wave after wave 🌊 [rini au]

summer ; 16

"Wait, Ricky, don't go, please," the brown eyed girl emerged from the booth, running to hold her boyfriend's hand so that he couldn't leave her yet. He looked back at her longingly, sort of expectant at what she would say next. Nini's voice was caught in her throat, and her arms snaked around his neck, standing on her tippy toes to capture his lips in a kiss; it was as if she needed some convincing that Ricky was the best option for her. She could feel his yearning in the kiss, and her heart broke a little when he pulled away quickly. "Nina, I love you but I can't do this if I don't know if you're going to choose me," Ricky let out a whisper, which was all he could manage at the moment. She looked into his eyes apologetically, heart clenching when he called her Nina like he always did. "Give me some time, please. I really like you, Ricky, I do. These past months have made me so so happy. But, I just need to sort out my thoughts," Nini held his face in her palms, looking into his sad eyes. Ricky leaned his forehead against hers tiredly, knowing this might be the last time in a few days that he got to do it. It took everything in him to finally separate himself from her and walk back to the group, grasping the uncertainty of the future of their relationship.

Nate was the first to welcome Ricky back to the group, the initial question of where his sister was was long forgotten when he saw that the curly-haired boy's eyes were red from crying. He pushed Ricky out into the parking lot to talk to him, glancing at his sister with a frown on his face, wondering what on earth went down in that photo booth. Emma was hot on their heels but stopped when she saw Nini and the look of despondency on the small girl's face. She enveloped her young sister-in-law in her arms and stroked her hair, whispering words of comfort as she cried into the older girl's shoulder.

"What happened?" Nate crossed his arms, looking at Ricky who was leaning on the hood of his car. The lifeguard inhaled sharply, "Keoke's back for Nina." The Roberts boy's eyes widened as he cursed under his breath. Shit, just when Nini was doing fine without him, he had to come back. "If it counts for anything, I'm rooting for you." Ricky let out a low chuckle, "Well, it would count if you were making the decision for her. Unfortunately, that's not our case right now." The guys fell into a silence blanketed with unspoken pain, knowing that they had little control of the situation before them.

"You love my sister, right?" Nate asked; he already knew Ricky's answer but, he wanted to hear it himself. "Yea, I do," He was proud of Ricky for responding with little hesitation. "Then, don't let her go." The boy against the car shrugged, "She wants time to think, I need to give her space." Nate shook his head, not agreeing that he should keep a distance from her. If he understood Nini's psychology, he knew that she was a girl that wanted to be pursued. He relayed this information to the curly-haired boy and a look of distress covered his face. "Don't worry, I'll try to make this work for the both of you. I really like you for her, you make her so happy." Ricky relaxed a little, and smiled at his girlfriend's brother, "She's made me so happy too."

Nini confided in Emma, Sarah and Nic as they sat around her, listening to the sequence of events that played out in the past fifteen minutes. Nic was chewing on his gum on the side of his mouth as he heard his sister mention Keoke, frustrated at how she was giving that guy a chance, "Nini, please don't be stupid, you can't get let him back into your life again." Anger and hurt flashed in her eyes as the words escaped from his mouth; she wasn't being stupid, she just didn't know what she wanted in a relationship. Right? "Nini, you're not stupid," Sarah defended her, making a small smile creep up her lips, "But, you're not a mere prize to be won. You're worth so much more than the WSl qualifiers, or any achievements that anyone could ever have."

Nini stood up from her seat; as much as she appreciated Nic and Sarah's input, she just needed some time to herself to clear her head and make a decision. She walked out of the front doors, to see Ricky's car pulling out of the parking lot. The oldest Roberts watched as his friend left to return to his apartment for some rest before his shift the next day, heart aching for Ricky for having to go through this mess of his sister. Nini sighed at the sight of Nate's back view, her desire for silence and solitude going down the drain. He turned back to return to the group in the building and was slightly taken aback when his sister was standing in front of him. He softened when she looked lost, her frame even smaller than it usually was. "What's going on in your mind, Nins?" She walked over to lean on the hood of his car next to him, "I don't know... My mind is pretty blank right now." It was totally uncharacteristic of him, but he threw his car keys over to her, "Go take a drive, and take some time to think. I just have two things I want you to consider: why do you like Ricky, and will you be able to let him go." Nate kissed the girl's brown hair and slowly retreated to return to the building. "Text me where you go, ok? And don't take too long..." Nini smiled at him, grateful for the space he was giving her. She slipped into the car, hands gripping the steering wheel. There was only one place she was going to.