My One & Only

Ch 19: Changes

Nini fidgeted impatiently as she stared at the security check. She kept checking her messages and fixing up her appearance every two seconds. Today was a big day for Nini because the day was the day Ricky was coming home to her, except this time he actually was.

He was able to use his ticket from winter break for his spring break. Nini's spring break didn't align with his, but she didn't let that stop her from coming to see him. She skipped her classes to ensure she got to see him; she was just glad nothing major was occurring in them since it was just midterms prep that she already studied. She stayed with Mike since her moms would be pissed if they knew she was skipping an entire week for Ricky, and she avoided informing Mike that she was bailing on class so it wouldn't get back to her parents.

She was extra excited for his arrival since Ricky claimed he had a surprise for her. She couldn't guess what it was, but she knew she'd love whatever he got her. She already planned to get him a welcome home gift anyway by taking him to laser tag.

Nini tapped on the side of her leg as she scanned the area for her best friend. After a few minutes of searching, her eyes land on a familiar head of curls passing the security check. When he successfully gets through the pat down, he looks around for her and quickly spots her standing mere feet away from him.

He slowly smiles and begins running towards her. She beams and runs to him as well. They end up meeting in the middle, almost knocking one another off their feet. Nini jumps on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He securely holds her and buries his face into her shoulder.

"You're finally back."

He smiles. "It's good to be back. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. Winter break went by too fast."

"Agreed."

He sets her back on the ground, but he makes sure to keep her close. He takes a moment to just stare at her since it had been a full three months and half since he'd last seen her. He was starting to forget what her hugs felt like and didn't realize how much he missed it until he embraced her a few seconds ago.

"So, what was the surprise you were telling me about?"

His smile falters. "Um, I'll tell you later. Right now, I just want to be with you. Did you do something different with your hair?" He says, quickly changing the subject.

She combs through her hair. "Oh, yeah! I cut it a little shorter last week. I'm surprised you noticed."

"How could I not?"

"Come on; we should head home before it's dark."

They went to Nini's car and held hands the entire ride, both wanting as much skin contact as possible. When they arrive at Ricky's, Ricky feels a wave of nostalgia overcome him. He slowly got out of the car and took a moment to examine his surroundings. His dad didn't really change the outdoor decor much with the exception of adding flowers next to the mailbox and mowing the lawn.

"I can't believe I'm back. It felt like years. I feel like something's changed, but I can't explain why."

"Not much has changed since you left."

"Yeah, but it feels different, but maybe that's because I've been out of the country for like 7 months."

"I can get that. It felt weird to be back home the first time I came back after a few months; I can't imagine how weird it'd feel after coming from another continent."

They walk up to the front door with his luggage and open it. Mike turns his attention to the door and smiles when he sees his son. He walks over to him with his arms open for a hug.