Will you love me? - Part 5
"Can I borrow your note?"
The man standing in front of him would be his last hope. He had been asking all the other students but no one was willing to let him borrow their notes. It was rude to sleep in class, he was aware of that. But, he couldn't help it. The voice of the professor was a perfect lullaby. Once he heard it, he would fall asleep within seconds.
"Sure!"
His eyes widened, finding it hard to believe. Wow, angels do exist, after all.
His eyes roamed around the library, looking for a place to sit. His usual seat was taken. Damn! He narrowed his eyes at the occupant. How dare that small guy take his place!
He tilted his head, realizing that he actually knew the man. Isn’t he the owner of the notebook he had in his bag? Hmm… since he would have to return the notebook to the guy after he was done copying, maybe it won’t be a bad idea to sit with the man.
And, that wasn’t the only time they sat together at the library.
What was this textbook talking about? He couldn’t understand anything at all. This was bad! There will be a test tomorrow and it seems like he’s going to fail it.
No no no! He can’t fail. If only someone could explain…
He smiled. The solution was right in front of him. The owner of the notebook was with him. What was his name? Nino, right?
Hmm… how should he ask? Nino seemed busy. And, frankly, he was also embarrassed to ask for Nino’s help. Asking for the man’s note was one thing. And, now, he wanted the man to teach him. No doubt that Nino would be annoyed by him. Who knows… maybe Nino would reprimand him for sleeping in class.
“Do you understand this topic, Ohchan?”
“Ohchan?”
“Opps… are you mad? Sorry, I will just call you Ohno-san, then,”
“No… you can call me Ohchan, Nino. Hmm… I don’t understand this topic. Can you help me?”
“Sure!”
Wow, Nino is so nice. An angel in disguise. His little angel.
“Who is that?”
“Nino,”
“Who is he?”
He rolled his eyes, glaring at Sho. Didn’t he just answer the question?
“I mean… What is your relationship with him?”
“He is in my class,”
Sho let out a sigh, evidently annoyed by his lack of enthusiasm.
“Satoshi, he likes you! Everyone can see that. What are you going to do?"
"Nothing,"
“Nino confessed to me,”
“So, what did you do? Did you reject him? Did you do it properly?”
“No,” He rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that? Why would I reject Nino?”
Sho looked at him confusedly. He didn’t say anything for a while.
“Do you like him?”
“Huh?”
“Do you like Nino, Satoshi?”
He stayed silent, pondering the question. Does he love Nino? Hmm, he likes spending time with Nino. Indeed, they didn’t talk much but he enjoyed the comfortable silence between them whenever they were in each other’s company. Besides, whenever he’s with Nino, he won’t be thinking about his ex-girlfriend, Minami. Nino the little angel pretty much occupied his thoughts.
“Do you like Nino, Satoshi?” Sho repeated the question when Ohno didn’t say anything. Geez, his friend was annoying.
“Well…”
“I don’t know. But, when I’m with him, I won’t be thinking about Minami. If by dating him, I can keep him close, then, I will date him,”
They will graduate soon and after that, they might not see each other anymore. If he didn’t see Nino, who would quiet Minami’s voice in his head? Only Nino can do it. By dating Nino, he can continue seeing the man and Minami’s voice won’t bother him anymore.
Sho let out a sigh, clearly disappointed by his decision.
“Okay, my friend… just… please treat him nicely, okay,”
He had no response for that.
“Hmm… Ohchan,”
Nino’s voice was so soft, he could barely hear it. The two of them had just finished the last paper and if everything’s going well, they will be graduating soon. He barely slept last night, studying for the exam.
“What?”
Nino grimaced, surprised by his tone. He didn’t apologize for that. Don’t blame him for being cranky. He was sleep-deprived after all.
“It’s okay,” said Nino, quickly looking away.
Good. If Nino said it’s okay, he’s going to let it be. Yes, there’s sorrow in Nino’s eyes but he was too sleepy to care.
Before he dated Nino, what was the nature of their relationship? Friends? No, he didn’t think they were friends. He barely knew anything about the man to call him a friend. So, an acquaintance, perhaps? Yes, an acquaintance.
Now that they had upgraded their relationship, it came with a price. Nino constantly texted him, asking him about his day. Sometimes, Nino would ask him out. If he’s in the mood, he would agree. And, weirdly, it seemed like he didn’t need Nino to quieten Minami’s voice in his head. Now that he’s busy working at his father’s company, Minami is no longer in his mind.
Should he end the relationship then? Nah! He enjoyed going out with Nino, receiving texts from Nino. But, he won’t admit it. He won’t start it, either, preferring to let Nino be the one who texted first and asked him out. Sometimes, Nino seemed to be taking his time in texting him and he was tempted to be the one who texted first. But, he willed his heart to be strong and be patient. Give his boyfriend a day or two. Nino would definitely contact him.
Why was he like this? He didn’t know. It’s just… he didn’t feel like putting any effort into this relationship. When he was with Minami, he gave her everything. But, she still betrayed him. That’s why he decided not to put his whole heart into Nino. Call him a coward but he didn’t want to suffer in case Nino decided to leave. He doubted it would happen, though. Nino loves him so much.
“Nino has a handsome friend,”
He didn’t know why he would tell Sho about it. Nino and he have been dating for almost a year. Since they became a couple, it was the first time he met Nino’s friend. The name was Toma if he was not mistaken. They bumped into Toma while they were on a date.
“Is that jealousy I sense?”
Jealousy? No! Why would he get jealous? He had seen Nino talk to someone before. Back in university, Nino was popular. So, of course, a lot of people would be talking to him but none of them was his close friend. Also, he hadn’t started dating Nino yet at that time so he didn’t feel anything. This time, however, it’s just… well… Toma and Nino seemed to be close. It made him feel weird and uncomfortable to see them talking.
“So, are you jealous to see Nino with another guy?”
“No,”
“Hmm…”
As they were talking on the phone, he couldn’t see the look on Sho’s face. But, he could picture his friend smiling amusedly.
"Has something changed?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Sho responded with a chuckle.
"I'm asking… How do you feel about Nino now?"
"Pretty much the same," he answered. Sho didn't have to point it out. He was aware of how the answer sounded like a lie. Something had indeed changed. But, he didn't know what it was.
"Satoshi, don't be mad… but, I think you love Nino,"
"Pfft…" he snorted. "I don't love Nino. I just like spending time with him,"
"You are just in denial. Please, Satoshi…" There you go. Another round of lectures from Sho about the way he treated Nino. "Show Nino how much you care about him. If you continue treating him like this… he will leave you. At that time, it will be too late for you to get him back,"
As usual, he chose to ignore the advice.
This was weird.
It had been four days and Nino hadn't contacted him yet. No text or phone call. Why? He looked through his memory, trying to remember if Nino was on a company retreat or something. Pretty sure there was no such thing. So, why wouldn't Nino call him?
Urgh, what was wrong with him? Why was he affected by this? Was Sho right? Was he perhaps in love with Nino and that’s why he waited for Nino to call him? That was unlikely, right?
He looked at the phone. Truth be told, Nino had been distant lately. He didn’t text much and they hadn’t met for almost a month. Why was Nino like this? Did Nino hate him because of the way he treated him? Or, had Nino stopped loving him? Did Nino meet someone better? Did Nino love another person now?
No, he hoped not! He didn’t want to lose Nino. Without thinking, he grabbed the phone. Maybe it’s too late, maybe it’s not. But, if Nino didn’t want to call him, he would call the man. And, he made a promise. He would treat Nino better after this.
Before he could press anything, the phone suddenly rang and Nino’s name flashed on it. He cried in joy, not caring what his colleagues thought of him. Excitedly, he picked up the phone.
“Hello,”
Okay, he didn’t like the tone he used here. He should sound more excited. But, because he was too nervous to talk to Nino after so long, he sounded so cold.
The rest of the conversation was just like how they usually were. In a way, maybe it’s good to be like his usual self. If he acted differently, Nino might think something was wrong with him. Let’s take things slowly so that Nino won’t be confused. Make a small change at a time. Instead of just watching a movie and eating, they could do something else.
Everything was going well. But… Minami appeared after a long while.
And now, Nino hates him.
Aiba should be working tonight. But, he didn’t feel well so he was sent home. And, the person who sent him home was none other than the new doctor, Sho. The man had just finished his shift so he offered to bring Aiba home. Hahaha, Aiba tried to hide his smile when the other nurses were looking at him with jealousy as he left the hospital.
The ride home was quiet. He didn’t know what to talk about with the doctor, worried that he would embarrass himself. Hmm… but, the two of them knew Nino. So, maybe he could start by talking about his friend.
“Sensei, do you know that Nino is going on a date tonight?”
“Seriously?” The doctor was shocked. “That’s too soon! Who is he going out with?”
“His boss,” answered Aiba. “I saw him once. I think they will make a good couple,”
Sho didn’t say anything, only smiling at Aiba. Aiba tilted his head, wondering why Sho didn’t seem to be happy with the development.
Ah… that should be obvious. Why didn’t Aiba realize it sooner? Sho was a friend of the stupid Ohchan. So, of course, he would be rooting for Nino and Ohno to stay together. Urgh, Aiba should stay silent. If he kept talking, it might lead to an argument.
Nino deserved to be happy. The stupid Ohchan was so stupid. How could he do that to Nino? Matsujun is better. Aiba had seen the way Matsujun looked at Nino. The man was deeply in love with his friend. He could make Nino happy. But, first, Nino should give his boss a chance.
And, that’s why Aiba was mad when he saw Matsujun outside of Nino’s apartment when he came home. Why was the man still here? The date with Nino should be 30 minutes ago. What if… no… please don’t. What if Nino bailed out? Oh man, that’s too bad!
Aiba was about to open his mouth but Sho beat him to it.
“Satoshi?” called Sho, sounding confused. “What are you doing here?”
Aiba turned sharply at Sho. This was weird. Why did the doctor call Matsujun with a different name?
But… wait. He had heard the name recently. Wasn’t Satoshi…
Oh my… his eyes grew wider with the sudden realization. He was wrong. The person he saw outside the building on the night Nino broke up with the stupid Ohchan… the one who looked at Nino lovingly with a hint of sadness… it wasn’t Matsujun.
"You are the stupid Ohchan!"
A/N: Not sure what to think of this part. I hope it's not weird or confusing. I just want to write something about Ohmiya in the beginning of their relationship through Ohno's POV without revealing much about his thoughts.
As for the ending... Ohno didn't leave Nino just like that after their breakup. He watched Nino, making sure he stayed safe. And, both Jun and Ohno watched Nino as he entered his apartment building but the one Aiba saw was actually Ohno.