"You're shaking."
Ricky looked down at his hands. They were shaking. "I didn't...I don't..." he shook his head slightly, not quite able to work out what he wanted to say.
Nini slid off her chair and knelt in front of him, taking his hands. Ricky looked up at her, close to tears. "It's okay, we're okay."
"Are we? Are we really? Because this doesn't feel okay. None of it does." Ricky hung his head and began to quietly sob. Each tear drop on his jeans broke Nini's heart more and more. But she didn't have the right words to fix him. Not fix him, no. Help him. "I can't remember the last time anything felt okay. I can't remember the last time I felt anything."
"This is so hard. I understand that. But Ricky, I can't just sit back and let you fall deeper and deeper into this hole. I can see that something has been bothering you. You haven't been yourself for a while. I am here for you. You can always talk to me. Always." She placed her right hand on his knee, rubbing her thumb gently in up and down motions. He pressed his lips together in a line and nodded his head, a tear slipping down his face. She reached up with her left hand and wiped it away. Ricky leaned his face into her hand, and cupped it with his own.
"My parents- you know how they are. How they have been. It's..." he took her hand off his face and kissed it before resting in his lap, but he didn't let go. He took a deep breath in and out. "It's getting worse. I'm scared, Nini. I am reallyscared." More tears fell from his eyes. Nini got up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He buried his face in her chest, allowing himself to get lost in her. Every emotion he had been bottling up he felt wash out of him.
Nini took him in. His scent, the softness of his hair, the way their bodies molded together. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. She couldn't fix things, but she could be there for him. And she would. For the rest of her life.
