Love Situation Chapters 6, 7 and 8
Chapter 6
"You should have seen them! It was just like when they were dating!" Aiba’s voice echoed through the halls and into the dressing room.
"Why does that make you so hyper?" Nino’s annoyed voice came closer. In a frantic attempt to look innocent, I tried to kick Jun off me, but in the process both of us toppled off the couch landing on the floor just as everyone walked in.
"We were playing a new game!" I said in a unusually high voice as I jumped up from the floor. Everyone paused at the doorway, looking on at the awkward sight. Jun was left disgruntled on the floor and I was standing awkwardly with a mussed up ponytail and straightening out my T-shirt.
"What game?" Ohno’s soft and oblivious voice asked curiously. I swallowed nervously and pointed to Jun.
"Well... who ever is the loser at janken, has to be the finder... of an object that I hid in... the room." I said pathetically. There was a moment of silence where everyone just stared, then slowly they continued what they were doing. Nino returned to his game, Aiba and Ohno went over to Jun to ask him more about this new game and Sho settled on the couch with a book. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, pretending to occupy myself with fixing my ID that hung around my neck.
"Good you’re all here! We have about ten more minutes before the start of the afternoon show." the director loudly announced as he entered the room, followed by a slightly irritated Aya. He went on to explaining this and that and the usual, while I busied myself next to Aya at the costume rack.
"Aya-san, I meant to tell you about a repair on one of my costumes." someone said from behind us. I turned around and was facing Sho. My heart leapt into my throat and all breathing ceased. Aya-san asked Sho to show her and I moved stiffly and obediently off to the side so they would have room. I was holding a few extra shirts Aya had given me tightly to my chest and my eyes were downcast, trying to steady my breathing. I had gotten used to being nervous and self-conscious around Sho, but this time I was almost too nervous and had a feeling of dread. Like I had betrayed him or something.
"Minako, could you go find Sato-san for me? She’s better at repairing zippers than I am." Aya-san asked as she fought with the broken zipper. I looked up and nodded, trying to ignore Sho’s curious glance as I set down the pile of shirts. With my eyes to the floor, I numbly exited the room and slowly walked down the noisy hall. Having no idea where Sato-san may be, I turned down a seemingly quiet hall and leaned up against the wall. I couldn’t really make sense of how I felt and why I felt that way, but I just felt... guilty. How much guilt could I possibly have in one day? And why all of a sudden did Jun bring back all these things that were in the past? Whatever was going through his mind didn’t make my thoughts any easier to comprehend. "Minako."
I looked over and walking slowly towards me was Jun. What was it with him showing up like I called him? I slightly scowled at him, which brought a scowl to his face too.
"Why are you following me?" I asked sourly. Jun leaned up against the wall next to me and looked over at me.
"Don’t be stupid." he said quietly. I turned my face away from him and glared at the floor.
"It’s not like you were objecting back there." Jun continued. I looked back over to him but he was looking the other way.
"I tried to..." I replied quietly. Jun scoffed and smirked.
"You still didn’t stop it." he mumbled.
"We can’t do this again, you know as well as I do." I snapped angrily. Jun pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of me, leaning forward.
"Who said?"
"You did when you called it off! Why are you bringing this up now?" I exclaimed. I don’t know if I was about to explode or cry, but I knew that my head was pounding in frustration. Jun sighed loudly and rolled his eyes. I waited for him to answer, but nothing came. So, I angrily began to walk past him only to be stopped by him grabbing my hand. I looked back slightly startled.
"Are you saying that everything is gone?" Jun asked, his brows pulled into either worry or confusion. I tried to pull my hand away, but Jun just tightened his hold.
"Is now really the time? I have to find someone-"
"A yes or a no is fine for now." Jun said with a dangerous smirk. I glared at him as he came close to me once again, his hold on me still unmoving. He looked down at me, our noses inches apart.
"I..."
"Hm?"
"N... no. I’m sorry... Jun..." I said weakly as my eyes dropped to the floor. It was true... partially. After a moment of silence, I felt the grip on my hand lessen, the slow and reluctant retreat of Jun’s body from mine and the melancholy footsteps down the hall. I looked up from the ground to Jun as he turned the corner but I couldn’t read his expression. I swallowed the tears that blocked my throat and straightened up.
I was at work, this was no time to let this bother me. Clearing my throat and blinking back stinging tears, I silently continued my quest for Sato-san. When I found her, I put on a fake smile and when I returned to the dressing room, I kept to myself. Though I occupied myself in organizing the costumes, I could feel the uneasy tension in the air.
As Aya-san, Sato-san and I bid good luck to the boys while they filed out into the hallway, Jun was the first to sweep by us without a glance and made a straight line to backstage. I looked after him with a strong, yet strange, sense of loss.
"Mina-chan...?" I heard Aiba say softly. I looked to Aiba with a false smile.
"Yeah?" I asked quietly. Aiba didn’t need to say anything else, he knew. But before anything else could be said, the director came booming down the hallway with his megaphone. I sadly smirked at Aiba and bowed. "Ganbatte, Aiba-chan..."
Chapter 7
Needless to say, the concert was a huge success and the costume changes were as hectic as usual. Aya-san became frantic, as expected, the director was stressed and myself, I was close to tears. Tension was high and I was mixed up in my own emotions. This reminded me of my very first week as Aya-san’s assistant. I couldn’t stop crying even after the concert and even when I was on my way back to the hotel. Aiba was kind enough to take me out for sake, even though it was close to midnight. Lame as it sounds, the sake just made the crying worse. Thankfully, Aiba hadn’t drunk too much and was able to properly escort me back to the hotel. I still remember to this day how I was blabbering on and on about Jun and if it was possible for someone like him to ever like someone like me.
"Minako-san." one of my trainees handed me a water bottle and then hurried over to some of the other crew. I stood backstage listening to the boys sing their last encore for the night. It was our last night in Yokohama and tomorrow we’d be in the Tokyo Dome. The tour was going much too fast for me. Sure I had more work than I could handle during tours, but I always had fun. My daydreams were interrupted as the crew and staff erupted into cheers as the boys came back stage. Their smiles were laced with exhaustion and sweat beaded down their necks.
"Mina-chan!" I heard Aiba’s voice ring out and in a blinding flash, I was in a crushing hug.
"Ai- Aiba-kun." I gasped. He quickly pulled away with a huge smile on his face.
"Riida offered to treat us to sake, do you want to join us? Aya-san wouldn’t mind you taking off early, right?" Aiba asked anxiously. I bit my lip in thought. Knowing that accepting the invitation would only lead to trouble, especially since Jun and I were stuck in a rocky place again. Then, I glanced over to Sho several feet away chatting with the director, who was praising him like a prince. An uncontrollable smile came to my face as I faced Aiba. Against my better judgment, I accepted the invitation.
Checking my cell phone again, I wasn’t surprised that they were ten minutes late. I sat inside the old fashioned tea house at the lonely table, watching other couples giggling and smiling. I sighed quietly and tried to ignore the waiters’ curious looks. Tracing patterns on the tabletop with my finger slowly, I was pulled into a daydream. The little bell on the door chimed and I was broken out of my stupor. I heard the boisterous voices and knew straight away that the boys had gotten a head start on the ceremony. A slightly nervous waiter approached them and showed them the room where I was at, closing the door behind them.
"Minako is here!" Nino said happily as he and Ohno plopped down. Aiba sat next to me, while Jun and Sho shared the space across from me. The waiter returned with our drinks and sat them in the middle of the table.
"Looks like you already started celebrating." I said with a strained smile. Aiba reached his hand out and slapped the table.
"Yep! But, we didn’t forget about Minakoooo~!" he said in a singsong voice. Sho took one of the two bottles from the table and everyone held out their cups eagerly. Sho scowled at them and swiped their hands away.
"Minako-chan gets hers first!" he said firmly. I handed him my cup and he filled it up until it reached the rim. Aiba laughed loudly and pointed to the overflowing cup.
"What’s this? Sho-kun favouring Mina-chan over us?" he said rather loudly. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see a flicker of jealousy in Jun’s eyes when Aiba said this. Sho, however, just smiled and laughed and handed the glass over to me. I wrinkled my nose at the smell, sake wasn’t the top of my favourite drinks list.
"With this I’ll be caught up with you guys in no time..." I mumbled before I slowly sipped the sloshing glass.
Nearly two hours passed and I could say that the sake had worked it’s magic. I am ashamed to say that I am a rather reckless and loud drunk, completely polar opposite of my real personality. This unfortunate quality had lead to a very heated argument between Nino and I about why he had spread the ridiculous rumor about me and someone in the sound staff’s room. Nino kept to his story saying it was all true but everyone was too drunk, they probably thought he was lying anyway. Once our spat had cooled, Ohno brought up a very uncomfortable memory.
"Mina... do you remember Jun’s birthday?" he asked slowly, pointing over to an annoyed Jun. Aiba fell back onto the floor laughing.
"Yes! Yes! The alcohol!" Aiba exclaimed loudly through his laughing fit. I looked down at the sake glass hoping it could somehow get me out of this situation.
"Ohh, and that Twister game!" Nino added loudly to the laughter. I could feel Jun’s irritation rising as everyone reminisced about the party.
"Matsu-san? How did the after party go?" Ohno asked curiously, eyeing Jun over the rim of his glass. Laughter died down and everyone turned their attention to Jun.
"Oh-chan!" I exclaimed loudly in shock. The after party was exactly what you think it was. After at the guests had left that night, Jun and I had a mini party of our own. Being drunk and unaware of my surroundings was not the way I wanted to start my relationship with Jun. But it saved money for both of us, right? Who could ask for a more romantic time? Obviously my shock and discomfort was visible and Jun’s temper was rising, because Sho suddenly stood up.
"Ah, I think it’s time to turn in, ne? We have a early morning bus." he announced loudly. I couldn’t have been more thankful to Sho than I was now. He and Jun had been surprisingly quiet this whole time, so I assumed they didn’t have much to drink. As for the other three and myself? We might as well been three sake bottles in human form.
Somehow, we all made it to our feet and out the door. The rest of the night was a total blur to me except bits and pieces of singing on the way to the hotel, Ohno and Nino trying to do an old Ohmiya SK skit in the hotel lobby, then the most puzzling memory of all. Someone had offered to help me get into bed, but I couldn’t place who the hell it was.
Chapter 8
I woke up in the morning with the hangover already taking it’s revenge. I cracked my eyes open and saw the little clock, "6:15". Shit... I needed to be with Aya no later than 7:30. I sat up slowly, one hand pressed against my pounding head. Suddenly, a hand came out from nowhere and clamped over my mouth. Obviously being scared out of my mind, I tried to yell and fight but whoever it was had a firm hold on me.
"Minako! Shh!" a stern voice hissed roughly.
"Jun!?" I yelled, though my voice was of course muffled. I looked up angrily at my kidnapper, fury in my eyes. However, Jun’s eyes were fixated on the door.
"Aiba just came by." he whispered, finally letting me free. I straightened myself out of my awkward position and sat confused on the bed, glaring at Jun.
"Why the hell are you here?" I asked furiously. Jun raised his eyebrows at me as he faced me.
"Don’t you remember?" he whispered darkly.
"Do you think I was in a state last night to remember things?" I snapped. Jun stood up from the bed and faced me with his arms crossed.
"Fine. You were so out of it last night, I offered to help you to your room-"
"Why am I in my pajamas!?" I nearly shouted as I suddenly realized what I was wearing.
"Would you quit spazzing? You changed into them. By yourself." Jun said in annoyance. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"And why are you still here?" I asked nervously. I hadn’t done anything with him, had I? No, I couldn’t have, he was still in his clothes from last night. Jun seemed to read my mind.
"No, we didn’t do anything, I passed out right after you." Jun said as he scratched his head, ruffling his already messed up hair. I sighed silently and looked at Jun softly.
"Sorry... I shouldn’t have yelled." I apologized gently. Jun put his hands into his pockets and shrugged.
"So... it’s really over." Jun said quietly after a slight pause. I looked up wearily and nodded.
"Sorry..." I mumbled. Jun looked over at me and smiled slightly.
"This would make one hell of a rumor." he said as a mischievous grin crossed his face and he began to move slowly towards the door. My head snapped up and my eyes grew wide.
"What? What do you mean by that?" I said worriedly as I sprung up from the bed. What an ass! He would really spread this around to the other members!? Jun had already opened the door by the time I managed to stumble across the room and grab onto his arm.
"I’ve already been seen with someone! Now you want to add that I’ve been sleeping around with you!?" I exclaimed rather loudly as we both managed to trip over each other and stumble out in the hall and hit the wall across the way.
"So it was true!" Jun said in amusement as he watched me gain my balance back. I pointed a threatening finger at him but couldn’t think of anything to say. He stood with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face, waiting for me to threaten him. But something in his eye caught my attention. He wasn’t looking at me at all, he was looking past me... behind me. Slowly I turned around, afraid of who was behind me.
"S... Sakurai-san?" I whispered. How long had he been standing there? What had he heard? I was feeling dizzy now and I steadied myself against the wall, at the same time trying to fix my oversized T-shirt and ruffled hair. It was indeed Sho. He looked shocked, amused and curious all at the same time.
"Morning, Sho-kun." Jun said rather cheerfully. I could only imagine what was going on in Sho’s mind. Both Jun and I looked equally hung over, our hair was ruffled in all directions, I was in my pajamas and we both came stumbling out of the same room. I knew Sho had seen all that, and I knew he had heard my exclamation about sleeping around with Jun. First Nino and now Sho? My reputation was having no trouble finding the drain. Was it even worth trying to explain this?
"Uh... MatsuJun... are you going to pack now?" Sho asked curiously as he tried to ignore the awkward scene in front of him.
"Oh, yeah. I think we’re done here. Mina-chan?" Jun said tauntingly as he looked over at me. I gave him an evil glare then looked back to Sho.
"Sakurai-san, I’ll see you at Tokyo." I said simply with a halfhearted bow. As I passed by Jun, I quickly kicked him in the shin. I’m sure it hurt my foot more than it hurt Jun, but he still started to swear loudly. My blood was boiling and I didn’t care to look back as I slammed my hotel door and locked it roughly. I could still hear Jun as he raved angrily out in the hall, but he deserved it. Okay... so it was my fault that I had yelled about sleeping with Jun... and my fault for pissing him off. But damn it, he deserved that kick. Grabbing fresh clothes, I made my way to the bathroom for a long, refreshing bath.
Baths never cease to amaze me. One moment you’re overflowing with rage, you step into a bath and the next moment, you’re as calm as if nothing happened. The whole stupid thing with Jun had taken up at least fifteen minutes or more, which left me a little under a half hour to get to Aya. Humming a song softly to myself and trying to ignore my grogginess, I began to pack my belongings that I had brought. Scanning the room quickly for any missed items, I soon noticed that my cell phone was missing. This put me into a slight panic. Ripping open my luggage, I went through everything a third time- still no phone. I spotted the hotel land phone on my dresser and quickly dialed my own number. Maybe who ever had it would answer or if it was in my room, I would hear the ringtone. I waited... nothing. Then a very faint melody floated to my ears. I scanned the room, trying to spot where it could be coming from. Closet? No... Under the bed? Nope.
"Eh?" I looked towards the door and noticed something was slipped under it. I hung up the phone and walked over to the door. Pulling my hair over my shoulder, I knelt down and tried to pull the folded paper in. It wouldn’t budge, something was attached to the other side. So, opening the door and looking down, there was my phone with a paper attached. I placed my phone in my pocket and unfolded the mysterious note.
Minako-chan, Aiba came by earlier to drop this off, it fell from your pocket last night... MatsuJun is okay, he’s pissed though. What happened between you two?
Sho
Sliding down to the floor once again, I smiled sheepishly as I read the note over and over. Perhaps today was looking up to be a good day.