Nini had spent the better part of the last hour anxious as hell as she waited for her boyfriend to get off the phone with his boss.
Sure, she could've walked to the closed bedroom door and eavesdropped, but in all honesty, she was having an internal panic attack.
What if the song isn't good enough? What if the chords are wrong? What if the lyrics don't make sense? All these ridiculous thoughts ran rampant through her mind.
She decided she couldn't sit still anymore, so she got up and started pacing around the living room, muttering incoherent things to herself.
She was currently staring out the living room window, watching the snow fall. Another thirty minutes went by and she still hadn't seen her curly-headed beau. It took a couple of minutes for her to work up the courage to walk into her bedroom, but she couldn't wait any longer. She could only assume it wasn't good news since she hasn't heard anything.
With that, you can imagine her surprise when she turned around and saw Ricky leaning against the living room wall with the biggest grin on his face.
"Well?! What did Dan say?! It sucked, didn't it?" She rambled, nervously.
Ricky rolled his eyes lightly and shook his head.
"If it sucked, why would I be grinning from ear to ear?" Ricky told her as they walked towards each other. Nini shrugged as she reached up and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck- his going around her waist.
Before Nini could say anything else, Ricky spoke. "So... what would you say if I told you that Dan loved your song and wants you to come to the studio to demo it?" He asked calmly.
She froze in his arms and pulled back in shock.
"Holy shit, Ricky! Are you serious? Am I being punked right now?!" He nodded his head. "He thought the lyrics and chords were great, but he wants to hear what it sounds like when you sing it. I know you're not big on performing, but Neens, this is huge. If he likes it enough, he'll let you make an EP." Ricky told her excitedly.
Nini thought about it for a minute. What Ricky said is true... if it was good enough then she clearly had the talent. Plus, she could get out of working countless hours with her mom at the music store.
"I'll demo it on one condition." She told him.
He furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. "And what would that be?" He questioned.
Nini looked at him with a glint in her eye and smirked. "You perform it with me."
******
It took Nini more convincing than she would have thought. Ricky kept telling her that he didn't want to steal her spotlight and that this was her time to shine, but she kept telling him that none of that mattered if he wasn't there doing it with her, so really, how could he say no to that?! Ricky had quickly called Dan back to let him know that his girlfriend would demo the song, and they set the recording session for noon the next day.
That's how they found themselves currently standing in the recording booth. "You ready for this? Because you look nervous. Like... yack in a bowl nervous." This comment earned him a hard glare from Nini, and he quickly put his hands up in defense.
"I love you?" He tried before she yelled at him.
She just responded with an eye roll.
"Look, Nini... I know what you can do and he's heard you sing at the Christmas party. The audience loved you, so there's no reason for you to be nervous. Just feel the music and you'll be great. I'll be here with you every step of the way." He told her, gently.
She nodded, about to respond when they heard Dan through the booth mic.
"Alright, Nini, are you ready?" Dan asked.
She glanced at Ricky and he gave her a warm smile and a quick nod.
With that, she gave Dan a thumbs up. She heard Ricky's prerecorded guitar through the headphones and Ricky began to sing his verse. They did about six takes, and like Ricky promised, he held her hand the entire time. She watched Dan talking to the producer through the glass on the wall. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear what they were saying but the two men seemed to be deep in a conversation.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Nini asked, turning to face her boyfriend.
Ricky glanced in the direction his girlfriend was previously looking in and shrugged his shoulders. "Probably about how amazing you are and how I'm gonna get a raise for bringing this record label their biggest star to date." Nini smiled and laughed.
"Ricky's right, Nini." They heard Dan say through the speaker. "You've got a true talent and we'd love to have you record an EP if that's something you'd want." He said.
Nini grinned and jumped into her boyfriend's arms, peppering his face with kisses. "You did it, baby girl! Just like I knew you would!" He told her excitedly as he set her back down.
"Thank you for invading my privacy and giving me this opportunity." She told him, sincerely.
LRicky smiled and leaned in to kiss her, only pulling back when they heard Dan's voice again.
"Oh, and Ricky... you're still not getting that raise. Good try, though." Ricky grinned and went back to kissing the woman he loved with his whole heart.
******
"Wait... so you're actually deciding to pursue your music?" Kourtney asked as her and Nini walked around the mall.
Nini smiled and nodded her head. "I am. Ricky's been really great in helping me with my songs. I still can't get over the fact that Dan Warner, one of LA's greatest producers liked me enough to give me an actual shot." Nini told her friend in amazement.
Kourtney chuckled and rolled her eyes lightly as they walked into Bath & Body Works. "Girl, believe me when I tell you it's no surprise. You're one of the most talented people I know and I'm sure you'd be a huge star by now if you didn't hide your talent from the world!" Kourt said.
"I'm not sure that's true..." Nini started, "but honestly, Ricky deserves the credit for this. He's the one that pushed me to put myself out there in the first place." She told her best friend.
"Yeah, how did that all go down? You only told me that he was the one to make a phone call, so spill, girlie." Kourtney said as she sniffed the candle she was holding, grimacing at the scent.
Nini laughed at Kourt's expression and shrugged her shoulders. "Long story short... he found my song journal when he was moving in and he added chords to a song I was working on. He performed it for me when I got home from work, made the phone call to Dan, and the rest is history." She smiled, thinking back to that day just a few short weeks ago. Kourt nodded.
"How's the EP coming along?" She asked.
"It's going great. Not only do I love being able to record, but I'm also so intrigued with the behind the scenes of it all, you know? I can see why Ricky pursued a career in producing. It's amazing." Nini said.
While what Nini said was true, she'd also be lying if she said she wasn't exhausted. She hasn't been sleeping well the last couple of weeks, always stressing over which songs should be on the EP, whether or not it was gonna be a hit, and ultimately if she was just wasting her time. She never let it show, so Ricky didn't see how stressed she was but those thoughts were constantly consuming her thoughts at night, making her toss and turn.
"Ni- Nini?!" Kourt exclaimed, waving her hand in front of her friends face. "Huh? What?" Nini said, furrowing her eyebrows. "You okay? It looked like your mind just went somewhere else." Kourtney said in confusion. The girl just cleared her throat and looked at her watch.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But, I have to head out. I'm meeting Ricky for dinner." Nini said, giving her friend a quick hug before walking out of the store.
******
"I'm home!" Nini shouted as she walked into their apartment.
Ricky smiled at her as he walked out of their bedroom and pulled the small girl into his arms.
"Hey, you. Did you have a fun girls day with Kourtney?" Ricky asked as he placed a kiss on top of his girlfriend's head.
Nini smiled up at him. "I did! I haven't seen her in a while because we've been so busy with things, so it was nice catching up. She asked about the EP." Nini told him, as she pulled away and started walking into the kitchen.
"It smells good in here. What are you making?" She asked. "I found a stuffed shells recipe and it seemed easy enough, so I figured I'd try it out. One of us needs to be able to cook." He joked.
She rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully.
"I can cook!" Nini said.
"Neens, I love you... but the only thing you can make are your amazing cookies and egg nog." He told her.
She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, that's all I need to survive." She said.
Ricky rolled his eyes lightly and shook his head. "Whatever you say, babe. Whatever you say. Dinner is gonna be done in a couple minutes. Want to open a bottle?" He asked.
She nodded as she made her way to the fridge, grabbing two bottles and turning back to face her curly-headed boy.
"Red or white?" She asked.
"Let's go white."
******
One year later...
Things had been strange for the past week or so around Ricky and Nini's apartment. He hadn't been acting like himself, and it seemed like he was more distant, especially around her.
To say she was concerned was an understatement since it was Christmas time again- his favorite time of the year, and their anniversary was in a few days. She figured maybe something was going on at work, or maybe it had to do with Dan Warner's annual Christmas party.
Nini had just put her cookie dough in the freezer to chill when Ricky walked into the apartment. "Hey, you." Nini said from behind the counter making the curly-headed man jump. "Geez, Nini. What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?!" He exclaimed, subconsciously throwing his right hand over his heart.
Nini scrunched her eyebrows and frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, babe... I didn't mean to scare you." She walked out of the kitchen and threw her arms around his neck, not missing the stiffness of his body when she did so.
"Are you okay? You haven't been acting like yourself lately." She asked as she pulled away from him. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "I'm fine." He told her.
"You're not fine, Ricky. Don't think I didn't miss the way you tensed up when I hugged you. You've been doing that all week. Did I do something?" She asked, sadly.
He sighed. "No. I'm sorry... I'm just not feeling great." He lied.
She debated on questioning him more, but decided to just drop it, knowing that if she didn't, they would probably just get into an argument.
"I just put the cookie dough in the freezer. Want to help me cut them out and decorate them after we eat?" She asked, and he smiled.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Let me just go jump in the shower, then we'll order some dinner, okay?" He told her.
She nodded and smiled softly. "Okay..." she said softly.
He pecked her lips quickly and made his way towards their bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sighed quietly when he shut the door.
He didn't mean to be so distant with her and it made him sad that she thought she was the problem. Well, technically she is the problem... but not for the reason she might think.
He made his way into the ensuite bathroom and pulled out the tiny black velvet box from his gym bag. He kept it there, knowing she wouldn't go anywhere near that bag.
"Stop being an idiot." He mumbled to himself as he stared at the diamond ring. He couldn't help it, though. He was beyond nervous that something was bound to go wrong, or that she didn't love him enough to say "yes."
Ricky genuinely hadn't meant to be distant, but aside from the proposal , it was also time for Dan Warner's annual party, and he had been stressing over producing a new album. After minutes of staring at the ring, Ricky eventually jumped in the shower, quickly washing up before making his way back towards his petite, dorky girlfriend.
*****
The next two days passed in a blur, and not only was it the pairs anniversary, it was also the day of the party.
Since Nini's EP was a huge success, Dan had asked her if she would perform a few songs at the party, and she had agreed.
The couple walked into the elegantly decorated ballroom and made their rounds, before taking a seat.
"Are you ready to perform?" Ricky asked, looking at his girlfriend. He could tell she was nervous because she still wasn't completely comfortable being up on stage by herself.
Nini nodded. "I'm definitely gonna need a few glasses of champagne before I go up there. Can't you perform with me?" She asked.
Ricky smiled and pulled her seat closer to him. "I'd love to, but this is your moment, baby. You're a star and it's time for you to shine." He told her and she just stared at him blankly.
"What?" He asked.
"That was cheesy." She said plainly.
He rolled his eyes lightly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to get us some drinks. Try not to get swooned on by other men in the next five minutes." He told her jokingly, thinking back on last years event.
She giggled. "I'll try my best." As she saluted him off.
He had just received their drinks from the bar when the sound of a mic rang throughout the room.
"Welcome, everybody. Thank you all for coming out tonight!" Dan said.
"I have something very special planned for tonight that I think you'll all enjoy. In the meantime, keep on mingling and have a great night." He said, before putting the mic away and making a beeline for Ricky and Nini's table.
_____________________________________
I love you all ❤️❤️❤️