One Love Chapters 1 through 5
Title: One Love (sequel to Love Situation)
Chapters: 1-17
Rating: PG- PG-13 (very safe)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Pairing: Sakurai Sho/OC, slight Matsumoto Jun/OC
Chapter 1
I jumped awake, forgetting where I was. I sat up slowly, adjusting my sleepy eyes to the dim room and soon it all came back to me. I looked next to me to his sleeping figure, his soft lips in a slight smile and his dark hair falling over his face. I smiled adoringly at him, he looked so peaceful. Quietly, I pushed the covers off me and stood up cautiously, trying not to wake him. Stepping over the scattered pieces of clothing, I tried not to get my foot caught on anything and trip. Successfully reaching the bathroom, I shut the door as quietly as I could. Clicking on the light, I squinted in the sudden brightness. I looked at my reflection curiously. Some people had recently been telling me I looked different, but I didn’t see any difference.
Okay, so maybe I had suddenly looked more awake and more refreshed, but that was because my job wasn’t stressful and I got to sleep in. My hair was a bit longer... but I still wore it in the same side-parted fashion. Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I washed my face as quietly as I could before wrapping my robe around me. Exiting the bathroom, I tiptoed across the floorboards to the door, opened it softly, and finally reached the living room. I left the bedroom door open a crack and then made my way to the wall sized, glass door at the back of the living room. Grabbing one side of the wooden blinds that blocked the door, I pushed it across to finally reveal the sparkling ocean. I smiled brightly at the beautiful morning and opened the glass doors to let in the cool sea air. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply...
It had been almost nine months since Sho and I started our secret relationship. Nine months of unconditional love, of sleepless nights... It was truly amazing how well we had kept our feelings hidden. Especially during the past holidays. Sho and I attended Aiba’s Christmas/ birthday party with the rest of the members, and I thought for sure we would get caught. The simple things we did without knowing suddenly became our potential for downfall. An adoring look while either of us laughed, a brush of one hand against another... Even when we opened each others’ presents that morning with everyone, we had to be discrete. I ended up giving Sho an old atlas and he gave me the next volume of the manga I was reading. It was pathetic. We made up for it when we were alone, though, later that night. I gave him my real I present I chose for him and he gave me an elegant silver necklace that I could only wear to something formal. New Years’ was also a complete let down. Nino had hosted the gathering this time. I remember everyone realizing that I was the only girl to kiss when it struck midnight and the winner of janken got to kiss me. Ohno had won and at the stroke of midnight, we innocently pecked each other on the lips. Amusing as I thought it was, Sho was annoyed and Jun adverted his eyes elsewhere, pouting silently. We had our first argument that night over the kiss. I knew Sho was only jealous he didn’t get to kiss me, so the following night at midnight, we had our own New Years’.
I was sitting on the patio chair, my knees up to my chest, my head resting on them while I gazed at the ocean just ten feet away. We were currently at a beach resort somewhere off the east coast of Chiba. Aiba had picked out this place for us and said it was the perfect spot because a lot of older couples visited here and they wouldn’t know who Sho was. I was very impressed with Aiba and how he had handled everything up until now. He had gotten us out of numerous situations when Sho and I made a suspicious comment or seemed to be getting too friendly around the other members. I was broken out of my daze when familiar arms wrapped around my shoulders and soft lips grazed my cheek.
"Good~ morning~" Sho said groggily, purposely drawing out each syllable. I smiled brightly and looked up at the eyes I loved so much.
"You’re awake already?" I asked as I scooted over in the recliner so Sho could sit next to me. He nodded and yawned widely.
"We’ve got to be back in Tokyo by five... the plane leaves at two..." Sho mumbled, sitting back and closing his eyes. I frowned slightly out at the ocean.
"Right..." I mumbled sourly. We had to go back to work tomorrow. Sho had his television shows and News Zero and I had my job with Ayeka-san. Schedules were tight again, and before this weekend trip here, I saw Sho no more than two or three times every few weeks. We were always in contact though, messaging each other whenever we could.
"Minako... don’t frown." Sho said disapprovingly. Keeping my frown, I laid my head next to his.
"The weekend went too fast..." I muttered. Sho opened one eye sleepily at me and smiled.
"It’s probably the most we’ve seen each other in a few months, right?" he asked quietly. I nodded quietly while absentmindedly tracing his T-shirt collar with my finger. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at my pouting expression.
"You can’t say it wasn’t worth it though." Sho said with a sly smile. I smiled and laughed in embarrassment. Taking his gentle hand, he brushed my side swept bangs from my face and kissed me slowly and passionately.
"Why are you washing the dishes? Don’t the maids do that?" Sho called in irritation from the bedroom. I grumbled to myself as I scrubbed the dinner plates and wine glasses.
"Yeah! But I don’t want to leave having them think we’re slobs!" I replied back. Sho appeared from the bedroom staring at me in confusion. I stopped washing and stared at him, waiting for him to speak. This went on for almost a minute until Sho stalked away, mumbling something about how no one would really mind.
"You have packing to do, don’t talk to me." I said in a very tense voice. Sho appeared again, carrying his suitcase and giving me a smug smile.
"I win, Mina-chan." Sho said tauntingly. I glared at him over the marble counter that separated us.
"I never agreed to that bet! How-"
"Sh! Sh! Eh, Matsumoto-kun?" I heard Sho suddenly say. I looked up from the sink to him on his cell phone. Jun must have called him.
"Yes, today, right... ah, it wasn’t what we thought... turned out to be a fake. Oh, Matsumoto-kun, I’ve got to go. Yes... yes, bye-bye." Sho said quickly as he hung up. Our eyes met and I scowled slightly. Sho had just flat out lied to Jun in front of me.
"You’re really okay with that?" I asked a little more roughly than I should have. Sho stuffed his phone in his pocket, gave me one of his glares and stalked off again to the bedroom. I knew it bothered Sho more than he let on. Jun was still a sensitive topic for both of us and I was beginning to think that Sho was trying to ignore it, hoping it would go away. Jun and I still talked, but him being the busiest out of everyone, it was a rare occasion. I was honestly still fighting my mind’s longing for Jun’s touch even after all these months with Sho, who undoubtedly owned my heart. Sho and I knew it was an uphill battle that we’d have to face sooner or later, but for now, we treasured the limited time we had together.
Chapter 2
We made it safely back to Tokyo after finally tearing ourselves away from the private haven. Our weekend together had come to an end as we said good-bye at my door. He held me close, neither one of us wanting to let go. My phone abruptly began to ring and Sho mumbled for me to answer it.
"Aiba-kun... we already called you... of course he’s here... no, just leaving actually... well, why’d you call in the first place? I’ll call you later, Aiba-kun... bye-bye." I hung up my phone slightly annoyed. Not so much at Aiba, but at the situation. Sho was leaning against the closed door, picking at his nails with a slight frown. I walked back over to him and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head and sighed.
"You have weekends off, right?" he asked quietly. I nodded and closed my eyes.
"I’ll see you this weekend then... I don’t have anything scheduled." he said softly. I looked up with doubt clearly written on my face.
"You said that before." I quietly reminded him. Sho smirked and kissed me lightly.
"I had no choice, I couldn’t miss it." he said as he drew away from me. I crossed my arms and watched Sho pick up his luggage and unlock my door. Putting my hand on the handle, I started to open the door when Sho kissed me suddenly. It wasn’t as soft as usual, but it was very passionate. When we finally broke apart, he smiled and slowly walked out into the hall. "Bye, Minako." he said lightly. I smiled slightly and raised my hand in a reluctant wave. With one last smile, Sho walked down the hall and went out of sight. I slowly closed my door and locked it, feeling suddenly lonely. I looked around my apartment and sighed. A whole week without seeing Sho? I knew it probably sounded selfish... but I couldn’t help it. Walking over to my couch with my phone, I sat down and called Aiba.
"Mina-chan! How’d you like it?" he asked excitedly.
"It was amazing... thank you, Aiba-kun." I said airily, my mind floating back to the memories. I could almost hear Aiba’s excitement through the phone.
"Did he ask you?" Aiba asked suddenly.
"What? Ask me what?" I said in confusion, scowling slightly.
"To marry him! What else!" he exclaimed. I felt my jaw drop and I sat straight up.
"Aiba! Why would he do that?!" I asked in a higher voice than usual.
"Come on! You know he’s going to do it sooner or later! Oh, oh , oh! Can we have birds at the wedding!?" I started to think Aiba had gone mad.
"What? Aiba-kun, I don’t... why would... no we can’t have birds!" I spat out, trying to overcome my sudden panic. Why hadn’t that thought crossed my mind before, marrying Sho?
"Why not? We can let them fly around the dance floor!" Aiba whined into the phone. I put my hand over my eyes, trying to think and calm Aiba at the same time.
"Because they’ll get all the food dirty, Aiba! And people don’t want birds flying all over the place when they’re trying to dance!" my voice was maybe a whole octave higher and my heart was pounding.
"Why is your voice so high? Minako!? Are you scared?" Aiba said in a suddenly serious tone. I stood up from the couch and started to pace back and forth across my living room nervously.
"No! Why would I be scared? It’s not... something..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"You didn’t expect this?" Aiba asked quietly.
"Well not right now! I mean, we can’t even see each other when we want, we have to sneak behind everyone’s back and we can’t even touch each other with anyone around!" I hadn’t felt this panicky in a long time.
"I never said he would do it now, Minako." Aiba said worriedly. I ran my hand through my hair angrily.
"But you’re right, Aiba-kun! What if he does? How could we get... we get... do that?" I couldn’t even say the word married. Aiba remained silent as I panicked.
"...could we talk about the birds again? What colours should they be?" Aiba asked quietly. I laid on the couch, feeling suddenly exhausted. Closing my eyes, I listened to Aiba explain how he would release the birds, how many there would be and even if they should wear clothes. The thought of being with Sho forever wasn’t the thing that scared me, it was the fear that things wouldn’t work out.
"Mina-chan? Are you there?" I heard Aiba’s voice.
"Hm? Yeah, yeah I’m here." I answered lazily, my mind still buzzing.
"When are you seeing Sho-chan again?" he asked curiously.
"He said he was free this weekend... but you know how that works." I muttered.
"Ahh... a whole week? Oh! Can I come visit you!?" Aiba asked loudly. I laughed quietly and smiled.
"Sure... you know the studio’s always open to you guys... Ayeka-san has really taken a liking to you." I said happily.
"Yay! Okay, so I’ll drop by sometime." Aiba said excitedly. I smiled to myself as I imagined Aiba’s adorable grin. I hadn’t seen any of the other members for almost two months now, and I’ve only talked to Aiba over the phone.
"Aiba-kun... thank you." I thanked him again softly. He had done a lot for Sho and I, and I wanted him to know that we both appreciated it more than we could express.
"Ah, Minako... we should all do it sometime! Or just you, me and Sho-chan!" Aiba excitedly suggested. I laughed at the thought. I could just imagine the absolute exhaustion on Sho’s face as Aiba pranced happily around the beach house, loudly suggesting we should go play on the beach.
"How would that work exactly, Aiba-kun?" I asked in amusement as I stood looking out my window. As Aiba talked excitedly about the activities we would do, I gazed out at the city, imagining what everyone else was doing. I missed them more than I thought I would.
"...and the crab is awesome!" I heard Aiba finish happily.
"That sounds like a fun time..." I said happily to mask my sadness. Aiba’s description had painted a very happy image for me. All of us on the beach, playing in the sand and maybe even bringing firecrackers. Sho and I would be holding hands and no one would be hurt... this was the goal I made for myself. I wanted Aiba’s perfect painting to be the future.
Chapter 3
Had it not been for my job, I would have gone crazy from missing Sho the entire week. I was working with my former boss’s sister, Ayeka, as the Wardrobe Manager in her private modeling studio. One thing about Ayeka, was that she was the polar opposite of Aya-san. She was much more easy going, never stressed or uptight, and she shut down the studio on weekends because she simply "wanted to sleep in on some days." Being about ten years younger than my former boss, Ayeka was always on the top of wild fashion.
She had begged me to let her give me a makeover, which in the end I finally gave in to. Not wearing much makeup in the first place, eye shadow, lipstick and thick mascara made me feel like I was wearing a mask. I didn’t like it at all and neither did Sho. I apologized sincerely to Ayeka the next day when I arrived looking like my usual self. She was disappointed at first, but later said I was gorgeous with the "al natural" look anyway. I knew it just a matter of time before she started to bug me about my choice of clothes and hairstyle.
"Minako-chan, how long have you had your hair that way?" Ayeka-san asked me during lunch. I looked up at her worriedly and my hand unconsciously flew to the side of my head.
"Um... a few years probably... maybe more?" I answered slowly. Ayeka got up from her chair, and peered closer at my hair through her black rimmed glasses.
"Is this wave natural?" she asked me, running her slender fingers down my hair.
"Yes..." I answered quietly and a bit uncomfortably. Unlike Aya-san, Ayeka had no sense of personal boundaries.
"For once, you are in style, Minako-chan! We could take a few inches off the ends so it bounces over your shoulders... and maybe switch your part to the left instead of the right... perhaps some layers too..." Ayeka said more to herself than to me. She crouched down in front of me, staring at my unsure face.
"Uhh... Ayeka-san... I don’t really want to change it..." I said quietly. Ayeka pouted her thick lips and scowled at me.
"With a perfect shaped face like yours’, shorter hair would look much more attractive. But, until you want to change it, at least wear barrettes? Or perhaps ribbon?" Ayeka said with a smile. I nodded in understanding but never promised anything. I wasn’t one to ever fuss about my appearance, just as long as I looked presentable was enough for me. As Ayeka sat back down in her seat, I saw her eyeing my clothes. She turned towards me again and asked me to stand up. Cautiously I stood up and backed up so she could look me over. What was wrong with my clothes? Jeans... a white Oxford shirt and a black vest... what could be wrong with that? Ayeka narrowed her eyes at me and smiled.
"Maybe you’re getting some fashion sense working around here! You have nice legs, you should show them off, Minako-chan." Ayeka said as turned back to her lunch.
"...I don’t really wear short things, Ayeka-san..." I said quietly, sitting back down and trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
"Eh? You’ve got a great figure, Minako-chan! Are you sure you don’t want to model? I’m sure I could get you a spot." Ayeka offered loudly.
"No, sorry... I just don’t... really want to do that..." I said slowly, trying not to offend Ayeka.
"What a modest girl you are! If your mind changes, let me know." Ayeka said with a smile and a wink before excusing herself from her office. I sat quietly by myself, still shaking off the uncomfortable feeling of being examined. I liked Ayeka a lot, but her blunt and shrewd observing personality often left me feeling like I was violated. Picking up my lunch, I walked out of Ayeka’s office and into my own, next door.
I closed the door and sighed in relief. Working here, I actually had my own office that I could decorate however I wished. While Ayeka had posters of famous, foreign models and movie stars, I had posters of the latest movies and pictures of my favourite anime. Setting down on my small couch, I took out my phone to check messages. Nothing new. Slightly disappointed, my mind wandered to what Sho could be doing... possibly some interviews? I decided to send him a message.
"Are we still okay for this weekend?" I mumbled to myself as I quickly texted the same thing. After pressing send, I placed it on my desk, not expecting him to get it right away. There was a knock at my door.
"Yes?" I called as I gathered some papers off my desk.
"Minako-chan! Aiba-san is here! And he brought Matsumoto-san!" I heard Ayeka’s breathless voice whisper. I whirled around and saw Ayeka opening my door, letting in a very bouncy Aiba and a usually composed Jun. Ayeka gave me a giant wink and a thumbs up before shutting my door.
"Jun? I didn’t know you were coming too!" I said with a startled smile. He set down a lunch bag on my coffee table and smiled.
"I actually ran into Aiba on his way here... I hope you don’t mind-"
"Oh! No, not at all!" I tried to say without sounding panicky. "Let me just find something for us to drink... uh, Aiba-kun? Could you help?" I said quickly, rushing to my door. Aiba quickly followed and shut the door behind us. I walked in circles out in the hall, trying to shake off the panic.
"Are you okay?" Aiba asked curiously. I cast a glare at him.
"You could have warned me! A message or something!" I whispered furiously. Aiba looked confused as I took deep breaths.
"You’re still...?" Aiba whispered pointing to my office.
"I’m still trying! Seeing him isn’t going to help." I said, finally getting a grip on myself. "Okay... let’s find something to drink... I think there might be some coffee, tea..." I mumbled to myself, looking down the hall towards the lounge.
"I haven’t see you like this since Nino’s birthday!" Aiba said slightly amused, following me down the hall. I massaged my temples and forced a smile.
"I’m glad you find me amusing, Aiba-kun..." I said quietly. While we were in the lounge getting coffee for the three of us, Aiba asked endless questions about my weekend with Sho. At first I wasn’t paying much attention but I had to stop him once he started to ask some rather personal questions.
"Why not?" Aiba asked over and over as we carried the drinks back to my office.
"Because you don’t need to know. Now... let’s just get through this without ruining everything, okay?" I said quietly as we reached my door. Aiba nodded in understanding and entered my office. Pausing slightly, I took another deep breath to calm my nerves before going through with the surprise visit.
Chapter 4
"Oh, Minako, you got a message when you were gone." Jun said immediately as I walked in. Feeling suddenly faint, I put the drinks quickly on the table, spilling some of the coffee. I had totally forgotten about my phone!
"You didn’t read it did you?" Aiba asked Jun anxiously. Jun scowled at Aiba’s sudden accusation.
"No. Why would I?" Jun replied as he wiped the coffee off the table with a napkin. I could have cried from how relieved I was. I walked numbly to my desk and picked up my phone, the message was from Sho.
"Of course we are... I told you Sunday I was free." There was no way I’d reply, now that Jun was here. I put the phone in my pocket and went to join Aiba and Jun as they unpacked the lunch. Having already eaten some lunch already, I refused and sat quietly, sipping the coffee.
"I haven’t called you at all, Minako-chan. Have you been busy too?" Jun asked, eyeing me as he ate.
"Uh... recently, yes I have... how are the others? Nino and Ohno?" I asked innocently, trying to change subject. Jun shrugged.
"Fine as ever, I see them and Aiba all the time. Sho-kun though... he’s been busy a lot too. News Zero and things." Jun said as he picked at his food. Aiba and I glanced at each other nervously.
"Really? I talked to him yesterday. Maybe you missed him?" Aiba said quickly. Jun nodded in agreement.
"I did call him this past weekend, to ask how things were with his topic search... he seemed like he was in a rush." Jun said bitterly. I accidentally swallowed too much coffee when he said this and I whimpered as it burned my throat. Both of them looked at me curiously as I laid my head on the table in pain.
"Mina? Are you okay?" Jun asked. I nodded and sat up again, my eyes watering.
"It’s... hot." I whispered. Aiba snickered at me and Jun went back to his food silently. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, there was a knock at my door.
"Yes! Coming..." I called weakly, my throat still stinging.
"Mina-chan...!" We all looked up and saw Sho standing in the doorway.
"Sho-kun?" Jun said with a slight frown. Sho looked at the three of us with a startled and nervous smile.
"Uh... it’s like a party..." he said weakly as he closed the door. I couldn’t help but to hide my face in my hands at this disaster. Sho sat next to me, making sure we weren’t too close. "Isn’t this awesome? MatsuJun was saying how he hasn’t seen you in awhile." Aiba said during the awkward silence. Sho laughed slightly.
"I’ve been busy lately, huh?" Sho said, leaning forward to look at Jun.
"I just told Aiba how I haven’t seen you or Minako-chan... you’ve both been busy." Jun said, pointing to me with his chopsticks. I cleared my throat and nodded, trying to ignore my sudden blushing. Aiba tried to hide his smile as he drank, Sho glancing at him threateningly.
"Sho-kun? You’ve never been to the studio before, right?" I said in a second attempt to change subjects. Sho nodded once and turned towards me.
"Yes... this is the first time. I thought I’d come down during lunch..." Sho said truthfully. It was actually his first time inside the studio, but he and Ayeka had met many times before. So I had no doubt that she showed Sho where my office was. Our conversation was short lived and the office went silent again. Sho had gotten up and was looking around at the posters, while Aiba and Jun finished their lunches. I had been occupying myself with a magazine for some time now but I couldn’t ignore the glances Jun was giving me.
"Jun, Minako’s lunch is almost over..." Aiba said standing up from the couch. I looked over to Jun and smiled.
"Sorry, you can come again." I said happily. Jun nodded and looked to Aiba.
"We’ll have to visit more often." he suggested, Aiba giving him an excited nod. Sho and I joined the two at the door.
"Ah, Sho-kun? Do you want to walk with us?" Jun asked. Sho shook his head slightly.
"I actually have a bit of time left... I wanted to see if Ayeka-san could set up a photo spread for us. Her work is amazing." Sho explained sincerely. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that we both had gotten so convincing at lying. Aiba bounced excitedly at the news and Jun agreed it was a good idea. But the more I studied Jun, the more he looked like he suspected something.
"Minako, I’ll try to call more often..." Jun said, switching his eyes to me. I smiled and nodded, trying to fight off his seductive gaze. Sho and I said good-bye and watched them walk down the hall, Aiba walking like he was on springs and Jun with his hands in his pockets.
I closed the door and leaned against it with my eyes shut. That was the most exhausting lunch I had ever had. Sho put his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face against my neck.
"Hi. How was your week?" he mumbled. I started to laugh at how casual he sounded.
"I think today was the most complicated..." I whispered. Sho laughed in agreement and kissed me lightly.
"Do you think he... suspects anything of us?" I asked quietly with a slight frown. Sho looked at me and shook his head.
"MatsuJun? No..." Sho said with an unsure scowl. I narrowed my eyes at Sho and walked over to the coffee table to collect the empty cups. Sho sat on the couch, rubbed his eyes and yawned tiredly. I turned around from throwing the cups away and Sho was laying across the couch with his eyes shut. I missed him so much this week. Smiling to myself, I wondered if I should leave him sleeping or wake him up. I walked over to him and sat on his stomach.
"Sho-kun, as much as Ayeka-san adores you, I don’t think you can sleep here." I said quietly, leaning forward on his chest. Sho opened his eyes and looked up at me.
"Why are you sitting on me?" he asked sleepily. I smiled and kissed him quickly.
"Come on, you’ll have plenty of time to sleep this weekend." I said sitting up again. Sho tried not to smile as he sat up, sliding me off of him. We both sat cross legged on the couch facing each other, waiting to see who would say good-bye first. Sho started to laugh as he leaned over to kiss me good-bye. Not wanting to let him go just yet, I put my arms around his neck tightly.
"What if I want to sleep here now?" Sho whispered as he looked in my eyes drowsily.
"Sorry." I whispered back. With one more kiss good-bye, Sho stood up from the couch and made his way to the door. He smiled back at me once more, then shut the door. As I sat on the couch, I truly believed my confusion had come to an end.
Chapter 5
I didn’t know if he was asleep, his breathing didn’t sound too deep. I opened my eyes and studied his sleeping face inches from mine.
"Sho-kun?" I whispered.
"Hm...?" he answered a few moments later.
"...I think we should tell them..." I whispered, snuggling closer to him.
"What?" he answered sleepily.
"Nino, Ohno... Jun... don’t you feel guilty?" I asked worriedly. Sho cleared his groggy throat and opened his eyes halfway.
"Of course I do... but I’m trying to sleep, Mina-chan..." he whispered. I shifted uncomfortably under the covers and laid on my back. Sho lifted his head lazily and looked over at me.
"It bugs me, Sho-kun... like today, when you told Jun about the photo spread? Did you realize how easy it is to lie now?" I said worriedly. Sho sighed and kissed my shoulder.
"I haven’t liked any of it... so... we can tell everyone tomorrow, okay?" Sho said as he closed his eyes again. I turned over into his chest.
"Sorry..." I whispered.
"I wanted to do other things with you this weekend... but telling everyone sounds more fun." Sho mumbled sarcastically. I stayed awake for about an hour after Sho had finally fallen asleep, thinking and preparing myself for how everyone would react. I knew Nino and Ohno would be the easiest, they didn’t care much when Jun and I were together, so I doubted Sho and I would be any different. It was Jun, I worried about. I knew he would be mad, but I had no clue how he would react.
"Ninomiya-kun!" Sho called as we entered the studio. Nino was in the middle of filming a drama when we went to visit him, luckily we caught him on break.
"Sho-kun? Minako-chan?" he said happily as we joined him on the sidelines of the set. After about five minutes of Sho and Nino chatting about random things and catching up in general, I discretely poked Sho with my elbow.
"Ah, Nino-kun... could we talk for a second?" Sho said seriously. Nino looked between Sho and I, wondering what could be wrong. The three of us moved over behind a vacant set and began to quietly tell our story. Sho did most of the talking, while I stood nervously and silent, watching Nino’s face steadily become more and more shocked. He crossed his arms and frowned at Sho, nodding occasionally throughout the story.
"Ohhh... Did you tell Matsumoto-kun yet?" Nino asked curiously once Sho had finished. When we shook our heads slowly, Nino’s mouth dropped open a bit.
"Sho-kun... what were you thinking? You know how pissed he’ll be." Nino said in disappointment. Sho looked to the ground, his usually soft features now troubled.
"Yeah... we know." he mumbled. Nino rubbed his face and then gave us a smirk.
"Almost a year? And we didn’t even know! Man... we’ve got to pay more attention." Nino said with a weak laugh. I smiled slightly and bowed.
"Thank you, Nino-kun..." I said softly.
"Ninomiya-san! We’re rolling soon!" one of the staff members called over to us.
"Okay!" Nino called back. He looked back to Sho and congratulated him, then did the same to me. Nino said good-bye and rushed over to the set, where he took his place in front of the cameras. I looked back to Sho and saw the most stressful look on his face.
"Sho-kun?" I asked quietly, touching his arm lightly. He looked down at me, his eyes full with worry and disappointment.
"Ohno-kun, next... right?" he asked quietly. I swallowed nervously and nodded. Sho remained silent as we walked back out of the studio and down the street. I then realized how so much harder this was for Sho. For me, it was confessing something to friends... but for Sho, it was confessing that he had been lying to his family.
We arrived at Ohno’s place about ten minutes later, obviously interrupting Ohno of his afternoon nap. Sho and I sat on Ohno’s couch, and Ohno sat cross legged on the floor in front of us. His eyes were still unfocused and one side of his hair was pressed flat. Had it not been a serious situation, we’d all be laughing about it.
"Ohno-kun... Sho-kun and I... have been... seeing each other... for about a year..." I said softly as I paused here and there out of nervousness. Ohno’s eyebrows lifted up slightly and he studied our faces.
"Eh? Where was I?" Ohno asked sleepily. Sho leaned forward and looked at me, waiting for me to continue. This was the agreement we made in the taxi on the way here. Sho would tell Nino, I would tell Ohno and Sho would tell Jun. I personally thought that Sho did this on purpose because he knew Ohno would be half asleep and I’d have to explain everything twice. I cleared my throat and sat up straighter.
"You were there, Ohno-kun... we just hid our relationship."
"For a year? And no one knew?"
"Yes, but... Aiba knew..."
"Aiba did..."
"Yes." at this point, Ohno was frowning, most likely going through all the information. He looked between Sho and I and smiled. A few more moments passed and then Ohno congratulated us just like Nino had. Sho seemed somewhat happier with this confession but all emotion went blank as we stood in front of Jun’s door. I could feel my stomach turn into a knot and my heartbeat sky rocket. I tried to say something to Sho, but my throat was suddenly tight. Sho’s eyes seemed different too as he looked down to the floor... maybe it was fear? I couldn’t tell.
"Sho-kun..." I managed to say in such a soft voice, I was surprised he heard me. He looked down at me and smiled slightly. I grabbed his hand tightly by my side and gave him a slight nod, giving him the okay to knock. Sho knocked several times and we held our breath as we waited. It seemed to take an eternity before we heard some movement inside. Then Jun opened the door, slightly curious to see us both at his door. Sho had dropped my hand the moment Jun appeared, but that was the least of my cares.
"Minako-chan? Sho-kun...?" he asked as he opened the door further to let us in. Sho walked in first and I followed, despite my trembling legs.
"Uh... Matsumoto-kun... do you have a moment?" Sho asked quietly. Jun nodded, his brows pulled together and his eyes serious. Once he closed the door, I felt the horrible sense of being trapped. There was no turning back now.
Chapters: 1-17
Rating: PG- PG-13 (very safe)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Pairing: Sakurai Sho/OC, slight Matsumoto Jun/OC
Chapter 1
I jumped awake, forgetting where I was. I sat up slowly, adjusting my sleepy eyes to the dim room and soon it all came back to me. I looked next to me to his sleeping figure, his soft lips in a slight smile and his dark hair falling over his face. I smiled adoringly at him, he looked so peaceful. Quietly, I pushed the covers off me and stood up cautiously, trying not to wake him. Stepping over the scattered pieces of clothing, I tried not to get my foot caught on anything and trip. Successfully reaching the bathroom, I shut the door as quietly as I could. Clicking on the light, I squinted in the sudden brightness. I looked at my reflection curiously. Some people had recently been telling me I looked different, but I didn’t see any difference.
Okay, so maybe I had suddenly looked more awake and more refreshed, but that was because my job wasn’t stressful and I got to sleep in. My hair was a bit longer... but I still wore it in the same side-parted fashion. Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I washed my face as quietly as I could before wrapping my robe around me. Exiting the bathroom, I tiptoed across the floorboards to the door, opened it softly, and finally reached the living room. I left the bedroom door open a crack and then made my way to the wall sized, glass door at the back of the living room. Grabbing one side of the wooden blinds that blocked the door, I pushed it across to finally reveal the sparkling ocean. I smiled brightly at the beautiful morning and opened the glass doors to let in the cool sea air. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply...
It had been almost nine months since Sho and I started our secret relationship. Nine months of unconditional love, of sleepless nights... It was truly amazing how well we had kept our feelings hidden. Especially during the past holidays. Sho and I attended Aiba’s Christmas/ birthday party with the rest of the members, and I thought for sure we would get caught. The simple things we did without knowing suddenly became our potential for downfall. An adoring look while either of us laughed, a brush of one hand against another... Even when we opened each others’ presents that morning with everyone, we had to be discrete. I ended up giving Sho an old atlas and he gave me the next volume of the manga I was reading. It was pathetic. We made up for it when we were alone, though, later that night. I gave him my real I present I chose for him and he gave me an elegant silver necklace that I could only wear to something formal. New Years’ was also a complete let down. Nino had hosted the gathering this time. I remember everyone realizing that I was the only girl to kiss when it struck midnight and the winner of janken got to kiss me. Ohno had won and at the stroke of midnight, we innocently pecked each other on the lips. Amusing as I thought it was, Sho was annoyed and Jun adverted his eyes elsewhere, pouting silently. We had our first argument that night over the kiss. I knew Sho was only jealous he didn’t get to kiss me, so the following night at midnight, we had our own New Years’.
I was sitting on the patio chair, my knees up to my chest, my head resting on them while I gazed at the ocean just ten feet away. We were currently at a beach resort somewhere off the east coast of Chiba. Aiba had picked out this place for us and said it was the perfect spot because a lot of older couples visited here and they wouldn’t know who Sho was. I was very impressed with Aiba and how he had handled everything up until now. He had gotten us out of numerous situations when Sho and I made a suspicious comment or seemed to be getting too friendly around the other members. I was broken out of my daze when familiar arms wrapped around my shoulders and soft lips grazed my cheek.
"Good~ morning~" Sho said groggily, purposely drawing out each syllable. I smiled brightly and looked up at the eyes I loved so much.
"You’re awake already?" I asked as I scooted over in the recliner so Sho could sit next to me. He nodded and yawned widely.
"We’ve got to be back in Tokyo by five... the plane leaves at two..." Sho mumbled, sitting back and closing his eyes. I frowned slightly out at the ocean.
"Right..." I mumbled sourly. We had to go back to work tomorrow. Sho had his television shows and News Zero and I had my job with Ayeka-san. Schedules were tight again, and before this weekend trip here, I saw Sho no more than two or three times every few weeks. We were always in contact though, messaging each other whenever we could.
"Minako... don’t frown." Sho said disapprovingly. Keeping my frown, I laid my head next to his.
"The weekend went too fast..." I muttered. Sho opened one eye sleepily at me and smiled.
"It’s probably the most we’ve seen each other in a few months, right?" he asked quietly. I nodded quietly while absentmindedly tracing his T-shirt collar with my finger. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at my pouting expression.
"You can’t say it wasn’t worth it though." Sho said with a sly smile. I smiled and laughed in embarrassment. Taking his gentle hand, he brushed my side swept bangs from my face and kissed me slowly and passionately.
"Why are you washing the dishes? Don’t the maids do that?" Sho called in irritation from the bedroom. I grumbled to myself as I scrubbed the dinner plates and wine glasses.
"Yeah! But I don’t want to leave having them think we’re slobs!" I replied back. Sho appeared from the bedroom staring at me in confusion. I stopped washing and stared at him, waiting for him to speak. This went on for almost a minute until Sho stalked away, mumbling something about how no one would really mind.
"You have packing to do, don’t talk to me." I said in a very tense voice. Sho appeared again, carrying his suitcase and giving me a smug smile.
"I win, Mina-chan." Sho said tauntingly. I glared at him over the marble counter that separated us.
"I never agreed to that bet! How-"
"Sh! Sh! Eh, Matsumoto-kun?" I heard Sho suddenly say. I looked up from the sink to him on his cell phone. Jun must have called him.
"Yes, today, right... ah, it wasn’t what we thought... turned out to be a fake. Oh, Matsumoto-kun, I’ve got to go. Yes... yes, bye-bye." Sho said quickly as he hung up. Our eyes met and I scowled slightly. Sho had just flat out lied to Jun in front of me.
"You’re really okay with that?" I asked a little more roughly than I should have. Sho stuffed his phone in his pocket, gave me one of his glares and stalked off again to the bedroom. I knew it bothered Sho more than he let on. Jun was still a sensitive topic for both of us and I was beginning to think that Sho was trying to ignore it, hoping it would go away. Jun and I still talked, but him being the busiest out of everyone, it was a rare occasion. I was honestly still fighting my mind’s longing for Jun’s touch even after all these months with Sho, who undoubtedly owned my heart. Sho and I knew it was an uphill battle that we’d have to face sooner or later, but for now, we treasured the limited time we had together.
Chapter 2
We made it safely back to Tokyo after finally tearing ourselves away from the private haven. Our weekend together had come to an end as we said good-bye at my door. He held me close, neither one of us wanting to let go. My phone abruptly began to ring and Sho mumbled for me to answer it.
"Aiba-kun... we already called you... of course he’s here... no, just leaving actually... well, why’d you call in the first place? I’ll call you later, Aiba-kun... bye-bye." I hung up my phone slightly annoyed. Not so much at Aiba, but at the situation. Sho was leaning against the closed door, picking at his nails with a slight frown. I walked back over to him and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head and sighed.
"You have weekends off, right?" he asked quietly. I nodded and closed my eyes.
"I’ll see you this weekend then... I don’t have anything scheduled." he said softly. I looked up with doubt clearly written on my face.
"You said that before." I quietly reminded him. Sho smirked and kissed me lightly.
"I had no choice, I couldn’t miss it." he said as he drew away from me. I crossed my arms and watched Sho pick up his luggage and unlock my door. Putting my hand on the handle, I started to open the door when Sho kissed me suddenly. It wasn’t as soft as usual, but it was very passionate. When we finally broke apart, he smiled and slowly walked out into the hall. "Bye, Minako." he said lightly. I smiled slightly and raised my hand in a reluctant wave. With one last smile, Sho walked down the hall and went out of sight. I slowly closed my door and locked it, feeling suddenly lonely. I looked around my apartment and sighed. A whole week without seeing Sho? I knew it probably sounded selfish... but I couldn’t help it. Walking over to my couch with my phone, I sat down and called Aiba.
"Mina-chan! How’d you like it?" he asked excitedly.
"It was amazing... thank you, Aiba-kun." I said airily, my mind floating back to the memories. I could almost hear Aiba’s excitement through the phone.
"Did he ask you?" Aiba asked suddenly.
"What? Ask me what?" I said in confusion, scowling slightly.
"To marry him! What else!" he exclaimed. I felt my jaw drop and I sat straight up.
"Aiba! Why would he do that?!" I asked in a higher voice than usual.
"Come on! You know he’s going to do it sooner or later! Oh, oh , oh! Can we have birds at the wedding!?" I started to think Aiba had gone mad.
"What? Aiba-kun, I don’t... why would... no we can’t have birds!" I spat out, trying to overcome my sudden panic. Why hadn’t that thought crossed my mind before, marrying Sho?
"Why not? We can let them fly around the dance floor!" Aiba whined into the phone. I put my hand over my eyes, trying to think and calm Aiba at the same time.
"Because they’ll get all the food dirty, Aiba! And people don’t want birds flying all over the place when they’re trying to dance!" my voice was maybe a whole octave higher and my heart was pounding.
"Why is your voice so high? Minako!? Are you scared?" Aiba said in a suddenly serious tone. I stood up from the couch and started to pace back and forth across my living room nervously.
"No! Why would I be scared? It’s not... something..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"You didn’t expect this?" Aiba asked quietly.
"Well not right now! I mean, we can’t even see each other when we want, we have to sneak behind everyone’s back and we can’t even touch each other with anyone around!" I hadn’t felt this panicky in a long time.
"I never said he would do it now, Minako." Aiba said worriedly. I ran my hand through my hair angrily.
"But you’re right, Aiba-kun! What if he does? How could we get... we get... do that?" I couldn’t even say the word married. Aiba remained silent as I panicked.
"...could we talk about the birds again? What colours should they be?" Aiba asked quietly. I laid on the couch, feeling suddenly exhausted. Closing my eyes, I listened to Aiba explain how he would release the birds, how many there would be and even if they should wear clothes. The thought of being with Sho forever wasn’t the thing that scared me, it was the fear that things wouldn’t work out.
"Mina-chan? Are you there?" I heard Aiba’s voice.
"Hm? Yeah, yeah I’m here." I answered lazily, my mind still buzzing.
"When are you seeing Sho-chan again?" he asked curiously.
"He said he was free this weekend... but you know how that works." I muttered.
"Ahh... a whole week? Oh! Can I come visit you!?" Aiba asked loudly. I laughed quietly and smiled.
"Sure... you know the studio’s always open to you guys... Ayeka-san has really taken a liking to you." I said happily.
"Yay! Okay, so I’ll drop by sometime." Aiba said excitedly. I smiled to myself as I imagined Aiba’s adorable grin. I hadn’t seen any of the other members for almost two months now, and I’ve only talked to Aiba over the phone.
"Aiba-kun... thank you." I thanked him again softly. He had done a lot for Sho and I, and I wanted him to know that we both appreciated it more than we could express.
"Ah, Minako... we should all do it sometime! Or just you, me and Sho-chan!" Aiba excitedly suggested. I laughed at the thought. I could just imagine the absolute exhaustion on Sho’s face as Aiba pranced happily around the beach house, loudly suggesting we should go play on the beach.
"How would that work exactly, Aiba-kun?" I asked in amusement as I stood looking out my window. As Aiba talked excitedly about the activities we would do, I gazed out at the city, imagining what everyone else was doing. I missed them more than I thought I would.
"...and the crab is awesome!" I heard Aiba finish happily.
"That sounds like a fun time..." I said happily to mask my sadness. Aiba’s description had painted a very happy image for me. All of us on the beach, playing in the sand and maybe even bringing firecrackers. Sho and I would be holding hands and no one would be hurt... this was the goal I made for myself. I wanted Aiba’s perfect painting to be the future.
Chapter 3
Had it not been for my job, I would have gone crazy from missing Sho the entire week. I was working with my former boss’s sister, Ayeka, as the Wardrobe Manager in her private modeling studio. One thing about Ayeka, was that she was the polar opposite of Aya-san. She was much more easy going, never stressed or uptight, and she shut down the studio on weekends because she simply "wanted to sleep in on some days." Being about ten years younger than my former boss, Ayeka was always on the top of wild fashion.
She had begged me to let her give me a makeover, which in the end I finally gave in to. Not wearing much makeup in the first place, eye shadow, lipstick and thick mascara made me feel like I was wearing a mask. I didn’t like it at all and neither did Sho. I apologized sincerely to Ayeka the next day when I arrived looking like my usual self. She was disappointed at first, but later said I was gorgeous with the "al natural" look anyway. I knew it just a matter of time before she started to bug me about my choice of clothes and hairstyle.
"Minako-chan, how long have you had your hair that way?" Ayeka-san asked me during lunch. I looked up at her worriedly and my hand unconsciously flew to the side of my head.
"Um... a few years probably... maybe more?" I answered slowly. Ayeka got up from her chair, and peered closer at my hair through her black rimmed glasses.
"Is this wave natural?" she asked me, running her slender fingers down my hair.
"Yes..." I answered quietly and a bit uncomfortably. Unlike Aya-san, Ayeka had no sense of personal boundaries.
"For once, you are in style, Minako-chan! We could take a few inches off the ends so it bounces over your shoulders... and maybe switch your part to the left instead of the right... perhaps some layers too..." Ayeka said more to herself than to me. She crouched down in front of me, staring at my unsure face.
"Uhh... Ayeka-san... I don’t really want to change it..." I said quietly. Ayeka pouted her thick lips and scowled at me.
"With a perfect shaped face like yours’, shorter hair would look much more attractive. But, until you want to change it, at least wear barrettes? Or perhaps ribbon?" Ayeka said with a smile. I nodded in understanding but never promised anything. I wasn’t one to ever fuss about my appearance, just as long as I looked presentable was enough for me. As Ayeka sat back down in her seat, I saw her eyeing my clothes. She turned towards me again and asked me to stand up. Cautiously I stood up and backed up so she could look me over. What was wrong with my clothes? Jeans... a white Oxford shirt and a black vest... what could be wrong with that? Ayeka narrowed her eyes at me and smiled.
"Maybe you’re getting some fashion sense working around here! You have nice legs, you should show them off, Minako-chan." Ayeka said as turned back to her lunch.
"...I don’t really wear short things, Ayeka-san..." I said quietly, sitting back down and trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
"Eh? You’ve got a great figure, Minako-chan! Are you sure you don’t want to model? I’m sure I could get you a spot." Ayeka offered loudly.
"No, sorry... I just don’t... really want to do that..." I said slowly, trying not to offend Ayeka.
"What a modest girl you are! If your mind changes, let me know." Ayeka said with a smile and a wink before excusing herself from her office. I sat quietly by myself, still shaking off the uncomfortable feeling of being examined. I liked Ayeka a lot, but her blunt and shrewd observing personality often left me feeling like I was violated. Picking up my lunch, I walked out of Ayeka’s office and into my own, next door.
I closed the door and sighed in relief. Working here, I actually had my own office that I could decorate however I wished. While Ayeka had posters of famous, foreign models and movie stars, I had posters of the latest movies and pictures of my favourite anime. Setting down on my small couch, I took out my phone to check messages. Nothing new. Slightly disappointed, my mind wandered to what Sho could be doing... possibly some interviews? I decided to send him a message.
"Are we still okay for this weekend?" I mumbled to myself as I quickly texted the same thing. After pressing send, I placed it on my desk, not expecting him to get it right away. There was a knock at my door.
"Yes?" I called as I gathered some papers off my desk.
"Minako-chan! Aiba-san is here! And he brought Matsumoto-san!" I heard Ayeka’s breathless voice whisper. I whirled around and saw Ayeka opening my door, letting in a very bouncy Aiba and a usually composed Jun. Ayeka gave me a giant wink and a thumbs up before shutting my door.
"Jun? I didn’t know you were coming too!" I said with a startled smile. He set down a lunch bag on my coffee table and smiled.
"I actually ran into Aiba on his way here... I hope you don’t mind-"
"Oh! No, not at all!" I tried to say without sounding panicky. "Let me just find something for us to drink... uh, Aiba-kun? Could you help?" I said quickly, rushing to my door. Aiba quickly followed and shut the door behind us. I walked in circles out in the hall, trying to shake off the panic.
"Are you okay?" Aiba asked curiously. I cast a glare at him.
"You could have warned me! A message or something!" I whispered furiously. Aiba looked confused as I took deep breaths.
"You’re still...?" Aiba whispered pointing to my office.
"I’m still trying! Seeing him isn’t going to help." I said, finally getting a grip on myself. "Okay... let’s find something to drink... I think there might be some coffee, tea..." I mumbled to myself, looking down the hall towards the lounge.
"I haven’t see you like this since Nino’s birthday!" Aiba said slightly amused, following me down the hall. I massaged my temples and forced a smile.
"I’m glad you find me amusing, Aiba-kun..." I said quietly. While we were in the lounge getting coffee for the three of us, Aiba asked endless questions about my weekend with Sho. At first I wasn’t paying much attention but I had to stop him once he started to ask some rather personal questions.
"Why not?" Aiba asked over and over as we carried the drinks back to my office.
"Because you don’t need to know. Now... let’s just get through this without ruining everything, okay?" I said quietly as we reached my door. Aiba nodded in understanding and entered my office. Pausing slightly, I took another deep breath to calm my nerves before going through with the surprise visit.
Chapter 4
"Oh, Minako, you got a message when you were gone." Jun said immediately as I walked in. Feeling suddenly faint, I put the drinks quickly on the table, spilling some of the coffee. I had totally forgotten about my phone!
"You didn’t read it did you?" Aiba asked Jun anxiously. Jun scowled at Aiba’s sudden accusation.
"No. Why would I?" Jun replied as he wiped the coffee off the table with a napkin. I could have cried from how relieved I was. I walked numbly to my desk and picked up my phone, the message was from Sho.
"Of course we are... I told you Sunday I was free." There was no way I’d reply, now that Jun was here. I put the phone in my pocket and went to join Aiba and Jun as they unpacked the lunch. Having already eaten some lunch already, I refused and sat quietly, sipping the coffee.
"I haven’t called you at all, Minako-chan. Have you been busy too?" Jun asked, eyeing me as he ate.
"Uh... recently, yes I have... how are the others? Nino and Ohno?" I asked innocently, trying to change subject. Jun shrugged.
"Fine as ever, I see them and Aiba all the time. Sho-kun though... he’s been busy a lot too. News Zero and things." Jun said as he picked at his food. Aiba and I glanced at each other nervously.
"Really? I talked to him yesterday. Maybe you missed him?" Aiba said quickly. Jun nodded in agreement.
"I did call him this past weekend, to ask how things were with his topic search... he seemed like he was in a rush." Jun said bitterly. I accidentally swallowed too much coffee when he said this and I whimpered as it burned my throat. Both of them looked at me curiously as I laid my head on the table in pain.
"Mina? Are you okay?" Jun asked. I nodded and sat up again, my eyes watering.
"It’s... hot." I whispered. Aiba snickered at me and Jun went back to his food silently. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, there was a knock at my door.
"Yes! Coming..." I called weakly, my throat still stinging.
"Mina-chan...!" We all looked up and saw Sho standing in the doorway.
"Sho-kun?" Jun said with a slight frown. Sho looked at the three of us with a startled and nervous smile.
"Uh... it’s like a party..." he said weakly as he closed the door. I couldn’t help but to hide my face in my hands at this disaster. Sho sat next to me, making sure we weren’t too close. "Isn’t this awesome? MatsuJun was saying how he hasn’t seen you in awhile." Aiba said during the awkward silence. Sho laughed slightly.
"I’ve been busy lately, huh?" Sho said, leaning forward to look at Jun.
"I just told Aiba how I haven’t seen you or Minako-chan... you’ve both been busy." Jun said, pointing to me with his chopsticks. I cleared my throat and nodded, trying to ignore my sudden blushing. Aiba tried to hide his smile as he drank, Sho glancing at him threateningly.
"Sho-kun? You’ve never been to the studio before, right?" I said in a second attempt to change subjects. Sho nodded once and turned towards me.
"Yes... this is the first time. I thought I’d come down during lunch..." Sho said truthfully. It was actually his first time inside the studio, but he and Ayeka had met many times before. So I had no doubt that she showed Sho where my office was. Our conversation was short lived and the office went silent again. Sho had gotten up and was looking around at the posters, while Aiba and Jun finished their lunches. I had been occupying myself with a magazine for some time now but I couldn’t ignore the glances Jun was giving me.
"Jun, Minako’s lunch is almost over..." Aiba said standing up from the couch. I looked over to Jun and smiled.
"Sorry, you can come again." I said happily. Jun nodded and looked to Aiba.
"We’ll have to visit more often." he suggested, Aiba giving him an excited nod. Sho and I joined the two at the door.
"Ah, Sho-kun? Do you want to walk with us?" Jun asked. Sho shook his head slightly.
"I actually have a bit of time left... I wanted to see if Ayeka-san could set up a photo spread for us. Her work is amazing." Sho explained sincerely. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that we both had gotten so convincing at lying. Aiba bounced excitedly at the news and Jun agreed it was a good idea. But the more I studied Jun, the more he looked like he suspected something.
"Minako, I’ll try to call more often..." Jun said, switching his eyes to me. I smiled and nodded, trying to fight off his seductive gaze. Sho and I said good-bye and watched them walk down the hall, Aiba walking like he was on springs and Jun with his hands in his pockets.
I closed the door and leaned against it with my eyes shut. That was the most exhausting lunch I had ever had. Sho put his arms around my waist and nuzzled his face against my neck.
"Hi. How was your week?" he mumbled. I started to laugh at how casual he sounded.
"I think today was the most complicated..." I whispered. Sho laughed in agreement and kissed me lightly.
"Do you think he... suspects anything of us?" I asked quietly with a slight frown. Sho looked at me and shook his head.
"MatsuJun? No..." Sho said with an unsure scowl. I narrowed my eyes at Sho and walked over to the coffee table to collect the empty cups. Sho sat on the couch, rubbed his eyes and yawned tiredly. I turned around from throwing the cups away and Sho was laying across the couch with his eyes shut. I missed him so much this week. Smiling to myself, I wondered if I should leave him sleeping or wake him up. I walked over to him and sat on his stomach.
"Sho-kun, as much as Ayeka-san adores you, I don’t think you can sleep here." I said quietly, leaning forward on his chest. Sho opened his eyes and looked up at me.
"Why are you sitting on me?" he asked sleepily. I smiled and kissed him quickly.
"Come on, you’ll have plenty of time to sleep this weekend." I said sitting up again. Sho tried not to smile as he sat up, sliding me off of him. We both sat cross legged on the couch facing each other, waiting to see who would say good-bye first. Sho started to laugh as he leaned over to kiss me good-bye. Not wanting to let him go just yet, I put my arms around his neck tightly.
"What if I want to sleep here now?" Sho whispered as he looked in my eyes drowsily.
"Sorry." I whispered back. With one more kiss good-bye, Sho stood up from the couch and made his way to the door. He smiled back at me once more, then shut the door. As I sat on the couch, I truly believed my confusion had come to an end.
Chapter 5
I didn’t know if he was asleep, his breathing didn’t sound too deep. I opened my eyes and studied his sleeping face inches from mine.
"Sho-kun?" I whispered.
"Hm...?" he answered a few moments later.
"...I think we should tell them..." I whispered, snuggling closer to him.
"What?" he answered sleepily.
"Nino, Ohno... Jun... don’t you feel guilty?" I asked worriedly. Sho cleared his groggy throat and opened his eyes halfway.
"Of course I do... but I’m trying to sleep, Mina-chan..." he whispered. I shifted uncomfortably under the covers and laid on my back. Sho lifted his head lazily and looked over at me.
"It bugs me, Sho-kun... like today, when you told Jun about the photo spread? Did you realize how easy it is to lie now?" I said worriedly. Sho sighed and kissed my shoulder.
"I haven’t liked any of it... so... we can tell everyone tomorrow, okay?" Sho said as he closed his eyes again. I turned over into his chest.
"Sorry..." I whispered.
"I wanted to do other things with you this weekend... but telling everyone sounds more fun." Sho mumbled sarcastically. I stayed awake for about an hour after Sho had finally fallen asleep, thinking and preparing myself for how everyone would react. I knew Nino and Ohno would be the easiest, they didn’t care much when Jun and I were together, so I doubted Sho and I would be any different. It was Jun, I worried about. I knew he would be mad, but I had no clue how he would react.
"Ninomiya-kun!" Sho called as we entered the studio. Nino was in the middle of filming a drama when we went to visit him, luckily we caught him on break.
"Sho-kun? Minako-chan?" he said happily as we joined him on the sidelines of the set. After about five minutes of Sho and Nino chatting about random things and catching up in general, I discretely poked Sho with my elbow.
"Ah, Nino-kun... could we talk for a second?" Sho said seriously. Nino looked between Sho and I, wondering what could be wrong. The three of us moved over behind a vacant set and began to quietly tell our story. Sho did most of the talking, while I stood nervously and silent, watching Nino’s face steadily become more and more shocked. He crossed his arms and frowned at Sho, nodding occasionally throughout the story.
"Ohhh... Did you tell Matsumoto-kun yet?" Nino asked curiously once Sho had finished. When we shook our heads slowly, Nino’s mouth dropped open a bit.
"Sho-kun... what were you thinking? You know how pissed he’ll be." Nino said in disappointment. Sho looked to the ground, his usually soft features now troubled.
"Yeah... we know." he mumbled. Nino rubbed his face and then gave us a smirk.
"Almost a year? And we didn’t even know! Man... we’ve got to pay more attention." Nino said with a weak laugh. I smiled slightly and bowed.
"Thank you, Nino-kun..." I said softly.
"Ninomiya-san! We’re rolling soon!" one of the staff members called over to us.
"Okay!" Nino called back. He looked back to Sho and congratulated him, then did the same to me. Nino said good-bye and rushed over to the set, where he took his place in front of the cameras. I looked back to Sho and saw the most stressful look on his face.
"Sho-kun?" I asked quietly, touching his arm lightly. He looked down at me, his eyes full with worry and disappointment.
"Ohno-kun, next... right?" he asked quietly. I swallowed nervously and nodded. Sho remained silent as we walked back out of the studio and down the street. I then realized how so much harder this was for Sho. For me, it was confessing something to friends... but for Sho, it was confessing that he had been lying to his family.
We arrived at Ohno’s place about ten minutes later, obviously interrupting Ohno of his afternoon nap. Sho and I sat on Ohno’s couch, and Ohno sat cross legged on the floor in front of us. His eyes were still unfocused and one side of his hair was pressed flat. Had it not been a serious situation, we’d all be laughing about it.
"Ohno-kun... Sho-kun and I... have been... seeing each other... for about a year..." I said softly as I paused here and there out of nervousness. Ohno’s eyebrows lifted up slightly and he studied our faces.
"Eh? Where was I?" Ohno asked sleepily. Sho leaned forward and looked at me, waiting for me to continue. This was the agreement we made in the taxi on the way here. Sho would tell Nino, I would tell Ohno and Sho would tell Jun. I personally thought that Sho did this on purpose because he knew Ohno would be half asleep and I’d have to explain everything twice. I cleared my throat and sat up straighter.
"You were there, Ohno-kun... we just hid our relationship."
"For a year? And no one knew?"
"Yes, but... Aiba knew..."
"Aiba did..."
"Yes." at this point, Ohno was frowning, most likely going through all the information. He looked between Sho and I and smiled. A few more moments passed and then Ohno congratulated us just like Nino had. Sho seemed somewhat happier with this confession but all emotion went blank as we stood in front of Jun’s door. I could feel my stomach turn into a knot and my heartbeat sky rocket. I tried to say something to Sho, but my throat was suddenly tight. Sho’s eyes seemed different too as he looked down to the floor... maybe it was fear? I couldn’t tell.
"Sho-kun..." I managed to say in such a soft voice, I was surprised he heard me. He looked down at me and smiled slightly. I grabbed his hand tightly by my side and gave him a slight nod, giving him the okay to knock. Sho knocked several times and we held our breath as we waited. It seemed to take an eternity before we heard some movement inside. Then Jun opened the door, slightly curious to see us both at his door. Sho had dropped my hand the moment Jun appeared, but that was the least of my cares.
"Minako-chan? Sho-kun...?" he asked as he opened the door further to let us in. Sho walked in first and I followed, despite my trembling legs.
"Uh... Matsumoto-kun... do you have a moment?" Sho asked quietly. Jun nodded, his brows pulled together and his eyes serious. Once he closed the door, I felt the horrible sense of being trapped. There was no turning back now.