Will you love me? - Part 8
It’s finally the day for their date.
Nino was nervous. He didn’t know what to expect. Will Ohno do well? Will Ohno impress him on the date? Will Ohno prove that he indeed cares about Nino? He had no idea at all.
But, things had changed since they talked a week ago. The status of their relationship remained unknown but Ohno had been texting him ever since. It wasn’t much. The man only wished him good morning and good night. Sometimes, Ohno would ask about what he had for lunch and dinner. The texts made Nino happy and if he decided to accept Ohno back into his life, he hoped Ohno would continue to do so.
Nino checked his reflection on the mirror. His outfit was simple. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Ohno didn’t tell him anything about the date. He only told him to dress comfortably but made sure to wear shoes, not sandals like he always did. Also, be ready by 8 AM. And, bring extra clothes since they will be staying overnight.
A text from Ohno came when he had just finished checking the bag he would bring for their outing, informing Nino that he had arrived and would be waiting for Nino at the entrance. With a deep breath and hope that everything would go well, Nino took his bag and headed out.
When he opened the door, Aiba was the first thing he saw. The man would be working in the morning today. Upon seeing him, Aiba shook his head in dissatisfaction. Nino rolled his eyes, knowing why Aiba reacted like that. He must be thinking that Nino should dress better for the date with Ohno. But, he preferred dressing like this. Pretty sure Ohno would wear something similar to him too. The man might be wealthy but not once had he ever showed it. At first glance, no one would ever think that the man was rich since he was always in shorts and t-shirts. Nino had also known about Ohno’s wealth by mistake, which brought him to another question. Did Minami know who Ohno was before she dumped him? Perhaps not. If she knew, there was no way she would dump someone as wealthy as Ohno.
“Why are you wearing these for your date?” said Aiba, pointing at what Nino was wearing. Nino responded by sticking his tongue out at his friend.
“Are you excited?” asked Aiba. “Do you think he will do well? Will you two get back together if you are happy with the date?”
“Aiba-chan!” Nino stomped his feet, pretending to be angry. “You are so nosy! I will tell you everything once I get back tomorrow,”
“Liar!” Accused Aiba. “You promise to tell me about your date with Matsujun but you haven’t told me anything,”
“That’s because you’re too busy nowadays,” retorted Nino. It wasn’t a lie. For the past week, they only had time to talk about how Ohno ended up in Aiba’s house while Nino was on a date with Jun and what Nino and Ohno had been talking about after Ohno woke up. Aiba had been working the night shift so they had no time to talk about Nino’s date with Jun. Besides, it seemed like Aiba had been going out with Sho when he wasn’t working. “You’re always with Sho-kun,”
It was so funny. The moment Nino mentioned Sho, Aiba’s face immediately turned red. But, he was spared from the interrogation because they had already arrived at the entrance and Ohno was standing right in front of them. He wasn’t alone, though. The person beside him was none other than Sho.
Of course, Nino was tempted to tease them. But, having Ohno there distracted him. The moment their eyes met, he forgot about Aiba and Sho. Ohno smiled at him… gosh, Ohno was so beautiful when he smiled. He looked like an angel.
Nino quickly shook his head. Their date hadn’t started… and yet… just because of the smile… Nino already decided to accept Ohno back. But, no! He won’t let Ohno have him back that easily.
“Good morning, Nino,” greeted Ohno. Upon noticing the bag that Nino was carrying, he added. “Let me take that,”
“Sure,” said Nino, handing the bag to Ohno. Acting like a gentleman, Nino liked this. "So, you want me to drive the car, right?"
That would explain why Ohno came with Sho. He must be driving Ohno here. Yesterday, Ohno had called Nino, asking if it’s okay for him to drive today. Ohno had to ask for this favour from Nino since he didn’t have a license. And, Nino didn’t mind. The only problem was Nino didn’t have a car but Ohno would handle that part.
“Uh-huh,” answered Ohno, looking uneasy. “Are you okay with that? I mean… we could go by train but it will be hard. My driver could drive us there but I want it to be just the two of us,”
“It’s okay,” Assured Nino. He was glad that Ohno didn’t go for the second option. Having a driver with them would make it weird. “Did Sho-kun…”
Nino paused, feeling confused. He had just turned, searching for both Sho and Aiba but both were not there. Where did they go?
“They already left for work,” said Ohno, answering the question Nino had in his mind. “Hmm… have you had your breakfast?”
Nino shook his head. It’s still early to eat.
“Hmm… are you hungry? Do you want to eat first?” Asked Ohno. “I have this place I want to bring you to. It has the best pancakes and waffles. Plus, it will be along the way to our real destination. But, it’s one hour away. So, if you’re hungry and want to eat now, I understand,”
Wow, as someone who didn’t speak much, Ohno sure talked a lot this time. Seemed like he really wanted Nino to go to this place. And, frankly, Nino wanted to try it too. Ohno made it sound so delicious.
“Sure,” agreed Nino. “I would like to try it,”
“But it’s one hour away,”
Nino smiled at the man. “It’s okay, Ohchan. I’m not hungry,”
“Okay… if you say so,” Ohno finally said. “Hmm… can I hold your hand?”
The question was too sudden and Nino didn’t expect Ohno would ask for something like that. He didn’t answer the man, too embarrassed to actually say anything. But, with a shy smile, he took Ohno’s hand in his, earning a blush from Ohno.
“Let’s go,” he told Ohno. The man nodded and led Nino to where he (no, it’s Sho) parked the car.
“So... ” Nino was about to ask Ohno about their activity for today when the other man opened the car trunk to put Nino’s bag. But, the first thing he saw in the trunk made him stop.
It was a tent.
They’re going camping.
“What are you saying, Nino?” Asked Ohno when Nino didn’t continue. Seemed like he was oblivious to what Nino had seen.
Nino responded by shaking his head. “I was just saying… so, let’s hit the road,”
“Okay, let’s do this,”
“You are not allowed to sleep when I am driving,” warned Nino just as he began driving. Ohno had put the address for their destination into the GPS and simply asked Nino to follow the instruction.
His remark was met by a chuckle from Ohno. Nino was serious about the warning, though. If Ohno fell asleep, it would be too boring and Nino might bail from this date.
“We should play a game then,” suggested Ohno. “I get sleepy easily,”
“I know that,” Nino rolled his eyes. “I was in your class, remember? You slept in the class all the time,”
Ohno laughed. “The teacher was boring. His voice is the best lullaby. You are a better teacher than him,”
“Ah, yes…” Nino nodded. “You also didn’t pay me for my notes. And everything that I taught you,”
“I thought it was free,” Ohno pouted. Then, he changed the subject. “So, what kind of game should we play so that I will not fall asleep?”
“Hmm… shiritori?”
“Okay,” Ohno easily agreed. “I’ll start first,”
And so, they began the game. But, it ended as quickly as it started. Ohno was so bad at the game. He couldn't think of any words at all.
Then, they tried playing Magical Banana next. Ohno was slightly better in this game. Still, he took a long time to think of a word so Nino decided to stop playing altogether.
"You suck in these games,"
Ohno only smiled bashfully.
"So…" Nino began. He needed confirmation. "Are we going camping?"
Indeed, Nino saw the tent in the trunk. But, what if the tent was not for their date? Maybe Ohno just kept it in the car.
Truth be told, Nino was excited to see the tent in the trunk. He knew Ohno enjoyed camping and frankly, among Ohno's favourite activities, camping was what Nino wanted to try the most. He couldn't go fishing with Ohno because of his seasickness. Yes, he preferred staying indoors. But, camping was on the top of the list of what he wanted to do with Ohno. Just the two of them.
“Uh-huh,” answered Ohno. “Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?”
“Hmm… You don’t like going out,” stated Ohno. “You preferred to be in an area with good internet but I think there is no internet connection at the place we’re going to go. So, you might complain about it again,”
Nino tried to maintain his composure, surprised by what he heard from Ohno. Of course, what Ohno said was true. Once, Nino was sent to a rural area for work. And, it was hard for him to get an internet connection. When he was back in Tokyo, he complained about it to Ohno during their date. The man didn't seem to be paying attention to his complaint. But, he was proven wrong. Ohno actually listened to him.
"So, why camping?" Asked Nino. "If you know I don't like going to such a place, why are you bringing me there? You only have one chance to impress me with a date. So, why didn't you bring me somewhere I will enjoy?"
“Because I want to go camping with you,” answered Ohno. “This might be the only chance I have to go out with you. And… hmm… maybe I have a better chance to impress you if I choose something that you enjoy doing. Maybe a baseball game… or an arcade… But, I really want to do this at least once with you. We can do a lot of activities together. And we only have each other in the wilderness… so… hmm… I think if I can make you enjoy camping, which is something you never try before… I might have a better chance to get back together with you,”
Ohno was worried, Nino could see it from the way he reacted. Nino, on the other hand, struggled to remain neutral. Frankly, he also wanted to go camping with Ohno for the same reason. But, he didn’t want to show Ohno his real thoughts about going camping.
“If I don’t enjoy it…”
He didn’t finish his words but it was enough to make Ohno understand.
“I know…” said the man, sounding dejected. “But, I still want to try it,”
Nino could only respond with a weak smile. As Ohno had said, Nino had never gone camping before. So, he didn’t know if he would enjoy it or not. But, he wanted to believe in Ohno. Ohno would do his best to win him back.
“Let’s listen to some songs,” Nino suddenly said. He wanted to change the gloomy atmosphere.
Nino smiled as he heard the person next to him snore. As expected, Ohno would be falling asleep. Ohno had been singing right after Nino suggested they play some songs. He was simply humming at first but as time passed, he got bolder and started to sing happily. Ohno’s voice was so soothing and frankly, Nino would rather listening to the man’s voice than the actual singer.
Now that Ohno had fallen asleep, Nino started to sing as well. But, he did it in a low voice so that he wouldn’t wake the man. Thank goodness, the songs were all upbeat, making it impossible for him to feel sleepy. Feeling excited as he sang, he didn’t realize his voice had gotten louder.
“Wow, you have a beautiful voice,”
Oh my, this was too embarrassing. He didn’t expect Ohno would wake up because of his singing. And, what did the man mean by saying he had a beautiful voice? His voice was not good at all.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see that the man still had his eyes shut. But, he was smiling, perhaps happy for getting a chance to tease Nino. Nino took a deep breath, deciding to ignore what Ohno said about his voice. It was a good thing Ohno had finally woken up. The GPS had just announced they had arrived at their destination. But, Nino didn’t see any place that sold waffles and pancakes. Instead, they were in the residential area.
“Ohchan, wake up,” Nino lightly smacked the man’s body. “We have arrived,”
Ohno immediately opened his eyes and looked around. He scratched his head, looking confused.
“This is not the place,” informed Ohno, which earned him an eye roll from Nino.
“I can see that,” retorted Nino. “Are you sure you enter the right address?”
“I think so…” Ohno took out his phone and then, compared the address he put on the GPS and the one he found online. He didn’t say anything but seeing the shy smile on his face, Nino knew he entered the wrong address.
“Urgh, how far are we from the real one?” asked Nino as Ohno entered the correct address. He took the phone from Ohno, making sure the man didn’t make any mistakes this time.
“About twenty minutes,” answered Ohno. “I’m sorry, Nino. I should be more careful,”
Nino didn’t respond. He simply glared as he started driving again. Truth be told, he wasn’t angry. This was something he hadn’t seen for a while. Back when they were students, Ohno often made careless mistakes. So, when the man did it again, it just made him reminiscing those days.
Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the real destination. But, the place was closed because of an emergency. This time, Ohno gave him puppy eyes as he apologized.
“This is not your fault,” said Nino. “But, let’s get something from the bakery next door. I’m starving,”
So, the two of them headed to the bakery next to the cafe. They bought several types of bread and then headed back to the car to eat.
“Hmmm… this melon pan is so delicious,” said Nino after taking the first bite. Ohno hummed in agreement, looking slightly sad.
“Sorry for what happened,” said Ohno. “I slept in the car… I brought you to the wrong place… and you didn’t get to eat the pancakes and the waffles that I recommend… You must have deducted a few points because of all those things,”
“Maybe,” responded Nino, not letting Ohno know what he truly felt. Yes, the date didn’t start smoothly. But, he actually liked it. It made the date more memorable.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go to the next destination. And, let me check what you put in the GPS. I don’t want to end up in the wrong place again,”
A/N: Sorry for taking my time in updating. As I said before, I have no idea what I should do for their date. And, the idea of them going camping is what I want to write. So, here u have, the beginning of their camping even though they haven't officially started camping yet. I hope it is okay. Let me know what you think about this. It will be very much appreciated :)