wave after wave 🌊 [rini au]

summer ; 17

Nini and Ricky had planned a date to a quaint lodge hidden in the depths of the Waimea Canyons on the day that Ricky was off duty; the girl had pleaded with her brother and sister-in-law for a day off, which they rewarded her with for "making the right decision".

She brought him to the Kōkeʻe Lodge to show him around the area that she had grown up in. Ricky had a stupid idea of acting like tourists for the day and requested that they wore tropical print clothes — they weren't about to fool anyone though, everyone at the Lodge knew Nini was a Roberts girl. The girl's heart fluttered with excitement when they coordinated their outfits for the first time, while her brother cringed at their choices. They were more affectionate than they'd ever been, ever since confirming their love for each other. The way they looked at each other was different; not that you couldn't see their love for each other in their eyes before, but it was all the more evident now.

They had a nice alfresco dinner as the sun set, the band playing music in the background as the couple ate and talked. "Ricky," His girlfriend called out to him and he lifted his head to see her sticking a fork in his face with some of her steak on it. His eyes softened at the sight of her thoughtfulness and he leaned over to take the bite that she offered. Ricky continued admiring the girl sitting opposite him, with as if time was paused in his world, the pasta on his plate long forgotten. "Why are you staring?" Nini teased when he turned quiet and his movements slowed down. Ricky blushed when he got caught, but told her truthfully, "I'm just thinking how lucky I am to be able to call you mine." It was her turn to blush as he opened up to her honestly. The evening could not have gotten any better.

When the sky darkened, the fairy lights installed around the large plain field lit up, creating a romantic atmosphere. Ricky pulled her up to dance next to their table, while Nini resisted, not wanting the locals around to have to witness Nini Roberts dance when everyone else was peacefully sitting down for dinner. "Nins, you owe me a dance from Nate and Emma's wedding." She finally relented as she unwillingly recalled the disastrous night when her relatives grilled her about everything that was happening in her life. He put her arms around his neck and held her waist gently, swaying her from side to side to the soft beats of the music. She looked up into his eyes, the smile on her face mirroring his, and they spoke in whispers to each other, breaths hot on their skin.

There was a group at the far end of the field, who started becoming rowdy as the night deepened and their inhibitions lowered. The couple had sat back at their table, enjoying some dessert as they shared about their reasons for not going to college. As they came to a common consensus that high school sweethearts probably wouldn't last through college, Nini got distracted from their conversation — the rowdiness and noise was getting rather annoying. She turned over to give them a glare, although she knew they wouldn't see her and it wouldn't do anything to shut them up. Ricky laughed at the perpetual pout on her face, and stroked her cheek lovingly. She leaned into her boyfriend's touch, pout dissolving into a cute smile, directed at him.

Nini was talking about Nic's surfing when Ricky seemed like he wasn't listening anymore; it was clear to her that something else had his attention. She ruffled her hands through his head, massaging his scalp lightly, causing him to finally look at her. The question to ask him what he was thinking of was on the tip of her tongue. However, he must have read her mind, answering the question before she spoke, "They're talking about you." Her eyebrows were raised in shock, as she took the sublest glance as she could manage at the noisy table. She was about to tell him that she didn't know any of them, but Ricky held up his index finger to his lips, then pointed to his ear, telling her to just listen.

"Of course she's going to take me back, she's only ever had eyes for me. Nini's expectations are low; if she liked me when I was a small fry, she'll be more than ready to take me back now that I've worked my way to WSL." Keoke. Nini could recognise that voice anywhere. It suddenly occurred to her that she did, indeed, know those people at the big table; they were basically Keoke and his football friends. With regards to the part of their conversation that she finally listened in on, even though her heart was already set on Ricky, the way Keoke blindsided her was still a stab to her gut. The small girl went over to her curly-haired boyfriend and settled herself in his lap. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and he kissed her neck, whispering into her ear, "Your expectations aren't low, Nina. You want to and deserve to be treated well." Ricky pressed cheek against hers, trying to comfort his noticeably distressed girlfriend.

While he was attempting to lift Nini's spirits, the truth was that his blood was boiling at Keoke's blatant disrespect for his childhood friend. Unfortunately, he wasn't as skilled at hiding his anger from Nini because she could tell that something was off by the way he quickly turned quiet -- he usually would do anything in his capacity to talk and distract her, or get her to talk about what she was feeling; doing neither threw her off slightly. She turned her body to face him, and kissed him fully on the lips, "I'm glad I chose you."

"I'm glad you did too," Ricky relaxed into her body, which was pressed into his, and leaned in to kiss her again. The conversation that initially held their utmost attention, that stirred up feelings that were uncalled for during their date night, was long long forgotten as the couple got lost in the feeling of the other's lips against theirs.

For the rest of the night, Nini stayed in her place in Ricky's lap; the feeling of his body warmth, despite the warmth of the summer night, was the most comforting, even more so knowing that Keoke was in the same premises as they were. The band was offering an open mic, and song requests and the couple watched as Keoke walked up to the stage to request a song. They were shocked at his choice of song, cringing at the thought of Justin Bieber's pre-puberty voice as the band sang Baby. Nini, in particular, groaned when Ricky yanked her body away from his as he threw himself into the rap section; just like Keoke always did when they were growing up. "Babe, calm down please?" Lucky for her, he immediately noticed the twinge of sadness in her eyes and snuggled back into her neck, letting go of his indulgence in the rap.

As the song came to a close, the lifeguard could feel a pair of eyes on them and he was sure that his girlfriend could feel it too. "I think he's staring at us," She murmured into his curls, and he stroked her back softly. Ricky actually wanted her to talk to her childhood friend, tell him once and for all that she was taken and no longer his, so that she could get closure and maybe, he'd leave them alone. But, he also felt highly troubled at the thought of letting Keoke talk to Nini alone. He nudged her a little, "Babe, can I sing a song for you?" Her grip on him tightly a little, before it dropped all together as she gathered her hands in her lap. The thought of her boyfriend singing for her in front of her childhood crush was an amusing idea, so she let him go.

As he plucked the strings of the guitar he borrowed from one of the band members, a smile grew on her face when she recognised the song he was going to sing, Never Not by Lauv. He modified the lyrics exactly the way she did when she'd performed this in a set a month ago. There's a room in my heart with the memories we made, there they are and they're still in their frames. He looked into her eyes as he sang, a glint in his eyes told Nini that her brother must have told him about the set and, or, showed him a recording of this song. Nate had always told her that he loved that she dedicated a set to Ricky, even though he wasn't there to listen to it. Her hands cupped her cheeks and rested her elbows against the table, as he sang to her.

She felt a body standing next to her, and needless to say, she knew that it was Keoke. Nini inhaled sharply, she wasn't prepared for this. The regret of letting Ricky sing for her dragging her deep under the surface.