A Familiar Stranger - Part 6
“Hello, Beautiful,”
Nino tried to hide a smile that threatened to come out upon seeing the man standing before him. His body remained rigid, not daring to make any movements. Truthfully, he was tempted to jump and hug the other man even though he didn’t know why he wanted to do so.
He hadn’t seen the man for quite some time. Was it two months ago? Perhaps. The last time he saw Ohno was when the man came to his apartment to see Aiba’s room. At that time, Nino’s mother suddenly appeared and Ohno declared his intention to date Nino to her. She immediately approved.
Haha. Nino wanted to laugh. So much for wanting to date Nino. Right after the declaration, Ohno was MIA. According to Aiba, the man was busy. With what… Nino had no idea. Aiba didn’t go into details.
But, despite being away, Ohno’s stuff was already in Nino’s house. They are stored in Aiba’s old room, waiting for Ohno to come and unpack them. All but one. His big TV was now decorating Nino’s living room. It was too small to be put in the bedroom.
They would start living together after Aiba and Sho get married. And, the wedding will happen tomorrow. So, now, all of them were in Okinawa to celebrate the big day for the lovebirds.
“Why are you here?”
He sounded normal, right? He didn’t want Ohno to know how happy he was to see the man. Ohno would tease him to no end if he knew.
“This is my room,” answered Ohno. Nino frowned. He was staying in a hotel room. Aiba was the one who handled the reservation. But, he didn’t tell Nino that he would be sharing the room with Ohno. “Can you let me in? I’m so tired. I just got here,”
Nino opened the door wider and moved to the side to let the man in. Ohno stepped inside, heading towards the bed.
“Where have you been?” Asked Nino as he closed the door. “I haven’t seen you for a while,”
“Awh…” said Ohno, smirking. “Why are you asking? Do you miss me, Beautiful?”
“Of course not!” Nino was quick to deny it. “I just want to know. Aiba didn’t tell me I would be sharing this room with you. So, I was surprised to see you barging into my room,”
“They didn’t reserve a room for me,” explained Ohno as he lay down on the bed. It’s the only bed in the room. It was big enough for them but Nino was not in favour of sharing it with Ohno. “Thought I couldn’t make it today. But, I finished all the things I have to do and came here. Since I don’t have a room, I told them I would share with you,”
“Without asking me?”
Ohno simply grinned at him, showing no remorse for what he did. “Talk to you later, Beautiful. I’m too tired right now. Wake me up for the rehearsal dinner, okay?”
And, just like that, the man fell asleep.
While Ohno was sleeping, Nino sat at the table to do his job. Yes, he was on vacation but still had tons of work. Thank goodness, some of his tasks didn’t require him to be physically present at the office.
“Busy, Beautiful?” asked Ohno, taking a seat in front of him. The man still looked sleepy even though he had slept for around two hours.
“Not as busy as you who went missing for two months because of your work,”
“I apologize for that. I know you miss me while I’m away,”
“Not at all,” Nino stuck his tongue out at Ohno. “Go away. I need to focus,”
Nino chased the man away. But, the man didn’t move.
“I would also like to apologize for barging into your room. I just want to sleep but the check-in line was too long. So, I decided to come and see you first, get some sleep and then, check in to a different room,”
Nino blinked, he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“So, you will not sleep here tonight?”
The words were out before he could stop them. He regretted it almost immediately when he saw the smirk on Ohno’s face.
“Is that disappointment I hear?” teased Ohno. “Do you want me to sleep here, Beautiful?”
Nino shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. Frankly, he didn’t mind. But, he was afraid Ohno would misunderstand his intention.
“Just sleep if you want,” Nino finally said. “But, on the couch,”
“Awh…” Ohno looked disappointed. “How about sharing the bed? It looks big enough for us,”
Nino responded with a glare. “The couch or you can sleep in another room,”
“That’s too bad but okay,” Ohno finally agreed.
Nino then decided to switch off his laptop. Enough working for now. Having Ohno here was a distraction.
“So, where have you been?” Asked Nino. “Are you on maternity leave and that’s why you disappeared for two months?”
Yeah, yeah, it was a lame joke. But, whatever.
The joke was met with laughter from Ohno.
“Yes, I safely delivered a baby boy. Do you want to meet him?” said Ohno as a follow-up to the joke.
“Very funny,” Nino pretended to laugh. “Tell me the truth. Where did you go?”
This conversation was long overdue. Ohno seemed to know a lot about him but he barely knew anything about the man. Yes, there should be a boundary between them. But, since they will be living together, he should know a few things about Ohno. He didn’t want to be alone, worrying when Ohno didn’t come home for two months.
“I was in Osaka, painting,”
“Painting?”
“Un,” confirmed Ohno. “My friend hired me to paint murals at the hospitals and schools,”
“How about your job here?” Asked Nino. “You are a fitness instructor on Monday and Thursday, right?”
Ohno smiled amusingly.
“I’m flattered. You remember, Beautiful,” said Ohno.
Nino couldn't see his face. But, he must be blushing. He had been acting like he didn't care about Ohno. But, now, he had accidentally revealed that he actually paid attention to what Ohno was telling him.
Thankfully, Ohno didn't tease him about it. Instead, he answered the question that Nino asked him earlier.
"My contract as the fitness instructor ended before I went to Osaka," explained Ohno. "The owner said I could renew the contract after I finished the painting job,"
"Oh…" responded Nino. "You must be a good instructor if they want to renew your contract,"
"Because everyone wants me to teach them," said Ohno. "Anyway, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat,"
Nino glanced at the clock. He was also hungry and the rehearsal dinner will be in two hours. But, if he eats now, he worries he might be too full to eat later.
The look on Ohno's face made it hard to decline. Besides, he also felt bad for the man. Ohno had just arrived from Osaka so perhaps the man hadn't eaten anything yet.
"Okay," He finally agreed, earning a wide smile from Ohno.
A/N: The last time I updated this fic was like a year ago. Hahaha. Hope u still remember this fic.