𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓ᵣᵢₙᵢ ₐᵤ

05 | HOPE SPRINGS

─────── ∘°∘♡∘°∘ ───────

He made eye contact with her and Nina knew she'd been busted. Richard froze, awkwardly shoving his phone into the pocket of his jeans. "Nini! How long have you been standing there?"

There was no point in pretending she hadn't heard, Richard would understand it was a mistake, right? "Long enough to hear you arguing with your dad. Is everything okay?"

Richard rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "You heard that, huh? Yeah, everything's fine," he smiled. "I've just got a classic case of 'overprotective dad'. Nothing I can't handle," But he was a little too casual in his reassurances as the two of them got in the car.

Richard pulled out of the school parking lot and soon they were driving through the streets of Salt Lake City. "So," Richard spoke up after a few minutes. "Tell me about the volunteer work you're doing,"

Nina shifted in her seat, glad the awkward tension (it was entirely on her side, Richard was okay) was dissipating. "The Hope Springs foundation just opened up a new office at the hospital, some sort of deal to help bring them closer to the people they're trying to help. I'm just an intern, so I'm probably going to be doing a lot of photocopying and coffee runs,"

Richard nodded, his easy smile already back on his face. "Your mom got you the gig, right? You said she was a doctor at Edenbrook?"

Nina nodded. "A pediatric surgeoun, yeah,"

"That's awesome," Richard said. "Is she cool? I mean, as much as any parent can be?" Nina shrugged, Richard looking over at her when they stopped at a red light.  "You sure keep your cards close to your chest,"

Nina thought back to the argument she overheard between Richard and his dad. You're one to talk, she thought, before chastising herself. It wasn't any of her business just because RIchard was fairly open with personal details. He was still entitled to privacy. "We don't really know each other yet," she said with another shrug.

"Even after that conversation at lunch?" Richard asked teasingly. "Either way, we can still know each other better. Let's play Plead The Fifth. It's easy. You take turns asking each other agonizingly personal questions, and if you don't wanna answer, you plead the Fifth, which means you lose,"

"What happens if you lose?" NIna asked curiously.

"Eternal shame," Richard said seriously, looking over at her before his smile returning to his face. He really was incapable of staying serious for more than thirty seconds, wasn't he? "SInce it's your first time, I'll let you go first. You can ask me literally anything,"

Nina considered that for a moment, overwhelmed with choices. Eventually, she spoke. "What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you."

Richard laughed. "Diving right in, huh? I love it," he sighed before telling the story. "A couple years ago, I was trying to sneak into this girl's room, but my shirt got caught on a loose nail as I was climbing up. By the time I realized, my shirt had ripped, and when I tried to fix it, I lost my grip and fell to the ground,"

"Ouch," Nina said sympathetically, she was honestly expecting something along the lines of 'one time I didn't smile at a puppy,' but the story was setting up for something loads more interesting.

"Don't worry," Richard said, chuckling. "My pride was more wounded that anything else. Needless to say, the noise got everyone's attention, including her parents who called my parents, and I was grounded for about a million years,"

Nina sat there, dumbfounded for a few moments. "I can't believe you actually answered my question." she said. 

"Impressed?"

"Yeah," she said, a look of surprise still evident on her features, causing Richard to let out a laugh.

"You don't have to look so shocked. Statistically, it was bound to happen eventually," he said. "Now, it's your turn,"

"Isn't that the hospital?" Nina pointed, a small victorious smile working it's way onto her face.

Richard pulled into the parking lot, turning to look at her fully. "Saved by the imposing building," he leaned in closer, his voice turning serious once again. "For now,"

Nina followed Richard inside Edenbrook Hospital, pausing as they reached the front office. "My mom's office is this way," she said, pointing down a hall.

"I'm heading this way," Richard said, gesturing with his head in the other direction. "Happy volunteering," he said cheerily, setting off toward the staircase. Nina watched him go, still not quite sure what to make of the enigma that was Richard Bowen.

┌─────── ∘°∘♡∘°∘ ───────┐

└─────── °∘∘♡∘∘° ───────┘

i sorta wanna write another rini au but this ones flopping and it would be my fourth book at the same time which i think is too much for me to handle