Even When (Ricky + Nini)

chapter 16 - time is a doorframe i wanna go through

[a/n : song title is from the jonas brothers' "Walls"]

The curtains closed and everyone clapped. Nini even saw a few people giving a standing ovation. It was Ashlyn's big night and the gang's all here. Even EJ. The play was truly beautiful and Nini was so proud of Ashlyn.

Even the kids were excited; at one point Fred yelled, "Go Mommy!" and George added, "My mom is cooler than yours !" Joel was too young to understand the actual play, of course, but he just loved being with the fam.

Red was the most supportive husband, and she thought she even saw him tear up a little bit during the show. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ricky cheering too, it was the cutest thing.

Things between them had been nice lately.They haven't fought since Nini moved out, and they have had some... interactions. They don't text on the reggo but whenever they talk about Joel, either Nini or Ricky would always prolong the conversation a little bit - he would send a little
joke or Nini would tell him to have a nice day with a smiley face. When they saw each other earlier Ricky smiled and nodded. So things perhaps aren't "good" but they sure are nice right now.
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For people who were kind of separated, Ricky had seen a lot of his wife lately. He saw her on Friday during Ashlyn's big night of course. Then, Joel left behind his jacket so Ricky brought it over to her apartment. On Sunday, Ricky picked Joel up again and Nini made him bring home some leftovers which happened to be one of Ricky's favorites : chicken parm. He thought she cooked a whole lot of chicken for just her and tiny little Joel, but of course he didn't wanna get a big head so he brushed it off. On Tuesday, Nini brought over Joel's jacket (The boy is always conveniently leaving things behind), and Ricky ended up inviting her in for movie night because Joel practically begged. Truth be told, it was the best night Ricky's had in a long time.

Tonight, Ricky was going to have his designated me time, because Joel was sleeping over at Red's. He opened the door and was about to plop himself down on the couch when he noticed a figure sitting on the other side. He almost peed himself but he quickly recognized her. He knew her frame all too well. Ricky didn't know why she was here, but Nini had fallen asleep and he didn't want to wake her.
He quietly slipped into his room and took out a blanket. She looked so pretty. Ricky draped the blanket over her and he just watched her for a while.

Ricky had definitely forgiven her for the Grayson thing. He even listened to the album. (He included some songs into his playlist, but don't tell anyone.) But could he really make her happy for the rest of her life ? He brushed a strand of hair from her face. He wished this was a disney movie and he could just kiss her and ride off into the sunset. He shook his head and decided to focus on dinner. He didn't really feel like cooking though.

He walked into the kitchen and tried to rummage in the fridge for something. It looked oddly clean in here. He peeked at the sink, remembering that in his rush this morning he'd neglected to wash the dishes. But of course, his wife had washed them. He also began to notice that the floor was squeaky clean. Nini was probably doing chores all day and tired herself out.

He decided he would just order in. Thai sounds good right now. He ordered an extra portion for Nini because she probably hasn't prepped anything for dinner. But when the food came, he was unsure.. Should he wake her up so they could have dinner together? Should he eat first? He would eventually have to wake her up, cause she needs to feed Bob in a few hours. But how would he wake her up without making it awkward ? In the past he could kiss her or just stare at her until she woke up, but things are different now. He decided to be a child and just make a lot of noise while getting the plates and utensils.

After all the clamor, thankfully, Nini woke up.
"Ricky?" She looked at him slightly confused. Clearly she was gathering the energy to figure out where she was.