One Love Chapters 6 through 8

[hippiefox]

Chapter 6

Sho and I walked slowly to the couch, Jun following us. I sat on the couch first, followed by Jun, but Sho remained standing in front of us.

"We... we have to tell you something, Jun... uh, it’s probably not what you want to hear but... uh... Minako..." Sho lost his voice here and frowned at the carpet, his mind trying to find what he wanted to say. I felt Jun next me as I kept my eyes to my lap in hopes of not seeing the shock and pain in Jun’s face.

"Sho-kun..." Jun said loudly after a few minutes of silence, his expression clearly annoyed. Sho nodded and faced Jun again with his arms crossed.

"Minako... and, and I... for a year we’ve... sorry..." Sho cut off with a sudden bow of his head. Jun looked as confused as I did. Sho was having a much harder time than I imagined. I took a deep breath and faced Jun.

"Jun... Sho-kun and I have been... together for almost a year..." I said quietly, bowing slightly to Jun. I could feel Sho’s and Jun’s eyes on me, but I didn’t look up. Silence filled the room for a few minutes as no one dared to speak.

"I thought so." Jun’s calm voice rang out. I snapped my head up and Sho’s troubled expression turned into shock. Jun sat with his arms crossed against the couch and his eyes glued to me.

"Wha..." I weakly began.

"You kinda gave it away yesterday at lunch, Sho-kun... when you suddenly stopped by... and then stayed behind when we left... and what did you expect when you two came here together?" Jun said as he stared back at Sho. Sho’s nervous glance darted to me and back to Jun. Neither of us could quite read his expression. Jun stood up suddenly and stood between me and Sho, his serious face softening a bit.

"And why are you two sorry? You both wanted this... and you’re still together, it’s nothing to be sorry about." Jun said with a slight shrug. Sho and I were speechless as we stared at Jun. This was not the way we thought he’d react.

"Are you sure... we thought you’d be... upset?" Sho asked cautiously. Jun laughed a bit.

"Upset?" he said like he didn’t know what we were talking about. Sho and I looked at each other again. Who was this guy?

"Thank you, Jun..." I said quietly, bowing my head again. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to Jun’s, almost scary, calmness. Jun wished us luck much like Ohno and Nino, a smile and bow. He saw us to the door, happily chatting with Sho, who was still a little stunned from Jun’s casual nature. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about his attitude. This serious situation had suddenly become like a normal visit to chat and catch up with each other. As Sho and Jun said good-bye, I watched Jun carefully for any hints that could tell me his real emotion. I didn’t find any. He was all smiles and laughs. I waved good-bye to Jun with a smile to hide my burning curiosity.

"That didn’t seem weird to you at all?" I asked as Sho and I were in my kitchen cooking dinner on Sunday night. Sho looked up from chopping vegetables and shook his head.

"Not really... maybe we just underestimated him, Minako. Jun’s not the type to miss details... he would’ve figured it out sooner or later." Sho stated thoughtfully. This weekend with Sho was actually very enjoyable once the fear of getting caught had vanished. We had brought up this subject over the weekend, but it was still on my mind.

"Have you talked to him since then?" I asked. Sho laughed at me.

"I’ve been with you! You would know if he called." he said as he moved to cutting an onion.

"We should go over and thank him for being so supportive, Sho-kun." I said as I filled up the rice cooker.

"Go ahead. This thing’s going to take forever to cook." Sho said casually. I looked over to him, thinking he was joking.

"What? That would be awkward." I said with a laugh.

"No it wouldn’t, he’s probably bored. Go see him, I can cook by myself." Sho said, sliding the vegetables into the pot. "And we need miso... we used the last of it for last night’s dinner." Sho added with a slight smile. I finally gave in and took off my apron, folding it up on the counter.

"All right, I’ll be back... please don’t burn anything..." I added pleadingly as I opened the door.

"Okay!" Sho yelled just before I shut the door.

I was proud of Jun, and I wanted him to know that. I passed by the corner store, reminding myself to get more miso on my way back. I waved for a taxi and was on my way to Jun’s place. He wasn’t too far away from me, but it would be a lot faster than walking... especially since I was a bit paranoid about Sho being alone in my apartment. I still wasn’t quite sure of what to think about Jun, but I could feel myself begin to straighten out who I wanted to be with. I finally found my way to Jun’s door and knocked a few times excitedly. But when Jun opened the door, my excitement disappeared and my smile vanished. He was glaring at me.

"Why are you here?" Jun asked bitterly. I scowled at him, I didn’t understand why he was suddenly mad.

"I came to thank you-"

"For what?"

"Being supportive of Sho-kun-"

"Is that all?" Jun snapped. Something was wrong. As I stared, frozen in my spot, Jun growled and began to shut the door, but I caught it with my hand.

"What is with you?" I asked, suddenly irritated. Jun then opened the door so fast, I thought the hinges were going to break. He caught the door before it slammed into the wall.

"You honestly don't know, Minako? How about the fact that I’ve been lied to for almost a year and now I feel like an idiot? Wouldn’t that make you a little pissed? Or, how about you find out that someone you’ve loved for almost five years is secretly dating your best friend?" Jun said in a dangerous tone. I felt nervous now under his intense stare. I didn’t think I’d see Jun this way. I bowed my head slightly and bit my lip to stop its trembling.

"I’m so-"

"Like that’s going to change it." Jun snapped. I looked up at him with tears building up and then I gasped silently in sudden realization of what he just said.

"...loved?" I whispered, my eyes wide and watery. Jun scowled at me and I got the impression that he didn’t mean for that to come out.

"I’ll see you later, Minako." Jun snapped again. I wasn’t sure what to think. I don’t know if I was angry or...

"You never told me!" I exclaimed tearfully. Jun stepped out into the hallway and looked down at me.

"You should have known." he said quietly. I was suddenly angry and I didn’t have anyone to blame.

"Don’t tell me this now!" I practically shouted.

"Then don’t bring it up! We were done and you moved on!" Jun exclaimed loudly.

"No, I didn’t move on! I’ve been trying to move on but you keep showing up! Battling myself every single day! Telling myself I don’t love you, when I still do! " I yelled suddenly. Jun’s eyes widened and I clamped my hand to my mouth in shock. I had said it... I finally confessed.
Chapter 7

"What?" Jun asked quietly after a moment’s pause. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

"Nothing."

"Minako-"

"I’ve got to go..." I was trembling and numb. I didn’t know what part of me had said that. I turned around quickly but Jun grabbed my arm and turned me back around roughly. Then, he grabbed my face before I could react and kissed me in a way that almost broke my heart. It wasn’t the demanding Jun I remembered at all. The kiss was desperate, like he didn’t know when he would see me again. I started to cry uncontrollably and turned my head away from Jun. He was hugging me tighter than ever as I sobbed into his chest. My longing for his scent and his warmth were satisfied as I remained in his arms. Then, I remembered Sho. What was I doing here? I wasn’t supposed to be here. I tried to push away from Jun, but his hold was too tight.

"J- Jun, I can’t be here." I sobbed quietly. Jun didn’t respond until a few moment’s later. "You need to decide, Minako. We can’t do this to Sho." he mumbled.

"You don’t think I know that?" I snapped. Jun pulled me away from him and looked me in the eyes.

"We had our chance, remember?" Jun said quietly. I nodded and wiped the tears away. Jun then drew me close again and gently kissed my forehead. I was more confused than ever. On one hand... I loved Sho and was happiest when he was around. Then the other... Jun was my first love ever and still held a place in my heart. But the real question was who I couldn’t live without.

"I’ve got to go..." I whispered again, once my tears had stopped. Jun let go of me and I walked away without looking back. I walked back to my apartment in a complete daze and tears falling down my face. Just as I thought I was no longer confused, this had to happen. I should have stayed home with Sho instead of go running to Jun. Sho must’ve had tremendous faith in me to let me go see Jun by myself.

How could I tell Sho what I did? I was choking on guilt. I passed the corner store without a second thought and walked straight home.

"Minako! I think I over cooked the... eh?" Sho came out of the kitchen to see me standing miserably against the door, my hands hiding my face as I began to cry again. He rushed over to me and asked me what was wrong. What could I say to that? Sho held me close and rested his head on mine. He had been so patient with me over the months about the Jun situation. He knew I was having a hard time and tried to be there for me whenever he could. Now I felt like I had betrayed him yet again.

"J- Jun was pissed..." I mumbled through tears.

"What?" Sho asked quietly as his worried expression deepened. I took a quivery breath and looked up at Sho.

"He... he told me that he loved me and then I... I... told him that I, I did too but.. but-"

I tried to explain quickly that I didn’t mean it, but my sobbing kept getting in the way.

Sho didn’t know what to say. He just stared back at me with a weary and pained expression.

"Minako..." Sho whispered as I continued to cry, my face buried in his chest.

"I- I’m sorry..." I sobbed quietly. Sho kissed the top of my head and continued to hold me tightly as I cried pathetically.

Our food was forgotten and our night was spent silently on the couch. Sho had fallen asleep next to me, but I was still wide awake. Jun was right, I couldn’t do what I was doing to Sho. Sho knew perfectly well that I loved him and I knew he loved me back... but whenever I was caught in a memory of Jun, I saw the pain in Sho’s eyes. I didn’t sleep at all that night... my mind was too busy. I had no solution for the problem. I watched the sun rise through the living room curtains and they cast an eerie orange glow into the room. Glancing at Sho next to me, I noticed that his usually peaceful face was troubled. My lip trembled and tears slid down my exhausted face slowly.

I quietly went into my bathroom to try and fix myself up. The image was horrible. My eyes were bloodshot, my skin slightly blotched and under my eyes seemed to be darker. I looked absolutely miserable. After washing my face several times with no improvement, I walked back out into the living room. Sho was sitting on the couch, dressed in new clothes and looking out the window with a deep frown.

I stopped and stood awkwardly by the doorway, my eyes to the floor. I could feel a startling tension in the air that never existed before between Sho and I.

"Minako..." Sho said softly as he rose from the couch and walked over to me. I kept my eyes down, I couldn’t look at him, not after what I did. His hands first trailed softly up my arms and made their way up to my face. Sho touched my face gently and tilted up my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. He was hurt. I had nothing to say. Whatever he was going to tell me, I deserved it.

"Minako, I want you to think, okay? I... I won’t see you anymore until you’ve..." Sho bit his lip as he paused, his expression almost as miserable as I felt.

"It’s best until you decide." Sho said quietly. "...sorry... Minako-chan." he added after a slight pause. My eyes were shut and my heart heavy... yet for some reason, I still expected him to kiss me good-bye. A moment passed and his warm hands left my face. I swallowed back tears as I felt Sho’s presence leave me when he walked away slowly and out the door.

The quiet slam of the door made me jump as I stood alone in my silent apartment. I wasn’t expecting anything less than what Sho had just done. He knew what I needed when I was lost, so he gave it to me. I continued to stand in the middle of the room, letting my pitiful tears roll down my face. From here on, it was all up to me. If I wanted to have a future with Sho, I needed to fight the part of me that still belonged to Jun. Walking numbly over to my phone, I slowly dialed Ayeka’s number at the studio.

"Ayeka-san... it’s Minako." I said lifelessly.

"Minako!? Are you okay?" she exclaimed loudly.

"I... I may need today off... I’m sorry to be such a burden..." I said choking back tears.

"Minako-chan... you sound horrible... please rest." Ayeka said worriedly.

"Thank you... Ayeka-san." I said sincerely as I started to cry again. Ayeka wished me well and I hung up the phone softly. I sat against my couch with my legs pulled to my chest, staring out the glass door that lead to my balcony. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, I just didn’t expect it so soon. I lost the will to cry after a few hours and I felt useless sitting around the house wallowing in my own indecision.

So I got out my duster and step stool and went into the kitchen. Running around with Sho and being at work didn’t leave much time for me to clean properly. And it always helped me think more clearly in the past. Standing on my tiptoes, I reached up to dust off the top of my cupboards, something I hadn’t done in a very long time.

With the first swish of the duster, something silver flew off the top and landed loudly on the kitchen floor.

I looked down startled, and what I saw on the tile made me almost lose my balance.
Chapter 8

I grabbed onto the cupboard to steady myself as I tried to regain my balance. I jumped to the floor and walked over to where the silver thing fell. I crouched down and picked it up.

"What the hell?" I mumbled as I looked it over. It was a key. Then, I remembered where I got it. It was Jun’s spare key that he had given me four years ago. I held it tightly in my fist as I thought of what to do with it. At the moment, I wanted everything that had to do with Jun out of my life and I suddenly became angry. Even though I was in my pajamas, I slipped on my shoes by the door and stormed out of my apartment. I received stares and whispers as I stormed down the sidewalk but I didn’t care. In my current mind, Jun was the reason I was like this and the reason Sho had left. I don’t know if I had ever been this livid in my life.

Starting to run, I blindly reached my destination in no time. Being too impatient to wait for the elevator, I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, tripping on some of the steps. I finally reached Jun’s floor and I stalked to his door. Taking a deep breath, I pounded on his door and stepped back. When Jun opened the door he stared at me like I had lost my mind... I probably wasn’t far from the possibility. I held up his key in front of his face.

"Take it back." I said sourly. Jun scowled at me but didn’t hold out his hand.

"What is it?"

"It’s your key, your spare key you gave me... take it. I don't want anything to do with you anymore." I said as calm as I could.

"What am I going to do with it?" Jun asked. My hand trembled angrily.

"Do I care?" I snapped. Jun and I glared at each other silently. I could hear my ears ringing.

"Minako-"

"Just take the fucking key, Jun!" I shouted angrily and threw the key as hard as I could at his feet. Jun didn’t even flinch, he just kept glaring at me. Not wanting anything else to do with him, I turned around and stormed down the hall.

"Minako! Why do you keep coming back!?" Jun yelled after me. I paused slightly and felt Jun coming up behind me.

"I didn’t want to!" I spat bitterly.

"You shouldn’t lie." Jun said quietly. I faced him again and glared at him, but I had nothing to say.

"No one’s around, just say it." Jun said as he moved closer. I took several steps away and found myself up against the wall.

"Say what? I don't have anything to say to you." I answered angrily. Jun placed his hand on the wall above my shoulder. I swallowed nervously and shut my eyes tightly as I felt his sweet breath on my face.

"Then why do you keep coming back?" Jun asked in a demanding whisper. I kept my eyes shut and tried to force back my frustrated tears. Jun’s lips were inches from mine when he paused, waiting for something. I was slightly trembling as I fought the part of me that still wanted Jun. Then, I understood why Jun had paused. He was giving me a chance. I could either break down and kiss him back and begin the battle all over again... or I could overpower myself and move on. So, almost painfully, I rose my hands to his chest and grabbed weakly at his shirt. I opened my teary eyes and looked into his.

"I can’t fight it..." I whispered. Jun remained quiet as he slowly ran his fingers into my hair and pushed our bodies slightly closer against the wall. I was feeling lightheaded now as his scent surrounded me and his chocolate eyes continued to draw me in. His steady heartbeat against my chest was almost unbearable and his calming breath on my lips was driving me crazy. It was my choice now.

"Jun... it’s not you anymore..." I whispered as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. Jun studied me for a moment, then he smiled and scoffed.

"That’s all you needed to say." Jun said, kissing my forehead and moving away. As he moved away from me, I suddenly felt like I could breathe. Jun stood with his arms crossed and studying my softened face.

"...what?" I asked quietly.

"You didn’t have to throw the key at me, you know." Jun said with a smirk. I looked down embarrassed.

"Sorry... I wasn’t thinking straight..." I said softly. Jun shrugged and scratched his head.

"What’d you tell Sho-kun?" he asked. I didn’t answer... I didn’t want to be reminded of how I hurt Sho.

"You didn’t mean it... what you told me last night, right? Minako? Sho-kun sounded so depressed when he called this morning." Jun asked anxiously. I shook my head and looked up at Jun.

"I thought I did mean it... but... it’s always been Sho-kun." I said with a shy smile. Then, I heard something that I hadn’t heard in a long time. Jun had started to laugh. I looked over to him, a little startled at first.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Did you really come here in your pajamas?" he said, pointing at my clothes. I looked down at myself and realized how ridiculous I really looked. For the first time in a long while, Jun and I were actually laughing together.

"I really was happy for you and Sho-kun... and to be honest, I knew something was between you two at the New Years party." Jun explained as we walked side by side back to my apartment. Jun had lent me one of his jackets to wear until I got home so I wouldn’t look too ridiculous.

"We really hated keeping this a secret..." I said quietly. Jun shrugged.

"You both put everyone’s feelings first and I can’t complain." Jun said simply, leading the way up the apartment complex stairs.

"Are you okay?" I asked curiously, trying to glance at his face. He stopped and looked back at me.

"Minako-chan... when I think back a year ago, when I was with Sho-kun, he was always very happy. Now that I know that you made him that way... I would never take it away. Like I said before... we had our chance and... it just didn’t work, right? I’m fine, Minako-chan... really." Jun said with a smile and nod. I couldn’t help but to smile at his kind words.

"What... what did Sho tell you this morning?" I suddenly asked.

"He called me and told me that he was going to leave you to think... and that I should keep my distance too... he likes you a lot, Minako." Jun said with a smirk. I smiled brightly and flushed. We reached my apartment door and I gave Jun back his jacket. As I went inside, I turned around to face Jun again.

"Thank you... Jun." I said with a deep bow. Jun just smiled back at me.

"You made the right decision, Minako... see you." he said with a wave, then he turned and walked away. I watched him walk away feeling somewhat... different. But it was a good different. I knew that I had finally gotten over the first hurdle.