Cupid - Part 12
Aiba had fallen in love once again.
Maybe it was hard to believe. But, after the breakup, he remained single. It wasn’t because he hadn’t moved on from Kazu. It’s because no one else had caught his attention. Not until he returned to Japan. It was weird. But, the moment he saw the guy who had interrupted the kiss between Kazu and Ohno, he instantly felt a spark that he had never felt for someone else before. Not even to Kazu. And, he immediately knew. He wanted to be with the guy forever.
Ohno was startled when Aiba suddenly grinned idiotically at him. It was weird. A minute ago, the man sighed when Ohno asked about the real reason for his breakup with Nino. However, now, he was smiling with a dreaming look on his face. Clearly, his mind wasn’t here. Aiba might be thinking about something else.
“Sho-chan is so cute,” Aiba said suddenly.
"Err…" Ohno scratched his head, unsure of what to do.
“Thanks, Aiba-chan,”
came a reply from behind Ohno. He recognized the voice because it belonged to Sho. Ah, no wonder Aiba suddenly lost interest in the conversation they had. He had his attention on Sho who had just returned home from wherever he was.
“Where did you go, Sho-chan?” Ohno asked his friend.
“Settling a few things for your birthday party tonight,” answered Sho. “What brings you here, Satoshi? I thought you will be spending the day with Ninomiya-san today,”
Sho gave him a playful look. A look that meant he knew what happened between Ohno and Nino last night. Damn! Was it that obvious?
“Eh?” Aiba suddenly squealed, shifting Sho’s attention from Ohno to him. And, Ohno was thankful for the distraction. He didn’t want to be teased by Sho for what happened last night. “Today is Ohchan’s birthday?”
“It was yesterday. But, today will be the birthday party,” answered Sho, taking a seat next to Aiba and then kissed him softly on the lips. Ohno smiled looking at the two of them. At first, it was hard to believe that Sho was dating Aiba. But, now, he had the proof. “You are so cute when you are clueless, Aiba-chan. I told you about it last night. Did you forget?”
“Really? When?” Aiba scratched his head.
“During dinner. I asked if you want to come with me to the party,”
Twin spots of red appeared on Aiba’s cheeks, making Ohno wonder what had made him blush like that. And, he didn’t have to ask to know the reason as Aiba explained it the next second.
“Sho-chan, I forget everything else because of our activity after dinner last night,”
This time, it was Sho who blushed. And, knowing what sort of activity they were doing last night made Ohno feel embarrassed too.
“Aiba-chan, we have a guest here,” scolded Sho. His voice went a pitch higher and it was funny to hear. “You shouldn’t talk about it!”
Aiba roared with laughter to hear what Sho said. “It’s okay, Sho-chan. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Ohchan and Kazu-chan…”
Ohno quickly covered Aiba’s mouth. He couldn’t let Aiba tell Sho about what happened yesterday even though his friend was already aware of it. The amused look on Sho’s face proved it.
“Hahaha!” Aiba laughed as he pushed Ohno’s hand away. “You don’t have to be…”
“I have something to ask,” Ohno quickly cut the man off. He had to change the topic before the two of them teased him about Nino. And the first thing that came into his mind…
“Why did you break up with Little Cupid?” Ohno repeated the same question that he asked before Sho showed up in the apartment. The question caught Aiba off guard as he immediately stopped laughing. And, to be honest, Ohno was anxious to see the response. What if Aiba is still in love with his Little Cupid?
Aiba seemed to be taking his time to answer. But, maybe Ohno felt it was long because of how nervous he was.
"Are you worried that I will take him from you?" Asked Aiba, which followed by a nod from Ohno. He couldn't hide how he truly felt.
"Even though you already saw me and Sho-chan together?" Asked Aiba. Ohno didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the way the two of them were holding hands. Indeed, he could see something special between them. But…
“I understand your concern,” said Aiba, smiling softly at him. “But, you don’t have to worry. I will not come between you and Kazu-chan… hmmm… Unless you hurt him,” said Aiba, laughing. It sounded casual but Ohno knew he was serious about it because he still cared about Nino even though they had ended the relationship a long time ago. "As for the reason for our breakup… hmm, should I tell him, Sho-chan?"
Aiba tilted his head, asking for an opinion from his boyfriend. Sho responded with a chuckle.
"It's your choice, honey," Sho lightly caressed Aiba's cheeks. A look full of love could be seen in his eyes. "But, if you want my opinion… hmm, yes. It could help my friend understand his Cupid,"
"True," Aiba nodded in agreement. "After all, his Cupid is a brat who doesn't know how to express his love,"
"Good, I will leave the two of you alone because I have some works to do," said Sho.
“It’s Saturday, Sho-chan. It’s time to relax,” Aiba said with a pout. Sho was, indeed, a workaholic. He would do his work regardless of the day and time.
“Doing my job is my way of relaxing, Aiba-chan,” countered Sho.
“Eh? That is so weird,”
“It’s not weird,” retorted Sho. “What’s weird is you didn’t offer a drink for our guest,”
“Ah!” Aiba squealed. “I’m sorry, Ohchan! What would you like to drink?”
“It’s okay,” Ohno quickly said. “I’m not thirsty,”
“I will make a cup of coffee,” said Sho. “In the meantime, why don’t you two talk about Ninomiya-san?”
He stood up and disappeared to the kitchen while Aiba watched him go with a fond smile. Being the spectator for this scene, Ohno thought it was stupid of him to assume that Aiba was still in love with Nino. Evidently, Aiba only had his eyes on Sho.
Since they were small, Aiba and Kazu were always together. They often played together in the playground. Kazu was so small and adorable so Aiba always thought of him as his little brother that needed to be protected.
However, as they grew older, Aiba realized that the feeling he had for Kazu was deeper than he thought. When they started high school, he started to become jealous when he saw Kazu with other people. A part of him was worried that Kazu would fall in love with someone else and left him. And, as someone impulsive, he confessed to Kazu. Sadly, it didn’t go the way he desired as Kazu avoided him for a while after the confession.
Of course, Aiba was lonely without Kazu. But, he knew it was his fault for confessing without thinking. So, even though it was painful, he respected Kazu’s decision and gave him space to think, believing that his friend would talk to him again once he was ready.
And, it wasn’t futile. After avoiding him for around a month, Kazu finally came to his house on one fine Sunday afternoon. Aiba was studying for the final exam when his mother shouted, telling him that Kazu had come to see him.
At first, he thought it was just a prank from his mother. Kazu in his house? That’s impossible. However, it wasn’t a lie. Someone knocked on his door and when he opened it, that person was Kazu. Imagine how surprised he was at that time!
“Sorry,” Kazu said shyly. “I didn’t mean to bother you,”
As Aiba was too shocked, he didn’t know how to respond. For a moment, he thought it was just his imagination. But, Kazu, who was standing in front of him, suddenly smacked his head. Okay, it’s painful so it must be real.
“Will you let me in?” asked Kazu grumpily, just like the brat he knew. As Aiba still couldn’t find his voice to say anything, he only nodded his head before moving aside to let Kazu enter his room.
“I’m sorry,” Both of them said at the same time.
“Why are you apologizing, Kazu-chan?” asked Aiba as he scratched his head.
“How about you? Why are you apologizing, Masaki?”
Aiba rolled his eyes. It’s obvious, isn’t it?
“Because of my confession, of course,” answered Aiba. “Things become awkward between us because of it, right? I understand, Kazu-chan. You don’t have to…”
“But, you mean it, right?” Asked Kazu, almost inaudible. Aiba was startled to see his red cheeks.
“Of course! Why are you blushing, Kazu-chan?”
“I’m not blushing!” Kazu quickly denied. “Why would I blush?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked. And your cheeks are red. If you’re not blushing…”
“Shut up, Masaki!” said Kazu. His face was still red and he tried to avoid looking at Aiba directly. Aiba didn’t understand. Why did Kazu behave like this?
“Are you okay, Kazu-chan? Why are you so tense today?”
“Because…” Kazu looked hesitant to continue. This was the first time Aiba saw Kazu nervous like this. Usually, Kazu would look confident. “Aiba-chan… hmmm… are you serious?”
“Am I serious about what?” Aiba scratched his head. He didn’t understand what Kazu was trying to say.
“You know… about that…”
Äbout what? I don’t understand, Kazu-chan,”
“Ah, whatever!” Kazu suddenly pouted. “If you don’t remember, it means you’re not serious. I am so stupid for coming here. I should…”
“Ah!” Aiba suddenly exclaimed. He smacked his head for being dumb as he finally understood why Kazu was being nervous and grumpy. “Do you mean the confession? Of course, I’m serious. I like you, Kazu-chan. I want to date you. But, if you don’t feel the same way, I understand. We can still be friends, right?”
“Masaki… hmmm… shall we give it a try?”
That was cute, Ohno thought as he listened to the story of how Aiba and Nino get together. Aiba was clumsy and Nino was shy. He could easily imagine the twin spots of red on Nino’s cheeks when his little Cupid agreed to date Aiba.
"He must be blushing, right?" Asked Ohno followed by a nod by Aiba.
“Kazu-chan gets embarrassed easily, ne?” Remarked Aiba. “His ears will turn red first before his cheeks,”
“Sou sou! And, I love it when he covered his mouth when he laughed shyly. He looks cute when he does that,” Said Ohno with a dreamy look as the image of shy Nino flashed before his eyes. Gosh, he missed his Little Cupid so much. He better finished this quickly so he could go and see Nino.
“Awh, Ohchan, you are so in love with Kazu-chan,” said Aiba as he tapped Ohno’s shoulder lightly. Then, without warning, the other man suddenly laughed. “And, now, you look just like him when he was shy. Your face is so red, Ohchan!”
Ohno could only sigh. “Hmm, so, why did you choose to end your relationship with him?”
“Simple,” answered Aiba. “Because he doesn’t love me. He cares about me but I don’t think he loves me more than a friend,”
“Eh?” Ohno scratched his head. “What do you mean?”
“Hmm…” Aiba seemed to be taking his time in answering, perhaps to put together his thoughts. “I didn’t choose the charity work over him, Ohchan. Instead, I used it as a way to know how he really felt for me. When he refused to fight for our relationship, it confirmed my suspicion,”
Ohno could only respond with a frown. For him, Nino’s willingness to let Aiba do the charity work was a proof that he loved Aiba. But, why did Aiba have a different opinion about it?
“We’ve been together for a long time, Ohchan,” Aiba lamented with a distant look. “We started as a friend and then we become a lover. When Kazu-chan accepted me as his boyfriend, I was happy. We both were happy. But, after a while…” The man paused with a sigh. “I realized that Kazu-chan might not love me. As I said, he cared about me but it wasn’t love,”
Ohno didn’t say anything. He wondered how Aiba came into that conclusion.
“I tried to be patient, in the beginning,” Aiba continued. “But, patience is not my strongest suit, I guess. Ne, Ohchan, has Kazu-chan ever said he loves you or he likes you?”
“Hmmm… during our first date, he did say he likes me. But, when I said I love him last night, he couldn’t say anything,”
Aiba only gave him an encouraging smile.
“I hope you won’t feel down because of it,” advised Aiba. “As someone who knows Kazu-chan since he was small, I know why it is hard for him to utter those words. But, it’s not my place to tell you about it,”
Ohno nodded his head, understanding. With time, he hoped that Nino would tell him about it.
“Anyway, even though Kazu-chan has a hard time expressing those words, you know that he feels the same way as you do, right? You can see it in his action, right?”
“Un,” answered Ohno. Somehow, it made him feel bad for doubting Nino when he could feel love radiated from the man when Nino cooked for him last night.
“Good, I pray for your happiness with him, Ohchan. The way he looks at you… I can see how much you mean for him even though you two had just met. It’s different from the way he looked at me and that’s how I know he didn’t love me. When I told him to breakup, he seemed relieved. That’s why I am determined to move forward… to let him go. I want to give him a chance to be with someone he truly loves. And that person is you, Ohchan,”
“So, you think Little Cupid never loves you at all?” asked Ohno and Aiba answered with a nod.
“We were both so young when we first dated. Maybe that’s why he never realized it wasn’t love that he felt for me back then. Tell me, you guys haven’t properly dated when he kissed you, right? You know, during our first meeting in front of his house… when Sho-chan interrupted your kiss,”
Ohno didn’t say anything. And, Aiba seemed to know he was right based on the response.
“It was easy to see. You guys looked awkward and that’s how I know Kazu-chan loves you. You may think he kissed you to make me jealous. But, I don’t think so,”
“Then, why?”
“Hmm… I don’t know how to explain. But, I think he doesn’t want you to be threatened to see me there. It’s his was of showing that there’s nothing going on between us and he only has his eyes on you,”
Ohno tilted his head, trying to make sense of what Aiba was saying. But, before he could wrap his mind around the reasoning, Sho appeared from the kitchen. A terrified look on his face seemed to suggest that something bad had just happened.
“Satoshi… Ninomiya-san… he…”
Poll
A/N: Sorry for taking my time in updating this story. It was hard getting my thoughts into writing for this part. And, I don't know if I do a good job here explaining why Aiba chose to break up with Nino. Let me know what you think of this part, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)
And, wherever you are, please take good care of yourself.