𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 [a rini au]

FORTY-NINE

"I will never understand what those under eye jellies do," Ricky wondered aloud. He was on FaceTime with Nini Monday night after her cheer practice. The girl was completing her bedtime routine earlier than normal, needing all the sleep she could get to cure her ill mind. She didn't want to go to bed without talking to Ricky first, though, so she called him up casually in hopes that he'd want to aimlessly chat with her.

          Nini was peeling off the hydrating under eye gels from her skin, tossing them in her desk trash can with a giggle over Ricky's admission. "They help me when I don't get sleep, ensuring that I wake up without looking like someone carved holes underneath my eyes."

          "I could use some of those," Ricky genuinely considered the product, Nini grabbing her phone that was previously propped against the wall and taking it to her bed. She curled up in her covers as she watched Ricky run his fingers underneath his eyes, tugging at the skin until the veins in the whites of his eyes peeked out. "Yeah, I definitely need those."

          Nini cracked a smile, nuzzling into her pillow. "You're the last person that needs those," her heart clenched as she debated using her first consciously flirtatious line on him. "You have such bright eyes."

          She thought she had lost connection with the lack of movement on Ricky's end. He gawked at her with his lips subtly parted, processing and determining whether or not she was flirting with him. Nini desperately wished he would both not overthink, and reply with something that confirmed she wasn't overstepping.

          "Th–that's nice," Ricky stammered, pressing his blue light glasses up the brim of his nose. "Thanks."

          While Nini pulled her duvet closer to his neck to protect her from her room's November chill, Ricky segued to a new topic. "Oh, I, uh, forgot to mention this to you," he started, his tone indicating he was a bit nervous. "Well, I didn't forget. It just happened yesterday, and I needed to, uh – "