The Past begins in the Future (ohmnanon)

3. Friend

Nanon looked around the café to find the familiar face. He finally spotted his target, sitting at the cornermost table near the window. He smirked and walked over in quick strides.

"Looks like madam is in a bad mood." He mumbled seeing the table full of pastries in front of his friend.

"So, what is it this time? Tell me." Nanon settled down opposite his friend, putting his bag on the chair next to him.

View looked at her friend, pouting. "I broke up with Yod."

Nanon threw his head back and laughed.

"It is serious this time." View sulked smacking Nanon's hand. "We are not getting back together."

"You say that every time and two days later, I would be seeing you hanging onto his hands distributing free dog food to passersby." Nanon clenched his stomach which had started aching due to laughing too much.

View and Yod had been dating for almost two years and they had broken for about fifteen to sixteen times within the short span. Their breakups and patch-ups were always so quick that other than their few close friends, no one else would know of it.

"No, Non. Not this time. Yod crossed the line this time." View poked the cheesecake in front of her with a fork.

"What did he do?" Nanon could see that View was really upset.

View remained silent for a while. "He thinks that I am cheating on him with you."

"Didn't he say that a while ago?" Nanon knew that Yod never really understood the friendship between him and View and had often asked her to choose between the two of them.

View nodded.

"Didn't you tell him that I was gay the last time? You even had me and Chimon act as a couple in front of him." Nanon frowned. He and his best friend Chimon had acted flawlessly that day in front of Yod.

"He saw Chimon and Love on a date. Love didn't know who Yod was. So when he met her and asked her what her relationship with Chimon was, she told the truth."

"Shia." Nanon cursed slumping back against the backrest of the chair.

"I am not sad, Non. I knew that this relationship wasn't going to work out long ago. In fact, I had long lost the little bit of attraction I had towards him. I was just hanging on because I didn't want to feel lonely." View admitted.

Nanon observed View for a while. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not.

View had been his friend since they were kids before her family had moved to Vienna. The two friends instantly reconnected as soon as View joined the same university as Nanon under the same faculty with different majors. The duo became close friends again within no time.

"Since you have already made up your mind, what's bothering you? There seems to be a problem." Nanon asked.

"There is a problem, Non. There is a big problem." View looked up at Nanon's face.

Nanon suddenly got an ominous feeling. "What?" he asked slightly backing away from the table.

"My mom and Dad are back!"

"Oh?" Nanon relaxed and sat back properly. "So what?" he took a sip of his margarita slushy.

"So what? You are asking me 'So what?'" View looked like she could kill someone. "Did you forget that last time Dad was here and he wanted me to get engaged to one of his business partner's son? That time I told him that I had a boyfriend and he let me off. But yesterday, my dad said that he wanted to meet my boyfriend."

Nanon did remember View complaining about how her father was trying to arrange a marriage for her. But then, she had just started dating Yod and they weren't in a stage where she could introduce him to her parents.

"My dad is hosting a party tonight to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of our company and he wants me to bring my boyfriend as my plus one for the party." View clenched her hair. "I also heard that that business partner's son will also be attending the party.

If my boyfriend doesn't show up today, Dad will surely announce my engagement to the other guy today. I don't know what to do, Non. I feel like I am doomed."

View was desperate. She had no interest in being a commodity in the business marriage her dad wanted to arrange for her. She wanted Nanon to brainstorm ideas to tackle the situation.

Nanon narrowed his eyes trying to come up with a solution that could help View out. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice View looking at him with shiny eyes.

"Non!" She caught Nanon's hand that was placed on the table with her both hands. "I got an idea!"

"What is it?" Nanon was sure that her ideas were always twisted but he still decided to hear them out.

"Why don't 'you' pretend to be my boyfriend in front of my parents." View wiggled her brows at Nanon.

"No thanks." Nanon quickly withdrew his hands from View's gasp.

"Why?" View whined. "I will be a good girlfriend, na."

"View, you already know that I have someone I like." Nanon spoke seriously. He was a rational person. He understood that his pretending as her boyfriend would temporarily solve the problem but in the long run, it would cause trouble in their friendship and he didn't want that to happen.

"You say that all the time, Non." View pouted. "But I have never seen you date anyone all these years."

View had a huge curse on Nanon a few years ago. But when Nanon told her that he had someone he loved, she decided to back out and remain friends with him. yet through the years when she already changed three boyfriends, she never saw Nanon being in a relationship. This made her wonder if Nanon had lied about him having feelings for someone to her so that she wouldn't feel bad for being rejected.

"It is called unrequited love for a reason, View." Nanon never told anyone who the person inside his heart was, not even to that particular person. He hid his feelings buried deep inside his heart as he knew that 'that someone' could never be his.

"Non, please, na. just this once." View pleaded. "I can't think of a way out other than this na."

"Why is everyone asking me for help today?" Nanon groaned.

"Please." View blinked rapidly acting cute.

Nanon looked away drinking his slushy. He wanted to figure out another way.

Seeing that Nanon wasn't giving in to her, View emotionally blackmailed him. "Non, if you even consider me a friend. You have to help me tonight."

"It's not that I don't want to help you, View."

"Then what is it Non? It isn't like your lover is going to be there. I am only asking you to pretend for a night. can't you even do that for me?" View pretended to cry.

"Alright. Alright." Nanon agreed seeing the people around him giving him judgmental looks.