Arukōru (Alcohol) Bar (BL)

Minoru/End (part 1/6)

"Narihira, is that you?"

I froze while taping a sign to my bar's door. It said that we were looking for help and to fill out an application online if anyone was interested. I slowly turned around at the familiar voice, my eyes catching onto lavender hair that swayed in the gentle wind.

He smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling just as cutely as they did all those years ago. He looked a bit more mature now, but his demeanor was unmistakable.

"M...Minoru...?" the name tumbled out of my mouth.

"I thought you might have forgotten me. I'm glad to know you haven't."

How could I forget? There was no way I could ever forget...my first love.

"W...What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Ah... Just stopping by, I suppose. How have you been? Are you working at this bar now?"

"I...I own this bar. It's been open for a few years now."

His butterscotch eyes widened. "You own a bar? Just like my parents, huh."

His parents? No, it wasn't because his parents owned a bar that I now owned one. It was because of him...but I didn't know if I wanted to say that. It was bittersweet seeing my first love again with his familiar image within reach yet again, but seeing him now, I was reminded that I hadn't kept the bar open this long just because of him. I fell in love with the bar he worked at, first and foremost. And there were many other factors keeping it alive today.

"Did you want to come inside for a drink...?" I asked.

"Oh, may I? It's not opening time yet, is it?"

"Not yet. But I'll make an exception for an old friend."

A smile spread across his face. "Thank you. Just like old times, hm?"

My friends stared at the newcomer who entered with me.

"Everyone, this is Minoru," I said. "Minoru, these are my friends and employees."

He was focused on looking around at the decor. "Just like...my parents' bar... It left quite the impression on you, huh?"

I didn't comment. "Please sit, what would you like to drink?"

I stood by Anzai behind the bar while the other two approached to sit around Minoru.

"I'll just have a water since it's a bit early to be drinking."

Atsutane smiled at him. "How do you know Narihira?"

"We were good friends long ago! I'm glad to see he's made many more friends since then. He was quite the lonely kid back then," he laughed.

Rikiya's eyebrows were furrowed. "What was your name again?"

"Minoru, and you are?"

"Rikiya."

"So nice to meet you! So, do you like working at this bar? Or should I not ask in front of the owner?" He laughed again.

Rikiya glanced at me. "He knows how much I hate working under him."

"So we both hate working at bars? I'm glad I found a kindred spirit!"

I set down his glass of water in front of him. "You...hated working at the bar?"

His eyes met mine. "Oh, right... You weren't aware. I guess I did a good job of acting like everything was fine," he smiled.

Seeing my first love again was so surreal I wasn't sure how to react. But also learning that he hated working at my favorite place was such a shock to my system. I wondered if I could make sense of the words that he had told me before he left, like why he had said something like that so suddenly...