Chapter 33
Some Closure
"I'm sharing the room with Nino?"
He glared at the distaste tone of Matsujun who groaned by the time that he and the youngest Arashi were assigned a hotel room together.
"Ah...Jun-chan, Nino's fun." Aiba patted Jun's shoulder sounding more like sympathizing and comforting him rather than being sincere with his words. Nino's glare turned to the baka idol who in return, just smiled sheepishly and gave him a peace sign.
"That's right. He walks naked around the room and do playstation all night. Yep, it's so much fun sharing a hotel room with him." Jun said sarcastically and casted a bored look towards the main subject. Nino just made a face as a sign of his retaliation and slumped further on his bus seat.
Not in the mood.
He doesn't feel like initiating the usual bickering and teasing right now as their tour bus headed its way to Tokyo, their last stop of the Arashi nationwide concert. He dreaded this part of the tour and he hates himself for acting like a total heart broken whimp in front of his bandmates. He was just so lucky that his bandmates were so understanding that they don't mind the boring and brooding Nino that they see right now.
"You whine like a girl Jun. Don't you know it sounds so gay." He blurted out unconsciously and did not notice the crooked smiles that were exchanged by his other bandmates.
"Well, you're so stingy that you even asked me to pay for your 3 yen mint candy yesterday." The youngest replied but was fighting himself not to let out a grin.
"Eugh...I considered it as your treat for me." Nino argued stubbornly and just like the brat that he was, he put on his pouting poker face.
"Of course, there are no debts when it comes to Nino. It's always a treat." Sho nodded his head while biting his lips to restrain a chuckle.
"Hai!" Ohno agreed soundly. "...from cab fares, drinking sessions, night-out meals..."
"and mint candies." Aiba finished Riida's enumeration and all of them can't help but to laugh and tease at their resident prankster.
Nino glared once again towards his four friends while they gang up on him, however, it just took seconds before he felt himself grinning.
Eventhough Nino has been isolating himself because of what he was going through right now, his bandmates always try to bring himself back. He does not mind being bugged by them, their presence has always been what he was thankful for.
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Sunny, busy streets, traffic jams, lots of walking students and yuppies. She savored the pavement of Tokyo as she walked out of the nearest Starbucks branch with a frappucino on the right and a cellphone on her left.
Jenisha did miss Tokyo. Lots of things to look forward too. She was busy preparing for her entry in University of Tokyo and excited by the fact that after a couple of weeks she'll be back studying. While she was finding the time completing her requirements, she and her crew were putting the plans for the Tokyo stint in action. This part of the tour has been made extra special, for this was going to be the last concert. The final end for the Arashic Tour.
"Last..." She slowed her walk the moment it dawned on her and her heavy sigh was left unrealized as she bit her lower lip. She knew that "last" boiled down to one aspect of her life and for the umpteenth time, frustration won her over.
Tokyo Dome will be the last stage she was going to set up. Her last pep talk with the crew and with the idols was set on the 25th, the night of the last concert.
She decided to turn around and go back.
Might as well make the most out of it... Her every footstep, though uncertain, is determine to somehow make the end right or perhaps suitable.
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"Minna! Let's have a coffee break!" Jenisha announced through her megaphone and got one of the coffee trays she bought from Starbucks. She began distributing grande sized hot Caramel Machiatto to each of her staff.
"Whoa, this is so kind of you Jenisha-san. You bought so many." One of her cameramen said as he received a coffee from her.
"This is just one of the ways to show my gratitude. You guys work so hard." Jenisha gave him a huge grin and continued giving coffee to the others.
"Sachi, here is yours. John, hope this is enough for a warm-up."
"Of course Jenisha-chan! Caffeine is always good, thank you so much." She continuously bowed and nodded and exchanged thanks yous to her crew as she gave out the coffee. Those coffees that she bought for her crew was just one tiny way of showing her appreciation to the people whom she worked with this tour. Her first huge project would not be as successful if not for her crew's hard work.
"Arigato Jeni-chan!"
"No problem Akita. Thank you so much for the hard work." Jenisha scanned the area around the theater and upon seeing that all of her staff have their coffee, she had to find the idols to give their own cups as well.
Yup, time to find them...the coffee might get cold.
She got the five remaining cups on a tray and by the moment she turned to her heels, one member of Arashi happen to bump into her. This particular Arashi made her frozen on her spot and her mouth left hanging open unsure of what to say to him. He stared back at her, his eyes were obviously wanting to talk to her but their relationship for the past weeks has been limited to stares, stiff monotonous professional conversations, and accidental eye to eye contacts such as this one.
"C-co-coffee." Jenisha finally found that single word to talk to him and slowly gave him his cup.
Nino took the coffee and stared at her the moment their fingers touch when she extended the cup to him. Maybe he wanted to search for reactions from that tiny bit of physical contact that they had.
"Umm...arigato." He nodded slowly and smelled the content. Nino can tell that it was a caramel machiatto and the moment he knew what coffee it was, he can't help but to feel that familiar swelling inside his chest.
"Jeni-chan!" Jenisha turned to the hand on her shoulder and saw Aiba grinning madly at her.
"Aiba-kun, ohaayo." She smiled thinly at the other idol. She was a little relieved by the presence of another idol so that she could escape from the awkwardness with Nino. Aiba-chan's appearance can be a perfect 'ice-breaker' somehow.
"I heard you bought coffee for all of us? By the time I went inside I saw all of the crew sipping on a Starbucks cup." Aiba blabbed on and he eventually noticed Nino who was staring intently at his own cup. He just decided it would be better to ignore him while Jenisha is around.
"Yeah, I did. You know, just for a small coffee break and you guys work so hard." Jenisha grinned at him and handed him his coffee.
"Whoa...arigato Jeni-chan." Aiba immediately took the lid out and delightfully inhaled the bittersweet aroma of the caramel machiatto. "Eh?" He opened his eyes and happened to glance towards Nino.
"Ne...Nino...this is your favorite coffee right? Caramel Machiatto? This is the only product you spend your money on Starbucks." Aiba said.
Jenisha snapped her head towards Nino's direction and stared at him.
Of course...how can I forget?
Kuso! I shouldn't have said that! Aiba bit his lip when he noticed that he was the one who created a whole new tension between Nino and Jenisha. Nino just glanced at Aiba and pressed his lips together as a sign that it was alright.
How can I have forgotten?! Jenisha's eyes slid below to her shoes as the tiny revelation from Aiba dawned on her. When she bought her first cup of coffee from Starbucks this morning, she automatically selected a venti size Caramel Machiatto without even thinking about it. The coffee that she bought for the whole crew, staff, and the idols was of the same flavor. She have completely forgotten that Nino would only insist on buying this particular coffee because it was the only thing that tasted good and worth every penny. How can she forget?
But she did not forget.
Jenisha realized that every part of Nino, from his smallest mannerisms down to his favorite coffee, have been embedded on her. He became a part of her. She did not realize that everything she do and every stuff she chose, Jenisha would select things that remind her of Nino. He was with her unconsciously and it reflected in her movements and her decisions even for the smallest detail. Jenisha was too stun upon realizing that no matter how hard she tried to forget, she wouldn't be able to because Nino became a piece of herself.
Her eyes met his when she raised her head to look at him and Jenisha saw Nino's questioning gaze.
"Uhh..." Aiba scratched his head as he attempt to break the awkwardness from both of them. "...anou...w-would you like me to bring the coffee to the rest of Arashi?"
Jenisha slowly turned to stare at the taller Arashi and let out a soft 'hai' when she handed him the coffee tray before walking away from the two idols.
Aiba was biting his lips while he stared at Jenisha's disappearing form and looked back at Nino's direction.
"She looks so sad." It appeared to be a form of accusation or a statement from Aiba which made Nino slightly roll his eyes and sighed while grasping his cup of coffee with both hands.
"I know...I saw that." Aiba saw Nino's fingers lightly touching the coffee lid. "She's not the only one." Nino muttered and left Aiba at the theater.
"Whew..." Aiba heaved a frustrated sigh and stared at the coffee tray on his hand. "...I'm having a job making those two talk...this might get cold." He muttered and left his spot as well.
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"Hey, Nino..."
He looked up from Sho's curious stare as the five of them headed to the parking lot to go to their location shot for their show.
"Nani?" He muttered and he saw Sho's eyes shifted to the white cup he had been grasping in his hands for the last couple of hours.
"Y-you haven't finished it yet? It's already cold." Jun said when he immediately noticed what Sho was staring at.
After two hours Nino only took sips of the coffee and Arashi either saw him smelling it or staring in to a blank space while his fingers caressed the styrofoam cup. "This is too weird" Aiba can't help but to whisper while they observe Nino.
"Ne...Nino does not want to finish it in an instant because Jenisha gave it to him." Aiba's breathy voice went a pitch higher when he teased Nino and started chuckling.
"I want to savor every bit of it because its Starbucks and expensive!" Nino snapped but he was certainly aware that his face had betrayed him by turning into a deep shade of pink. His bandmates were just smirking at him by the time Nino had his poker face on.
"Geez..." Jun can't help but to join in with Aiba's chuckles. "...you're acting like a teenager." With this, Jun let out a loud snort and was followed by a loud laugh when he looked at Nino's blushing face.
"Hahahahaha! You are definitely all red!" Ohno bursted laughing and was pointing at the now embarassed Nino. Riida found this too funny because seeing Nino blush was a different reaction from the sulking frowning Nino they have with them for the past days. Arashi rarely see Nino blush and seeing him blushing in the middle of his so-called heartbreak was kind of hilarious for them.
"Ah...shut up." Nino glared towards Ohno and took another sip of coffee. He can't help but to sigh as the bittersweet taste of the coffee touched his tastebuds once again.
"She still cares huh?" Sho said and the atmosphere instantly became serious. Nino stared back at Sho and had his lips pressed together while he tapped the coffee lid. That small comment wanted him to grin madly because Nino knew that it is somehow true and with that truth, he wanted to feel hopeful about Jenisha.
"Jenisha-chan was actually kind of confused when I blurted out that Caramel Machiatto is your favorite." Aiba had a small frown forming on his forehead when he remembered Jenisha's reaction.
"Hontou? Fate is actually bringing them together huh?" Jun smirked.
Nino knew at the back of his mind that it Jenisha's choice of coffee was not coincidence. It led to Nino's confusion wondering why Jenisha would pick his favorite coffee and bought loads of it and distribute it to the whole crew and to Arashi when she's not suppose to care about him.
"Nah..." Nino was already grinning when he said this. His epiphany of thoughts made his moods switched immediately.
"Oi, what do you have in mind?" Ohno asked a bit suspicious because Nino changed from one different reaction to the other. Riida swear that Nino is weirder when his mess with Jenisha started.
"Its not fate. She knew it all along." Nino replied resoundingly and grinned wider. All of five of them were standing right in front of the coaster which they will use to go to their location shot for Shukudaikun.
"Is that another way of agreeing that Jenisha is still crazy about you?" Jun raised his eyebrow and at the same time controlling the twitch in his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Nino's good diversion of his moods were making them laugh which they don't exactly know the reason why its even funny.
Nino shrugged his shoulders as his reply and continue grinning. Yep, his hopes were definitely high. The little gesture of unconciously picking his favorite coffee made Nino think confidently that Jenisha might be thinking of him everyday that even the smallest details of his being have been attached with her.
Yosh!
"Now he's getting too cocky." Sho shook his head while his other bandmates agreed with a chuckle.
Each of them went inside the coaster van to prepare for the trip with Nino sitting in the middle row near the window still clutching the coffee. After taking another enjoyable sip of the machiatto, his slightly frowned when he saw a familiar black racing car parked in the parking lot just on the left side near the coaster. He looked closer until his eyebrows and nose pressed on the window glass and felt more convinced that the black car is utterly familiar.
A sinking feeling immediately resurfaced inside him and Nino slumped back into his seat. Sighing, he slightly raised the cup of coffee on his eye level and bit his lip.
...now what?...so what if she cares? it does not mean we can have each other back...kuso!
His shift of mood made him go back to the same sulking frowning Nino that Arashi had for the past couple of weeks and that black racing car made him somehow deeply bothered.
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"Yoooooosshh..." Aiba groaned as he stretched his arms. The lunch that they had after shooting Shukudaikun had been consumed due to the bumpy ride they had going back to their hotel and upon arriving, he was hungry once again. They have to go back to their respective hotel rooms to change before they have their second lunch with the staff. "I'm hungry." Aiba said when all of them walked inside the elevator that will take them to the 5th floor where their rooms were located.
"We know. That's the 7th time you said it." Jun slightly rolled his eyes towards the ever energetic Masaki and was the first one who walked out of the elevator the moment it opened.
"So, what's up for today?" Ohno asked who was at the same time taking some peeks on Nino's portable Nintendo as the five of them headed to their hotel rooms located at the farthest corner of the 5th floor.
"Today is pure dance rehearsals. First at the studio then on the dome stage, so we need all the food that we can eat." Sho got the keycard of the hotel room he share with Aiba and Ohno from his jeans pocket but before any of them could open their own rooms, they heard a door creaked from the other side.
"Jenisha."
All five of them turned to the sound where their director's name had been called and true to what they heard, they saw Jenisha fled out of a room.
"Uh-areh? That's not Jenisha's room right?" Aiba said. Nino torn his concentration away from his game and frowned at Jenisha who went out from someone else's room. She obviously did not notice Arashi's presence since they were standing in front of their rooms at the corner. They got extremely curious and before Jun could call out for Jenisha, all of them instantly shut up when a half-naked guy appeared from the room.
"Jenisha!"
Arashi finally recognized the tanned gangly looking guy who was standing in front of his room only clad in his jeans with his shoulders now slumped. Marco called Jenisha's name twice and the director apparently walked out on him.
Jun, Aiba, Ohno, and Sho slowly turned to gaze at Nino whose eyes were shifting back and forth from Marco to the lobby where Jenisha had disappeared. His face was quite unreadable while his left hand was firmly clutching his Nintendo as he stared into a blank space.
From the looks of it, Marco's half-naked appearance gave the impression that something had happened inside his room and Nino already got the idea of what it was. However by the way Jenisha came out of his room, it looked like she stomped off, like an argument had occurred between them. The four Arashi waited for Nino to make a move or to say something until Marco finally felt Arashi's presence.
"H-hey...Arashi right?" Marco said and was now facing all five not minding that he was facing them shirtless.
"Hai." Aiba replied softly, being careful since Nino had not given out any reaction.
"Anou...would it be okay if you tell Jenisha to meet me after your rehearsal?" Marco ran a somewhat agitated hand on his hair when he asked that request.
They did not reply as they glanced towards Nino at the corner of their eyes. They felt Nino gave a short pissed sigh and snatched the key from Matsujun and before he went inside they slightly heard him muttered "She cares huh?" in a sarcastic tone, then slammed the door.
The four of them secretly cringed at the banging sound and decide to deal with it later.
"We'll try to tell her." Sho nodded shortly towards Marco.
"But that's not a guarantee though. She's quite busy and so are we." Jun added, his voice dripped with distaste so he could send some message across Marco. The other guy did not miss it and was now slightly frowning towards the youngest Arashi.
"Ah...sumimasen..." Aiba whispered to Marco as the rest of them went inside Jun and Nino's shared room.
This is going to be a long and tiring day... Riida clucked his tongue as he approached the brooding Nino on his bed.
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FINALLY!
mygad...i'm always late posting my update...sheesh...but anyways, for those who keep reading this stuff...THANK YOU BUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
highly appreciated guys!!!!!
\m/
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