Daishun (Together at Last)

chapter 5

I had been avoiding him since morning, but now we were locked in the library together. I was trying hard to concentrate, but he had been staring at me for a long time. Why was he looking at me like that? What the hell! I glanced at him. He was still staring. I don't know what it was, but I felt good when he looked at me. Whatever, I don't care.

I need to focus on my studies. This semester, I ranked 2nd in my class. Why can't I concentrate on my studies? And I need another job; it's not enough to pay for my rent and food. I love singing, so I decided to join a club. I know it will be difficult to find one, but I have to try. The bookstore job is good, but because of it, I missed many classes, so I decided to quit.

On my first day in the club as a DJ, I was very nervous. I didn't know how they would respond. When I entered, I noticed it was a gay club. The manager didn't tell me that. Whatever, I needed a job, and I found one.

"Excuse me..."

"Yes, sir..."

"Can you please sing this song for my boyfriend?" One boy asked me, and it looked like he was going to propose.

That boy got down on one knee and proposed to his boyfriend. They were happy. I played their song, and they melted into each other's arms. I felt single but happy for them. After a few hours, I finally got free from work.

From somewhere, a man approached and asked me for a date. I rejected him because I came here for my work, not for these things. When I left the club, I felt like someone was following me. It was too late to call the police. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind.

"Who are you?"

"It's me, your junior, Dai."

"What the hell? Are you stupid?"

"No, what happened?"

"I thought..." I stopped mid-sentence.

"What?"

"Nothing..." I removed his hand and said.

"You thought someone was following you and going to kidnap you, right?"

"You..."

He turned to face me and said, "If you need any help, you can ask me."

"We're not friends..."

"Can we be friends?"

"What?"

"Yes, I want to be your friend."

"Do you even know my name?"

"Yes, Shun Nakanishi."

Why does he seem different? We always used to fight, but today he asked for friendship. I don't have many friends.

"I need time to think..." I replied quickly.

"I'm asking for friendship, not a date," he said.

I know he must think I'm weird.

"Yes, I know..."

"For friendship, you need time? I can't imagine what you'd do if someone asked you out on a date." He laughed. Why is his laugh so cute? I smiled back.

"By the way, thank you so much for that night."

"You remember? I thought you might have forgotten about it."

"Yes, I don't remember everything because I was drunk that night, but I remember it now."

"Okay, you're welcome."

Oh, that's why he asked for friendship.

"Can I come with you?"

"No..." I replied.

"But I want to thank you."

"You already did..."

"Let me buy food for you..."

"I'm full; I'm not hungry."

"Drink?"

"I don't like it..."

"Coffee?"

"I need to sleep early tomorrow..."

"Then how about a hot chocolate?"

"I like strawberry, not chocolate."

"Okay, then it's settled. I'll buy you strawberry milk."

"No need..." But he dragged me to a nearby café.

He ordered some food and strawberry milk.

"Try this; you'll love it."

"I don't want it..." I replied.

"Look, I already ordered it. If you don't finish it, it'll go to waste..."

"Okay, fine, but I'll only drink the milk..."

"No, eat the food too, or else you know..."

I had to eat all the food and drink the milk. After that, he mentioned that his place was far from here, so he asked if he could stay at my house.

"Look, the weather is also not good. Can I stay at your place?"

"Okay, but my house is not as big as yours."

"No problem..." He smiled.

We reached my room.

"So this is your room."

"Yes..."

"You live alone?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Where's the other bed?"

"I only have one..."

"What?"

"I'm living alone, so of course, I have only one bed."

"Where will I sleep?"

"That's your problem, I didn't invite you..."

"Okay, okay, just give me a blanket and a pillow."

"Where are you going?"

"Of course, on the floor..."

"Okay..."

I gave him a blanket and a pillow, but he wasn't used to sleeping on the floor, so he couldn't sleep properly.

"Are you still up?"

"Yes..."

"If you can't sleep, you can join me on the bed."

"Really? Thank you so much."

The bed was small, so we had to lie close together. I could feel his warmth next to me, and our arms sometimes touched. The room was very quiet, making everything between us feel more noticeable.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore how close we were. But I could tell he was looking at me. My heart started to beat faster, and I couldn’t help but wonder why he was staring. Was he going to say something? Or maybe do something?

I tried to think about anything else—the sound of the clock, the softness of the pillow—but I kept thinking about him. Why did it feel like he was moving closer? Or was I just imagining it?

I opened my eyes, and in the dim light, I saw him looking at me, his face just inches away. There was something in his eyes that made my breath catch, but I didn’t know what it was. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.

My heart pounded in my chest. What was he thinking? I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t find the words. So I just lay there, unsure of what to do next.

Finally, he gave me a small smile that made my heart skip a beat. Then he turned away and settled into the small space beside me. The tension faded, but I could still feel his warmth, keeping me awake long after he had fallen asleep.

               To be continued