Starbucks had become a routine for Nini for the past 2 weeks. She would go to school, go to work, and then go to Starbucks to do her homework and have a cup of coffee.
There was one catch.
Ricky kept giving her free coffees.
It was driving Nini insane with guilt (she was essentially stealing from Starbucks) and the one obvious question: why did Ricky keep giving her free drinks?
She decided to text her best friend Kourtney about it.
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"Nini!" Kourtney's voice rang through the phone. "You gotta give him your number!"
"You're in class. Don't call me!" Nini hissed.
"I was in the bathroom anyway. Give him your number! Nini 2.0, remember?"
"Nini 2.0 was built on a lie." Nini groaned, recalling her ex boyfriend, EJ, and his actions. She felt Ricky's eyes on her. "You know what E.J. did. He was trying to get me to date him."
"Not an excuse. And irrelevant right now. You have to give him your number." Kourtney sighed.
"Go back to class!" Nini laughed.
"Give him your number! Text me!" Kourtney said.
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At Starbucks the next day, Nini stood in line, debit card wielded, ready to pay. Today, Ricky wasn't at the register. It was a redheaded boy. She walked up, confident that she would be paying for her own coffee today.
"Hi. I'd like Venti Blonde roast, please. For Nini." Nini smirked.
"It's taken care of. Have a nice day." He said, writing her name on a cup and passing it to whoever was making her drink.
"What?" Nini was shocked. "Please let me pay."
The redhead shrugged. "Ricky doesn't charge you. I won't either. Plus, the order isn't complicated and you're here a ton. Have a good day, Nini." She smiled at the boy before turning around and huffing. She set her stuff down at her regular spot at the bar.
When Ricky came in for his shift, his face lit up at the sight of Nini sitting at the bar.
"Hiya, Nini!"
"Hey, Ricky."
They exchanged smiles, and occasional eye rolls from Ricky when a customer he disliked came in. Other than that, Nini worked on her schoolwork. She had a massive essay due tomorrow that she had been slaving over for weeks.
However, she decided to follow Kourtney's advice and give Ricky her number. If it didn't go well, she could always just go to another coffee place in Minneapolis. There were many because it was always so fucking cold no matter the season.
Ricky, Nini carefully wrote, beginning a note on a spare piece of notebook paper.
I would like to talk to you more. You seem like a really interesting guy. So here's my number.
(###-###-####)
If you don't reciprocate this feeling, please let me know or ignore this note so I may avoid further pursuit.
Nini
She breathed, folded up the note, and set it on the bar beside her. The note was taunting her. She went back to work to forget about it.
She blinked, and it was closing time.
As soon as the clock hit 10:01, and everyone except Nini had gone from the restaurant, Ricky was loudly shouting to a redheaded girl about a Gina.
Were they dating? Who was Gina? Then again, if Ricky wasn't single, Nini wouldn't be surprised.
Nini had never stayed past closing time before, and it felt weird. She began to pack up her bag to leave the restaurant when Ricky came over, radiant.
"Niniiii!" Ricky smiled widely. "How are you today? Whatcha working on?"
"I'm-" Nini began.
"Oh my god, Nini, today I was so bored. I was just wanting to talk to you this whole time. Because you're the only customer that actually treats me like a human." Ricky trailed on and on.
"I like talking to you too." Nini smiled. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Anyway, I'm doing good. Thank you for asking."
"My pleasure, madame Nini. Is Nini your real name?" Ricky asked, curiously. The other staff was leaving, watching Ricky interact with Nini as if they had known each other their whole lives.
"Nah. It's a nickname my parents gave me. It's actually Nina, but all my friends call me Nini."
"That's really pretty."
"Thanks." Nini giggled. She felt like she was in high school again, talking to cute boys. It had always given her this thrill between nervousness and excitement and Nini chased it. "Is Ricky your real name?"
"Nope. Richard." Ricky made a face as Nini laughed. "No one except my grandma calls me that though."
"Richard!" Nini laughed.
"Nina!"
"Did you tell the rest of the staff not to charge me for drinks?"
"Nah. Did someone do that today?" Nini thought she saw a flicker of distress flash in Ricky's brown eyes. But as soon as it came, it left.
"A redheaded guy did."
"Ah." Ricky laughed. "That's just Big Red. He's my best friend. Probably saw me not charging you. He's cool."
"Cool." Nini smiled.
They had saved her nearly 100 dollars on coffee.
It was at this moment that Ricky saw Nini's packed bag. He frowned.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah. I should be going soon." Nini gulped. Now or never. She awkwardly looked at the paper and shoved it at him. "Here."
"What is this?" He began, but Nini was already halfway out the door. She practically ran to her car so Ricky couldn't just catch up with her.
She got to her car and sighed with relief. The note had been hanging over her head all day. She picked up her phone.
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authors note: another snow day, another update!! two final essays tomorrow, wish me luck! also thank u all for all the reads lol richard 🥰🥰
