Will you love me? - Part 10 (Final)
“So, which one do you want to try first?”
Nino took some time to answer the question from Ohno. He looked around the lake, at the other people who were doing the water activities. It wasn’t crowded. There was a group of five who were riding the banana boat. One of their friends was recording them. They shouted, bragging about not falling into the lake. However, when the boat took a sharp turn, off they went into the water. As expected, the friend who was recording them roared with laughter. Nino glanced at Ohno, not surprised to see the blank look on the man’s face. Ohno didn’t usually laugh even if the situation was funny.
“Hmm, do you want to try wakeboarding?”
Ohno asked again, phrasing the question differently. Nino responded with a smile. This time, he looked at the wakeboarding area. A man was getting ready, He looked nervous so Nino guessed it might be his first time trying it. Another guy approached him. It was the same guy who recorded the men on the banana boat, the one who laughed when his friends fell into the water. Judging from the way the first man relaxed when he saw the other, Nino assumed the latter must be his friend.
“Hmm… okay,” Nino finally answered. Frankly, it was a relief to see someone else did it before him. It’s not like he wanted the man to fall but if he failed, it would give him more confidence to try it. Was it evil for him to have such a wish?
“Hi, are you guys going to do this too?” asked one of the men, to which Nino responded with a nod. Not knowing their name, Nino decided to call them A and B. A was the one who would be wakeboarding while B was the one who laughed at his friends earlier. And it was B who initiated the conversation with Nino and Ohno.
“Is this your first time?” Asked A.
“Yeah, it’s my first time,” answered Nino. “But, my boyfriend has done this before. He’s an expert,”
The words were out before he could stop it. Nino only realized what he had just said when he felt Ohno go stiff beside him. Did he just say Ohno is his boyfriend? It was a mistake and he didn’t notice it at all. Ohno was his boyfriend. They had just broken up. Why did he call the man his boyfriend?
“Oh, so you guys are a couple. You two look cute together,” said B. Both he and A didn’t seem to notice the awkwardness between Nino and Ohno because of the slip of tongue.
“Are you going to wakeboarding too?” Asked Nino.
“I’ve done it already,” explained B. “I’m here to cheer on my friend and perhaps record it,”
“Oh…” That’s the only response Nino could think of. They turned their attention to A who was now ready to wakeboarding. A still looked nervous but more determined to do it now. And, Nino watched as the man began. He seemed to be taking his time standing up. And, once he stood, Nino could see the enjoyment in his expression. He even asked the boat carrying him to speed up. Unfortunately, the moment it sped up, the man went into the water. Still, the look of pure excitement was evident on his face.
“Do you mind if I do it first?” asked Ohno. Nino just nodded. Once again, he was relieved that he didn’t have to do it right away. He was still afraid to do it. In his mind, he kept thinking that he would fall just like what happened to A earlier. But, in A’s case, he fell because he asked to increase the speed. What if Nino fell even without the increased speed? That would be embarrassing.
“Okay…” Ohno’s voice brought him back. “I’m going now,”
“Hmm… good luck,”
Not that he would need it. The man would do well, Nino knew it. And, he was right. Ohno didn’t wait to stand once he began wakeboarding. And he stood majestically. It wasn’t Nino’s biased view. From the corner of his eyes, he could see how the others on the platform couldn’t take their eyes off Ohno, admiring his posture as he did the activity. Was Nino jealous to see the others look at Ohno like that? No. He was just proud.
“Wow!” A exclaimed. The look of admiration could be seen on his face. “Your boyfriend is really good at this,”
B nodded in agreement. Nino only smiled at them, not bothering to correct A. It was his mistake, after all. He was the one who declared Ohno as his boyfriend earlier.
One of the staff approached Nino, asking him to get ready if he wanted to be the next one to wakeboard. Nino complied, following the staff. He put on the lifejacket as instructed by the staff. They relayed to him the tips on how to do it safely but he wasn’t listening to any of them, being so nervous to try it. As he waited for it to begin, he felt a warm presence right next to him. Ohno came and sat there, giving his hand a squeeze. Nino was thankful for that. Having Ohno next to him made the fear subside.
“Nervous?” asked Ohno.
Nino shook his head. “Not as much as before,”
“It will be okay, don’t worry,” said Ohno. “Just relax and hold on to the rope. Stand up slowly when you’re ready. They’ve told you what to do, right?”
“Un,” answered Nino. Indeed the staff told him what to do but he didn’t pay attention. “I don’t listen to it. Too nervous,”
“It’s going to be okay,” Ohno assured him again. He kissed Nino’s forehead. Nino was shocked when the man did so but he didn’t show it. He wouldn’t admit it to Ohno but he actually needed the kiss. It gave him the strength and confidence to wakeboard even though he didn’t know where they came from.
And, so, his first time wakeboarding began. The fear returned but Ohno’s voice was inside his head, telling him to relax. He followed the advice as the boat started to move, trying to remember what Ohno told him. Should he stand up now, he wondered. Yes, this was the moment. He had to do it slowly. That’s what Ohno said just now.
And, so he stood. Slowly as Ohno had instructed. It was scary at first. But, it was also exciting as he felt the wind against his face. Okay, this was better than he expected. He would just enjoy this, not thinking about anything else. Relax. Just like what Ohno wanted him to do.
And, before Nino knew it, he was once again back at the platform. Why did this fun activity end so quickly? He hadn’t fully enjoyed it yet. He wanted to do it again! Can he do it again? He can, right?
As he was lost in his thoughts, thinking if he ought to try wakeboarding again, Ohno approached him. Feeling happy to see Ohno and what he accomplished earlier, he hugged the man and without thinking, put his lips against Ohno’s.
Ohno was startled at first but it didn’t stop him from responding to the kiss. Nino simply enjoyed the kiss and the way Ohno’s lips moved against his until he remembered what he told earlier.
Oops…
“I’m…”
Nino was about to apologize for kissing Ohno. But, B approached them and Nino had no choice but to halt. He would have to do it later.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt you lovebirds…” B began. “We’re about to ride the disco boat. Would you like to ride it with us?”
Oh, it looked like a fun activity. Nino immediately agreed. Ohno too. The two of them followed B to the disco boat where they met another two of his friends. A apparently was playing at the bouncy castle. Nino eyed A and their other friends at the castle. They were enjoying themselves, pushing one another into the water. It looked fun and Nino thought he would like to do it next. He glanced at Ohno, who was staring at him. He pointed at the castle, hoping Ohno would agree to do it later. Ohno smiled, nodding.
But, they didn’t go to the castle after they were done with the disco boat. They rode the flying fish boat, the banana boat and the other kind of boats the place had. Nino even went wakeboarding again. Fortunately, he didn’t fall. Ohno even took a video of him this time. He looked so cool in the video.
And, now, they finally went to the bouncy castle. A and his friends were no longer playing there. So, it was just the two of them.
“If I can go through this bouncy castle without falling into the water…” Nino began. “... You have to give me 100 million yen,”
“Sure,” agreed Ohno. “But, you have to run,”
Nino stuck his tongue out at Ohno. “Do you think I cannot do it?”
“Of course, you can,” said Ohno. “I believe in you,”
“Liar,” retorted Nino. “Fine, I will do it. If I don’t fall, you have to give me the money,”
“Yes, honey,”
The endearing nickname reminded Nino that he still had a conversation to do with Ohno. It’s about the kiss earlier.
“Ohchan… hmmm…” He didn’t know how to say it. He was the one who said they shouldn’t kiss since they were no longer a couple. And, then, he initiated a kiss. What a weirdo!
“Is this about the kiss?” Asked Ohno, reading his mind. “It’s okay, Nino. I understand. You’re happy because you successfully wakeboarding. It was just a spur of the moment,”
“It is a spur of the moment,” agreed Nino. He took a deep breath because he had more to say. “I enjoy the kiss and I…” He swallowed as he stared at Ohno’s hopeful eyes. “I… I… I think I want to be with you again,”
Ohno’s eyes brightened upon hearing it. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Nino tried to look anywhere else. This was embarrassing. “This was a fun experience for me. I really enjoy it. We have a lot to figure out but I think we can make it work this time. So, what do you think? Will you…”
Nino didn’t have the chance to finish as Ohno grabbed him and kissed him fully on the lips. The kiss went deeper this time, not caring about their surroundings.
“I love you, Nino,” confessed Ohno. Even though the man had said it before, it felt different this time because Nino knew he meant it. “I promise you… I will treat you better this time. I will be different,”
“Don’t make me regret this, okay?” said Nino. Ohno kissed his forehead this time and then smiled at Nino. “Now, move away. I need to get my 100 million yen,”
“Go ahead,”
Nino started running to the entrance of the bouncy castle. Two steps in and he was already in the water. Ohno laughed behind him. The joyous laughter that Nino hoped he would get to listen to for the rest of his life.
It would be different this time. He knew it. He vowed to make this relationship work no matter what.
A/N: So, I guess this is the ending for this story. Sorry if it isn't good. I really hope you will like it. I apologize for taking my time in updating this.
Oh, I feel the need to clarify this. A few scenes in this part were taken from Going Seventeen TTT 2021. That's where I got the idea for this part. Even the part about giving money if Nino can get through the bouncy castle came from that show.
Once again, I hope you will enjoy this. Let me know what you think, okay?