Ricky POV
I wake up three times in the middle of the night and each time I feel worse than before. I sit up and run a hand through my hair in annoyance. I toss my sheets off of me and slip out of my bed, careful not to step on, or even brush up against my sleeping lump of a girlfriend. I lean down and rub a hand over Nini's arm, being met with a sweet sigh of hers and a gentle roll as she gets comfortable. I pull her bed sheet higher over her body before making my way out of my room and towards the bathroom.
Leaning over the bathroom sink, I sigh heavily and rest my elbows against the porcelain. Every part of me feels exhausted and my eyes burned for sleep but at the same time I know that if I went back to bed I wouldn't get a minute of sleep. It was the most frustrating feeling, but I knew I rather stay in the heavily air conditioned bathroom rather than my hot sheets as I wait for any type of sleep to come over me. I close my eyes and rub my hand over my forehead, taking a few deep breaths.
Minutes pass, maybe as many as fifteen, when I feel two small arms wrap around my torso and I fully relax. "Did I..." I start and Nini presses her head against the space between my shoulder blades and shakes her head. "You're all good baby. Just relax." I nod and keep my eyes close as I feel her turn her head to press a kiss to my bare skin. Her hair feels so soft against my back and for a split second I finally don't feel so sick. Nini's fingers trail across the bottom of my stomach, rubbing against my lower abs and it feels heavenly. Although I don't want to, my elbows start to give out and I push myself off of the sink and stand up straight. Nini hesitates for a moment before standing up on her tippy toes, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Can I get you anything?" Her eyes meet mine in the mirror and I smile softly. "No I just couldn't sleep and it's colder in here." She nods and presses her lips to my shoulder. Her hand trails up my neck and her fingers thread through the back of my hair, lulling me into the relaxation that I was feeling before. "How about I grab a fan from your hall closet? And I'll pull your comforter up so that you're sleeping on a cold blanket." I open my eyes in surprise, the ideas had not even occurred to me. I nod and give her a smile. "I'm so grateful for you. I literally would never have thought of that." Nini laughs and her breath tickles my neck as she speaks again. "Let's get you back to bed Ricky."
The sun is streaming through my window when I finally wake up the next morning. I can't help but smile when I don't feel the prominent churning in my stomach and I peak my eyes open to see that I'm still on top of my blankets and not one, but three fans are aimed towards me near my bed. I push myself up and yawn, trying to get a sense of whether or not Nini was in my room, and how early it was. Just as I'm about to call for my girlfriend though (because she had clearly abandoned my side) she bursts through my bedroom door with foods of all types. "Morning baby! I hope I didn't wake you but I made pancakes and waffles, and I've got fruit juice and saltines. All the good stuff!" She rambles excitedly and I grin, laying back on the mattress. "You didn't wake me babe, surprisingly I'm starving and that all sounds fucking amazing. What time is it?" Nini sits on my bed and organizes the food for me. "2:30 pm! So not really morning." She giggles and my jaw drops. "What? Why didn't you wake me?" I ask and she shrugs, leaning over to press a kiss to my cheek and hand me a glass of juice. "There's practically no sugar in that." She points out adorably before meeting my eyes. "And to answer your question, you're not sweating! Or pale as a ghost." I can't help but grin. "So does that mean..." she gasps and pushes at my shoulder. "Richard Bowen, you know what? Go back to sleep. You're still sick." She presses the back of her hand to my forehead. "Yep, just what I thought." I quirk about eyebrow and lean into her. "Oh so I have a temperature?" She hums and scrunches her face up. "Yeah you're hot with boy hormones." She mocks disgust and I laugh hard while simultaneously dropping my jaw in shock. "Excuse you? I'll show you boy hormones." I say, reaching for her waist and she gasps, squealing and trying her best to throw herself away from me. I grab her though and she giggles loudly as I push her back into the bed.
