rini one shots

lights, camera, reaction

"Ricky Bowen!"

"Over here!"

"Where were you last night?"

"What movie is next?"

The paparazzi never take a break.

Of course Ricky is grateful for his success in the film industry, but enough is enough. He wishes he could be a normal teenager for even just a day.

Flashing his trademark smile to the paps one last time, he ducks into the backseat of his driver's car.

He sighs once he gets inside. Ricky is 19 and all he's ever known is mayhem and camera flashes impairing his vision. When he was under 18 he was able to get away from more than he can now with the excuse of being a child, but what's his excuse now? Wanting to be antisocial? The media would have a field day.

"Could you drop me off at the nearest coffee shop?" Ricky asks his driver. "Not too close to it, preferably. I don't want to draw attention."

His driver nods, making a turn at the next stoplight.

Ricky slips on the brimmed hat he keeps in case he needs to go unrecognized.

It's sort of hard to go unrecognized for Ricky. He's been in movies since he was ten years old, so his face surely isn't new to the media.

As soon as the car stops, Ricky slips out, keeping his head down. When he orders his coffee, he doesn't even look up to see the barista, and honestly? She finds that pretty rude.

Nini has been working at this coffee shop for two years now, and even the rudest of customers had the decency to look at her when they're speaking. She hasn't had the best day, so one more rude customer is not what she needs right now.

"Iced caramel mocha," Ricky mumbles.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't hear you", Nini politely responds.

Ricky repeats himself a little louder.

"I still can't hear you. I apologize, but it may be easier to hear you if you look up," Nini responds, trying not to let her frustration show.

Ricky looks up. "An iced caramel mocha. Please," he states sternly.

Nini gives him a tight-lipped smile. "Will that be all?"

Does she not know who he is?

"Yeah," Ricky responds.

"A name for the order?"

Ricky is confused. Does she really not recognize him?

"Rick."

"That'll be two dollars and eighty-four cents."

Ricky pulls out his wallet and takes out a twenty, handing it to her. "Keep the change," Ricky says before walking away.

Nini is exceptionally confused. Why was he so rude? And why did he give her such a big tip? Does he think she needs the money? Well, she does, but that's beside the point. Who does he think he is?

Nini counts out the change, despite him telling her to keep it. He can't just give her extra money to make up for being rude.

"Carlos, I'm taking my break," Nini tells her coworker before taking the change and walking over to the guy's table.

Nini drops the money on the table. "I don't need your pity tip. Giving someone extra money doesn't make up for your being rude."

Ricky raises an eyebrow. "Alright."

Ricky looks back down at his phone.

"Who do you think you are? You're acting like you're better than everyone else here. If you don't want to be surrounded by peasants, maybe don't come to a local coffee shop. Take your fat wallet somewhere that they're paid enough to handle your attitude."

Ricky sighs, looking back at the barista. He checks her name tag and sees it displaying the name Nina.

"Look, Nina. It's been a really long day. I'm sorry for being rude, but I've been treated like a puppet all day and it's hard to keep up the facade after a while. I didn't mean to offend you."

Nini's face softens a little.

"Oh. Thank you for apologizing." She trails off. "I suppose I haven't had the best of days either, so I may have jumped to a conclusion about you too quickly."

Ricky thinks for a second before he says what he does next. "Do you have time to sit? I'm just here to escape reality, so it might be nice to talk to someone who doesn't know who I am."

Nini doesn't think much of his phrasing, but Ricky worded that exactly how he meant it.

Nini cocks her head to the side. "I could spare a few minutes."

Pretty soon, they've been talking for Nini's entire break.

"Nina, your break is over," Carlos calls over to her.

Nini turns to Ricky. "I have to get back to work, but would you, maybe, want to meet up again sometime?"

A smile grows on Ricky's face. It's been a while since someone has wanted to hang out with him for being himself and not Ricky Bowen, prodigy actor.

"I'd actually really like that."

Nini pulls a pen off her apron and scribbles on a napkin before handing it to Ricky.

"Text me and we'll schedule something," Nini tells him, walking back behind the counter.

Ricky looks down at the napkin to see she had written her name and number with a smiley face.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

And that is the story of how Ricky Bowen and Nini Salazar-Roberts first met.