the two weeks flew by and before they'd even knew it; the group were now helping nini pack up her room and belongings.
she knew that she couldn't take everything with her (knowing her mother too well) so ricky helped in deciding on making different sections of boxes: keep and leave.
right now, big red, ashlyn and ej were supposed to be on duty of taking them down to erica's car and carlos, seb, gina and kourtney were helping nini pack up her room.
"okay, what about this?" kourtney asked, holding up the cactus plant
nini felt a sad smile form on her face as she took ahold of it, shaking her head from remembering the first day she'd actually spent with ricky, getting to know him better...
"i'll keep this." she said quietly, nodding in confirmation as she exhaled and put it away neatly in the keep box
"oh my gosh this is my favorite album!" gina yelped, standing up from the shelf and holding up a vinyl, nini letting out a weak yet genuine chuckle
"...ricky made me buy that." she mumbled shyly "it's wonderful."
"we'll put this in your keep boxes." carlos nodded, taking the vinyl and putting it in the box as they all continued to pack away for the next fifteen minutes; nini's friends trying to get her to be a little more cheery and feel better to which she tried, but she just couldn't so stayed silent instead.
"so, ej won't stop trying to find things to eat so is it okay if he takes the boxes you're done with?"
nini was looking around her almost-emptied wall that she'd decorated the second day she'd arrived before turning her head at the sound of ashlyn's voice, seeing ej beside her holding a packet of cookies
"i'm a growing boy!" he exclaimed with his mouth full "i need my thtrengrh!"
"that's perfect then! take these." gina grinned, passing him a box full of nini's photos and frames as he groaned and just did as his girlfriend told him, taking the box and mumbling angrily with every step he took out of the room followed by his cousin
they all continued to pack, nini continuing to stay silent as they did. she was afraid that if she spoke she would just burst out into tears...and she didn't want that to be their last memory of her.
"alright, the walls are done, we can take these out." seb said softly, carlos and gina nodding in agreement as they stood up
"los-be careful." gina sighed in relief when the boy had almost tripped over the carpet
"i'm okay!" he exclaimed, seb and gina chuckling as they just followed him out of the room, leaving the brunette girl alone.
nini managed to shake her head with the smallest smile on her face, turning away again as she opened up the drawer of her desk
she saw a little list that ricky and her had continuously been making, seeing the little smiley faces drawn next to each number to show that it'd been completed.
taking it, she felt her sad smile grown and her eyes sting just slightly with tears, shakily taking a breath before hearing a knock at her door that made her whip her head around and sniffle, wiping a tear that she'd felt fall down her cheek
"s-sorry...i'll be down in a second." nini said to her aunt, who just smiled sympathetically.
"what's that?" erica asked with a curious expression, walking towards the girl
nini shook her head with a breathy chuckle and just folded the paper, putting it in the back pocket of her blue jeans "i-it doesn't matter."
erica sighed "you holding up okay?"
the girl looked at her aunt and felt more tears fall, shaking her head with her lips trembling, erica sighing sadly as she pulled her into her chest and hugged her comfortingly
"i-i don't want to leave." nini squeaked, sniffling as erica rubbed her hand up and down her back softly
"i know, honey, i know." erica breathed "i know."
nini closed her eyes tightly, continuing to cry into her aunt's embrace before she heard a light knock at her door again, erica pulling away as they looked over to see the curly-haired boy standing at the doorway holding a little red bag in his hand.
erica looked between the two and took a deep breath "i'll be downstairs helping the others put everything in the car." she informed, squeezing nini's arm comfortingly once more before walking past ricky and out of the room.
nini wiped her tears away, shuddering a breath as she looked back at the boy who was hesitantly taking a few steps towards her
"h-hi." she breathed
"hey." he said quietly before stopping right in front of her and looking around the room, taking a deep breath to steady himself "so...you're all packed."
nini nodded meekly "y-yes..."
they both held each other's gaze for a few moments in silence before he exhaled and just brought her in for a hug, nini instantly hugging back as she smelt his familiar warm vanilla scent, the embrace comforting yet also heart wrenching...
when they both pulled away, nini took another deep breath to try and calm herself, feeling ricky being his fingers up to her face to wipe the tears away as he smiled softly at her
"hey...if you cry i'm going to cry." he whispered, making nini manage a teary chuckle
"i'm-i'm not crying..." she mumbled, ricky raising his eyebrows
"mhm?"
nini nodded again "i'm just...allergic to having to leave..."
he chuckled silently, his sad smile on his face as he looked down at her, keeping his right hand on her cheek before he sighed, lifting up the red bag
nini opened her mouth in confusion, furrowing her eyebrows together "what's this?"
ricky grinned and shrugged his shoulders "i mean you could open it-"
he got cut off by nini taking the bag from him excitedly, ricky laughing at her reaction as they both sat down on the bed and she pulled out a wrapped object
she hummed curiously, unwrapping it while ricky watched her full of anticipation before she revealed a snow globe in her hands
but when observing it closely, she realized how familiar the decoration was inside of it...soon figuring out how it was the huge field with a willow tree - the exact one that was behind the café - and when squinting her eyes she noticed two little figures sitting beside each other next to the tree.
nini gasped in awe, looking at the boy "ricky..." she breathed
he smiled sheepishly "...i found this old place that made customized snow gloves and i figured you could...you know...have one. to remember here and all..."
nini felt her heart flutter and her eyes glimmered with the tears that had been continuously forming in them, smiling softly at him as she shook her head lightly
"it's perfect." she whispered, looking back at the snow globe before she looked up at him "...every time i miss you i'm going to shake this."
ricky cocked his head to the side slowly, his eyes searching her face before looking at her shake the snow globe weakly as she sniffled once more.
+
the ride to the airport was silent, after emotional goodbyes to her friends and kevin.
they'd arrived in too little time, erica reminding nini that benjamin was going to be at the airport himself since he'd just gotten off of a flight from autonia to take her back.
when nini got out of the car, she saw benjamin with his arms behind his back and a kind expression on his face, a genuine smile suddenly forming on her face as she rushed towards him and embraced him into a hug
"i've missed you!" she exclaimed, pulling away
benjamin chuckled "me too miss nina,"
"that's very formal." ricky said suddenly, arriving with nini's suitcase "hi..."
"this must be richard."
ricky grimaced at his full name being used, hearing nini snort her laughter which resulted in him shooting her a glare
"thank you for taking care of miss nina during her stay here." benjamin nodded
"of course, sir." ricky replied
"benny!"
benjamin groaned, exhaling deeply with a forced smile when seeing the brunette woman arrive towards him, grinning.
"erica," he greeted with a curt nod
"missed me?"
"you mean miss the abrupt noises?" he asked before humming "not really."
erica shook her head with a chuckle before glancing over to see ricky helping nini preparing a trolley for the boxes.
"keep me posted with how she is?" erica asked hopeful, benjamin nodding
"always." he assured her
nini and ricky arrived back towards them, benjamin quickly making his way to take the trolley from ricky and looking back at erica
"goodbye," he said softly with a light smile, erica's own smile widening as she waved at the man before he turned to the brunette girl "i'll be inside."
nini nodded, turning to face her aunt "thank you for everything."
erica chuckled breathlessly, pulling the girl in for a warm hug "of course. i'll see you soon, remember that."
nini nodded over her shoulder, closing her eyes as she hugged the woman tightly before pulling away, erica smiling at her once more before nini turned to ricky, who had been patiently waiting for her.
"so... this is it." he whispered, exhaling as nini adjusted the strap of her backpack and nodded
"i guess so..." she said quietly
he sighed as he leaned forward to hug her, nini letting out a breath as she held him for dear life before pulling away and feeling his lips on hers for an amount of time that seemed much too short for the both of them.
when they pulled away, he leaned her forehead against hers, nini's eyes fluttering open slowly to look back at him.
she noticed how he seemed like he wanted to say something...or that something had been bothering him so she knit her eyebrows together
"are you okay?" she asked softly "...is there...something you're not saying?"
he pulled back, his fingers playing with hers as he opened and closed his mouth a few times until he just shook his head with a breath
"...got your snow globe?" he asked in a small voice
nini nodded, reaching into her backpack and shuffling around before holding up the snow globe in front of him
"then...you have everything you need." he said as she carefully put it back in her bag safely
she looked at him, holding his gaze before leaning forward and hugging him once more until she had to leave, taking her suitcase in her free hand as she let go of his with her other, turning away to enter the airport.
he watched her walk all the way to the sliding doors, seeing her turn back once more to have a last glimpse of him until she disappeared behind them.