𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄 | 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐮

TWO

"number 4... number 5.... number 6!" momma c exclaims. nini wasn't going to lie, these apartments looked nice and she hadn't even been inside of them yet. "welcome home, my girl." momma d kissed her temple as they both anxiously watch momma c fiddle with the key in the lock. it clicks open, revealing a very empty and clean looking apartment. 

the apartment was big, yet still somehow it was small. it had everything the girl needed. a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, living room and of course her own bedroom. nini dropped what she was carrying at the front door so she could explore the apartment without the hassle of the heavy bags. 

the windows were large, letting in an insane amount of light. a small hallway lead to two bedrooms and one bathroom. great, i have to share a bathroom. this was nini's only thought at the time. so positive of her. the girl returned to the main living area, to see her mom's struggling to push all the large bags and boxes into the apartment itself.

"that's all of it, neens." momma d huffed. a confused look crossed nini's face as she knows that they didn't bring all of it up in one car load. "this fancy place has people bringing you your stuff from the car. literally like your own servants!" her mom gushed as she took in the interior of the apartment one more time.

"is this it then?" nini's voice broke as she knows this is the last time she will be seeing her beloved family for a while. 

"don't be silly my nina," her mothers walk closer to her, giving her one last group hug. "this isn't a goodbye, this is a see you later." nini gave her a sad chuckle at her cliche line. the three release from their hug, watching their only daughter and only child cry in front of them. "your mom and i couldn't be anymore proud of you and we cannot wait to see what you achieve here."

"your gonna make me cry even more." nini's bottom lip pouts outwards as the tears freely roll down her face.

"and i'm sure this mysterious room mate of yours is going to be the best person ever and your new best friend!" momma c claps her hands together, trying to be reassuring. nini pulls them in for one last hug before they venture back to indiana. "we love you, sweetie."

"i love you too." the sad girl manages to spit out. her moms tell her that they have to leave before they kidnap her and take her all the back to her hometown. not that she would mind that, she blows them one last kiss before shutting the door of her new apartment, turning around to see the boxes and bags scatter all across the living area.

"they could have atleast put them in my room." she mutters, before getting stuck into it all, hoping that unpacking would take her mind off things. 

ricky bowen on the other hand had just arrived on the colombia campus and had found out that he was sharing an apartment with a girl named nina salazar-roberts. this didn't faze ricky that much as he was already prepared to be sharing a room with another human being, unlike miss nina. 

ricky had already said his goodbye's to his dad and said that 'it would be better to do this on my own', even though he was struggling with all his possessions. although his collection of belongings wasn't as significant as nini, it most definitely was not a one person job. 

the curly-haired boy fiddled with the key in the lock, which happened to make a very loud noise on the inside of the apartment. nini's head jolted upward from the box that she was sorting out on the floor of the living room. the two met eyes. nini of course just stared and said nothing, because she is an introvert, duh. ricky on the other hand.

"uh... hi, i'm ricky." the brunette boy scratched the back of his neck as he stared at the small girl who sat on the floor with her legs splayed out and all sorts of stuff surrounding her. he flashed her his award-winning smile, hoping that she would say something, because she still hadn't yet.

"oh, um... hi, i'm nini." the nervous girl, tucked her curtain bangs behind her ears as she gave the boy a closed-lipped smile. "do you need some help?" this was nini being bold. her regular self would have just stayed quiet and returned to what she was previously doing, but she thought that she better make a first good impression.

"if you don't mind," he awkwardly chuckled as he turned to look at the pile of belongings that he had stacked outside the front door. nini get's up off the floor and makes her way over to the front door. her eye widen at the sight of the pile.

"this isn't as much as what i brought, but you don't even have any helpers with you." the small girl in comparison to the much taller boy stood there is shock, still left wondering how he managed to get all the boxes and bags from the car park to the apartment. ricky shrugged his shoulders in response, leaving nini feeling very insecure about her previous reaction. 

the pair, in silence, move ricky's belongings into his room down the hallway across from nini's room, which is half set up. "how did you already unpack your room already?" ricky huffs, placing his hands on his hips, catching his breath. 

"just trying to distract myself from realising that my parents have left me at this scary place by myself." nini puts it simply. while ricky was taking a look around the apartment, nini took the time to look at his appearance. denim jeans, paired with a plain white tee and the classic black high top converse. simple, yet effective, nini thought.

the girl sat down at her original spot on the floor in the living room, continuing to unpack and sort out her belongings. nini's process was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. she looks up to see ricky leaving the apartment. he's leaving without saying goodbye? rude.

"where are you going?" her voice was gentle, loud enough for ricky to hear and turn back around to glance at her sitting on the floor. ricky stared at her blankly. nini fiddled with her fingers as she awkwardly waited for him to reply.

"uh... this guy is having pre drinks at his dorm before the party tonight." the boy informed her of his plans. nini's mouth formed into an 'o' shape before she looks at the ground. "are you going to the party tonight?" he scratches the back of his neck, still looking at the girl who is clearly avoiding any eye contact.

"no," she still fiddles with her fingers. "i'm not really a party girl." she revealed, scared of what the boy may think of her now. she didn't want the people of colombia to think she was this weird, nerdy girl who only read books and studied. she did like to have fun sometimes, but she had to get her money's worth of university.

"okay, fair enough." he could tell the girl was uncomfortable. ricky's goal when coming to colombia was to try to be nice to everyone, sometimes he can loose his temper. ricky also didn't want to cause any trouble with nini. he was going to be living with her for the rest of the year after all. "i'll see you later then." the boy finishes.

"bye ricky." nini was able to spit out just before he shut the front door, leaving the poor girl lonely in the cold apartment.