Meeting Me Halfway (HSMTMTS Fanfiction)

Chapter 32

Ricky
  I've been thinking about my words for, I guess the whole night? The time I first got to Lachlan's place, the time he got back, the time me and him made dinner as if we were brothers even though we just met; I thought about it. No. Fuck no. I w-...need Nini. And yes, I want her back. But no. It's not worth risking it again. Risking the fact that I could possibly not see her again. And not for just 3 years. But for my life time.
  "Ricky.."
  "Hm?" I respond, pulling my elbows off my knees. "What? What's up?"
  "Look. Since Nini's about to head to bed, we should talk." Lachlan says, causing my stomach to react remorselessly.
  "Yeah. Yeah. Sure. About what?"
  "I stopped you for a reason. It's not the best time to necessarily get out of jail and then confront your friend about getting raped."
  "Okay. Right. I actually thought about that."
  "Is that so?"
  "Yeah." I shuffle into a more comfortable position on the couch. "Are you sure?"
  "About?"
"Nini. Are you sure that that was her? I mean, it sort of resembled her but you don't know that. Her face was injured and you never could tell."
"Really? That was Nini. It's easy to tell. And so what if it wasn't? Are we just going to ignore the fact that a girl got raped?"
"Okay okay but. I just. I don't believe that's her. It..it can't be her."
  "I know you want to deny it, but you can't. Yes. She's happy and enduring right now but I can tell. Ricky. She's silent. Did you see her face when I said sexual assault? It look like she was fearing for her life."
  "I know. I know." I stand up. "Let's just tsk about what we're going to do tomorrow. It's late."
"Alright. Night man."
With those words, I head to the bedroom and wait for Nini to get out.

Lachlan *Flashback*
"Have I forgotten something?" I ask Holden as he shuffles into the booth. "You've been giving me this look."
"What look?" He gives a chuckle before getting pushed in by Remi.
"I don't know. It's a look. You just...give me a weird feeling with this look of yours."
"I think it's just you, Lachlan. Maybe your excited or happy? You just graduated!"
"We all did. Whatever, let's just order. Right?"
We ate for a good chunk of time and just had fun. As much as we possibly could for the most part. But it was the end that made it worse.
 
  "It's the last time.." I begin, as we get out of the booth, "that we're all gonna eat together like that."
  "We know. And that's why we're gonna ask again." Katie says.
  "Are you sure Lachlan. We can all go to Tampa together. No need to seperate." Holden finished.
"I-I'm sure. I can't just leave. I promised my mom something and...I'm gonna finish it."
 

  It was that sentence. The sentence that said goodbye. That said until next time. The sentence that said I'll miss you.

Nini
  I get out of the bathroom to see Ricky, just sitting on the bed zoning out.
  "Hey.." I say quietly with concern as I pull my hair out of the bun I put up. "You alright?"
"Hm?" He stands up and fixes himself. "Yeah. Sorry. Was just waiting."
  He gives a smirk before making past me.
"Wait." I say, making sure he doesn't go in. "Do you want to sleep on the bed tonight? I can sleep on the floor."
  Okay the question was stupid. But, I had to say something.

Flashback*
  "Nini Salazar Roberts. I swear to fucking god. Your not going back to EJ," Kourtney begins, voice angered.
  We're sitting in the empty lunch table once again. It's been what? 5 weeks since Ricky left and I think I'm doing fine. I just..I hate the  fact that I found out by Ashlyn. Our voices echo through the empty lunch room.
  "I mean.. he's still cute." She rolls her eyes and clicks her tongue, causing me to give out more reasoning. "Your telling me, Kourt, that EJ hasn't changed? Not one bit? He left me alone and realized that I wasn't happy with him at t-"
  "Exactly! You weren't happy with him! What makes you think that you'll be happy now? Look Nini. He's just going to be a rebound and eventually," she gives out a sigh, "both of you guy's hearts are going to be broken. I'm NOT going to watch that slowly unfold."
  "Did you see him the past couple of weeks? He's been calling me every night-"
  "Meaning you get no sleep..."
"A-and giving me small gifts in my locker-"
  "How'd he even get your combination.."
"Like that teddy bear? You saw it didn't you?"
  "Yup..."
I take out my phone and show her a large paragraph that he had written me a couple nights ago.
  "Look.At.That. He's just became more of a sweetheart."
  "Nini. Your not over Ricky. Stop trying to convince yourself that you are."
  "But I am!" I stand up. "I really am this time. He's a dickhead and I was just his companion. But with EJ, it's going to be a fai-"
  "The same damn thing Nini!" Her voice was loud. Very. A shuttering shhhh from the lunchroom line cause her to lower her voice. "It's the same thing. Nini. You fall for him. You get broken. And your back again. When will you realize that there are other guys out there! You don't even need a guy."
"Funny. You think I don't know that? I'm
Not going to go after a guy who, in my eyes, aren't worth it. EJ. He's worth it!"
"Since when? You broke up with him! Then Ricky! Then him again. It's the cycle and you don't even see it! Stop going for the same assholes."
I take my lunch and throw it away before leaving the lunchroom with frustration.
She has no idea what she's talking about.

***
  "I'll sleep on the floor, and no. We're not having this argument again. Alright?"
  I was going to say something but It was unnecessary at that point. I force a nod and a smile, giving him an ok to go.
  There are so many moments. Moments where I want to say something to Ricky. Like in the car? I wanted to say no. It's not over. Yes. It's been 2, almost 3, weeks. And yes. I'm falling for you again, but for someone else too.
I sit on the bed and sort of think. Think about what? I don't know. I sort of fade from the outside world for a bit. Trying to process what just happened the last couple of days.

  "Where's my shirt?!"
 
  "Id never touch a sleeping woman!"

  "What about an awoken one?"

  "Ha! You suck at monopoly!"
 
  "Geez Lachlan. Competitive much?"

  "Sorry. Had that side of me for the longest time."
 
  "Don't apologize. It's good finding someone just as willing."
 
  "Willing to?"

  "Willing to risk going against me."

  "Uh uh. Your going down now."

   I smile thinking about the brunette letting us sleep in his house. Do I have a type or something?

  He gets out of the bathroom pretty quickly, so I just simply sit there and continue to zone off. Ricky wasn't fond of me doing so, and tried asking me questions. But I couldn't hear them? I just sort of sat there and smiled.
  "Nini?" He asks, sitting down next me. I regain my focus. "What's up. Why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what?" I say, out of focus. "Oh. I'm just happy. Or..as happy as can be in this situation."
He notices that I forced a smile and shuffles himself closer.
"Alright then. Uhm. So tomorrow. I say, we head to that closet one last time before we head back. How does that sound?" He smirks.
"Sounds.." I smile, "nice. It-it. Sounds nice."
"Good."
He gets up and heads up to the window. It almost looked like someone you'd see in the movies. The moon shining bright across his face...his half unbuttoned dress shirt half in the dark. I'm losing myself.
"It sad." He begins. "We won't be there for the play."
"Yeah," I joined next to him, "but it would
Be good. We did our best for them and we'll probably get a lot of videos from them I'm sure."
"Why don't we stay?"
"What?"
"Let's stay here for another week."
"You know that we have scho-"
"Yes. I know but you'd be lying if you said you didn't have fun here."
"No. No I wouldn't," I chuckle, " you were tossed in jail and I think I merely got
hit with a mug th-"
I stopped. I shouldn't have said anything.
Ricky closes his mouth and grins.
"Yeah I know. I-...I'm sorry about that. I wasn't myself and I don't? Really remember what happened that day." He scratches the back of his neck and returns himself to a grin.
"It's fine. It really is. And you know, I saw another side of you and It's good to know this stuff. We can learn more about each other, plus. I don't want to lose you again. I mean it's really been foreve- why are you looking at me like that?"
He stares at me. He just stares. To the point where I'm lost in his eyes.
"Seriously wha-"
His lips. I felt it again. Again. His lips against mine. That distinct feeling I haven't felt in 3 years. That feeling that I think I've been missing. I keep him against my lips. Even when he tried to pull away because, we can't do this again.
I let him breathe, but I keep our heads against each other.
"Nothing.." he says, still out of breath, "I just missed you."

Sorry! I made you guys wait a whole week😭 I really am sorry. Just know I'm trying to make time for writing. I'll also do all the shoutouts next chapter since I really want you guys to see this quicker!

Enjoy your day or night!