(Part 2)
Aiba was back in Tokyo on Tuesday night and Nino had told him about the party at Jun's apartment on the coming Friday. As it was Aiba, he was so excited about going to Jun's apartment.
For Nino, he had kept in touch with Sho on a daily basis. They would exchanged a few messages daily talking about their days at work. Nino also kept Sho updated about his interactions with his junior. He had managed to use both of Sho's suggestions to him. Nino had given Nishikido so much work for two days that the younger man had to spend a lot of time testing and researching about the game that they were analyzing. And while the younger man was busy, Nino had managed to discuss with his other colleague and superior to trade juniors. Friday was the last day that Nishikido would be working with him. Nino felt very relieved and happy about it.
Nino was looking forward to the party on Friday for a few days. He was looking forward to meet Sho and Jun again. And most probably Ohno too as Sho had told him about his close friend.
"Nino, are you ready? Come on, we have to go now," Aiba was rushing Nino.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, Masaki," Nino replied him amusingly.
When they reach Jun's apartment, they were surprised that there were about twelve people there already and Sho was among them. Nino flashed a wide smile when he saw Sho waving them over. He was so happy to see Sho again. And he felt that Sho looked really handsome with his V-neck shirt and casual jacket.
"Nino-kun, Aiba-san, so glad you can make it," Sho greeted them.
"Sho-chan, you greeted Nino first," Aiba teased him. Nino had told him about his second encounter with Sho and Aiba had not stopped teasing Nino about the two of them being soulmate and all.
Sho seemed confused about it fortunately. So Nino knew that Aiba did not say anything to Sho during work. He tried to appear calm and just gave a small smile to Sho. Nino tried not to show too much of his current emotion.
"Come, Jun and Mao-chan are over there," Sho pulled Nino's wrist to get them over the small crowd. Nino was a little surprised that he froze for a second before following in Sho's direction. He hoped that Sho did not feel his hesitance.
After they were being introduced to Mao, Jun's girlfriend and Ohno, their friend who was more like their brother, the dinner party had started without any problems. Nino had fun that night knowing Sho and Jun's other friends. And he enjoyed the food as well. Jun had specially prepared a hamburger dish for Nino. He guessed that it was Sho who told Jun to prepare the dish for him. So he was feeling very grateful and had looked at Sho to give him his appreciation. Nino had found that Sho blushed when he smiled at him.
After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room for a chit chat when suddenly Mao asked Sho to perform his latest tricks for them. Nino felt himself getting excited at the prospect of being able to see Sho's magic tricks again although he knew that they were not actual magic tricks. This time Sho had managed to make the milk smelled like real milk. Nino was so happy for him.
Besides that trick, Sho had showed them another new tricks that he just thought of the previous day. He had managed to turn a glass of water into ice by just touching the glass. Nino was so fascinated that he clapped the loudest and showed Sho a proud smile. After that, they chatted for another while before Mao started to imitate some gags. Everyone was laughing at how good Mao was at imitating the gag. Then Jun followed suit and most of their friends also had one or two that they mimic. Nino laughed so hard at Sho's imitation. He was asked to try as well. So he imitate one gag and asked them to guess who was he imitating. But nobody seemed to know except for Sho who shouted out the name of the actual performer when nobody guessed. Nino was so glad that Sho had managed to guess it.
When they were all tired of the laughing and joking around, some of them were getting drunk as well, some of Jun and Mao's friend had started to leave as it was getting late too. Nino felt himself getting a little tipsy but Aiba was still sober and chatting with Ohno.
Nino decided to relief himself and to freshen up a bit before leaving. He could see Sho was chatting with another friend when he passed by the couple on his way to the toilet. Nino had purposely brushed past Sho's shoulder. He did not know why but he felt uncomfortable when he saw how affectionate Sho was smiling to his friend. He felt the need to at least touch Sho.
When he came out of the toilet, Sho was waiting for him outside. He was feeling a little angry but he cannot understood why. Sho pulled him again by the wrist and led them to the balcony. They were alone there as Jun and Mao were chatting inside, Aiba was still chatting with Ohno. The slightly cold breeze had cleared Nino's thought a bit.
"Nino-kun," Sho suddenly started talking. His eyes were looking at their feet. Nino was puzzled.
"Yes?"
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Sho asked. His voice was trembling a little.
"Yes, I do," Nino was very puzzled by now.
"So, um, what would you do if I tell you that I fell in love with you at first sight?" Sho asked again, looking at Nino this time.
Nino's eyes widen at that. He had never expected this. Sure, he was comfortable around Sho but that was because Aiba had told him a lot about Sho. But this was only their third encounter. He was shocked and could not really react. Nino knew he was not ready for another relationship yet. He was still a little traumatized by his last relationship so he just wanted to make new friends and relished on the friendship.
"It's okay. It was probably too soon for you. I'm sorry. But please do know that I really like you. A lot. And I know that you probably did not feel anything for me. So I am really sorry for troubling you like this. I hope that we can still be friends," Sho had took Nino's silence and shocked expression as an answer. He stopped to take a breath before continuing with a small, apologetic smile, "So I'll be going now. It's nice to see you here tonight. Good bye and good night."
~~
Sho had felt stupid for confessing to Nino. He knew that Nino was probably still recuperating from his last relationship which got him injured. But he had felt that he needed to tell Nino about his feelings. The urge to confess was a little overwhelming.
Sho had been feeling in the clouds for the past few days since his coincidental meet with Nino in the convenience store. They were telling each other about their days for a few days and Sho was so happy. He had never felt so happy with his life before. Never felt happy to hear about someone's life before. He knew he just could not get enough of Nino. His cute face, his endearing and yet annoying chuckle, his witty remarks and just about everything. And when Nino brushed past him in Jun's apartment, he had felt electricity shot through his nerves. Which was why he decided to confess. But now he felt very stupid while driving home alone. He should have kept it to himself. Now he did not know how to face Nino in the future. If they meet again.
'Most probably he will start avoiding me now,' Sho thought bitterly to himself.
The shocked expression Nino showed was somewhat expected but what he did not expect was that Nino's eyes spelled fear. Sho did now know if Nino was afraid of him or if Nino was afraid of being in a relationship with him but he knew that the fear in Nino's eyes was not something that he wanted to see. He knew that the fear would be projecting in Nino's eyes if they ever meet again. And he did not want to see that.
Sho tried to continue with his life normally. He decided to dedicate more of his time in his research work and his magic tricks experimentation. For two weeks, he did not contact Nino nor did Nino contacted him. But he knew that he missed the other man a lot. On the weekend, Ohno had asked him out for a drink together with Jun.
"Sho-chan, how are things recently?" Ohno asked him casually.
"Nothing much. Just busy with work as usual. Where's Jun by the way?" Sho tried to answer him normally.
"Oh, he just called a few minutes before you got here. His editor had asked him to rewrite some parts of his article for this month. So he's not coming tonight," Ohno answered.
Sho continued to chat with Ohno for a while about his finished paintings and about his upcoming exhibitions.
"Hey, I heard from Aiba that you are not talking to Ninomiya-kun anymore. What happened?" Ohno suddenly changed the topic. Sho was a little surprised.
"Since when have you kept in touch with Aiba? How come I don't know about it?" Sho tried to change the topic as he did not want to talk about Nino with Ohno. He was still trying to forget about his feelings for Nino.
"Oh, we kept in touch. So how about Ninomiya-kun?" Ohno seemed determined to pry about the issue. Sho just heaved a sigh. He knew that Ohno would not give up until he got his answer.
"I like him. So I confessed but he looked afraid. I guess that's it," Sho said, careful of his words.
"But you could still be friends right?" Ohno continued to question.
"Yeah, but I think that I need to give both of us some time to get over the feelings. Well, I should say I need some time to get over my feelings for him," Sho gave his answer.
"Okay, then. I understand. But I don't think that you should give up just like that you know."
Sho just gave Ohno a puzzled look.
"Sho-chan, you are a very charming person. You know that don't you? Look at all the confessions you get since university. But this is the first time that you are interested in someone. So I think that you should show him what kind of a person you are. Charm your way into his heart. Even if you did not succeed in the end, it will still be worth it if you really like him," Ohno reasoned.
Sho was shocked when he heard Ohno's advise. But he was afraid that it would only drove Nino away from him.
"I'll think about your suggestion. Thanks Satoshi-kun. Appreciate that."
They continued to chat about other things until Ohno received a call from his manager. So they decided to stop their chat there and continue another day when Jun would be available to join them.
Sho thought about Ohno's advise again for the next week. He was still afraid that Nino would avoid him but he decided to man up and contact Nino. He just hoped that they can at least be friends. He sent an email to Nino apologizing about his disappearance for a few weeks and talked about his latest experimentation. He also asked about Nino's work and life for the past few weeks. When Sho hit the send button, he had not expected Nino to reply him. But he was surprised that about ten minutes later, he was alerted of an incoming mail and found out that it was from Nino.
Nino had apologized for not contacting him as well and told him about his life and work although it was just a short message. Sho felt happy when he read that. He realized that even though Nino could not become someone he could share his life with, he did not want to lose this friendship.
Slowly, Sho managed to establish a normal friendship with Nino again. Although he could still sense Nino's uneasiness whenever they met, he tried to be as normal as possible and they never met alone. Someone else would always be there - Aiba, Ohno or Jun or sometimes all of them. Sho figured that this way, Nino would be less afraid. He tried his best to avoid making Nino felt uncomfortable.
The feelings that Sho had for Nino had never subsided all these months that he tried to build their friendship. It had only become stronger. The more he got to know Nino and understood him, the more he loved him. But Sho also knew that he could only be contented by having Nino's friendship. The feeling sometimes was very overwhelming especially when Nino patted him casually on the shoulder, or teased him about his failure in performing his tricks, or accidentally brushed hands when they sat side by side. Sho had tried to not sit beside Nino if he could to prevent any physical contacts which normally would set his heartbeat above normal. Sho thought that he had did a good job in building their friendship. But he needed to take a break.
So when his superior told him about a small research project in Sapporo which he might be interested in, Sho had considered and offered to go. He would have to stay in Sapporo for a year but he could stay longer if there were projects that he could assist in or lead. He wanted a change of environment. To have a chance to experience different things. So it was a very good opportunity for him.
~~
Nino had been to Sho's apartment once and many things had happened since then. After he rejected Sho through his silence, Nino had been afraid to face Sho. But the past few months had seen Sho trying to have a normal friendship with him. He knew Sho's efforts and he knew it must be hard for Sho to suppress his feelings. Nino could see the love in Sho's eyes but he was afraid of it at first. Now that he was used to it, he felt happy about it. Happy that someone like Sho could love him although he could not return his feelings. Nino had slowly started to let himself get close to Sho again as a friend. He had thought that Sho was a really good friend that he would not want to lose just because they could not be lovers. He had also seen all of Sho's tricks during their get-together with the others but he had never been alone with Sho. Nino knew that Sho had make sure that there would be someone else besides the two of them whenever they gather. If the other person cannot make it, they would cancel the drinking session or dinner. Nino did not really mind hanging out with just Sho but he figured that maybe it was Sho who was afraid that the atmosphere might turn awkward if it was just the two of them. So he had never questioned the other man.
Sho had invited Aiba and him to his apartment for dinner one day all of a sudden. Nino was told that he also invited Jun, Mao and Ohno. Aiba was also bringing his girlfriend, Becky. Nino was a little nervous since it seemed like Sho had some important news to share.
When he arrived with Aiba and Becky, Ohno was the one who opened the door for them. Nino felt butterflies in his stomach when he went into the kitchen to greet Sho as the other man was wearing a large sized T-shirt, sweats and an apron. He had looked so homey and Nino liked the domestic feeling. He just stood there watching Sho cooking at the stove.
"Oh, hi Nino-kun," Sho turned around and greeted him, a little surprised. Nino felt himself blushing for staring like that.
"Hi, Sho-san. Er, are there anything that I can help you with?" Nino offered to help. He suddenly felt nervous again.
"That's okay. Thanks. I can handle everything in here. You can get some drinks from the fridge for the others though," Sho said while smiling and tilt his head in the fridge's direction.
"Okay," Nino replied and went to get a few can of beers for the others.
He could not understand why he was suddenly feeling sad when he sat with the others while he occasionally glanced towards the kitchen. It had somehow felt like a farewell dinner. Nino could only hoped that he was wrong.
When Jun and Mao arrived, they exchanged greetings and Mao sat down with them for a chat. Jun had went straight into the kitchen. Nino took his finished can of beer into the kitchen to throw it away and he saw Jun stirring a pot on the stove. He felt jealous that Sho let Jun helped but not him.
"Nino-kun, do you need something?" Sho asked him. That was when Nino realized that he was grasping the can a little too tightly.
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to throw this can away," Nino answered and turned to look at Sho. He was surprised to see that Sho had sweat so much that his shirt was stuck on his body. He had never seen Sho's body before but with the wet white color shirt sticking on Sho's body, he could see Sho's toned body and the muscles of his arms clearly. Nino just stared at him. He thought that he could just stare for the whole night.
"Er, sorry. I'm going to take a shower now. Just help yourself around," Sho said with a blush. Nino realized that he had been staring and he was feeling embarrassed himself. He averted his eyes quickly and stepped over to the trash can.
He realized that he was attracted to Sho in some ways for some time now but had never thought that Sho actually had a sexy body and was never attracted to him in that way. He only liked when Sho was performing his tricks. It was never more than that. Nino saw Jun smiled and went to give him a smack on the shoulder. He knew his thoughts was showing on his face.
They had dinner in the living room and Aiba and Ohno were teasing Sho for his soup that tasted a little funny. Jun was guessing what ingredients that Sho had put into the soup and he was guessing some really strange ingredients. All of them were laughing when Sho suddenly said , "Ha ha, that's okay. Laugh all you want. It will probably be a long time before you can taste this funny soup again."
That was when Nino stopped laughing. The others also realized something was wrong. Nino's heartbeat sped up suddenly. He was feeling nervous again. Had his hunch been right?
"What do you mean, Sho-chan?" Ohno was the one who asked. Sho had become sober himself.
"Oh, it was nothing. But this is a farewell party for myself," Sho said with a wide smile.
"What?" Jun chipped in.
"I'll be transferring to Sapporo next week," Sho said casually. Nino felt sudden anger surging inside him. But he knew he had to control himself and get the whole thing cleared by Sho first.
"How come I don't know about this?" Aiba started to question.
"Well, I was just offered last week and had only decided to go yesterday. That's why tonight's dinner was so sudden. And I am very glad that all of you can come," Sho answered Aiba's question with a bright smile.
After that, each of them that had some questions and Sho had explained everything to them. Nino could not control his emotions anymore and excused himself to go home earlier. He was out the door before anyone could stop him.
Nino knew he was being rude but he was afraid to show his emotions in front of everyone. He was sad and angry. He knew why he was sad but he did not know why he felt anger as well. A good friend was leaving but it was not permanent. So why should he feel angry about it? Nino could feel his anger rise the more he thought about Sho leaving Tokyo, leaving him. And he would leave in two days.
When he reached home, Nino went straight to his room and locked himself in. He then started to cry. He was feeling very confused. Why he felt so much anger? Why Sho wanted to leave? Was he transferring so that he could get away from him? Was Sho getting tired of him? Did he not love him anymore? Nino could not think straight. He just kept crying until he fell asleep.
The next morning, Nino woke up with a headache. He saw that he had several missed calls from Ohno and Sho, a message from Jun and Aiba and an email also from Sho. He knew that they would be worried when he stormed out just like that the previous night. But Nino was not in the mood to see anyone yet. So he just ignored everything and went to work as usual.
After work, Nino decided to go drinking with his colleagues. He did not want to be alone because he knew that he would thought about Sho. He also did not want to face the fact that he would not be able to see Sho on a daily basis anymore. Nino had been hiding the fact that he would see Sho everyday as his company was near to Sho's apartment. Sometimes he would see Sho buying newspapers and breakfast or sometimes chatting with the florist, most probably asking about some flowers he could use for his magic tricks. But he had never tried to approach him on the streets. Sho had never failed to bring a smile to Nino's face.
Suddenly, something just struck Nino. He just realized that he was so angry of Sho leaving for Sapporo because he liked Sho more than a friend. He wanted to see Sho everyday. He wanted to be by Sho's side every moment he was allowed to. That was why he was angry. Sho had announced his transfer so suddenly that Nino did not know how to cope with the departure. He would not be able to see Sho everyday and he would not be able to stay beside him.
Nino ran immediately to Sho's apartment. When he reached there, he was still catching his breath when Sho's apartment door suddenly opened. He was so shocked that his legs just turned jelly. Sho who opened the door was shocked too. He quickly squatted to check on Nino.
"Nino-kun, what are you doing here? And what happened to you?"
Nino was still panting heavily due to his run and the shock. He tried to compose himself by taking deep breaths but Sho was pulling him up and into the apartment. After they had stepped in slowly, Sho turned to close the door. It was then that Nino just collapse onto his back. Hugging Sho tightly.
He could feel Sho jumped a little due to the contact.
"Nino-kun?" Sho sounded worried. He pried Nino's hands away a little so that he could turn around.
"Sho-san, do you still love me?" Nino asked in panted breaths. He saw Sho's eyes widen at his question.
"Of course I still love you Nino-kun," Sho answered in a whisper.
That was the cue Nino needed. He tiptoed a bit and kissed Sho firmly.
The end.