" Nakai?" I exclaimed in surprise when I rounded the corner and bumped into him. " You scared me!"
" Sorry ~" He mumbled listlessly.
" What's wrong? You look like a lost lamb!" I tried to make a joke but he looked so badly out of sorts I couldn't bring myself to go on. He did not answer, instead he glanced briefly over his shoulder and sighed. Following suit, I peer over his shoulder and saw Pam talking to someone on the corridor. They were both laughing quite loudly and I caught some words like "date", "tonight", "great". I look at Nakai again and his expression had gotten graver. To avoid my questioning stare, he turned his back to me and was in time to see Pam kiss her visitor on the cheek before waving goodbye.
The stranger brushed past us on the way out and I caught a brief glance. " Wow ~ handsome..." I murmured dreamily before snapping back to reality to see Nakai glaring murderously at me.
I stick my tongue out at him and left his side to return home. Pam is singing happily to herself in the kitchen when I walk in. " Yo!"
" Hi!" She replied with a radiant smile.
" You are chirpy this morning." I said as I remove foodstuff from my grocery bags.
" Yep! My cousin from America is here to see me! We have not met for nearly 12 years!"
" He's very good-looking!" I mused enthusiastically.
" Who's good-looking?" Takuya's voice floated in as Goro walked in with him. " Who is my girl praising behind my back?"
" Good morning!" I greeted as he bend to peck my left cheek lightly. " I was saying Pam's cousin is really good-looking."
" Is he now?' Takuya's eyes gleamed playfully.
" Yes, he is!" Pam replied proudly.
" More than your Hiro kun?" I teased and she blushed much to our surprise.
" Of course not! My Hiro kun is the best!" She said matyredly while the three of us laughed.
Nakai pulled his jacket over his shoulders and zipped up. " Shingo! You better hurry if you want your ride!" He hollered as he stuffs his personal belongings into his pockets. Shingo bounced out of his room in a flash.
" I'm here! I'm here!" He beamed.
" Let's go." Nakai led the way to the door.
" Thanks for the ride!"
As the two men head for the elevator, they heard a door open in a bang behind them. " Hiro kun! Hiro kun! Your lunch!" Pam cried excitedly. As the two men stopped, she caught up with them and push a neatly wrapped lunchbox into Nakai's hand. " I made stir fried beef for you today because you won't be back for dinner tonight. You may get hungry later in the evening."
" Thank you." He said plainly.
" Have a good day!" Pam said quickly as he walked away with Shingo in tow.
" Wow ~" Shingo utters once they are out of earshot.
" What?"
" She makes you lunch everyday ~ she even made more in case you are hungry, she looks after you really well. I wish ima is half as merticulous as her." Shingo sighs and Nakai turn to give him a dirty look. " She's madly in love with you!"
" She's not."
" It is so obvious she is! You must be a blockhead not to notice." Shingo argues hotly. " Give the girl a break already, you ain't no prince charming y'know!"
" ...."
" Saw your Hiro kun off to work?" I teased when Pam came back into the house. She nodded blissfully. " Don't know how you can stand that insufferable man, and he isn't even giving you the time of day!"
" He is the most wonderful man in the world ~"
" Give me one good example." I retorts.
" He is ~"
" Jen? Time to go!" Takuya pokes his head through the kitchen entrance.
" Ok! Coming!" I answered.
" Where are you guys going?" Pam asks out of curiosity.
" We are going to hand in our stuff and go for a walk by the sea."
" Oh ok! I will be back late tonight too! Don't wait up." Pam said as I hurried out.
" OK!"
" Goro, can I borrow your hair dryer?" Shingo asks as he sails in through the open door. When he saw Goro and cj sitting on the floor with a half finished jigsaw puzzle between them, he stopped short. " Hey, jigsaw puzzles!" He grinned.
" Would you like to join us?" cj asks politely.
" Shingo only does jigsaw puzzles on the computer." Goro interjects with a smile as he passes his hair dryer to Shingo.
" Bingo!" Shingo laughs. " I'm leaving now!"
" Interesting ~" cj mumbles.
" What is?"
" Shingo likes computers?"
" He is a techno whiz." Goro smiles.
" But he draws with paint. He should be using pc softwares."
" He's diverse." Goro replies as he fits another piece into the puzzle. " Hey, I found the sun!"
" But I want to fit that in!" cj said wistfully before they broke into laughter.
I turned towards the opened door as loud laughter reached out ears. " Ne ~ they seems to be having a great time."
" Uh-huh ~" Takuya answers absently as he continues to scribble.
" I guess cj has more or less gotten over her feelings for Tsuyoshi." I continued.
" Uh-huh."
" Are you listening to me?" I ask nudging his shoulder with my fingers. He immediately put down his pen and gave me a scrowl.
" Of course I am." He said with an injured look.
I cock my left eyebrow skeptically. " Really? Then tell me what I just said."
" Hmm ~" He chews his lower lip thoughtfully before answering. " You were saying how handsome Takuya is, how gentle Takuya is ~"
" How kissable Takuya is ~" I interrupt and steals a kiss from him before he can react. I pulled away and studies the expression of surprise on is face.
" Now that has to be proven again." He gave me his famous roguish smile as he got on his knees and came closer till our lips touched.
" Good grief! That's PG16! You can't do that here!" Shingo's sudden cry of mock disapproval made us pull apart in a hurry and Takuya grabbed a paper ball from the table to throw at him as he reached the front door.
" Oops!' Shingo exclaimed when he avoided the flying object but the door opened and he crashed into Nakai instead.
" Watch it!" Nakai reprimanded.
" Sorry~" Shingo beams and hurries out before he is berated further.
" You are home early today." Takuya remarked.
" Mitsui broke his ankle. Just sent him to the hospital." Nakai explains as he sat down next to us.
" Is he ok?" I ask for the sake of asking and Nakai nodded silently.
" What's wrong with you? You look really tired." Takuya asks out of concern.
" Nothing."
" Could it be because Pam is away with her cousin this past few days?" I ask with a knowingly wink.
" Don't be silly!" Nakai snaps.
" She's not wrong. You are so used to having her look after all your needs ~" Takuya argues. " Now that she's not around to do so, you look like a chicken in the rain."
" Nonsense!"
" I don't see why Pam could spend so much effort looking after a man who doesn't even care to look her in the eye." I chided angrily. " You cruelly lead her on even though you don't care for her!"
" What?!" Nakai bellowed.
" I should ~" My torrent of angry words were stopped by a pull on the arm from Takuya. When I turned, he motioned to me not to go further.
" I think Nakai gave the matter a lot of thought this past few days." Takuya explains. " He may not reach a decision yet but he knows what he has to do."
" ..."
" C'mon, let's go back to your place." Takuya suggests and hold out his hand for mine.
Talk about coincidence, just as I pull open the door, there is Pam and her cousin exchanging a goodbye kiss openly for all to see. That is to say Nakai saw it too. He shot up from his seat and rushed out through the door, pushing both of us away in the process. Before anyone can stop him, his fist has already made contact with the other person's face.
" Stop kissing my girl!" He bellowed.
The chaos finally ended about an hour later. Then it is time for a "family meeting". Nakai and Pam sat together with her drapped over his arm intimately, one grinning brightly; the other's head hung low with shame. Takuya and I sat opposite them while Goro and cj stood close by.
" That was some punch!" Takuya remarked casually.
" ..."
" I hope your cousin will be fine. His face was all swollen when he left." I said worriedly.
" Don't worry ~" Pam waves the worry away happily.
" You have to thank him for making Nakai show his real feelings for you." I winked at my house- mate who nodded back at me shyly.
" Yes! Yes! Yes!" Pam agrees happily as she snuggles up even closer to Nakai. " But you really don't have to be jealous of my cousin." Nakai's head shot up and he stared at her with the look of someone who knew he jumped to conclusion to quickly.
" Why not?" cj asks curiously.
" My cousin was a she. She underwent a sex-change operation 6 years ago!" Pam announced brightly.
" Oh my god ~" Nakai mutters weakly while the rest of us burst out laughing so hard our laughter reverbrated off the walls like thunder. He could no longer face us, dropping his head into his hands in a moment of dejection. Pam happily fell against him like a kitten snug against the warm body of its owner.
