Book of Love: Rini One Shots

When I Grow Up, I'll Buy You a Rose

Summary: Ricky keeps a promise he made to Nini when they were kids.

*Rini fluff*

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A 9 year old Ricky and Nini were playing in Nini's backyard when he makes the promise he'd keep for the future them.

They had been chasing each other in a game of tag in her mom's small garden of various flowers. As Nini tries her best to reach Ricky, she accidentally trips on her own shoelace causing her to fall flat on her face. Ricky gasps and runs to her side.

"Nini, are you okay?" He lightly shakes her body trying to get any reaction from her. She lifted her head from the colony of roses she had fallen in. She gave him a simple thumbs up as a way of saying she's fine.

"Yep! All good down here; help me up." She reached her hand out for him to grab. When he took it, she yanked him down with her to the ground.

"What the heck Nini?!"

She just laughs, "Ha, you're it!"

"That's cheating! I was helping you!"

"All is fair in love and war."

He huffs and folds his arms. "Hmph, I don't wanna play anymore."

"Fine by me. We can just chill on the ground surrounded by all of these pretty flowers." She picks a few of the roses around her from the ground and sniffs them.

Since they've met, Ricky had known she was obsessed with flowers curtesy to momma D. She was a fan of all flowers, but she was most drawn to roses. She always adored the unique patterns and colors they came in. She would go into detail about all of the characteristics of roses to anyone who was willing to listen.

"Roses are so pretty. I want to be surrounded by them all the time."

He looks over at his best friend and can't help the smile that appears on his face when he sees how peaceful she looks.

"Is that so?"

She smiles from ear to ear. "Yep! Roses always make me so happy. All I want is for a special someone to give me a bunch of roses when I'm old enough to date."

"Why's that?"

"Because roses symbolize love silly."

He feels blood rush to his face. Romance was always a taboo topic for him and most boys at his age.

"Well I promise that a special someone will do that for you one day."

"You think so?"

He nods reassuringly. "I know so."

She finally sets the roses aside and gets up from the ground. "Come on, let's go inside. I think momma D is baking cookies."

He doesn't hesitate to jump up from the ground when he hears the word cookies. "Race you to the kitchen!" He doesn't even give her a chance to digest his words before he sprints to the screen doors.

"Hey that's cheating!"

He looks over his shoulder and smirks. "I thought all is fair in love and war!"

***

Seven years later...

"Happy birthday Nini!"

Nini smiles when she sees her good friend Kourtney approach her in the backstage of the school theater.

"Thanks Kourt!"