Boy Meets Girl, Girl Meets Boy: A Love Story (Chapter 17)
[thanks to yuki84 and tenshi_angels87 for helping me out in writing this. part of the writing credits go to them~]
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Chapter Seventeen
How does this go again? I forgot...
Oh, right. Knock three times. One, two, three. Then say, 'Special Delivery!' once.
The door opens. "Hello!" Ohno greets us with a smile.
"Hello!" Emiko takes his hand. "I brought you some food!" She raises a plastic bag up.
"Ah! Hountou?" He blinks and licks his lips. "Arigatou!"
"You guys enjoy yourselves, okay? I'll see you later!" I wave to them as I close the door. I walk down the hallway, turning down several corners left and right before I found the elevator.
The door slid open and I went in. As it was about to close, a hand appeared in the middle, stopping it. "Wait!" The door opened and in comes six guys, four of which had similar hairstyles. They look familiar, I thought.
That's when I remembered. I wasn't sure but I think they were V6! OHMYGOD!!! V6!! (I remember because this little girl I babysat before was a big fan of them). As soon as they came in, the elevator then went quiet, except for a cell phone ringing. I took a deep breath. It was a bit weird, being in the same room with famous people up close. I'm kind of not used to it.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I didn't want to answer it but after several rings (and a few glances from the guys), I finally picked it up. "Sumimasen." I apologized. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" A voice whined into my ears.
"Um...I'm sorry but who is this?"
"Answer the question!" They all turned around when they heard the voice.
"I'll call you back." I said to the person. I closed my cell phone and pushed my way to the front. "Excuse me." I pressed several buttons, desperate to get out of the elevator.
It stopped at the fifth floor. I ran out onto the nearest corner when my phone rang again. "Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Kami-sama desu." Slightly annoyed, the voice curtly replied. "It's me, Nino."
"Oh..." I was a bit disappointed.
"Well, don't sound too happy then..." He said. "Anyway, where are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm at home. Should I be somewhere?" Like, anywhere you can't contact me, maybe?
"Liar." He hung up the phone.
"What the...? How rude!" I frowned at the phone as I walked. I was about to call him back when a hand covered my mouth while the other wrapped around my arm, pulling me backwards, leading me into a room.
The door closed as I struggled, trying to shake off my attacker. I shoved an elbow back, swiftly hitting the person's ribs. "Ouch!" The person moaned.
I turned around to find Nino, his hands on his ribs, keeling in pain. "Baka!" I lightly slapped his head. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!!"
"Well, you're giving me pain." He stood up, rubbing his ribs. "Why haven't you returned my calls?"'
"Ah...I've been busy with school lately." I shrugged.
"A simple text message could've told me that..." He frowned at me.
Sounds of rustling and footsteps interrupt us. "Huh?" We both say at the same time. He walks towards the door and slowly opens it, motioning for me to hide. I move behind him when he opens it.
Bang! comes the sound as three guys fall through the door, one on top of the other.
"Aiba! Get off me, you baka!!" The guy lying on the floor yelled.
"I can't!!" The guy on top of him squeaked. "Sho-chan is on me!!" He wiggles, trying to get up. "Sho-chan, you need to lose some weight..."
"Hey!! I resent that!! I AM NOT FAT!!!" The guy named Sho protested.
"Oi!! Get off!!!" The guy at the bottom yells, struggling to get up. He fails as they all fall down the floor again.
The third guy, Sho rolls over from the other guy, Aiba. "Damn, Sho...you're heavy..." Aiba rolls away and tries to stand up. The guy under Aiba stands up as well.
Nino closes the door and looks down at the three guys. Tapping his foot impatiently, he raises an eyebrow. "What are YOU doing here??"
Aiba scratches his head and turns his head to Sho-chan. "Ah..."
"We're looking for Riida. Have you seen him?" Jun brushes his hair and clothes.
"Riida? I haven't seen him. Who am I, his mother?" He snaps at them.
Aiba then notices me and nudges Sho. "Who's that?" He whispers.
They're all looking at me weirdly. "I think I'd better go..." I step away from Nino and head towards the door.
"Matte!" Nino quickly grabs my hand. "Oh no, you don't! You don't need to go. They came in uninvited. I still need to talk to you..."
I carefully shake Nino's hand away. "Nino, let me go! Look, I can't stay here. I really need to go."
The guy named Jun steps aside and makes way for me but Sho steps in front of him. "Who are you?" He looks at Nino questioningly. "Who's the girl, Nino?"
He glared at Sho. "You stay out of this, Sho." He said calmly and quietly.
"I'll call you, okay?" My hand reaches for the door, pulling it back. I walk out of the room, leaving the door open. While I walked down the hallway, I could hear them talking. Here's how it went:
Nino: Look, I don't know where Oh-chan is. Now, pardon me...
Sho: Nino!
Jun: Let him go.
Aiba: WHAT?? Are you crazy?
Jun: No, really. Let him..
Aiba: But...why?
Sho: Come on, let's follow him.
Jun: Sho, NO. Stay out of this.
Sho: Don't tell me what to do! Nino!
"Hanari! Wait!!" Nino's voice follows me down the hallway.
I turn around and sigh. "What is it now? Look, I've got many things to do and I'm already late." I start walking away again.
"I know that but..." He grabs my hand, which causes me to stop. "We still need to talk."
"Not today, okay? Maybe some other time..." I try to slide my hands away from his but he won't let me go.
"Some other time won't do it!! I need to talk to you now!!" He drags me back into the room, where I'm greeted by the three guys.
The door closes. "Why won't you answer my calls??" He grumbles.
Sho, Aiba and Jun look at each other. "Should we be here or not?"
"I think we should..." Sho whispers.
"I don't know Sho-chan...they look mad..." Aiba whispers back.
"Yeah, they look like they're ready for the kill..." Jun pipes in.
"I know! You stay here, we'll go!" Aiba says to Sho as he and Jun start moving away.
"Oh no, you don't!" Sho pulls them both back. "If I'm staying, so should you. Remember, we're family..."
"Never heard of that before..." Jun mumbles.
"I heard you!" Sho growled.
I turned back to him. "You're still not over that? I already told you - I've been busy with work and school. I also have a life, you know...."
"Well, you could at least answer it one time. Even though I'm busy, I still make time to call you..."
"Why?" I interrupt.
"...and I'm super - eh?? Nan - nande? Why what?"
"Why do you make time to call me?"
"Iyaa~" He ran a hand against his head. "Does it matter?" He wrinkles his nose at me.
"Well, I'm here now. What is it you so desperately need to talk to me about?"
"Um...I was thinking about what you said last time and...I think you're right. Maybe we should set some ground rules or something..."
Sho steps forward. "Ne, Nino, can we talk to you?"
I look at Sho. "Since you're busy now, I'm gonna go."
"NO!" He yells. "Ah, I mean...you don't need to go. Please stay here." He says softly.
"Oi! What are you doing here?" He tells Sho.
Sho glares and pulls him aside, away from ear shot. "What's going on?? Who is she? You know you're not supposed to bring girls here!"
The guy named Jun steps in front of me. "I think you'd better stay here..."
The other guy, Aiba, jumps in front of me. "Yeah! Please stay!" He flashes me a sad face.
My shoulders sag. "Fine...." I raise my hands in defeat. "I give up."
"Yehey!!!" Aiba jumps up and down as Jun smiles. He links one arm around me while Aiba links his on my other arm.
"Let's sit." They pull me to the couch and sit beside me. Sho and Nino follow and sit on the nearby chairs.
"Who is she?" Sho asks Nino.
"Oi! You," Nino points at me. "Answer his question." He points at Sho.
"Don't point at me!" I slap his hand away. "Ah, Hanari Furimoto desu. Hajimemashite!" I bow my head at them.
"Hajimemashite! Sakurai Sho desu." Sho bowed his head at me.
"Aiba Masaki desu!" The tall guy on my left shook my hands violently.
"Matsumoto Jun desu. Nice to meet you." Jun nods at me.
"Nice to meet you all..." I bow my head. This must be Arashi...and I'm sitting next to Matsumoto Jun...this is so weird...
"Hanari-san, are you Nino's 'special someone'?" Aiba teased.
I gave him a horrified look. As if! "Iie, iie!" I shook my hands. "What makes you think that?"
"You must be really close to Nino to be talking to him that way..." Jun mused.
"Well, I'm not..."
"Ah, sou ka..." Sho's eyes meet the others and they nod at each other. Suddenly, they all stand up and move to the other end of the room, sitting at a table on one corner.
I pull out a book from my bag and flip it open. Might as well do some homework while I'm here. I put on my earphones and pretend to listen to some music but actually eavesdrop on their conversation.
Sho : So how and when did it happen?
Nino: We met several months back... she spilled coffee on me. Then she said she'd repay me by taking me out for food...
Aiba : And you didn't get mad?
Nino: No, I did...she got it all over me and it was hot coffee ne~
Nino: So we got to talking... and we started going out...
Jun: Who else knows about her?
Nino: Just my mom and my family...
Aiba: Does Riida know?
Sho : So that's why you've been making all those phone calls
Nino : Yeah, kind of...
Aiba: Sneaking out and calling at strange hours...always sending text messages...
Jun: but....what about.....you know.... *nods at Nino*
Nino: Huh?
Jun: that other girl...?
Nino: Oh, what about her?
Aiba : Yeah Nino, how could you do that ?
Nino: *looks down and shrugs* Well, I didn't think it would make a difference...
Jun: Are you still seeing her?
Nino: *mumbles* Yeah....
Jun: Does she - *turns around and looks at me* - know about her?
Nino: *keeps quiet*
Jun: Does the other girl know?
Nino: No, she doesn't. and she doesn't need to know....
Sho : Nino, we seriously need to talk.
I cross my arms against my chest and heave a sigh. "I can hear you, you know. I'm still right here...." I shout from across the room.
They all turn around in shock at the sound of my voice.
"Uso! She's still here!" Sho whispers.
"What? I'm not deaf, just in case you forgot." I roll my eyes at them. Standing up, I sigh and walk over to the boys. "Well then, there's no point in beating around the bush, is there? better come clean then..." I lean forward over the table. "It's a lie. All of it. It's all a lie."
"WHAT???" Jun, Aiba and Sho yell in unison.
"She's - she's my...cousin?" Nino offered.
I smack him on the head. "No, I'm not. We don't even look like we're related!" I turn back to them. "This is all made up. We're not really together..."
"Nino, is this true?" Sho leans forward.
I nudge Nino. "I think you'd better tell them..."
"Why? It's none of their business." He mutters.
"Oi! Stop wasting our time and tell us now or we'll tell our manager about this!" Jun points at Nino.
"Fine!" He crosses his arms and sticks his tongue out at Jun. "Like what she said, we're pretending."
"But...why?" Aiba asks.
I sigh. "Here's the thing - Nino's mom thinks he's gay so he devises a plan to get her off his back. He...forces me into pretending I'm his girlfriend to present to his mom..."
All three stare at him before bursting into laughter. "Well, I would have thought he was gay too if I didn't know him..." Jun remarked.
"Desho? That's what I thought too!!" I laugh along with them.
"Just seeing him and leader together could really be interesting and naughty..." Sho chuckled.
"That's what his family thought as well!! They all thought Ohno was his boyfriend!!" I told the rest.
"HEY!!" Nino yelled.
"Well it's true, you know..." I smirked. "Just the way you sit enough confirms my suspicion..."
"Not fair! Four against one!" He pouted at us.
After the laughter died, I continued talking. "Where was I? Oh yeah. So, to prove he's not gay, he gets a girl to go along with his plan....only it backfires...well, sort of..."
"Backfires? how?" Aiba asks.
"Like marriage??" Jun chokes out.
"Marriage?? Are you crazy??" Nino shouts.
"Err...no. Nothing like that." I raise an eyebrow at Jun. "It's because he and his mom were fighting one day because his mom thinks he's gay. In anger, he yells out 'I'm not gay!' and - "
"You know, Nino-kun, if you get married, you would never be called gay..." Aiba snickered at him.
"FOR THE LAST TIME!! I AM NOT GAY!!!" Nino stood up and stomped his foot loudly.
"Sho-chan! Protect me!" Aiba slides closer to Sho, who can only shake his head.
I roll my eyes at him. "We KNOW." I turn back to the others. "Anyway, so his mom says 'Oh? Do you have a girlfriend? Cos I don't see any girl....only Ohno...' "
"Yeah, it's always you and leader together..." Jun pointed out.
"Bu - but....Oh-chan's my friend! And he needs me!!" Nino whined in his seat.
"Are you sure? You seem pretty close, even for friends..." Aiba giggled.
"What happens next?" Sho interrupts.
"Ne, ne, I want to know what happens next too!" Aiba jumped up and down on his seat.
"Oh…right..." I grin. "So anyway, his mom asks if there's a girl and he says 'For the last time, I'm not gay and I do have a girlfriend!'. Long story short, Nino here blurts out my name!"
"Maji de?" Sho slaps his thigh in laughter.
I nod and sigh. "GOD, WHY??? WHY, GOD, WHY???"
"Nino must have liked her enough to blurt out her name..." Aiba whispers to Jun and Sho.
"In any case, it was a mistake. He only blurted out my name because his mom found out Ohno's been dating my friend..." I purse my lips together.
"Ahh, we get it now." They nod at me.
"He just blurted out the first name that came to his mind. Unfortunately, it was mine..." I mutter under my breath.
The room became quiet. Huh? I look up to find everyone staring at me with strange and curious expressions.
"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing..." Nino frowned at me.
"So what's this about not calling and answering the phone have to do with anything if you guys aren't dating?"
"Well...we have an agreement." I bite my lip. "He needs to present me to his family because his mom and his family thinks I'm his girlfriend."
"EH?? You mean you've met his family already??" Aiba squeaks.
"Wow...that fast huh? I hear wedding bells..." Jun mumbles. "This is really a big surprise, Nino-kun. When's the wedding?"
"Does Riida know about this?" Sho nods at me.
"Um...he knows we're sort of..."dating"...but he didn't ask for anything more..." Nino looks down at the floor, his hands fiddling with each other.
"That explains a lot. We did kind of notice you were acting kind of weird lately, like missing a dance move and spacing out like leader..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nino's cheeks turn pink at Sho's statement.
"So why all the fuss then?? That's the reason why we're all here in the first place." Jun sighed.
"Because he's annoyed. He's annoyed because I don't answer his calls." I point at Nino.
"Aha! I knew it! You do like Hanari-san!" Aiba claps his hands.
"NO, I DON'T!" Nino suddenly stands up and lunges at Aiba with his hands.
The other three all stare at him in shock. I place my hand on his shoulders and pull him back. "Nino, calm down. They're just teasing you."
Nino glares at Aiba. "I will get you later..." He growls and sits back down.
Jun leans forward. "Does she know about...you know..." He whispers, nodding at me.
"Know what? About his real...'significant other'? I already know about it, so no need to worry, Matsumoto-san..." I wave a hand in the air.
"She knows but not all..." Nino whispers to Jun.
I glance at my watch. "Are we done here then? Because I really need to get going. I have an appointment."
"Liar!" Nino pretended to cough.
"Whatever." I sigh in frustration. "Well, I'd better get going. It was really nice meeting you guys!" I flash them a smile.
I walk over to the couch and grab my things. As I move towards the door, I hear Sho speak. "Nino, are you okay?"
Ignoring the reply, I open the door.
"Oyasumi, Hanari-san!" Aiba waves at me.
"Oyasumi, Aiba-san!" I wave back. "Sakurai-san, Matsumoto-san, it was really nice meeting you." I bow my head slightly at them.
"Goodnight! Nice meeting you too!" They both call out from across the room.
I close the door and walk down towards the elevator. The door opens just as I arrive. I step in and press the down button, hoping I can leave soon.
"Hanari! Hanari, wait!" Nino yells as the sliding doors close.
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Chapter Seventeen
How does this go again? I forgot...
Oh, right. Knock three times. One, two, three. Then say, 'Special Delivery!' once.
The door opens. "Hello!" Ohno greets us with a smile.
"Hello!" Emiko takes his hand. "I brought you some food!" She raises a plastic bag up.
"Ah! Hountou?" He blinks and licks his lips. "Arigatou!"
"You guys enjoy yourselves, okay? I'll see you later!" I wave to them as I close the door. I walk down the hallway, turning down several corners left and right before I found the elevator.
The door slid open and I went in. As it was about to close, a hand appeared in the middle, stopping it. "Wait!" The door opened and in comes six guys, four of which had similar hairstyles. They look familiar, I thought.
That's when I remembered. I wasn't sure but I think they were V6! OHMYGOD!!! V6!! (I remember because this little girl I babysat before was a big fan of them). As soon as they came in, the elevator then went quiet, except for a cell phone ringing. I took a deep breath. It was a bit weird, being in the same room with famous people up close. I'm kind of not used to it.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I didn't want to answer it but after several rings (and a few glances from the guys), I finally picked it up. "Sumimasen." I apologized. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" A voice whined into my ears.
"Um...I'm sorry but who is this?"
"Answer the question!" They all turned around when they heard the voice.
"I'll call you back." I said to the person. I closed my cell phone and pushed my way to the front. "Excuse me." I pressed several buttons, desperate to get out of the elevator.
It stopped at the fifth floor. I ran out onto the nearest corner when my phone rang again. "Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Who is this?"
"Kami-sama desu." Slightly annoyed, the voice curtly replied. "It's me, Nino."
"Oh..." I was a bit disappointed.
"Well, don't sound too happy then..." He said. "Anyway, where are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm at home. Should I be somewhere?" Like, anywhere you can't contact me, maybe?
"Liar." He hung up the phone.
"What the...? How rude!" I frowned at the phone as I walked. I was about to call him back when a hand covered my mouth while the other wrapped around my arm, pulling me backwards, leading me into a room.
The door closed as I struggled, trying to shake off my attacker. I shoved an elbow back, swiftly hitting the person's ribs. "Ouch!" The person moaned.
I turned around to find Nino, his hands on his ribs, keeling in pain. "Baka!" I lightly slapped his head. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!!"
"Well, you're giving me pain." He stood up, rubbing his ribs. "Why haven't you returned my calls?"'
"Ah...I've been busy with school lately." I shrugged.
"A simple text message could've told me that..." He frowned at me.
Sounds of rustling and footsteps interrupt us. "Huh?" We both say at the same time. He walks towards the door and slowly opens it, motioning for me to hide. I move behind him when he opens it.
Bang! comes the sound as three guys fall through the door, one on top of the other.
"Aiba! Get off me, you baka!!" The guy lying on the floor yelled.
"I can't!!" The guy on top of him squeaked. "Sho-chan is on me!!" He wiggles, trying to get up. "Sho-chan, you need to lose some weight..."
"Hey!! I resent that!! I AM NOT FAT!!!" The guy named Sho protested.
"Oi!! Get off!!!" The guy at the bottom yells, struggling to get up. He fails as they all fall down the floor again.
The third guy, Sho rolls over from the other guy, Aiba. "Damn, Sho...you're heavy..." Aiba rolls away and tries to stand up. The guy under Aiba stands up as well.
Nino closes the door and looks down at the three guys. Tapping his foot impatiently, he raises an eyebrow. "What are YOU doing here??"
Aiba scratches his head and turns his head to Sho-chan. "Ah..."
"We're looking for Riida. Have you seen him?" Jun brushes his hair and clothes.
"Riida? I haven't seen him. Who am I, his mother?" He snaps at them.
Aiba then notices me and nudges Sho. "Who's that?" He whispers.
They're all looking at me weirdly. "I think I'd better go..." I step away from Nino and head towards the door.
"Matte!" Nino quickly grabs my hand. "Oh no, you don't! You don't need to go. They came in uninvited. I still need to talk to you..."
I carefully shake Nino's hand away. "Nino, let me go! Look, I can't stay here. I really need to go."
The guy named Jun steps aside and makes way for me but Sho steps in front of him. "Who are you?" He looks at Nino questioningly. "Who's the girl, Nino?"
He glared at Sho. "You stay out of this, Sho." He said calmly and quietly.
"I'll call you, okay?" My hand reaches for the door, pulling it back. I walk out of the room, leaving the door open. While I walked down the hallway, I could hear them talking. Here's how it went:
Nino: Look, I don't know where Oh-chan is. Now, pardon me...
Sho: Nino!
Jun: Let him go.
Aiba: WHAT?? Are you crazy?
Jun: No, really. Let him..
Aiba: But...why?
Sho: Come on, let's follow him.
Jun: Sho, NO. Stay out of this.
Sho: Don't tell me what to do! Nino!
"Hanari! Wait!!" Nino's voice follows me down the hallway.
I turn around and sigh. "What is it now? Look, I've got many things to do and I'm already late." I start walking away again.
"I know that but..." He grabs my hand, which causes me to stop. "We still need to talk."
"Not today, okay? Maybe some other time..." I try to slide my hands away from his but he won't let me go.
"Some other time won't do it!! I need to talk to you now!!" He drags me back into the room, where I'm greeted by the three guys.
The door closes. "Why won't you answer my calls??" He grumbles.
Sho, Aiba and Jun look at each other. "Should we be here or not?"
"I think we should..." Sho whispers.
"I don't know Sho-chan...they look mad..." Aiba whispers back.
"Yeah, they look like they're ready for the kill..." Jun pipes in.
"I know! You stay here, we'll go!" Aiba says to Sho as he and Jun start moving away.
"Oh no, you don't!" Sho pulls them both back. "If I'm staying, so should you. Remember, we're family..."
"Never heard of that before..." Jun mumbles.
"I heard you!" Sho growled.
I turned back to him. "You're still not over that? I already told you - I've been busy with work and school. I also have a life, you know...."
"Well, you could at least answer it one time. Even though I'm busy, I still make time to call you..."
"Why?" I interrupt.
"...and I'm super - eh?? Nan - nande? Why what?"
"Why do you make time to call me?"
"Iyaa~" He ran a hand against his head. "Does it matter?" He wrinkles his nose at me.
"Well, I'm here now. What is it you so desperately need to talk to me about?"
"Um...I was thinking about what you said last time and...I think you're right. Maybe we should set some ground rules or something..."
Sho steps forward. "Ne, Nino, can we talk to you?"
I look at Sho. "Since you're busy now, I'm gonna go."
"NO!" He yells. "Ah, I mean...you don't need to go. Please stay here." He says softly.
"Oi! What are you doing here?" He tells Sho.
Sho glares and pulls him aside, away from ear shot. "What's going on?? Who is she? You know you're not supposed to bring girls here!"
The guy named Jun steps in front of me. "I think you'd better stay here..."
The other guy, Aiba, jumps in front of me. "Yeah! Please stay!" He flashes me a sad face.
My shoulders sag. "Fine...." I raise my hands in defeat. "I give up."
"Yehey!!!" Aiba jumps up and down as Jun smiles. He links one arm around me while Aiba links his on my other arm.
"Let's sit." They pull me to the couch and sit beside me. Sho and Nino follow and sit on the nearby chairs.
"Who is she?" Sho asks Nino.
"Oi! You," Nino points at me. "Answer his question." He points at Sho.
"Don't point at me!" I slap his hand away. "Ah, Hanari Furimoto desu. Hajimemashite!" I bow my head at them.
"Hajimemashite! Sakurai Sho desu." Sho bowed his head at me.
"Aiba Masaki desu!" The tall guy on my left shook my hands violently.
"Matsumoto Jun desu. Nice to meet you." Jun nods at me.
"Nice to meet you all..." I bow my head. This must be Arashi...and I'm sitting next to Matsumoto Jun...this is so weird...
"Hanari-san, are you Nino's 'special someone'?" Aiba teased.
I gave him a horrified look. As if! "Iie, iie!" I shook my hands. "What makes you think that?"
"You must be really close to Nino to be talking to him that way..." Jun mused.
"Well, I'm not..."
"Ah, sou ka..." Sho's eyes meet the others and they nod at each other. Suddenly, they all stand up and move to the other end of the room, sitting at a table on one corner.
I pull out a book from my bag and flip it open. Might as well do some homework while I'm here. I put on my earphones and pretend to listen to some music but actually eavesdrop on their conversation.
Sho : So how and when did it happen?
Nino: We met several months back... she spilled coffee on me. Then she said she'd repay me by taking me out for food...
Aiba : And you didn't get mad?
Nino: No, I did...she got it all over me and it was hot coffee ne~
Nino: So we got to talking... and we started going out...
Jun: Who else knows about her?
Nino: Just my mom and my family...
Aiba: Does Riida know?
Sho : So that's why you've been making all those phone calls
Nino : Yeah, kind of...
Aiba: Sneaking out and calling at strange hours...always sending text messages...
Jun: but....what about.....you know.... *nods at Nino*
Nino: Huh?
Jun: that other girl...?
Nino: Oh, what about her?
Aiba : Yeah Nino, how could you do that ?
Nino: *looks down and shrugs* Well, I didn't think it would make a difference...
Jun: Are you still seeing her?
Nino: *mumbles* Yeah....
Jun: Does she - *turns around and looks at me* - know about her?
Nino: *keeps quiet*
Jun: Does the other girl know?
Nino: No, she doesn't. and she doesn't need to know....
Sho : Nino, we seriously need to talk.
I cross my arms against my chest and heave a sigh. "I can hear you, you know. I'm still right here...." I shout from across the room.
They all turn around in shock at the sound of my voice.
"Uso! She's still here!" Sho whispers.
"What? I'm not deaf, just in case you forgot." I roll my eyes at them. Standing up, I sigh and walk over to the boys. "Well then, there's no point in beating around the bush, is there? better come clean then..." I lean forward over the table. "It's a lie. All of it. It's all a lie."
"WHAT???" Jun, Aiba and Sho yell in unison.
"She's - she's my...cousin?" Nino offered.
I smack him on the head. "No, I'm not. We don't even look like we're related!" I turn back to them. "This is all made up. We're not really together..."
"Nino, is this true?" Sho leans forward.
I nudge Nino. "I think you'd better tell them..."
"Why? It's none of their business." He mutters.
"Oi! Stop wasting our time and tell us now or we'll tell our manager about this!" Jun points at Nino.
"Fine!" He crosses his arms and sticks his tongue out at Jun. "Like what she said, we're pretending."
"But...why?" Aiba asks.
I sigh. "Here's the thing - Nino's mom thinks he's gay so he devises a plan to get her off his back. He...forces me into pretending I'm his girlfriend to present to his mom..."
All three stare at him before bursting into laughter. "Well, I would have thought he was gay too if I didn't know him..." Jun remarked.
"Desho? That's what I thought too!!" I laugh along with them.
"Just seeing him and leader together could really be interesting and naughty..." Sho chuckled.
"That's what his family thought as well!! They all thought Ohno was his boyfriend!!" I told the rest.
"HEY!!" Nino yelled.
"Well it's true, you know..." I smirked. "Just the way you sit enough confirms my suspicion..."
"Not fair! Four against one!" He pouted at us.
After the laughter died, I continued talking. "Where was I? Oh yeah. So, to prove he's not gay, he gets a girl to go along with his plan....only it backfires...well, sort of..."
"Backfires? how?" Aiba asks.
"Like marriage??" Jun chokes out.
"Marriage?? Are you crazy??" Nino shouts.
"Err...no. Nothing like that." I raise an eyebrow at Jun. "It's because he and his mom were fighting one day because his mom thinks he's gay. In anger, he yells out 'I'm not gay!' and - "
"You know, Nino-kun, if you get married, you would never be called gay..." Aiba snickered at him.
"FOR THE LAST TIME!! I AM NOT GAY!!!" Nino stood up and stomped his foot loudly.
"Sho-chan! Protect me!" Aiba slides closer to Sho, who can only shake his head.
I roll my eyes at him. "We KNOW." I turn back to the others. "Anyway, so his mom says 'Oh? Do you have a girlfriend? Cos I don't see any girl....only Ohno...' "
"Yeah, it's always you and leader together..." Jun pointed out.
"Bu - but....Oh-chan's my friend! And he needs me!!" Nino whined in his seat.
"Are you sure? You seem pretty close, even for friends..." Aiba giggled.
"What happens next?" Sho interrupts.
"Ne, ne, I want to know what happens next too!" Aiba jumped up and down on his seat.
"Oh…right..." I grin. "So anyway, his mom asks if there's a girl and he says 'For the last time, I'm not gay and I do have a girlfriend!'. Long story short, Nino here blurts out my name!"
"Maji de?" Sho slaps his thigh in laughter.
I nod and sigh. "GOD, WHY??? WHY, GOD, WHY???"
"Nino must have liked her enough to blurt out her name..." Aiba whispers to Jun and Sho.
"In any case, it was a mistake. He only blurted out my name because his mom found out Ohno's been dating my friend..." I purse my lips together.
"Ahh, we get it now." They nod at me.
"He just blurted out the first name that came to his mind. Unfortunately, it was mine..." I mutter under my breath.
The room became quiet. Huh? I look up to find everyone staring at me with strange and curious expressions.
"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing..." Nino frowned at me.
"So what's this about not calling and answering the phone have to do with anything if you guys aren't dating?"
"Well...we have an agreement." I bite my lip. "He needs to present me to his family because his mom and his family thinks I'm his girlfriend."
"EH?? You mean you've met his family already??" Aiba squeaks.
"Wow...that fast huh? I hear wedding bells..." Jun mumbles. "This is really a big surprise, Nino-kun. When's the wedding?"
"Does Riida know about this?" Sho nods at me.
"Um...he knows we're sort of..."dating"...but he didn't ask for anything more..." Nino looks down at the floor, his hands fiddling with each other.
"That explains a lot. We did kind of notice you were acting kind of weird lately, like missing a dance move and spacing out like leader..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nino's cheeks turn pink at Sho's statement.
"So why all the fuss then?? That's the reason why we're all here in the first place." Jun sighed.
"Because he's annoyed. He's annoyed because I don't answer his calls." I point at Nino.
"Aha! I knew it! You do like Hanari-san!" Aiba claps his hands.
"NO, I DON'T!" Nino suddenly stands up and lunges at Aiba with his hands.
The other three all stare at him in shock. I place my hand on his shoulders and pull him back. "Nino, calm down. They're just teasing you."
Nino glares at Aiba. "I will get you later..." He growls and sits back down.
Jun leans forward. "Does she know about...you know..." He whispers, nodding at me.
"Know what? About his real...'significant other'? I already know about it, so no need to worry, Matsumoto-san..." I wave a hand in the air.
"She knows but not all..." Nino whispers to Jun.
I glance at my watch. "Are we done here then? Because I really need to get going. I have an appointment."
"Liar!" Nino pretended to cough.
"Whatever." I sigh in frustration. "Well, I'd better get going. It was really nice meeting you guys!" I flash them a smile.
I walk over to the couch and grab my things. As I move towards the door, I hear Sho speak. "Nino, are you okay?"
Ignoring the reply, I open the door.
"Oyasumi, Hanari-san!" Aiba waves at me.
"Oyasumi, Aiba-san!" I wave back. "Sakurai-san, Matsumoto-san, it was really nice meeting you." I bow my head slightly at them.
"Goodnight! Nice meeting you too!" They both call out from across the room.
I close the door and walk down towards the elevator. The door opens just as I arrive. I step in and press the down button, hoping I can leave soon.
"Hanari! Hanari, wait!" Nino yells as the sliding doors close.
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