A light || Ricky and Nini

Chapter 101

Ricky POV

A few hours after I dropped Nini off at her house, I hear my doorbell ring and I jog down to get it. My jaw drops when I open it. "Oh Miss Jen, what's up?" I try to say naturally, but I'm completely shocked to see here, especially on a night during the week. It sounded like my dad was starting to see her as a dead end, a relationship that might not go anywhere. He hadn't mentioned her in a while and he was going out less and less so I just sorta put it together myself. As she stands on my porch tonight though, I couldn't help but assume I was wrong. "Ricky! Practicing your lines tonight I hope? I'm here to see-" I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see my dad all dressed up. "Oh Jen! Good you came." I try not to laugh at his inability to sound remotely smooth while he talks but I crack a smile. "SO you two-" I say. "Yeah so we're gonna head out-" my dad says as Miss Jen begins to say "We're going to have a nice dinner." I laugh and my dad glares at me a little. "Alright well you two have a good time... don't forget Miss Jen, it's a school night." I say with a laugh and my dad turns to give me another look. "Thanks for the reminder Rick." I smile and put my hands up in defense. "Excuse me while I go have my dinner." I say with a smile and the couple exchanges looks as I walk away, giving me small waves as they shut the door behind them.

After about an hour I hear the doorbell again and I groan, hopping off my bed and running downstairs. "This house" I grumble to myself but my annoyance is cut short when I open the front door to see Nini smiling beautifully at me. "Surprise" she says and I laugh, wrapping my arms around her small frame. "What are you doing here" I mumble into the back of her neck. She pulls back and presses her lips against mine and I return the kiss, cupping her chin for leverage and pulling back so that she can explain why she stopped by so unexpectedly. "Is everything okay?" I ask her quietly and her eyes flit away from mine. "Of course! It's just your birthday week so I wanted to surprise you." She says with enthusiasm and a smile, but something about her happiness doesn't quite convince me and I know she can tell she's not convincing me too. "What's going on?" I ask her softly and she sighs. "I got into a fight with my moms." She admits softly and I frown, tugging on her hand gently and pulling her into the house. "Talk to me" I say gently and she sighs again, leaning against the wall. "Well we got onto the topic of family and I asked them a little more about my dad. Like, obviously I know I'm better off without him, my moms are all I could ask for. But in the moment, I was so curious. What part of me did I get from him? I don't know, I guess it was stupid to ask looking back now, but Momma D got defensive really quick and you know Momma C, she backed her up right away and I started flipping out on them. Told them I'd go find him and I left." Nini's wide, doe-like eyes meet mine and she looks sad. I frown and take a step towards her, brushing her hair back from her forehead and cradling her cheek in my hand. I nod and think of something to say. "You just left baby?" She nods sadly and I reach around her, sliding my hand into the back pocket of her jeans pocket and pulling her phone out. "Text them Nini. Tell them you're with me for a little bit and that you'll be home soon." I tell her softly and I start to see the tears entering her eyes. "We don't get into fights." She says sadly and I nod again, rubbing her arms. "Everyone does once in a while. I promise babe, just text them now and then come over here and talk to me." I tell her quietly as I tug on her arm again, this time directing her to the couch. She follows me over and I let her snuggle into me, burrowing herself into my body. I see her type out a message to her moms. "Send it for me I'm too scared." She says and I nod, pressing send and putting the phone down as I rub her back. "Do you really want to meet your dad?" I ask and she shakes her head against me. "No, I just wanted to know a little about him. I thought it was harmless." She says softly and my hands keep rubbing up and down her body as I think. "Do you know anything about him?" I ask and she's quiet for a second. "I knew that he and Momma D had me and they were together for a little while. Then she came out to my dad and they divorced. End of story." She says but her voice holds wondering. "But I don't know about him. They never talked to me about him. I'm almost seventeen, sometimes I feel like I have a right to know all the family history." I nod and Nini sits, up, scooting into me but threading her fingers through her hair. "Thanks for being here and listening to me ramble." She says softly and I smile, my eyes fluttering at the feeling of her fingers in my hair. "You have nothing to thank me for. I'll always be the one you can run to." I tell her quietly and her fingers trace my cheeks. "Did they respond?" She asks me and I turn to look at her phone, a new message from her moms on her lock screen. "Yeah, they said for you to take your time and they'll be waiting for you when you're ready to come home." She nods and her face snuggles into my neck. I feel her breathing deeply, and her face shifts up a little bit, followed by the soft feeling of her lips against my skin. I slip my hands underneath her shirt and I rub her bare back calmingly before she takes a deep breath. "Okay, I should probably head home." She says and I kiss her temple. "Want me to walk you?" I ask and she shakes her head. "Do you mind if I just walk by myself? I want to think, before I go home and say more stuff I don't mean." She says and I smile. "Absolutely. Just be safe and text me when you're home." I whisper against her mouth and she closes the distance, kissing me softly. "I love you" she says and I smile. "I love you too my Nini. And just always know you've got this incredible family that's not going anywhere." I say softly and she nods, pressing our noses together. "I'm so lucky."