𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 [𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐮]

.12 | forgiveness

after the awkward encounter with ricky, nini decided to call it a day. she thanked charlie for a wonderful time before retreating to her cabin. exhausted, she sank onto her plush mattress, letting out a long, weary sigh as she stared at the ceiling. the whirlwind of events left her feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about how to cope. just then, the ping of a notification from her phone signaled yet another complication.

nini shut off her phone in frustration, tossing it onto her pillow. she buried her head in her hands, her conversation with ej swarming her thoughts. their relationship was still fairly new, having only been dating for three months. however, they never had arguments about her friendship with ricky before.

the worst part of the argument was that she didn't know how to respond, which allowed ej to prove a point. she left him on read because she knew she didn't have a good answer. she wasn't sure why she couldn't just respond to ej with a straightforward explanation. she stared at the text for several minutes before deciding to give up entirely.

nini opted out of dinner that night, her appetite completely disappearing after receiving the text message. the main reason, however, was that she couldn't face ricky. knowing that ej now felt some sort of jealousy over him, coupled with the tension from ricky and charlie's encounter, she knew she couldn't look ricky in the eye. instead, she decided to go to her favorite spot: the dock.

since everyone else was at dinner, it was peaceful and quiet when nini arrived. the gentle breeze and soft chirping of crickets gradually soothed her frazzled nerves. she sat down on the edge of the wooden dock, her legs dangling over the dark blue water. gazing up at the night sky, she admired the stars twinkling above. her heart suddenly sank as she remembered watching them with ricky just the night before.

suddenly, she heard the sound of a wooden plank creaking, and her body immediately stiffened. who else would be here at this hour? shouldn't everyone be at dinner? she quickly turned around, her eyes widening at the sight of the curly-haired boy halfway down the dock, who looked just as surprised as she did.

"ricky?" she murmured, slowly standing up and stepping away from the edge of the dock. "what are you doing here?" she asked, her tone apprehensive. ricky was the last person she expected to see right now, and she wasn't sure how to navigate this encounter after their recent conversations.

"i wasn't feeling hungry," ricky responded, his feet shuffling nervously as he kept his gaze on the dock. "i thought i'd come out here to get some fresh air."

"oh," nini said, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. the dock wasn't just her special place; it was theirs. she should have known he might come here.

ricky and nini never had awkward or bland conversations. it felt strange to be together and not feel automatically comfortable. after a long silence, ricky finally spoke up again.

"i'm really sorry, nini," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. he finally looked up from the ground, making eye contact with her. his hands fidgeted as he slowly walked closer to where nini stood.

"i made a stupid mistake. a really stupid mistake. i never should've yelled at you like that, and i've been kicking myself ever since with regret. and then, back at the woods, i was being such a dick to charlie. he's literally one of the nicest guys ever, and i was being a total asshole. i feel like the worst best friend ever, and i'm so, so, so sorry. i even wrote this cheesy song for you as an apology. is there any chance that you could forgive me?" ricky said it all without pausing, now standing face-to-face with a flabbergasted nini.

nini was speechless. she adored ricky and knew he was one of the kindest souls she'd ever met. she wasn't willing to let one argument tarnish their friendship. his sweet speech, especially mentioning the song he wrote for her, touched her deeply. however, her mind darted back to ej's comment, casting doubt on her relationship with ricky. was this what ej meant? if she forgave ricky now, would it validate ej's point that they weren't "just friends"?

"nini? are you okay?"

ricky's voice snapped nini out of her thoughts, and she quickly refocused on the curly-haired boy in front of her. she realized she had been zoning out, completely ignoring ricky's heartfelt apology. at that moment, she felt torn between two conflicting thoughts, unsure of what to do next.

"uh- yeah, sorry. i think i just need some time to myself," she finally said, immediately regretting it afterward. her eyes drifted away to the water as she sensed the air around them suddenly grow colder.

"oh... okay," ricky said, his voice empty of the earlier hopefulness.

nini bit the inside of her cheek, aware that her words had hurt ricky, yet unable to give him the answer he sought. she felt pulled in multiple directions, with ricky at the center of it all.

"i guess i'll leave you alone then," ricky said, starting to turn around. but after a few steps, he halted. suddenly, he removed his hoodie and tossed it to nini, revealing a plain t-shirt underneath. "in case you wanted to stay out here longer."

nini caught ricky's hoodie, immediately enveloped by its familiar and comforting scent. a smile crept onto her lips, reassured that ricky didn't even need to ask to know she was cold. as she slipped on the oversized hoodie, feeling its comfortable embrace around her body, she realized the significance of this gesture. she couldn't just let him go. what was she thinking?

"ricky!" nini yelled, stopping him just as he was about to step off the dock. she jogged over to him, desperate for him to stay. "i forgive you. can you stay?" she pleaded softly, ricky's hoodie sleeves hanging over her hands.

ricky's face immediately lit up, a wide smile spreading across his features. suddenly, nini felt his arms wrap around her as he lifted her off the ground. "thank you, thank you, thank you! i promise i'll make it up to you," he exclaimed, engulfing her in his warm embrace.

nini melted into his touch, wrapping her arms around his neck, relishing his embrace more than ever. finally, they let go of each other, but their connection remained strong as they stood in the middle of the dock, admiring the stars above.

they settled into a comfortable silence, both returning to the edge of the dock with their legs dangling over the water. a soft giggle emerged from nini as she turned to look at ricky.

"what?" ricky said, tilting his head in confusion.

"did you really write a song about me?"

ricky simply smiled at her before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer. nini shook her head with a smile and leaned into ricky's warmth, both of them internally jumping with happiness.