Glad You Could Make It - Ricky and Nini Oneshots

Where Do I Go?

Where Do I Go?

Ricky was good with directions. He could find his way just by looking up at the stars. He doesn't know why, when, or how he learned to do that, but he's not complaining.

He could be completely lost in the middle of nowhere, and yet still make his way to where he was supposed to be simply using celestial navigation. It became very useful as he grew up in a small town close to Chicago, and he was even able to utilize his abilities when he moved to Vermont for college.

He figures this talent came from his endless viewings of space documentaries on PBS, his readings of the entire astronomy section at the local library, or even gazing up at the sky on the roof of his home whenever he couldn't sleep.

Ricky studied the patterns and formations of stars, and committed them to memory. He can recall the way the stars were when certain things in his life happened. He remembers how the stars felt darker when his parents announced they were getting divorced, or when the stars pointed him towards going to school in Vermont. Most importantly, he remembers how bright and perfect the stars were the night he met Nini. He hasn't looked at the sky the same way since.

*****

The sun was just beginning to set, and the stars were slowly starting to appear. Ricky was strolling through campus, letting his eyes wander upwards to take in the formation of the stars in his new home. He noticed the sky seemed brighter at night than it did back at home, and the formation of the stars was unlike anything he'd seen before.

Since his eyes were trained to the sky, he hadn't seen someone walking towards him, causing the two to collide.

"Oh, geez. I'm sorry about that." The other person said, collecting themselves after the collision.

"No, it's alright." Ricky responded, getting a look at who he'd just run into. His breathing stopped for a fraction of a second when he took in the person in front of him. She was short, with long dark hair that cascaded down her back, and she wore a sweet and apologetic smile. He cleared his throat before speaking again, "I wasn't really looking where I was going..."

"I wasn't either." The girl laughed. "I'm Nini, by the way."

"Ricky."

"Well, it was nice to 'run' into you, but I've gotta go. I'll see you around?" Nini said as she began to continue on her path.

"Yeah, see you around." Ricky nodded, and watched Nini walk off.

"Wow." He whispered to himself. It was a short moment, but Ricky could tell it was a special one. He could tell just by looking at stars.

*****

The next time he saw her, the stars were exactly the same. Bright and lively, just like Nini.

He was at some mixer for some frat that some friend of a friend invited him to. He mainly spent his time in the backyard of the house, eyes transfixed at the sky like normal.

"I've always loved staring at the stars. It's something I didn't get to see that much growing up." someone next to him spoke up.

"Hm?" Ricky snapped out of his thoughts, looking to see where the voice was coming from. He looked left, right, and then down. There she was. He knew it was her, he'd recognize that smile anywhere. "Oh, hey Nini."

"How'd you...?" she started, but Ricky cut her off.

"I'm Ricky. We met the other night near the quad. We bumped into each other."

"Oh, right! Sorry I didn't remember; I've had a bit too much to drink. I came out here to get some fresh air."

"I've been out here for a bit. It's quite nice. Great view of the stars."