i swear...that i love you.

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"Don't make promises you can't keep."

-Mary, Queen of Scots to Francis de Valois

-----

"Do you, Richard Michael Bowen, solemnly swear-" 6-year-old Nini started to say, holding out her pinkie finger.

"Fuck," he stated bluntly.

"I didn't mean that kind of swearing," she shook her head. "Do you, Richard Michael Bowen, solemnly swear to be best friends with me, Nina Caroline Salazar-Roberts, for as long as you shall live?"

He hooked his finger with hers, nodding. "Always."

-----

"You're really going away?" Ricky asked sadly. It was the summer just before high school, and Nini had to temporarily move to Florida to visit Mama Carol's sick uncle.

"I'll be back," she answered. "Or you can come to visit on the holidays. Bring your mom, your dad...I'm just a FaceTime away."

"Promise?" He held out his finger as they had done all those years ago.

Nini smiled. "Always."

They embraced before Mama D told Nini that they'd be leaving. Ricky waved and waved until the familiar Honda was out of sight.

Always.

-----

"Ricky, stop!" Nini giggled as her curly-haired boyfriend attacked her neck with kisses. "I'm trying to write a song for the theater midterms!"

"Please?" He gave her those puppy-dog eyes that he knew she could never resist. "Just a little fun?"

Instead of relenting, she smirked and held out her finger. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh please, you know I can always use this against you. It's one of the unspoken rules of this friendship which you never knew about."

"Ugh, fine, I, Richard Michael Bowen, swear to leave my girlfriend, Nina Caroline Salazar-Roberts, in peace while she does her homework."

"Oh, the full swear? You must be serious."

"I am, and what am I here for anyway besides that?"

"Really, you act if your math grades aren't a C minus," she snapped. "Get to work!"

"Always...Princess."

-----

"God, I hate you so much!" Nini exclaimed as she threw the script to the ground. "It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get one scene in with you because...my dog speaks more eloquently than thee!"

Ricky smirked. "That was the best insult you could come up with, Princess? You don't even have a dog, for that matter."

"Oh, whatever, I rewatched Hamilton yesterday and the soundtrack is stuck in my head," she groaned. "How can we get through one scene without me having to yell at you?!"

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 | rini & jolivia oneshots Where stories live. Discover now