forget me not

eight

Nini stared at Ricky in silence for a few minutes. she couldn't believe her own ears. she suddenly felt sober as they laid next to each other in bed.

her voice was just a whisper as tears clouded her eyes, "what do you just say?"

"i said i love you."

she nodded, "yeah no, i heard that. Ricky, are you sure? you're not just saying that because you know i've been waiting for you to say it?"

Ricky cupped her cheek, "Nini, i don't know if i will ever get all my memories back. i have the majority of our relationship memories back but there's still some parts that are gone. all i know is that i love you. i loved you before the accident, the Nini that i knew as my best friend and i love you now, this new Nini that is my fiancé. i hope you can accept the fact that i may never be the Ricky you fell in love with."

her face softened at his words, tears slipping out, "Ricky, i'll always love you, memories or not. i've learned to fall in love with this new Ricky too. the one that can make my heart melt just by looking at me, the one that can make me laugh with just one silly face, the one that is sitting right in front of me now."

they gave each other soft smiles before kissing sweetly. they pulled away and Nini tucked herself under his arms as Ricky pulled the comforter up around them.

"are you okay with me sleeping in here with you tonight?" he asks quietly into her hair.

she nods, casting a look up at him, "i've been waiting for three months for you to be in this bed with me again. we can stay here forever if you want."

Ricky chuckled, saying a soft okay into her hair as he pressed a kiss to her head. Nini relaxed against his chest as her fingers held onto his arm , she listened to the sound of his heartbeat as they fell asleep peacefully.

~~

the sunlight drifted through the windows in the bedroom, the light waking Nini up. her eyes fluttered open as she turns in the bed, finding that it's empty. her heart lurches into her throat as she begins to wonder if last night was just a dream. that's when the bathroom door opened into the bedroom.

"oh, sorry. did i wake you?"

she let out a deep breath as she looked at Ricky standing in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.

she rubbed her forehead and eyes a little before answering him, "no, i woke up a few minutes ago."

he smiles and nods a little at her as he walks to the closet to get out some clothes. while Nini had put most of his stuff in the guest room, the majority of it remained in the bedroom. she watched his broad back pull open the drawers of the dresser that sat inside the closet, feeling her cheeks heat up.

she blushed and turned away as he got dressed. she had no idea why she was acting like this was a brand new relationship? they had been together for years and had watched each other get dressed hundreds of times. she felt like she was sixteen again.

Nini wrapped the sheets tighter around her chest when Ricky turned back around, dressed in a tee shirt and some joggers. she still thought he looked handsome in anything.

"how're you feeling?" he asked.

"i should be asking you that. last night was something else." she says with a small smirk.

Ricky chuckles and scratches the back of his neck, "yeah uh, it was great for me. you?"

"amazing." she says, a blush on her cheeks.

they both chuckle awkwardly, not knowing how to diffuse the tension.

"um, this is really awkward, isn't it?" Ricky says as he stands at the foot of the bed.

Nini nods a little, "yeah i guess. i don't know why though, i mean we've had sex plenty of times before and never had an issue."

"yeah but i've never not been without my memories. i just want to make sure you're okay Nini." Ricky says as he takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

she chuckles softly, "see, this is why i love you Ricky. you're the one who's injured and missing memories and yet you're worried about me. you never think about yourself, do you?"

"how can i when i'm thinking about you all the time?"

her heart melts just a little at his words. she crawls across the bed, trying to hold the sheet against her as she sits next to him. she presses a gentle kiss to his cheek, resting her chin on his shoulder, "i love you so much."

he smiles softly, "i love you too."

"you can say that again." Nini says with a chuckle as she leans forward to press a kiss to his lips.

~~

everything was going great. Ricky and Nini were finally getting their life back. they were happy.

the wedding was back on. the five months until the wedding day we're flying by. they had a long talk about whether or not to go through with it, ultimately deciding that they will continue with their original date, having come out even stronger in their relationship.

Ricky had begun getting ready to go back to work. he was taking some time to refresh his mind on his instruments and getting back in the mindset of teaching kids. Nini was so proud of him, he'd come so far in the last three months.

they were stronger than ever now, they had an unbreakable bond and they could get through anything together.

everything was finally going right for them.

~~

Nini paced around the bathroom, her mind wandering. she pulled a little at her hair as she waited, lightly chewing on her bottom lip.

there was so much going on right now, she was super stressed. the wedding was only three months away, that's why she hadn't gotten her period, it was just stress...right?

the timer went off and she took a deep breath before approaching the sink. she closed her eyes for a moment before looking down.

"shit."