The Christmas Connection

Ricky huffed and puffed as he pulled electrical streams of lights and lights to decorate the Salazar-Roberts home. He actually couldn't believe what he was doing at the moment. He had gone to every freaking store imaginable to find these stupid clear and colorful Christmas lights because Nini had given him the puppy face. That's right, that's just how whipped she had him.

He still remembered the incident as she showed up at his house just this morning. Nini had come to ask if he'd help decorate the outside of her house. Her mom's had been out of town and she wanted to surprise them by having the house all decorated when they came home. Ricky was sure that it had all started out with their normal everyday flirting, but somewhere along the way, the teasing had turned into squabbling, which then had escalated into fighting, and suddenly... Nini had walked out of his room, door slamming hard after her, kind of leaving him flabbergasted.

He sighed, thinking about their argument this morning. The look she gave him before she stormed out made him feel like he kicked a puppy. And so, that's how he found himself driving to god knows how many stores to purchase those ridiculously specific Christmas lights his best friend wanted her house decorated with. She wasn't home when he showed up so he figured she'd be surprised too.

Damn, he threw his hands up in the air looking around at the immense amounts of lights on the ground as he considered, if this isn't whipped then I don't know what is.

LINE BREAK

Nini had called called Kourtney, Gina and Ashlyn for an emergency girls meeting so she Nini could rant to them about her stupid best friend. They decided to meet at this new coffee shop in town. They'd been talking for an hour and a half and Nini ran a hand over her face as she recapped this morning's ridiculous fight with Ricky to the girls. She shook her head at her best friends stupidity... it had NOTHING to do with the holiday or the stupid lights that she sort of wanted to see on the house, but it was more about the fact that she was literally throwing herself at him and he was just dodging her every which way.

She was in truth a little hurt and a lot frustrated. Actually a lot hurt, but who was measuring. She had been attracted to him since the 7th grade and she's known him since kindergarten. They were Juniors now, and he was basically sex on two legs. Who wouldn't be attracted to him? They say there's no time like the present so she figured she would throw her feels out there and see if he'd reciprocate... clearly he wasn't interested and that thought broke her heart. She loved and hated that he always made her heart skip a beat without even trying. Now that she wanted him to be close, to touch her, to- anything really- he was just making sure that there was safe distance between them and she didn't know why. What had changed? His playful flirting never went farther than words and that truly bothered her. Her feelings were literally clawing their way out for him.

Nini wanted to kiss him... like he deserved to be adored and worshiped; with love, passion, and fervor as this time she would be able to revel in the way her body would tingle in awareness, her skin would scream for his touch, and her heart would want to swell with the aching emotion of her love for him. It was so much more than just physical. She was ready to scream to the world that she was in love with him, but he seemed, indifferent.

In truth she didn't know what to do, maybe she shouldn't do anything. Perhaps she didn't deserve his love, because his love had been a blessing that she hadn't been able to appreciate. Ricky has been her best friend since kindergarten and maybe he never wanted that to change. Maybe he only saw her as a sister, although the thought of that hurt in a way she would have never thought possible.

Who would have thought that the moment it was her desperately wanting and needing more of him that he would be the one that would pull away.

With that final thought in mind and the recapping of her stupid behavior along with the sorrowful looks and comments she received from her friends, she threw on her winter gear and started walking back home, not at all listening to sad Taylor Swift songs on the way there.