You're The Last One

Awkward Reunion prt 1

There were different colored balloons tied at the wooden chairs. A big half-eaten round cake with a car drawing was at the center of the table. Seaweed soup and other finger foods were there as well. A mellow, relaxing song was playing in the background. The birthday celebrant peacefully sleeping in his crib not far from the table.

"Ao-chan must be tired from all the playing he did..." the scholarly looking woman whispered. She was the woman Mino married. She works as a curator at a local museum and though she couldn't be labelled pretty, she had a certain charm that made her look attractive.

She was wearing a plain apron, her hair tied in a tight bun. She gave the other two remaining adults on the table a nod before leaving the table. The other few guests have already left a long time ago.

"I'll take Ao in the bedroom...will you two be okay?"

Mino smiled. "Sure dear...it's just Takano anyway."

"What it's just Takano are you saying?" Takano said, sipping sake to push down the foods he had eaten.

The woman chuckled merrily and left the two men alone. That was when Mino started looking at his watch worriedly.

"He said he's on his way...did he get lost or something?"

"Who?"

"Onodera. I told you I invited him too right? It's late but he hasn't contacted me yet."

Takano's brows started creasing as he mindlessly poured alcohol to his cup like it was water. After a couple of minutes of Mino staring at his phone, the doorbell then broke the silent night.

Hurriedly, Mino stood from his seat and went to the door to answer. From where Takano was sitting, he could hear frantic apologies of getting lost in the way, and an embarrassed 'this is my small gift for Ao-chan, thanks for inviting me'".

The footsteps started growing louder until the steps stopped altogether. Takano hadn't lifted his eyes even though he could sense the two men standing just before him with the table in the midst of them.

"Have a seat, have a seat! I'll go take a new plate!"

Just as fast as he was ushered into the dining area, he was left alone with a man who seemed to be not in the good mood for pleasantries. Onodera Ritsu gently let himself comfortable on the chair, only staring at the half-eaten cake at the center of the table.

"Uhm...Takano-san..."

The dark haired man just poured another round of drink into his cup and gulped it down as if he heard nothing.

"It's been a while...how...how have you been?"

Silence. That was what Takano's reply with no attempt of breaking the ice between them.

A bit embarrassed at being ignored, Ritsu looked around the small yet clean dining room with a hint of envy in his eyes. The two men didn't talk, did not even exchange looks. Clearly the other wasn't acknowledging Ritsu's presence.

"Hey...why are you two so silent?" Mino asked, placing the plate before Ritsu. "Here...have some cake."

Ritsu nodded while meekly putting a small slice of cake on his plate. Mino never removed his gaze from Ritsu which made the other uncomfortable.

"Onodera...aren't you feeling stuffy in that jacket? It's the peak of summer after all."

"Ah..." Ritsu shook his head. "I'm okay...I feel comfortable this way."

"Hmmm..." Mino worriedly looked at Ritsu and the annoyed man across him. "If you say so...anyway...are you working now? Tell us something about living in a foreign land."

Ritsu politely obliged. How he spent his days going to different places, taking different photos and talking to different people. He had so many stories about how he was culture-shocked when he first set foot in the west but it only took getting used to like everything else. All his calculated stories didn't make Takano join in the conversation. And it made Ritsu feel suffocated for some reason.