Those Unheard Are Sweeter part 2
Title: Those Unheard Are Sweeter
Pairing: Yama
Rating: Up to NC-17
Genre: Romance
Count of Words:
Warning: None
Summary: Sho returned to his hometown in Yamanashi to take care of his family's grape farm after his father fell sick. Six months passed since he came back and that was when he met the owner of the Grace Wine production house - the only consumer who frequently bought the grapes from Sho's farm. However, Sho found his business partner rather weird and intimidating or perhaps rather charming?
Sho checked his reflection in the mirror once again before leaving for the hotel where the working dinner would take place. He was wearing one of his old ties, a green coloured one with black dots. He always considered it as his charm tie and hoped that it would make him lucky, so that he didn’t have to talk with Ohno during the dinner.
He had booked a room for the night in the hotel, so he didn’t need to limit himself from drinking too much wine. When he arrived at the hall, most of the guests were already present. He was welcomed by a young lady who led him towards the main table and gestured him to help himself.
“Welcome, Sakurai-san,” a man approached him. His name was Okada if Sho wasn't mistaken, and he was the vice president of the association. “We hope you enjoy your night.”
“Thank you, Okada-san,” Sho bowed at the man. “I will definitely enjoy it.”
Sho walked around to greet other guests who were consisted of grape farmers and wine makers. Sho had met them a few times when he accompanied his father to the gathering a long time ago when he returned home from Tokyo to Yamanashi. It seems that his father wanted to introduce him to his business partners for future reference. They were rather surprised when Sho told them that the farm was now under his responsibility. They spoke their well wishes for Sho's father and wished himself the best luck for running the business.
“Satoshi-kun, how are you?” Sho heard Okada’s voice coming from one of the tables.
Sho turned around and saw Okada and Ohno shaking hands - they looked like old friends reunited. Ohno was wearing navy blue suits and a nice blue necktie. It was almost like a coincidence that he lifted his face and his gaze met Sho’s at that very moment.
Sho averted his eyes as fast as he could. He moved away from the table with a glass of wine in his hand, trying to find someone to talk with, but everyone was occupied. Hopelessly, he walked towards the veranda where a few men were smoking, and looked outside at the night scene.
“You are not wearing your new tie,” Sho heard Ohno’s voice from his left side.
Sho released a deep sigh. It seemed that Ohno really enjoyed pinpointing how horrible Sho was in choosing his outfits.
“I couldn’t find it. I forgot where I put it,” Sho answered, taking a sip from his glass of white wine and returning his sight to the night scene before him.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” Ohno asked.
“Go ahead,” Sho replied.
Ohno slid out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, taking one and putting it between his lips. He offered one to Sho, but the latter shook his head and said that he had quit smoking.
“Where is your secretary?” Sho asked, looking around as if expecting Ninomiya to appear from nowhere.
“He’s not here, he doesn’t drink alcohol, funny isn’t it? A secretary in a wine house production doesn’t drink wine,” Ohno replied with a smile on his lips. “Are you alone? Where is your handsome boyfriend?”
Sho almost choked on his wine when he heard what Ohno said. How did Ohno know that he was gay? And who was that ‘handsome boyfriend’ referred to?
“That guy at your lodge, isn’t he your boyfriend?” Ohno continued when Sho didn’t answer.
“You mean Matsmoto Jun? He’s one of my staff members, but he’s not my boyfriend,” Sho said, feeling stupid for explaining it to Ohno. His private life had nothing to do with this guy and Ohno could accuse him dating Jun all he liked.
“Mmmm,” Ohno hummed while exhaling the smoke to the air. “I will visit your farm in three days, is that okay?”
“I’ll confirm it with you tomorrow. Jun is the one who arranges the schedule. I’m sorry if you feel rejected, I guess you don’t like being ignored,” Sho said.
Ohno unexpectedly smiled. “I just want to pick some grapes for fun. It’s not for business purpose, so I guess your staff can accompany me.”
Sho was taken aback, he couldn’t imagine Ohno picked grapes with his shiny leather shoes.
“Aren’t you too busy to do something like that?” Sho asked out of his will.
“I need a break too sometimes,” Ohno answered, pushing the glasses he was wearing up the bridge of his nose. Sho was still amused by Ohno’s unnatural long fingers, and tried not to stare at them.
The party ended at ten in the evening. The guests bid good bye in formal ways to each other, the hotel staff started cleaning the ballroom and it didn’t need a long time for them to empty it. Sho was the last who left the venue since he would stay at the hotel anyway. He took his bag from the concierge and headed the elevator and was about to push the button when Ohno appeared from the male toilet. He said something to Sho which sent him sleepless that night.
“There’s a ghost in your room, so don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
***
Sho told Jun about his unpleasant encounter with Ohno and how that man had thought that they were dating. Jun laughed and told Sho that probably Ohno was interested in him.
“That is the last thing I want,” Sho snapped. He didn’t need the ill-mannered Ohno (at least for Sho’s standard) as his date, it would bring him to an endless agony.
“I will help Aiba-kun cleaning the northern farm,” Jun said, changing the topic back to work. He put on his boots and disappeared from Sho’s sight.
Sho slumped on the chair and checked his e-mails. Toma had replied, he wrote that the clients he met recently were also assholes. He planned to visit Sho’s farm in Yamanashi next month and requested the most delicious wine as a souvenir.
Sho closed his laptop and stood up. He had nothing to do for the rest of the day. A group from Akita had rescheduled their visit until next two days and for the time being, he could relax and read some books. He glanced at the calendar on the wall, it was in the middle of September, the air was still humid and the rain often poured all day long.
He tried not to think about Ohno’s visit tomorrow afternoon and focused his concentration on the book in his hand. However, the image of Ohno’s face flashed inside his head. Sho had never met someone like Ohno before. He had an ordinary look despite his stylish clothes, but was also somewhat charming at the same time. He was laid back, but also appeared strict and stoic, he seemed to be straightforward, but also mysterious. Sho shook his head. He didn’t want to think about Ohno right now, he had a bunch of more important things to be taken care of. In the end though, he gave up on his book and walked out of his lodge towards the northern farm.
Sho was about to call Jun when he saw the man talking with Aiba with compromised closeness. Jun’s smile was so bright, a kind of smile Sho had never seen on him before. Sho decided not to bother them, so he turned around and walked towards the lodge.
***
Sho was waiting for Ohno on the veranda of his lodge. He had asked the other employees to accompany Ohno picking the grapes, but none of them was available. Jun and Aiba were out for delivery and the others were busy with the newly planted grapes. Sho was the only one left and no matter how reluctant he was to meet Ohno - he had to do it.
The man came alone, he drove an old-model Nissan which was modified with soft blue paint. Ohno’s outfit today was again an extremely casual one, he was wearing a pair of flowery sandals which attracted Sho’s attention immediately when the man got off his car. Sho approached the man and tried to smile, but the muscles on his face turned stiff and all he could do was giving Ohno an awkward grin.
“I bring you wine,” Ohno said as his first greeting, handing Sho a bottle of red wine with a ribbon wrapped around.
“Thanks,” Sho took the bottle from Ohno’s hand. “How about a cup of coffee before we proceed to the farm?” he offered, gesturing towards the lodge.
“I don’t drink coffee,” Ohno answered. “Just kidding,” he added when he saw Sho’s expression.
“The farm is rather far from here,” Sho explained. “Is it okay for you to wear those sandals?”
“I’m fine,” Ohno said.
“Okay, let’s go then,” Sho took two baskets from the piles beside the lodge and gave one to Ohno.
Sho walked ahead of Ohno who hummed along the way. The song sounded like a soundtrack of an anime. Once or twice Ohno would stop and give a light touch to the unripe grapes. Sho waited for him and tried not to state any critics to the man before him. In fact, he couldn’t even find any.
Ohno’s tanned skin looked flashy under his red T-shirt; his brown hair was sticking everywhere, his thin lips still hummed the unclear song and when his gaze met Sho’s, he grinned. Ohno’s smile was innocent, and somehow, Sho felt guilty for bashing him.
They picked the grapes together and talked about the other farms and the other wine production houses. Ohno talked about his experience in France and because he was surprisingly good in telling his story, Sho laughed unintentionally. Their baskets were still empty since they talked all the time. Then, when they were finally about to resume their grapes picking, the rain suddenly started pouring.
“This is bad, the lodge is quite far, we’ll be soaking wet in no time,” Sho said.
“You’re absolutely right,” Ohno replied in a calm voice. “That’s why I'm wearing sandals,” he continued, glancing at Sho’s shoes.
Sho shook his head, not knowing how to answer to Ohno’s statement. He walked ahead of the man, the rain was so hard that it blocked their vision. They were drenched in no time and when Sho stopped to look back at Ohno; the man was far behind him.
“Sorry, I can’t see very well,” Ohno said. “My glasses are wet and my sight is so helpless.”
Sho walked back and took Ohno by the elbow. “Come on,” he said, leading the way.
Ohno grinned at him and followed his steps. When Sho’s grip on his elbow loosened, he held Sho’s wrist instead.
“It’s better this way,” Ohno said.
When they reached the lodge, both of them were completely wet. The rain was still pouring hard, there was no sign of stopping. Sho was shivering and sneezed. He glanced at Ohno who still tried to dry his glasses.
“Did you bring extra clothes?” Sho asked.
“No,” Ohno answered shortly.
“How far is your place from here?”
“About an hour,” Ohno replied. His clothes shrunk in size because it stuck to his body.
“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t change your clothes immediately,” Sho said. He actually didn’t want to be involved with Ohno further than this, but he couldn’t let the man drive his Nissan in this condition. “Let’s go to my house.”
“Are you going to rape me?” Ohno asked in a plain serious tone.
Sho rolled his eyes. It was certainly not the right time for jokes. “Yes, I’m thinking about it now.”
Ohno gave him an amused look which made Sho nearly blush. “Let’s go then.”
They entered Sho’s truck with their wet clothes. Ohno sneezed a few times and shivering he mumbled that he hated September rain very much. Sho was no better, the air temperature was colder than he thought.
They reached Sho’s house ten minutes later. Sho parked his truck in front of the gate and gestured to Ohno to go inside first.
“You don’t lock the door?” Ohno asked in a surprised tone.
“There’s nothing worth in this house except an old jar which is very heavy, so I guess nobody will steal it,” Sho answered.
“This is so traditional,” Ohno commented when they entered the house, looking around everywhere. “There are ghosts here,” he continued. His tone was no different, as if seeing a ghost was the most ordinary thing in his daily life.
“You can explain that to me later, after you changed your clothes,” Sho handed the man a towel, a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
Ohno took it and disappeared towards where Sho showed him the bathroom. Sho used his own towel to dry his hair, changed his clothes in front of the washing machine and threw the wet T-shirt and trousers just like that into it. Ohno got out from the bathroom right when Sho finished changing.
“I don’t have any underwear,” Ohno mumbled innocently.
Sho really wanted to comment that there was no way on earth he could lend Ohno his underwear, but he gulped down the words and told Ohno to wait in the living room before he walked towards his kitchen to make coffee.
He accidentally saw the outlines of Ohno’s crotch through the fabric of his sweatpants as Ohno passed him on his way towards the couch in the living room. The size was surprisingly massive. Sho shook his head. It wasn’t the best timing to admire someone’s crotch, particularly not when that someone was Ohno.
Sho made two cups of coffee and brought them to the living room where Ohno was seated on the couch, his eyes locked on the TV even though it was switched off.
“So you can see ghosts,” Sho wanted to confirm when he sat down besides the other man.
“Sort of,” Ohno replied. “Creepy, isn’t it?”
“How many are here?” Sho asked, looking around the house as if expecting one of the ghosts would appear all of a sudden.
“Two,” Ohno answered. “Are you scared?”
Sho couldn’t categorize himself as the bravest, but he didn’t want to look pathetic in front of Ohno by saying that he was afraid of ghosts in his own house.
“No, as long as they don’t hurt me,” Sho shrugged.
The rain was still pouring and when they had nothing more to talk about, Sho busied himself with reading books while Ohno took a nap on his couch. Sho never had a visitor in this house before. Ohno was the first person he brought here since he moved in. The house indeed was too big to live in it all alone, but this wasn’t Tokyo where he could easily find a roommate by advertising it on the internet. Sho stole a glance at Ohno’s sleeping figure, the man curled up like a cat on his couch, his lips slightly parted. Sho unconsciously smiled, feeling weird that the man he badmouthed was now lying on his couch. He took a blanket from his bedroom and covered Ohno with it. He didn’t want to give a bad impression after all by letting his guest catch a cold. Besides, it would be better to hide what was between Ohno’s leg which kept on attracting Sho’s attention.
The night had already fallen when the rain finally stopped. Ohno had woken up from his nap and washed up. Sho drove him back towards the lodge to get his Nissan and his grapes. Jun and Aiba were at the lodge veranda when Sho arrived, both of them greeting Ohno respectfully.
“I hope you enjoyed your visit, Ohno-san,” Jun said, smiling at the man.
“Thanks, errr Jun-kun,” Ohno replied, taking the box of grapes and putting it inside the trunk of his own car.
“Please be careful on your way home,” Aiba said.
Ohno started the engine and waved his hand and when his gaze met Sho’s, the man smiled broadly at him. When he was out of their sight, Jun touched Sho’s elbow lightly.
“I wonder where his underwear is,” Jun said, giggling.
Sho opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn’t find the right words, so he stopped. Even Jun could tell that Ohno had not been wearing underwear.
***
Ohno’s brief stay at Sho’s house had brought another problem. Sho tried to forget what Ohno said about the presence of ghosts in his house and tried to consider that Ohno was just kidding. Another problem though was that he was thinking of Ohno more than he should. Well, Ohno was his business partner after all and Sho tried to make himself believe that it was because he wanted to keep Ohno happy as a client. However, after three days passed since that rainy day, Sho began to question whether he was thinking of Ohno as a mere business partner or probably something more.
“You’re daydreaming,” Jun’s voice woke him up from his trance. Sho confusedly returned his concentration on the calculation he was doing.
“I’m just taking a break from these numbers,” Sho answered, avoiding Jun’s eyes.
“You know what?” Jun mumbled, “I think that Ohno-san is charming.”
Sho paused his hands from typing another number and looked at his friend. “What do you mean by charming?”
“I mean, he’s handsome and he knows how to dress,” he shrugged.
“I agree about that,” Sho said. “But he's still a little bit ill-mannered.”
“Maybe it’s because he wants to tease you,” Jun said, winking at Sho before he left him behind, heading towards the veranda.
Sho shook his head. He shouldn’t feel like this towards a client. Besides, he had barricaded himself from any complicated stuff, so-called romance, and Ohno wasn’t his type of man, anyway. Sho had not been seeing someone since he broke up with a man from another section in his office. His type of man was definitely not someone like Ohno, Sho's thoughts found their way back to the other man, but maybe, he still was considering having sex with him, just like what he did when he was still in Tokyo where he wandered the bars to find random man to have sex with.
Coming to think of it, Sho hadn’t had sex for quite a long time and as a healthy man, he needed it. However, the idea of sleeping with a random guy didn’t wake his interest recently. Those guys would keep asking many things that he didn’t really want to answer such as where did he live, what kind of job he had, what kind of man his type was.
He returned his attention to his work and pushed away the thought of Ohno. When he had finished calculating the sale and what they needed for next month's production, his phone vibrated. Sho extended his hand to take it and picked up the call when he saw Ninomiya’s name on the screen.
“Hello, Sho-san,” Ninomiya’s voice was laid back as always and as always he did not use any formal Japanese with Sho, contrary to how he would do in other business conversations.
“Hello, Ninomiya-san, how are you?”
“Ohno-san would like to invite you for dinner this weekend,” Ninomiya continued, ignoring Sho’s chit-chat. “Are you available?”
“Why didn’t he call me by himself?” Sho asked before he could keep himself from asking, perhaps it was a vibration of his disappointment.
“He’s drowning in work for these past three days. He collapsed from over exhausting himself and so I am calling you on his behalf,” Ninomiya answered flatly.
“Wait, he collapsed? Do you mean like losing conscious?” Sho asked.
“Of course not, he’s just too tired and fell asleep for long hours, but he reminded me before that to invite you. So, are you available?”
Sho checked his calendar, but for as much as he could remember, he had nothing scheduled for the weekend. After confirming his suspicion, he gave Ninomiya a short yes and ended the call. He kept on staring at his phone as if expecting Ohno to call him, but of course it didn’t happen, the only message which popped up was from his phone's provider - a commercial about a new internet package. Sho put down his phone after creating a reminder, even though he didn’t really need it.
The weekend was still four days away. It was just dinner, nothing too serious about it, but Sho found himself nervous each passing day. He didn’t know what kind of clothes he should wear or what he should bring Ohno as a hospitality gift. He was also worried that they had nothing to talk about and that the dinner would end up in awkwardness. Maybe, Sho should try to collect some emergency topics, just in case.
***
Sho didn’t know whether he should wear a suit for the dinner since it was private, but he almost didn’t possess any proper clothes beside suits in correlation to his former work - his casual attire was hopeless. Now he regretted how he never went shopping in Tokyo just to buy the branded shirt. He spent almost half an hour in front of the mirror, making sure that he was presentable in front of Ohno.
He drove his truck towards Ohno’s house - Ninomiya had given him the man’s address. Just like Sho, Ohno’s household possessed a few houses and the one where Ohno stayed was the furthest. He listened to the radio along the way and the songs were all about love. Sho changed the channel, but most of the stations were talking about the most memorable date on Saturday night. He gave up and listened to the male announcer who kept on giggling when he read the letter from one of his listeners who told him about his date in an aquarium. Nothing was funny about it, Sho thought.
Ninomiya was ready at the front gate when Sho arrived at Ohno’s house, he opened the car's door for Sho and offered to park his car in the back garage. Sho thanked him and adjusted his tie as he stepped inside the house. Ohno’s house was like the typical big house at the village. It had many large rooms where most of them were used to keep the finished wine. The wine production house was located at the back.
“Sho-kun,” Ohno called from the direction where the kitchen was. “You’re…overdressed,” he commented.
Sho had prepared himself for Ohno’s insult, so it didn’t really hurt him.
“It’s better than being underdressed,” Sho answered, walking towards the kitchen and surprised, he found Ohno with an apron around his waist.
The man was sweating, his hands were dusty from soba powder, and there was a plate of soba that he had already cut, in front of him.
“I’m not finished yet,” Ohno said, grinning.
“You make soba by yourself?” Sho asked surprisingly. He kind of expected that they would have dinner with two waiters and a bartender.
Ohno looked at him with raised eyebrows as if asking him what was wrong with making soba by himself. He washed his hands, checked the soup on the stove and stirred it a little before scooping it. He blew it and extended his hand to Sho.
“Try it,” he said.
Sho was about to take the spoon when Ohno drew his hand away while shaking his head. Sho could feel the heat crawling into his face when he realized what Ohno was intending to do. He opened his mouth shyly and let Ohno feed him. The soup was amazingly delicious.
“It’s very yummy,” Sho complimented. He was afraid that he would explode from embarrassment when his gaze met Ohno’s.
“I know,” Ohno said with a childish smile on his lips. “Now, would you wait for me at the dining table?”
“Alright,” Sho obeyed.
He loosened his tie, took off his jacket and hanged it on the porch. He sat down and waited for Ohno while looking around the room. There was a shelf at the corner which was full of wine bottles, a table was beside it, Ohno’s picture when he was younger decorating it.
“Here you go,” Ohno appeared from the kitchen with a tray in his hands, he put down the soup in front of Sho and the plate full of soba.
“Thank you,” Sho said.
“You’re welcome,” Ohno answered and disappeared again towards the kitchen to get his own plate.
“Do you want me to light some candles?” Ohno asked from the kitchen.
“What for?”
“We’re having dinner, aren’t we? People usually light some candles.”
Sho laughed. “I think your lamp is enough,” he said.
Ohno came from the kitchen with another tray, put the soba and the soup down and then sat across from Sho.
Sho took the chopsticks and began eating the soba, it was more delicious than he expected. Ohno watched him as he chewed it.
“How is it?”
“It’s probably the most delicious soba I have ever tasted,” Sho answered with full mouth.
“Really?” Ohno beamed happily.
His smug face was cute, that man was a real riddle to Sho. He could be anything, depending on the situation. Tonight, he played an innocent kid who coincidentally could cook.
They ate in silence until all soba was gone. Ohno stood up and walked towards the wine shelf from which he took a bottle and brought it to the table.
“Stay over here tonight,” Ohno said while pouring the wine to the glass.
“What?” Sho was surprised by that sudden invitation.
“I mean, you can’t drive home if you drink some wine and I can tell that you will drink many glasses. Nino already went home, he can’t drive you back, so it’s better if you stay,” Ohno said while pushing the glass to Sho.
“I didn't bring any clothes or toothbrush,” Sho shrugged.
“Your sweatpants is still here, the one I borrowed from you,” Ohno answered. He sat down and gestured to Sho to drink the wine. “Don't worry about the toothbrush, I have a new spare one you can have.
Sho didn’t answer. He sipped the wine and closed his eyes to enjoy the taste. Ohno’s wine was different from any other wine he had drunk before. The warmth went down his throat into his stomach, he liked its sensation very much. When he opened his eyes, Ohno’s face was very close to him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m just enjoying the wine,” Sho replied surprised.
He wanted to draw further, but he couldn’t. Ohno’s shady eyes were looking at him, they seemed to possess some kind of magic power which freoze him. Ohno’s nice shaped nose was almost touching his since it was too close.
“I thought you’re having a heart attack,” Ohno said, offering an innocent smile to Sho.
Sho took another sip and tried to avert his eyes, but his muscles didn't want move. Instead, he looked right into Ohno’s brown eyes for as long as he could.
“I have a guest room and there’s no ghost here, you know,” Ohno finally drew further and downed his own wine in one gulp as if it was just a glass of water.
“So glad to hear that,” Sho answered.
They drank more wine and without them realizing it, they both were slightly drunk.
“I think you look best in suits,” Ohno commented.
“I can’t work on the farm in such an outfit, it's unhandy and everyone would laugh at me,” Sho shook the glass a little before drinking the wine. Ohno chuckled lightly, a kind of laughter which could send a pleasant warmth to Sho’s heart - even more than the liquor he drank.
“Can I change into my sweatpants now?” Sho asked.
“Here?” Ohno rolled his eyes.
“Only if you want to see my underwear,” Sho replied with a sarcastic tone in his voice.
Pairing: Yama
Rating: Up to NC-17
Genre: Romance
Count of Words:
Warning: None
Summary: Sho returned to his hometown in Yamanashi to take care of his family's grape farm after his father fell sick. Six months passed since he came back and that was when he met the owner of the Grace Wine production house - the only consumer who frequently bought the grapes from Sho's farm. However, Sho found his business partner rather weird and intimidating or perhaps rather charming?
Sho checked his reflection in the mirror once again before leaving for the hotel where the working dinner would take place. He was wearing one of his old ties, a green coloured one with black dots. He always considered it as his charm tie and hoped that it would make him lucky, so that he didn’t have to talk with Ohno during the dinner.
He had booked a room for the night in the hotel, so he didn’t need to limit himself from drinking too much wine. When he arrived at the hall, most of the guests were already present. He was welcomed by a young lady who led him towards the main table and gestured him to help himself.
“Welcome, Sakurai-san,” a man approached him. His name was Okada if Sho wasn't mistaken, and he was the vice president of the association. “We hope you enjoy your night.”
“Thank you, Okada-san,” Sho bowed at the man. “I will definitely enjoy it.”
Sho walked around to greet other guests who were consisted of grape farmers and wine makers. Sho had met them a few times when he accompanied his father to the gathering a long time ago when he returned home from Tokyo to Yamanashi. It seems that his father wanted to introduce him to his business partners for future reference. They were rather surprised when Sho told them that the farm was now under his responsibility. They spoke their well wishes for Sho's father and wished himself the best luck for running the business.
“Satoshi-kun, how are you?” Sho heard Okada’s voice coming from one of the tables.
Sho turned around and saw Okada and Ohno shaking hands - they looked like old friends reunited. Ohno was wearing navy blue suits and a nice blue necktie. It was almost like a coincidence that he lifted his face and his gaze met Sho’s at that very moment.
Sho averted his eyes as fast as he could. He moved away from the table with a glass of wine in his hand, trying to find someone to talk with, but everyone was occupied. Hopelessly, he walked towards the veranda where a few men were smoking, and looked outside at the night scene.
“You are not wearing your new tie,” Sho heard Ohno’s voice from his left side.
Sho released a deep sigh. It seemed that Ohno really enjoyed pinpointing how horrible Sho was in choosing his outfits.
“I couldn’t find it. I forgot where I put it,” Sho answered, taking a sip from his glass of white wine and returning his sight to the night scene before him.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” Ohno asked.
“Go ahead,” Sho replied.
Ohno slid out a box of cigarettes from his pocket, taking one and putting it between his lips. He offered one to Sho, but the latter shook his head and said that he had quit smoking.
“Where is your secretary?” Sho asked, looking around as if expecting Ninomiya to appear from nowhere.
“He’s not here, he doesn’t drink alcohol, funny isn’t it? A secretary in a wine house production doesn’t drink wine,” Ohno replied with a smile on his lips. “Are you alone? Where is your handsome boyfriend?”
Sho almost choked on his wine when he heard what Ohno said. How did Ohno know that he was gay? And who was that ‘handsome boyfriend’ referred to?
“That guy at your lodge, isn’t he your boyfriend?” Ohno continued when Sho didn’t answer.
“You mean Matsmoto Jun? He’s one of my staff members, but he’s not my boyfriend,” Sho said, feeling stupid for explaining it to Ohno. His private life had nothing to do with this guy and Ohno could accuse him dating Jun all he liked.
“Mmmm,” Ohno hummed while exhaling the smoke to the air. “I will visit your farm in three days, is that okay?”
“I’ll confirm it with you tomorrow. Jun is the one who arranges the schedule. I’m sorry if you feel rejected, I guess you don’t like being ignored,” Sho said.
Ohno unexpectedly smiled. “I just want to pick some grapes for fun. It’s not for business purpose, so I guess your staff can accompany me.”
Sho was taken aback, he couldn’t imagine Ohno picked grapes with his shiny leather shoes.
“Aren’t you too busy to do something like that?” Sho asked out of his will.
“I need a break too sometimes,” Ohno answered, pushing the glasses he was wearing up the bridge of his nose. Sho was still amused by Ohno’s unnatural long fingers, and tried not to stare at them.
The party ended at ten in the evening. The guests bid good bye in formal ways to each other, the hotel staff started cleaning the ballroom and it didn’t need a long time for them to empty it. Sho was the last who left the venue since he would stay at the hotel anyway. He took his bag from the concierge and headed the elevator and was about to push the button when Ohno appeared from the male toilet. He said something to Sho which sent him sleepless that night.
“There’s a ghost in your room, so don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
***
Sho told Jun about his unpleasant encounter with Ohno and how that man had thought that they were dating. Jun laughed and told Sho that probably Ohno was interested in him.
“That is the last thing I want,” Sho snapped. He didn’t need the ill-mannered Ohno (at least for Sho’s standard) as his date, it would bring him to an endless agony.
“I will help Aiba-kun cleaning the northern farm,” Jun said, changing the topic back to work. He put on his boots and disappeared from Sho’s sight.
Sho slumped on the chair and checked his e-mails. Toma had replied, he wrote that the clients he met recently were also assholes. He planned to visit Sho’s farm in Yamanashi next month and requested the most delicious wine as a souvenir.
Sho closed his laptop and stood up. He had nothing to do for the rest of the day. A group from Akita had rescheduled their visit until next two days and for the time being, he could relax and read some books. He glanced at the calendar on the wall, it was in the middle of September, the air was still humid and the rain often poured all day long.
He tried not to think about Ohno’s visit tomorrow afternoon and focused his concentration on the book in his hand. However, the image of Ohno’s face flashed inside his head. Sho had never met someone like Ohno before. He had an ordinary look despite his stylish clothes, but was also somewhat charming at the same time. He was laid back, but also appeared strict and stoic, he seemed to be straightforward, but also mysterious. Sho shook his head. He didn’t want to think about Ohno right now, he had a bunch of more important things to be taken care of. In the end though, he gave up on his book and walked out of his lodge towards the northern farm.
Sho was about to call Jun when he saw the man talking with Aiba with compromised closeness. Jun’s smile was so bright, a kind of smile Sho had never seen on him before. Sho decided not to bother them, so he turned around and walked towards the lodge.
***
Sho was waiting for Ohno on the veranda of his lodge. He had asked the other employees to accompany Ohno picking the grapes, but none of them was available. Jun and Aiba were out for delivery and the others were busy with the newly planted grapes. Sho was the only one left and no matter how reluctant he was to meet Ohno - he had to do it.
The man came alone, he drove an old-model Nissan which was modified with soft blue paint. Ohno’s outfit today was again an extremely casual one, he was wearing a pair of flowery sandals which attracted Sho’s attention immediately when the man got off his car. Sho approached the man and tried to smile, but the muscles on his face turned stiff and all he could do was giving Ohno an awkward grin.
“I bring you wine,” Ohno said as his first greeting, handing Sho a bottle of red wine with a ribbon wrapped around.
“Thanks,” Sho took the bottle from Ohno’s hand. “How about a cup of coffee before we proceed to the farm?” he offered, gesturing towards the lodge.
“I don’t drink coffee,” Ohno answered. “Just kidding,” he added when he saw Sho’s expression.
“The farm is rather far from here,” Sho explained. “Is it okay for you to wear those sandals?”
“I’m fine,” Ohno said.
“Okay, let’s go then,” Sho took two baskets from the piles beside the lodge and gave one to Ohno.
Sho walked ahead of Ohno who hummed along the way. The song sounded like a soundtrack of an anime. Once or twice Ohno would stop and give a light touch to the unripe grapes. Sho waited for him and tried not to state any critics to the man before him. In fact, he couldn’t even find any.
Ohno’s tanned skin looked flashy under his red T-shirt; his brown hair was sticking everywhere, his thin lips still hummed the unclear song and when his gaze met Sho’s, he grinned. Ohno’s smile was innocent, and somehow, Sho felt guilty for bashing him.
They picked the grapes together and talked about the other farms and the other wine production houses. Ohno talked about his experience in France and because he was surprisingly good in telling his story, Sho laughed unintentionally. Their baskets were still empty since they talked all the time. Then, when they were finally about to resume their grapes picking, the rain suddenly started pouring.
“This is bad, the lodge is quite far, we’ll be soaking wet in no time,” Sho said.
“You’re absolutely right,” Ohno replied in a calm voice. “That’s why I'm wearing sandals,” he continued, glancing at Sho’s shoes.
Sho shook his head, not knowing how to answer to Ohno’s statement. He walked ahead of the man, the rain was so hard that it blocked their vision. They were drenched in no time and when Sho stopped to look back at Ohno; the man was far behind him.
“Sorry, I can’t see very well,” Ohno said. “My glasses are wet and my sight is so helpless.”
Sho walked back and took Ohno by the elbow. “Come on,” he said, leading the way.
Ohno grinned at him and followed his steps. When Sho’s grip on his elbow loosened, he held Sho’s wrist instead.
“It’s better this way,” Ohno said.
When they reached the lodge, both of them were completely wet. The rain was still pouring hard, there was no sign of stopping. Sho was shivering and sneezed. He glanced at Ohno who still tried to dry his glasses.
“Did you bring extra clothes?” Sho asked.
“No,” Ohno answered shortly.
“How far is your place from here?”
“About an hour,” Ohno replied. His clothes shrunk in size because it stuck to his body.
“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t change your clothes immediately,” Sho said. He actually didn’t want to be involved with Ohno further than this, but he couldn’t let the man drive his Nissan in this condition. “Let’s go to my house.”
“Are you going to rape me?” Ohno asked in a plain serious tone.
Sho rolled his eyes. It was certainly not the right time for jokes. “Yes, I’m thinking about it now.”
Ohno gave him an amused look which made Sho nearly blush. “Let’s go then.”
They entered Sho’s truck with their wet clothes. Ohno sneezed a few times and shivering he mumbled that he hated September rain very much. Sho was no better, the air temperature was colder than he thought.
They reached Sho’s house ten minutes later. Sho parked his truck in front of the gate and gestured to Ohno to go inside first.
“You don’t lock the door?” Ohno asked in a surprised tone.
“There’s nothing worth in this house except an old jar which is very heavy, so I guess nobody will steal it,” Sho answered.
“This is so traditional,” Ohno commented when they entered the house, looking around everywhere. “There are ghosts here,” he continued. His tone was no different, as if seeing a ghost was the most ordinary thing in his daily life.
“You can explain that to me later, after you changed your clothes,” Sho handed the man a towel, a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
Ohno took it and disappeared towards where Sho showed him the bathroom. Sho used his own towel to dry his hair, changed his clothes in front of the washing machine and threw the wet T-shirt and trousers just like that into it. Ohno got out from the bathroom right when Sho finished changing.
“I don’t have any underwear,” Ohno mumbled innocently.
Sho really wanted to comment that there was no way on earth he could lend Ohno his underwear, but he gulped down the words and told Ohno to wait in the living room before he walked towards his kitchen to make coffee.
He accidentally saw the outlines of Ohno’s crotch through the fabric of his sweatpants as Ohno passed him on his way towards the couch in the living room. The size was surprisingly massive. Sho shook his head. It wasn’t the best timing to admire someone’s crotch, particularly not when that someone was Ohno.
Sho made two cups of coffee and brought them to the living room where Ohno was seated on the couch, his eyes locked on the TV even though it was switched off.
“So you can see ghosts,” Sho wanted to confirm when he sat down besides the other man.
“Sort of,” Ohno replied. “Creepy, isn’t it?”
“How many are here?” Sho asked, looking around the house as if expecting one of the ghosts would appear all of a sudden.
“Two,” Ohno answered. “Are you scared?”
Sho couldn’t categorize himself as the bravest, but he didn’t want to look pathetic in front of Ohno by saying that he was afraid of ghosts in his own house.
“No, as long as they don’t hurt me,” Sho shrugged.
The rain was still pouring and when they had nothing more to talk about, Sho busied himself with reading books while Ohno took a nap on his couch. Sho never had a visitor in this house before. Ohno was the first person he brought here since he moved in. The house indeed was too big to live in it all alone, but this wasn’t Tokyo where he could easily find a roommate by advertising it on the internet. Sho stole a glance at Ohno’s sleeping figure, the man curled up like a cat on his couch, his lips slightly parted. Sho unconsciously smiled, feeling weird that the man he badmouthed was now lying on his couch. He took a blanket from his bedroom and covered Ohno with it. He didn’t want to give a bad impression after all by letting his guest catch a cold. Besides, it would be better to hide what was between Ohno’s leg which kept on attracting Sho’s attention.
The night had already fallen when the rain finally stopped. Ohno had woken up from his nap and washed up. Sho drove him back towards the lodge to get his Nissan and his grapes. Jun and Aiba were at the lodge veranda when Sho arrived, both of them greeting Ohno respectfully.
“I hope you enjoyed your visit, Ohno-san,” Jun said, smiling at the man.
“Thanks, errr Jun-kun,” Ohno replied, taking the box of grapes and putting it inside the trunk of his own car.
“Please be careful on your way home,” Aiba said.
Ohno started the engine and waved his hand and when his gaze met Sho’s, the man smiled broadly at him. When he was out of their sight, Jun touched Sho’s elbow lightly.
“I wonder where his underwear is,” Jun said, giggling.
Sho opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn’t find the right words, so he stopped. Even Jun could tell that Ohno had not been wearing underwear.
***
Ohno’s brief stay at Sho’s house had brought another problem. Sho tried to forget what Ohno said about the presence of ghosts in his house and tried to consider that Ohno was just kidding. Another problem though was that he was thinking of Ohno more than he should. Well, Ohno was his business partner after all and Sho tried to make himself believe that it was because he wanted to keep Ohno happy as a client. However, after three days passed since that rainy day, Sho began to question whether he was thinking of Ohno as a mere business partner or probably something more.
“You’re daydreaming,” Jun’s voice woke him up from his trance. Sho confusedly returned his concentration on the calculation he was doing.
“I’m just taking a break from these numbers,” Sho answered, avoiding Jun’s eyes.
“You know what?” Jun mumbled, “I think that Ohno-san is charming.”
Sho paused his hands from typing another number and looked at his friend. “What do you mean by charming?”
“I mean, he’s handsome and he knows how to dress,” he shrugged.
“I agree about that,” Sho said. “But he's still a little bit ill-mannered.”
“Maybe it’s because he wants to tease you,” Jun said, winking at Sho before he left him behind, heading towards the veranda.
Sho shook his head. He shouldn’t feel like this towards a client. Besides, he had barricaded himself from any complicated stuff, so-called romance, and Ohno wasn’t his type of man, anyway. Sho had not been seeing someone since he broke up with a man from another section in his office. His type of man was definitely not someone like Ohno, Sho's thoughts found their way back to the other man, but maybe, he still was considering having sex with him, just like what he did when he was still in Tokyo where he wandered the bars to find random man to have sex with.
Coming to think of it, Sho hadn’t had sex for quite a long time and as a healthy man, he needed it. However, the idea of sleeping with a random guy didn’t wake his interest recently. Those guys would keep asking many things that he didn’t really want to answer such as where did he live, what kind of job he had, what kind of man his type was.
He returned his attention to his work and pushed away the thought of Ohno. When he had finished calculating the sale and what they needed for next month's production, his phone vibrated. Sho extended his hand to take it and picked up the call when he saw Ninomiya’s name on the screen.
“Hello, Sho-san,” Ninomiya’s voice was laid back as always and as always he did not use any formal Japanese with Sho, contrary to how he would do in other business conversations.
“Hello, Ninomiya-san, how are you?”
“Ohno-san would like to invite you for dinner this weekend,” Ninomiya continued, ignoring Sho’s chit-chat. “Are you available?”
“Why didn’t he call me by himself?” Sho asked before he could keep himself from asking, perhaps it was a vibration of his disappointment.
“He’s drowning in work for these past three days. He collapsed from over exhausting himself and so I am calling you on his behalf,” Ninomiya answered flatly.
“Wait, he collapsed? Do you mean like losing conscious?” Sho asked.
“Of course not, he’s just too tired and fell asleep for long hours, but he reminded me before that to invite you. So, are you available?”
Sho checked his calendar, but for as much as he could remember, he had nothing scheduled for the weekend. After confirming his suspicion, he gave Ninomiya a short yes and ended the call. He kept on staring at his phone as if expecting Ohno to call him, but of course it didn’t happen, the only message which popped up was from his phone's provider - a commercial about a new internet package. Sho put down his phone after creating a reminder, even though he didn’t really need it.
The weekend was still four days away. It was just dinner, nothing too serious about it, but Sho found himself nervous each passing day. He didn’t know what kind of clothes he should wear or what he should bring Ohno as a hospitality gift. He was also worried that they had nothing to talk about and that the dinner would end up in awkwardness. Maybe, Sho should try to collect some emergency topics, just in case.
***
Sho didn’t know whether he should wear a suit for the dinner since it was private, but he almost didn’t possess any proper clothes beside suits in correlation to his former work - his casual attire was hopeless. Now he regretted how he never went shopping in Tokyo just to buy the branded shirt. He spent almost half an hour in front of the mirror, making sure that he was presentable in front of Ohno.
He drove his truck towards Ohno’s house - Ninomiya had given him the man’s address. Just like Sho, Ohno’s household possessed a few houses and the one where Ohno stayed was the furthest. He listened to the radio along the way and the songs were all about love. Sho changed the channel, but most of the stations were talking about the most memorable date on Saturday night. He gave up and listened to the male announcer who kept on giggling when he read the letter from one of his listeners who told him about his date in an aquarium. Nothing was funny about it, Sho thought.
Ninomiya was ready at the front gate when Sho arrived at Ohno’s house, he opened the car's door for Sho and offered to park his car in the back garage. Sho thanked him and adjusted his tie as he stepped inside the house. Ohno’s house was like the typical big house at the village. It had many large rooms where most of them were used to keep the finished wine. The wine production house was located at the back.
“Sho-kun,” Ohno called from the direction where the kitchen was. “You’re…overdressed,” he commented.
Sho had prepared himself for Ohno’s insult, so it didn’t really hurt him.
“It’s better than being underdressed,” Sho answered, walking towards the kitchen and surprised, he found Ohno with an apron around his waist.
The man was sweating, his hands were dusty from soba powder, and there was a plate of soba that he had already cut, in front of him.
“I’m not finished yet,” Ohno said, grinning.
“You make soba by yourself?” Sho asked surprisingly. He kind of expected that they would have dinner with two waiters and a bartender.
Ohno looked at him with raised eyebrows as if asking him what was wrong with making soba by himself. He washed his hands, checked the soup on the stove and stirred it a little before scooping it. He blew it and extended his hand to Sho.
“Try it,” he said.
Sho was about to take the spoon when Ohno drew his hand away while shaking his head. Sho could feel the heat crawling into his face when he realized what Ohno was intending to do. He opened his mouth shyly and let Ohno feed him. The soup was amazingly delicious.
“It’s very yummy,” Sho complimented. He was afraid that he would explode from embarrassment when his gaze met Ohno’s.
“I know,” Ohno said with a childish smile on his lips. “Now, would you wait for me at the dining table?”
“Alright,” Sho obeyed.
He loosened his tie, took off his jacket and hanged it on the porch. He sat down and waited for Ohno while looking around the room. There was a shelf at the corner which was full of wine bottles, a table was beside it, Ohno’s picture when he was younger decorating it.
“Here you go,” Ohno appeared from the kitchen with a tray in his hands, he put down the soup in front of Sho and the plate full of soba.
“Thank you,” Sho said.
“You’re welcome,” Ohno answered and disappeared again towards the kitchen to get his own plate.
“Do you want me to light some candles?” Ohno asked from the kitchen.
“What for?”
“We’re having dinner, aren’t we? People usually light some candles.”
Sho laughed. “I think your lamp is enough,” he said.
Ohno came from the kitchen with another tray, put the soba and the soup down and then sat across from Sho.
Sho took the chopsticks and began eating the soba, it was more delicious than he expected. Ohno watched him as he chewed it.
“How is it?”
“It’s probably the most delicious soba I have ever tasted,” Sho answered with full mouth.
“Really?” Ohno beamed happily.
His smug face was cute, that man was a real riddle to Sho. He could be anything, depending on the situation. Tonight, he played an innocent kid who coincidentally could cook.
They ate in silence until all soba was gone. Ohno stood up and walked towards the wine shelf from which he took a bottle and brought it to the table.
“Stay over here tonight,” Ohno said while pouring the wine to the glass.
“What?” Sho was surprised by that sudden invitation.
“I mean, you can’t drive home if you drink some wine and I can tell that you will drink many glasses. Nino already went home, he can’t drive you back, so it’s better if you stay,” Ohno said while pushing the glass to Sho.
“I didn't bring any clothes or toothbrush,” Sho shrugged.
“Your sweatpants is still here, the one I borrowed from you,” Ohno answered. He sat down and gestured to Sho to drink the wine. “Don't worry about the toothbrush, I have a new spare one you can have.
Sho didn’t answer. He sipped the wine and closed his eyes to enjoy the taste. Ohno’s wine was different from any other wine he had drunk before. The warmth went down his throat into his stomach, he liked its sensation very much. When he opened his eyes, Ohno’s face was very close to him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m just enjoying the wine,” Sho replied surprised.
He wanted to draw further, but he couldn’t. Ohno’s shady eyes were looking at him, they seemed to possess some kind of magic power which freoze him. Ohno’s nice shaped nose was almost touching his since it was too close.
“I thought you’re having a heart attack,” Ohno said, offering an innocent smile to Sho.
Sho took another sip and tried to avert his eyes, but his muscles didn't want move. Instead, he looked right into Ohno’s brown eyes for as long as he could.
“I have a guest room and there’s no ghost here, you know,” Ohno finally drew further and downed his own wine in one gulp as if it was just a glass of water.
“So glad to hear that,” Sho answered.
They drank more wine and without them realizing it, they both were slightly drunk.
“I think you look best in suits,” Ohno commented.
“I can’t work on the farm in such an outfit, it's unhandy and everyone would laugh at me,” Sho shook the glass a little before drinking the wine. Ohno chuckled lightly, a kind of laughter which could send a pleasant warmth to Sho’s heart - even more than the liquor he drank.
“Can I change into my sweatpants now?” Sho asked.
“Here?” Ohno rolled his eyes.
“Only if you want to see my underwear,” Sho replied with a sarcastic tone in his voice.