common sense • rini/jolivia one shots

what're you doing now?

Nini bounces around to the music her band is playing on the small stage in the crowded bar. the lights are dimmed, the stage lights shining on her but she can still make out the faces in the crowded room.

she freezes momentarily as she spots a full head of curls standing under the exit sign in the very back of the room. her heart sinks a little as she remembers all the times he'd be standing in the front row.

she sings into the mic and he doesn't even look up, his face buried in his phone, occasionally sipping on a beer. he only looks when she's turned around.

it'd been a while since she'd last seen him. they'd been on and off all through high school and college, finally just deciding to go their separate ways. Nini wanted to pursue her music while Ricky wanted to settle down with a job.

he found one he really liked. she was finally making money with her music. they were both in the places they wanted to be.

she thinks about him more often than she'd like to admit. she joined dating apps to try and forget him but not much had helped.

her mind is swirling as she gets off stage at the end of her set. her friends are trying to talk to her but she's too busy pushing her way through the crowd to get to the boy that once hung the moon.

finally Nini gets to the back of the bar, only to find he's gone. taking a deep breath, she pushes a hand through her hair before heading back to grab her stuff.

the car ride home is quiet. she doesn't talk to her friends in the car with her, instead she stares out the window, wondering where in the city he is. she was stuck in her head, thinking about all the broken promises they made.

everything was amicable between them. they were both devastated by the breakup, not wanting to let each other go. it just seemed like the logical thing to do at the moment.

"you can always call me."

she looks across the room at her long time love, tears clouding her vision, "are you sure that's a smart idea?"

Ricky nods, "call anytime."

she crosses the room to fold herself into his arms one last time, basking in the feel of his arms around her.

"hey, we're here."

she's brought out of her daydream by her band mates voice, letting her know they're back at her apartment, "thanks. goodnight."

she gets out of the car before anyone else can speak, closing the door and heading inside.

as she makes her way into her small apartment, she thinks about how this isn't what she wants. they should be painting the walls of their shared apartment by now, talking about their future.

quietly, she heads to her room. she flips on the lights and sits on the floor in front of her dresser, pulling open the drawer. underneath some old sweaters sits the faded red t-shirt from high school. it's way too big on her but he loaned it to her back in high school and she never returned it, loving the way his face lit up when she wore it.

she pulls it out timidly, slipping her sweat
shirt off, pulling the faded red material over her head. she sighs as it falls around her torso. she closes the drawer and stands up, slipping out of her jeans and crawling into bed.

in a moment of weakness, she does the one thing she's wanted to do all night. she presses on the contact and puts the phone to her ear.

the ringing is anxiety inducing, leaving her to wonder if she should just hang up.

then, it connects.

"Nini?"

she lets in a deep breath at the sound of his voice, "what're you doing now?"

"huh?"

"i don't want to be in my head anymore. i saw you at my show tonight. i miss you. are you with somebody? are you as happy as you were when you were with me? cause i'm not, i'm miserable without you Ricky. we should be in that apartment that we always talked about by now."

he's silent for a moment and she begins to panic.

"i didn't think you saw me."

"i can spot you in a crowded from any day." she chuckles a little as she presses herself further into her bed, curling her comforter around her.

"i'm not seeing anybody, and no i'm not as happy as i was when i was with you. i don't think i'll ever be as happy as i am with you."

"you're still everything i want Ricky." she mumbles into the phone.

his voice hitches and she waits for his next words, "i think we could work this out."

a small smile falls across her face, "i think so too."

"i want what's ours." he says quietly.

she hums, "and what's that?"

"the future. the one we talked about."

they always dreamed of their future together, the one where Nini played her music while Ricky worked his day job and would be front row at her shows, one day standing with their kids.

"that sounds nice. tell me more about it." she hums into the phone.

she falls asleep with him telling her about their future together, something she missed deeply.

when the sun rises and she wakes up, she finds her phone on the pillow next to her, the call still connected. she could hear his soft snores on the other line and her heard soars, knowing he stayed on the phone all night with her.

"good morning my sweet boy." she whispers into the phone, enjoying the content snores.

everything was going to be okay. she knew they'd figure it out. he always set the bar above the moon, she'd never find anybody who made her as happy as the boy on the other end of the phone.

hey besties!! i know this one is short but the song "WYD Now?" by Sadie Jean came out at midnight and i've been waiting for this song for months because i had a feeling it would give me rini vibes and i was right lol. i had to throw something together based on it because it's stuck in my head already!! go listen to it or else!!!

love ya!! -k