the flaw in being perfect - rini au

sixty one

"Can you come pick me up, please?" Nini asks through her phone, sniffling.

She realized once she got outside that she'd walked here to give herself more time to think, and she honestly wasn't in much of a condition to walk back home.

"Of course, Ni, always. Where are you?" Ricky can tell that she's upset just listening to her.

"Around the corner from the cafe. Ashlyn is still inside and I just... I can't let her see me now that I've left," Nini explains defeatedly.

"I'll be there in just a minute. I'm already out."

Nini knows that means something happened with his dad again. "Okay. Thank you." She sniffles one more time before hanging up.

Ricky really did mean just a minute. He pulls up soon after the call ends and Nini hops onto the car.

"Hey," Ricky greets.

Nini offers him a tight lipped smile, one that isn't even close to reaching her eyes, and buckles her seatbelt.

Ricky turns the music up, leaving the windows rolled down, and drives them to the park.

Once they arrive, he parks the car, taking Nini's hand as they walk to the graffiti spot.

Nini is grateful for Ricky. He seems to understand when silence is right. She could spend hours just sitting quietly with him by her side.

After they get to the spot, they settle down to sit next to each other, Nini leaning into Ricky as he wraps his arms around her.

"She won't tell me why she left me," Nini tells him, her voice cracking a bit. "I think it's because she didn't want to deal with me anymore."

"Neens, I don't know if that's it." Ricky tightens his grip around her, pulling her closer.

"What else could it be?"

"I don't know what happens in her brain, but she'd have to be crazy to not want to have you in her life." Ricky kisses the top of her head comfortingly. "I'm proud of you for going and talking to her."

Nini closes her eyes as she exhales deeply. "Thank you."

The two fall into silence again.

"How are things at home?" Nini asks.

Ricky stiffens a bit.

She tilts her head up diagonally to look at him. "We don't have to talk about it. I just know that when you're out of the house without plans it's because you don't want to be there."

Ricky nods quietly, keeping his focus straight ahead.

Nini tilts her head back forward.

"My dad just has a hard time accepting that we're better off without her," Ricky gets out.

Nini nods.

"She used to hit him. Us," he admits.

Nini had been expecting this, but it doesn't stop the twisting feeling in her stomach.

"I wish it were easier to just forget her and move on."

Nini can't just sit there any longer. She turns around and bear hugs him so that she's straddling his lap on her knees, facing him.

This catches Ricky off guard, but he quickly melts into the hug.

After a minute, Nini pulls away and looks him in the eye. "I'm proud of you, too."

Ricky cocks his head to the side.

"The hardest thing in the world is being able to tell when someone is bad for you, and you can see it. She's your mom and you can still see it. I'm proud of you for that."

The raw emotion between the two of them is overwhelming. It feels like a buzz in all the air surrounding them. They can't seem to break eye contact.

Without putting much thought into it, Ricky starts to lean in.

Nini doesn't take much persuasion to meet him halfway. She moves her hands up to his hair as their lips collide, Ricky's going to her waist.

The kiss itself is fairly innocent, but it feels so... right. They pull away slowly, their eyes fluttering back open.

"Wow," Nini breathes out.

Ricky lets out a breathy laugh. "Yeah." He shakes his head. "Maybe I should open up about my abusive mother more often."

Nini's face twists up sourly. "I don't know if that's the mood setter you think it is."

Ricky can't help but to laugh more. "What's a good mood setter, then?"

"Well, for starters, I'd say we should get somewhere more comfortable than a cemented graffiti spot behind a park," Nini mentions, laughing.

Ricky lightly pushes on her waist, signaling for her to stand up before he does on his own. "I second that. But before then," Ricky looks her in the eye. "I do have a question for you."

Nini tilts her head sideways in confusion. "And what's that?"

"Will you please be my girlfriend?" Ricky practically begs, getting down on his knees.

Nini laughs again. "Only if you beg me like that every time you want something."

Ricky smiles up at her. "Deal."

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rini kiss 🥰🥰

-jenna