Cupid - It starts with a Kiss
Note: This part is what happened between Sakuraiba after Aiba dragged Sho away from Ohmiya in part 5
Sho stared at the man sitting across from him in the cafe. It was still baffling for him. Why did he follow this man to the cafe? He couldn’t figure it out.
“The pancakes look delicious, right?” said the man, flipping through the menu on their table. Sho only nodded his head without looking at the said dish. He was more interested to know who this guy was. Frankly speaking, the man was attractive. But, what kind of relationship did he have with Nino? The fond way he looked at Nino… it was a look reserved for someone special and it matched the look that Ohno often gave to Nino. Following that logic, was this man also in love with Nino? If he was, would he try to interfere with the blooming relationship between his boss and Nino? No, Sho won't allow that from happening!
"I want to try the pancake," The man said, putting down the menu on the table. "How about you?"
"I want to know what you want to do to Satoshi and Ninomiya-san. Do you want to ruin their relationship?"
The man was startled because of his sudden outburst. He tilted his head, frowning as he stared at Sho. Then, he took a deep breath before signalling to the waiter to come to their table. Sho was dumbfounded by the man's reaction. He didn't expect the other would ignore him.
"Two sets of pancakes, please," The man told the waiter. "It includes coffee too, right?"
The waiter nodded her head and then excused herself, taking the menu with her.
"Sorry, I'm too hungry," said the man. "I apologize for dragging you here without permission. I'm Aiba Masaki, a friend of Kazu-chan. How about you?"
Oh, he already called Nino by his first name. Sho was aware of that as he watched the drama in front of Nino's apartment earlier. From what he saw, the two of them were awkward to each other as if there were still unresolved feelings between them. The answer came almost immediately to Sho and he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Jun had told him about Nino’s ex-boyfriend when he agreed to help Nino and Ohno get together. If Ohno ever hurt Nino, Jun would make Ohno suffer. He didn’t want Nino to go through the same experience again when his ex-boyfriend left him.
“You are Ninomiya-san’s ex-boyfriend, right?” Accused Sho without thinking. “I know it! You want to be with Ninomiya-san again. Sorry, but he is now happy with Satoshi. So, whatever evil plan you have, don't do it. Don't ruin their happiness,"
Aiba was taken aback because of what he said. He was silent for a while, seeming to be at a loss of what to say.
"How could you accuse me?" Aiba pouted. "I'm not here to ruin Kazu-chan's happiness. I'm happy that he has dated someone else. He deserves to be happy. And Ohchan looks perfect for him. They are so cute together,"
Eh? This was not the reaction that Sho expected from the man. But, he shook his head, refusing to believe what the man said. This was just a trick to make him lower his guard. Aiba may seem like an innocent puppy but Sho was convinced that it was just a facade. He simply pretended to be happy to see Ohno and Nino together. But, later, he would begin a plan to separate the lovebirds.
"I don't…" Sho had to swallow what he wanted to say when the waiter arrived with their orders. Once she was done, Sho was distracted by the delicious dish and his hungry stomach decided to make an announcement right at that time as it growled, begging to be fed. Sho had to look away from Aiba. This was too embarrassing especially when Aiba grinned idiotically at him.
"Wah, it looks delicious," exclaimed Aiba. "Let's eat,"
Sho glared at the man in front of him, trying to ignore his growling stomach. He usually avoided eating in public as he tended to ignore the table manner when he saw food. But, Aiba made it difficult to resist with the noise he made as he swallowed the pancake. Ah, if only he ate before sending Ohno to Nino’s house, maybe this would be easier to handle.
“Try the pancake,” urged Aiba. “It’s delicious. Or, doyouwantmetofeedyou?”
“Huh?” Sho frowned. He couldn’t understand what Aiba was saying because the words were barely audible. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” Answered Aiba, blushing. “Just eat. You will regret it if you don’t eat it,”
“Whatever,” said Sho, deciding to eat the dish in front of him. It’s just a pancake. There’s no way he could eat it embarrassingly.
“So…” Aiba began as Sho took the first bite of the pancake. “Kazu-chan and Ohchan… how long have they been dating?”
Sho put down the fork in his hand and glared at Aiba. Seem like what he suspected was true. Aiba had a hidden intention for bringing him here. He wanted to gain intel about Nino and Ohno. Then, he would use it to destroy the relationship. But, he chose the wrong the person to mess with. There’s no way Sho would tell him anything.
“I won’t tell you anything,” Sho stated. “I’m not going to let you do anything to them,”
“Huh?” Aiba frowned, pretending not to understand what he meant. “What do you mean? It’s just an innocent question,”
“Don’t try to fool me,” Sho countered. “You start by asking that kind of questions. Once I let my guard down, you will lure me to tell something that could help you with your real goal?”
“And what is my real goal, Mr… hmm… you haven’t told me your name, right?”
Sho rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? You want Ninomiya-san back,”
“Huh?” Aiba scowled at him. “Why would I do that? What happened between me and Kazu-chan is in the past. Can’t you see how genuinely happy I am earlier?”
Sho snorted at the man. “Just drop the act, Aiba-san. I know you’re just pretending,”
This time, it was Aiba’s turn to roll his eyes. “You know what? I’m not here so that you can insult me. I just want to befriend you. And, what you say earlier is true. I want to know more about Kazu-chan and Ohchan…”
“Aha! So, I’m right! You want to interfere with their relationship!”
“NO!” yelled Aiba, not caring at all they were in public. “I just want to know what kind of person Kazu-chan is dating. I want to know if he would be the perfect person for my friend. Ohchan is nice but he made one mistake. He has a rude friend,”
Aiba then stuck out his tongue at Sho before leaving the cafe they were eating. Sho looked at the other customer in the cafe and apologized for causing a commotion.
Urgh, good riddance! Sho hoped he won’t cross path with Aiba anymore.
But, of course, that wasn’t the last time he saw Aiba. That stupid guy followed him to the aquarium when he went there to check on Ohno and Nino. Damn!
Another round of bickering took place in the aquarium causing Nino and Ohno to leave him. What happened next was something that Sho didn’t expect. As he continued to accuse Aiba, the other man took drastic action to silence him with a kiss.
And, Sho couldn’t deny. The kiss had made him feel something he never felt before.
A/N: Does this mean Sakuraiba is the second pairing in this story? We will see.
Anyway, let me know what you think of this part, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)