Ricky & Nini : After All

Chapter 26 : Celebrate

Ricky's POV:

The European tour dates have been released! Tickets are now available for purchase, and so is a VIP meet and greet option. So many have already sold, and I'm so grateful. I can't wait to travel around Europe and continue to do what I love.

Five Days Later..

Nini's POV:

It's been five days since the audition. The first few days, my nerves weren't that bad, because I knew that I wouldn't be hearing from them for a while. But now, my nerves are starting to build. Any day now I could get the best news of my life, or nothing at all.

That's usually what happens when you don't get a part. You hear nothing. 

So that moment that I saw the number pop up on my phone, I immediately jumped off of the couch and started pacing around the room. After hearing my annoying ringtone for a few more seconds, I finally get up the courage to press the green answer button.

"Hello, is this Nina Salazar-Roberts?" An unfamiliar female voice asks. "Yes, this is she." I reply. My hands are shaking so much that I can barely hold my phone to my ear. 

"We're very excited to let you know that you earned the part of Aliyah in our next project." The voice says. I put my free hand up to my mouth to stop myself from screaming. I start bouncing on my toes in excitement.

"Thank you so much!" I breathe out, trying to sound professional, but its no use. "Of course. You will be hearing more about chemistry reads and filming within the week. Thank you, Nina." She says before hanging up the phone. 

I have to sit down again because my legs feel like jello. I feel like I've just run a marathon, but in the best way possible.

I immediately text my parents, because I know that they'll be equally excited. Then, I text Kourtney, who almost immediately responds with an assortment of emojis that I assume translate to "I'm so happy for you!" or something.

Finally, I decide to text Ricky.

Everyone is being so encouraging. I can't wait for this next chapter in my life.

Maddy's POV:

I finally got assigned another juicy story by my boss a few days ago. I can't wait to finish it and get it published. It's supposed to mainly cover Ricky's new tour dates that were recently released, but my boss gave me the green light to also write about Nini and Ricky's newfound closeness.

I've pretty much severed my ties with them, considering the past articles I've written, so my only focus now is to be truthful while still getting a good story out for the readers.

Nini's POV:

A few hours after the call, I start getting ready for dinner with Ricky. I have no idea where we're going. Everything seems unreal to me ever since I got the news. After my audition, I felt like I had a pretty good chance of landing the role, but I hate getting my hopes up and being disappointed. 

But this isn't one of those disappointing times. I've had my fair share of those.

I put on a casual sundress and a little bit of makeup. I brush my hair and clip a few pieces back until I think I look presentable. While I wait for him to text that he's here, I sit at the piano and play around with some chords. The past few days, I've been in somewhat of a creative slump when it comes to lyrics, but I still love to play. 

A few minutes later, I get a text saying that he's out front. I turn off my keyboard, grab my phone and my purse, and throw on some slip on heels. I turn off the light to my room and shut the door. I walk out the door and lock it behind me. Ricky smiles at me from inside his car. 

I walk up to the passenger seat and try to open the door, but it doesn't budge. It's locked. I see and hear Ricky laugh from inside. "Not funny." I say loud enough for him to hear, sarcastically rolling my eyes. He presses the unlock button and I open the door and slide into the passenger seat. I put my purse at my feet. "Where to?" I ask. "You'll see." He replies playfully. 

We end up driving for awhile, just jamming out to whatever music was on the radio. We finally pulled into the parking lot of a Hibachi restaurant. "Aw, you remembered I love hibachi." I say as he parks the car. He grins. "Of course." He replies.

We go inside and get seated. After we order, we watch the skilled chef as he cooks our food. Once  we're served, we start talking about our trips to Europe. "Where is it being shot again?" Ricky asks. I shrug. "I'm not sure. An island off the coast of Ireland, I think?" I reply. "I may be wrong." 

"Interesting. I know you probably don't have many details because you just found out." Ricky says. I nod. "Where's your first stop on tour?" I ask. "London," Ricky replies. After taking a bite of rice, he adds, "Maybe we'll be close enough where you could come to one of the shows." "If it is, I'll definitely be there." I reply, smiling. 

After we finish our meals and pay, we head back to Ricky's car. As he cranks up the car, I start scrolling through posts that I'm tagged in. One of them catches my eye. It's a screenshot of a post from Teen Vogue. Well, great. I think.

I start to read it.

I hesitate before showing Ricky, but I know that he'll see it eventually. "Look at this." I say, before handing my phone to him. 

He takes it and his eyes start moving across the screen as he reads it quickly. "Well, at least it's publicity for the tour." He says with a small grin. It doesn't seem to bother him. That's good, at least. Because some people aren't going to shut up about it for the next few days. 

"We know where our relationship stands, and that's what matters." Ricky says as he hands my phone back. His eyes don't leave mine for a moment, and I can't look away. Instead of  responding, I just nod. A small part of me wonders where our relationship stands, but I can't voice that question aloud. 

We reconnected only a few months ago after not speaking for five years. How did we bounce back so quickly? 

I guess that means we are just meant to be friends. The world made our paths reline. And for that, I am thankful. Even if it is confusing. 

AN: Thank you for being patient!:) Hopefully I can upload more frequently. -Averie