The New Neighbor - Matchmaker
Aiba entered Nino’s apartment building with determination. Ohno had been Nino’s neighbour for a month but he never met his friend yet. This was unbelievable! So, he decided to intervene this time. He would ask both Ohno and Nino to have breakfast with him and introduce them.
It wouldn’t be too much trouble to ask Ohno out. The guy seemed enthusiastic when it came to food. However, he couldn’t say the same for Nino. If it wasn’t for work, Nino wouldn’t even leave his apartment. But, don’t worry. He had a few techniques to make him go out. Hopefully, one of them would work.
He didn’t even know why he wanted them to know each other. His friend never dated anyone in his life before. Not even one. When Aiba met Ohno, there was something about Ohno that made him think Ohno would be perfect for Nino. That’s why he wanted to be a matchmaker for the two of them.
Too engrossed thinking of Nino and Ohno, he had bumped into someone who was waiting for the elevator. The book that the person was holding fell onto the floor.
“I’m sorry,” He quickly apologized as he took the book from the floor.
“Aiba san?”
He was startled when he heard the voice. He quickly lifted his face to look at the owner of the voice. As he thought… Sakurai Sho was standing in front of him.
A conversation from a month ago replayed in his mind. So, Nino wasn’t bluffing when he said Sho was back in Japan.
“Do you remember me?” Sho asked, smiling at him. “I went to the same school as you. We were in the same class,”
“Ah… “ Aiba was at a loss for words. He had never thought he would see Sho again. It was a surprise to know Sho remember him even though they never really talked at school.
“Are you okay, Aiba san?” Sho asked, waving his hands in front of Aiba. Oh my, Aiba hoped he wasn’t blushing. It would not be cool if he blushed.
“I’m okay,” Aiba answered, trying to sound calm despite how chaotic he felt right now. “Do you live here?”
“Ah… No!” Sho shook his head with a chuckle. “I’m here to see a friend. How about you? Do you live here?”
“No…” He answered. “I’m here to see my friend. Do you remember Nino?”
“The short guy who was always with you?” Sho asked for confirmation and Aiba nodded his head. “I saw him at work sometimes but I never had the chance to greet him,”
“Ah… He told me about it,”
“The elevator is here. Let’s go,” Sho said when the elevator arrived. He pulled Aiba to enter the elevator with him. Aiba’s heart skipped a beat when they touched. But, Sho let him go once they were inside and Aiba was relieved as he could finally breathe properly again. “Can I get my book back?”
“Ah… here you go,” Aiba handed the book back to Sho, hoping he would survive to be alone with Sho in the elevator.
“Are you back in Japan for good?” He asked, attempting to make small talk with Sho.
“Un,” Sho nodded his head. “I miss Japan. Boston is great but it’s not Japan,”
“Oh…” That was the only response he could think of. He had a lot of questions to ask Sho but none of them seemed appropriate considering their relationship. And, the elevator seemed to be moving slower this time, making him even more anxious to be alone with Sho.
“Are you going to the school reunion next week?” Sho suddenly asked. Aiba tilted his head in confusion, trying to remember the details about the school reunion. He remembered receiving the invitation but as he wasn’t interested to attend, he didn’t read the email.
“I’m not going,” Aiba answered. Nino was his only friend at school. So, there’s no one else he wanted to see except… He glanced at Sho, wondering if Sho would attend the reunion. If Sho’s going and he could persuade Nino to go with him, maybe he would go too. “How about you?”
Sho shook his head, much to his surprise. For someone who had missed the previous reunion events, he thought Sho would go. “I thought of going because there’s something I need to do. But, now, I think it’s not necessary,”
He was tempted to ask what Sho meant by that. But, he arrived at his intended floor so he excused himself to get out of the elevator. And, once again, Sho surprised him by getting out on the same floor. To make him even more thrilled, Sho was going in the same direction and he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“Is your friend Ohchan?”
Sho gave him an amused smile before he chuckled. “Do you mean Satoshi?” Aiba nodded his head. They must be close if they were on a first-name basis, Aiba thought. “Yes, Satoshi is my friend. I know him because of our parents but we get closer because we studied in Boston together. How do you know him? Is he Nino’s neighbour?”
“Yes,” Aiba answered with a nod before he realized something. If Sho wanted to meet Ohno, would Ohno go with him then? He didn’t think so. Ah, it seemed like he couldn't introduce Nino and Ohno, then. What a bummer!
“Say…” There was a shy smile on Sho’s face before he continued. “ I want to ask Satoshi to have breakfast with me. Why don’t you and Nino join us?”
Aiba’s eyes opened wide. He totally didn’t expect Sho would do this. It sounded like a good idea. He still had the chance to introduce Nino and Ohno. But, he didn’t know if he could stay calm with Sho around him.
Still… this kind of chance didn’t always happen. So, he should appreciate it.
“Sure,” He answered timidly. “If you don’t mind,”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t ask if I mind,”
Aiba smiled awkwardly at Sho before he rang Nino's doorbell as Sho did the same with Ohno's. He was surprised when he heard the sound of approaching feet from Nino's house as he had expected his friend to still be sleeping and he might need to ring the bell a couple of times before his friend opened the door. It could mean one thing, though. Nino had played games all night and hadn't slept yet. If that's the case, it seemed like he would have a hard time convincing him to go out then.
But, when the door was opened, he was shocked to see Ohno's sleepy face. Did he go to the wrong house? But, it's very unlikely as Sho joined them with a frown on his face.
"Good morning, Aiba chan," Ohno greeted him sleepily. But, his eyes were wide open when he saw Sho next to him. “Sho chan? What are you doing here? Did my mother send you?”
“Well, good morning to you, Satoshi,” Sho quipped. “I couldn’t deny that your mother asked me for help to change your mind. But, it isn’t the reason I’m here,”
Aiba peered at them. His curiosity got the best of him as he wondered what the two of them were talking about. He almost asked them what it was about. But, thankfully, Nino appeared in the doorway before he could say anything. He didn’t want Sho to think of him as nosy.
“What are you doing here early in the…” Nino growled when their eyes met but he stopped almost immediately when he noticed Sho next to him. The shock was evident in his expression. “Sakurai Sho? Why are you here?”
“You know Sho chan?” Ohno asked, tilting his head cutely to look at Nino beside him.
“Yes,” Nino answered. “He was in my class in high school. How did you know Sakurai?”
“What a small world!” Ohno responded. “I studied at the same university as him,”
"So, he is here because he wants to see you," Nino mumbled which Ohno responded with a nod. He also mentioned something about his mother and Nino seemed to understand what he meant. Eh? Didn't Ohno say last week he hadn't met Nino yet? But, they looked so comfortable around each other right now.
"And I assume he is here because of something else," Nino glanced at his direction, throwing him a look that he knew very well. "How about you, Aibaka? Why are you here?"
"To ask you out for breakfast, of course,"
"I don't eat breakfast," Nino rolled his eyes in disbelief because Aiba suggested having breakfast together. It was something that was universally known. Nino usually skipped breakfast. "But, thanks for the thought. Do you have something important to tell Ohchan, Sakurai? Can you wait until 11 AM? Ohchan and I went to sleep late last night so we're still sleepy,"
Ohno didn't have any objection to that. It seemed like he wasn't ready to talk to Sho yet and was thankful because Nino had helped him avoid the talk.
"Is that so?" Sho looked at his watch and then nodded his head. "Sorry for bothering you in the morning. I will come back later,"
"As you're already here, why don't you and Aiba chan go for breakfast together?" Nino suggested. Aiba couldn't believe what he heard. Nino! How could his friend do this to him? It's true he had agreed when Sho suggested having breakfast together earlier. But, he agreed because Nino and Ohno would be there with him. If it were just him and Sho…
"Sure, if Aiba san is okay with it. We already planned to go together right?" Sho smiled at him, making it hard for him to say no.
"Okay, go now. Ohchan and I will be sleeping for a while," He pushed the two of them away and then closed the door. Aiba glared at him before the door was completely closed as he noticed the wink Nino gave him. Urgh, Nino! He's going to pay for this!
“I should go home,”
Nino tried to his disappointment when he heard what Ohno said right after Sho and Aiba left. Truthfully, he didn’t want Ohno to go home yet. Last night was amazing. They spent the entire night watching a few superhero movies and it was… hmmm… comfortable to share his thoughts and opinions with Ohno. However, he shouldn’t stop Ohno from going because the guy also had other things to do. They could still hang out together some other time.
"Okay," He gave the guy a small smile. "Let's have another movie night, okay? What kind of movie should we watch next?"
Ohno rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful before he answered with a teasing smile. "Horror movies,"
"Fine!" Nino retorted, sticking his tongue out at Ohno. When they decided what to watch yesterday, horror movies were out of the question because he couldn't handle it. "If I cannot sleep at night, you have to accompany me,"
"Sure, anything for you, Nino," Ohno said as he settled himself on the couch. It earned a frown from Nino. His new neighbour said he wanted to go home but what he did was a contrast to what he said.
"I thought you want to go home,"
Ohno shook his head. "I said I should go home. But, I'm too lazy to move and I am actually busy today,"
"Oh," That piqued Nino's interest, slightly feeling guilty that he had told Sho to meet Ohno at 11 without asking if Ohno had other things to do. But, as Ohno didn't object, he quickly assumed Ohno was okay with it. Ohno didn't seem eager to talk with Sho and that's why he wanted to delay the talk. But, that was partially true. He did that because he wanted Aiba to spend some time with Sho. Who knows? Maybe Sho would respond to his feelings and they would start dating. But, it would only work if Aiba showed his true self to Sho. So, hopefully, his friend would appreciate the chance and act accordingly. "What do you have to do today?"
"I am free in the morning. But, now, I have to talk with Sho chan. I am sure he's going to nag me for quitting my job,"
"Sorry, I shouldn't tell Sakurai to come at 11,"
"It's okay. I need to talk to him, after all. Maybe I will bring him to meet my business partner so he knows I am serious about my decision,"
"Business partner?"
"Un," Ohno nodded his head. "I have to meet him to discuss a few things then we have a baking class. Hmmm… Nino, can you join me?"
"Eh? For the meeting?"
Ohno shook his head. "Join the baking class with me. My business partner is going to teach me how to bake. But, he is scary. Go with me, please?"
Say no, Nino, he said mentally. Why would he go baking when he didn't even like to do it? Besides, he also had games to play. So, why should he go?
However, his body betrayed him as he nodded his head, agreeing to go with Ohno. But, he didn't regret the decision as he saw Ohno's wide smile.
"Are they close?" Sho asked him as they exited the building and walked towards the nearest coffee shop together.
"Not sure," Aiba shrugged him off. "When I met Ohchan last week, he still hadn't met Nino,"
Sho's eyes went wide, clearly surprised to believe what he said. "Are you serious? They seem comfortable around each other,"
"It surprised me too!" Aiba agreed. "Nino doesn't really like to befriend people. When Ohchan first moved in, he didn't even care about him. But, you saw what happened just now. It felt like they already know each other for years,"
Sho didn't say anything with regards to that. Instead, he gave Aiba an amused smile before asking him to choose the place for breakfast. Aiba chose his favourite coffee shop. The shop's blueberry pancake was delicious.
They entered the shop and took a seat at one of the empty tables. A waiter came to hand them the menu before he left to let them decide what to eat.
"Any recommendation?" Sho asked as he scanned the menu. Aiba didn't look at it as he had decided what to eat from the moment he entered the shop.
"I love the pancake," Aiba informed him and pointed at the dish on the menu.
"It looks delicious," Sho responded as he read the description on the menu. "Why don't we order a large serving and share it?"
Aiba hummed in agreement and Sho called the waiter to order.
"So, how is your life?" Sho asked once the waiter left. "Where are you working?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. I'm just working as an admin," He told Sho, feeling slightly embarrassed that his job wasn't something cool like Sho. To be honest, the job wasn't something that he wanted to do but he had no choice. "But, sometimes, I volunteer at an animal shelter on weekends. I have to go there after lunch today,"
"Oh, that's great!" Sho seemed impressed. "My sister is looking for a pet to be adopted. Maybe we could visit your shelter. Give me your number so I could contact you,"
Sho handed his phone to him. With a shy smile, Aiba took the phone from him and put his number before handing it back to him. He felt like a lovestruck teenager as he thought of the chance to meet Sho again. Truthfully, he thought this would be the last time he saw Sho.
"I always envy you at school. Each time we do any animal-related activity, you're so good at handling them,"
His cheeks grew warm to hear the compliment. Thankfully, the waiter arrived with their order and he was glad to change the topic.
"Try it. I'm sure you're gonna love it,"
Aiba let Sho take the first bite, wanting to see his reaction. A look of pure bliss was evident on Sho as he swallowed the pancake.
"You are right. It's really tasty,"
Aiba grinned at him before he took one of the pancakes and put it on his plate, happy to know that Sho approved his taste. He cut the pancake on his plate into small squares and scooped one into his mouth. Ummm, delicious! As he swallowed, the sweet taste of the maple syrup lingered in his mouth, making him crave for more.
"It's delicious, ne?" He grinned at Sho as he put the second pieces into his mouth. Sho chuckled as he took a tissue and then reached out to wipe his mouth.
"You have syrup there," Sho informed him. Aiba looked down, trying to avoid eye contact with Sho. Ah, it's so embarrassing.
"So…" Sho trailed off when his phone ringing. He looked at the phone with a sigh. "Sorry, I have to take this call. It will only take 5 minutes,"
But, it lasted longer than that, perhaps around 15 minutes. Right after Sho ended the call, his phone rang again. Sho looked at him apologetically before he answered the call. Based on the conversation, he assumed it was from work. Poor Sho. Even on weekends, he was still bothered by his company.
Unfortunately, by the time they finished eating, they didn't get to talk at all.
"I'm sorry," Sho said to him as they walked out of the shop. "Are you heading back to Nino's?"
"Yes, I'm going to the animal shelter from his house,"
"Could you please tell Satoshi I cannot see him today? I have some work to do,"
"Okay,"
Sho looked at the watch and then sighed. "I have to go now. It's really nice to see you again, Aiba san,"
Sho waved at him before he went off in the opposite direction. Aiba sighed as he watched his retreating figure, silently hoping that Sho would not forget to contact him to ask about the shelter. It would be his only chance to see Sho again.
A/N: Aiba wanted to be a matchmaker for OhMiya but instead, Nino was the one who set him up on a date with Sho... Hehehe... Hope you don't mind that this part focused more on Sakuraiba than OhMiya. Btw, any idea who Ohno's business partner is? *I know it's kinda obvious*
As always, comments are very much appreciated. Thank you for participating in my poll. And I'm happy to annouce that the winner is You're Beautiful!