Will you love me? - Part 7
The funny thing was Ohno passed out right after their kiss. Nino still vividly remembered how it happened. They let go of each other to catch their breath and then, Ohno caressed his cheeks softly, smiling at him while he did so. The next second, the man was already on the floor.
Of course, he was perplexed by what happened. Thank goodness, he wasn’t alone at that time. Both Sho and Aiba were quick to take action.
“He is sleeping,” informed Sho.
At first, Nino thought he misheard what the man said. The same look was also on Aiba’s face.
“What did you say?”
“He is sleeping,” Sho repeated the same thing, confirming that Nino heard it right the first time.
“Sleeping?”
“Uh-huh,” confirmed Sho. “He is exhausted. Since the two of you broke up, he couldn’t sleep,”
"Oh…"
"I'm gonna bring him home," informed Sho. “I will ask him to meet you tomorrow to talk about… well… you know,”
Out of reflex, Nino stopped him from lifting Ohno on the floor. Sho eyed him, waiting for him to say something. But, he stayed silent. Why did he stop Sho? He wasn’t sure.
“Hmm…” Sho finally broke the silence. “What’s wrong?”
Nino shyly shook his head. “He can sleep in my house,”
Those words were out before he could stop it. He didn’t know why he said them. Truth be told, he wanted to wake Ohno up from his sleep. They needed to talk. It wasn’t the time for Ohno to sleep. But, Nino couldn’t bring himself to bother the man when he was sleeping. He smiled to himself, remembering a memory from his university days. Just like those days, Ohno slept without any care.
Sho didn’t comment about it. He simply smiled as he lifted Ohno from the floor. Nino went ahead to open the door for Sho. He hesitated in front of his room, wondering if it’s appropriate to let Ohno sleep in it. But, he shrugged it off and let Sho enter. Sho put Ohno on the bed and then beckoned for Nino to follow him out.
In his living room, Aiba already sat on the couch. Looking at his pale face, Nino remembered the reason he came to his friend’s house. The kiss with Ohno had distracted him from Aiba.
“Aiba-chan, shouldn’t you be resting?” asked Nino. He put his hand on Aiba’s forehead. “You are burning! Why are you talking with Ohchan? You should go to sleep,”
Aiba lightly pushed his hand away. “I’m okay, Nino-chan,”
“No, you are not!” rebuked Nino. “Come, let’s go home! I shall put you on the bed,”
“I will look after him,” muttered Sho. “You should rest. Come, Aiba-chan. Let’s go back to your apartment,”
“Ehhh…” pouted Aiba. “I want to know about Nino’s date,”
“Not now, Aiba-chan,” said Nino, pushing Aiba so that the man would follow Sho. “I will tell you about it later,”
“Promise?” Aiba held out his pinky finger. Nino linked their fingers together and nodded.
Aiba began walking with Sho. But, to Nino’s surprise, he suddenly stopped after a few steps.
“You know…” Aiba began. “It wasn’t Matsumoto-san that night. It was the stupid Ohchan,”
Nino frowned at first. For a second, he couldn’t understand what Aiba meant by that. And then, he slowly remembered his misunderstanding. It wasn’t Jun who walked with him that night. It was Ohno.
“I know,” responded Nino.
It’s already 4 AM but Nino couldn’t sleep at all. He kept tossing and turning on the futon. Having Ohno sleeping in his room wasn’t a problem for him. On weekends, he usually slept in the living room after a long day of playing video games. The futon was put there because he would be too lazy to get back to his room.
His difficulty falling asleep… no else could be blamed for it. It was Ohno’s fault. The kiss they shared earlier… he couldn’t get it out of his mind. He kept thinking about it. That was his first kiss and even though he had nothing to compare it with, he knew that was the best kiss anyone could ever have. Frankly, he wanted to do it again. But…
Why did Ohno kiss him? The man had confessed to him before they kissed. But, can he trust the man? The confession… Did Ohno really mean it?
“Can't sleep?"
Nino almost cursed when he heard another voice. Where did the voice come from? Being too wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize the voice belonged to someone he knew. It was Ohno’s voice.
He immediately sat up and found Ohno sitting on the couch. As expected, it was awkward.
“Sorry,” Ohno said. “I didn’t mean to startle you,”
Nino shrugged him off. Ah, what should he say? He totally had no idea.
And then, something weird happened. Both their stomachs growled at the same time. They looked at each other. Ohno smiled shyly at him, clearly embarrassed because of the sound that came from his stomach.
"Hmm… I still have pasta from this afternoon," said Nino. Usually, he wouldn't eat after midnight. But, he was too hungry right now. The only food he had for dinner was the popcorn that Jun bought for him during the movie. "Would you like to eat with me? Aiba-chan made it,"
The other man nodded shyly before he followed Nino to the kitchen.
"It's delicious," said Ohno after taking the first bite.
Despite his growling stomach, Nino didn't eat. Instead, he stared intently at the other man. Ohno, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to what he was doing, focusing more on the pasta he was eating.
"Ohchan…" Nino began. The way Ohno ate made him curious. Ohno was so ravenous as if he hadn't eaten for a while. "When was the last time you ate?"
Ohno's face turned red because of the question. He didn't answer Nino, only scratching his head.
"Ohchan…"
"Hmm…"
"What do you have for lunch today?"
"Hmm…"
"Last night?"
No answer came from Ohno. This proved his suspicion.
"You didn't eat anything," concluded Nino. "Since when? And why?"
"Since we broke up," mumbled Ohno. "I have no appetite,"
A sigh escaped from Nino's mouth. The man didn't sleep and eat properly after their break-up. How could it affect Ohno so much when the man didn't seem to care about the relationship in the first place?
As if he knew what was in Nino's head, Ohno put down the spoon and then reached out to squeeze Nino's hand.
"I really mean what I said earlier," said Ohno, looking straight at Nino. "I love you. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I know I shouldn't treat you like that but…"
The man paused. And, Nino waited for him to continue. A few minutes passed but Ohno still kept his mouth shut. Seemed like Ohno wasn’t ready to have this conversation. The old Nino might not mind this. But, Nino had changed albeit a little. At this point, he wasn’t sure what the status of their relationship was. They had broken up, that was certain. But, Ohno had confessed his love for Nino. Did he want Nino back, then? And, more importantly, did Nino want to be with Ohno again?
Yes, it was necessary for them to talk. It would make it easier for him to answer the last question.
“Ohchan…” Nino began. He was surprised to hear how calm he sounded despite the turmoil in his heart. “Do you want to hear a story about my friend?”
Ohno furrowed his brows, looking confused by the change of the subject. Admittedly, it was weird to suddenly talk about something else. But, Nino had a reason to do so.
“My friend had just broken up with his boyfriend. The boyfriend is a jerk. He only used my friend to get over his cheating ex-girlfriend,”
Yes, that’s right. It was not a story about his friend. It was their story. He just thought… Maybe if they pretended this wasn’t about them, it would make it easier for Ohno to open up about his feelings.
“He never treated my friend right. I mean… he never asked my friend out on a date… never called him… well, he texted him but only after my friend sent a text first. And when my friend asked him anything, his answer was very brief. They are not like a couple at all, right?”
Ohno didn’t answer. But, Nino could see the guilt in his eyes.
“Ohchan, what do you think about them? Why did the boyfriend treat my friend like that?”
Nino stared intently at his ex-boyfriend who looked away from him. So, the strategy didn’t work. Ohno still refused to tell him anything. Nino let out a sigh, ready to give up when Ohno suddenly mumbled.
“What?” Nino asked as he didn’t hear what Ohno had said.
Ohno swallowed. His hand was still on top of Nino so he removed it before touching Nino’s cheeks softly. He looked straight at Nino and repeated what he had said before.
“He was afraid,”
At last, Ohno had finally said something. That was a huge step and Nino hoped it would help them define this relationship.
“Your friend… how did he know about the ex-girlfriend?” Asked Ohno. “His boyfriend never told him about her, right?”
“From their friend,”
Ohno’s mouth formed an ‘o’.
“She was his first lover,” continued Ohno. This was the first time he ever talked about Minami. “He loved her so much. He gave her everything. But, she betrayed him. She cheated on him and then simply left. He was devastated,”
“He hates her. He wants to move on but he keeps hearing her voice in his head. Nothing he did could make her voice disappear. But, that changed after he met your friend,”
So, Ohno hated Minami. Nino was surprised by the revelation. All these times, he thought Ohno was still in love with Minami and that’s why he couldn’t love Nino. But, he was wrong. He didn’t know that Minami was still torturing Ohno even though they had already broken up.
“Your friend confessed to him and he agreed to be his boyfriend. He likes having your friend around. After they started dating, he didn’t have to rely on your friend to quieten the girlfriend’s voice in his head. He no longer hears her voice even when your friend is not with him. That’s because your friend is what he has been thinking about. But, he was afraid to admit that he has started to love your friend. He didn’t want to put any effort into the relationship. It’s just… he was worried that your friend would leave him just like his ex-girlfriend. Your friend will never cheat on him, he knew that. But… what if your friend finds someone better? What if he falls in love with another guy? He couldn’t bear the thought of being dumped again. That’s why he decided not to put his whole heart into the relationship,”
“But, he was wrong. When your friend starts to be distant… when your friend doesn't contact him as frequently as before, he realizes how much he misses your friend. He doesn't want to lose your friend. He decided to put aside his ego and called your friend. And he vowed to treat your friend better after this,"
"Your friend called him first and he was thrilled. He knew how cold he sounded during the phone call. Please cut him some slack. He was just too nervous,"
"They went on a date. Bowling… that's what they did. Was he any different that night?"
Nino blinked when Ohno suddenly asked him a question. He nodded and then added. "My friend was confused. The boyfriend was so nice to him that night,"
Ohno smiled weakly and then continued.
"It was the best date he ever had. But, it became the worst when they bumped into his ex-girlfriend. It was just a coincidence but your friend thought he planned it. Your friend was furious and dumped him. He knows he is at fault. But, he hopes your friend will forgive him and give him another chance,"
An awkward silence followed next. Ohno stared at Nino, waiting for an answer. Eyes full of hope. Will Nino give him another chance? He wasn't sure. Yes, Nino is still in love with Ohno. But, what happened between them traumatized him. Did Ohno deserve another chance? It's too early to decide.
"He will think about it,"
Nino finally said. Ohno responded with a weak smile, looking gloomy. The whole situation became solemn and Nino needed something to change the atmosphere between them.
Almost immediately, an idea struck him just as he remembered Ohno still owed him a wish for winning the bowling game. A kiss was out of the question. He already shared it with Ohno. He had a new wish now. And, maybe it would help him decide what to do with their relationship.
"I haven't told you my wish, right?"
Ohno's eyes widened, surprised because of what he said.
"Yes…" Ohno nodded. "Hmm… have you decided on what you want?"
"Yes," answered Nino. He took a deep breath and then continued. "I want to go on a date with you. But, you have to plan everything and no, we're not going to see a movie. I also don't want to go bowling. We're going to do something that we both like but you have to figure it out yourself. And, you cannot ask for help. If I enjoy the date, I will give you another chance,"
A/N: Okay, I don't know what to think of this part. It went differently than what I had in mind. But, as I wrote, this was what it turned out to be. I hope it's okay.
Will Nino give Ohno another chance? Will their date go well? I also have no idea what kind of date they will have. If you have any ideas, it will be very much appreciated.