanding as Jun had claimed, why wouldn’t Ohno love him?
“Nino-chan, what’s wrong?”
Nino almost squealed when Aiba suddenly pinched his cheek.
“That hurts, you idiot!” scolded Nino. “Why did you do that?”
“You aren’t responding to me!” Aiba tried to justify his action. As a response, Nino stuck his tongue out at Aiba. Geez, why was he behaving like this? It’s so childish and he wasn’t proud of it. “Urgh… whatever! Are you going to help me with lunch or not?”
“Why would I? I thought you’re making it for me,”
“I just think it will be quicker if you help me,” said Aiba, unlocking the door.
Nino simply answered by scrunching his nose at Aiba. “Not a chance, dude! You offer to make lunch for me and you’re going to make it without my help. Thank you, Aiba-chan,”
He smiled sweetly at the man who only rolled his eyes at Nino.
“So, it’s okay for you to call me Aiba-chan but I cannot call you Nino-chan?”
“It’s cute and you’re cute,” answered Nino, repeating the same thing Aiba had said earlier. Hearing what he said, Aiba grinned widely.
“You are so cute, Nino-chan,” said Aiba, pinching his cheeks again. “Come inside. I will make lunch for you as promised,”
“So, what bothers you?”
The question took Nino by surprise. Both Aiba and he had just finished their lunch and instead of returning to his house, Nino decided to stay at Aiba’s house for a while. He had a reason for doing so. Being with Aiba had distracted him from thinking about Ohno. Even though they had been neighbours for quite some time, this was the first time they had spent time together and Nino found himself enjoying being with Aiba. Listening to the man rambling about a new handsome doctor at the hospital he worked at amused him. Aiba had told him how all the other nurses in the hospital were head over heels for the doctor. And, Nino had suspected that Aiba also felt the same way but refused to admit it. The way his eyes sparkled as he described the doctor made Nino certain of the way Aiba felt about him. Hopefully, it would get somewhere unlike what happened to him.
Nino should expect this. Aiba had only been talking about himself so far, perhaps to loosen Nino up before he could talk about things that bothered Nino. It was cunning and if someone else had done this to him, Nino would be enraged. However, he didn’t feel that way about Aiba. He could feel the man’s sincerity. They might not be close but the man is genuinely concerned about his well being.
“I’m okay, Aiba-chan,” the name rolled out of his lips naturally. It was so easy to befriend Aiba. “It’s just…”
Nino stopped himself. It was tempting to talk about his feelings with someone else. But, he never had anyone he could trust to talk about it. However, with Aiba…
“I just broke up with my boyfriend,” Nino finally decided to tell Aiba. It’s weird but… his gut told him he could trust Aiba. And the concerned expression that was on Aiba’s face when he started talking about it gave him more confidence.
“Let it out, Nino-chan,” said Aiba with a soft smile. “Trust me, it will help you,”
So, Nino began. He told Aiba about how the relationship between him and Ohno started, how they met, how Ohno treated him… everything. Was it difficult to disclose the details of his relationship to Aiba… things that he had never shared with anyone else before? Not at all! They had just been friends a few hours ago but it felt like they already knew each other for a long time. Weird.
“Awh, Nino-chan…” Aiba wrapped his arm around Nino. At that time, Nino was describing his birthday, which was about three months ago. He had hoped that Ohno would celebrate it with him but the man didn’t even remember when his birthday was. Not that he hoped for a party or a present… A wish would be enough for him. He even downright told the man when it was. But, like everything else, the information was never in the man’s head. Urgh, Nino felt stupid.
“How could he treat you like that?” said Aiba right when Nino told him about what happened last night. His eyes were burned with rage, something that Nino didn’t expect to see. Aiba was so gentle. It’s weird to see him getting angry. “It’s awful. If I know about this… I beat him when I saw him last night!”
“Last night?”
It was baffling to know Aiba would beat someone for him. But, he was more intrigued to know what Aiba meant by seeing Ohno last night.
“You didn’t go home alone last night, right?” asked Aiba and almost immediately, Nino remembered Jun who accompanied him home. “I don’t think you noticed me last night. You entered the building when I exited it. A man was looking at you and I could see how much he loves you. So, I think he must be your boyfriend. Urgh, I can’t believe that I think he is a sweet guy just because he sent you home when he treats you like that. If I see him again, I will beat him!”
Aiba looked determined. But, a second later, he suddenly looked confused.
“You said the stupid Ohchan went home after you dumped him,” said Aiba, finally realizing that the man he saw with Nino last night wasn’t Ohno. “So, who was with you last night?”
“My boss, Matsumoto Jun,” Nino clarified. “Apparently, he saw what happened between Ohchan and me. He followed me home… you know… to make sure I’m safe,” Nino paused, thinking about what happened at the office earlier. He let out a sigh and then added. “He sort of confessed to me,”
Aiba looked at him with his eyes wide open, evidently surprised. “Eh? Tell me more about it! How did he confess? What did you tell him?”
Nino chuckled watching how Aiba barraged him with a series of questions. This man is so nosy. He always wanted to know things that had nothing to do with him.
“What to tell?” responded Nino. “It was just a confession. And, I don’t think he was serious about it. Why would he love me? I am plain and lame!”
“I beg to differ,” Aiba shook his head. “You are cute, Nino-chan! I don’t think he was messing with you. I saw the way he looked at you last night. I know the look of love when I see one. He is so in love with you!”
Nino stared at Aiba, thinking. His neighbour seemed to be serious about this, something that Nino could not comprehend. As he had told Aiba, why would Jun like him?
“Well…” Aiba finally broke the awkward silence between them. “Maybe we should put aside the idea of you and Matsujun getting together...”
Nino rolled his eyes at the casual way Aiba shortened the manager’s name. It made Nino wonder. Would Aiba call Jun like that if they meet? He smiled to himself. It’s possible, considering how Aiba didn’t pay much attention to boundaries. Look at how shamelessly he asked Nino to talk about his love life.
“What did you tell him?”
“Tell who what?”
“Matsujun, of course!” retorted Aiba. “What did you tell him after he confessed?”
“Oh…”
Nino looked away, recalling what happened in the office earlier. He wasn’t proud of what he did. But, in his defence, he didn’t know how else should he react. After the confession, awkward silence surrounded them. The two of them stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something. Did he mishear it, that was Nino’s first thought. But, looking at the way Jun was staring intently at him, he was convinced that what he heard was right. And, he didn’t know what he should say. So, he just went away without saying anything to Jun.
“You just left?” Assumed Aiba when Nino remained silent.
Nino nodded shyly. “I don’t know what else to do. He must be mad at me, right?”
Aiba smiled encouragingly at him. “I don’t think so. He will understand,”
Nino pondered over what Aiba had said. Was Aiba right? Will Jun understand why Nino simply left without saying anything? He hoped so. So far, Jun had been a great boss to Nino. Indeed, Jun is serious and strict. But, he wasn’t unreasonable. If trouble occurred at work, he is the type who looked for a solution, instead of punishing the staff.
“Aiba-chan, if you’re me… what will you do?” Asked Nino. Despite what Aiba said… the thing about the look of love that Jun gave him… Nino still thought it was impossible that Jun would love him. “Will you accept him?”
“Hmmm…” Aiba tapped his chin. “I think so,”
“Really?” the answer baffled him. He thought Aiba would say no. “Why? Do you want to use Matsumoto-san to forget Ohchan?”
Nino couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. It would be diabolical. As someone who had been a victim of a similar situation, he wouldn’t want Jun to suffer as he did. And Aiba wasn’t a bad person. So, why would he do that to Jun?
“Of course not, Nino-chan,” muttered Aiba. “It’s just… well… hmmm… I don’t know how to explain… but… I mean… say you reject him… and he is actually the person destined to be with you… the person who will make you happy… and you reject him… You will lose the chance to be happy, right?”
Nino didn’t know how to respond. He understood what Aiba was saying. In fact, he had been thinking about it too. Still…
“I know it’s too early to be in a new relationship just after you broke up,” said Aiba, voicing the same concern Nino had in mind. “But, you don’t have to date him right away. You could just befriend him, get to know him more. Then, we will see where it goes,”
A/N: Aiba is finally here! So, what do u think of this part? Do u think Nino should give Jun a chance? But, what will happen to Ohmiya, then?