what more can i say | rini au

27.

{author's note: you're going to be cheering, but then you also may need tissues. love you all and please enjoy!}

the rest of the day is fairly normal- if you can call coming incredibly close to kissing your best friend and then simply not talking about it for a few days normal.

nini's still not sure she's buying that that whole thing actually happened and she hadn't imagined it. imagined him leaning in towards her, his mouth just centimeters from hers when the door clicked open. god she wishes se had... 

but she's also not even entirely sure that she believes he's for sure interested in her in the first place. he's never actually said so after all, not in so many words. not in middle school amongst those two kisses they'd shared, and certainly not now. 

and frankly, it's a lot easier to just ignore the situation and pretend she didn't want him to make that move for real. even though she definitely does deep down want to feel his lips on hers.

no, he didn't end up kissing her that morning on the couch, but- she thinks there's definitely a solid chance he would've done it if big red hadn't walked in on them.

nini's not sure if that makes her more or less inclined to keep big red around when she's hanging out with ricky. honestly she's incredibly torn over whether kissing ricky was even a good idea for her. kourtney didn't seem to think so.

it felt like a fantastic idea in the moment, the heat of his breath ghosting over her lips. plus he's surely an even better kisser now than what she'd gotten from him under the mistletoe in the seventh grade. and she couldn't stop fantasizing about that for weeks...

but right now wasn't the time for misguided fantasies about her best friend. if there ever was a good time for that.

it had been a few days and now nini was in his bedroom. the door's closed and she's sitting tucked happily into his side as they watched a movie on his laptop, all alone together as they were always the most comfortable.

"come on neens i know you're better at cuddling than that." he teases, that bright grin shining on his face. 

"you a bit lonely ricky?" nini giggles, turning her body into his more and wrapping one of her legs over his, giving him the proximity he desired. though to be fair she certainly wasn't mad at the idea of feeling more of him against her.

"without my nini i'm always lonely." ricky replies with a shrug, his words so easy off his lips like it's no big deal that he considers her his, she is, and she supposes it really isn't after all these years.

"you're so ridiculous." she rolls her eyes, and when she buries her face in his chest she's grateful she doesn't have so much eyeliner on like the other night at the party or it would probably be smudged on his dark grey t-shirt.

"only because i love you." he hums, and it's so casual that she can't help but feel it sting. because if he meant if the way she loved him, he would make a bigger deal out of it.

"again- ridiculous." she giggles, shifting a bit to lay her chin on his chest, head propped up to stare at him.

"it's true, neens, i love you. you're my everything." the way he says it this time feels more serious, and nini lays there waiting for him to crack some dumb joke, but he doesn't this time.

"you're mine too." she nods, not bothering with the rest.

his hands rest on the small of her back, and she lays there just staring at his eyes, his meeting hers for a while longer before he finally looks away, something in his eyes feels a bit what nini thinks is almost sad, or disappointed maybe?