The Remembrance of You *ON HOLD*

Chapter 2

I try to string an apology together but I'm too caught up in the tall boy's piercing eyes and his chest that was still just a little too close to mine. "I... I'm... um... sorry." I mutter stupidly and I note the way my breathing picks up as he stares at me. His lips turn up just a little and his eyes soften slightly. "No worries." His voice is low and enticing, prompting me to bite my lip to refrain from saying or doing anything stupid. "A girl like you shouldn't be out walking around the campus this late at night." He tells me and my eyes widen. "A girl like me?" I wonder and he cracks a full smile. "Yeah. A stunning, incredible girl." I blush and sputter in shock. "You... you don't... even know me." I stutter and he raises an eyebrow. "I've got a feeling I'm not wrong about the wonderful part. And I'm definitely not wrong about the stunning part." His voice holds conviction and little to no nervousness which makes me even more nervous. "I... I..." I inwardly cringe at my inability to string together my words but he seems to find it amusing. "How about I walk you back to your dorm? There are creeps out at this hour." My brain short circuits and my eyes widen. "But... I don't want to bother you." He laughs, and the sound is beautiful despite his stiff stature. "You're not bothering me..." he gestures for my name and I rub my hands together. "Nina... Nini." I correct and he gives me a single nod. "And I'm Richard... Ricky." He mocks me lightly and I blush just a little harder. I nod and I watch as he pushes his hand through his thick curls on top of his head. "Lead the way Nini."

"So are you new to campus? I've never seen you around." I say to Ricky as we walk. He gives me a glance and shoves a hand in his pocket. I'm glad that my brain decides to help me with my sentences, so that he doesn't see me as a complete idiot. "Sorta new. I transferred at the beginning of the semester from Temple University." I raise an eyebrow. "In Philadelphia?" He smiles and gives me a nod. "Yeah and now I'm in Boston, so I guess I'm just city hopping across the East coast." I laugh and meet his eyes. "City boy chose Boston? You were doing so much better before. Why would you leave Philadelphia?" I ask and he looks straight ahead, rather than at me. "I just needed to get out of that place. Needed a new beginning. I blew my chance of creating my new beginning last year so this is really important to me." I shrug and look down at the sidewalk. "Well I get that. Welcome to your new beginning." I smile and continue. "I guess the real shocker is that I haven't seen you around for the two months that you've been here. The first time I saw you was..." he cuts me off. "Today, yeah. In the hallway. Your eyes... they're something else." He tells me and I slowly turn my head to look at him. "I was gonna say the same thing to you city boy." He grins and rolls his eyes. "Is that my new name?" I laugh and he gives me a look of pure happiness which is something I note as a new expression for him. "I think it is."

"Who's this?" I had invited Ricky into my dorm room when we made it to the building, and I had propped the door open so that I wasn't trapping myself in any situation. Something about Ricky made me feel safe, and I trusted him as he wandered around my dorm room. He was fingering a printed picture and I come up behind him, peering at the photograph. "That's my dad." I laugh and Ricky nods. "And that's you?" He points to the little girl swung upside down in the older man's arms. "Yeah. My dad had told us we were going to the county fair that day. And he was almost never around so he really made my day, fuck, practically my entire year." I giggle as I recall the memory and Ricky's lips draw into a straight line before he puts the photo back down against my desk lamp. "Well it's... cute." He says and I laugh. "Don't sound so enthusiastic city boy." A grin slips across his expression and he rubs the back of his neck. "I didn't have the best family life, so I can't really relate." My smile drops and I can't even control my arm that's reaching forward to grab his hand. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'm telling you about my dad and, I'm so sorry." He laughs and shakes his head. "No it's all good. It's my new beginning remember?" He shrugs and I smile, subconsciously squeezing his hand. "Yeah we're gonna make it a fucking great middle and end too." I giggle and his eyes sparkle. "Oh I hope so." He laughs and as I turn away to grab him a bottle of water, I almost don't catch the way he's turned back to stare at the picture of me and my dad. Guilt courses through me, and even though I've known him for a half hour, I wished that the boy standing in front of me didn't have it so hard.