A New Friend

(20) You what?

Ricky
Nini was talking, but I couldn't really hear her. Her voice was faint, and I was having trouble focusing. I was just admiring every detail of her face. I knew this was supposed to be a serious conversation, but I couldn't help it.

"Did you hear me?" she asked, waving her hand in my face to get my attention.

"I..." I stuttered trying to speak. Then I did something I've been wanting to do all summer. I leaned in and kissed her.

It was slow, and I could tell she was hesitant. But eventually, she kissed back. It was the best feeling in the world. Her hands found their way to my hair, and mine went around her waist. This was an empty feeling I've been craving to fill for a long time. The kiss got deeper, and my brain became foggier. She was trying to pull away, but I kept forward. She was probably feeling guilty because of Jessica. Another reason Nini's terrific. She cares for everyone, even if they don't deserve it. Our once slow kiss was turning into a make-out session. I bit her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth slightly. Our tongues met, and I felt a sensation of home.

Did I know I was kissing Nini? Yes.

Was I aware that I had a girlfriend? Yes.

Did I know that the beautiful girl in front of me wasn't my girlfriend? Yes.

Did I care that I had a girlfriend? No.

Was I gonna regret this later? No, not one bit.

Nini
What... is... happening?

I've been wanting this for the past two months, but he has a girlfriend. As much as I didn't want to pull away, I had to. I put a little pressure on his shoulders, but he didn't budge. I had one hand in his hair and the other on his neck. The thought of Jessica coming to mind disappeared just as quickly as it appeared in the first place. I felt him bite my lip, and I just pulled him closer, if that was even possible. I could feel the thousands of butterflies in my stomach, and my mind becoming foggier.

We eventually pull away, panting. I hold our foreheads together as we look into each other's eyes, smiling like idiots.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," Ricky said, out of breath.

"Ricky, what just happened?" I asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't tell if he was joking or being stupid.

"You have a girlfriend and just kissed me," I say.

"Come here," he says, pulling me into a hug. "And that was more than just a little kiss." I laughed a little at his comment.

"I love you," he whispers into my ear. I pull back from the hug.

"What?" I ask. I heard him the first time, loud and clear. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"I-" he kissed my cheek. "Love-" than the other. "You-" then he kissed my lips. It wasn't as long as the previous one, but still sweet.

"But you have a girlfriend. You shouldn't be saying this stuff," I said sadly.

"You're right. But I don't love her. I love you." I thought I should bring up what EJ and Big Red told me.

"Now, don't go kill them, but EJ and Big Red said you told her 'I love you' first. Is that true?" I ask looking directly into his eyes.

"Uh... yes, it's true," he said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wow, ok," I said, looking away.

"Hey," he whispered, turning my head to face him. My vision was blurring from tears forming. "The thing is, I told her that just to be saying it. I said it because I didn't have a choice. It was forced and didn't mean anything. She doesn't even come close to a quarter of the amount of perfection sitting right in front of me."

I blush and look into his eyes as if all my questions will be answered. I can see he's telling the truth. I lay my head on his lap, and it was moments like this that made me wish time would stop.

"Now, what about you and Jessica?" I ask looking up at him.

"I don't know how I'm gonna break up with her. I've been trying to figure that out for a while," he said, kissing my head.

"How long is 'a while'?" I ask him curiously.

"Over a month," he whispered.

"Haven't you been dating her for about a month?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, longest weeks of my life." I was right from the start. He was miserable.

"Why'd you start dating her if your feelings weren't real?" I asked.

"Can we talk about karaoke night first?" He clearly wasn't ready to talk just yet.

"Sure," I say sitting up. "But didn't I just tell you what happened?" I ask while grinning.

"Oh, you did? Sorry, I was too distracted by your gorgeous face to focus," he said while putting a piece of hair behind my ear. My face was burning up at this point.

"Ok, I'll say it again."

Ricky
Nini was retelling what happened in the bathroom to me since I wasn't exactly paying attention the first time. I can't blame her. It's not her fault she's perfect. But I was still struggling to focus. My vision was blurring, and everything became quieter. I think she noticed I was spacing out.

"Ricky, did you zone out again?" She joked, waving her hands in front of me. "Ricky, did you hear me? Hello?" Her voice sounded far away, but she was right next to me.

"Um... yeah... k- kind of." What was wrong with me?

I started shaking my head to try and snap myself out of whatever I was in. Bad idea, a huge headache started setting in. I put a hand to my head in an attempt to ease whatever was happening, but it didn't work. My chest felt heavier, and my breathing picked up. I could see the room was spinning and getting smaller at the same time.

I felt her put a hand on my shoulder and shake me a little. "Ricky? Ricky?!" Nini was yelling yet sounded so quiet.

I could feel my eyes slowly closing no matter how hard I fought. The next thing I know is I'm on my knees with a hand over my chest and the other to stop me from hitting the floor.

"Ricky? Can you hear me!?" Nini sounded so far away, but I could see her extremely blurry image right next to me.

"C- Can't brea- breathe," I manage to stutter, still hunched over and looking the floor. It hurts too much to try and process thoughts.

"Ricky, I need you to copy my breathing, ok? Ricky? Ricky!!?"

That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

🍪🍪🍪

What's been your favorite chapter so far? This is mine😁

Wow, Joshua and Ricky have a lot going on

p.s. I did not plan for chapter 8 of Just for a Moment to come out the same week as this one. Strange how that happened on its own...