Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

About five years ago, the pop-rock music industry was taken by storm when new band, Golden Monday, was discovered.

They had started out like any other musical artist out there. Dreaming of being on stage playing at the biggest stadiums around the world, with over a hundred thousand fans screaming out their name. They pictured their faces plastered on buses and billboards, all over the Rolling Stone magazines, and just about every social media site out there.

It used to all be a dream. Something that they would imagine during class or after school, during band rehearsal and at night when they couldn’t fall asleep. Something that was just a silly dream, or ‘phase’ as their parents used to call it, something that they would just forget about once they finished high school and went their separate ways.

But by some crazy miracle it turned into their reality.

Before anyone knew it, Golden Monday could be heard on radio stations, seen in magazines and billboards, their faces were all across YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and just about every social media website one could think of.

Like every other band, musical artist or public figure; they started at the bottom. They first started out with just the lead vocalist and guitarist being idiots one evening, playing random covers with a bunch of their friends as they were just looking to pass the time. That was until one of their good friends piped up, suggesting that they should start a band. At first they thought their friend was joking, but the lack of laughter coming from them indicated how serious they were.

After that day, all the pieces started to fall into place, one by one, little by little. The pair had found their bassist and drummer within the next two months. Their band name followed closely behind, because the same friend that suggested they make the band, had offered the most perfect name any of them has ever heard.

Golden Monday started with covers of just about any rock band they could think of, practiced them day in and day out. Eventually making their debut performance at the Battle of the Bands in their hometown, Salt Lake City, during the singer and guitarist’s sophomore year of high school, which they ended up winning. And going forward, they tried to get as many gigs as they could.

Over the course of the two years before they were discovered, they played at talent shows, under 21 clubs, school events, malls, and even the side of the streets when the weather was warm enough. After the first few months together, their lead vocalist started getting into songwriting and wrote thousands of songs for them to play. Some were fantastic, others not so much, but that was the process, everyone knew that.

By the time their first year as a band came rolling around, they played mostly their own music, with a Green Day or Blink-182 song thrown into the mix, sometimes even taking requests depending where they played.

Eventually, they had regular gigs. Every Thursday night, they would play at this old ratty bar in downtown Salt Lake for rock night, however not being old enough to drink they were mostly paid in nachos and wings after their gig.

That was the same exact bar where they were discovered. There was someone from this big record label in the audience, and they had come up to them after their show offering them a chance of making it big.

To them, it was never about fame and fortune. They were just a bunch of kids writing and playing their music because it was what they loved to do. They simply did it because it was fun and enjoyable, and they loved sharing their talent with anyone that was willing to listen. It was easy to tell how passionate and driven those young kids were. It was never the plan to become some big rock stars, sure they dreamed all about it but they never really cared if their band was going to get them that far. But, four teenagers passing up this kind of opportunity? Fat chance.

The following week, they had set themselves up a meeting with the company and the rest was history.

After high school, lead vocalist, Ricky Bowen, and lead guitarist, EJ Caswell, ended up moving further upstate to attend college. The duo being best friends since middle school always imagined going to college together. Sharing a dorm, partying it up and sped through their classes, while managing to squeeze in time for the band and living a regular college life.

While other members, Gina Porter and Ashlyn Caswell finished up high school, following their two bandmates upstate. The four were practically inseparable, even during the year that they were living on opposite ends of Utah.

Managing to meet up at least once a week, individually practicing on their off time. After the girls had moved, they immediately went back to their usual schedule of hanging out any chance they got. Where you would find one of them, you could easily find the other three.

During the year they were separated, Ricky had written over hundreds of songs, some finished, some even made it to their first album produced by their record label. And that following summer, they were jet setting across the country playing for thousands of fans.

Now, Golden Monday had three albums out, toured across all of North America, travelled around for Warped Tour and had interview after interview with different morning and talk shows and news columns. It was everything they could’ve ever dreamed of and more.

What many fans weren’t aware of was what went on behind the scenes.

Like any artist, they had their secrets. Preferred to keep more to themselves and didn’t want to share too much about their personal life since it was, well, personal.

Eventually, the fans had caught on to the relationship between the drummer and their favourite guitarist. The pair accidentally were caught by the paparazzi on the eve of Gina’s 22nd birthday party, catching them outside of the club down an alleyway with locked lips. Despite this minor mishap, they didn’t let it get to them, having told the media and their fans that they had been together for the last four months, wanting to make sure it wasn’t just a fling, but the real deal. They didn’t feel like they were obligated to share their relationship with the world, because it consisted of them two, and them two only.

The fans had taken a great liking to the pair, #Portwell trending for a few days after their official confirmation. More than happy to be out in the media, the pair didn’t shy away from holding onto the other as they walked the streets or were seen out on dates. But still couldn’t help but feel like there was always someone watching them every time they went out.

Bassist, Ashlyn Caswell, was the complete opposite. Incredibly single, but was happy to see her cousin and her best friend finally able to share their love of each other with their fans. However, she sympathized with their lead singer.

Unlike EJ and Gina, Ricky and his longtime girlfriend had decided to keep their relationship under wraps. After officially making it big, they had a conversation during their senior year, the pair having been together since they were 16, and both thought it was best to keep their relationship out of the media, especially considering how much the young girl loved her privacy.

Hating the idea of people inserting themselves into their relationship, placing their own input and even prying further into their personal life. It was just something that neither of them wanted to deal with. And at eighteen years old, that was an easy decision for them to make. Seeing as that young girl was looking to make a name for herself, just in a different way.

As Golden Monday grew popular as the years went on, they had labelled Ricky as this edgy punk rock star. Someone that went out to parties and drank to his heart’s content once he turned twenty one, putting a reputation on the boy as an ultimate heartthrob and player, capable of getting anyone in bed, the number one rockstar bachelor of the nation.

But in reality, Ricky Bowen was a big-time softie.

People that really knew Ricky Bowen was well aware of how he was completely head over heels in love with his girlfriend, Nini Salazar-Roberts. The girl he had known since he was four years old, the girl he had a crush on since they were in kindergarten, the girl that he had his first kiss with underneath the slide at their local park when they were seven, and then again in the seventh grade, the girl that was his first girlfriend, his first love, his first everything.

No one knew that Golden Monday wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for said girlfriend. The young brunette just so happened to be the very friend that they mention in so many of their interviews. She was the friend that suggested they make a band, the friend that proposed for Ashlyn to be their bassist, knowing the girl has been playing since she was eleven years old, the friend that introduced Gina to the trio, having been in dance classes with the curly-haired curl for a couple of years.

She was also the friend that came up with their band name. Her and Ricky had gotten up incredibly early one morning, deciding to watch the sunrise as the new day began to fall onto the world. How it was a beautiful start to a new week, a new day. Commenting on how golden the sun seemed, and how golden that Monday will turn out to be.

No one knew how much she’s helped the band out musically, financially, and personally. No one knew that this simple girl from Salt Lake City was one of the reasons they had become big, having mentioned the band’s gig to one of her moms, who mentioned it to a patient, which eventually led an associate from the record label to showing up at that bar that one fateful night.

No one knew that Nini Salazar-Roberts is the heart and soul of Golden Monday.

Chapter Text

“Guys, I swear to god, if you don’t fucking stop playing that stupid song I’m going to tear one of your heads off,” Nini yells from her spot at the kitchen table, hunched over a few textbooks and her pen tapping against the table trying to focus. “And I’m talking to you Mr. Bowen.”

The band had been waiting on Ashlyn, the girl running a little later than usual. The four were heading off to meet with their record label, discussing the progress of their latest album and their expected schedule for the coming year.

The two boys were messing around in the living room of her and Ricky’s apartment. EJ was playing a song over and over again on his guitar, while Ricky made up random weird voices and changed the lyrics to the song to whatever popped in his mind as he fiddled with a guitar as well.

While Gina simply ignored the two boys, her feet kicked up on the coffee table, scrolling through her phone while music blasted through her ear phones. The girl was sorting through a few pictures wanting to get some printed for a scrapbook that she’s been putting together.

Ricky chuckles making his way over to his girlfriend, dropping his chin on top of her head lightly, “Angel, lighten up, we’re just fucking around.” He hums, as he rubs soothing circles into her tense shoulder blades, “What are you working on, anyway?”

Knocking her head up slightly, getting her boyfriend’s head to stop resting on top of hers, “I have my first surgery scheduled in a few weeks, and I’m the first resident to get a big case like this. So, I’m just making sure, I know everything.”

“Come on, Nins,” EJ makes his way over to the table, settling down next to the brunette as he steals an apple slice from her plate, “You’re going to kill it, no matter what.” He nudges her elbow, peering over at her lengthy notes.

Nini scrunches her nose, “Please don’t use the phrase ‘kill it’ considering we’re talking about me opening up a human being and dragging a blade down his stomach lining.” Using air quotes around the two words, glancing over to the man as he munches on the fruit that he stole. A sarcastic and unamused smile takes over her face, glaring at the dark haired man next to her.

The group bursts into laughter, “God, remember when she used to tend to all of your injuries?” EJ jokes, pointing over to the boy that was still hovering over his girlfriend.

“In my defense,” Ricky pauses for a moment, leaning over to snatch an apple slice off her plate as well, “Most of the time I got hurt was because she distracted me.” He points towards the brunette he was standing over, a smirk evident on his face.

“Really?” Nini tilts her head back to look up at the boy, “Not because Red dared you to try out all those new skating tricks and called you a wimp if you couldn’t?”

“Don’t even try to lie!” Big Red’s voice echoes through the apartment, surprising everyone else in the room. “You only ever did those stupid tricks because you were trying to impress, Ni. She may have distracted you, but that wasn’t her fault.”

The red head walks through the apartment, the bassist trailing behind him closely. The group was well aware about the rather close relationship the pair had, but never tried anything out. Mostly due to Ashlyn’s insistence.

Ashlyn has seen both sides of celebrity relationships, from having a secret relationship versus an extremely public one. She wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to hide that much from the fans, especially if there was a chance of being exposed, like what happened to her cousin. And she wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to be dating out in the open either. She wasn’t ready, both for her career and her personal life.

The red-headed boy seemed to be understanding, and was willing to wait for her. But, Nini knew how he struggled sometimes with wondering about if she’ll ever be ready. The young brunette reminds him that their life is much different compared to the band’s and there will be sacrifices, some more difficult than others.

“I wasn’t going to lie!” Ricky calls out, leaning over Nini’s shoulder to steal another apple slice.

The brunette moved the plate away before he could grab it, “Stop eating my apple!” She gasps, “I asked if you wanted apple slices and you called me boring, so no apple for you sir.” She frowns up at her boyfriend.

Ricky nuzzles his head into her neck, pressing a few kisses to the side of her head, “But baby,” he drags out the last syllable.

“Don’t baby me,” She mutters, shifting to look towards the clock on the stove, “You guys should get going, or you’re going to be late.” She reminds the group.

Watching as Ashlyn snatches Gina’s phone out of her hands, yanking her earbuds out along with it, bringing her attention back to their friends that were currently surrounding the kitchen table. The girl whines, stealing her phone back from the bassist, but follows her nonetheless to join the group.

Dropping her arm around Ashlyn’s waist, hugging her closer to her body, “What were you guys talking about?”

Big Red shrugs, “I accused Ricky of lying, then they got all cutesy and gross.” He gags, plopping down in an open seat, curiously looking at Nini’s textbooks despite being unable to understand what was going on.

“We’re not gross.” Ricky defends, shoving Big Red’s shoulder lightly.

“Yes, you are,” Ashlyn pipes up, “You’ve been dating for like, what, six years, and it’s like you’re still in the honeymoon phase or something.” She jokes, rubbing Gina’s back pulling her in tighter.

Nini chuckles, shaking her head at her friends, “Almost eight actually.” She points out, looking over at the clock on the stove. “You guys seriously need to go if you want to make it on time.” She iterates.

The group sighs, EJ getting out of his seat following Ashlyn and Gina towards the front door pulling on their shoes. Ricky glances down at his girlfriend, tilting her chin up lightly, pressing a quick kiss to her pink lips.

“Have fun rock star,” Nini smiles as she pulls away.

Ricky grunts, not too happy that she pulled away so fast, leaning back in to plant a deeper kiss to her lips, “I love you so much, angel.”

“Gross,” She scrunches her nose at him, laughing as he gasps in shock, gripping his chest acting like she stabbed him right in the heart. “I love you too.” She giggles, waving as he heads to the front door. He quickly grabs his black leather jacket off the coat rack and pulling on his favourite pair of beaten up converse following the rest of the band out the door, tacking on a last farewell before locking up.

Nini chuckles, pulling one of her textbooks closer to her as she sticks a sticky note inside reminding her that it was an important chapter to check out again later. The brunette taps her pen against the table a couple of times, completely forgetting about the red-head sitting in front of her.

Big Red pokes his toe into her ankle, shocking her back to reality. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what he had wanted.

The pair hanging out wasn’t a strange occurrence. Ever since the band started gaining more of a fan base, the pair gravitated towards each other. They didn’t have a ton in common at first, but they loved watching trashy TV shows and movies, and even studying together. Slowly, they became each other’s best friend, loving to have a friend that wasn’t constantly being watched by the media. A friend they could walk down a street with and not get photographed or stared at.

“Eight years, huh?” Big Red wiggles his eyebrows at the brunette.

Nini chuckles, pushing her textbook aside. “Yeah, almost a decade, can you believe that?”

“Can’t believe you’ve been friends with him for two.” Big Red jokes, nudging Nini in her knee. But going back to a serious demeanor he narrows his eyes at the girl, “Did you tell him about Cameron yet?”

Sucking in a sharp breath, closing her books and piling them up the side. “Not yet,” She sighs, shaking her head as she runs a hand through her tangled locks.

Just over two weeks ago, the attending surgeon at Utah Valley had approached her after one of her more grueling shifts, and wanted to discuss having her transfer to a more advanced and better teaching hospital. Doctor Cameron realized Nini’s potential within the first few weeks of her residency. It was why Nini’s first lead surgery is so important to her, it will either make or break her moving to a more advanced hospital.

Even if she is offered the transfer, no matter how great the opportunity is, she’s not exactly sure if she wants to take it. The hospital Doctor Cameron mentioned to her all the way across the state just bordering Nevada and Idaho, and she didn’t know if she was willing to make that big of a move. Granted, it’s not like she would have to move to Canada or something on the East coast but it was still a big move nonetheless. Accepting that offer would mean uprooting her life, away from her friends, her moms, her boyfriend. Nini just needed to know that the offer was on the table, she needed to be able to prove to herself that she could do it.

Ever since Nini was in high school, she’s always been a little competitive. Trying to push herself to be better than what others chalked her out to be. A small part of her brain needed to prove to people that she was more than capable of doing what they think she couldn’t. There was always a small voice at the back of her mind, usually resembling her mom, asking her thousands of questions.

Nini, you got an B+ how could you let those few marks slide? Nini, volunteering at the hospital would look phenomenal on your college application. You’re sixteen, you should be working instead of wasting your time with your friends. Why can’t you be more like your cousin? She’s studying to be a lawyer, and what have you been doing? Have you finished your college applications? Nini, Are your grades good enough to be valedictorian? Have you applied to medical school yet? Stop with that music business, it’s only ever a dream. You can dream once you have a solid career, there’s no time for that.

A big reason why she pushed herself was because of her moms. Don’t get her wrong, she loved them ever so dearly and they just wanted what was best for her. They wanted her to be realistic, that even though her boyfriend is off touring around America, she has to give up on her dream for a little while. It’s why she did everything she could to get valedictorian, pushed herself into the best medical school on the west coast, made sure her grades were constantly worth showing.

It was a bad habit, she knew that. But it was one that she found impossible to break.

“You need to tell him soon.” Big Red pokes her arm repeatedly, having been trying to get the girl to simply talk to her boyfriend for weeks now.

“I will,” She nods, “Maybe.” She mutters.

Big Red rolls his eyes, “Sooner is better than later, Ace.”

The petite girl purses her lips together, she closes her textbook pushing it off to the side. Getting out of her seat, she brings the now empty plate of apple slices into the sink, rinsing it quickly with water and soap. After setting the plate in the rack to dry, she turns around to notice Big Red’s eyes flitting over a notebook he had brought over for himself, probably some work that he needed to get done for tomorrow.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” She whispers to herself.

“Well,” Ricky starts, “That was completely unnecessary.” He huffs, yanking the passenger door to EJ’s truck open.

The band piles into the vehicle as they complain about the meeting. It was all basic information that they pretty much knew. The week should be spent brainstorming and writing for their next album that was slowly coming to an end, an interview they had coming up, a photoshoot at the end of the month, a thousand more meetings with their producers and consultants. And most importantly, keep their public appearances on the down low until they finish recording the album. Especially after the whole ‘Is famous rock star Ricky Bowen off the market?’ scandal, which seemed to be a recurring headline as of late.

Earlier that month, Ricky had caught up with their old friend, Penny. They had originally met Penny during one of their Warped Tour concerts, she was one of the following acts after theirs and they all had gotten to know the girl along with some other small bands. The pair had simply gone out for a quick coffee before Penny had to go for a photoshoot, while Ricky was waiting for the end of Nini’s shift so they could have a date night.

Penny was only visiting Salt Lake for a few days for an interview and a few photoshoots. She was hoping to catch the band all together, but Ricky was the only one available. The Caswells and Gina were upstate at the time, busy with visiting Ashlyn and EJ’s cousins that had just flown in from Scotland. So, the pair did what any friends would do and went to grab a cup of coffee, simply to catch up and talk about how things have been since they had last seen each other.

Apparently, there was some paparazzi or some fan that had caught them out together. And next thing Ricky knew, their faces were plastered all over Twitter and every social media site imaginable. Claiming that he had gone out on a ‘date’ with the rising pop-punk princess.

Of course, Ricky had explained everything to Nini once she got home from work that same day. But the brunette didn’t think much of it, seeing as Penny and Nini had met a year ago, and she knew they were just good friends. She was also probably too tired from work and her mind was focused on getting ready for their date to even have time to worry about her boyfriend’s whereabouts.

“You know,” Gina pipes up as they head out towards the studio, the group desperately in need of getting some practice in. “This album could be it.”

Everyone in the car knew what the drummer was talking about. After they had released their second album, they would talk about going on a world tour. It had always been the dream, but they never imagined it being possible up until recently. And now that their third album is out, in the process of writing their fourth, everyone had a little voice at the back of their head whispering those thoughts.

It wasn’t that they no longer wanted to travel the world for their music, it was that they didn’t want to jinx it. And for a certain lead singer, it meant more than just his music, it also meant being away for nearly a year halfway across the world from the one person that he couldn’t live without.

Ashlyn snaps her head in her friend’s direction, “Gi, don’t get ahead of yourself. We don’t even have a title for the album.”

As EJ flicks the indicator, signaling as he merges onto the highway, “We only have like just over half of the songs written.” He adds, as he looks over his shoulder before settling into the next lane.

Ricky nods, “Yeah, I’ve been having major blocks lately, I mean, there’s a bunch of half songs that we could probably work through today. And I have this one song I’ve been writing and I just- I don’t know.” He shrugs, rifling through his bag in search of his song book that his cousin had given him for his birthday last year.

The red notebook looked as if it had gotten run over by a truck thirty times over. Despite having the notebook for just over a year, Ricky had really put it into good use. Every time an idea sprung up in his head, he’d open to a random page in the book and jot down any line or melody or a general idea to check it out later. There were a bunch of sticky notes peeking out, and probably a few napkins that he had stuffed in there during the times he didn’t have his book and he had an idea.

“God, Ricky,” Gina leans a little closer peering over the center console trying to read the book, “Have you seen Nini’s notes? It’s like super organized, everything’s written in a certain order and in perfect straight-lined tables, her tabs and stickies make sense and literally everything in there is all colour-coded. What does she think when she sees that?” She laughs, trying to decipher what the title at the top of the page read.

Ricky lets out a loud laugh, “Please,” He glances over his shoulder, closing the book slightly, keeping the book from his friend’s prying eyes. “She hates when we're in bed and I have an idea because I open up to a random page and start writing in it. She’d totally implode if she reads it, plus I wouldn’t want her reading what’s in here.” He waves his book in the air jokingly.

“Why?” Ashlyn questions a light and joking tone evident in her voice, stealing the book out of his hand, “Don’t want her to know you’re writing another song about her?” She laughs, flipping through the pages with Gina as they pick out a few lines that were intriguing.

“Shut up,” Ricky’s face reddens, snatching the book out of his friend’s hands.

“Fucking hell,” EJ laughs, “Even after eight years, you’re so whipped..”

The two girls in the back join in on his laughter. Ashlyn leaning closer, poking the curly-haired boy’s cheek teasingly, as his cheeks begin to darken in colour from embarrassment. Ricky tried his best to hide his embarrassment, but next to Nini the group in the car knew him best.

Rolling his tongue into his cheek, “Okay! We know!” He admits defeat, a bright smile slipping onto his face, “God, it’s like I’m back in high school.”

“Well in high school you definitely deserved it.” EJ comments, “You couldn’t stop talking about her. It was always Nini this, Nini that whenever we hung out. I don’t know how she didn’t realize your crush on her sooner, you were very obvious.”

“It’s embarrassing, really.” Ashlyn nods in agreement, ruffling the boy’s curls jokingly.

Ricky rolls his eyes, swatting the bassist’s hand away, “As I was saying,” He flips through his book, landing on a page, “I started writing this one song, and I can’t seem to come up with a verse. I tried a couple of things, but I don’t know.” He huffs, staring down at the page with his practically illegible scribbles were scattered over the page.

“We’re almost at the studio,” EJ pipes up, as he changes lanes, “We’ll check it out when we get there.”

The group nods in agreement, as Ricky flips to the back of his notebook. Reading over a song that he wrote a while ago, wondering if he should even dare to put it on the album. As he reads it over again and again, he sighs before shutting it closed.

“Hello Brooklyn, Hey LA
Coast to coast I’ll take you down in flames
Let the good times roll we can let go
Everybody knows there’s a party at the end of the world.”

Ricky plays around with some of the words for their next song, as EJ shoots him a few ideas while Ashlyn and Gina were off to one corner muttering quietly to themselves. They’ve been writing and trying to find the perfect lyrics nonstop the last couple of weeks trying to perfect the album before they actually head into the recording studio.

The guitarist hugs his instrument closer to his body as he leans closer to see the notes that were scrawled messily in Ricky’s song book. He strums the chorus over and over again as they try to find the perfect way to phrase certain lyrics.

“Hey,” Ricky calls to the girls in the other corner, “Chatty Cathy’s would you like to help us out or what?” He asks, snatching a chip out of the bag that was sitting in front of them.

Ashlyn rolls her eyes at the singer who was sending them a sharp look, to which Gina simply lifted her right hand sticking her middle finger up at him with her tongue poking out to the side mockingly.

The two girls make their way over, plopping themselves onto the ground in front of the square coffee table taking their drinks out of the tray having forgotten about them when they had arrived. Ashlyn stabs her straw into the table a couple of times, letting the straw breakthrough from it’s little cocoon of paper. She sticks it in the frozen, now slightly melted, cappuccino; sipping on her drink casually pretending that whatever her and Gina were talking about wasn’t important.

The singer and guitarist take note of the girls’ behaviour. Before either boys decide to comment on it, Gina decides to chime in, taking the attention off her best friend.

“So, what’s this song about again?” She asks, shifting to look at the messy scribbles in the songbook.

Ricky reminds her of their break right before their tour last year. They were performing in three different cities, under 24 hours. Their shows were at smaller venues, with smaller crowds, but that didn’t make it any less stressful. They were flying commercial, and practically had to run after one show to make it to the airport on time. Flying city to city, and coast to coast, they were surprised they even managed to stay up by their last show.

Despite all of the stress that day, it was probably one of the most thrilling moments they’ve ever had together as a band. Espresso and red bull were practically running through their veins, in small hopes to get them to stay awake throughout their shows. Without a doubt, it was the most tiring 24 hours they’ve ever experienced in their life, but still enjoyed every single minute of it. Being able to meet thousands of fans, and sing their hearts out on stage, they wouldn’t trade anything in the world for it.

As the singer retells the story, the group laugh and joke about what they remembered from that day. EJ brought up how badly he wanted to try a Chicago-style hotdog since they didn’t get to last time they were in the city, and they were nearly late for their flight to San Francisco. Ashlyn nearly forgot her bass in the hotel room on their way to their Baltimore show. And how Gina had too much red bull that she nearly crashed by the time they got to their last show, having to down an entire bottle of water and a coffee just to get her through it.

The band absolutely loved getting to travel around and seeing all the different cities and meeting all different kinds of people, it was probably one of their favourite things about being as big as they are. Second to making music, obviously. The thrill and high that came from performing has always been something they absolutely loved, even when they were still a small band that was exclusively in Salt Lake City. But performing the music that they love to fans that probably love them just as much as they do, is something so fulfilling in their hearts.

“I have a meeting with Alex and Chris on Friday, to go over a few of the tracks that we’re pretty set on. And they’re going to work his beautiful magic, like always. And Chris mentioned that he thinks he found the perfect solo pattern for you Ash, and I’ve gotta say it’s fucking sick.” Ricky chuckles, jotting something down his notebook once more.

Ashlyn nods in agreement, “That sounds good, I guess I can tell Red I’m free Friday, then?” She looks over to Ricky, a little hopeful gleam in her eye.

The last couple of weeks, Ricky has been the one begging them to stay an extra hour than they originally planned, which turned out to be an extra three, sometimes even four, because they would just get into the groove of things they’d simply lose track of time. Despite the dedication and love they all had for their music, they could sometimes lose sight on the important things in life. Like maintaining their relationships outside of the band, doing other things they enjoyed that didn’t consist of their career.

“Come on, Ricky!” Gina tosses a balled up sheet of paper that was lying on the coffee table at her friend’s head, “Let the girl see her boyfriend!” She tries to sway his decision.

“BOYFRIEND?!” EJ and Ricky exclaim at the same time, turning their heads to look at the bassist.

The girl’s cheeks start to redden, nearly matching the colour of her hair. Ducking her head to her chest, feeling rather embarrassed by all the eyes on her and the words that had left her best friend’s mouth. She continues to sip on her beverage innocently, trying to avoid the questioning look that the boys were sending her.

Gina’s mouth falls open slightly, forgetting that the little tidbit of information was supposed to be kept secret. At least until they found the time and the courage to tell all of their friends. So far, the only person that they had told was Gina, and even then, they didn’t exactly tell her – she found out.

The pair were in Ashlyn’s apartment, a romantic dinner was set on the table, completely forgotten by the pair. They were on the couch, leaning closer about to lock lips for what felt like the umpteenth time that evening, when Gina had barged into the apartment muttering something about EJ doing something incredibly stupid. And the sight in front of her was definitely not one that she was expecting.

“Sorry.” Gina mutters, sending her best friend an apologetic look.

Ashlyn shrugs her shoulders, “They had to find out eventually, I guess.” Turning her head to look at the boys that were still looking at her with curious looks. Setting her drink down on the table, she licks her lips before speaking up once more. “If you didn’t gather from what Gina said, Red and I decided to make things official.”

“You made things official without telling us?” EJ raises an eyebrow. “Why did Gina know first? I’m your cousin!”

“Well!” She cringes to herself, “We were looking for the right time to say something. And, just because you’re my cousin doesn’t mean anything loser.” She sends the tall man a sharp look.

“Please, Ash, there’s been so many right times.” Ricky chuckles as he looks at EJ who had an offended look on his face, “You know, what? It doesn’t matter. I’m really happy for you guys. Plus, it’s about time.”

The bassist’s eyes widen at his words, “What do you mean about time?”

EJ scoffs, leaning his back further into the couch his guitar now abandoned next to him, “It’s been years, Ashlyn.” He deadpans, “I’m surprised how long you guys held out for. I was sure he was going to ask you after our second tour. It was so obvious how much he missed you, if his puppy dog eyes didn’t give anything away, it was definitely the flowers he had brought for you. I mean, come on, I didn’t get any flowers!”

Ashlyn’s cheeks started to burn up again, trying to formulate words but nothing was coming out of her mouth because she knew the boys were absolutely right. During the tour, she probably facetimed Big Red every other night and she was always sending him photos of what they would see in whatever city they were in. And when they got back, the pair were practically attached at the hip. So, it didn’t really come as a surprise that they were dating.

The curly-haired girl rolls her eyes at her boyfriend, “You wanted Big Red to buy you flowers?” She nearly laughs.

“Well? Nini got you a new bracelet! And we all know what Ricky got.” He turns his head to send a wink to the lead singer who was already glaring right back at him.

“Fuck me.” He mutters to himself as he slumps back in his seat tossing his notebook on the table, eyeing the ball of paper that Gina had thrown at his head wondering if he should toss it at his best friend.

A sly smile makes its way onto EJ’s face, “I’m good, but you should ask Nini though.”

Before either boys could say another word, Gina pipes up, shooting her boyfriend a warning look. “So, Friday?” Gina looks at Ricky with a hopeful look in her eyes. “And, just think, you can go home and be with Nini, maybe have like a date night. I’m sure she’d love that!”

“And, you probably would get s-”

“Another word, EJ, and I swear you are going to be sleeping on the couch for a month!” Gina points at the guitarist, who suddenly started cowering back into his seat not wanting to get into any trouble with the feisty drummer.

Ashlyn turns to Ricky, breaking the argument between her cousin and his girlfriend, “So, what do you say?” She asks kindly.

“I was going to say yes either way.” Ricky chuckles, his smile widens at the thought of getting to go home early and spend the night with girlfriend. “We should get back to work, or none of us are getting out of here before Friday.”

Ricky throws his clothes into the laundry basket before making his way into bed. Nini was already nestled in their sheets, her computer opened up on her lap as she types away. Glancing over to her screen he sees her Facebook opened up, Nini was messaging some of her family back in the Philippines. It was probably nearing two, as it starts nearing midnight where they were.

“Tell Pat I say hi,” He presses a kiss to her shoulder before leaning his head against her arm to nestle closely to his girlfriend.

Nini giggles, pushing up her glasses as she looks down at the boy, “Okay, I will.” She replies, running her thumb along his jawline for a moment before relaying the message to her cousin quickly.

Another twenty minutes pass, Ricky on his phone aimlessly scrolling through Buzzfeed and liking a couple of things on Twitter and Instagram. Ricky loved going through his fans' tweets and posts. Most of them were quite endearing and heartwarming, others were a little questionable but he tried his best to avoid those ones.

Sending a few edits to the band’s group chat, raving about their amazing editing skills. He realizes the time, sighing as he remembers that he has to get up at six the following morning for yet another interview for some article that’s supposed to showcase them as a band. Turning over, plugging his phone into the charger on his side of the bed before slumping down into the sheets.

Nini notices his position, figuring it was time for her to get some rest as well. Sending a few more messages to Patricia before shutting her laptop and placing it back in its rightful spot on her shelf. Shutting off her lamp, she sets her glasses down on the nightstand next to her small jewelry dish where her promise ring and her necklace that her Lola got her for her high school graduation was sitting in, melting further into the sheets.

Shifting closer to her boyfriend, Ricky immediately wraps an arm around her torso pulling her closer into his chest. Planting a tender kiss to her forehead, “How’s everyone back home?” He asks quietly.

Both their minds were still running, not completely tired from their days quite yet. Nini sighs, as she twines her fingers with Ricky’s as she relaxes into his hold. “Ricky, I want to go back.” She mutters, “I know I only met them once, but I miss them.”

“You’re allowed to miss them, angel,” He whispers, looking down at his girlfriend who has nuzzled her way into his neck.

A few moments of silence pass between them, Ricky simply running his hand down her back soothingly. Nini lets out a deep breath, one he felt that she was holding, “I keep stopping myself.” She utters out of the blue, squinting up at Ricky, he was a little blurry due to her poor eyesight “We always talked about seeing the world when we were kids. How you wanted to see the Colosseum and the Northern Lights.”

“And, you wanted to see Banff, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Barrier Reef. Even if you don’t really know how to swim.” He jokes, Nini smacking his chest lightly in retaliation. “I’m kidding, hon. But what is this about?” He asks softly.

“I don’t know,” She mutters, “School’s always been important, you know that. It’s just, I’m going to be twenty five next year, and I still haven’t seen the world. I want to go to Italy, Peru, Greece and so many more places. But, I love my job. I can’t make myself stop unless someone else does that for me. Is there something wrong with me? That I just can’t force myself to stop and enjoy life for a second?”

Continuing to run his hand up and down her back, he listens to her ramble on. Pressing a few kisses to the top of her head, he mumbles against her hairline, “There’s nothing wrong with you, baby. You love your job, just because you haven’t travelled around doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy your life.” He whispers, pressing another kiss into her hair, “Unless, you’re not happy…” He trails off, looking down at the brunette.

The girl in his harms smacks him lightly, “Don’t be ridiculous. I am happy. So, so happy, especially when I’m with you. I just wished I could let myself do the things I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

Ricky tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, “One day, Nins. I promise you one day we’ll go wherever you want to go.” He smiles, as an idea pops into his head. “And, just so you know, I’m happy when I’m with you too.”

The small brunette in his arms hums, “Good.” She says, shifting to bring one of her legs over his, snaking them together comfortably. The girl sighs, as she nibbles on her lower lip, a clear indicator that she was deep in thought.

Nini tilts her head up to look up at her boyfriend, despite the darkness that enveloped around them and the blur she got from her poor eyesight. The only light streaming through was the moonlight, coming from the window next to Ricky’s side of the bed. And even then, it didn’t give off as much light to completely see each other’s features.

Puckering her lips lightly, Ricky chuckles as he leans closer pressing his own against hers. The pair giggling at the silliness of her actions. She smiles into the kiss causing them to break apart once more.

“I love you. Did you know that?” She whispers.

“No, I didn’t.” Ricky shakes his head.

Nini giggles, pecking his lips once more, “Well, in case you didn’t hear me the first seventy thousand times I’ve said it, since we’ve been dating. I love you. So very much Ricky. Even when I can’t really see you.” She brings one of her hands into his hair playing with his curls lightly, giggling at her own joke.

“I love you more.” He replies, laughing at her statement, “I’m beautiful even as a blurry blob. All the fans can tell you that.”

“Fuck, never mind,” Nini shifts out of his hold, “I don’t love you anymore. You’re too full of yourself.” She huffs, turning her back to him. Trying her best to keep her giggles to herself, as she hears Ricky gasp at her words.

“You take that back!” He presses his chest up against her back. He snaked his hands around her waist, using his fingers to tickle at her most sensitive spots.

Nini barks out a loud laugh as Ricky begins to tickle her up and down her sides, “N-N-Ne-Ne-v-v-e-Never!” She stutters out in between fits of laughter, she shifts once more laying down on her back trying to push Ricky away.

As the word falls out of her mouth, Ricky moves to straddle her hips pinning her down on the bed refusing to let up on the small girl. “Oh, it’s so on babe!”

Chapter Text

Golden Monday have done their fair share of interviews over the years, but despite this, they still absolutely hated them. They loved getting to share their story to all of their fans that were interested and invested enough in their lives, because it was an amazing journey for them and they wouldn’t be where they were without them.

The interviewer smiles brightly at the camera in front of them having introduced the band in front of her, straightening out her cue cards, tapping them on her lap a few times before starting, “You guys got back from tour a few months ago, is there a new album already in the works?”

The bassist smiles widely, “Yes, we’ve been playing with a bunch of different sounds and I can honestly say this album is probably going to be the one that will help our fans connect to us and who we really are as a band and kind of how we came to be. We pay a lot of homage to home in this one.”

The interviewer, Madelaine, nods along as she listens intently to the red-headed girl eyes grazing over to the rest of the band who seem to be in agreement with the bassist. She chuckles, glancing down to her note cards before bringing her gaze back to the band, “You kind of beat me to bringing up the topic, Ashlyn. So, you’ve mentioned how this next album is about how you as a band came to be. Why don’t you tell me the story about why you decided to form this band in the first place?”

Ashlyn subtly taps Ricky’s ankle with her foot, signaling for him to start. The singer chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand shyly, “It was never about the fame.” He admits, licking his lips before he continues, “I’ve known EJ since freshman year of high school and we used to hang out at my place with a bunch of our friends. And we’d just mess around and play music and stuff. During our sophomore year, we were singing and a good friend of ours thought it’d be a great idea for us to start up a band.”

The lead guitarist nods in agreement, “Yeah, and we figured, why the hell not?”

“It never meant to get this big,” Ricky adds with a bright smile on his face, “It was kind of just for fun. Like, I was planning on going to law school, but I guess plans don’t always turn out the way you expect. Anyways, we all absolutely loved music and we figured it didn’t hurt to make an extra buck. There wasn’t really like a pivotal moment where we were like let’s do this forever.”

The drummer hums, noticing the interviewer’s eyes had been eyeing Ricky a little too long despite the fact that he had been the one speaking. “Yeah, we just played for fun at battle of the bands competitions and talent shows. We never thought about what would bring us the most money or fans. We made music because it was what we enjoyed and loved to do. And over time our fan base grew and that’s kind of when we were like ‘oh my god we could do this as a career.’ Next thing we know we were being offered a record deal.”

“Talk about a teenager’s dream, huh?” The interviewer, Lara, sends them a teasing smile.

“Oh, definitely!” Ashlyn nods. “We are so grateful for the opportunity. We still can’t believe our label took a chance on four teenage kids.”

“You must’ve made a great impression,” The dark-haired woman looks down at her notes briefly before bringing her eyes back up to the group, “Ricky touched upon how you never thought of fame at the beginning. What is it like now that you are part of the public eye and have so many people out there listening to your music?”

EJ clears his throat, shifting his arm to wrap around the back of Ricky’s chair, “Well, it’s absolutely amazing. Like, even though we never thought of being a part of such a big industry, it is still a dream come true. I mean, probably every kid on this planet has thought about being some big star, whether that’d be in music, acting, dance, writing even.” He chuckles.

A beat passes after the small fit of laughter, and EJ takes on a serious tone once more, chancing a glance to his best friend next to him knowing that what he was about to say next was going to hit a little too close to home.

Teetering to the edge of his seat, he continues, “But of course it’s so hard sometimes. You sacrifice so much, and you don’t really realize how much until you’re face to face with it. Take our personal lives for example,” EJ pauses as he hears the sharp but shallow intake of Ricky’s breath, “We pride ourselves in the fact that our entire personal lives aren’t displayed out in the media. Of course, there are mishaps, but we loved who we were before the fame and we don’t want to lose sight of that.”

“So, how do you go about it then?” Madelaine asks, intrigued by the lead guitarist’s answer, “For each of you, name one thing that’s helped you to forget about the fame and stick close to reality.” She sends them a bright smile, her eyes lingering on the curly-haired singer for a moment longer.

“I think I speak on behalf of all of us, but as basic it might sound, it’s our music.” Gina pipes up, “I know our music is what brought us to where we are today, but every song we put out it tells a story. It’s our story, whether you can decipher it or not, we make our music to express who we are as people. From what I’ve gathered when looking through the internet, fans have caught on to some, not all. And that’s okay. It’s written for us. For our friends, our family.”

Ashlyn nods in agreement, sitting on the other side of Gina she places a hand over hers lightly, “I would also have to say the people that helped build who we are and what this band has become. They’ve supported us through everything. Never have left our sides even when we can sometimes be blinded by all of the fame. They bring us back down to earth, and remind us where we started and kind of give us a reality check.”

“Just like your friend that helped form and suggested this band.” Madelaine points out, turning to look at Ricky out of habit, “Are you all still friends with this person?”

Ricky feels himself freeze for a moment as he holds the woman’s stare, “Yeah, we are. We’re all still really close with them. Our friend just prefers to stay out of the media, it was their one request when we started growing in the industry.” He informs the interviewer, Madelaine not quite catching the sad tone that was trying to break through his voice. “And, who am I to say no to that?”

“Personal life, right,” The woman chuckles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Well, that was all my questions for today. Thank you so much for joining us, and we are absolutely looking forward to this next album. Catch Golden Monday’s new music video, Forget About It!”

After they finished filming, the band made their way over to a table in the far corner that had a few snacks set out for them. They mutter to each other about the interview, eyes carefully tread over Ricky as they notice that he’s gone a little silent since they’ve finished filming.

In all their years of being in the industry, they’ve never been outright asked about the brunette that helped start this band. Of course, they give credit to her where it’s due, but usually when they mention the girl, interviewers breeze pass it and move on like she was nothing, when that was the complete opposite of the truth. They’ve never bothered to ask about whether they were still friends or who this person was.

It was just another reminder to Ricky that he couldn’t scream to the world about how in love he was with his girlfriend. What he had said in the interview was completely true. Who was he to ask his long-time girlfriend to sacrifice her personal life just so he could tell the world about her? She had her own right to privacy, and he simply respected that. No matter how much he wanted her to be okay with going public.

Before the group could ask Ricky if he was okay, the interviewer came up to the group. Tapping Ricky on the shoulder causing the boy to turn around to greet her with a kind smile. A smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, a little too lost in thought.

Gina ducks her down to her chest as she leans closer to Ashlyn, “Here we go again.” She mutters underneath her breath.

It wasn’t a strange occurrence for random girls whether that’d be interviewers, people at clubs or even when they head out for coffee to ask Ricky about a date. They’ve all seen the tabloids, where they claim Ricky is this player. Despite it being the furthest from the truth, it never stopped people from hitting on the singer.

“Ricky, hi! I just had a quick question,” Madelaine smiles brightly, a red tint started to take over her cheeks, “By any chance, would you want to go out some time?”

Ricky sighs tiredly, he always hated when girls would ask him. Even though they didn’t know that he wasn’t on the market, he also couldn’t just come right out and tell them that. It was always awkward and weird whenever he had to reject them. He hated it, but there was no other answer he could give them because there was no one else for him.

“Sorry, Margret, was it?” He squints, having a hard time remembering her name.

“Madelaine.” She grits through her teeth, already preparing herself by the way he sounded apologetic.

The boy cringes slightly, it was already awkward that he had to reject her and now he had gotten her name wrong. He runs a hand across the back of his neck, “Right, Madelaine.” He corrects himself, “I don’t really do that. Date, see people, whatever.”

The brunette shakes her head, “No, yeah, I shouldn’t have assumed. May I ask why?”

“Personal life.” He reminds her, “And for the record, don’t listen to everything the tabloids say. They twist the truth to what people want to see and hear.”

“Of course, yeah,” She nods, “Sorry.” She mutters before waving to the rest of the band as she makes her way back to the director having been called for something.

Slowly, Ricky turns his head to see his other bandmates with raised eyebrows, Gina trying to keep her laughter to herself clutching her coffee to her chest. Ricky rolls his eyes as he approaches them, grabbing the cup of coffee EJ had made for him.

“Don’t start,” He points at Gina, knowing she wanted to joke about it. “I should call Ni. We need to finish writing this album, and I don’t know what time we’ll finish. Plus, we have that meeting with Alex and Jordyn, and we have to check in with Jenna about our photoshoot.”

“Ricky,” Gina catches his arm before he walks away, “That’s the fourth time this week. I know you went home earlier than you usually do last night, but you didn’t even make it in time for dinner.”

The guitarist nods along to his girlfriend’s words, “Yeah, we don’t need to rehearse today if we’re meeting with Alex and Jordyn, that’s what they are there for. To help move our writing process along, and to suggest things and give us another perspective.”

The boy sucks in a sharp breath, eyeing the girl carefully as she gives him a warning look. “We need to finish the album, E.”

EJ shakes his head, “Not an excuse.”

“Look,” Ashlyn catches his attention, “Go home. Rest. Be with her. You can’t work yourself down to the bone.”

“Not tonight.” He refuses, “She understands that I’m busy. We both are. Plus, we’re cutting rehearsal short on Friday. So, just drop it, okay?” He walks off before they could say another word.

Later that night, Ricky joins Nini where she was on the couch after a long day at the studio. They had nearly finished the album, just a few tweaks here and there and a few more songs to play around with and then they’d be done. It was just nearing two A.M. and he thought Nini would already be tucked away in bed, but she was far too focused on what she was reading to realize how much time had slipped away from her.

Slowly he puts his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest tightly. The small brunette smiles to herself as she feels the warmth of her boyfriend, she grabs her glass of wine off of the coffee table offering him some, but he refuses. “Hey baby,” She tilts her head up pecking Ricky’s lips lightly, “How was the interview?” She asks as she sets the glass back down on the table.

Ricky presses a kiss to the back of her head, “We talked about you.” He mutters, causing the brunette to snap her head in his direction. The singer only chuckles, as he presses his face into her hair, “Not by name. But she asked what helped us stay sane amongst all the fame, and we brought up the people in our lives that have known us before we were famous are what keeps us close to reality.”

“I keep you sane?” She asks, leaning her head against his shoulder, toying with the corners of her book as it laid open on her lap.

“I thought you knew that already.” He laughs, causing the small girl in his arms to chuckle as well. “Angel, can I ask you something?” He whispers into her hair, his tone taking on a more serious one than earlier.

The brunette closes her book, bringing her full attention to her boyfriend. “Of course.” She mutters, leaning her back further into his chest, twining their fingers together as she pulls her legs to come across his lap.

“Gina said something earlier today, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He lets out a sigh, tightening his grip on her hand. The small girl waits for him to continue, knowing that he just needed a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’ve been coming home a lot later and leaving earlier the last couple of weeks an-”

“No.” Nini stops him, turning her head to look up at the boy’s sad eyes, “Don’t do that. I know that you’re busy. I know that this album has been killing you – all of you. I know there are expectations from your label and your managers and just about everyone. I don’t fault you for that. Your schedule is filled, I get it.”

Ricky lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, “But I’m starting to realize that in that schedule, I barely have time for you. And I’m not even talking about dates and stuff like that, but just to see you in general.” He mutters, running his hand through her knotted hair. “And out of everything in my life, you are the most important – always.”

“Ricky.” Nini starts, but he interrupts her train of thought.

“I wanted to ask if you hate it. Like, do you hate that I don’t have time?” He asks, his voice shaking slightly. “Do you hate that we barely have time to see each other and like, do things like we used to? Like before I was famous?”

The small girl sucks in a sharp breath, not quite prepared for the question that had left his lips. “Honestly, no.” She shakes her head, “Like, of course I wish we could spend more time together. You’re my best friend and my boyfriend, I’m always going to want to spend time with you. But babe, this is your career and it makes you so, so happy. Being a part of this band makes you happy. Even if I wanted to say that I hate it, I don’t because all I ever want is to see you happy. You’re doing what you were put in this world to do.” She reassures him, running her thumb along his hand comfortingly.

A frown takes over Ricky’s face, disappointed in himself for even thinking that she could. Of all the people in the world, Ricky knew Nini best – maybe even better than herself. There shouldn’t have been doubt that all she ever wanted was for him to be happy, because the same goes for him. He supposes that was what brought him to asking her such a heavy question. It wasn’t that the answer didn’t satisfy him, but he wasn’t quite sure if she was putting his happiness before her own.

Pulling the girl tighter into his chest, “Don’t do that. I know what you’re doing – don’t.” He tells her softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “Stop using my career as an excuse, angel.”

She gulps at his response, “I just-”

“I know, sweetheart.” Ricky mutters, bringing his hand to her chin, tilting it up slightly to look his girlfriend in the eyes, “I’m the happiest guy in the world when I’m with you. Not when I’m singing on stage in front of thousands of fans. It’s when I get to hold you like this, that I know that I’m honestly and truly happy. So, are you honestly and truly happy?” He asks.

“I’m dating you. How could I not be happy?” She let a small smile creep onto her face, there was a shadow of doubt in her eyes but Ricky didn’t quite catch it. It was gone as soon as it came, pushing the thought to the back of her mind.

Ricky leans down to peck her lips lightly, “You make being famous worth it, you know?”

The brunette scrunches her nose at his comment, “What?”

Chuckling as he pokes her nose, “Well, I never wanted to be famous, you know that.” He shrugs, “It’s hard being in the industry. It’s like everything you do is being controlled from our music to our appearances, whether it’s to the mall or at an interview. It’s so easy to lose sight of yourself. But when I come home every night, I remember why I do this. I do it for the dreamers. People like you, the ones that love music but are meant to make an impact in a different way. And if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And if it wasn’t for you, I would’ve quit a long time ago. You really are the one that gets me through it all.”

“You pretend to be some heartless punk boy, but really you’re a literal cheeseball.” She giggles a small blush making its way onto her cheeks, planting one more kiss to his lips. “Come on rock star, we need to get to bed. You have a meeting bright and early tomorrow.” Nini stands up, pulling a groaning Ricky up along with her.

Pulling her hand back lightly, the small brunette loses her balance and falls back into Ricky’s hard chest. Wrapping his arms around her waist burying his head into her neck as they continue to make their way over to their bedroom. He peppers kisses up the side of her neck, causing the girl to erupt in giggles.

Making his way up to her ear, leaving his lips to rest against the shell for a moment before speaking. “Go on a date with me.” He whispers, the huskiness of his voice causing shivers to run down the girl’s spine.

Nini giggles, “The way you said that was really hot,” She murmurs, opening up their bedroom door as she guides them over to the bed, “But sure, why not?”

“Why are you agreeing to it like I’m a friend you don’t really want to hang out with but you have nothing better to do, so you say yes anyways?” He pouts, pulling her down on his side of the bed, letting the brunette fall into his lap as he hugged her closely.

“Fuck off.” She laughs, “Let’s go on that date. When?” She asks, leaning her back further into his chest.

“Tomorrow.” He mutters, pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear once more.

Nini raises her eyebrow, turning to look at her boyfriend curiously, “Tomorrow?” She asks a confused tone laced in her voice, shifting in her spot to face him properly.

Ricky nods, “You heard me. Who doesn’t love date night on a random Tuesday? Tomorrow night, I’m going to leave rehearsal early and I’m going to pick you up like it’s our first date again. And I’ll leave the rest to be a surprise.”

“A surprise for me? Or both of us?” She lets out a loud laugh, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s neck.

The curly-haired singer hums as he leans in kissing the girl’s pink lips, “Both.” He mumbles against her mouth, causing the pair to erupt in giggles.

“Okay, okay, date night it is.” She pulls back from his lips, “But go change, you’re not allowed to sleep next to me if you’re still in your clothes from today.” She huffs, crawling out his grasp and rolling over onto her side of the bed.

“You suck, you know that?” He rolls his eyes as he moves over to the closet, peeling his shirt off and tossing it into the laundry basket that was nestled inside their closet.

The brunette shrugs, pushing her glasses up her nose, “Maybe,” Watching as Ricky unbuttons his jeans getting ready to push them off his legs to slip into his pajama pants, “God, I can’t wait for tomorrow.” She draws her lip between her teeth.

Ricky looks over his shoulder to his girlfriend, recognizing the face that she was making. He lets out a loud laugh, as he finishes changing. Running back over to their bed, Ricky lies on his stomach right on top of the brunette.

“We don’t have to wait until tomorrow.” He winks at his girlfriend, leaning in closer to the tiny girl underneath him starting to pucker his lips.

Nini places her hand over his mouth, pushing him off of her. “We can do more kissy kissy tomorrow, babe. It’s bedtime.” She reminds him, watching as he slips underneath the sheets, letting the warmth surround him.

“Kissy kissy? I like the sound of that.” Ricky teases, copying her motions slipping his arms around his girlfriend making himself comfortable. “Good night my little angel.” He kisses her one last time to her temple.

“You didn’t have to get me flowers,” Nini mutters as she touches one of the lilies in the bouquet lightly, “It’s just a date.” She reminds him.

Ricky lets a small laugh escape his lips, his hand on her thigh as he drove down the freeway. Music surrounded them, Nini’s choice of course, having taken control the second she got into the vehicle. “It’s part of the package. Flowers, amazing date with everything I have in store, and hopefully lots of kissy kissy from my beautiful girlfriend.” He smiles brightly at her.

The small brunette lets out a loud laugh, tilting her back against the seat. “My god, Ricky!” She brings her hand to her cheek as she feels it beginning to burn from the laughter expelled from her body. “So, where are we going?” She asks once her laughter dies down.

A smirk makes its way onto his face as he glances over to Nini briefly, running his hand up and down her thigh softly, “You’ll love it. That’s all you need to know.”

Unable to stop herself, she rolls her eyes at his reply, “You’re lucky I love you.”

Ricky chuckles, running his hand up and down her thigh as he stares out at the road, cars zooming by them as they continue to chat and catch up on the last couple of weeks that they had missed each other. They usually tried to steer away from work, but considering how much time they spend at work it was hard not to talk about it when it’s the only thing really going on in their lives at the moment.

As Nini retells a story about a funny incident she had with a patient and their fiancée, Ricky starts to drive up a rather abandoned road. It looked quite questionable seeing as that the once paved road was now completely covered by dirt, and Nini couldn’t quite tell if there was any real road underneath it all. Peering over the dashboard she sees old tire marks, probably from other people that have gone to wherever they were going. But that still didn’t ease Nini’s mind, considering how dangerous it looked.

Turning her head to look at her boyfriend, who now had both hands on the wheels as he maneuvered up the makeshift road. Drawing her lip in between her teeth nervously, she turns the music down slightly so Ricky could have better focus. And after another ten minutes of driving the trail, they arrive at their destination.

It was at the edge of one of the cliffs on the outskirts of town. Completely secluded and the sun was beginning to set, seeing as it was nearing eight o’clock. The skies were painted with pink and red streaks, as the moon started to appear in the dark blue sky that was slowly making its way through. It overlooked the city, she could see the street lights lined up down main street from where she was standing. And the roads weren’t too traffic, seeing as it was a Tuesday night and most people were probably already home with their families or having dinner with their friends.

Getting out of the car, Nini notices there was a blanket already set out on the floor with a couple of pillows that she recognized from their storage unit back at the apartment. Nini only ever took those out when they would go camping. A large blank white sheet hung from the tree, making Nini question what it was doing there.

Spinning around she sees a picnic table that had a little tiny projector, telling Nini that they were probably going to watch a movie of some sorts, and eat whatever Ricky had packed. Which what seemed to be food that he ordered from one of their favourite restaurants in the city.

Ricky was starting to unpack, setting things down on the table making sure everything was there and perfect. While he was distracted, Nini made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso with his back to her.

Planting a kiss in between his shoulder blades, “I love it.” She mumbles against the fabric of his sweater.

He chuckles, as his hands land on her interlocked fingers around his stomach, prying them apart as he takes a seat down at the picnic table. Immediately he pulls Nini to sit down on one of his knees, her legs dangling barely touching the ground underneath her.

“Anything for you, angel.” He whispers, as Nini closes the gap between them.

“You make me feel like I’m sixteen again.” Nini teases, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as she stares into her boyfriend’s eyes.

Ricky smiles, pressing his thumb into her cheek, “And, it’s like I fell in love with you all over again.”

The brunette’s cheeks flush bright red at her boyfriend’s comment. “I love you.” She murmurs, connecting their lips once more, leaning further into his side. Ricky humming, easily reciprocating the embrace, pulling her impossibly closer.

“Angel,” He mumbles against her lips, stroking her cheek lightly before pulling away despite how much he didn’t want to. “Food’s going to get cold if we don’t eat it now.”

Nini huffs as she pulls away, a small pout on her lips, “Okay, fine. Kiss ruiner.” She attempts to get up from his lap to make her way to the other side of the table so they could start dinner.

But, Ricky’s hand wraps around her tiny wrist pulling her back down, “What did you just call me?” He asks, an offended and joking tone taking over his voice.

“You heard me.” Nini giggles, as Ricky’s face comes into her personal space once more. Before Ricky could kiss his girlfriend once more, she gets out of his hold and quickly makes her way around the table. “No, too late you lost your chance. Who knows? Maybe that’s your last kiss for tonight.” She lifts one of her shoulders in half shrug, taking her seat in front of him.

“It’s not.” Ricky states rather confidently, prying open their containers that were filled with their dinner. “And, I’ll make sure it’s much more than just kisses.”

Nini giggles, her cheeks burning up once more as she pries open her plastic utensils, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, babe.”

“Oh, it definitely will.” He winks.

“Oh my god!” Nini gasps, tosses the piece of plastic wrap from around her utensils at the boy, a shocked look taking over her face as her boyfriend laughs to himself. “Just eat your damn food.” She laughs, pushing his container closer to him.

Nini was in the breakroom, far too busy going over her notes for her surgery that was coming up. For some reason, she couldn’t stop stressing over her upcoming surgery, just wanting everything to be perfect for her first lead surgery. A lot was riding on it, first and foremost the patient, of course, but also the chance of being offered a transfer.

Despite not wanting the transfer, she couldn’t help but work towards being offered it. She hated that she wanted the offer when she knew she was going to turn it down. Big Red didn’t know that little tidbit, she couldn’t make herself tell him quite yet. She could already hear what he was going to say.

‘Don’t be ridiculous, of course you have to accept. Put yourself first. Fuck everyone else.’

And of course, she couldn’t let that be what goes through her mind. It would be amazing to be transferred to an amazing teaching hospital, but she couldn’t help but think about her life that she would be leaving behind. One with all of her friends and her boyfriend. She just couldn’t do it.

“Hey Nins,” Seb walks up to Nini in the breakroom.

The brunette looks up at her friend, “Hey Seb, how’s it out there?” She asks, plastering a tired smile on her face.

The pair had first met on their first day of their residency and have been good friends ever since. Constantly sticking by each other’s side, helping the other out whenever they could. Especially grabbing a coffee for the other whenever they went on break.

Seb takes a seat as he sets down a coffee in front of Nini, having bought one for her as well. “You know, the usual.” He chuckles, taking a sip of his hot beverage, “You need to rest, Ni. You’ve been cramming for this surgery, and we both know you’re fucking ready for this.”

Nini shakes her head, “I can’t. It has to be perfect.” She mutters, silently thanking him for the coffee.

“Why don’t we do something after work?” He offers, “Carlos is done work at eight, we could have a drink, maybe cry over some rom-com or something.” He suggests.

“I don’t know…” Nini trails off, trying to recall if Ricky was going to be home that night. As of lately he’s been coming home past midnight, so she figures as long as she kicks them out before he gets home, then they should be fine.

Despite having been friends with Seb and Carlos for a while, she still wasn’t quite ready to tell them about her boyfriend. But she figures it wouldn’t hurt to have them come over, since that pair were in the middle of unpacking their things, having just moved in together.

Seb places a hand on Nini’s arm, “We’re not working tomorrow, and you need to relax.” He tries to convince her. “I feel like you haven’t taken a break in like weeks.”

The brunette sighs, knowing it was far from the truth, but Seb didn’t know that. “Fine, fine.” She mutters, as she lifts her cup of coffee to her lips taking a slow sip before continuing. “Tell Carlos to meet us at my place, I’ll give you the address later. We can order food or something.”

“Oh my god, yes! I’ve been in desperate need of some real quality Nini time.” He laughs, squeezing her arm lightly once more, before retracting his hand to his lap. “We should invite Kourtney from pathology.”

The blond mentioned the girl they had met earlier that month after a little confusion in their department. They had found Kourtney to be quite enjoyable company after chatting with her while they waited for their vials to be processed properly. Sometimes catching her on her break, while they were on theirs.

“Okay, I’ll text her,” Nini giggles, glancing up at the clock realizing the time, “We should get going before Cameron has our asses.” She closes up her books, shoving them back in her backpack.

“Cameron loves you, don’t even,” Seb jokes as he gets up from his seat, tucking it in as he follows Nini out of the room. The brunette muttered a dismissal of his comment, but they both knew that it was true, no matter how much Nini wanted to deny it.

Chapter Text

“Girl,” Kourtney’s eyes widen as they walk into Nini’s apartment, “Do you have another job besides being a doctor or something?” She jokes.

Nini chuckles as she tosses her keys into the bowl that was sitting on the table right by the front door. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She waves her off, “I barely have time being a doctor, no less having another job.” She laughs, kicking off her shoes.

“Nins, she’s not wrong,” Seb looks further into her apartment amazed by the space and the furniture that was scattered around the living room. “This place is a little insane, even for our salary.”

The girl’s cheeks redden in embarrassment, having not realized that the apartment was a little nicer than one would expect. Sure, Ricky made much more than she did but she still paid her fair share. The agreement was that they would half the rent if Ricky was allowed to pay for all the furniture that Nini wanted. He didn’t want anything less than what she hoped for.

The apartment had high ceilings and had a large glass window that went across the entirety of one wall. A large television was hung on the wall across from the velvety blue sectional and her favourite recliner that Nini had fallen in love with the second she laid eyes on it. Everything else seemed quite simple to Nini, a basic wooden coffee table and a full bookshelf of her books, right next to it was a similar shelf, but full of vinyl that Ricky had collected over the years. There was an acoustic and electric guitar next to the shelves, mostly for Ricky’s use but Nini played the acoustic one occasionally. And a dining table that had a few boxes piled up on top of it, Ricky having ordered a couple of things the other week, and he hadn’t gotten around the time to open them quite yet.

Nini rushes around, pushing some picture frames down that were scattered around the living room before they could see what she was doing, seeing as they were probably going to spend all evening in front of the television. “Sorry about the mess,” She mutters, stacking up the boxes from the dining table in the hallway. “Wasn’t exactly expecting company.” She chuckles.

“Who cares about the mess when your place looks like this.” Carlos gushes, as he takes a seat on the couch, slumping further into the comfortable cushions. The boy runs his hands along the velvet couch, while he grabs one of the throw pillows hugging it to his chest.

Seb and Kourtney followed suit, commenting on her taste of furniture. The brunette chuckles as she sets her bag down on the table, watching her friends as they fawn over the space. Pointing a few things out, completely in awe by everything that was scattered in her apartment. They peaked around the corner, peering into the kitchen briefly.

“I’m just going to change into some comfortable clothes,” She walks over to them, grabbing the controller off the coffee table. “I’ve got Netflix hooked up on it already, so just take your pick. And think about what you want for dinner. I don’t really care for either of them.” She smiles at them, not answering a single one of their questions before heading up to her room quickly.

After changing out of her work clothes, she pulls on a white crop top and a pair of leggings. Heading back out to her friends, she chuckles as she hears them arguing over what to have for dinner. Making herself comfortable in the recliner, pulling the blanket that was draped over the back onto her lap.

Kourtney glances over to her, “Nins, you’re the deciding vote. Pizza or Chinese?”

Nini hums, “Pizza. I haven’t had a good pizza in a while.”

Once everything was ordered and set, Nini had went off to the kitchen grabbing a bottle of wine and couple of glasses for them. They were chatting with wine in their hands as they waited for their food to arrive. When suddenly all eyes were on the brunette, the girl having accidentally zoned out in the middle of the conversation.

“Hm? What?” She raises her eyebrows, sipping her wine once more.

“Are you, like, secretly rich?” Carlos asks, “I guessed you’re like some secret heiress or royalty or something, and you decided to leave your kingdom but not before you took a couple gold bars with you.” He jokes.

“My guess was that you inherited a shit ton of money from like an old relative that died or something.” Kourtney pipes up, the theorizing pair leaning forward slightly as they await their friend’s response.

The small girl couldn’t help but burst out into laughter as she listened to Carlos’s crazy theory. If only they actually knew the entirety of the situation. “Don’t worry about it,” She winks, loving that she got to brush it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

The group groaned at her response, but didn’t have too much time to dwell as their food arrived. Starting up their movie, Kourtney had got to pick since she was voted out for dinner. The opening scene of He’s Just Not That Into You, plays on the screen. The group falling silent as the film plays.

Nini relaxes further into her seat, the wine starting to kick in. Whenever Nini had wine, it always made her sleepy without fail. And it had to be a particular wine, whenever it was red or white it didn’t really make her that sleepy, but put any type of rosé in front of her then it was game over. She thinks it’s mostly because she drinks a lot more of it due to how sweet it was, in comparison to other types of wine. It’s one of the main reasons why she keeps a bottle around the house constantly. Sometimes simply needing a night cap to put her to sleep.

Slumping further into her recliner, kicking the foot of it out as she stretches her legs across the entirety of her seat. Pulling the blanket up to her chin as she snuggles with it, watching as the storyline of the movie begins to change once more. She’s seen the movie before, but it still sometimes confused her who was a part of which story. The movie was one of those you had to really pay attention to, and unfortunately for Nini her brain just couldn’t keep up.

“Fuck!” Nini suddenly hears from behind her.

The sound of boxes toppling over as she quickly whips her head around to see her boyfriend grimacing as he stares at the boxes all over the ground. “Babe, I know I said I was going to deal with them soon, but you didn’t have to stack them so high that it’s taller than you to remind me. I promise I’ll do them tomorrow.” He chuckles to himself, bending down to start picking up the boxes that he had toppled over, the boy not realizing she had company.

The girl’s eyes widened as she looked over to her friends who seemed to be staring at the intruder trying to figure out who the boy on the floor was. Deciding she should probably go help him, she rushes over picking up one of the boxes that had flown across the room. Once Nini kneels down next to her boyfriend, she was about to tell him about her guests, but he interrupts her, pulling her into his side teasingly. One of his hands trailing down her back, resting on the warm skin that was exposed.

“Hi beautiful,” He leans in, pressing his lips against hers humming as he attempts to deepen the kiss.

The brunette pulls back immediately, causing Ricky to question her sudden reaction. “I, uh, I have guests.” She whispers between them, her eyes shifting over to the living room for a moment then back to her boyfriend.

As her words register in his head, his eyes widen as his gaze shifts to the couch where three sets of eyes were on them. “Do they-”

Nini shakes her head, “I thought you weren’t going to be home until late tonight.” She picks up another box, pushing a stack against the wall.

“Ashlyn had a thing with Red tonight. I told you that we were going to be home early. Gi convinced me to let things slide, so everyone could have a date night. I figured we could just order in, and just have a night at home since we had our big date out a few days ago and I know how you feel about public dates.” He whispers, as he copies her motions stacking a few more boxes until there were none left.

The brunette mentally face palms, having forgotten that he had mentioned to her that they were going to be finishing a lot earlier than usual. She was completely sleep deprived when he told her the other night. She vaguely remembers him telling her and talking about what they wanted for dinner, she just has been so focused on her upcoming surgery that she supposes her brain couldn’t take in any more information than necessary.

“Well, looks like three more people know, rockstar.” She mumbles.

“I’m sorry.” He eyes her carefully, trying to gage her reaction.

Nini shakes her head once more, “It’s okay, it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. Plus, they’re my friends. I should’ve known I can’t keep you away from them forever.” She mutters, shrugging one of her shoulders, “I just wish it wasn’t like this.”

Ricky sighs, “I know, baby. It’s going to be fine, you don’t have to worry about a thing.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Why don’t you introduce me, hm?”

“Okay.” Nini whispers, drawing her lip in between her teeth for a moment. Standing back to her full height, she lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, while she grabs Ricky’s hand pulling him over to the group on the couch.

As the couple make their way back to the sectional, Nini smiles sheepishly at her friends. Seb leans over to pause the movie that was still playing on the screen. None of them had heard the quiet conversation going on between the pair, but it was clear to them what the relationship was. Seb sends her an encouraging smile, despite not knowing exactly what was going on.

“You look familiar,” Carlos points over to Ricky as he takes a seat on the recliner, Nini sitting on the armrest. Ricky’s hand immediately makes its way to her leg, rubbing soothing circles into her fabric-clad knee.

“Oh my god, you’re Ricky Bowen.” Kourtney answers for him, turning to Carlos briefly. “From Golden Monday, we got lost watching their interviews last week Los. Your music is literally everywhere, and let me just say I’m a really big fan.”

The boy chuckles, “Uh, yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. “I was just going to introduce myself as just Ricky, though. And thank you, always love to meet a fan. Not quite often it happens when I come home from the studio though.”

The group chuckled at his comment, Kourtney continuing to compliment his music having been a fan ever since they had released their second album. Retelling a story about one of her friends in college that had been the one to introduce the band to her.

Seb eyes Nini carefully trying to read what was going on in her head, “I’m going to assume you guys are dating?” He says, more as a question rather than a statement. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” He comments, cutting off Kourtney’s mini fangirl moment.

Pulling her lips into a tight line, “Not many people do.” She answers.

“The apartment makes so much more sense now,” Carlos mutters, causing Seb to jab his elbow into his boyfriend’s side.

Nini giggles nodding her head in agreement, recalling Carlos’s crazy theory on where she had gotten all the money to pay for it earlier. “Yeah, I wouldn’t let Ricky pay for everything. But, most things he bought.”

Ricky noticed his girlfriend starting to relax, as she talked to her friends. A smile slipping onto his face as he notices her smile beginning to become more genuine, rather than forced and uncomfortable. Running his thumb over the top of her knee once more, his eyes beaming up at her.

“Must be serious if you guys are already living together.” Kourtney raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Eight years.” Ricky nods, tearing his eyes off his girlfriend to look over at the group on the couch. “Well, in four months it’ll be eight years.”

The trio coo at his comment, “Wow,” Seb smiles, “So, you’ve been dating since…”

“Since high school, yeah.” Ricky looks up at Nini once more, a smile evident on both of their faces as the memory of how they got together plays in their minds, squeezing her knee lightly.

“I hate to ask,” Carlos starts, ignoring the side eye his boyfriend was shooting him, “But why keep it a secret? Wouldn’t it be easier if you just told your fans about you guys? Just so you don’t have to think about being seen in public together by accident.”

They both tense up at the question. It wasn’t that they weren’t expecting the question, rather it was just difficult to explain. Especially to people that don’t really know them all too well. Over the years, Ricky had made friends with all sorts of people in the industry and yet have only told a select few from that large group about his relationship and situation with Nini. Even people that were constantly in the public eye didn’t understand why they would want to keep it a secret, thinking that it was just even more complicated in doing so or found no point in it. But Ricky knew that some of those people were tabloid hungry and loved being seen by the media.

Running a hand through his messy hair, Ricky tugs at the ends as he tries to formulate an answer in his head. They both knew that they didn’t have to worry about their answer, because ultimately it didn’t matter. It was their life and no one’s input mattered besides their own, that’s always what they told themselves at least.

“It’s kind of weird being in the public eye all the time. Of course, I’ve gotten used to it. But growing up, Nini loved having a private life and I didn’t want to steal that away from her.” Ricky starts, “So we thought it was best to keep our personal life, well, personal.” He shrugs.

Nini nods in agreement, “Kind of why I kept it from you guys, sorry about that.”

Kourtney waves her off, “Girl, don’t even worry about it. If I had a famous boyfriend, I’d totally do the same thing. Can’t let my good name be ruined by fame!” She jokes, causing the group to erupt in giggles. “Now, Ricky you’re more than welcome to the pizza, I mean it is your house. But I really want to know what happens next.” She points over to the screen, poking Seb’s shoulder for him to start up the movie.

“Your secret’s safe with us.” Carlos puts his hand on his boyfriend’s that was holding the controller, wanting to ensure the pair that they didn’t need to worry about a thing. “Just figured that would kind of soothe your mind, Nins. It’s your secret to share after all. Whenever you’re ready we’ll be here.” He sends an encouraging smile to the couple.

“Thank you, Los.” She lets out a breath, “It means a lot.”

The group mutter reassurance once more, before Seb resumes the movie. The blond sending Nini one last look silently telling her they were going to talk more about it later. The brunette sends him a small nod, as he wraps her arm around Ricky’s shoulder leaning further into his side.

Pulling on her hip, he moves her to fall into his lap, cradling her body into his comfortably. Shifting her position, her legs hanging off the side of the chair. Ricky chuckles as he brings his other hand up to her cheek, thumbing it lovingly.

“I told you it was going to be fine,” He sends her a bright smile.

Nini rolls her eyes at his comment, “Yeah, whatever.” She tosses his hand back down into her lap, twining their fingers together.

Pressing a tender kiss to her shoulder, “I love it when I’m right.”

The following day, Nini and Seb had gone out for lunch. The blond insisted he see his friend after the events that had unfolded the night before. The two friends having not had a chance to properly talk about it before he left.

As Nini picks away at her salad, she tells the story of her and Ricky to her friend. Starting from the beginning, as per Seb’s request. As she started telling her friend about how they finally went from friends to officially dating, their waitress interrupted them asking if they needed anything else.

Seb declines, as the waitress walks off he turns his attention back to the girl in front of him, “Okay, so you got stood up at the homecoming dance. What next?” He asks curiously, completely taken away by her story.

The brunette chuckles, “Ricky wasn’t going to come because he hates school dances. He was very much the punk bad boy back in high school, and hated anything that was cliché. He said that there was absolutely nothing that would ever convince him to show up to a school dance. Anyways, from what I recall, EJ was dating some girl on the lacrosse team at the time and she really wanted to go, and I hitched a ride with them to the dance – whatever. And I guess he noticed my date never showed up. Well, I don’t know how he couldn’t, I was literally sitting at our table like a loser just waiting for the dance to be over. And, I guess he texted Ricky about it, because EJ was mad at my date, he knew how much I was looking forward to the dance. I’ve always been like his little sister he never had, so I understand why he was so upset. And then, the next thing I knew Ricky was in front of me asking me to dance.” Nini’s cheeks redden as she retells the story.

“Oh my god,” Seb smiles widely, “Keep going.” He urges her, taking a bite from his sandwich.

“We danced the night away,” She smiles at the recollection, thinking how Ricky felt exactly like her knight in shining armour that evening.

It was more than the fact that he showed up. It was the fact that Ricky would rather die than show up to a school dance. That night, Ricky didn’t think of himself, he put Nini first like he always has. He was there when she needed her best friend most. That was the night Nini realized how much she meant to Ricky. That he was willing to go to the ends of the earth for her if she asked. At the time she didn’t realize it, but that night Ricky proved that his love for her has no end.

“After the dance, he took me to this random football field across town and we just hung out on the bleachers talking while he played music from his phone.” She continues, “Then he said, ‘Your date was stupid not to show up.’”

Seb leans his elbows on the table, “And then?” His smile widening, a little excited about her story.

Shaking her head at her friend, she continues nonetheless, “And then I said, ‘Maybe I’m the stupid one to think a guy could ever like me.’” She cringes slightly at the memory, remembering Ricky’s completely taken aback expression. “Then he literally asked me if I was fucking blind. Like down to the word Sebby. Can you believe him?”

“In his defense, you kind of are.” The blond jokes, “I mean have you seen how thick your lenses are.”

“Excuse you!” Nini gasps, tossing a fry from the plate they were sharing at his head, “This is why I wear contacts. My friends like to bully me.” She huffs.

Unable to help himself, he rolls his eyes at the girl, “Okay, whatever, get over it. What did you say?” He questions.

“Nothing,” Nini shrugs, popping a fry in her mouth. “I gasped, turned to yell at him like I just did with you. And when I turned my head he kissed me.” A shy smile begins to take over Nini’s face, slightly embarrassed how giddy she was getting over telling her and Ricky’s story.

“After he kissed me, he told me that he’s been wanting to do that since I got my braces off. Didn’t want to lock lips when we both had braces, too embarrassed to go to the dentist in case we got stuck.” The pair laugh at Ricky’s justification. “We went on a date the next weekend, and it took him another month to officially ask me to be his girlfriend. And we’ve been together ever since.”

“Oh my god, Nini,” Seb’s smile widens, “I know you’ve been together forever, but like I’m so happy for you!”

Nini bites back a smile, “Thanks, Sebby,” She shovels a forkful of salad into her mouth.

“So, let’s talk this secrecy business.” Seb starts, “Is this going to last forever?” Taking another bite of his sandwich as he watches Nini’s face fall at his question.

Coughing slightly at the words that fell from his mouth, Nini takes a sip of her water. Swallowing the cold beverage, bringing her eyes to meet her friend’s once more, “I don’t know.” She shrugs, poking at her salad aimlessly, “I would love to go out with my boyfriend and not have to worry about paparazzi taking photos of us, or fans speculating who I am. I would love to go and just live life with my boyfriend that’s not confined to our home, but he doesn’t live a normal life. And I can’t expect him to drop everything for my comfort. I don’t want him to. Singing and performing for thousands of fans makes him happy, and I want him to be happy.” Nini rambles on, not quite realizing how much she had admitted.

Seb takes a sip of his own water, clearing his throat, “But, are you happy?” He asks wearily.

“Of course,” Nini answers, drawing her lip between her teeth, “It’s just- Is it so bad that I wished he wasn’t famous sometimes?” She plays with her fingers, twisting them together not quite confident in what she had asked.

Feeling rather ashamed by what she had said. It had been a thought on her mind for years, and yet she had never voiced it out loud. She was well aware how awful it sounded, and how selfish she was being. But, wasn’t it a valid thought?

Sometimes she would dream about a life where they lived a normal life. Where she could go grocery shopping with him instead of Ricky leaving a list of things he wanted her to pick up because they couldn’t go together. Where she could go to dinner without having to pick a secluded diner at the dead of night so no one would recognize him. Where she would come home and he would be there waiting for her after a long shift at the hospital. Where she didn’t have to be away from him for months when he’s off on tour. Where he could publicly love her without the fear of what people would say.

She hated that she would think about these things, but it was hard not to. When she lives a life where basically no one knows who she is when she walks down the street, not having to worry about every move and decision you make. Her boyfriend was living a complete opposite life, where he had to second guess everything before doing something.

She supposes she’s waiting for the day for him to second guess his choice in loving her.

“I think you’d be crazy not to wish that,” Seb’s comment pulling her out of her thoughts, “But do you want to live a life in secret forever?”

The brunette sighs, twisting the promise ring Ricky had given her before he had gone on his first tour years ago. Debating on her answer, not quite sure if it was a yes or a no, so she decides on the next best thing.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m thinking of taking Nini away for a couple weeks,” Ricky starts, turning to look over at EJ who was sitting in the passenger seat. They were on their way back to the studio after picking the band up something to eat from the closest Japanese restaurant. Gina was having a major sushi craving, and the rest of the band didn’t have an opinion on where to eat so they agreed on sushi. “I was thinking like, Paris or Venice, maybe even Mykonos.” He rambles on, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

EJ raises an eyebrow at his best friend, “Paris? Venice?” He asks curiously, “Why so far?”

The boy shrugs, looking over at the tall man in the passenger seat, “The furthest Nini and I have travelled was the Philippines, and that was like right after high school.” He flicks up the indicator, making a right, “I just want to take her somewhere. She works so hard, she deserves it. Plus, she was talking about it the other night, that she feels like she’s kind of missed out.”

The first time the pair have travelled outside of North America was their senior trip. It was the only time either of them have left the continent. Nini’s moms wanted to take her to visit some family where her Mom had grown up. And, the two older women thought of Ricky as their own, and were thrilled once the pair started dating. So, it was no question when they had extended the invitation for their daughter’s boyfriend to come along on their vacation.

That was Nini’s first and last big trip. Not having had the chance ever since she started her college life, furthering herself into medical school, and now that she was in her residency she still couldn’t force herself to take time off and see the world like she’s always dreamed. Even if it was only for a few weeks at a time.

Ricky on the other hand has visited 43 of the 50 states while on tour, and has even gone to Canada visiting the major cities and even some smaller ones. But that was as far as he had gone to see the world, asides his trip with the Salazar-Roberts family. Not wanting to see the world without his best friend and girlfriend by his side, he decided to simply wait for the brunette to be ready to jet set across any country they could imagine.

One of Nini’s dreams has always been to travel the world. But she was incredibly rooted in her ways, and insisted that her education came before anything else. She worked her ass off to get into the best school Utah had to offer and she finally made it. Now in her residency, making her way into finally becoming a doctor, she was practically already there.

“Dude,” EJ catches his attention, smacking his friend’s shoulder in the process, “Are you planning anything?”

Sucking in a sharp breath, he glances at his best friend eyeing him carefully. His tongue darts out, licking his lips quickly, “No, but I thought about it. Like it’s still on the table, but I don’t know,” His mouth twitches to the side, a smile slipping onto his face, “We’ve been together for so long, and I know she’s the one, ever since high school. And, we live together, we’ve talked about our future together. We’ve talked about getting married, having kids. Carol, Dana and Lola have already given me their blessing. And I just- if not on the trip, it’ll probably be not too far behind. Cause, god, I want to marry the crap out of this girl, EJ.” He breathes out.

EJ’s lips slant in a small smile as he listens to his best friend ramble on about their favourite doctor. “I want you to marry the crap out of her too, but,” He notices Ricky’s grip tightening on the wheel as hears the hesitation in EJ’s voice. “I hate to ask it, but what about the press? No matter how much it’s about you and Nini, it’s more than that and you know it.”

“I want to say fuck them,” Ricky mutters, pressing his index and middle finger into his temple for a moment before bringing it back down to the steering wheel. “You know what I mean? Like, who fucking cares that I’m not this heartbreaker that they think I am. I don’t fucking care about my image if it means I get to fucking shout to the world that I’m in love with Nina Salazar-Roberts.” He lets out, smiling so brightly as he thinks about his girlfriend, slowing down as he approaches the stop light.

As the car comes to a full stop, Ricky looks over at the guitarist next to him, “She’s my life, E.”

“I know,” EJ places his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard for you guys. I know you see me and Gina and wish you could do the same. You don’t have to tell me, I can see it in your eyes. But Ricky, remember why you started keeping this a secret. It was all for Nini. She’s the one that wanted to keep it private, because she likes that life, not the one we have. It’s always been like that, even in high school before we were famous. She’s a really private person, Rick.”

Ricky licks his lips, as he makes another turn nearing close to the studio. “Of all people that know that, it’s me. I do this all for Nini, that’s why I’m okay with keeping it a secret. If it were up to me, I’d be fucking running down the streets naked right now yelling about how much I’m in love with her.” He shrugs, as he makes his last turn before turning into the parking lot of the studio. “I don’t know if I’m going to ask. But I’m sure as hell taking her on that vacation.”

EJ chuckles, “If you’re planning on asking, I would say this should be your one time to be a cliché. Let Nini have her movie moment and propose to her in Paris.”

A smile slips onto Ricky’s face, “I knew I could count on you giving me advice. It might be basic advice that I’m never going to take, but advice nonetheless.” He chuckles, “Oh! Don’t say anything to Gi and Ash about this. Those girls don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.”

“You’re asking me to lie to my cousin and my girlfriend?” EJ sends him a sharp look, “It’s like you don’t want me to make it your wedding or something.”

“It’s not lying,” Ricky defends, rolling his eyes at his best friend’s statement, “It’s simply withholding the truth.”

“You try telling them that when Nini comes home with a rock on her finger.” He rolls his eyes, causing both of them to erupt in laughter.

Chapter Text

“Do you think I could have Seb’s number?” Ricky asks his girlfriend randomly, as she laid across the couch in the studio.

Nini’s legs were draped over his as he got busy working on a new song, scribbling a few things down into the back of his worn down red notebook that she absolutely hated. Wanting desperately to reorganize and fix the notes in his book, she knew that very notebook was the reflection of his brain.

Ever since Nini met her boyfriend, he was a literal ball of chaos. When they were six, Ricky would run around the field for hours on end at their favourite park in the neighbourhood, because he was far too preoccupied with chasing a soccer ball or any other kind of sporting ball he could find. And when they were nine, Ricky got his first skateboard, he rode without any padding or protective wear, and would get scrapes and bruises constantly. Nini was always there to patch him up with an alcohol wipe that he would whine at, and the future doctor would tell him to suck it up and that it was his own fault he had yet again another cut. She would always seal the injury with whatever band-aid she had in her first aid kit, and that usually consisted of princesses or kittens.

Even when Ricky turned 17, they were already dating at the time, and he wanted to try out this new ATV his friend Craig had got. But unlike Ricky, Craig had been riding ATVs since he was thirteen. Practically growing up on an ATV, he knew how to control it, but Ricky did not. As Ricky completed a successful lap, he got too ahead of himself and decided to go around again but faster. Which ended up with him landing in a large pile of mud, Nini refusing to drive him home unless he changed his clothes and washed his hair – eight times. To that day she stood by her statement.

Setting her book down on her lap, she glances up at the boy raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “Why?” She asks.

Ricky shrugs, closing his own book shut, “My friends are your friends, but I want to know your friends too.” He runs his hand down her leg comfortingly, “Plus, I think it’ll be good to have someone I know from your work in case I can’t get in contact with you when you’re at work.”

“That makes sense,” Nini hums, grabbing her phone off the coffee table, “I’ll just make sure it’s okay with him. I’m sure he’ll be.” She mutters, typing away at her phone.

The singer nods, biting back a smile as he goes back to scribbling out in the back of his notebook. A determined look taking over his face, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration and his tongue poking into the side of his cheek, clear indicators of his intense focus.

“Do you need a new songbook?” Nini asks, noticing that he was scribbling on the last page of the book. “I could pick one up while you guys are at your photoshoot, if you need.”

Turning his head to look at his girlfriend, a blush rising to his cheeks as he shifts his gaze between the book and the girl laid on the couch. “I, uh, no,” He runs a hand through his curls slightly embarrassed, “I kind of just flip to whatever page for certain songs. And I’ve been working on this one for ages, so I made sure to put it at the back so it's easy to find.”

“That’s so disorganized and complicated.” She scrunches her nose as he explains his thought process.

“Works for me, angel. Don’t worry about it.” He smiles cheekily at her before bringing his attention back to the book in front of him.

Pouting slightly at his answer, but decides that if it works for him then she shouldn’t question it. Peering over her knees, she tries to make out what her boyfriend was writing in his book. Unable to read whatever he was working on, as he had the book angled away from her, she shrugs it off simply. Glancing back to her book in her lap, she attempts to pick up where she had left off but was beginning to lose motivation. Her gaze going back to the boy that was incredibly focused on his new song.

They were waiting for the rest of the band to get back from their lunch. Nini’s been in the studio since early that morning, when they were off at meetings and Ricky had decided on skipping lunch to spend some time with his girlfriend, knowing he’s been lacking in that department lately. It wasn’t strange for Nini to be left on her own, sometimes she liked having the chance to spend some time playing around with the guitar and the piano that was usually abandoned in the back corner of the room. And, she enjoyed pretending she was like the rest of them, playing music for billions of fans, when in reality it was for her and her alone. 

But as of lately, Nini hasn’t had much motivation to write or create music of her own. She absolutely loved music, but the last three or so years she hasn’t been able to write anything of her own. Whenever she hung out in the studio she was always just playing random chords that never went together, or just whatever song would come to mind. She knew exactly why she had lost the motivation, but she didn’t really like to talk about it. Especially not to Ricky, knowing exactly how he’d respond.

A big reason Ricky had gotten into music was because of her.

When Nini was six she started taking piano lessons, as per Dana’s request. The older woman had mentioned it enhances the brain’s memory, or something Nini didn’t quite care for. And of course, Nini being Nini, she did everything she could to make her mothers proud. She stuck with piano lessons all throughout grade school, and even started teaching young kids when she was in high school to earn an extra few dollars on the side. An eleven-year-old Nini had mentioned to Ricky when she was practicing a piece for her exam that she wished she could play guitar.

Unbeknownst to his best friend, Ricky had started taking guitar lessons because he knew how much Nini loved jamming out to music. Eventually, once Ricky was confident enough, he played a song that he wrote for Nini when she came over after school one day. And ever since then, Ricky would play his guitar and sing for his best friend, usually just songs that he liked listening to. But once he started dabbling in songwriting, more original music would be played around the Bowen residence, which practically led Ricky to where he was today.

Nini’s phone flashes with a text, the brunette picking it up to see it was Seb agreeing to Ricky’s request. But he added a few texts that she just wanted to ignore, but knew that she couldn’t.

Seb: It’s not a problem at all!

Seb: I was talking to Cameron today, and I think he’s really pegging on you transferring, Nins.

Seb: Cameron’s talking like you already accepted and Danny boy isn’t too happy to hear that either.

A knot starts to form in her stomach, gulping down a dry lump as she rereads Seb’s message. Daniel was one of her fellow residents, and he’s been sucking up to their attending since day one. He practically despised Nini because of how well she did her job. Constantly trying to compete with her, and was hoping to be the one that was offered the transfer once he heard about the opening. And if Nini were being honest, it’d be so much easier for him to be offered the job over her, but the small voice at the back of Nini’s mind couldn’t stop her from trying to compete against him.

Hovering her fingers over the keyboard, she seriously starts to contemplate on whether she should tell Ricky. Her lead surgery is coming up next week and that means within two weeks she’ll have either been offered the job or it goes to someone else. Big Red was right, she couldn’t keep it from him forever.

Pulling her legs into her chest as she straightens her posture, Ricky glances over at his girlfriend curiously wondering what was with the sudden change in her position. He shifts, folding one of his legs underneath himself as he throws his songbook onto the coffee table, resting his arm on the back of the couch. Bringing his hand to cradle Nini’s cheek tenderly, stroking her soft skin comfortingly.

“Nins,” He whispers quietly, “You doing okay?”

Nini licks her lips, propping her chin down on the tops of her knees, “Yeah,” Her voice sounding a little raspy, trying to talk herself up in her head. Looking for the confidence she needed to tell Ricky about the offer that’s been on the table for a while now.

If she knew that she wasn’t going to take it, why was it so hard to tell him?

“I just,” Nini hesitates, as she sees Ricky’s concerned eyes, beginning to pull at the ends of her jeans. It felt like he was begging her not to say what he thought was on her mind, despite whatever he thought was far from the truth. Leaning further into his palm, “Can you sing something for me?” She asks, instead of the truth.

Ricky chuckles, letting out a relieved sigh as he tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “Oh, thank god.”

Shooting her boyfriend a curious look, “What did you think I was going to say?” She asks, knitting her eyebrows together, tightening her grip around her legs.

He shakes his head, “I thought I was in trouble or something.”

“Trouble?” Nini lets a smile slip onto her face, “Did you do something to get you in trouble?”

“No!” He defends, “But like, I thought I could be in trouble for something. We both know that I can be really dumb and not realize I did something wrong.”

Nini shrugs, “You’re not wrong.” She replies, a string of giggles eliciting from her throat.

“Babe,” He whines, dropping his body into her lap dramatically, Nini running her hand up and down the boy’s back trailing her fingers along the dips of his spine. “You’re not supposed to agree with me.”

The brunette couldn’t help but laugh at her boyfriend’s silly antics, she shifts slightly to lay her back down on the couch like she had earlier. Only now, the curly-haired boy that was once in her lap was now lying on top of her, one of his hands slipped underneath her shirt to rest on her warm stomach, while he pressed kisses to her neck every so often.

“Do you know what my biggest fear is?” He mumbles into her neck.

“Needles?”

She feels Ricky’s body shake, causing her own to move slightly as well, “I mean, we know how much I hate seeing the doctor.” He pauses, lifting his head to look at her briefly, “Except you of course.”

Nini smiles, giggling at what he had said, “Of course.” Placing her hand on his cheek, and pressing their lips together in a quick peck. “So, your biggest fear?”

Settling his head back in the crook of her neck, hugging her tighter to his chest. “Losing you.”

Continuing to run her fingers up and down his back, the pair having fallen silent letting their thoughts begin to fester. As Ricky’s weight was pressing down on her, she couldn’t help but feel like the worst girlfriend knowing that she was hiding something from him. It’s not like it was the first secret she’s ever kept from him, but this is more than just a feeling she’s suppressed. This offer if she decided to take it could change their lives. In her heart, she knows that she has to tell Ricky the truth but she was far too scared for what would come out of his mouth.

Whether it’d be in support or not, she doesn’t think she could handle it.

If he tells her to go, she’d just feel like a shitty girlfriend for leaving her boyfriend when she barely saw him as is. And if he told her not to go, she’d be frightened to see the aftermath. But one thing she knew for certain was that she had the exact same fear, and she never planned on letting him go.

“Why are you thinking about that?” She asks quietly, scratching at the base of his scalp lightly.

“No reason. You in my arms right now, just kind of reminds me how lucky I am to have you. And, I don’t want to ever let that go.” Ricky admits quietly, "Let you go." He corrects.

Nini lifts her shoulder lightly, silently telling him to lift his head off of her once more. When their eyes connect once more, Nini places her hand on the back of his neck while the other was caressing his cheek lovingly.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She promises.

Ricky smiles, “Good.” He leans in connecting their lips together.

The pair melting into the kiss like it was their first time all over again. Sometimes there were days when they would kiss and Nini couldn’t help but giggle as she felt the intense butterflies she had felt when they had shared their first kiss, like it was yesterday. Even after so many years, he still made her feel incredibly giddy inside. Every day without fail, Ricky seemed to make her fall even more in love with him by simply being him.

“God!” A loud voice booms through the studio, causing the pair to pull back from each other and sit back up to their full height. “You guys have an apartment, save it for the bedroom, please.” Ashlyn walks into the room, EJ and Gina following closely behind. The trio dropped their bags down on the table that sat on the other side of the room.

Gina let’s out loud laugh, “Yeah, you say that like you hav-”

A hand clamps over the drummer’s mouth by the red-head, her eyes silently trying to communicate with the girl to not say another word. All eyes widen around the room, turning their attention to the two girls who seemed to be trying to fight the other.

“Nins, Red’s waiting for you in the car.” She points over her shoulder.

The brunette nods, “Are you sure it’s not for you?” She jokes, shooting her friend a wink, causing everyone to erupt in laughter as Ashlyn’s cheeks begin to match her hair.

After shoving her books in her bags, Nini glances around the room as she bids a farewell to the rest of the band as Ricky walks her out of the studio. She stops them before they could leave the building, not wanting to get caught by prying eyes or any paparazzi. Glancing down the hall to make sure no one saw, she reaches up on her tiptoes to plant a tender kiss to his lips.

“I’ll sing you to sleep tonight.” Ricky mutters as he kisses her forehead.

“Okay,” Nini pulls on his hands, bringing him to look down at his girlfriend, “Can I pick a song out of your book?” She asks.

Ricky chuckles, shaking his head, “No, baby.”

His answer caused a pout to form on the smaller girl’s lips, “Why not?” She whines.

“Because you’ll have a heart attack if you read my book, and I don’t want to be the one at fault.” He laughs, pressing his thumbs into her hands.

“If anyone’s going to be the death of me, it’s you.” She rolls her eyes, the boy was about to let out a protest, but she silences him by leaning in and pressing their lips together once more.

As Nini leans back, her feet completely planting on the ground after needing to tiptoe to reach her boyfriend’s lips due to their major height difference. “It’s kind of crazy that you’re still in love with me, if I’m being honest.” She says.

“Why is that?” He slips one of his hands out of hers and wraps it around her waist.

“Because I’m annoying and needy and I talk too much.” She giggles.

Ricky shrugs, “Maybe,” the comment caused Nini to smack him harshly on his chest, the boy letting out a loud laugh, “It’s a good thing I’m never falling out of love with you. I don’t know if anyone else could handle you.”

Scrunching her nose up at the boy, wrapping her arm around his neck, “I could say the same for you.” She teases, “Oh! Seb answered, I’ll send over his number when I get to Red’s car.”

“Sounds good,” Ricky nods, pecking her lips lightly before pulling back slightly as he runs his hands down her arms and intertwines their fingers once more. “Sorry, we don’t have so much time these days.” He mutters.

Nini shakes her head, “It’s okay, I know how busy you are.” She grips onto his fingers tightly, “Especially since you guys are going to record the album soon and interviews, photoshoots, you know.” Nini mumbles.

He sends her a sad smile as he hears Nini mutter his own schedule back to himself, both of them having been feeling the effects of their busy schedules the last few weeks. Not quite realizing just how busy he’s been either since he was just so used to it, “We’ll have time for just us two soon, okay?”

She nods, “I love you, remember that.” She kisses him one last time.

“I love you, my angel.” He waves, as she retreats through the glass doors.

After she had left the studio, Nini and Big Red had gone grocery shopping. It had been a while since she had last gone to the store, and considering she fed more than just hers and Ricky’s mouths, she had to go shopping more often than a regular girl living alone with her boyfriend.

Ricky usually forces her to take his credit card when she goes shopping, claiming that it was his band that she mostly feeds so it should at least come out of the band’s bank account. But Nini constantly refused, only taking it every once in a while, simply to satisfy him. In all honesty, Nini felt bad taking the money, even though she knows it’s coming straight from Golden Monday’s sales.

To her, it wasn’t Ricky’s band she was feeding. It was her friends that would come over any time of day, whether Ricky was there or not. And, she felt like feeding them was her only way in repaying everything they had given her.

Every year on her birthday and Christmas, they would always spend as much as they could on her. Deeming that she deserves every single thing that they buy her, since she had so much of an impact on the band and how much they appreciated her as one of their best friends. But Nini doesn’t see it like that. She doesn’t think she deserves the Chanel bag EJ bought her, or the Tiffany jewelry set Ashlyn and given her.

So, she found no problem constantly having food prepared for them considering their hectic schedule. And she absolutely loved cooking and baking during her free time. Despite being on her feet all day at work, making her way around the kitchen always seemed to calm her down.

Glancing over at her phone as she sees another text from Seb pop up. The brunette sighs, seeing as she hadn’t texted Seb back since he had told her about Cameron and Daniel. She just couldn’t force herself to do anything about it because she knew what she wanted but couldn’t force herself to tell her boyfriend.

What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?

Sucking in a sharp breath, she grips onto the dish towel she was using to dry her hands after washing up before starting on dinner. “I’m not going to take it.” She admits, chancing a glance to the red headed boy that was sitting at the island in the kitchen.

“The transfer? Why not?” Big Red snaps his head in her direction.

Nini shrugs simply, “Reddie, I don’t want to uproot my life over something like this. This is my home, my moms are here, my friends, Ricky.” Nini signals around with her hands vaguely, “I can’t do it.”

The red head eyes her carefully, calculatingly her every move. “That’s not it.” He states, dropping his pen down on the island, next to his papers that he was going over for a new case at work. “It’s not about uprooting. It’s you and me, ace. Talk to me.”

“I don’t know,” Her voice begins to waver, feeling tears beginning to collect in her eyes, “I just- I’m scared.” She finally admits aloud.

“Scared of what?” Big Red asks.

Licking her lips, she wraps her hand around the towel tightly, “If I take this job, I’ll be away from Ricky. I hate sounding like I can’t live without him, but if you think about it, when would be the next time that I’d see him? His schedule is already insane, and sometimes I don’t even see him because he stays late at the studio. And then after they finish this album they’re going to go on tour again for who knows how long. I can’t move upstate without thinking about the fact that I won’t be seeing him, not when it’s already limited as it is.”

Big Red comes around the island, sidling up next to his best friend. Taking the towel out of her hands slowly and setting it down on the counter, as he pulls her to sit on the couch in the living room, abandoning their plans on making dinner.

As they settle on the couch, he doesn’t let his hand leave the small of her back as a tear falls from her eye. Knowing that more tears were probably going to be following close behind it. Nini wipes away at her tear quickly, begging her eyes not to let any more fall.

“Is this about seeing him? Or about being seen with him?” Big Red asks carefully.

Nini’s lip quivers at the thought, “I don’t know,” She shrugs, “Seb asked me last week if I want to live in secret forever.”

“And what did you say?” He asks.

After her lunch with Seb, she had met up with Big Red telling him all about how her friends from work were now in on her little secret. Big Red was happy that more people knew, since it was a step closer to her sharing and being comfortable with people knowing. But he knew in his heart that Nini wasn’t exactly the most thrilled about the news.

“I said I don’t know.” She admits, shifting away from Big Red grabbing the blanket off her recliner and pulling it onto her lap as she makes herself comfortable on the couch. “Because, I don’t know if I can continue being a secret.” She mumbles, pulling her knees up into her chest.

“Are you saying you want to go public?” Big Red’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead.

“No!” Nini shouts, bringing her hands up to her mouth surprised by the sudden outburst that just left her body. “That’s the problem! I don’t know. Like I don't want to go public, but I also don’t want to keep being this secret.”

The brunette knew what she was getting into when her and Ricky had that conversation five years ago. Once Golden Monday started rising in fame, they had a serious conversation about whether or not she wanted to be pulled into that world. And of course, an 18-year old shy girl refused. She didn’t want her face to be plastered all over news articles and social media, she wanted to keep her life to herself. The ultimate question that evening was whether they break up or continue to be together, but everything had to be kept a secret. And since neither of them didn’t want to be pushed away from each other over his career, they chose the latter. Doing what was best for both of them, and kept their relationship from the entire world, no matter how difficult it was bound to be.

All of her social media accounts were locked – her Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even her LinkedIn that she’s been inactive on for three years. She chose her followers carefully, only her closest friends and family were allowed to see her profile and even then, she was quite weary. Especially with her cousin Felicia from back in the Philippines that was always completely jealous of Nini, even before she started dating a famous rock star in America.

Ricky and the rest of the band had their own separate accounts too. One for the public and one that was private for just a select few people to have access to. Whenever Ricky would post a photo of them on his private account, Nini made sure he would check that it was the correct account seven times before posting. Especially after the one incident where he had posted a photo of her on his public account, but thankfully it was only of her silhouette and the caption was vague enough that even the fans that caught it in the two seconds before he deleted it wouldn’t speculate too much on it.

Being famous is risky. It always has been. From the good and the bad reviews from fans and critics alike, to the tabloids and the paparazzi watching your every move until you fail. It wasn’t the life Nini wanted for herself, but if it was what Ricky wanted then she couldn’t stop him. All she could do was to tell him to go on, live his dream and be happy. She supported him in every step, like he had done during her entire journey through medical school.

But despite everything, she stands by her decision. It was just easier for her to be able to walk around the city and not feel cameras constantly on her. She could go about her day like a regular person and not have to worry what someone is going to think or going to say.

But was this going to be her life forever?

Drawing her lip in between her teeth, Nini tugs at the stray threads on the blanket that was covering her lap, propping her chin down on the tops of her knees. “Do you think asking Ricky to hide me from the media was a mistake?” She mutters.

Big Red sticks his lip out slightly at his friend’s question. “Well, no. I think it was fair. If you didn’t hide your relationship, do you think you would have regretted that decision?” He asks, leaning his shoulder into the couch, as he shifts to face her.

“Oh, definitely,” Nini nods, running a hand through her hair tiredly, “It’s just, we’ve been dating for almost eight years and in the last five we haven’t been able to do normal couple things. Like holding hands in the streets, going out on normal dates at like restaurants or the movies or whatever, or even grocery or furniture shopping. Of course I want to go out in public with Ricky, I mean why wouldn’t I? Sometimes, I just think about it and I hate that I can’t do the things normal couples do. I want to be able to feel comfortable in public with Ricky, and at one point in my life I did. But things change, and I can't say I'm mad about it, because he's living his dream. I don’t regret it Red, because I know if I didn’t ask to keep us away from the fans and the media I would’ve regretted it. I didn't want to risk hating him and things going south, because I was too scared to tell him what I truly wanted.”

“Have you talked to Ricky about this?” He asks softly.

Nini shakes her head, a small frown on her face, “Only in passing.”

“Well, I think you should.” Big Red tells her, patting her back lightly a few times, “It’s time to have a serious conversation with him. If you plan on being together forever, I think you need to talk about what comes next.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugs.

“Soon, Ace.” He shifts to sit closer to his best friend, comforting the girl.

The brunette nods as their conversation begins to repeat over in her mind, “Can we order food for dinner? I’m not really up for cooking anymore.”

Casting his gaze away from his best friend, agreeing to her request despite him not quite wanting it as an answer. Reaching over for the television controller, he waits as it starts to boot up waiting for the Netflix screen to appear. Turning the controller over in his hands a couple of times, he looks over to Nini who seemed to be zoning out.

“I’m dating Ashlyn.” He blurts out, “Like officially.”

Nini taken completely aback, she snaps her neck in his direction, “What?!” Her jaw dropping slightly ajar, “And you didn’t tell me?” She reaches over punching the red-head in the shoulder harshly.

Grabbing his shoulder rubbing the spot where her fist had made contact with his shoulder, “Well, I’m telling you now!” He defends, letting his hand drop down to his lap. The brunette scoffs, punching his shoulder once more as she sees his defense fall. Chuckling to herself as she sees his hand moving to cradle the spot once more. “Stop that!”

Rolling her eyes at her best friend, dropping her legs back down to the ground as she faces him properly, “How long?” She asks curiously, ignoring his comment.

“Almost two months.” He says, picking up the controller scrolling through the options on the television. “The band knows, by the way. So, you don’t gotta keep it from Ricky or anything.”

“Two months?!" Nini gasps, a wave of realization comes over her once more as she registers what her best friend had said, "Ricky knows?! And he didn’t tell me?!”

“I told him not to!” Big Red defends his friend, “I wanted to be the one to tell you. And he only found out like recently, so you’re not so far behind.”

The brunette groans, shifting closer to her friend’s side, “No matter how upset I am about Ricky finding out before me, because really this is Ricky we’re talking about the only thing he could keep a secret is me and that's because I'm constantly hovering over his shoulder about it. But, I’m really happy for you guys.” Nini sends him a smile, pulling him in for a quick hug, “Now, tell me all about how it happened!” She giggles, pressing her fingers into his side teasingly.

Big red’s cheeks flare up, slowly beginning to match the colour of his hair as he tells the story of how he and his girlfriend had decided to make things official.

Nini was walking out of the hospital with Kourtney by her side, the two girls chatting about their days and what they had planned since they had gotten off at a more reasonable hour. They had decided to stop by the coffee cart on their way out, both in desperate need of some source of energy after the early morning they have had.

Letting her friend go ahead of her, not quite sure what she wanted to order. She stared off at the menu, having decided she’ll order a French Vanilla due to her sweet tooth craving at the moment. Her mind begins to wander to her boyfriend who she hasn’t really had much time to spend with lately.

It had been about a week since they had hung out at the studio, and just like she had mentioned his schedule had been filled to the brim. She was now beginning to wonder whether or not that promise of having time was ever going to come true.

The barista interrupted Nini’s thoughts, calling for the next customer. Walking over to the cart, she glances over to the side to see Kourtney preoccupied with her phone while she cradles an iced coffee to her chest, sipping it every so often.

“I’ll have a small French Vanilla, please.” Nini smiles, grabbing her wallet, noticing something in the display case. “Oh, and that, uh, croissant the cheese one.” She points to the glass.

“That’ll be $3.75.” He tells her.

Nini nods, handing him a five-dollar bill, “Keep the change.” She smiles.

Shoving her wallet back into her bag, hiking it higher on her shoulder before taking her order bidding the barista a farewell. Sidling up next to Kourtney, she knocks into her jokingly, taking a bite out of her croissant before finally noticing her friend’s eyes completely glued to her phone that was in her hand.

“What’s got you so interested?” She manages through her mouth full of food.

Kourtney presses her lips together, turning to look at her friend, “I think you’re going to want to see this.” She exchanges her phone for Nini’s croissant, giving the brunette a free hand to scroll through the article Kourtney was just reading through.

Elyse from Dark and Fallen seems to have fallen for punk golden boy, Richard Bowen. Is she just another conquest? Or is this the real deal?

“Oh.”

Chapter Text

“They’re just stupid kids making basement noise
In the basement, noise in the basement
Just stupid kids making basement noise
In the basement yeah, yeah”

Ricky’s voice echoes out, as EJ, Ashlyn and Gina join in at the last two lines. A large smile takes over all of their faces, as the music fades out turning to look at each other all buzzing with excitement.

They were all breathing heavy, Ricky and Gina especially given how much effort they had put into this one. EJ lets his guitar fall heavier around his shoulder, as he lets go letting the strap hold the weight of the instrument. While, Ashlyn jumps in her spot lightly as she giggles excitedly at the realization of how they sounded.

The bassist decides to break the silence that was surrounding them, “Fuck. That was fucking insane.”

All nodding in agreement, large smiles taking over their face. “That has to be the best one off this album.” Gina smiles, setting her drum sticks down on top of the snare drum hoping it doesn’t roll off.

“Fucking got that right.” EJ nods, taking a swig of his water, “It really brings me back to when we used to fuck around in my basement, doesn’t it, Rick?” He turns his head to look over at his best friend who seems to be enraptured by his phone.

“Dude.” EJ calls, still not gaining his friend’s attention.

Ashlyn, who was on her phone, immediately looks over at Ricky. Drawing her lip in between her teeth before looking to the couple that were eyeing the leader singer. Making a small noise with her mouth, EJ turns his head to look at his cousin who was now showing him her phone.

A new issue from Us Weekly had been released during their practice. Looking past the leading headline of Kristen Bell and her husband, there was a smaller headline that revealed their lead singer from last weekend. Apparently, some paparazzi had caught him hugging the lead singer from one of the bands they had beat out for Artist of the Year.

When they first started out, they were all close friends with this band, Dark and Fallen. But as years had gone on, their schedules were both incredibly busy. And if the band was being honest, they were never a fan of them. Not for the music, they were incredibly talented musicians, but they saw pass the music. Dark and Fallen are one of the bands that have lost touch with their soul, and do it all for the fame and the glory.

Ashlyn approaches her cousin, handing him the phone to let him skim the article briefly. They all knew how hard Ricky was going to take the tabloid. Ever since they started gaining press it had been the same story day in and day out. He’d be seen out with some girl and paparazzi would assume he’d be taking her home. When the truth was that he’d be out with the band, usually having a celebratory drink after a successful day in the studio, and he’d simply be caught chatting to an old friend or a fan.

Before anyone could say anything, Ricky lets out a loud and stressed out sigh throwing his phone to the other side of the room. Grabbing his backpack off the couch, taking his songbook out of his bag he begins to scribble as quickly as he could. No one was quite sure if they should say anything or let the singer continue what he was doing.

After a few minutes passes by, Gina gets up from her seat slowly, “Ricky,” She utters slowly, testing out the waters. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asks carefully.

The lead singer doesn’t answer for another ten minutes, finally putting his pen down along the spine of his notebook. Silently, he grabs his guitar off the stand in the corner where he had set it down nearly an hour earlier.

He doesn’t say anything, as he starts to strum out a couple chords on his guitar.

“I’m finding me out,
I’m having my doubts,
I’m losing the best of me.

We’re all part of the same, sick little games,
And I need a getaway.
I’m wasting my days, I throw them away,
Losing it all on these sick little games.”

As Ricky sang, his tone was a little angrier than his usual voice. The trio noticed how raw and true his thoughts were being expressed through his song. It was all about the obsession of tabloid culture, and how hard it was to get away from it and how easy it is to get sucked into it.

Nearly everyone starting out has experienced the obsession, even Golden Monday. They weren’t special, it was easy to get swept away by the tabloids and paparazzi thinking it was what was going to get their name out there. But when they got back from their tour of their second studio album, they realized how stupid and dumb it was to have that kind of mindset.

To be famous wasn’t about being the next headliners on whatever celebrity and entertainment magazine that came out that week, or being seen by the paparazzi or being the latest buzz around the streets. Especially not when it wasn’t about their music, but about their personal life. To them being famous was about loving their own music and wanting to share it with the world, and it is so damn easy to lose sight of that.

Strumming out the last chord, he doesn’t let his friends critique or add in their input on the new song before speaking. “Do you want to know what fucking sucks?” He starts, letting his guitar hang around his shoulder as he moves away from the microphone.

“I was fucking congratulating her on their new album that just dropped.” He sighs, running his hand through his hair pulling at it harshly as if to take his anger out. “They are acting like friends and colleagues can’t fucking hug or some shit. And, I just, I don’t get it. I really don’t. Why is it always me?” He huffs out angrily.

“Ricky,” Ashlyn starts, but is cut off by Ricky once more.

It was like he was in his own world, where he was the only one that existed. Like he couldn’t hear a single thing going on around him as he was red with anger and just wanted to shove it to the tabloids. Thinking about the conversation he was going to have with Nini once he got home, just like they did every time a new tabloid about him would be leaked.

“I should get home.” He utters mostly to himself, placing his guitar back on the stand, “I need to go talk to Nini.”

“Ricky, stop.” EJ interrupts his friend, when the singer doesn’t still his movements, EJ grabs him by the shoulder causing him to turn around and to look up at his taller friend. “Just stop for a second.”

The boy rolls his eyes and huffs angrily as he plops down on one of the stools that was up against the wall. He eyes his friends, silently signaling for them to continue whatever conversation that they wanted to have with him.

“Talk to us.” EJ uses a softer tone.

He runs his hands over his face as he looks over at his friends that were sending him sympathetic looks, “I hate that it’s always me.” He mutters, “This fucking image as a heartthrob, player, bad boy, whatever – it fucking sucks.”

“We know.” Ashlyn makes her way to stand next to the stressed singer, running her hand up and down his back soothingly.

“You know Nini’s not going to be mad, right? As long as you tell her the truth.” Gina adds.

Ricky nods, “Of course, I know that. I just hate putting her through this again.” He runs his hands down his face once more before getting out of his seat, “Do you know how many times this has happened?”

Before anyone could interject with an answer, Ricky answers for them, “Forty-seven.” He grits his teeth, “Forty-seven times in the last three years alone.”

“But-”

“Don’t.” Ricky shakes his head letting out a sarcastic chuckle, making eye contact with Gina who was about to say something, “Don’t try to tell me it’s not that much. Because god, it shouldn’t have even passed one. I just- I gotta go. I’m sorry for cutting rehearsal short.” He apologizes, grabbing his bag off the floor where he had thrown it haphazardly when he took his seat.

“Don’t apologize.” EJ states, “Let us know if you need anything.”

“Yeah, okay.” Ricky mutters, quickly making his way out of the studio nervous for whatever he’s about to face when he gets home.

Nini was in the middle of steaming the floor when she heard the front door open. Turning her head to look at the clock, she notices it was far too early for Ricky to be coming home, but given the article and the news clippings she’s been seeing all over Twitter ever since she had got home she wasn’t surprised that he left early.

Deciding to ignore her boyfriend’s arrival, she continues to steam around the living room, not having done it in a while. Also, when she was feeling a little stressed she liked to clean. And after seeing that article, she got busy with cleaning out the fridge, taking whatever old stuff she could find and throwing it out. Even wiping down the drawers and the shelves, along with the countertops and cleaning out the sink.

In all honesty, she was surprised he wasn’t home earlier. But she couldn’t simply berate him for that fact. Whenever they were in rehearsal they all had the tendency to forget about their phones, far too invested with whatever song they are writing or tweaking. So, he probably didn’t even see it until a few minutes ago before he arrived.

“Don’t you dare come in here if you are not wearing your tsinelas!” She calls out, not wanting him to get his footprints on the areas she had already steamed.

The boy comes around the corner, his slippers already on his feet knowing immediately his girlfriend was going through a stress cleaning and he didn’t want to test any more limits than he already was. Slowly, he walks into the apartment, making his way over to Nini who still didn’t bother to look up at him.

Clearing his throat, he realizes Nini wasn’t going to look at him unless she absolutely had to. So, he decides to continue with his thoughts and the apology he had rehearsed on his way over from the studio.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve seen the article by now.” He starts slowly.

“What do you think?” She bites cutting off whatever else he had planned on saying, going over one stubborn spot silently wondering where the stain had come from.

Ricky knits his eyebrows together, “Are you mad?” A little hopeful that her anger wasn’t targeted solely to him, but he couldn’t blame her if it was.

Nini shakes her head, staring down at the ground as she halts to a stop. “I-I don’t know.” She admits truthfully, shrugging one of her shoulders, “I know you would never do anything like that, but it’s hard Ricky. Seeing you all over my Twitter feed and just about every headline out there. It’s just so compelling and makes me doubt us.” She plays with the handle of the steam mop, not quite sure what to do.

“Nini,” He frowns at her confession, teetering closer to the edge of the table, “I don’t want you doubting us. Elyse and I are barely friends, I was congratulating her on the album, that’s it. The tabloids are only saying those kinds of things because they are just looking for a story. And I’m an easy target because they don’t know that I’m taken.” He hops onto the dining room table, his legs dangling down to the ground as he studies Nini carefully.

A flash of anger courses through her, as she snaps up to look at her boyfriend who seemed to be rather relaxed where he sat on the dining table. The words he had used insinuated that he was making her the reason that he was in the tabloids. When he could just as easily have avoided this mess, just like he could’ve avoided thousands of the other articles that were released about him with some girls in the past.

“So, you’re blaming me that the press sees you going out with other girls?” She utters furiously, finally looking up at her boyfriend whose eyes started widening at the anger coming out of his girlfriend.

The singer’s mouth falls open at Nini’s question, his brain trying to figure out where she had come to that conclusion. “What? I didn’t say that!” He tries to defend himself.

The brunette scoffs, bending over to turn off the steamer and propping it up against the wall, ensuring it didn’t fall over before stepping away from it. “You didn’t have to! It was implied, Ricky.” She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares at her boyfriend. “You said they wouldn’t be saying these things if they knew you were taken. I’m the one that asked to keep our relationship private, so therefore, point proof analysis, you are blaming me that the press takes things the wrong way.”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” He hops off the table, deciding he needed to literally stand his ground to make his point.

“Who says that it would stop if they knew the truth?” Nini suddenly asks, lifting her shoulders in a half-shrug, feeling rather small underneath her boyfriend’s gaze, “It could honestly just make things worse. Because then people would start to think my boyfriend is cheating on me!”

“But I’m not!” He nearly shouts.

Gesturing her arm out vaguely, referring to the world basically. “But, they don’t know that!” Nini raises her voice, cracking at the end, anger starting to boil up inside of her and heartbreak at the same time.

It had been forever since they had an argument as big as this. Nini remembers the last argument clear as day. They were both at fault, poor communication was the simple answer. It was always a silent agreement that Ricky and Nini were going to be together forever, but with the way Ricky had been acting the last little while, Nini wasn’t 100% sure. It was like he was far too invested with his career and he was simply leaving her in the dust.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. He just wasn’t the best at prioritizing his career and his personal life at the time. They had both been angry at the other, Nini upset that he wasn’t fully committed to their relationship, while Ricky was mad that Nini doubted him even for a second.

The argument they were having at the moment, started to flood certain memories they would both prefer to forget.

“Do you know how I found out?” She breathes out, a little deeper than he was accustomed to during their arguments.

Not saying a word, she continues, “Kourtney.” She answers simply, pressing her lips together, “She’s the one that showed me the article. Do you know how that fucking feels, Ricky?” She lifts her head to look at her boyfriend who was fiddling with his ring around his finger, “It’s pretty shitty. She was looking at me with pity.”

“Nins-”

“No.” She shakes her head, playing with the handle of the steamer that was in her hands, not quite sure what else to do. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to go public. I don’t want to be the girl that is sent looks from her friends and family and her colleagues because they think my boyfriend is cheating on me!”

“They don’t matter!” He shouts back, approaching her slowly but the brunette takes a step back each time he takes one forward, “Only we do Nini.”

Sticking her arm up in front of her, wanting to keep the space in between them. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Ricky. You say that we matter, but we aren’t the only ones a part of our lives. EJ, Gina, Ashlyn they are in it. So is Red, and our parents and all of our other friends and family. We can’t just think about ourselves, that’s not how the world works.” She feels pressure beginning to build up behind her eyes from frustration.

Ricky presses his lips together, his hands on his hips trying to control his breathing not really sure what to say next. Nini doesn’t give him a chance to speak as she begins to speak without even processing a word that was about to fall from her lips.

“Your fans and the entire world is a part of yours Ricky, whether you like it or not. They watch every single move you make, eyes are constantly on you.” She huffs out, “You may be made for the spotlight and the fame, but I’m not. I’m not you! I know how everyone feels about us going public, but I just can’t do it! Surely, you can’t be that fucking blind that you can’t see that I can’t do this!”

A sharp pain shoots through Ricky’s body, feeling as if his heart stopped by the words that had left her mouth. “Can’t do this, or can’t do us?” He asks, tears collecting in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

Taken aback by his statement, she gasps bringing her hand to her mouth realizing what she had just said. “Of course, I want to be with you Ricky.” She shakes her head, she couldn’t believe he would ever think otherwise.

“So, what then?” He throws his hands in the air tired of their arguing, “Am I supposed to keep you a secret forever?”

Nini remains silent, her eyes casting down to the ground as her own tears begin to collect in her eyes. She fiddles with the promise ring that was wrapped around her finger, trying to think of what to say. The girl knew she didn’t want to be in a secret relationship for the rest of her life, but she couldn’t stop and think of what’s going to happen when they finally tell the truth. She wasn’t sure if she was ever going to be ready for that.

It was far too overwhelming, and she wasn’t exactly sure what she should do.

“I’m going for a drive.” Ricky mutters, realizing that Nini wasn’t going to answer his question. He slowly walks away, back out the door he had just walked through.

“I love you.” Nini speaks up, her voice shaking as she’s clouded with tears.

Ricky takes in a shaky breath of his own, refusing to look back at the girl, afraid that if he did he’d instantly drop his original question and run back into her arms, “I know.” He murmurs before walking out the apartment.

Despite being hurt by the words that Nini had spouted back in the apartment, Ricky really couldn’t manage being alone. He swung by the studio once more, picking EJ up claiming he just needed a friend at the moment. The rest of the band could immediately tell the conversation between their two friends didn't go well, if his red puffy eyes weren’t an indicator, his cold and short tone definitely was.

The pair were driving through one of the neighbourhoods on the other side of town. There was no destination in mind, Ricky just needed to think about the conversation he had with Nini back in the apartment. Not really quite sure what to make about what had been said, or even what hadn’t been said.

It has always been a question about whether or not they would ever go public, but it had never been vocalized during one of their arguments before. It had always been in passing or a simple joke from one of their friends, which they were well aware had a serious undertone to it. He always figured that eventually, one day, they would finally be able to go out on dates without hiding, they wouldn’t have to constantly think twice when leaving the studio if they were together, or leaving their apartment at the same time. It was never his intention to hide her for the rest of his life, but what if that’s what she wanted?

When he had asked her back in the apartment about whether he had to keep her a secret forever, he didn’t expect her to have no answer. What he expected was for her to refuse and to insist on giving her more time to come to terms with being in a public relationship for millions of people to see. Even that he would’ve been fine with. It meant that she was trying to meet him halfway, it meant that she wanted to be with him forever and that nothing was going to get in the way of that.

But what if she never wants to go public?

He knows in his heart that he has to respect her decision, but what if that doesn’t cut it for her? What if she doesn’t want to be with someone who’s constantly being watched by the media and society? What if she wants to go out and live a normal simple life with her normal simple boyfriend?

What if he wasn’t what she wanted anymore?

Ricky’s eyes begin to water at his own thoughts, sniffling slightly as he eases off of the brake and hits the gas pedal as the traffic light turns green once more. Chancing a glance to his best friend that was sitting in the passenger seat, whose gaze was fixed on him trying to read what was going on in his mind.

“What happened?” EJ finally asks with a soft voice, the first time he’s spoken since he had gotten into the car.

The singer sucks in a shaky breath, trying his best to compose himself, “I finally asked her if I was supposed to keep her a secret forever.” He mutters, biting the inside of his cheek as her face when he asked her clouded his mind.

EJ knew how much Ricky struggled with having such a secretive relationship, especially knowing how the pair were together behind closed doors. They were so incredibly in love that it pained the band, their friends and family to see them doing everything they could to keep it a secret. It wasn’t hard to see how much it affected both of them, especially in different ways.

“What did she say?” He asks slowly, a little nervous for his answer, his eyes never leaving his friend.

“Nothing.” He snaps, “She fucking said nothing. God, EJ, what do I do?” He exasperates, his foot starting to lean heavier on the gas making them go over the speed limit drastically, “I can’t fucking lose her.”

Hearing the shaking voice of the lead singer, EJ sighs, “Pull over.”

“What?” Ricky questions, turning his head to look over at the guitarist.

“You heard me, pull over.” He reiterates, gritting his teeth together, “Pull over before the cops do it for us.” EJ points to the next plaza that had an empty parking lot for the pair to sit in. Not wanting Ricky to get in trouble for speeding and reckless driving, especially when he was so emotionally unstable at the moment.

Flicking up the indicator, Ricky pulls into a random parking lot that had a Starbucks and an Auto Body Spa. A brief thought passed through his mind about the strange combination but it’s gone as soon as it came, focusing back on the conversation the pair were about to have.

As he puts the car into park, he leans his head on the steering wheel. His grip tightening, to the point his knuckles begin to turn a little white. He starts to shake the steering wheel aggressively taking all of his frustration out on the vehicle, a few tears collecting in his eyes once more. Taking in a sharp breath, finally composing himself to look back at the guitarist.

EJ eyes him carefully, “Got it all out?”

“No.” Ricky breathes out, wiping his eyes before the tears could spill over his cheeks.

“Ricky, listen to me, okay?” EJ unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to face him properly.

Ricky nods, copying his friend’s actions as he undoes his seatbelt, slowly straightening his posture as he shifts his gaze to the people walking in and out of the Starbucks. “I understand your frustration. I understand wanting to shout a big fuck you to the world. We’re rock stars, it’s what we do.” EJ continues.

Ricky lets out an unimpressed chuckle at his statement, turning to look at his friend. Tears still evident in his eyes, still not willing them to fall quite yet.

Chuckling alongside his friend, EJ’s more genuine than the boy next to him, “But, you and Nini have been together for eight years. And never has she left your side, not once. Just because she doesn’t want to go public, doesn’t mean you’ll lose her. She’s been there through the good and the bad with you. And by some god given miracle she’s still here. What you and Nins have, it’s solid. It’s the real deal and I don’t think anything or anyone can tear that apart.”

“I know that.” Ricky shakes his head, rubbing his hands down his face before letting them fall back down into his lap, “It’s just- It’s so hard. In every interview, I have to bite my tongue when they talk about the latest headline’s, especially when they talk about me being some fucking player, when I go home to my girlfriend every single fucking night. Which by default makes random girls come up to me, hitting on me, trying to get me to sleep with them. I hate the media and the paparazzi for making me out to be this fucking dick, or for thinking every girl I’m seen out with might be my next ‘conquest’ or that I’m finally ‘off the market.’ Then I have to go home, and tell my beautiful girlfriend that what they’re saying isn’t true.” He exhales tiredly, the tears finally making their way down his cheeks, as he plays every argument they’ve had in the last few years over and over in his head.

His nose burns as he wipes away at his cheeks hurriedly, “Sometimes we fight about it, because, god, imagine being in her position.” Letting out a dry chuckle, having put himself in her position a thousand times over, and hating himself a little bit more each time. Promising himself that he wasn’t going to let that happen again, and it tears him apart when a gossip column has another photo of him plastered all over their page.

“Seeing your boyfriend’s face all over the internet and gossip columns, talking about taking some girl home.” He continues, more tears leaving his eyes not bothering to wipe them away this time, “It’s pretty hard not to believe, when there’s incriminating photos that look like they’re true when I’m just talking to a friend or congratulating them on a fucking album.”

“I know she trusts me.” Ricky takes in a straggled breath, trying to gain his composure, but failing at that, “I just don’t want there to come a day where I end up in another fucking article and she doesn’t believe me, because it’s like the boy who cried wolf. Before anything, Nini comes first. I want to respect her privacy, I really do, but it’s getting difficult with the arguments and the unanswered question about the next step of our relationship. So, EJ, please tell me, how can I keep the love of my life and be a public figure at the same time?” A tear finally making its way down his cheek, wiping it away as soon as he feels it trickle down.

EJ taking a deep breath before asking the question that’s been on his mind for a while now, knowing that whatever the answer will be, he’d support him 100%.

“Do you want out?”

Ricky’s eyebrows knit together as he whips his head to look at his friend completely taken aback by what he had asked, “What? No!” Ricky lets out, surprising himself by how loud he was, “I just need to find a way to have both.” He nods, mostly for himself.

Gulping down a dry lump, EJ places his hand on Ricky’s shoulder, “But, if you can’t have both,” He starts, Ricky eyes him carefully, “Drop the band and be with Nini.”

“What?” Ricky asks, coming out as a breath rather than a clear question.

“Nini will make you happy forever. This band?” EJ shrugs, “It’ll make you happy for now. Twenty years down the road? Who knows where we’ll be. This high we’re on isn’t going to last forever, we both know that. But your love for Nini will.”

“I don’t know, EJ,” Ricky sounded defeated, unsure of what to do, “But I can’t lie that I haven’t thought about leaving.”

EJ sends him a sad smile, “I know. I figured you needed to hear it from me to seriously consider it without feeling any ounce of guilt.” He presses his hand down on Ricky’s shoulder once more before dropping his hand back down to his lap, “No more fighting, no more running from the inevitable. You and Nini really need to have a serious and adult conversation about this. Not like what you had all those years ago when we first started out. You can’t avoid it forever.”

Ricky sighs, turning to face his steering wheel once more. He runs his hands down his face, pressing down on his slightly swollen eyes as he composes himself. Letting out one last struggled breath before pulling their seatbelts over their bodies and shifting the gear shift into reverse, and making his way out of the parking lot and back to his girl.

As he entered his apartment, he heard quiet and muffled sobs coming from the living room. A sharp pain shoots through his chest, knowing that he was the one that caused the small brunette’s tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

Dropping his head to his chest, he lets out a deep sigh trying to control his own tears. Quietly, he shuts the door behind him, kicking off his shoes before walking further into their apartment to see Nini on the couch. Her knees were tucked into her chest, as she hugged her legs impossibly tight trying to calm herself down, he knew it was definitely due to the uncertainty of their relationship when he had left their apartment a few hours earlier.

The sight of her caused his own heart to clench, his expression softening immediately. Never in his twenty years of knowing his best friend, he never wanted to be the reason she was sobbing this much. It had probably been years since the last time he had seen her release that many tears, and that was because of a movie they had watched that really hit too close to home for the small girl.

Taking a slow and careful seat next to the brunette, leaving some space in between them. The dip of the couch made Nini turn her head slightly, to peer up at her boyfriend. Her eyes were bloodshot, glistening with a new set of oncoming tears. Her mascara and eyeliner were completely gone due to the amount of times she had wiped her tears away, her makeup making her look a little racoon-like. Her nose was rubbed dry, as she continued to sniff, her chest was heaving as she was trying to gain as much oxygen into her lungs, but the oncoming tears weren’t allowing her to properly breathe. And her hair was now in a messy bun, but strands had come loose, some pieces framing around her reddened face.

Neither were quite sure what to say.

Holding each other’s stare for a few moments, Ricky decides that he should probably be the one to speak first. Seeing as Nini could barely keep her composure already, he shakes his head lightly as he tries to formulate his thoughts clearly. His mouth falls open and shut a few times, trying to will himself speak but he just couldn’t make himself do it.

The entire drive back, Ricky having stopped by Ashlyn’s apartment to drop off EJ before heading to his own, he had thought hard about what he was going to say to her. Obviously, he knew that he had to be honest with her about his thoughts on their private relationship. But also, he knew he’d be a complete asshole if he just completely disregarded what Nini wanted. It was her life too, and if she wasn’t willing to tell the entire world, then he should be okay with that, right?

Even though he wanted his answer to be yes, it was hard to wrap his mind around it.

“W-What happens if I-I say yes?” Nini musters, surprising Ricky.

Knitting his eyebrows together in confusion, he studies her carefully for a moment. “To what?”

Another tear trickles down Nini’s cheek, the small girl not even bothering to swipe it away, “I-If I say yes t-to keeping this a s-secret forever, what happens n-next?” She whispers, still struggling to keep her breathing under control, “I really, r-really love you, Ricky. I don’t want to break up.” She cries.

“Break up?” Ricky’s voice cracks, his own tears beginning to glass over his eyes what felt like the hundredth time that day, “Who said anything about breaking up?”

“Well, I don’t see why you wouldn’t.” Nini pauses, before sucking in another breath, an attempt to control her breathing once more, “W-Wouldn’t it be easier if you’re with someone else? Someone that gets it?” She asks quietly.

Ricky’s eyes widen at her question, a tear slipping down his own cheek. Before Ricky could do anything, Nini lifted her hand to wipe it away cradling his cheek ever so lovingly. Despite having already wiped away the stray tear, she continues to run her thumb over his cheekbone, as if she was trying to memorize how his skin felt underneath her touch.

“It’s okay if you do.” She mumbles, her own eyes betraying her statement. “Don’t worry about me, just do what’s best for you.” As tears began to well up in her eyes again, not bothering to try and wipe them away. She held onto Ricky for as long as she possibly could, like he was going to walk back out that door and never look back.

“What’s best for me is being with you.” He states confidently, shifting closer to the brunette, “I don’t want easy if it means losing you.” Bringing his hand up to take hers off his cheek. Twining their fingers together, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as he holds on impossibly tight, as if the pressure he was applying told her the certainty of his statement

Both of them were overwhelmed by the amount of pain and heartbreak that was being whispered between each other. Not wanting to let each other go, Nini’s grip on his hand tightens as she feels her tears being too hard to keep in, and they finally trickle down her cheeks once more, just like they had been all afternoon.

Licking his lips, “How about we meet halfway?” He suggests, a hopeful look evident in his eyes.

Nini nibbles on her bottom lip nervously, “How?” She asks, crossing her legs over each other instead of being pulled into her chest.

He raises his hand to wipe her tears off for her and takes hold of her other hand. “You want to keep this a secret forever, and I don’t. And neither of us wants to break up. So, what if we told the world, not now of course, maybe within the year. But everything, and I mean absolutely everything remains private.” He suggests, his eyes pleading for her to agree, “That way, you get the privacy that you want, and I get to take you out on dates and be seen with you in public. We don’t have to think twice about who might see us together, and we can just live our lives as if we were like a normal couple. It’s not 100% a secret and not 100% public.”

“Are you sure?” Nini questions. Noting the confused expression her boyfriend’s face morphed into, she decides to continue before he could ask for clarification. “Are you sure you’re going to love me forever? Like is forever the next couple of years, or like-”

“Is that what this is about?” He asks, his eyebrows scrunching together, “You don’t want to go public in the event that we break up and it’ll be all over the news?” Gripping her fingers impossibly tighter.

Nini presses her lips together, nodding as she ducks her head down to her chest slightly ashamed, “Part of it, yeah.”

“When I say forever, I mean forever Nini.” He iterates, bringing a hand to lift her chin up to look his girlfriend in her beautiful brown eyes. “Like, even on my deathbed when we’re 103 years old, and you’re lying next to me trying everything to keep me alive because we know you’re going to live longer than me.” Nini chuckles at his statement, drawing her lip in between her teeth. “And even after that, baby girl. I’m going to love you forever, and do you want to know why?”

The small girl tightens her grip in his, as her tense shoulders start to relax. Falling further into his touch, she sends a small nod, looking up at the boy. His thumb caresses her chin before trailing along her jawline as his hand makes its way into her hair, scratching at her scalp soothingly.

“Because loving you is the easiest thing in my life. It always has been.” His statement caused a small smile to break onto Nini’s face, his own smile beaming as bright as hers. “That’s why I don’t want easy. Because you are the only thing in my life that is, and if I lose you, I might collapse and evaporate into thin air or something.”

Unable to help herself, she smacks her boyfriend’s leg with their interlocked hands, rolling her eyes at his comment, “You’re dramatic.” She jokes.

“You know, I’d love to boast about you to the world, I mean I do it with everyone that knows about us. But I think that’s just my ego talking, because I mean look at you.” The pair erupt in small giggles at his small joke. His hand travels from the back of her head to her jaw, his thumb pressing into her cheek.

Despite the girl’s makeup being all over the place, he thought she was absolutely breathtaking. This was the real Nini sitting in front of him, not the one that she presents herself to everyone else. He was the only one that had the privilege of seeing his best friend and the love of his life so vulnerable. Albeit strenuous circumstances, but he couldn’t help but be completely enraptured by her beauty.

Nini leans her head on his shoulder, as she lets out a breath, “And you’re sure about this? There’s no going back.” She whispers.

Ricky lets the hand that was on her cheek wrap around her shoulder as he pulls her into his chest tightly, “I’ve been sure about us for ten years.” He tells her.

“That’s longer than we’ve been dating. No less, the band being as famous as you guys are.” She tilts her head to look up at her boyfriend, not quite removing herself from his shoulder.

“I mean, I’ve had a crush on you since like, ever.” He laughs, pulling her legs to drape across his lap, “But it’s been you and me since we were kids. I probably sound insane, but I always knew it was going to be you. You are the absolute love of my life, no doubt about it.” The boy tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, cradling her cheek as he stares down at the girl that he loves tilting her head up slightly to look straight into her eyes as he asks his next question. “So, what do you say angel? Are you with me?”

The small girl gulps, blinking up at him twice, “It’s going to take some time, but yes. I don’t want to live in a world where I’m not with you.” She lifts her head from his shoulder, leaning her forehead against his, “I love you so much.” She whispers between them.

A smile breaks onto Ricky’s face, “And, I love you. I love you more than you’ll ever know.” He leans in, pressing their lips together. “I’m so sorry if this isn’t what you want. But, I have to think about what I want too.”

“I know, Ricky. I shouldn’t have asked you to keep us a secret for so long. I’m sorry too.” She tells him, biting her lip anxiously, “I’m sorry for not asking about what you want. You’ve always put me first, and I think it’s time I start putting you first.”

“Don’t apologize,” Ricky shakes his head, pulling her body further into his as he wraps his arms around her in a tight hug, “I wanted to keep you to myself. I just can’t do it much longer, you’re too amazing to keep a secret.”

The brunette returns the hug, fisting the back of his shirt in tiny hands, “I’m yours, Ricky. Always.”

“And forever.”

Chapter Text

Ricky was on his way to the studio. Usually, he would ride with EJ since he was always at his apartment early in the morning eating whatever food Nini would set out before leaving for work. But Ricky had a dentist appointment, making him a little later arriving at the studio.

His mind has been in overdrive the last couple of days. After his conversation with EJ and what Gina had said at the interview last month, and the big conversation about going public; he tried his best to be home as much as he could. He would try to leave as late as possible and get home in time for dinner that’s considered a reasonable hour. The band would come along most times, Nini insisting that they join them for dinner since she knew they would all be hungry after a long day in the studio.

But he knew that wasn’t enough.

An idea has been running through his head the last little while. He just needed a little bit of help from Nini’s friend from work. Despite him lying about why he wanted Seb’s phone number, it was still laced with the truth but only slightly.

Pulling up to a stoplight, he quickly dials Seb’s number that Nini had given to him last week. The familiar ringing begins to fill the car, the boy thankful for the Bluetooth that was installed in his car. It took four rings until a voice rang through expressing a cheery greeting.

“Hey, Seb. It’s Ricky, we met a little while ago?” He informs the blond, sounding a little bit more as a question than a statement.

“Ricky, hi!” The boy on the other line says eagerly, “Nini told me she gave you my number. It’s really no problem. But, I’m not working today, I could text Kourtney if you can’t get a hold of Nini.” Seb rambles on.

Flicking up the indicator to turn right, Ricky chuckles at the boy, “Actually Seb, it was kind of a lie.” He admits shyly, “I actually wanted to ask you something about Nini’s work.”

“Oh,” Seb’s voice falls a little flat, “Is this about Cameron being on her about transferring upstate? I wouldn’t worry too much, she’s pretty adamant about not taking the job. She’s just trying to prove Daniel wrong that she can do anything he can. Daniel’s full of himself, he comes from money so he can kind of be an ass, and he’s just too conceited for his own good. Even if Nini turns down the offer, I doubt Cameron’s going to offer it to him.”

Ricky freezes, nearly forgetting that he was driving, as he focuses back on the road he sees the studio come into view. Quickly turning into the parking lot, he pulls into a parking spot as he mumbles an excuse to Seb about just needing to park. He collapses into his seat as he pushes the gear shift into park.

Not wanting Seb to know that he didn’t know about the job offer that he was talking about, he decides to breeze past it and focus on what he had originally called the boy for. “Actually, Seb I was calling because I want to take Nini away for maybe a week or two and I wanted your opinion on it since you guys have a similar work schedule. Like if she even has time off for it or if it’s even possible right now? We’re recording our next album soon and I want it to be right before then. Oh, and I kind of wanted it to be a surprise.” He runs his hand over his mouth as he waits for the blond to answer.

A few beats pass making Ricky a little nervous, but the boy’s voice rings throughout the car once more, “That’s so sweet! Nini really deserves a break, you know? She’s been a little stressed out. I know you don’t want anyone knowing about your relationship or anything, so I can probably talk to Cameron about it and he’d understand if I told him it was a surprise trip. I can probably swing about two weeks, what do you think?” He suggests.

Ricky’s smile widens, not as bright as it would’ve if he hadn’t heard about her transfer. “That’s perfect.” He chuckles, “Also, could you not mention anything about me calling you today?”

“Of course, Ricky.” Seb agrees, “Uh, please tell me if I’m overstepping here, but if you plan on proposing to Nini on this trip just be careful. She told me about the whole, uh, fight and that you guys have talked about things, but I can tell Nini’s still fighting that battle in her head.”

Ricky runs his hands through his hair tiredly, having expected to hear this again. Letting out a deep sigh, “I am too if we’re being honest. It’s just so hard.” Ricky admits, “I don’t want to push her. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I ever lost her.”

“I wouldn’t worry about losing her, Ricky.” Seb’s voice rings throughout the car in a soft and reassuring tone, “She’s processing it, just give her time to come to terms with it. But also, don’t hold back on telling her what you’re thinking because you want to spare her. You and Nini lie to the world, don’t lie to each other too.”

Pressing his lips together tightly, tracing along the treads of his steering wheel as he listened to Nini’s friend intently. It wasn’t anything new to him, he’s thought about it more than anyone could imagine. He’s mustered up every scenario that could happen in his head, everything from the best to the absolute worst. But he knows that whatever happens, as long as he had Nini he’d be okay.

Gulping down a large lump, Ricky nods despite the blond unable to see him. After realizing that little tidbit of information, he voices out his actions. “Yeah, I know. Thanks for doing this for me by the way.” He gestures towards the speaker, more for himself if anything.

“It’s honestly no problem.” Seb’s voice rings through once more, “I just want both of you to be prepared. I don’t want to see either of you hurt, even if I don’t really know you. But I can tell you really love her.”

A smile makes its way onto Ricky’s face, his hand moving to rub his finger against his lips a little flustered by the boy’s words. “I do, I really do.” He chuckles to himself, “Look, I just got to the studio.”

“Say no more!” Seb laughs, “I’ll text you what Cameron says once I talk to him.”

“Thanks again, Seb.” Ricky smiles before hanging up the call.

He was thankful that he was able to get a chance to finally take Nini away on vacation, seeing as it's been literal years since they’ve gotten the chance to. Asides from the times she would visit him while he was on tour, always trying her best to fly over to whatever city he was in at least once during the tour.

But one thing kept poking at the forefront of his mind. What did Seb mean when he said that Nini was offered a job? It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud of her for getting such an opportunity, it was the fact that she never even told him about it.

If Nini really wanted to go he would never have stopped her from going. In all of their years together, Nini has always been the one cheering him on and pushing him to achieve his hopes and his dreams. Ricky has done his fair share, showing up to Nini’s graduation and helping her study for her exams when he could. Even when she was having a hard time in her classes, he was there to help calm her down and to remind her that she was doing everything right. That no matter if she felt like the world was against her, he would always be by her side.

After the conversations’ he’s had the last couple of weeks with his friends and now even with Seb; he couldn’t stop wondering if he was the reason that she didn’t want to go. It’d be completely valid, given the amount of time they’ve been spending together, more like lack thereof. He wouldn’t blame her if she was giving something up because of their relationship.

He doesn’t blame her, because he blames himself.

But now he didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t told him about the news, and knowing her she’s probably not going to tell him at all because he’ll just tell her to go. And yet, he couldn’t just ignore the fact that he knew either and let her miss out on such a great opportunity, whatever it was going to include.

Does he tell her that he knows? Or should he wait until she finds the guts to tell him?

Seb: Cameron’s all for it! (Nini’s his favourite, so I’m not surprised)

Seb: Send me the dates, and I’ll input Nini’s vacation hours as soon as I can. Cameron’s willing to adjust for whenever you want, as long as it’s after her first surgery but that’s next week, so I think you should be fine.

A bright smile makes its way over Ricky’s face as he looks down at his phone.

“Ricky, are you with us?” A voice breaks him out of his thoughts, nearly forgetting where he was, being far too lost in his own thoughts.

The boy hums, “Uh, yeah. Sorry.” He shakes his head, bringing his attention back to the meeting

They were at another meeting with their record label, and they had decided to start their morning meeting by discussing the boring stuff. Ricky wasn’t paying all too much attention since his coffee hadn't exactly kicked in quite yet, but the text from Seb definitely woke him up. Getting a little too excited that he was finally going to be able to take Nini away and destress.

Despite that, he couldn’t take his mind off what Seb had accidentally told him a few days ago. He hadn’t been able to get it off his mind, especially that night when he got home. When he got home, he had the intention of asking her about it but that brought up a few problems:
1. He would have to tell her how he found out.
2. They were probably going to argue over her rejecting the job.
3. No matter how much he wanted her to do great things, he didn’t want her to go.

Instead, he wrapped his body around her curled up sleeping figure, like he did every night. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, letting his thoughts about everything float through his mind. Eventually, he followed her lead and let his mind drift off to wherever his dreamland took him.

“Before we get into the specifics of the album, did you guys have anything you wanted to add? Questions? Concerns? Requests?” Their manager, Annika, asks, turning her chair to face the four members, as people start filing out of the room.

Leaving just the band, Annika, Jordyn and Alex to discuss the album. Jordyn and Alex were their producers and majorly helped the band give them a certain edge since the group had decided to go for a different vibe in this album. They had worked with them on their sophomore album, and after getting a different producer for their third album, they knew they wanted to work with them.

They had a certain way of making their music sound different, like there was a certain attitude and feel to it. The only way they knew how to explain it was raw. The pair gave the band creative freedom on absolutely everything and were only around to help tweak things but not to the point where their music started sounding like it wasn’t theirs. That was a major problem they faced during their third studio album, the producers having far too much input for their liking.

“I don’t,” Gina pipes up, “I just need to grab another coffee from downstairs. Does anyone want anything?” She starts to get up out of her seat, dusting off imaginary dirt from her jeans. Heads around the room shake, asides from EJ requesting another donut from the cart on the main floor.

Ashlyn follows her lead, “I need to use the bathroom, I’ll come with you. Plus I could always go for another one of those biscuits.”

The two girls make their way out of the room, chattering away about something Ricky couldn’t really care about. Looking over to Annika, she was in the middle of discussing something with Jordyn and Alex, and Ricky couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. Especially after Seb’s text message, he knew he needed to get the green light from their manager as soon as possible.

Taking the chance with the girls out of the room, he straightens his posture in his seat, taking a sip of his coffee, finding the courage to ask. Clearing his throat, he sets his drink down, “Annika,” The asian girl turns to look up at him, “I want two weeks off at the beginning of next month.” He states.

Annika knits her eyebrows together slightly confused, “What? Ricky, you guys are starting in the recording studio to officially start recording this album.” She reminds him.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he was well aware of their hectic schedule but he had spent the last couple of days trying to figure out what he could switch around and push to give him the two weeks he needs. And he’s pretty certain with what he’s willing to push and probably even cancel, then everything should be perfect.

“We don’t start recording until the twentieth, and I’ll be back by the fourteenth, the sixteenth at the latest. Nika, I swear I can make this work.” He leaned down pulling his planner out of his bag, opening it up to the page he had jotted everything down with sticky notes so he could easily switch things around. “Look, if we push a couple of our meetings around, it works perfectly. And, we’re finishing up the last couple of songs in the next week, and I’ll be here for the Renegade interview. When I get back, I’ll grind as hard as I can to get everything ready before we have to head into the recording studio. Even if I’m jet lagged, I can do it.” He continues to point at a few things, trying his best to show their manager that it was possible.

“I don’t know…” Annika pulls the planner to get a closer look at it, “Where are you even planning on going? Is this like some band bonding retreat? Because you guys don’t need that, much less two weeks of bonding time.” She mutters, pencilling a couple of things down in her own planner.

EJ shakes his head, “No. It’s not for us.” The guitarist takes a small glimpse of his best friend who suddenly looked nervous, seeing as he hadn’t realized that he was going to be questioned regarding his sudden want for a trip.

The girl narrows her eyes at the two boys sitting in front of her, trying to understand what was going on. EJ nudges Ricky’s elbow, encouraging him to just tell her what he had planned. The last few days, Ricky and EJ worked hard together to try and figure something out so he could finally take a well-deserved vacation.

Clearing his throat once more, rubbing his thumb and index finger together nervously. Licking his lips before starting up once more, “I want some time off. I want to be able to go away on vacation with my girlfriend and not have to think twice about it. We’ll be careful, we always are. Nini and I haven’t gone away on vacation in four years, not like a real one.” He tells her.

“Am I sensing something else?” Annika asks, leaning forward on the desk a little.

“No.” Ricky shakes his head.

EJ nudges his best friend’s elbow once more, everyone around the room was eyeing him carefully. Like they all knew that deep down he had some other plans or something that’s been on his mind as of late.

“Look, I know what you’re all thinking,” Ricky starts, “But, I can assure you that she’s coming home with the same ring on her finger. It’s still the promise ring I gave her years ago, nothing that’s going to change our future.”

“Maybe not this trip,” Jordyn pipes up, “But in the future?” She asks.

Lifting his shoulder in a half shrug, his mouth twitching to the side, “Eventually. Like I thought about it, but this is just a normal couple’s getaway.”

Annika sighs tiredly, “Are you sure about this, Ricky?” She asks, tapping at her planner trying to figure out if it was at least the slightest bit possible to change his mind about the sudden trip.

“Oh, lighten up Nika!” Alex pipes up, “Let the boy be in love. He’s worked hard for years, let him have two weeks.” He waves the woman off.

Jordyn nods in agreement, “Yeah, we can work around it. Plus, it’ll give us some time to do some final changes in notes and riffs for Ricky to review when he gets back.” She tries to reason with the manager.

Leaning closer to check out the two planners that were set out in front of her, Alex hums as he compares it to the notes they had taken during the meeting and their last meeting. As the man cross-checks the schedules, Jordyn mutters a few extra notes to him as they whisper to each other about what they can get done in the next month before Ricky’s departure.

Annika shakes her head at the producers, “I meant proposing.” She eyes Ricky whose gaze was now cast down at his beverage in his hand, fiddling with the sleeve on the cup. “I’m not saying you can’t marry her. I’m saying you need to be careful, Ricky. Are you planning on ever going public? Because if you are, we’re going to need to talk to your media rep and see what’s the best way to go about things.”

Screwing his eyes shut, pressing his thumb in the space between his eyebrows beginning to get frustrated by all the thoughts and input on his thought of proposing to his girlfriend. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t surprised by the concern from Annika. But he hated the fact that he had to think about much more than just buying a ring and figuring out how and where he wanted to propose.

It was the main reason he didn’t want to tell anyone that he was going away, much less considering taking the next step in his relationship with Nini. Despite his reasoning for wanting to keep it a secret, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to get away for two weeks without having to tell Annika beforehand especially since it was so close to their first official day of recording in the studio.

Sometimes Ricky just wished his life were simple and normal.

Instead of having to deal with thinking about taking his relationship public, the right way to go about things, he could just get down on one knee and ask her, then that’d be it. But no, he had to talk to Nini about whether they could publicize their relationship since they’d be legalizing and truly making things official. Then he’d have to talk to his media rep and his manager and probably even the record label to ensure they were taking the right steps, to avoid gaining any backlash on him and the band.

It was far too much for him to ponder when all he wanted to do was to be happy with the love of his life. To ask her to marry him, and be with him for the rest of their lives, like they’ve always talked about.

He hated how complicated everything was.

And yet, he couldn’t make himself get out of it.

“Annika,” He starts, folding his hands together down on the table, “When we decide to go public, with a ring or not, I’m not consulting Jasper. I’m sorry, I know that I’m supposed to follow the correct channels and everything. But, going public is a lot for me and Nins, and we would want it on our terms.”

“He’s right, Nika.” EJ chimes in, “Gi and I were exposed and it fucking sucked. Then we had to go through Jasp, and that just made things even more sucky because it felt like it wasn’t us talking to the fans. And in Ricky’s case, they’ve been together longer than this band and people might feel like he’s been lying to them, and that just makes things so much worse. Don’t take this away from them.”

The black-haired woman sighs, running her thumb across her forehead tiredly as she slumps further into her seat. Alex and Jordyn slide over the planners, showing the manager that everything’s going to work out just fine. That it might be even better if Ricky takes a break, it’ll give him a fresh mind, for when he returns to revise the final drafts and details of the tracklist before going straight into the studio.

Looking at everyone in the room, she felt defeated. Everyone was clearly taking Ricky’s side and for so many good reasons. “Okay, fine. You have your two weeks.”

“Yes!” Ricky exclaims, a bright smile taking over his face, “Just don’t tell Gi and Ash, it’s meant to be a surprise, and you know how they are.”

Alex lets out a loud laugh, pointing over at EJ, “Remember your surprise party, that didn’t end up being a surprise because of Gina’s big mouth.” He continues to joke with the lead guitarist, while Jordyn grabs Ricky’s attention.

“So,” Jordyn leans against the table, propping her elbows up as she rests her head on her closed fists. “Where are you taking her?”

“Nope!” Annika interrupts the producer’s question, “If Ricky’s getting two weeks off, that means we need to get everything in order and work harder than we’ve ever worked before. Let’s talk about this album, Gina and Ashlyn can hop in later.”

Ricky locks the door behind him, kicking off his shoes on the shoe tray that Nini strategically set out on the ground, ensuring that it was perfectly straight to line up with the white tiles of the foyer. Tossing his leather jacket onto the coat rack that stood by the front door, he makes his way into the apartment.

It was just past midnight, having stayed at the studio late again. He had assumed that Nini had gone to bed, not quite sure if she had work the next day, or if he was just confusing the days of the week. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to him, especially as more meetings start to be scheduled within the week.

Making his way into the kitchen, the only light that seemed to be on in the apartment came from the lights underneath the cabinets shining down on the countertop and the fridge that was left wide open. Soft music was playing from the Amazon Echo that was hidden in the far back corner where their knife block was. But the sight before him was what completely captured his heart.

Nini sang softly as she danced across the kitchen, as she was in search of a midnight snack. She was dressed in an old t-shirt of his that fell just underneath her butt, her pair of maroon boyshorts barely peeked out from underneath her shirt. Her hair was now wavy after having washed it probably an hour or two ago, and it fell her back, her eyeglasses were slightly crooked, and just as his eyes landed on that tidbit, she raised her hand to straighten them out.

Opening up one of the cupboard’s she reaches up on the tips of her toes trying to reach something on the third shelf but her height didn’t allow her to get a full grasp of it. Her t-shirt raising to give him a full view of her behind, and Ricky had to tame himself before he got any ideas. Brushing past the thought, he chuckles to himself as he sets his bag down on the ground, walking up to his girlfriend. He places his hands on her hips, causing her to jump slightly at the sudden touch.

Turning her head to see Ricky, a warm smile falls onto her lips as Ricky bends slightly to lift Nini to reach the hot chocolate that was too far out of her reach for her. As soon as Nini’s small hand wraps around the tin, Ricky shifts to set her down on the counter closing her in with his arms as her legs parted to allow him to stand in between.

“Hi, baby.” Nini smiles, setting the tin down next to her as she leans in, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.

Ricky hums against her lips, one of his hands coming up to the back of her neck deepening the kiss having missed the small moments he gets to have with her. The girl giggles as her legs wrap around him, pulling his figure closer as her dainty fingers find their way into his messy curls.

After a few moments pass, Nini pulls back needing to catch her breath. Keeping her forehead pressed against his, he opens his eyes to see her staring back at him, a warm smile taking over her features. Unable to help himself, he leans back in pressing three quick pecks to her pink lips. She tasted like toothpaste and smelled like lavender. A clear indicator that had already brushed her teeth and went through her nighttime skincare routine.

“You’re really going to have chocolate after brushing your teeth?” He asks a small giggle coming from both of them.

“If you’re going to judge, you’re not allowed any.” She mutters, sitting up to her full height as she pushes her glasses up her nose, shooting her boyfriend a sharp look.

Ricky laughs, pressing his head into her chest as he wraps his arms around her torso, pulling her closer to the edge of the counter. “C’mon angel,” He mutters into her warm skin, peppering soft kisses against her collarbone.

Nini giggles, as she pushes at him slightly, allowing her to jump off the counter to grab two mugs out of the cabinet to start on their hot beverages. Nini fills the kettle up with water and presses down on the button to start it up, hoping that it doesn’t take too long to boil because she was really craving the chocolate beverage.

Heading over to the fridge, she pries the door open quickly grabbing the carton of milk out. Whenever Nini had hot chocolate, she loved to pour a quarter of cold milk so she didn’t have to wait too long for the drink to be tolerable enough that she doesn’t burn her tongue. It’s what her Lola used to do for her when she was younger, and it had stuck to the back of Nini’s mind ever since.

As she’s about to close the fridge, Ricky’s hand stops her. Turning her head, to eye her boyfriend carefully, Ricky takes the carton out of her hands and sets it down on the counter next to the fridge, his pupils dilated as he looks down at the woman that he loves. A soft smile taking over his face, as the brunette turns her body around to question the tall boy properly.

“Leave it open.” He tells her quietly.

“Why?” She knits her eyebrows together.

“Because,” He takes her hand as the Taylor Swift song he queued up comes on. Placing a hand on the small of her back, pulling her in tightly as her other hand finds her way to his shoulder as they begin to sway around the kitchen. “When we were in high school you loved this song, and you would tell me how when we got a place of our own you wanted to dance with the refrigerator light on in the middle of the night. You said it would feel like the whole world has gone to sleep, and that they were dreaming and wishing they were us. Two people, who are so in love with each other, we just let the world around slip away. Because the only thing that’ll ever matter is you and me.”

A shy smile makes its way onto Nini’s cheeks as the song fills the silence, tilting her head up as admires the boy in front of her. “How do you remember that?” Nini asks softly, pushing up her glasses, “I said that once, and I completely forgot about it.”

Ricky pushes her out of his hold, spinning her around as the small girl erupts in giggles, and quickly pulls her back into his hold once more. “When it comes to you, I never forget anything.” He whispers, kissing her pink lips, “Plus, that was the moment I knew I honestly and completely fell in love with you.”

“Really?” Her eyes glistening, a small twinkle appearing in her dark brown orbs as the music starts to fade out.

“Really.” Ricky smiles, raising his hand to press his thumb into her cheek, “You thought of me as your future. That’s when I knew you will forever be the greatest love of my life.” Drawing his lip in between his teeth as he admired the girl in his arms, his arm around her tightening like she was going to slip away at any given moment. “I love it when your eyes twinkle.”

Nini’s grin widens as she leans further into the palm of his hand, “They only twinkle when I look at you.” She murmured, her eyes softening as she looked up at the man she’s loved since they were sixteen.

“God, I love you.” Ricky’s eyes began to match her shiny ones.

“I love you, more.” She tilts her head up. “Not more than you, I think we’re pretty much on the same level there.”

Ricky chuckles, nodding along to her claim. “I know. I love you more than anything in this world. I love you more than our bad days, and our good. I love you more than the distance between us when I’m touring. I love you more than my career, my music. I love you more than pizza, and that’s saying a lot.”

The small girl giggles as her hand slips into his tangled locks, “You’re silly. I love you more baby. Always.”

“And forever.” He leans down, slotting his lips between hers before she could answer.

They could get through anything, Ricky thinks to himself. Whatever’s going on in both of their lives, he knew that as long as they had each other everything was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

Ricky pushes his girlfriend’s back into the couch, as he throws his shirt haphazardly across the room. The small girl underneath him giggles as she runs her hands up his chest, feeling his smooth skin underneath her fingertips.

It had been a while since the last time Nini and Ricky had found time to be intimate together. Ricky had been incredibly busy with his meetings and band rehearsal, and Nini was busy with her own work life. Usually, when they got home they would have dinner together and maybe they were able to slip in a movie if they weren’t too tired, which was rarely the case. And then they would head to bed, and their schedule repeats.

Leaning down to hover over his girlfriend, he moves a strand of her hair that was laying across her forehead. A smile stretching over his face as he looks down at the woman he loves. Her own eyes were scanning over his face, her fingers beginning to thread through his hair pulling on his neck to bring him closer to her lips.

“You know,” His voice a little husky from not speaking for a few minutes, “I’ve missed this.” His hand gliding over her thigh that was hiked over his hip, pressing his lips down to hers.

The brunette hums into her boyfriend’s mouth, tilting her head slightly as he begins to press kisses down her neck. Tightening her grip around him, to bring his weight to fully come down against her.

“I did too.” She breathes out, running her fingernails up and down his back, causing Ricky to suck a little harder on her pulse point. “God, Ricky.” She moans out, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as he grinds his hips into hers.

At the sound of his name, he smirks against her bare skin. Moving his hands down to her stomach, starting to push her shirt up. Continuing to press his lips against any spot of her skin that he could find. While, Nini’s nails started to dig into his back slightly, spurring him on.

“Hello, your favourite human has arrived!” The pair hear a voice come from the other side of the room, causing both of them to snap their heads in the direction. “Oh, gross.” The deep voice deadpans as his eyes fall on the scene before him.

Ricky groans, dropping his forehead against his girlfriend’s collarbone as they regain their composure. Nini couldn’t help but let out a laugh, as she runs her hands up and down Ricky’s back before pushing him off of her to situate herself.

EJ throws Ricky’s shirt that was lying on the floor over to the pair on the couch, giving the boy time to pull the fabric over his head as he took a seat on the recliner. “Did you forget that we’re coming over? Or you were just going to let us walk in on you guys butt naked on the couch?” He teases his friends.

“We didn’t forget!” Nini throws a pillow at her friend’s head, fixing her crumpled shirt and patting her hair down to tame it. “Just lost track of time.” She blushes, pressing her nose into Ricky’s shoulder.

“I mean by all means,” He kicks the feet of the recliner out, “Go to the bedroom and finish. The rest of them won’t be here for a while.”

“Gross, dude.” Ricky rolls his eyes, pressing a kiss to Nini’s temple before standing up from his seat. Pulling on his rather tight jeans, trying his best to cover the situation that was going on in his pants. “I’m just- uh, going to the bathroom.” He coughs a little uncomfortably, his gaze fixing on Nini for a moment, sending her a small smirk before he turns around.

The brunette gulps, watching her boyfriend make his way into the bathroom. Looking over at EJ, her legs crossed over each other still a little riled up. Clearing her throat, she tucks her hair behind both of her ears, “So, EJ-”

“He might need help finding the bathroom,” EJ teases, taking his phone out of his pocket along with his Pikachu Airpod case, plucking each of them out. “I’m actually craving a milkshake from next door. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” Getting out of his seat he starts to make his way back out of the apartment. “FIFTEEN!” He reiterates before leaving.

And without another word, Nini makes her way down the hall in search of her boyfriend.

“So,” Big Red hops onto the counter plucking a cracker off of the wooden board Nini had prepared earlier that day, “How’s the album coming?” He asks Ricky who was leaning against the kitchen island.

“The usual.” Ricky shrugs nonchalantly, “Some songs are fantastic, and others I can’t exactly tell if I’m completely in love with it yet. I guess we’ll need to hear the final sound after recording and everything. But I’m sure you hear enough about it from Ashlyn.” He waves himself off from his rambling.

Big Red shakes his head in answer, “We don’t talk about her work. At least not that much. You’re acting like we live together or something.”

“Do you think you will?” The singer asks curiously, sandwiching a piece of cheese and prosciutto in between two crackers and taking a bite out of it as he awaits his friend’s answer.

The boy shrugs, looking over to his girlfriend that was chatting away with Nini and Gina in the other room. The girls have been too excited for the evening since it has been literal ages since they’ve gotten around to having their movie night.

Ever since high school, the group had established that every Friday, they would have a movie night all together. Every week it was someone else’s turn to host, but their favourite was always Ashlyn’s house since she had the biggest screen and a fantastic sound system. Her parents were movie fanatics, they had a home theatre built into their basement just to further their experience. They always tried to stay up into the late hours of the night, and they would order as much food as they could.

But as they grew older, and the band’s career started taking off, their movie nights started to become less of a weekly thing. But they did try and schedule one at least once a month, and it was usually at Ricky and Nini’s apartment. And of course, once a month couldn’t be kept when they were out on tour, but they always made up for it when they would come back.

No matter how tired the band was when they returned from tour, they would always have a movie night the very same night that they would land. Nini would work herself down to the bone to make sure there was more than enough food for them and the house looked absolutely pristine for their homecoming. And Big Red would pick them up from the airport as Nini finished up last minute touches. It’s been the same arrangement ever since they had gone on their first tour.

“Not any time soon,” Big Red starts, bringing the pair out of their thoughts, “I mean we just started dating. Plus, we’re trying to keep it on the low for as long as possible.”

“For as long as possible?” Ricky repeats the red-head, raising an eyebrow in question.

Of all people, Ricky was well aware of how badly that could turn out. They could end up like EJ and Gina, and the fans expose them or they have a small mishap like Ricky had done a few years ago. But thankfully it was too vague, the speculation only lasted for a little while. He couldn’t help but think about what would’ve happened if it wasn’t just a silhouette of his girlfriend but a clear photo of her.

And on the other hand, his friends could end up like Nini and him. Eight years into their relationship and absolutely nobody knew about them. It was so difficult to feel like a normal couple when they had to constantly think twice about what they post or where they go and who they tell. In all honesty, it was probably the hardest part about being famous for him.

The redhead tilts his head to the side, “I mean, I don’t know.” He bites his cracker, “I don’t think I could handle as long as you and Nini have, but we’ve talked about it and maybe in a few months we’ll start to tell people. Probably start hinting towards it on socials and eventually tell the truth. The only thing I could hope for is to not be exposed.”

“You’re telling me,” Ricky scoffs, “Sorry.” He apologizes immediately, not realizing his slip up, “It’s good you guys have talked about it.”

“At least you guys have.”

“No, yeah,” Ricky nods, “I just don’t want to pressure her too much, you know? She’s my best friend and my girlfriend. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable by any means, but it’s time that I started thinking about what I want too.”

Big Red nods, taking a sip from his cup of water, “If we're being honest here, I’m happy that you’re thinking about yourself.”

His eyebrows knit together, confusion written over his face as he takes in his friend’s words. “What do you mean by that?” Ricky asks.

Setting his cup back down on the counter, he lifts his head to look Ricky in the eyes. “You seem to forget that Nini’s my best friend.” He points out, “She tells me things, sometimes about your relationship to, you know, get her mind straight but I don’t tell her what I think all the time. It was about time you started putting your foot down, Rick. I love Nini, I do, but it was time she started meeting you in the middle.”

“So, you don’t think I overstepped?” Ricky asks.

“Not at all.” Big Red hops off the kitchen counter, leaning against the island next to Ricky as he knocks his shoulder into his, “And if you’re that stressed about it, maybe talk to her about it. Don’t lie to protect her, not when it comes to your relationship.”

Ricky gulps, nodding his head at his friend’s statement, “Actually, Red, I have to ask you someth-”

“We’re about to start!” Nini pokes her head into the kitchen, seeing the two boys in a deep conversation, “Is everything okay?” She asks, walking further into the room.

“No, yeah,” Ricky waves her off with a small shake of his head, “Just talking about Red and Ash.” He punches his friend’s shoulder lightly, silently asking him not to say anything.

Big Red sighs, “Yeah, he loves to tease me.” He punches Ricky’s shoulder right back, before making his way out of the kitchen and into the living room with the rest of their friends.

Slowly, Nini comes to sidle up next to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his torso into a tight hug. She hums into his chest, “You sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah, angel,” He smiles, his own hands coming around to the small of her back, “You know, I had a lot of fun earlier.” He rocks them side to side.

Nini giggles, “Did you now?”

“Yeah, especially when you did that thing with your-”

“Oh my god! Ricky!” She squeals, smacking his chest as her cheeks begin to flare up, stepping out of her boyfriend’s hold.

He laughs, “What?” Following closely behind her, his hand coming in contact with her ass just as they cross over the threshold into the living room. “It was really good, baby. New and exciting, I like it.” He whispers lowly into her ear.

“Do you guys ever stop?” Gina asks, teasing the pair from her spot on the couch next to her boyfriend.

Nini lets out a laugh, “No, not really.”

“Gross.” EJ scrunches his nose.

“Okay,” Ashlyn gets up from her spot, “I get to pick next!” She leans across to steal the remote controller from the coffee table as she begins to scroll through the options on Netflix.

They had just finished watching, The Mighty Ducks, as per EJ’s request. It was a little strange to them, but one of EJ’s absolute favourite movie series was the Mighty Ducks movies. He loved every single one of them, and they haven’t gone a year without him picking at least one of the movies.

Always arguing that it was way better than any of the classics that Ashlyn or Nini would typically choose. EJ was strangely into any movies that were based around a sport and they had to work on their teamwork, loving the found family concept. He says that it kind of reminds him of their little ragtag of a group.

Nini shifts slightly, leaning over to pile some snacks onto her plate for her and Ricky to share. His hand continued to run up and down her back, as she was perched at the edge of his knees, the hand on her hip kept her from completely falling over onto the table.

“So, Nins,” Ashlyn pipes up, as she stares at the TV while searching for a movie for them to watch, “You ready for that surgery thing?” She asks.

The brunette purses her lips together but nods nonetheless. “I think I’ve done everything I could to prepare for it.” She answers, leaning back into Ricky’s chest, “Seb’s going to be in the room too, same with Cameron. So, like, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Are you nervous?” Gina asks, her legs draped over EJ’s lap.

“Immensely.” She smiles.

“I think you’ll be fantastic.” Ricky says, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, she smacks him lightheartedly on his chest, “You have to say that.”

“You will though,” EJ chimes in, swallowing a bite of his pizza. “You’ve been cramming so hard for it for like two months. Plus, it’s you Neener, so like it’ll be easy peasy.”

“Yeah,” Nini shrugs, “Enough about me! Red, how’s that art mural of yours coming? Got any ideas yet?” She asks, trying her best to get the attention off of her.

Earlier that week, Big Red was approached by a community centre, having seen his works when he would come in on Tuesday for their art nights. If Nini was free, he usually brought her to tag along, since Nini had taken nearly the same amount of art classes as he did in high school. Aside from working at an engineering company, Big Red liked to do art on the side. And he’s done his fair share of commissions over the last few years.

Throughout high school, Big Red had taken every art class that he could. His artwork was constantly showcased at city hall and even at some galleries. He was always rather shy about his work, but he had learned to just go with the flow and painted what would make him happy. And as time passed, he started to post his artwork up on his Instagram, and eventually business started to flow in.

People were interested in commissioning him for paintings and drawings and prints. The community centre is probably his biggest project to date. He has never painted on such a big scale, but he was more than excited about it.

“What mural?” Ricky asks.

Big Red shrugs shyly, “The community centre down on 8th asked me to paint a mural for the hallway with the library. I have a few ideas of what I’m going to paint, but I haven’t sketched anything down just yet.” His cheeks beginning to match the same colour as his hair. “I need to get those sketches in soon though, I have a meeting with them in two weeks to see where our ideas are and how we can meet in the middle for it.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ashlyn looks at her boyfriend, setting the controller down on her lap. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The boy ducks his head shyly, picking up his can of soda off of the table, taking a generous sip “They just asked me on Tuesday,” He answers simply, “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

Gina pushes her toes into Big Red’s thigh where she could reach, “It is a big deal, Reddie. It’s kind of like us announcing an album. Or Nini’s surgery. Even when Nini started writing music again!”

“Wait, what?” Ricky asks but was drowned out by EJ’s voice.

“Dude,” EJ snaps his head to look at the boy that was sitting next to him, “That’s fucking exciting! I can’t believe Nini was the first one to know!” His hand claps over the smaller boy’s shoulder in excitement.

The brunette shouts out a protest, “I was the last to know about Ashlyn and Big Red in this room! I’m Big Red’s best friend, I’m supposed to be the first that knows anything. Even Ricky found out before me. Ricky!” She iterates, “Of all people, Ricky!”

“Hey!” Ricky knocks his knee up, jostling the brunette slightly.

Looking down at her boyfriend, she trails her finger across his cheek lightly, “Honey, don’t argue with me.” She brings her head up to look back to the group in the room, “Plus, they approached him after the paint night thing that we go to on Tuesdays, so I just happened to be there.”

“No, but seriously Red,” Ricky shifts, “This mural is a huge deal. Don’t think that it’s not. Just like us, your art is important to you. Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate dude.”

Ashlyn nods, putting her hand over his squeezing it tenderly, “Next time, tell us.”

Big Red smiles shyly, “Yeah, okay.” He clears his throat, “So, did you pick a movie?”

“Oh, uh,” Ashlyn picks up the controller in her lap, not before twining her fingers together with Big Red’s, “Since we’re now all officially couples, we can consider this a triple date night. So, rom-com it is.” She chuckles, the beginning scenes of Set It Up starts to play across the screen.

“Triple date night.” Gina sings teasingly, poking Big Red’s leg once more loving the fact that she got to tease their friends about it.

“Shut up.” He grabs her ankle, pulling at it harshly causing her to slip a little further down.

The girl lets out a loud scream causing the rest of the group to erupt in laughter.

Ricky pulls Nini’s back into his chest tightly, his laughter beginning to fade as he hooks his chin over her shoulder. Pressing a small to the side of her neck, “Don’t think I didn’t hear what Gina said about you writing music again.” He mutters, “We’re talking about it later.”

“Yeah, I know.” She murmurs.

Like every movie night since high school, everyone sleeps over. Ashlyn and Red were already set up on the futon in Nini’s office, while EJ and Gina had gone to bed in the guest room. Nini was tucked away underneath her warm sheets ready for sleep to take over, her glasses already off and all her jewelry sat in the little dish on her nightstand.

Unfortunately for the brunette, her boyfriend had other plans. He turned on his lamp on the nightstand, illuminating the once dark room. Having just come back from making sure everyone had everything they needed. Slipping underneath the sheets, he props himself up on the headboard looking over at his girlfriend that had her back turned to him.

Drawing his finger down the grooves of her spine, he tries to bring her back to reality before she completely slips off into her dreamland. Eyeing the girl carefully as she groans, trying to swat his hand away, but once she realizes he wasn’t going to relent, she turns over. Her head still nestled in her pillow, squinting up at the very fuzzy looking boy due to her poor eyesight, she pouts up at him begging him to let her go to sleep.

Ricky leans over her, grabbing her glasses and handing them over to her. She lets out a groan as she shifts to put on the black frames, tilting her head up to make eye contact with him. He was now incredibly clear and she could see every detail of the man she loves. From his curly hair to the slight pout on his lips, and the tattoo that was splayed across his chest.

“What?” She snaps, “Sleep sounds really good right now.”

“Nini, sit up.” He takes her hand; the brunette rolls her eyes but complies with his words.

Leaning her back against the headboard, her shoulder brushing his own as he plays with their fingers in his lap. The pair knew exactly what conversation they were about to have, and neither were sure of what the other’s answer was going to be.

It was one of the rare times that they didn’t know what was going on in their partner’s brain. Usually, they knew just about everything about the other. Nini always knew what Ricky’s answer would be to where he wanted to go out for dinner or what had been bothering him the last few days. While Ricky knew how Nini felt with work and how stressed out she was and exactly what she needed.

This time? Neither knew what either of them was about to say.

“You started writing music again?” Ricky asks quietly, pressing a small kiss to her knuckles.

Nini shrugs, pursing her lips together into a tight line, “What about it?” She mutters quietly, avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend.

“What made you start?” He whispers, his breath ghosting over her skin.

“I don’t know,” She admits, “Well, that’s a lie I do know.”

His bottom lip sticks out slightly, “Sweetheart,” He grips her hand tighter, “You don’t want to tell me? You never even told me why you stopped.”

Nini sniffles, “Because I knew what you were going to say.”

“And, what is that?”

“I stopped because I thought what was the point?” Nini concedes, her eyes glancing over to see her boyfriend’s face fall, “My heart wasn’t in it anymore. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, because I did. But, I don’t know Ricky. I thought so little of myself, I hated everything that I wrote, I hated my voice, I just hated everything. And, um” She pauses for a moment, gulping down a lump that was beginning to form in her throat, “I thought I could never be as good as you.”

“Ni-”

“Don’t.” Nini takes her hand out of his, getting out of their bed she makes her way over to the vanity to stare at her reflection in their dimly lit room, “This is why I didn’t tell you. I know you’re going to tell me how wrong I am. You’re going to tell me I’m amazing and so incredibly talented, because that’s what you do. I love you, rockstar. But, I had to get over that hurdle on my own. And I did.”

She lifts her head to look over at Ricky through the mirror, he was watching her carefully as she kept her focus on the glass in front of her. “I started writing again because of you.”

Her words caused Ricky to raise an eyebrow in curiosity, slowly making his way over to the brunette. Gently, he wraps his arms around her waist, his thumbs running over the smooth skin of her stomach that was exposed. Planting a few kisses across her shoulder quietly letting her know that he was listening and wasn’t going to interrupt her again.

Taking in a deep breath, she places both of her hands on top of his, “It was after one of your shows earlier this year. I was in the crowd with Big Red and you were there up on stage singing your heart out, just like you always do. It was in between one of the songs, and you said that you write not because you think you’re good or wanting people to like it or whatever, you write for yourself.” She mutters.

Ricky sways them from side to side as they stare at their reflection in the mirror. The brunette sends him a shy smile, as begins to lean further into his embrace, finally letting her boyfriend comfort her.

“I started writing for myself.” She says underneath her breath, “I even wrote a song for you.”

“You did?” His eyes shoot up, his grip on her tightening.

“I did.” She nods, leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw, “I’ll show it to you – one day.”

He hums, kissing the back of her head, “I never knew you felt like that.” He utters into her hair.

The brunette shrugs, “How could you? I never said anything.”

“I should’ve asked.” Ricky breathes out, “I’m sorry that I never did.”

“It’s okay, baby.” She reaches up to thread her fingers through his hair, “Now can I ask you something?”

“Anything, angel.”

Nini turns around and hops onto the vanity, bringing Ricky to step in between her legs. Her hands move to spread across his torso, her cold fingers causing him to hiss as they come in contact with his warm skin. His own hands rest on her hips, holding the small girl in place.

The brunette chuckles, as she tilts her head up to look at him, “Why have you been home so much lately?” She asks curiously.

He raises a hand to his chest, gasping in mock shock, “Ouch, angel of darkness is coming out to play.”

Nini lets out a loud laugh, her hand coming up to smack his chest lightheartedly, “I’m serious. You’ve been coming home so much earlier like we actually have dinner at a decent time and together. And sometimes I leave before you in the morning and you even come home during lunch to leave me like flowers or like takeout or something.”

“Do you not want me to?” Ricky asks.

“You know that’s not what I mean,” She rolls her eyes playfully, “I love that I get to see you more and I love that you’ve been doing all these kind things. But, like, is there something going on that I should know about? Did I forget anything? Did you and you’re trying to make up for it? Because if you did I have no idea what that is.”

Ricky shakes his head, chuckling lowly at his girlfriend’s questions, “I promised myself that I’d be here for you more. So, just let me be around. I’m needy and I need more of my Nini love.” He wraps his arms around her shoulders pulling her into a tight hug.

“Hmm, is that so?” She giggles, reciprocating the hug just as tightly, “I think I can help with that.”

Chapter Text

“Nini!” A voice calls from behind her.

The small brunette looks over her shoulder, immediately recognizing the snotty voice. She rolls her eyes as she fully turns around, crossing her arms over her chest. Knocking her shoulder lightly into Seb’s in warning, the pair knew exactly how this conversation was going to go.

“Daniel.” Nini’s voice comes out unenthusiastically in comparison to the other residents. Pursing her lips into a tight line, the dark-haired boy approaches the pair as they were standing in the breakroom, casually catching up over their morning cups of coffee.

“I thought I told you to call me Danny.” An evident smirk falling on his face.

The brunette scoffs, making it incredibly obvious that she wasn’t taking his snarky-ness that morning, “And I thought I told you to call me Nina.” She snaps, “Only friends and family have the privilege of that nickname.”

Daniel laughs, “You wound me.” He leans his back against the counter, “Word around the street is that little Miss Nina has her big surgery today.” He raises an eyebrow, silently asking if what he had heard was true.

Everyone was informed that Nini’s surgery was later that afternoon, whether they were going to be part of the surgical team or not. It had been the only thing that the other first year residents have been talking about since she had the biggest case any of them got. And they were all well aware that she was the runner up for the job transfer upstate. But what everyone didn’t know was that she was going to be turning it down if Cameron decided to offer it to her. If they had known, they would probably smack her upside the head for rejecting such an opportunity.

After her weekend, most of it spent with Ricky and the rest of their friends, she had finally come to her decision. In her heart, she knew she couldn’t just move upstate and leave everyone she loves behind. She wouldn’t be happy if she moved away, she would only be doing it to further her career and she couldn’t say that was exactly what she wanted.

“What’s it to you?” She crosses her arms over her chest, leaning her weight onto one foot as she quirks one of her eyebrows up.

“You know,” He takes a step forward, causing Nini to take a step back ensuring the space between them remains ample, “You’re not going to be offered the Kelton position.”

Nini scoffs, laughing at the boy’s bold statement, “Oh, really?” Her own smirk slips onto her face, “And you think you are? Daddy can’t buy you that transfer, cupcake. You have to earn it, and from what I’ve seen,” She glances up and down with a disinterested look on her face, “There’s nothing impressive.”

Daniel licks his lips, “You’re pretty confident there, SalRobs.”

“As I should be,” She smiles sweetly, “We should get going though. See you and your snobbish ass later.”

She pulls on Seb’s arm guiding him out of the breakroom, both their cups of coffee still in hand as they make their way down the hall. The blond throws his free arm around the girl’s shoulder shaking her lightly.

“Girl!” He exclaims, “You put Danny boy in his place.”

“You really think so?” She beams over at her blond friend.

“Yeah, you were fucking badass!” He smiles eagerly, “I can’t wait to tell Kourt and Los about it later.”

Nini laughs, knocking her head into Seb’s lightly, “They’re really going to have a field day with this.” She pulls him down one of the halls, as they make their way to one of the empty conference rooms. “We should probably mentally prepare.”

“Yeah, we probably should, even though you don’t need it.” He points out.

Scrunching her nose at the boy, nudging her shoulder into his, “Shut up.”

--

“Nina, could I have a quick word with you before you head on out?” Doctor Cameron calls from across the hall just outside of his office, looking over at Nina who was about to head into the locker room.

After a long day, she was incredibly excited to leave the hospital and finally change out of her scrubs. Seb had invited her out for a celebratory dinner on him; Carlos and Kourtney were also joining the pair. The blond was supportive throughout the entirety of the day, as Nini’s anxiety started to go through the roof. She would shoot out points of what she had to do constantly and come up with dozens of scenarios of what could go wrong and how to fix those complications.

One of the last things she wanted to do today was to talk to Cameron, no matter what he had to say. She was well aware that most residents would take any chance they got to talk to Cameron after a surgery. But at this point, Nini was certain hers went great if his pleased grin was anything to go by.

Pressing her lips together momentarily, glancing down at the ground before lifting her head back up, “Sure.” She walks down the hall and follows the tall man into his office.

The office probably wasn’t as big as it could be, considering Utah Valley was on the smaller side. His desk was scattered with papers, yet Nini knew they were organized just not in the conventional sense, while his computer was illuminating off the back wall as it was beginning to boot up. The wall to her right was filled with all kinds of medical books that the residents used whenever they got a new case.

The stethoscope that was hanging around her neck was starting to bother her as the cold metal hit against her skin. Slipping the equipment off, she shoves it into her pocket as she takes a seat on the leather chair that was in front of the large desk.

Doctor Cameron took his own seat behind the oak table, slipping a file out of the cabinet that was next to his desk, as he sets it down in front of him. He doesn’t say a word as he pulls a few papers out of the folder, his messy handwriting was scribbled across most of them. To her, it seemed that they were his notes, but god knows what the hell he’s written. Cameron was the typical doctor where his handwriting was practically illegible, she sometimes wonders how pharmacists decipher what doctors write on prescriptions.

“So,” Cameron starts, finally looking up at Nini, “Kelton and Davis Medical Teaching Centre has a spot. I know we’ve talked about it and we both agreed that I wouldn’t mention it again until I was 100% certain about who I want to send.”

Lips pursed together in thought, Nini analyzes Cameron’s face trying to figure out what was going on in his head. “And, have you?” She asks, twirling her ring around her finger nervously, already knowing where this conversation was headed.

“I want to send you Nina.” Cameron sends her a kind smile, “You have so much potential and I think Kelton and Davis would impact and benefit your career greatly. They have top of the line equipment and teachers, you could learn so much more upstate than you can here. Out of all of my residents I’ve ever had, you are by the far the best I’ve come across. Your determination, your drive and your passion is something I don’t see in everyone and it would be a shame for your talents to be wasted here.”

Picking up one of the papers from the folder on his desk, he slides it over to the brunette. “This is the official offer.” Nini slowly takes the paper, reading over the perfectly printed letter in her hands.

As she fiddles with the sheet, her eyes scan over the page as she reads every word of the letter. Her heart began to pick up as she realized that it was finally official. All of her hard work had paid off and she was holding the piece of paper that could change everything for her.

Suddenly thoughts of her boyfriend started to flood her mind. She hasn’t told him about it. All of her conversations with Big Red started to repeat again and again, the doctor starting to realize that her best friend was right. She shouldn’t have kept it a secret for so long, and now that she was holding the official letter, she should’ve at least told Ricky what was at stake.

Lifting her head to meet eyes with the surgeon in front of her, not really quite sure what to say. She, of course, had an answer but she was wondering what about her made her better than everyone else. Sure, he said her determination was like no other, but he simply could be just saying that.

Instead of a serious response, she lets out an amused chuckle, “Trying to get rid of me, Cam?”

Cameron rolls his eyes jokingly, “You know we all love you here Nina. I’ve had such a pleasure working alongside you and being able to teach such a bright and independent student is an attending’s dream. But Utah Valley is the hospital that residents come to because we aren’t as picky and prestigious in comparison to others across the state.”

“You may be right.” She shrugs with a short nod, but hands the paper back over to the doctor, “But, I’m not going to take it.”

Feeling a sense of relief overcome her body. After months of doing everything above and beyond, she finally accomplished the one thing she was aiming for. And with much thought and thousands of pros and cons list, she knows she’s making the right decision by staying.

“Nina,” Cameron utters, his jaw dropping in shock as he doesn’t move to take the sheet from her, “This is a fantastic opportunity.”

“I agree with you.” Nini nods, setting the paper down on his desk before pulling her hands into her lap. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the offer considering how the other residents have been practically vying for this spot. And, yes, Kelton and Davis is a place where I could learn so much more and further my career and maybe even go back to school and maybe get another doctorate or whatever. But, I have to respectfully decline the position.”

Cameron leans back further into his seat, not quite believing his best resident was turning down the offer. He had been ready to send her off the second Kelton and Davis had informed the hospital’s president about their opening. It was no doubt that Nini was the best option out of all of his residents, having so much potential to become one of the best the State has ever seen. He didn’t prepare for the young girl to be declining the offer.

His finger runs over his top lip deep in thought, staring down at the paper that she had set down on the table. Drumming his fingers against the desk as he picks up the sheet to look at the letter once more.

“May I ask as to why you’re declining?” He asks, looking back up at the brunette.

Nini chuckles, adjusting her position in the chair crossing her right leg over her left as she clasps her hands in her lap. “You said that Kelton and Davis is where I belong, but I would have to disagree with you there.” Her lips slant into a shy smile, “When I was applying for my residency, I was accepted to nearly every hospital. I chose Utah Valley for a reason, Cameron. You might see UV as a mediocre teaching hospital in comparison to some of the others. But, I’m confident that I can learn just as much here as I can there.”

She gives him a reassuring nod, “This place, this city is my home.” Nini smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “My entire life is rooted here ever since I was a kid, and I’m not willing to give up my life here just for the chance of making a name for myself. I’m sure I can do just that by staying.”

“You have a lot of confidence Nina, I’ll give you that.” Cameron chuckles.

“A person that embodies confidence and pushes down selfish pride can move more than just mountains – they can change the world.” Nini states with a short, curt nod. “It’s something that my grandmother used to tell me back when I was a kid. Honestly, it helped me a lot through medical school.”

“Your grandmother is quite a philosophical woman.” The pair chuckle, Nini ducking her head lightly, “Well, Nina, unfortunately now that you have declined the offer I do have to start searching for another resident to send. Unless you’re going to change your mind.” He says rather hopeful.

Nini shakes her head confidently, “I won’t be changing my mind, I can assure you that.”

Cameron nods, “Well, I hope you have a good time off.” He starts, getting out of his seat to walk Nina to the door.

“You mean the four magnificent days of not thinking about work?” She lets out a laugh, standing out of her own chair.

The attending presses his lips together in a tight line, nodding realizing his slip-up, but thankful the young doctor didn’t catch on. “Since you have imparted such a philosophical message, I’ll return the favour with this: Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of existence.”

The brunette chuckles, casually pointing at the doctor recognizing the quote, “Aristotle.”

“Exactly.” Cameron nods, “Be proud of who you are, happiness is found within yourself. Let people think what they think, as long as you’re happy then nothing else matters.” He smiles, opening the door for the shorter girl to walk through.

Nini nods, tucking her hands into her pockets. “Thank you, Cameron. That actually means a lot more to me than you know.” She smiles, thinking back to the argument with her boyfriend a few weeks ago. “Also, thank you for the opportunity, I’m sure you’ll find a suitable and more willing resident to take my place.”

“Just have to figure out who that resident is.” He laughs, “Anyways, I’ll let you go. I’m sure you want to go out and celebrate.”

“Definitely.” Nini nods, smiling brightly, “I’ll see you next week.”

Walking out of his office and back to the locker room, her brain running wild as she thinks back to the conversation with her attending. She felt relieved and proud of herself without a doubt. Being offered the job meant so much to her even though she declined the offer. It satisfied a part of herself that she hated. The part that doubted herself, the part that thought she was never good enough, the part that believed someone was always going to be better than her.

Despite all her talk about confidence back in the office, no one realizes how loud insecurities could be in comparison. It’s easy to let the insecurities flood her mind, easy to let them take over and guide every action she does. The battle in her head is never-ending and is so difficult to overcome. Especially when it feels like the entire world is fighting against her, and she was left standing on her own on the battlefield. It is so difficult to believe that she’d ever be good enough.

In her heart, she knew she couldn’t control those thoughts, but what she did have control over is what she did with them. Instead of letting them fester and stop her from accomplishing what she thought she couldn’t, she stopped letting the thoughts control her. She let her confidence push through and she started to have more faith in herself. And eventually, her hard work had paid off. From medical school to landing her residency, to even being offered the greatest opportunity. It was more than she could’ve ever imagined.

As she was rifling through her locker, she started to reflect on what Cameron had said. She knows that Cameron wasn’t aware of the impact his words had on her current situation.

It wasn’t a question about whether she was happy in her life at the moment. How could she not be? She had a great career, even greater friends, a loving family and the most supportive boyfriend she could’ve asked for. It was just the situation that she was put in ever since Ricky’s fame started to rise.

In simple words, it wasn’t ideal.

There was constant uncertainty about whether they would publicize their relationship, ever since the start. Nini had always thought that she would ruin Ricky’s career, that his image would completely tarnish once they announced their relationship. It was the main reason Nini was so hesitant about ever publicizing their relationship. She didn’t want to be the reason his career went down the drain, not after he’s worked so hard to get where he is today.

After their conversation about going public within the next year, she couldn’t seem to get it off her mind. She knew couldn’t deny Ricky’s request, it wasn’t fair to him. It was his career and his life, he should be able to have a saying what he wants his fans to know. And if Nini was one of the things he wanted to open about with the media, then she should let him. It is his life, they've played it her way for so long that she didn't even realize how much it affected him.

Despite the constant reassurance from Ricky, and the rest of Golden Monday and even Big Red, that everything would turn out okay, she was still so fucking scared. 

The response from fans and media outlets were the least of her worries if she was being truly honest. She was terrified of what was going to come after it. What would people say or think about her? About their relationship? Would they judge them for having kept this nearly 10 year secret? Would they start to hate her? Hate Ricky? What she was scared about the most was that this could be the driving factor that could tear them apart, and that was the absolute last thing she wanted. 

Even after all of her questions and doubts about going public, she couldn't help but think about what Cameron had said. It wasn't what he said per se, but the way he had phrased it. Ricky constantly told her not to worry about others and what they think because when it comes to their relationship no one else matters, but she refused to believe that for some reason. She always thought Ricky was just saying those things as way to create some sort of peace within her about revealing their relationship. But, why does she care about what others think? 

Fuck what everyone else thinks.

When she is with Ricky, she’s the happiest she could ever be. She is proud of who she’s become and who she is growing to be. She is finally happy and fulfilled, why let people that she didn’t even know take that away from her?

She was done being a coward.

It was at that moment that Nini knew everything was about to change. Finally accepting that if she truly wanted to commit and be with Ricky, then she has to take all of him. From the man, she has known and grown to love ever since they were kids. to the man that is plastered across all social media platforms. She can’t hide any longer. Ricky makes her honestly and truly happy that no amount of intrusive people could ever take that away from her. It may have taken a long time to come to terms with the fact that she has a famous boyfriend and it was inevitable that this was going to happen. But she knows in her heart that she is honestly and truly ready. 

It’s time for them to go public.

“Hey, Nins,” Seb breaks her out of her train of thought as he walks into the locker room, “What did Cameron want?”

“I turned down the job.” Nini blurts out.

A surprised look takes over the blond’s face as he looks away from the lock he was spinning around for a moment, “You’re sure that’s what you want?” He asks, prying open his locker.

“Absolutely.”

“I’m sure Ricky’s happy about that.” Seb chuckles.

“He will be.” Nini nods, sending him a hesitant smile before taking her bag out of her locker and shutting it tight.

As Nini enters her apartment, her bag slung over her shoulder as she kicks off her shoes and shoves them into the closet since she wouldn’t be needing her work shoes for a few days. Shifting her jacket off her body, she starts to make her way into the apartment noticing that all the lights were still off.

Ricky probably stayed at the studio late again, she thinks. He did leave rather late that morning, at least from what she could recall.

Shrugging the thought off, she makes her journey down the hall. Instead of turning to where her bedroom was, she decides to put her files away in her office before heading off to bed. Figuring that it’d be easier if she did it now instead of later, so she could fully enjoy the few days that she does have off.

Nini had gone out with Seb, Carlos and Kourtney for a quick bite to eat after work. Seb wanted to celebrate Nini’s successful surgery and the job offer that she did in fact get. Kourtney and Carlos were surprised to hear that she turned down such an opportunity but completely understood why she did after explaining everything.

The evening was filled with laughter and stories, Carlos having gone off about one of his co-workers, claiming that she had apparently stolen an idea from one of their colleagues and there was a big argument about it in the office. Carlos was one of the editors at some big magazine corporation and was always amused by the pitiful arguments that would happen in the office and even sometimes at meetings.

Seb had even gone into telling the pair about Nini’s comeback to Daniel earlier that afternoon. In all honesty, she was quite proud of herself. She felt like he had to be put into his place and if someone wasn’t going to do it, it might as well be her.

Opening up her filing cabinet, she slides in her folder right where it belonged. The doctor meticulously organized her cabinet by colour and in alphabetical order, just like any type of organization system should work. It took her a few more minutes than it should, seeing as some of her folders had slipped off of the rails that would cause them to slide over easily.

Once she was done with fixing up the cabinet, she slid it shut once more. Picking up her phone that had shone brightly through the dimly lit room, a text message coming in. A little hopeful that it was her boyfriend, unfortunately when she read the screen it was just from Big Red.

Red: Ace tell him.

Red: I know you already declined it, but he deserves to know.

The brunette lets out a deep sigh, rubbing her hand over her forehead tiredly. On her way to dinner, she had called up Big Red and told him about the news. He was thrilled for her, both because she was offered the job and the other part was because she decided to stay. He had withheld his thoughts on her potentially moving, not wanting to impact her decision. As his best friend, he wanted what was best for her. And if she thought it was moving, then he would’ve accepted that decision because it wasn’t his decision to make.

When Nini had muttered an answer about if she had told Ricky about it yet, she had gotten quite the earful about how she needed to tell him. Her brain knew that she had to have the conversation with him and soon, but she wasn’t even sure how to go about it. Big Red was right, she should’ve done it when she found out about her standing or at least before she was offered the position.

Since she withheld the information from him for so long, she wasn’t exactly sure what to even say or how he’ll react. Is he going to be mad? Proud? Hurt? Confused?

She felt pretty confused at the moment. Deciding that she’ll probably have to tell him tomorrow since he’d be getting home late, she pushes the inevitable conversation to the back of her mind and makes her way out of her office and to their bedroom.

As Nini pushes the door open, she nearly shrieks at the sight before her. Having thought she was home alone, she was definitely not expecting her boyfriend to be all set and ready for bed scrolling through his phone as he was nestled on his side of their bed.

“Fuck!” She lets out, Ricky lifting his gaze to smile cheekily at his girlfriend, “I thought I was home alone! You scared me!”

“Aw, angel,” He slumps his shoulders slightly, a teasing look taking over his face, “Am I really that scary?”

Nini rolls her eyes walking over to her boyfriend to plant a short kiss on his lips in greeting, “You’re not scary.” She says pulling away, threading her fingers through his curls lightly, “You’re usually not that quiet.”

His smile slants as he peaks up at the girl, “Just a lot on my mind.”

She frowns at his response, “Anything you want to talk about?” Nini inquires, resting a knee on the bed as her other foot stays planted on the ground.

“It’s nothing.” Ricky shakes his head, “Tell me about your day. How’d the surgery go?”

At the mention of her day, her thoughts from just before she had walked into the room started to flood into her mind once more. “It was good.” She answers, taking a few steps away from her boyfriend and towards their closet. Rifling through in search of a comfortable pair of pajamas. “Seb told me I did great. Cameron said so too. He thinks I have a ton of potential.” Nini mentions, skirting around the actual reason he had said anything about her potential.

As she pulls out a pair of shorts and a comfortable shirt, she hears a mumble come Ricky’s mouth but couldn’t quite decipher the words. Turning around once she shuts the closet doors, leaning against the white painted wood she raises an eyebrow seeing as Ricky seemed to be awaiting a response.

“What? I didn’t hear you?” She asks.

“I asked if Cameron offered you the position?” Ricky asks casually.

“Oh, yeah, he did, but I-” Nini pauses, her boyfriend’s words started to fully register in her mind. Her eyes widen to the size of saucers as she feels her heart rate begin to race. “Wait, what?” She mutters for a lack of a better response.

Ricky chuckles, leaning forward slightly, “Come on babe, don’t leave me hanging! What did you say?” He looks at her completely intrigued with a stupid grin on his face.

Nini blinks a few times as if to make sure that this was reality and not some twisted dream she needed to wake up from. Once realizing that this was in fact reality, she feels her blood start to rush into her ears, her heart pounding loudly and her cheeks burning with embarrassment and guilt. She couldn’t even keep her head on straight to answer her boyfriend.

“Nini, baby,” Ricky shifts to move to the foot of the bed, “Come here.” He tells her, patting his leg motioning for her to take a seat.

Slowly Nini makes her way over to him, her clothes pressed tightly to her chest as she attempts to ground herself and muster up anything to say. Pressing her lips into a tight line, as she slowly stands in between his legs taking a careful seat on his leg. Immediately, Ricky wraps an arm around her torso ensuring she didn’t slip off while his other hand holds her legs. His thumb running soothing circles into her legging-clad knee, pressing a few kisses to her shoulder.

“I promise you, I’m not mad.” He whispers, peering up at his girlfriend. “I’m actually so, so incredibly proud of you.”

“You should be mad at me,” She murmurs, interrupting what he was about to say, tears beginning to prick her eyes. Doing anything she can to try and wrap her mind around what was going on at the moment. “I lied to you. You should be angry with me. If I accepted the position then that would change everything for us.”

This time Ricky was the one taken aback by what she had said. Tilting his head quizzically to the side, “What do you mean if?” He asks, his thumb continuing to draw circles into her leg.

Her tongue darts out, licking her lips as she adjusts herself on his knee, picking at the clothes that were sitting on her lap. Unable to make eye contact with her boyfriend, she keeps her gaze on her lap; her vision beginning to blur.

After a few shaky breaths, she feels her chest tightening as her nerves start to take control. Biting the inside of her cheek nervously, “I turned it down.” She finally lets out.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Nini nods, wiping away the tears that were pooling in her eyes, “Crazy, right?” She laughs dryly.

Ricky presses his lips together in a tight line, “It’s not because of me, right?” He asks, nerves shaking his voice. “Please don’t tell me you turned it down because of me. If you had told me about it before you were offered the job I would’ve told you to go.”

Snapping her head up to finally look him in the eye, she shakes her head in response. She lets out a frustrated sigh, “I know you would.” Not answering his question from before, “But I know that’s not what you want.” Nini claims.

“It doesn’t matter what I want.” Ricky says, “It’s your dream, baby. I’m not going to stop you from going and living your dream. I know what it’s like to live it, and I can guarantee it’s everything you could want and more. So, go. Be that amazing doctor I know that you are and kick ass at that prestigious teaching hospital.”

Nini shakes her head once more, feeling her heart tighten at his supportive words. All she ever wanted to do was to make the people she loves proud. And Ricky was the one person she knew she didn’t have to work so hard to prove to him that she was more worth it. She never felt any sort of pressure to be the best doctor or best girlfriend when she was with him. He made her feel seen, and he made her feel like herself and that’s more than she could’ve ever asked for.

But the thoughts of her keeping it all from him started to pain her. She wonders what was going through his mind when he had found out – how did he even find out? At this point it didn’t really matter, what matters is that he knows and he’s telling her to go because he thinks this is the best thing for her, he thinks this is what she wants, he thinks she gave it up for him.

When in reality, she gave it up for herself.

She shifts slightly, setting her clothes down on the bed as she loosely wraps her arms around his neck. “That’s the thing, Ricky.” She starts, “It’s not my dream.”

Squinting at her response, his arm around her torso tightens, “Then what is?”

“This is.” She gestures vaguely around them, “Being a doctor is my dream. I don’t have to go to some fancy hospital to do what I love. I’m changing lives one day at a time. Being surrounded by all the people that love me is my dream. Growing old with you is my dream. Honey, dreams don't have to be just one thing. You can have multiple dreams, and I want to live them all. I can't choose a favourite because I think it'll be a good career move."

“Are you sure?” He asks, his face contorting into a worried expression. “This would be an insane opportunity. I just want you to be happy, and if going upstate is going to make you happy you should go. We can make things work, I’m not letting go of you that easily.”

“I am happy.” Nini utters softly, sliding her hand through his hair pushing the hair hanging above his forehead back. “I’m so, so very happy, my love. I know this is where I belong. At Utah Valley, at home with my moms and Big Red. With my friends, the band. And most importantly you.”

Licking her lips nervously, “Are you sure you’re not mad?” Her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

Ricky leans in pecking her lips, “I was confused at first.” He admits, “But I know you angel. I know you didn’t tell me for a reason. Maybe it was because you were scared or you knew what I was going to say. Maybe it was because you already had your answer and didn’t want me to push you into something you didn’t want to do.”

Her bottom lip quivers, wrapping her arms tighter around him as she presses her forehead against his temple, “Why do you know me so well?” Nini whimpers.

“I’ve known you for two decades, Ni. I sure hope I know you well,” The pair erupt in soft laughter, “For at least half of that time I was in love with you, so I think I have a leg up there too.”

Nini giggles, lifting her head off of him, “I just have one question.” She starts, Ricky nods in response signaling for her to continue. “How did you find out?”

“Seb.” He answers, “Don’t get mad at him, but I guess he thought I knew about it.”

“Oh.” Nini mutters, nodding in response until she realizes what he actually said. “Wait. Why were you talking to him?” She asks curiously.

“That my darling girl,” He pats her leg, “Will have to be answered tomorrow.”

Nini frowns, “Why tomorrow?”

Ricky chuckles, leaning in kissing her lips tenderly, “I have a surprise for you tomorrow night.”

“What is it?” She asks, bouncing on his leg, leaning further into his frame as she begs for him to answer her question. She begins to press her lips against his repeatedly muttering a ‘please’ each time she kisses him.

“Nope.” He shakes his head laughing, their lips still pressing against each other only pulling slightly away to answer his girlfriend. “It wouldn’t be a surprise then.”

Letting out a groan she finally pulls away from glaring down at the man, “You’re the worst.”

“We’ll see about that tomorrow.” He kisses her once more, patting her thigh a few times, “Now go change, I want to get some Nini cuddles in before I fall asleep. I have to get up early tomorrow.”

Nini’s lips turn down in a frown, “Fine.” The brunette finally gets up grabbing the clothes off of the bed, moving to make her way to the bathroom. Quickly turning around, she pokes her tongue out at her boyfriend that was watching from the bed.

“God, you’re cute.”

Nini’s face begins to rise with heat, she giggles and turns back around to head into the bathroom. Before she did, she stuck her ass out slightly and shook it at him teasingly bounding into the bathroom. She could hear Ricky’s laugh echoing off of the walls, and she couldn’t help but smile thinking about the boy she loves wondering what in the hell he’s got planned now.

Chapter Text

Ricky is woken up by kisses being peppered all over his face. Blinking his eyes open, he sees a curtain of dark hair framing around his head as his beautiful girlfriend hovers over him. The singer chuckles, shifting slightly moving his hands to rest atop Nini’s thighs as they bracketed his hips.

“G’morning.” Ricky slurs, his voice husky and deep.

“Good morning my handsome rock star.” She beams, leaning down to connect their lips together in a firm, yet needy kiss.

The singer hums against her mouth as his hands fiddle with the bottom of her t-shirt. As Nini’s lips deepened the kiss, applying more weight onto her boyfriend’s frame he began to feel Nini’s wandering hands. A little confused as to why his girlfriend was acting very handsy this morning since normally it was him that initiated any morning activities.

The young doctor disconnects their lips, trailing her own across his jawline and down his neck. One of Ricky’s hands slides underneath her shirt, rubbing her back as he ponders about why she was acting so amorous. As she begins to suck at a sensitive spot on his neck, he suddenly recalls their conversation from the night before.

Unable to help himself he starts to chuckle, his hand underneath her shirt continues to run over her smooth skin while his other hand moves to her ass tapping it lightly. Nini nips him extra harshly as she heard the laughter fall from his lips.

“I’m doing some of my best work here, why are you laughing?” Her breath was hot against his skin.

The boy bites his lip as his girlfriend continues to work on his neck. “Not that I’m enjoying this, angel. But if you think this is going to get you answers about what we’re doing tonight, you’re dead wrong.”

Nini groans against his neck, stopping her current advances as she sits back up in his lap running her fingers across his bare chest as she sticks her bottom lip out dramatically in the best pout she could muster. “Please.” She gives him the biggest doe eyes he’s ever seen on her, as her chipped manicured fingernails grazed him lightly knowing how much he loved the sensation.

“Sorry, baby girl.” Ricky chuckles, he shifts slightly to prop himself up on his elbows. “You just have to learn what patience is.”

“In case you forgot, I have many patients a week in fact.” She claims, a smirk on her face as she leans slightly to hover in front of his face. The pair erupt in light laughter at her silly joke, Nini’s proud demeanour falters in seconds as she watches Ricky’s face break out into a bright smile.

Ricky rolls his eyes at her wittiness, “You’re just the comedian, aren’t you?”

Nini nods triumphantly, “It’s why you’re dating me!” She giggles, poking her finger into his chest a few times.

Scrunching his nose at her comment as he hums in thought, “Yeah, because I totally thought ‘this girl is the funniest human alive so I’m going to make her mine.’” He mocks, with a wide grin on his face.

“Maybe not,” Nini purses her lips, a clear indicator that she was preparing herself for the best comeback she could gather. “But everyone knows I’m the funny one in this relationship.”

“I’m the funny one!” Ricky defends, a look of disbelief takes over his face.

The small girl shrugs nonchalantly, shuffling a little to wrap her legs around his torso as Ricky straightens his posture to fully sit up in the bed. Her left hand rested on his shoulder as she looked him in the eye seriously, “Oh, my sweet baby. I don’t know who’s been lying to you.” She sends a sympathetic look, her other hand slithers up to thread through his curly hair.

“You know,” Ricky starts, his hands roaming along her spine, “For a girl that was practically trying to sex me up answers just now, it starting to sound like you don’t want me to tell you.”

“Ricky!” She shouts, her eyes widening to the size of saucers at her boyfriend’s comment, smacking his chest, “That’s so gross, don’t ever say that to me again!”

“It’s true!” He laughs, a teasing grin slipping onto his face.

Nini rolls her eyes, “So, I’m assuming you’re not going to tell me anything.”

“You’ve got that right, angel.”

“Fine.” Nini huffs, getting up from his lap, causing Ricky to whimper at the loss of her warmth, “You can have cereal for breakfast. The waffles I’m making are going to be just for me and EJ.” She starts to sway her hips as she leaves the room.

“Nini!” He shouts back, scrambling to get out of bed but finding a hard time since he was still tangled up in their sheets, “That’s not fair!”

“Life ain’t fair babe!”

EJ and Nini were sitting in the kitchen chatting amicably, Ricky was in the shower the two boys had a meeting to go to at the office. They were both nursing their second cup of coffee, having finished their first one before their breakfast was even ready. Nini was swiping a piece of her waffle across her plate soaking it in as much maple syrup as possible.

The guitar player set his coffee down on the table, sighing as the warm liquid trickled down his throat watching as his friend was enjoying her waffle. “Don’t take this personally,” EJ starts.

Immediately Nini’s head snaps up to look up at the tall man that’s been her friend for too many years that she’s lost count. “Well when you start like that, I just might.” She grumbles, tossing a balled-up napkin at the boy laughing as it hits him square on the forehead and it nearly falls onto his plate of food, thankfully he catches it before it does.

“It’s not bad!” EJ defends, casually tossing the napkin onto the table, “You just look spent. Have you been sleeping?” Concern instantly filled his voice.

Nini lifts a shoulder in a small shrug, pressing her lips together as she stares down at her plate. The waffle piece that was stuck at the end of her fork was now completely drenched in syrup but she didn’t bother popping it into her mouth as she continued to circle the circumference of her plate with it.

“Honestly?” She sighs, “Not really. But I have four days off so maybe I can catch up on sleep.”

“Knowing you, you’re going to find something to do during the four days, huh?” EJ chuckles, a soft look on his face at his friend’s confession about her lack of sleep.

Poking her tongue into her cheek as she laughs alongside him, “Shut up.” Her cheeks begin to burn slightly, sometimes hating how much her friends know her.

“You need to learn how to relax.” EJ tells her, “Are your moms still whispering in your little head about always needing to do something?”

Nini shoots him a glare, not out of annoyance for bringing them up but for being able to see right through her. Ever since she was young, Nini’s moms always made sure she was kept busy. They said it was a good practice to keep up, so in the future, nothing would be left to the last minute and she would always feel like she had something to do. So, Nini wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of relaxing.

Don’t get her wrong, she knows how to relax. It's just sometimes it stressed her out to just sit down and not think about anything, to the point that sometimes she would get stressed out thinking about what she could be doing. On occasion, she would find herself watching TV and thinking that she could be mopping the floor or doing the laundry that she would multitask and fold clothes while having the TV play in front of her.

Normally, Nini’s way of relaxing was to have a good book in front of her with a candle lit as the lights were dimmed. It was rare whenever that happened, but she did try her best. She tried to have a bath once or twice a month with her favourite candles and a book. Usually, she nursed a glass of rosé wine too, but she feels at this point that was always a given.

The days that Nini honestly felt the calmest would be the nights that they would have movie night. She would spend most of the day preparing food and cleaning the apartment that she felt that she earned a relaxing night with her friends. They all absolutely loved movie night Nini, because they could easily tell how calm and relaxed she was that she finally let herself take a breath from her busy day-to-day life.

“You know, having friends that you’ve been with since the braces and acne days isn’t always a good thing.” She pokes her fork in his direction, a small laugh escaping her lips. But the boy sends her a sharp look, silently telling her to answer his question. The young doctor lets out a deep sigh, her shoulders dropping at the action. “I mean, yeah. But, it’s never going to go away. You know that.”

The man chuckles, nodding along as he takes another sip of his coffee, “Yeah, I remember when dad would tell us to shut up and to forget about making it in music.”

“God, I remember when you and Ricky would just mess around and he always had this like sour look on his face.” Nini slumps back in her seat, Mr. Caswell’s face tattooed in their minds. “He always wanted you to go into business.”

EJ shrugs, “He didn’t have another son to take over Caswell Enterprises.” He rolls his eyes, taking a bitter bite out of his breakfast.

When they were in high school, even before the boys had decided to form a band, Mr. Caswell was always against the arts. He was the typical business man that thought there was no point in pursuing an unrealistic path. He had sculpted the perfect picture of his son having a stellar 4.0 GPA on the football team and following in his footsteps in the family business.

Fortunately for EJ, his mom was incredibly supportive in his choice to pursue music. She was simply happy to see that EJ was happy. Eventually, Mr. Caswell came around, with the promise that EJ goes to college and studies business in the event that the music thing ever falls through. And EJ did just that. He majored in business and minored in music during college while still performing all across America with the band, and even managing to graduate magna cum laude.

“I’m glad you fought for it.” Nini tells him, a soft smile on her face, “I couldn’t imagine you walking around in a suit and a briefcase talking to all these business people.” She chuckles.

“Really?” He laughs at the thought of him dressed up as she had said, “And why is that?”

“You’re too much of a goofball, duh!” She sticks her tongue out jokingly.

EJ rolls his eyes at his friend, “A punk rock goofball, huh?” The pair continue to laugh as they eat, “So, four days off, what do you have planned?” EJ asks curiously, despite knowing that her plans weren’t going to be what she expected.

Nini sticks her finger up for a moment as she swallows the piece of waffle that she was munching on. After a few seconds, she washes down any remnants with a sip of her black coffee. Having started drinking black coffee during medical school since it seemed the sugar and milk that was added wasn’t doing it for her anymore.

“Well, I was planning on doing the bills, laundry and just cleaning around the house. Maybe I can steal Gina and Ashlyn I’ve been wanting to go shopping, not for anything really. Maybe we could get our nails done. And I’m probably going with Red on Tuesday to the art night at the centre, maybe you could come if you’re not too busy.” She lists off the things she’s been planning on doing since she had more days off at a time than usual, and she wasn’t even on call.

“Oh!” Nini’s eyes widen, sending the guitarist a cunning smile, “Ricky has a surprise for me tonight. You don’t by any chance know anything about it, do you?” She moves her eyebrows up and down teasingly, trying to get her friend to spill what he knew about her evening.

“Nina!” Ricky’s voice booms from the other room, “I can hear you!”

The small doctor scowls in the direction of her boyfriend’s voice, “Well, you won’t tell me!” She shouts back.

EJ lets out a loud laugh at the interaction between the pair. “Do you have no faith in me, Bowen?!” EJ shouts down the hall, the brunette across from him was shaking with laughter at the interaction.

“Fuck, no.” Ricky laughs as he walks into the kitchen, dropping to sit next to his girlfriend. “Will you just let me surprise you?” He lets his hand fall onto her thigh squeezing it gently as he pouts at the girl.

Nini mimics his expression, sticking her bottom lip out at him, “I just want to know what I have to wear. Or if I have to bring anything or if-”

He stops her rambling by pecking her lips, “All taken care of, angel.” Ricky smiles, “Just dress comfortably.”

“Fine.” She rolls her eyes, sipping her coffee once more.

“We should get going.” Ricky turns to look at EJ who was now downing his coffee, the two boys realizing that they were cutting close on time.

The two boys stand up, not before Ricky steals what was left of Nini’s waffle and shoves it into his mouth with the spare fork that was sitting on the table. Nini lets out a muffled noise as she smacks his stomach.

“Cereal was your breakfast!” She reprimands him, “We agreed on that this morning!”

“You said that, not me.” He manages to get out while munching on the food in his mouth, helping the girl clean the table as EJ laughs at their antics. “Bye baby! Love you!” Ricky shouts as the two boys run out of the apartment as they shrug on their leather jackets.

Nini shakes her head to herself chuckling at her boyfriend’s actions. “That boy, I swear.” She giggles as she turns the tap on letting the hot water run over the dirty dishes.

“Nini,” Carlos calls, interrupting the girl as she was moving hangers from one end of the rack to the other.

The pair were aimlessly walking around Nini’s favourite clothing store at the outlet on the other side of town. Not long after the boys left at breakfast, Carlos had texted her about going out on a little shopping spree wanting to liven his wardrobe and considering Nini had been wanting to check out the mall she decided it wouldn’t hurt. However, she was slightly confused that Seb didn’t tag along seeing as he too had the day off, but Carlos told her he had some other things to do that day.

As Nini slides a hanger off of the rack, picking it up and examining the article of clothing, she turns around to see Carlos with a few items draped over his arm. Holding up the dress to line up with her frame, she stares down as she decides whether or not she liked it or not. It was a beautiful dusty rose pink dress with a simple lace pattern that fell down to her mid-thigh.

“What do we think of this?” She picks her head up to look at Carlos.

“Beautiful.” He smiles brightly, “I think you should get it. You never know when you’re going to need it.” Carlos winks.

The young doctor knits her eyebrows together a little confused by what he had meant. Deciding to brush it off, she drapes the dress over her arm with a few other clothes she had pulled off the racks in the hour they’ve been at the store. She didn’t necessarily need any more clothes, she already heard enough from Ricky that he had no room in their closet since her clothes started taking over his side.

Of course, they both knew it was all a joke, considering how many things Ricky got from fans and the press. Nini may have more clothes in their closet, but Ricky had far more things shoved into the shelves and the racks of the shared room.

Carlos shoves another hanger into Nini’s hand, “These would look great on you.” He tells her.

Lifting the clothing in between them, it was a cute pair of jeans that had flowers stitched all up the side of the denim. The girl’s eyes widen as her delicate fingers trace over the bumps of the embroidered flowers as she falls more in love with them. She had never seen anything that resembled her in a strange way.

A pair of simple jeans, just like her, a simple girl. Decorated with something so beautiful and intricate, like her life with all the amazing people that surround her. Despite how hard and frustrating it can be to be in a private relationship and even private friendships, she wouldn’t trade her life for it. Her friends always made her feel so loved, and they understood and respected her wishes even from the very beginning.

“I’m going to get them.” Nini blurts out.

“Good.” Carlos laughs, as he wraps his arm around her shoulder, “And I think you should wear them tonight.” He points out.

Taken aback by what he had said, she snaps her head in his direction, “Wait!” Nini gasps, “You know? How? What?” Completely puzzled by the fact that Carlos, of all people who only met Ricky once, knew about the plan for her evening.

Carlos breaks into a smile, “I can’t tell you anything, you know that Nini.” He laughs as he sees the gears in Nini’s heads starting to turn. Immediately reading the expression that took over her face wanting to press him for information about what surprise Ricky was going on about the last 24 hours.

Scrunching her nose at his response, desperately wanting an answer. “But you only met Ricky the one time, how do you know?” She asks, still a little confused.

“A little birdie has been helping him out plan this surprise.” Carlos answers, “And I may or may not be dating that bird.”

Nini clicks her tongue as things start to fall into place in her head, “So, I’m assuming that’s where Sebby is now, huh? Preparing whatever surprise this is.” She gestures vaguely as they approach the line to the cashier.

The Latino boy nods his head in answer, “And if you have trust in any of us, you will leave whatever you buy with me.” He pokes her side teasingly. “Except those jeans, of course, your boy needs to see your fine ass in them.”

Despite wanting to know what the hell Ricky is planning, and what it had to do with the clothes she was buying today she decides to finally drop it. Trust that whatever her boyfriend wants her to do, she should just be compliant knowing it’ll make things easier for their evening.

If she was being honest, she was thrilled to finally spend some quality time with her boyfriend for longer than just a few short hours before bed or before work in the morning. Obviously, they would try and find as much time as they could to spend together but things don’t always work out the way they want it to. Especially when things are so last minute because of both of their tight schedules.

Chuckling at Carlos’s comment, “Fine.” She agrees, “But you’re buying me lunch.”

Nini and Carlos made it back to her apartment after a few more hours of aimlessly walking around the outlet. The pair even paused their shopping excursion and got a quick manicure done, Nini feeling refreshed as ever with her newly painted nails. Whatever the surprise happened to be, Nini was forced to close her eyes for a few brief moments when Carlos needed to drop something off at a location she wasn’t allowed to know about just yet.

Left without much of a choice, she conceded. Still left completely in the dark about whatever was going on that night, trying to pry it out of Carlos two more times. But it was like he was made of stone or something because he would not budge.

Now they sat at her dining table, chatting over a cup of coffee and some biscuits she bought the other week.

It had been a while since the pair had gotten to spend time together one-on-one. Usually, when they did get together, they were with Seb and at times Kourtney. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy her time when they were all together but, there was just something about hanging out with Carlos that just made her feel so much lighter.

When they would hang you together he didn’t want to talk about her work all the time. Unlike with Seb, he tended to bring up work, whether it’d be about a patient he had the other day or about one of their co-workers that was particularly annoying. Kourtney wasn’t as bad since they weren’t in the same department, but she still would bring up some hospital-related things. Even Big Red would bring up her work from time to time, especially when the transfer was still on the table.

Naturally, when Nini wasn’t at work, she wanted to forget all about it considering how much time she actually spent at the hospital. And with Carlos, she got to just forget about it all and just enjoy her time with him. No matter what, he could lighten her mood with a funny story or a silly joke. She truly cherished her friendship with him, he understood that she didn’t really want to talk about her job and just enjoy the small amount of time away from it.

The pair were chatting about the camping trip Seb is taking him on at the end of the month and how much he was absolutely dreading it.

“Come on, Los.” Nini pokes his arm lightly, “Camping won’t be that horrible.” She teases as she brings the warm cup of coffee to her lips.

Carlos glares at her, “I was born and raised in New York, honey.” He deadpans, “The closest thing I ever been to camping was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my best friend’s backyard which had the smallest patch of grass you can imagine. And we went inside after two hours, because New York is too fucking cold for that.”

The young doctor giggles, her attention being driven away from her friend across the table to the jiggling of a lock coming from the front door. Puzzled by the sudden noise, she taps her phone waiting a moment for it to come to life to see the time, not realizing how late it was.

A set of voices bring Nini to look up at the door as she sees the two boys that she had watched leave this morning, enter the apartment once more. EJ was pushing Ricky into the apartment teasingly, probably poking fun at something the boy had done just a few moments earlier if she knew the pair at all.

They greeted the seated pair as they kicked off their shoes knowing that if they walked any further into the apartment with them on, Nini would have their head. Pulling at the ends of his leather jacket, Ricky shakes his curls out for a moment as if he was preparing himself for some presentation or something.

“Well!” Carlos pipes up, downing the rest of his beverage, “My job here is done.”

“Wait, what?” Nini pauses, looking between the three boys who all had a matching expression but Ricky’s beamed a little brighter than the other two.

Straightening his posture before he bends forward dramatically in front of his girlfriend and sticking his hand out for the girl to take. “Your handsome boyfriend has come to collect you.” He grins stupidly.

Squinting her eyes at the boy’s hand before looking up at her friends, “Should I trust him?” Nini’s tongue darts out, licking her lips out of habit.

Ricky gasps, standing back up in shock, “Babe!”

EJ shrugs casually, “I mean, you’re the one that’s been dating him for years. I sure hope you trust him.” He pokes his tongue out in his friend’s direction jokingly.

“Nini, please, we need to get a move on.” Ricky urges, taking on a more serious tone. “We are a little bit on a time constraint.”

“Time constraint?” Nini’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Oh my god, Nini.” Carlos pulls her mug out of her palm as he brings the dishes into the kitchen, “Just put on your shoes and let’s go.”

Despite how much she trusted every single person in the room, she was more confused as ever as she slowly pulled on her shoes. Following the boys out of the room, she twines her hand in Ricky’s as she pulls on his arm aggressively, desperate for an answer.

“Cute jeans.” Ricky compliments, pressing his lips to her ear as he whispers, “Cute ass, too.”

“Babe, just tell me where we’re going.” She begs, pushing his head away from her. Trying her best to ignore the heat rising to her cheeks at his words; completely determined for answers to the million questions running through her head. “Please!”

Turning his head to look down at his beautiful girlfriend, he wiggles his eyebrows teasingly, “On an adventure.”

Chapter Text

“I still can’t believe you!” Nini shrieks as they walk arm in arm out of the airport, smacking her boyfriend across the chest as the smile on her face stretches so wide to the point her muscles were sore.

The last twenty-four hours have been hectic as hell, to say the least. It took weeks of planning and hard work to get to this moment. Ricky had worked his ass off to be able to take Nini away for a few days. And even though it wasn’t her first choice of places to go to, knowing that their first choices were a little too popular for a couple that is supposed to be flying under the radar. He had to pull many strings and talk to so many people while still trying to keep it a secret from his girlfriend.

The day of their flight, he had called up Seb realizing that he didn’t know the first thing in what Nini would need for a ten-day vacation. Thankfully, both him and Kourtney weren’t working and packed all the things for her while Carlos kept her busy at the mall. While he and EJ scoured around town buying the last minute things that they would need for the trip. This was the first time in a long time that Ricky realized he was a major procrastinator packer. Granted, there wasn’t a way for him to really pack without Nini noticing that he had pulled out their big travel luggage and knowing his girlfriend, she would have ten thousand questions about it.

When Ricky was finally all ready to go, he had EJ drive them to the airport. However, he didn’t tell Nini where they were going until they arrived at the terminal, considering it was going to be a little difficult to hide the fact they were going somewhere that wasn’t in driving distance. And as expected, Nini had a million questions all lined up from where they were going to her work and to how he even managed to pull it off. Ricky was always terrible at keeping things from her.

After a fifteen-hour flight, they finally landed in Copenhagen, Denmark with their itinerary filled to the brim; Nini-Style was what Ricky liked to call it. They were currently walking down the terminal as they made their way to rent a car. One of his arms was looped around Nini’s as they each pulled on their own luggage with backpacks hiked over both of their shoulders.

He couldn’t help but let his bright smile make its way onto his face as he tilts his head to knock into hers lightly. “Well, believe it, angel. We’re in Denmark.” Ricky chuckles, as he pulls her along, only a few paces away from the rental place.

“I just,” Nini breathes out, tightening her hold on her luggage. The young doctor was still trying to wrap her head around everything. “Why? Our anniversary isn’t for two more months.”

“It doesn’t have to be a special occasion.” Ricky moves to wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side as they line up behind a family to wait for their turn. “There’s no reason besides me wanting to spend time with you. Plus, this is one country off of our travel bucket list. We’re going to see the world together just like we promised.”

Nini’s bottom lip sticks out as she tips her head back looking up at him with complete love in her eyes. “I don’t deserve you.” She tells him, the words tumbling off her lips like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Ricky pouts, briefly pecking her lips, “It’s the other way around.” He whispers, his lips barely grazing hers.

Before either of them could respond they were being called up next to the stall. Exchanging bright smiles with each other, they make their way to the man. It didn’t take long for them to rent a car since Ricky called ahead of time just to be safe. And before they knew it, Ricky was swinging a set of keys around his index finger as they were being guided towards the car that they would be using for the next couple of days.

As soon as the worker leaves them to their own devices, Ricky pops open the trunk helping Nini pile in their bags. Shutting the trunk with a loud slam, he takes a hold of Nini’s waist, lifting her into the air in a tight hug and swinging them around in circles. Nini’s laughter filtered through his ears, the singer thinking that he wanted to hear her laugh for the rest of his life.

Setting her back down on the ground, his hands never leaving her waist, “Well, babe,” He slides his fingers to trail over the ends of her shirt, “Are you ready?” Ricky asks with a bright smile on his face.

“To spend the next ten days with just you?” Nini’s smile widens as Ricky nods at her question. “I’d spend forever with just you. What’s another ten days?”

Leaning in close to her face he rests his forehead against hers as he stares into the deep brown eyes he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Searching in her irises as if he was going to find any sort of doubt behind them. Both of them knew that she meant every single word. Swooping in to press his lips against hers, the brunette hummed as their lips collided, a smile making its way onto both of their faces causing them to break apart.

The pair chuckle as they hold onto each other knowing that they should probably get going. Ricky sighs, fulfillment coursing through his veins as he slips his hand into hers pulling her over to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door widely for her, the pair couldn’t stop smiling as she slid into the vehicle. And before they knew it, they were out on the open road with one thought lingering on both of their minds.

This was going to be one hell of a vacation.

The sun was just beginning to rise when Ricky started to slowly bring himself back to reality from slumber. Pulling the comforter closer around his bare torso, he sighs at the contact as he sinks himself further into the sheets. Blindly, he reaches to the other side of the bed to bring his girlfriend back into his chest. But instead of her figure, his arm lands onto the cold sheets.

Confused for a moment, he squeezes his eyes shut before slowly blinking them open to take in the sight of the room. His eyes, still a little bleary from sleep, study his surroundings in search of Nini. Looking to his left first where she always slept and she wasn’t there. He eyes the mess they had made the night before, far too lazy to throw any of their trash out having ordered take out from down the street. They decided to stay in last night so they could catch up on some sleep and have a fresh start to their day instead of letting jetlag win that battle.

After a few moments, he finally spots the balcony doors wide open and he couldn’t help but smile at the small girl leaning over the railing as she stared at the sunrise. Her hair was messy, not bothering to fix it after she rolled out of bed. She still wore her pink sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt, which Ricky recognized as his Green Day shirt he used to wear back in high school, letting it engulf her tiny frame.

Deciding to join his girlfriend, he slips out from underneath the sheets not bothering to fix them for now. Padding his way over to the tiny brunette, he leans against the frame of the balcony doors and it didn’t seem like Nini had heard him get out of bed. Nini seemed to be so at peace, breathing in the early morning breeze, listening to the chirping birds as she nursed a cup of coffee in her tiny hands.

He takes a few steps forward slipping his arms around her body as he slides his hands underneath her shirt to rest on her stomach. “G’morning.” His voice was husky and deep, nestling his head into the crook of her neck. Leaving tender kisses along the nape of her neck, eliciting a giggle from the brunette in response.

“You’re up early.” Nini points out, bringing one of her hands to ruffle through his curls lightly.

“And you’re up earlier.” He replies, shifting his head to hook over her shoulder, looking out at the view in front of them.

They had a perfect view of the cobblestone street below them, with a number of shops that go down the entirety of the street. The buildings were practically connected to one another, making everything look compressed and like one building. But, one could tell that each shop had its own unique style, not as they would normally see back home in Salt Lake.

Since it was so early in the morning everything was so quiet and serene. It was quite fitting to Nini’s personality and many would be surprised, but to Ricky’s too. He truly appreciated the peace and quiet Copenhagen had to offer. When they were back home he didn’t get to appreciate the stillness of life. Ricky felt like he was constantly on the go, never having time to take time and breath in life. This vacation was definitely needed.

Subconsciously, his arms tighten around her small frame as if she was going to slip out of his hold at any moment. Nini felt his hands wrap further around her stomach and she couldn’t help but smile at the boy who seemed to be so at peace. She was familiar with the expression that he had plastered on his face.

“You’re happy.” Nini commented, taking a sip of her coffee.

Ricky hums in agreement, turning slightly to look into her eyes, “Are you?” He whispers despite the fact that no one else was in the room.

“So much.” She smiles before kissing his lips.

“Mm, you taste like coffee.” Ricky mumbles against her mouth causing Nini to giggle, feeling his warm hands continue to roam around her stomach.

“And you taste like you need to brush your teeth.” She teases.

Ricky pulls back immediately, frowning at her snide remark, “That’s mean babe.”

The brunette shrugs shyly, “I’m simply making a point.”

“Fine.” Ricky starts to untangle from behind his girlfriend, “I’ll go brush my teeth then.” But before his arms could slip out from underneath her shirt, Nini brings a hand to hold onto one of his looking over her shoulder giving him a teasing smile.

“You know I don’t mind it.” Nini laughs, pulling his hand to wrap around her once more, “I want you to hug me for a little longer.”

At her request, Ricky beams brightly down at his girlfriend. “I’ll hug you for as long as you want.” He hums, pressing a kiss against her temple as they take in the moment. Letting the world slip away because all that will ever matter is being in each other’s arms.

Regardless that they were on vacation and most people expected their itineraries to be filled to the brim with sites to see and activities, they had decided to slow things down and just enjoy the time they got to be together. They had spent most of their day walking around the city, checking out the little shops that were scattered across the city. Deciding to have a more relaxed kind of day since they would be taking a train to Sweden the following day to check out some things that Ricky had found online.

The sun was beginning to set and they were seated on a stone wall that was overlooking the cruise port below them. They had an early dinner and didn’t want to go back to the hotel just yet, wanting to enjoy every single second of this beautiful country. Ricky’s sweater was draped over Nini’s shoulders as their fingers were intertwined, Ricky’s thumb ghosting over the smooth skin of her hand every so often.

Chatting softly with each other about the day and what they were excited to see. Their eyes were focused on the sky, it was bright orange with wisps of pink and purple littered as the sun made its descent. Another ship starts to float across the water becoming larger as every second goes by as it comes into the port.

“Did you ever wish you could sail the world?” Ricky asks randomly.

Nini shakes her head in answer. “No.” Knocking her shoulder into his lightly, “You know I can’t swim!”

“You’re supposed to stay on the boat, you know?” Ricky lets out a loud laugh, causing Nini to burst into laughter alongside him.

“Okay, but like what if it sinks? What if I fall off?” She counters. “I would have to wear a life jacket the entire time, and orange is so not my colour.”

Keeping his grasp on the girl’s smaller hand he lifts his arm to wrap around her shoulder. Nini leans further into his touch, a smile on both of their faces as they snuggle closer together. The wind blew in their faces causing Nini to shiver slightly. At her reaction, Ricky lets out a low chuckle, squeezing her tighter into his side to share his body heat.

“You’re crazy if you think I’d just let you fall off.” Ricky responds, bringing his other hand to push back the curls that had fallen over his eyes. “I’d come rescue you, I hope you know that.”

“Who said you were invited?” Nini teases, using her other hand to poke his side playfully.

Immediately he wraps his hand around her index finger in warning. Ricky has always been on the ticklish side, something that Nini absolutely loved about him. Nini had learned about that little detail rather late into their friendship.

They were freshmen in high school and they were casually hanging out in Big Red’s basement like they usually did on Fridays. Big Red had gone upstairs to help his parents with something, leaving Nini and Ricky to their own devices as a movie played on the screen. And Nini was leaning over Ricky, placing her hand on his torso as she reached for the blanket that was lying on the armrest on the other side. Suddenly a loud squeal came out of her best friend which took her by surprise. It took her a moment to realize what had happened and ever since that day Nini couldn’t stop but tease the boy.

“So, are you saying you would go sailing the world without me?” He raises an eyebrow, turning his head to look down at his girlfriend.

Nini hums in thought, tilting her head up to lock eyes with the singer a teasing smile lingered on her lips as her eyes crinkled at the edges. “Nah, I think you would miss me too much.” She tightens her hold on his hand.

“I would miss you too much, or you would miss me too much?” He counters, leaning closer to her face.

“That depends.” Nini utters bringing her face closer to his, their lips barely ghosting over each other.

Ricky hums his top lip touching hers as he looks into her eyes, “On what?”

“Do you love me as much as I love you?” She asks, shifting her gaze away from his lips to his eyes.

“Oh, yeah.” He smirks.

“Prove it.”

As the two words fall from her lips Ricky’s hand comes up to sweep away the strand of hair that had fallen out from behind her ear. A twinkle in his eyes as he admires the beautiful girl in his arms. His head was full of reasons why he loves her, but they both knew he didn’t need to voice them out loud. Being in a relationship for as long as they have they didn’t always need words to communicate. They showed their love through actions more than enough times.

They had spent countless nights together wrapped around each other as they would reminisce on their previous years, they would talk about their days, about their future. They never had to tell each other why they loved the other because they both knew why. It was the way Ricky always put Nini first, she lived at the forefront of his mind and made sure she never forgot that. It was the way Nini knew what he needed without him having to tell her. It was the way Ricky kisses her forehead every night, and when Nini sneaks a snack into his work bag because he would forget to eat before meetings. It was the way they still were playful like when they were just friends. It was how, despite the fact that they’re in love, their friendship never once faltered.

And most importantly, it was how they both felt the most at home in each other’s arms.

Picking his hand up to take a hold of her chin, lifting it ever so slightly, “Gladly.” Ricky whispers before slotting their lips together in a searing kiss.

The only sounds that could be heard were the crashing waves from down below and soft chatter from the pedestrians. The wind picked up a little, causing Nini’s hair to fly up but neither was bothered by the sudden movement. It was as if the rest of the world faded away, trapped in their own little bubble. Breathing in and capturing this moment in both of their minds, as if it was a photograph. Neither wanting to forget this moment for the rest of their lives.

“Ricky!” Nini squeals excitedly, the wind blows through her hair as the biggest grin takes over her face.

“Babe! Slow down!” Ricky yells from behind her, trying to keep up with the accelerating brunette.

Nini shakes her head, glancing over her shoulder for a brief moment letting out a hearty laugh as she continues down the road. “No! It’s fun!” She shouts.

They were about halfway through their vacation, having hit a number of cool spots the last couple of days. Nini’s favourite so far was a little flower market they stumbled across after lunch the other day. Slowly they have fallen more and more in love with the country. To say they were having the time of their life would be a complete understatement.

Even though this wasn’t their first international vacation, it was their first one with just the two of them. When they had gone to the Philippines a few years ago, they were accompanied by her moms and her Lola and more than half of the time they were surrounded by Nini’s family. Honestly, it was a miracle that her moms let her share a room with her boyfriend at the time.

This time around they had complete control over their schedules. Ricky did make an itinerary for them, but as each day would go by they would look at the list and toss out some ideas and add in some other ones. They had a very “go with the flow” type of attitude on their trip; it was definitely a first for Nini. On the other hand, Ricky was so used to that kind of style considering Golden Monday was terrible at keeping up with their schedules and tended to stray away more times than they could count.

Now they were biking down one of the main roads deciding that they wanted to go to the beach. It wasn’t that far of a ride from where they were staying. Renting a bike from one of the stalls a block over from where they had lunch. And Nini was clearly enjoying the bike ride far more than her boyfriend.

“It isn’t a competition.” Ricky points out, as he starts to bike alongside the smiling girl.

“Well, no.” Nini shakes her head, a smirk starting to slip onto her face. “But now it is!” She shrieks, as she pedals harder letting the momentum of the downhill take her faster than she was going before.

Ricky shakes his head as he casually admires his happy girlfriend. It had been a while since Nini had let loose like she has been the last couple of days. And even though he loves everything about perfectionist Nini, he loved the times she put her busy mind to rest and just embraced the moment. Both sides of her were equally amazing in his opinion.

Some may mistake his enjoyment for the wild side Nini because she was finally letting loose, but rather he enjoyed it because it was the side of her she usually keeps away from the world. Only a select few have met ‘crazy’ Nini, as to what Nini likes to call it; and he was definitely the one that has seen this side of her the most, even back before they were dating.

He would never trade one side for the other because he knew that they both made up who she is as a person. He loves all of her. From the crazy and care-free part to the determined and hard-working. Not a single thing in the world could ever change his mind about that.

Before either of them knew it they were pulling up the beach. Ricky a few paces behind the eager brunette, watching as she hops off her bike and slips her flip-flops off of her feet letting the sand slide in between her toes. She closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air that they had started to smell just a few minutes ago.

As soon as Ricky stops next to her, getting off his own bike and parking it at the bike rental stall that they seemed to have all across the city. Nini hears the rustling and she turns to see her boyfriend sliding the bike into the stand, she couldn’t help but giggle as she copied his motions.

“I win.” Nini smiles brightly as she hooks her arms around his neck, throwing her head back as she rests her chin on his chest.

“Hm, and what does the winner want?” Ricky’s hands move to lock together behind her back.

Nini purses her lips in thought, “Put sunscreen on my back.” She nods her head in confirmation, deciding that was definitely what she wanted. The young doctor knowing her arms wouldn’t be able to reach the entirety of her back, and it would be all uneven and she didn’t want that.

“That sounds more like a prize for me.” Ricky lets out a laugh, his chest vibrating in the process causing Nini to lift her chin off of him and slipping out of his embrace.

Turning to make her way towards the beach, “I mean if you really don’t want to, I could think of something else.” She teases, swaying her hips from side to side dramatically. Quietly cursing underneath her breath at the hot sand burned her feet with every step she took.

A pair of arms wrap around her from behind, causing Nini to smirk at her boyfriend’s eagerness. Moving the hand that wasn’t holding her flip-flops to cover his interlocked ones as she tilts her head to the side as Ricky nuzzles his head into her neck.

“Ugh, rubbing your beautiful skin with sunscreen sounds like the worst thing ever.” He says into her ear, “My hands are going to get so gross from the lotion, and then the sand will stick to me. Definitely a punishment.”

Nini hums at his attempt to convince her that he definitely ‘hated’ the idea of her prize, “Better.” She giggles.

It had taken them a little while to find a decent spot for them to settle their things. Ricky pulls out their towels from the backpack that he had hiked over his shoulders. Rolling them out to sit next to each other perfectly, as he whips off his shirt he throws it into the bag. Settling down on one of the towels, he leans back on his hands looking out at the crystal blue water. After a few moments, he shifts his gaze to fall on Nini who was ruffling her hair out from the tight ponytail it was in.

As she moves to grab the ends of her shirt, she looks over to Ricky who seemed to be watching her. Nini scrunches her nose at her ogling boyfriend, she had the urge to kick some sand on him but decided against it for now.

“Don’t watch me.” She warns him.

Ricky scoffs, rolling his eyes, “I saw everything last night.” He blatantly points out.

Nini feels her cheeks flush at his remark, “That doesn’t mean I want you watching me!” She tries to keep a serious look on her face, but she couldn’t help the laughter fall from her lips as Ricky seems to get more comfortable in his position. Leaning back further to rest his elbows on his towel he gestures for her to continue, it was clear he wasn’t going to look away any time soon.

Shaking her head at her boyfriend, she decides to turn away from him and strip off her clothes. She did her best to ignore the whistles coming from Ricky as she takes off her top, she quickly tosses it at his head to distract him while she shook off her shorts. The warm sun hits her skin as she finished undressing, leaving her in a simple red bikini, one of her favourites.

Ricky huffs as he rips the shirt off that landed on his head, folding it neatly out of habit and stuffing it in the backpack along with his own shirt. Gently taking the shorts that Nini had thrown on the towel beside him, doing the same thing he did with her shirt. Nini seemed to be lost in thought as she stared out at the ocean, slipping her sunglasses over her nose once more.

The young doctor hums at the heat that was swarming around her, before taking a seat in between Ricky’s legs that were opened widely. Instead of leaning back into his chest like she usually did, she kept her posture as straight as a ruler, crossing her legs over the other.

Frowning at her stance, Ricky tries to pull her back into his chest but Nini makes a noise with her tongue signalling refusal. Her tiny hand wraps around the bottle of sunscreen that was lying on the towel, she hands him the bottle.

“I won fair and square.” Nini smiles over her shoulder before turning her head to face the ocean.

“Actually, it wasn’t a race.” Ricky mentions.

Nini waves him off, keeping her eyes trained on the crystal blue water that was littered with a few people. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She laughs, “Just make sure I don’t burn.”

He uncaps the blue bottle about to turn it over and squeeze some lotion onto his hands, but a thought comes into his head. Shifting closer towards her, Nini not quite realizing the movement behind her figuring it was probably just him to get into a better position. Ricky admires her tanned skin for a moment. As his eyes fall on the two moles on her back, he thinks about the nights he would draw a smiley face or a star and at times a heart connecting the two, it always made them laugh.

Carefully he moves to bring his hands to touch her shoulders, his fingertips just grazing over her smooth skin. A playful smirk on his face as he shouts, “Ouch!”

“Wh-what? Babe,” Nini twists her body around to look at her boyfriend who was now examining his own hands, “What happened?” She slides her sunglasses down her nose for a moment, studying her boyfriend wondering what had happened.

Ricky lifts his gaze to meet hers, “You’re just so damn hot.” He laughs. Nini immediately rolling her eyes at his comment as she pushes his shoulder, sliding her sunglasses back into their original position.

“I hate you.” She mutters, spinning back around to face the ocean.

“Nah,” Ricky shakes his head, shifting closer to wrap his arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to her warm shoulder. “You love me.”

“That’s debatable.” Nini tries to hold in her laughter, angling her head a little as Ricky hooks his chin over her shoulder.

Ricky chuckles, “We both know that’s not true.” He mumbles between them, “You love me and I love you.”

Nini hums in thought, “If you love me then you wouldn’t want me to burn.” She points out.

“Fine, fine.” Ricky sighs defeated, pressing his lips against her cheek before pulling back to fulfill her request.

Nini’s hand was wrapped tightly around Ricky’s, her other hand coming up to his bicep as they walked across the cobblestone. They had spent most of their afternoon wandering around one of the old castles that were open to tourists. It was Nini’s idea; a few nights ago she was flipping through one of the magazines that she had bought from the market and it had a list of things to do in Denmark. And one of them was this castle that was surprisingly not too far away from where they were staying.

It was absolutely beautiful, to say the least. Neither of the pair has ever been in a castle before, and it wasn’t what they had expected at all. Obviously, they were aware of a typical castle’s infrastructure from movies and TV shows they used to watch growing up but there was just something about walking down the halls of the castle. Maybe it was the tall ceilings or the large paintings, they even joked about buying a castle one day. Ricky teasing Nini she needed a home ‘fit for a princess.’

Now, they were walking down the streets of the small town that was near the castle. Wanting to stick around and check out the town and maybe grab some dinner before heading back to their hotel. Their vacation was coming to a close in just a few short days and neither of them wanted it to end. Taking every chance to embrace and savour the moment.

“I would love to live in a place like this.” Nini hums in thought, squeezing Ricky’s bicep lightly. Her pink dress, which she had bought with Carlos the other week, flowed with the wind as it picked up. The evening air was much cooler than it had been earlier in the day but Nini didn’t mind it.

Ricky turns his head to look down at Nini, a small smile graced upon his lips, “Like in the castle?” He teases.

Moving their intertwined hands to smack Ricky’s stomach in warning. “No,” She shakes her head, their soft laughter filled the air around them, “I meant in a place like Copenhagen. It’s nice and quiet, not too many people.” She points out, her hand left his bicep to move her purse higher up on her shoulder.

If they were walking the streets in Salt Lake City at this time of day, there would be so many people walking in and out of stores and restaurants. And they were always chatting so loudly to the point he could practically hear their conversations from the other side of the street. But Denmark was significantly quieter, everyone seemed to be minding their own business and there weren’t nearly as many people as they were used to.

Nodding in agreement, “I get what you mean. It’s a nice change of pace, don’t you think?” He hip checks her lightly, causing the brunette to lose balance for a moment but Ricky stabilizes her with their intertwined hands.

“Definitely.” Nini hums, “Plus, I get to walk these streets with you, holding your hand,” She giggles, swinging their joined hands in between them dramatically, “Kissing you,” Nini utters, before leaning up to kiss her boyfriend lightly on the lips, “And we don’t have to worry about someone seeing us.”

Up until the very end, there was a smile on Ricky’s face. But at the mention of not needing to worry about being caught together, pulled on his heartstrings a little. He knows she’s coming around to the idea, especially after their big blow up a few weeks ago, but he was beginning to wonder how much longer he had to wait. Ever since they started dating, he wanted to run around like an idiot screaming to the world how lucky he was to finally have a girl like Nini. To finally get the girl he’s been dreaming about. To finally get the girl he’s loved all of his life.

As soon as his smile falters, Nini immediately knows what’s running through his head. She thought she could hold off on this conversation until they got back home, but maybe now is the best time to tell him. She didn’t want to keep him in the dark about it, especially when he’d be absolutely ecstatic. The only reason she hadn’t brought it up to him during their trip was that she didn’t think it was the time to. She felt like that conversation belonged in Salt Lake, but she knew she needed to tell him. And what better time than the present?

But before Nini could say anything Ricky squeezes her hand in his, “We’ll get there one day, angel.” He tells her, trying his best to hide his disappointment. However, Nini could see right through him.

Stopping in her tracks, Ricky not realizing her sudden halt. The taller boy was pulled back by Nini’s hand as she stood her ground, keeping her eyes trained on Ricky’s face as she builds up the courage. Her lips pressed together as she seems to be deep in thought. Ricky a little nervous, he takes a few steps closer, closing the space between them.

“Nini?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” She utters softly. By the expression on his face, it was clear to Nini that he was thinking that she meant the complete opposite. Frantically she lets go of his hand, taking hold of his face running her thumbs over his cheekbones soothingly. “Oh no, baby, no not that! I’m, uh- I’m ready.”

Taken aback by the words that had fallen from her mouth, “Wh-what?” He stutters, his eyes flitted all across her face as if he didn’t believe anything that she had just said.

Nini nods, moving to take hold of his hands as she drags him over to the vacant bench near them. The pair taking a seat closely together, Nini’s hands still grasped Ricky’s tightly as she angled her body to face him. A bright smile on her face, she squeezes his hands in comfort as she continues.

“You’ve been so patient with me. And, I know you think I’m not always thinking about it, but I am. For weeks, months, years even.” Nini admits, feeling a slight tug on the corner of her lips. “When you asked me if you were supposed to keep me a secret forever I wanted to say yes. Even though, I knew that wasn’t what you wanted. I was being selfish-”

“Nini-”

“No, let me finish.” She shakes her head, interrupting whatever he was about to say. “It’s okay to tell me that I was selfish because I was. I have been for a really, really long time. Like, I’m surprised that you’ve stuck around for this long. And, it took me almost losing you to realize that.”

Ricky shakes his head, “Nini, you weren’t selfish. You were doing what was best for you and I should’ve realized that you weren’t ready. Honestly, I was scared that I was going to lose you because you’ll always have my heart. And I don’t know how I could go through life without you in it.”

Nini sighs, bringing one of her hands to caress his cheek lightly, “I’m not going anywhere.” She tells him truthfully, “I think my brain has been so clouded with work and the surgery, even when I was still in school. I was so fixated on being this perfect student, this perfect doctor. But I wasn’t the perfect girlfriend.”

“Babe, you don’t have to be perfect.” Ricky reassures her, “Fuck, I’m not perfect. I’ve fucked things up so many times and you’ve always forgiven me. No one is perfect, even someone as amazing as you. Mistakes are bound to happen, you’re the one that always tells me that.”

The brunette nods, glancing down at their intertwined hands as Ricky’s thumb soothingly runs along her skin. “I know. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that I was selfish. You were always there whenever I needed you, even when you couldn’t be. You always put me first and I never realized how much you had. After the surgery, it was like I finally set foot back down on earth. And then I realized something.”

“And that is?”

“I want to be with you, Ricky.” Nini’s eyes were beginning to water, the girl not quite sure where the sudden tears were coming from. “I want to be with you in private and in public. I’m the happiest whenever I’m with you. And I was so stupid to think that people I don’t even know could take that away from me. So, Ricky, if you’re ready then let’s do it. Because I don’t know if I can go another day without the entire world knowing that you’re mine.”

The singer’s eyes begun to match hers in the middle of her speech, he swipes her cheek with his thumb when he sees a tear trickle down. He brings his other hand up to cradle her face, his eyes admiring the girl. From her tearful eyes to her reddening cheeks and to the small nibbling of her bottom lip. And he couldn’t help but think he’s never been more in love with her than in that very moment.

Despite being completely elated, he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t just saying these things because she thought that was what he wanted. Even though it is what he wants, he can’t ask her to do something she wasn’t ready for. He’d feel like the shittiest boyfriend in the world if he agreed to it without being reassured that this is genuinely what she wanted.

Their faces begin to come closer together, Nini taking a hold of his wrists as he holds her face delicately in his rough hands. Her brown eyes meet his lighter ones, a smile on both of their faces from her confession.

“Are you sure?” Ricky asks, barely over a whisper, “Once we do this, we can never go back.”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life, Ricky.” The corner of Nini’s eyes crinkles, happiness spreading over every single one of her features. “I want to be with you forever and ever. And I mean that in every way possible.”

Ricky’s eyes soften, as he continues to thumb at her cheeks, “Really?”

“Really.” Nini nods, trying not to move too much as Ricky’s hands were still cradling her face. “I love you so much, Ricky.”

“I love you, Nini. More than life itself.” He leans in finally connecting their lips in a sweet kiss, expressing the amount of love they had for each other in the simple gesture.

And it was like the world finally stopped spinning. There was no longer any uncertainty when it came to their relationship. Everything finally fell into place; every piece was where it belonged and Nini and Ricky’s love was in the center of it all. And nothing could ever tear them apart, that much he was sure of.

It was their last night in Copenhagen, but this time tomorrow they would be on a plane heading back to reality. Neither of them wanted this vacation to end simply wanting time to stand still forever. It was definitely a much needed break from their hectic lives, and they wished they had a chance to do this more often.

But with Nini’s full schedule with her residency, and Ricky’s album that’s coming in the next few months and what’s probably going to be their biggest tour yet; they knew there wasn’t going to be much time for them to spend together. During the entirety of their trip, they hadn’t brought up either of their work. They always tried not to talk about work when they were at home, considering that they spent most of their days at work, but obviously it wasn’t an easy topic to slide around. They were pretty proud of how they managed to not bring it up once on their break.

Just because they didn’t bring it up to each other, doesn’t mean that neither of them haven’t been thinking about it. Nini’s brain was full of thoughts about what was going to happen when she gets back, especially since the last time she was there she had turned down the Kelton and Davis offer. Sometimes she would catch herself thinking about who was going to be the one to replace her.

Meanwhile, Ricky was curious as to how the band was holding up without him. He couldn’t help but chuckle thinking about how Gina and Ashlyn must have reacted to his and Nini’s surprise trip. Both Nini and Ricky thought it would be best if they didn’t bring their phones on their vacation. Wanting to disconnect from reality and social media, so they left their phones back at their apartment to not tempt them into looking at it while they were away.

Now, they were sitting out on their hotel room’s balcony, something that they’ve managed to do nearly every night during their stay. They loved to just watch as people walked below them, chattering friends and couples on dates. Something about watching everyone just seemed so peaceful.

Nini was sat in between Ricky’s legs, her arm wrapped around one of his legs that was bent closer to his chest. Her delicate fingers drew simple patterns on his denim-clad leg, while she leaned the rest of her weight onto his chest. She felt Ricky’s hands secured tightly around her waist, occasionally he would press a kiss to the side of her head as they chatted quietly.

Taking his wine glass off the table, he takes a generous sip before setting it back down. His eyes cast down to see Nini’s head tipped back against his shoulder, her eyes focused on the dark sky above them.

Unable to help the smile slip onto his face, he brings his hand up to run his thumb along the side of her head. Nini leans into his touch, her hand coming up to cover his squeezing it gently before sliding her fingers to intertwine with his. Dropping their hands down to her lap, she keeps her eyes trained on the night sky.

“How much do you think a star would cost?” Nini asks randomly.

Ricky chuckles, pressing his nose into her hair as he takes a whiff of her freshly washed locks. “I don’t know, babe.” He answers, wondering what’s on the girl’s mind. “Why do you ask?”

“I want to buy one.” She replies, squeezing his hand gently.

“Why do you want to buy a star?” Ricky questions, intrigued by her sudden interest in the purchase of a star. It’s not like she could do anything with it considering it was literally eons away.

“For you,” Nini answers simply, turning her head to look her boyfriend in his eyes a small smile made its way onto her face. “I want to buy one for you.”

Ricky laughs at her answer, curious as to why she thought of him when thinking about buying a star. He pecks her lips, simply because of how cute she looked in his arms. “Why for me?” He asks curiously.

Nini shifts slightly to face him more, bringing the hand that was wrapped around his leg to thread through his messy curls. Her thumb rubbing along his scalp soothingly, well aware of how much he loved when she did that.

“Because you’re my rock star.” Nini smiles, showing off her pearly white teeth, a teasing yet adoring smile displayed on her face.

The pair erupt in laughter at her response, but Nini was 100% serious. She’s considered buying him a star for a long time, just for that reason alone. But she never got around to researching about it, and she couldn’t keep it to herself much longer.

Neither was sure who leaned in first, but before they knew it their lips were molded together. Even though they’ve kissed over a million times, it was as if it was their first one. The sparks and the butterflies that came along with the gesture reminded the pair how much they love each other. After many years of kisses and hugs and simple exchanging of words, it never got old for them. And they were certain that even in twenty years time that wasn’t going to change.

Nini hums, as she pushes at Ricky’s head a little to deepen the kiss. Her mouth falling open as she feels Ricky’s tongue poke out teasingly. The pair continue to press incessant kisses against each other’s lips for a few more minutes. Ricky was the one to pull away first, Nini whining at the loss of contact attempting to chase his lips once more but he chuckles as he kisses her cheek and moves along to her ear.

“If you buy me a star, I have to buy you a star,” Ricky whispers into her ear, his voice a little husky from their mini makeout session.

Scrunching her nose at his response, she makes a disgruntled noise, “Why?” Her hand that was in his hair found its way back to wrap around his leg, as she shifts back into the position she was in a few minutes earlier.

“Well, my star can’t be lonely up there. He needs a girlfriend star.” The pair erupt in loud laughter. Nini could feel Ricky’s chest vibrate with laughter, as he pulls her in tighter to his chest.

“Fair point, I guess.” Nini giggles, moving her head to lean back on his shoulder. Her eyes looking up at her boyfriend’s features, as she begins to think about what was to come in the next twenty-four hours. “I don’t want to go back tomorrow. Can we stay here?” She asks, squeezing his hand.

Ricky sighs, his eyes look down at Nini’s, their eyes locking in an instant. “I wish we could, angel.” He runs this thumb along her soft skin on her hand, “I want to be here with you forever.”

Nini sends him a small pout, the expression brought Ricky to peck her swollen lips once more. Sighing at the contact, her pout turned back into a smile. “Well, I want to be with you forever.”

“I like the sound of that.” Ricky mutters, a brief thought flying through his mind but was interrupted by Nini’s lips once more.

The Copenhagen airport was notably quiet. But Ricky shouldn’t be surprised, he did book a flight for the middle of the night to ensure less people would recognize him. Despite him being in a completely different country, he still took a number of precautions whenever they were out. He wore his sunglasses or a hat, if it was cold enough he would slip the hood of his sweater over his head.

If Ricky was being honest, he did it mostly for Nini’s peace of mind. He knows that she is completely ready to go public, but they still needed to figure out a game plan and to fully talk things out. And not when they were walking down the streets of Denmark, but back in their apartment in Salt Lake City. A place where they didn’t feel like they were living on a cloud, just like this vacation had been.

The pair were both saddened that they would be returning back to reality in the next couple of hours. Nini hadn’t felt more relaxed in the last year than she was on their small little getaway. Same goes for Ricky; the only times he truly enjoyed his time off was whenever he was with Nini and with their conflicting schedules these days were hard to find.

Unfortunately for them, it was time to head back home and get back to the grind of their real life.

Glancing over to his girlfriend, Nini was giddily looking down at the photos in her hands. She would stare down at one photo for what felt like ages, as if she was trying to soak up the memory and tattoo it into her mind. And if he knew his girlfriend at all, that is exactly what she was doing. Not wanting to forget a single part of their first real vacation together.

Nini lets out a small giggle, knocking her shoulder into her boyfriend’s as she shows him one of the photos. It was one that this old couple had taken of them when they were at the botanical gardens. Ricky had been trying to take a selfie of them as they laid in the grass, surrounded by thousands of flowers. The elderly couple offered to take a few photos for them, commending the pair for still using disposable cameras.

It was Ricky’s idea to use a disposable camera. He always loved the way those photos developed, and given that they left their phones back at the apartment he thought it was the next best thing. It was a miracle that they had stumbled upon a place to develop their photos earlier that day. Ricky thought they were going to have to wait until they were back home to get them printed. It felt like they had taken over a hundred photos, and honestly it was probably more than that.

“That couple was very nice, don’t you think?” Nini never taking her eyes off of the photo, mentions the older couple from that day.

“Yeah,” Ricky agrees, tossing his arm over her shoulder as she leans slightly into his side. “They thought we were meant to be.”

Nini rolls her eyes, jabbing Ricky in the side with her elbow, “They didn’t say that.”

Ricky lets out a low chuckle, “Not in so many words. But I know they were thinking it.” His response brought Nini to burst out into laughter. “Because it’s true.” He boops her nose teasingly, with a smug look on his face.

As Nini flips to the next photo, it was one she took of Ricky. The brunette couldn’t help but smile brightly at the image. Her index finger trailed over the glossy photo, as she remembers when she took the photo. Ricky wasn’t expecting her to take a picture of him, they were just in their hotel room and her legs were straddling his hips. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, as per his usual nighttime wear as he laid down on his side of the bed, Nini having pounced over to him as soon as she finished getting ready in the bathroom. They were joking around about something dumb, she remembers, and all vacation Ricky had this extremely bright smile that he couldn’t seem to shake. It’s the happiest she’s ever seen him and something about that just made her heart swell.

She’s pretty sure Ricky didn’t even notice the camera that was in her hands, Nini having snuck it while his eyes were closed. Her boyfriend continued to laugh at something he had said, his hands gripping onto Nini’s waist and she just never wanted to forget that moment. She snapped a photo of him; mid-laugh, he had peered up at her at the last second and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he looks at his beautiful girlfriend with the camera in her hands.

“This is my favourite picture of you.” Nini tells him, her eyes trained on the photo in her hands, continuing to graze her finger across it. “There was just something about the way you laughed that night. I don’t know, it probably sounds stupid, but it felt like your laugh belonged to me or something.” She chuckles.

Ricky didn’t say anything, just continued to watch as the brunette admired the photo in her hands. Drawing his lip in between his teeth as he listened intently to every single word that had fallen from her mouth. There was just something about the way she got lost in herself when talking about their trip, it made him feel like he never wanted to let her go.

Despite his lack of an answer, Nini continues to speak not really realizing the boy that was watching her carefully. “You were honestly so happy throughout our whole stay. Happier than when we’re with our friends or even when you’re on stage living your dreams. And I like to think it’s because of me. That I make you the happiest.” Nini exhales sharply, “But you also made me feel like the luckiest girl out there. This trip just made me realize that I want to go on so many more with you. Even when we’re grey and old, and our children think it’s too dangerous to be flying across the world. You said before we left that we were going on an adventure. But I don’t think you realize that to me, you are my adventure. And I couldn’t imagine living life with anyone else.”

The words flowed out of Nini’s mouth like it was butter on bread. So smooth and perfect, that it was like she had this entire speech prepared in her head for days. But that wasn’t the case at all. When it came to Ricky she didn’t have to think too hard about what to say, it just came so easy. Easier than any surgery she has done, easier than any task she’s ever completed, easier than medical school.

She was absolutely certain in every word that she said, and both of them could hear it in her voice. The way she exudes confidence and love, and how she never missed a beat. Nini wasn’t shy telling Ricky all these things because it was all true, nothing she had said to him was even the slightest bit of a lie. In her heart, she believed that she makes Ricky the happiest he’s ever been and he does the same for her.

So, Ricky without missing a beat he says the two words that’s been pressing down on his mind the entirety of their vacation. And really, the last couple months. Without even realizing what he was saying, the words fly out of his mouth knowing that this is exactly what he wants.

“Marry me.”

Chapter Text

Nini lets out a loud laugh, knocking her shoulder into his lightly, “Shut up,” She drags out, knowing that he was just teasing her word vomit.

They weren’t always great with their words, which was why they had a hard time communicating their feelings with so many things. But sometimes, when the moment felt right, the words would just spill out of their mouths like a waterfall as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Even though they both loved the sentiment, they couldn’t help but poke fun at the other whenever those moments came around.

Smiling down at the photo one last time before flipping to the next one. It was one that Ricky had taken of her at the beach, but before she had time to really look at the photo Ricky cleared his throat. Normally she would just ignore it, but he had done it quite dramatically for it to be him actually clearing his throat.

When Nini turns her head, she looks her boyfriend in the eye, “You good there, bub?” She raises an eyebrow, a small smirk graced her face.

“Nini, I’m serious.” He tells her confidently, yet his voice had a soft and nervous tone to it.

“What?” Nini feels like all the breath was punched out of her lungs at those three words.

Ricky licks his lips, bringing his hand up in between the two of them. At first, Nini thought he was going to take a hold of her chin since he tended to do that whenever he wanted to be transparent with her. But instead of feeling his fingers take a hold of her face, nothing happened and she was a little confused.

Casting her eyes down ever so slightly, she’s immediately met with a navy blue velvet box. It was closed tight, Ricky holding it between his thumb and his index finger and he was slightly trembling. Nini felt her throat go dry, her eyes widening at the realization of what Ricky was talking about. Pressing her lips together firmly, as she picks her head up to look back in her boyfriend’s eyes.

“Babe, what is that?” She murmurs, her lips barely moving as she speaks.

Instead of answering her question, Ricky simply opens the box. It made a small noise as he pried it open, and suddenly the box revealed the most beautiful silver ring she’s ever seen. The ring had a large diamond, nothing gaudy, but you definitely wouldn’t miss it at first glance. It had a radiant cut, just like Nini had always wanted, and there were smaller diamonds that lined the silver band.

When Ricky saw the ring for the first time, he knew it was the one for Nini. It was simple and delicate, yet held a sort of flare just like his beautiful girlfriend. If Ricky was being honest, the day he bought the ring he never intended on actually buying it. He simply was picking up a pair of earrings from the jewellers for his mom’s birthday and when he was waiting he got distracted by the glass case. At first, it was just a thought, but the longer he waited the more he realized that this woman is his everything and couldn’t imagine living without her. And before he knew it, he was buying an engagement ring.

As the ring was presented to the young doctor, she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. It was beautiful, to say the least, and completely unexpected. Immediately her hand flew to his wrist that was holding the box, scared that if she blinked he would get sucked into a hole and this was all a dream.

“I wasn’t planning on doing this on this trip, but like I like to keep it on me all the time to, you know, think about it. Us.” He confesses, completely tripping over his words, “And listening to you right now, talking about our future and our kids. I don’t know- I probably should’ve prepared a speech or something.” His cheeks flare, a little flustered not having expected to be doing this. “You’re right. You make me the happiest. You have ever since we were kids and even then I knew you’re the girl I want to marry. I guess what I’m trying to say in very poorly constructed words is that I love you so much. And I want to keep loving you for the rest of my life. I am asking you to marry me, Nina.”

As the words flowed out of his mouth, a little choppy and shaky as he was completely unprepared. But despite his improvised speech and how all over the place it was, Nini couldn’t help but feel the tears building up in her eyes. The grip around his wrist tightens as she listens intently to every word that he said.

This wasn’t the proposal story that she had dreamt about when she was a teenage girl. She wasn’t surrounded by flowers or her family and friends, she wasn’t decked out in a beautiful dress that he had tricked her into wearing and her nails were far from photo ready. They weren’t standing in front of the Eiffel Tower or even by a beautiful lake as the sun was beginning to set.

Instead, they were sitting side by side in a practically deserted airport in a totally different country as they waited to fly home. Nini’s hair was tangled from their day of packing, she was makeup-less and they were both in sweats as they didn’t want to suffer a fifteen hour flight in jeans.

And for some reason, Nini loved his proposal far more than all the scenarios she had concocted in her head over the years. With Ricky sitting in front of her, a ring box in his hand, his eyes full of love and hope and his complete flurry of words that tumbled from his mouth not really sure of what to say. His heart was running faster than his brain, and it was trying to keep up as he only had one goal in mind.

To Nini, his total lack of preparation made everything all the more genuine. He didn’t have a detailed script in his head, making sure he hit all of the points, he didn’t have the pressure of their friends with cameras behind them, and he didn’t feel like the proposal had to be perfect. It was the last thing from perfect, they both knew that.

But, Nini didn’t care. He proposed because he wants to. Because he loves her. Because she loves him just as much. Every word that he said was the absolute truth, it was what lived on in his heart. And those simple facts made everything perfect.

“Well, technically you didn’t ask.” Nini teases with the brightest smile, as a tear manages to escape her eye but she wipes it away almost immediately. “I didn’t hear a question mark anywhere.”

“Nini!” Ricky complains, shifting slightly to kneel in front of her preparing himself to properly ask her the question he’s been wanting to ask ever since high school.

Before he got the chance, Nini picked up her hand, showcasing her beautiful dainty fingers in front of him. Wiggling them teasingly in front of her boyfriend, “I mean, I already have a ring. What are we going to do with this one?” She draws her lip in between her teeth, humour practically oozing off of her lips.

Deciding to humour the girl in front of him, taking a hold of her hand as he pretends to examine the promise ring he had given her ages ago. A memory flashing through his mind the day that he had got it. It’s always been his favourite present he’s ever bought for anyone, but now with the ring cushioned in the velvet box in his hand, he knew that his favourite has changed.

“We could always return this one,” He twists the ring on her finger from side to side, “Or, I can bring the engagement ring back to the jewellers when we get home. Oh! Maybe we can buy that new Keurig you’ve been asking for.”

Nini lets out a loud gasp, retracting her hand from his hold as she brings it into her chest protectively, “A girl can never have too many rings, Ricky!” Nini banters, as she slips the promise ring off and onto her other hand, “I thought you knew this by now.”

A serious look takes over Ricky’s face once more, slowly taking Nini’s left hand in his. Gingerly he runs his thumb over her knuckles, before placing a tender kiss on the top of her hand but never breaking eye contact with her. Nini’s eyes begin to water once more, as she looks down at the man she loves on one knee with complete love and adoration in his eyes.

“My sweet baby angel,” Ricky murmurs, his breath ghosting over her hand. His eyes began to glass over with his own set of tears. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” Nini nods, tears spilling over her cheeks. “Yes, I will marry you.”

They exchange bright smiles as Ricky slips the engagement ring onto her finger. He beams as it fits perfectly, bringing her knuckles to his lips once more. Pressing a kiss specifically where the new piece of jewelry sits.

Immediately, Nini pulls him up back in his seat. Swinging her legs to lay across his lap as she cradled his face in her gentle palms. Her thumb runs along his sharp jawline, as Ricky places one hand on her thigh and the other on the small of her back. Slowly, he leans his forehead against hers as he looks deep into her eyes.

There was no semblance of doubt.

And that little tidbit makes him smile so brightly, despite the tears that were slipping down both of their cheeks. His hand moves up and down her back in soft strokes, bringing her to sit closer to him. He draws his lip in between his teeth, as he continues to admire the girl in his arms.

“We’re getting married.”

“Yeah, baby.” Nini nods, sniffling a little due to her sinuses beginning to build up from all the crying. “You’re going to be my husband.” Her thumb trails from his jaw to the back of his neck, threading her fingers into his messy curls.

“God, that sounds so fucking good.” Ricky chuckles, “I love you, my future wife.”

“I love you so much,” Nini whispers, finally closing the distance between them and sealing the deal with a passionate and loving kiss.

Everything was absolutely perfect.

They spent the entire flight cuddled up next to each other, basking in the glory in the light of their new engagement. Nini couldn’t stop staring at the shiny object that rested on her dainty finger, she kept shoving it in Ricky’s face as if he didn’t stare at the ring for the last six months. Continuing to twist their fingers together, mumbling sweet nothings as they embraced the last few moments of freedom before they touched down in Utah.

Now, they were heading up to their apartment lugging their suitcases behind them as the yellow taxi cab was pulling away from the curb. Sure, they’ll admit it was a little risky taking a taxi but it was practically the dead of night and they were certain that no paparazzi were going to be lingering outside of their apartment.

The second they crossed the threshold of their apartment, they felt the exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours begin to take over them. Kicking off their shoes, they drag their suitcases straight to their bedroom throwing them haphazardly off to the side to be dealt with the following day. They didn’t talk much as they got ready for bed, but Nini couldn’t help herself as she continually poked Ricky’s side as they brushed their teeth, to which he threatened to spit all the foam building up in his mouth onto the side of her neck.

Once they were all set for bed, Nini managed to escape to the kitchen muttering that she just needed a drink before bed. As Nini slipped out of their room, Ricky got into bed relaxing as soon as his back rested against the headboard, propped up slightly by his pillows. Turning on his bedside lamp, illuminating their darkroom in a warm glow as he grabs the other end of the comforter. Opening it up for Nini so she could easily slide under as soon as she got back from the kitchen.

Thinking back on the events of the day, he couldn’t believe any of it really happened. The last twenty-four hours, really the last week has felt like this fever dream. Everything was absolutely perfect and amazing and he just never wanted to wake up from it. The vacation was all that he could’ve asked for. After years of being in the spotlight, he finally felt human again. Like, no one was watching him and he didn’t have to think twice about every move he made. He was at peace, and he was so fucking happy.

It was like he found the last piece to his happily ever after.

The one thing out of this trip that he didn’t expect was to go home with a new ring on his girlfriend – fiancée’s – finger. Fuck. He couldn’t believe it. He actually did it, he actually got down on one knee and asked the love of his life to marry him.

Granted, in all the different plans that he had drafted out, proposing in an airport in the middle of the night was definitely not one of them. There was nothing special or fantastic or even remotely romantic in the way he proposed, but none of that really mattered at the moment. All he knew was that the moment just felt right. That was when he knew that it didn’t matter how over the top his gestures or his plans were, it didn’t matter how many people were there or how many steps it took to get down on his knee. All that mattered – all that will ever matter – is that he loves her and she loves him.

As long as he had Nini, he didn’t care about anything else in the world.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by Nini entering the room. But instead of a hot cup of tea or a glass of water like he thought she had left to go make, she had two of the largest mugs they had and instead of hot water, it was a chocolatey beverage. The only reason he knew this was because she piled up lots of whipped cream and marshmallows and cinnamon to the point if he had missed it, he must’ve been blind.

“What was the point of brushing our teeth?” He teases, as Nini carefully sets his mug down on his side table.

Nini rolls her eyes, “It’s supposed to warm our tummies.” She pokes his belly button before walking over to her side of the bed. “You should be used to the fact that I like having hot chocolate after we brush our teeth. You’ve only been living with me for how many years?”

“Yes, angel, I know.” Ricky chuckles, his hand over his belly button as to prevent Nini from sticking her finger in it again. He watches as Nini sinks into the mattress, once she’s all settled in he brings the blanket to rest over her lap before leaning over to press a few tender kisses to her shoulder.

“That feels nice,” Nini murmurs as Ricky moves in closer to pepper more kisses up the side of her neck and comes closer to her lips.

As soon as his lips collide with Nini’s, the young brunette hums against his mouth. Bringing her hand up to the back of his head, threading her fingers through his locks. Sliding in closer together, Ricky’s hand falls onto her hip. As soon as Nini was just about ready to climb into his lap, Ricky’s body began to shake, his lips vibrating against hers causing the pair to break.

“Excuse you, sir.” She huffs quietly, “What do you think you’re laughing at?”

“You taste like mint chocolate.” He laughs, his eyes falling to look at her lips. “You little cheater! You had some hot chocolate before I did.”

“I had to taste test it!” She defends pushing his chest away from her.

Ricky lets out a loud laugh, bringing himself to sit back up against the headboard as he grabs his mug of hot chocolate she had left on the nightstand. Taking a careful sip of the drink, ensuring he doesn’t burn his tongue like he tends to do with hot chocolate. An appreciative hum rumbles through his chest as he glances over to see Nini bringing her own mug to her lips, the ring on her finger stared back at him.

His teeth pull his bottom lip into his mouth slightly before bringing his hand to poke it lightly. The gesture brought Nini’s attention back to the singer, smiling at him as soon as she realized what he was looking at.

“I really do love it, you know.” She mumbles, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“Even if it wasn’t a grand proposal?” Ricky asks, hoping that she felt the same as he did.

Nini shakes her head, a small laugh falling past her lips. “Ricky, if you asked me to marry you in that airport without a ring I still would’ve said yes.” She brings her hand to rest on the back of his neck, her thumb running along his scalp. “I don’t need something grand or whatever. I’m a simple girl, babe. I’m yours forever. With or without a ring. With or without marriage. I’ll always be yours, never forget that.”

“God, how did I get so lucky?”

“We have to thank Brandon Holloway for that.” Nini teases, bringing up her homecoming date that had stood her up all those years ago. “Who knows how long it would’ve taken you to grow a set.”

Ricky rolls his eyes at her comment, “I’m sure I would’ve at least found the guts to ask you out before graduation.” He groans, taking another sip of his drink.

“Are you sure? Because by the rate we were going it didn’t seem like you were going to ask me out at all.” Nini continues to poke fun at him, retracting her hand back into her lap as she warms her hands around the mug with the hot beverage. “Taking me out on all these amazing ‘dates’ and even getting me all these things without it being an occasion. You would kiss me on the cheek every time you dropped me home, and I was so sure you were going to ask me to homecoming, but then you kept talking about how it wasn’t your scene, so I thought you were just being an extra nice and an overly affectionate friend.”

Snapping his head in her direction, scoffing at the last word she had used, “The reason I didn’t go to homecoming was because you had a date.” He admits, just starting to realize that Nini never knew the truth behind this story. “I couldn’t sit there and watch you dance the night away with some other guy.”

Nini gasps dramatically, “Punk boy, Richard Bowen, was going to go to a high school dance willingly? I thought I’d never see the day.” She huffs out, an amazed look taking over her face.

“For you, I would!” He counters, “Which I did. You’re the only one I’d do anything for just so you know.”

It may have been the first high school dance he attended, but it definitely wasn’t the last. Ricky attended both their junior and senior proms, to Nini’s surprise. He even went as far as doing promposals for her, which everyone always thought was completely out of character for the edgy singer.

But no one knew Ricky as Nini did. Once you pass the whole tough boy exterior, Ricky Bowen had the softest heart. He cared about all his friends and family, and he never thought twice about being there for them. And Nini has always been at the top of his list. As long as Nini was happy, then so was he.

Scrunching her nose at his comment, she leans over and pecks his cheek lightly, “You know, I only said yes to Brandon because I thought you weren’t interested in me.”

“We were really stupid back then, huh?” Ricky chuckles, looking down at his drink briefly before smiling over at his fiancée.

“Maybe a little bit,” Nini brings her hands up in between them, pushing her index and fingers together leaving a small gap in between. “But, everything worked out for us in the end.”

“It sure did.” Ricky moves to boop her nose, smiling as he sees the whipped cream he had scooped up secretly staring back at him.

Nini lets out a loud gasp at the foreign substance that had come into contact with her skin. Crossing her eyes as she stares down at the tip of her nose to realize it was just the whipped cream from his drink. Peering up back to her fiancé she gives him her best doe eyes and a dramatic pout.

Batting her eyelashes at the singer, “Get it for me.”

Ricky leans in, licking her nose free of the whipped cream, “Mmm, sweet.”

“Ew!” Nini’s hand flies to wipe the saliva from her nose, “Babe, that’s disgusting.”

“It was really sweet.” He ignores her, “Come here, let me have another taste.”

“No!” Nini laughs as she tries to scoot away from her fiancé, trying not to spill her drink all over their sheets.

Ricky’s hand comes up to cradle her cheek, swiping his thumb along the smooth skin he brings her face closer to his. Cockily smiling at the brunette, he presses his lips against hers once more. Despite her unwillingness at first, she melts into the kiss, tightening her grip on her mug as she leans further into his touch.

As soon as their lips detach, the pair smile widely at one another. Ricky’s thumb continues to glide over her cheek, as he presses a little deeper into the dimple that he absolutely adored. He stares straight into her eyes.

“I love you, Nini.”

Nini giggles, pecking his lips three times as she mutters an ‘I love you’ in between each kiss.

The rest of their night was spent cuddled into each other’s sides, quietly chatting about anything and everything that came to mind. Neither bringing up the fact that they had to go to work the next morning, not wanting to slip back into reality just yet. Even though the next few weeks are going to be hell with work, all they could think about was the ring on Nini’s finger and how much they were looking forward to their future.

“Oh my god!” Nini shouts rather loudly, already scrambling out of bed. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

“Babe, will you shut up?” Ricky rolls over onto his stomach, nuzzling his face further into his pillow as she repeatedly calls him name telling him to get out of bed.

Nini huffs at her boyfriend’s reaction, pulling the sheets off of his back and down to the foot of the bed. Leaning over to smack the small of his back, a little harder than she intended to, causing him to let out a muffled groan. Despite her best efforts to get him to wake up, he remained burrowed into his pillow, hugging it impossibly tight as a poor attempt to not let the sun that was shining through the windows to blind him.

Rolling her eyes, she pushes at his shoulder, “Richard Bowen we are late! So, get your ass in the shower, we don’t have time!” She shouts, pushing her glasses onto her face as she untangles her hair from her braid that was a little knotted from her sleep.

“Are you going to join me?” Ricky mocks, rolling over to lean back on his elbows.

Snapping her head in his direction, she sent him a deathly glare, “You don’t want to be joking with me right now.” Nini sticks her finger in his direction, a stern voice laced her words. “We have less than twenty minutes to shower, get dressed, grab a snack and get out the door.”

“All the more reason to shower with me.” Ricky continues to tease as he swings his legs over the edge of the bed. Bringing his hands up in the air, interlocked, as he stretches out all the muscles in his back.

“Ricky, I am not getting in the shower with you.” She groans, “So, just go shower. I’m going to prep our bags and get coffee ready. You have five minutes before I’m dragging you out of there.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” He huffs, trying his best not to be too irritated by the rude awakening from the girl, “You’re a crankypants in the morning.”

Nini rolls her eyes, resting a hand on her hip as she looks over at her fiancé, “Get used to it, honey. You’re going to be spending the rest of your life with me and sometimes crankypants Nini might come out to play.” A small hint of teasing was evident in her words, the first time all morning that she had a lighthearted tone to her voice.

Walking over to her to drop a kiss to her lips, “I can deal with that.” He hums, “I love every part of you.” Ricky chuckles, as to prove his point he pinches her butt teasingly.

“Ricky!” Nini squeals at the action, pushing at his chest as she starts to make their bed, “Go shower!”

Precisely eighteen minutes later, the pair were stumbling out of their apartment and towards the parking lot. Nini tried her best to shrug on her sweater as she fiddled with her bag. Meanwhile, Ricky was hurriedly flipping through his notebook that had all the small notes that he would make about the songs they were working on and it included the annotations from their producers. Normally he was prepped for the day by the time he was on his way to the studio, but today was different. With Nini rushing him all morning, he was completely discombobulated.

As Nini finally manages to slip her arm through the sleeve, she pries her bag open. Rifling through each of the slots, ensuring all the documents she needed for the day were there and in the correct order. In her head, she sets a reminder to fax over a patient’s charts to the oncologist that she had spoken to on the phone just before she had left.

“I can’t believe we’re late,” Nini mutters, running her fingers through her semi-dry hair, having only a few minutes with her blow dryer before she had to run out of the house.

“I can.” Ricky shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, “I’m always late.”

Nini snaps her head in his direction, “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Angel, it’s fine. So, what if we’re like five minutes late?”

“Ricky, I have patients. And my attending doesn’t exactly appreciate his residents being late.” She huffs, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Oh, I’m gonna go grocery shopping after work. So, let me know if you need anything.”

Ricky takes a hold of her wrist, twining their fingers together absentmindedly, “Hey, hey, you don’t have to go grocery shopping. You’ll probably be too tired. Just, go home and get some sleep, okay?” He squeezes her hand in his, the pair slowing to a stop as they reach Nini’s car.

“Babe, we need to eat.” She informs him.

“But, you need to rest.” Ricky counters, looking into her deep eyes.

It was clear that she wasn’t going to change her mind about going later, and he knew better than to argue with her especially when she was cranky all morning. The boy lets out a sigh, slipping his hand into his back pocket and he pulls out his wallet. Slipping his credit card out, he hands it to her, despite her being incredibly reluctant to take it.

“You’re not winning this fight. Just take the credit card, and you can even buy as many snacks as you wish.” He teases, setting his hand on her waist, pulling her in closer as he plants a tender kiss on her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Nini murmurs, pulling back slightly as she slips the card into her wallet, “Don’t work yourself too hard, I want you home in one piece.”

Ricky laughs, moving to peck her forehead lightly, “Same goes for you, angel.”

After one final kiss, Ricky guides Nini to the driver’s seat and he opens the door for her. Nini giggles as she slides into the car, Ricky closing the door as soon as she gets in safely. She settles her bag in the passenger seat as she starts up her car. Noticing Ricky still standing by her door, she rolls down the window, a teasing smile on her lips.

“What?”

“I love you.”

Nini leans out the window, grabbing his head to bring him into her personal space. “You said that already.” She giggles, not quite pressing their lips together.

“Yeah, I did” Ricky rolls his eyes, bringing his hand to take a hold of her chin, “Is there a quota of how many times I can say it in one day? Have I already exceeded it?”

“No quota,” Nini murmurs, “But I really do love hearing it.” She kisses him once more.

Quickly, they pull back from one another, Ricky taking a few steps back to let Nini finally pull out of the parking lot. Chuckling as she waves excitedly out of her window before making her way to the main street. His teeth sink into his bottom lip, thinking about the last couple of days they had. Just wanting to be brought back into their own world, instead of having to face reality.

Letting out a deep sigh, he begins to make his way to his own car. Wondering what he had missed while they were gone. Surely it wasn’t anything that important, right?

Chapter Text

As Nini hurriedly runs into the hospital, juggling a few things in her hands she doesn’t recognize that some of the people were staring at her as she passed. Even if she did, it could be easily brushed off as watching her fumble around with her things, looking like a hot mess. However, she had other things on her mind – like getting to the staff room on time.

Maybe if they hadn’t stayed up most of the night chatting they wouldn’t have woken up late. But, Nini isn’t all that surprised that they had slept in, considering that it was currently five p.m. in Copenhagen, so it had felt like they took an afternoon nap. And it was also possible that a big reason Nini didn’t want to go to sleep last night was that she didn’t want their vacation to be over.

It had been ages since they got to spend time together on vacation, much less in a completely different country. Nini knows that they’ll be able to do that again in the future, just like they had promised, but it was never easy just hopping back into reality when she was still riding the high of relaxation. All she could hope for was that today was going to be one of her easy days, maybe that’ll at least make things bearable.

Finally getting her things in order, she pushes open the door to the locker room making a beeline to her locker. Letting out a deep sigh, as she begins to turn the combination to her lock cursing under her breath as she misses the second number by a long shot had to start things all over again.

As she pries open her locker, she starts to rifle with her things. Shrugging on the white coat with her name printed over the right side of her chest in navy blue embroidery, she swings her stethoscope over the back of her neck. She couldn’t help but smile down at the little pin that was on her coat, a small tiny butterfly that her Lola had given to her as a gift when she started her residency.

Before Nini could take her files out of her bag, a tall frame leans up against the locker that was next to hers. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a coy smirk dancing on his lips, only causing the short brunette to roll her eyes. She didn’t have any time for whatever antics he had up his sleeve, knowing they all had a team huddle in the staff room in a few minutes.

“Whatever it is, Daniel, can it wait?” She huffs, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as she glances towards the mirror that was stuck to the back of her locker.

“Word on the street is you turned down the Kelton offer,” Daniel comments.

Nini scoffs turning to face the boy, one of her hands falling to her hip, poking her tongue into her cheek. She should’ve known that he was going to be all over it, considering that he was practically begging for the job. Everyone in their department knew that Nini was the front runner, and even though they were all competing for it they knew that she was going to get the job.

But what the residents didn’t know was that Nini planned on turning down the offer. And since she had been gone for over a week since then, she knew everyone had probably already found out. From what she heard from Seb the day she had left Salt Lake was that the news was already out and everyone was more than shocked to have heard she denied the position.

Pursing her lips together for a moment, “I did,” She confirms, giving him a slight nod, “And, I’m assuming he didn’t offer you the job?” A dramatic pout on her face, mocking the taller man in front of her.

“No,” He shakes his head, a bitter tone evident in his voice, “He chose O’Hara.”

Nini couldn’t help the small smile fight its way onto her face. Marley O’Hara wasn’t her top choice for Kelton, but she’ll admit that Marley was a good choice. She was within her top three for sure, and she knew that Marley was going to do incredibly well over at Kelton.

“So, why’d you turn it down?” Daniel asks curiously.

Taken aback by his question, she slips her clipboard out of her bag before shutting her locker. Squinting slightly at her co-worker, she couldn’t tell if he was being genuinely curious or if he had some ulterior motive. And since this is Daniel she was speaking to, she kept her guard up assuming it was the latter.

“Personal reasons,” She shrugs nonchalantly.

“Like, the fact that you don’t need more money because we both know Kelton would’ve been an insane boost in your salary,” He points out, sliding his hands into his pocket as he stands up straighter, no longer leaning up against the locker.

Nini inhales nervously, “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Daniel shrugs, the smirk having never left his face, “Probably because you’re fucking the lead singer of Golden Monday.”

“What?” Nini gasps, bringing her hand up to her mouth as she takes a faltering step back.

It was like her heart had stopped beating and she couldn’t get any air into her lungs. She stared at Daniel as if he had grown three heads, praying to whatever god was out there that he had to be joking. But she knew he wasn’t. Daniel may be an asshole, but he wouldn’t lie.

“Oh, you haven’t seen the news?” He raises an eyebrow in curiosity, his snarky attitude immediately deflating at Nini’s reaction, “Thought you would’ve been all over that.”

“N-No,” Nini stutters, feeling tears beginning to build up in her eyes as she fishes around in her pockets in search of her phone but only finding her pager.

Frantically, she turns back to her locker and starts to spin her lock around as she tries to open it, her vision beginning to blur as she pulls on the lock repeatedly as it refuses to open. Her fingers were incredibly fidgety and she kept messing up the combination. When she finally gets the lock to fall in the correct order, she whips it open as she rifles through her bag in search of her phone, completely forgetting about the taller boy that was watching her carefully.

Not caring that was going to ruin her makeup, she lets a tear trickle down her cheek but she wipes it away as soon as it falls. Finally, getting a hold of the device, she turns it on having forgotten to check it at all ever since they got back. It was definitely a poor decision on her part, and she begins to wonder what she was going to be faced with.

As the screen comes to life, she sees an influx of texts and notifications from all of her friends and family. Cursing underneath her breath, she begins to go through the number of texts that ranged from group text chains with a number of their friends, some texts came from her moms and Ricky’s parents, and even some from Gina and the Caswells’ family all apologizing for what had happened.

She begins to wonder what exactly had happened.

One particular text from Big Red had stood out to her. He had informed her not to go on any social media platforms and especially not Twitter. But against her better judgment, she navigates her way through her phone to the blue app, holding in a breath as she begins to scroll through. Ricky was trending, and Nini clicked on the thread nervously and was faced with articles, all with different headlines and photos and Nini felt like she just wanted to be swallowed up.

“Oh my god,” Nini whispers, shaking her head vigorously, “No, no, no, no.” She mutters repeatedly, as she continues to see everything that was flying off her screen. “This can’t be happening.”

There were tweets upon tweets, speculating about who she was and where she had suddenly come from. There were photos of them throughout practically their entire vacation, causing Nini to bitterly bite her tongue as she realized their privacy was stripped from her. Photos of their engagement in the airport even surfaced, and Nini didn’t know what to feel. Their week of pure bliss was ruined because people couldn’t keep their noses out of their business.

As she continued to scroll, she felt her chest tightening as nerves began to build up inside of her. Reading tweets that were bashing her, bashing Ricky. Sure, there were a few loyal fans that were asking to leave Ricky alone and that he didn’t owe them anything – which was true. Some said that they were happy for Ricky, saying that it was the happiest that they’ve ever seen him.

She was thankful for the few people that were telling others to respect their space. But, she couldn’t help but narrow her attention on the negative tweets, comments, articles. None of it was shedding a good light on her, and she didn’t know what to do. How was she supposed to face the rest of her co-workers? If Daniel heard about it, then surely at least half of the staff has by now too.

Drawing her lip in between her teeth, forcing her tears to remain at bay not wanting to cry in front of her co-worker. She inhales sharply and lets out a deep exhale. The breathing exercises weren’t exactly helping her, but it was the only thing keeping her from going into full panic mode.

“Nina, are you okay?” Daniel’s voice was soft and full of concern, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Nini smacks his hand off of her, “What do you think!?” She cries out, snapping her head in his direction, bringing her hand up to wipe at a stray tear, “Have you seen what they are saying about me?! I’m not fucking Ricky, I didn’t trick him into anything! What am I supposed to do now?” She whimpers.

“I-I d-don’t know,” Daniel stutters, not quite sure how to help his co-worker, who has practically been his archnemesis since they’ve met. “I-I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine,” She interrupts him, her eyes locking with his, “It’s what the whole fucking internet thinks anyway, so it’s easy to assume that I am.” Nini answers tiredly, running a hand through her hair, “I’m not, just so you know.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think perfect Nina would be the type to just sleep around with a punk singer like some groupie,” Daniel lets out a low chuckle, Nini joining in finding what he said at least a tad bit humorous considering her situation. “How long have you been together?”

Pressing her lips together, “Almost eight years.”

Daniel’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, “Wow,” A look of bewilderment taking over his features, it was not the answer he was expecting.

Looking back down at her phone in her hands, a dry laugh coming out of her mouth, “Yeah, sounds like eternity, right?” She smiles down at her phone before looking up at the taller man, “Thanks for not being a total dick about it, by the way.”

Daniel tilts his head to the side, lifting her shoulders in a small shrug, “I might be a dick sometimes, but I have my moments.”

Before either of them could say anything else, the door to the locker room bursts open surprising the pair. Nini jumps slightly at the loud noise, not having expected the intrusion on their conversation. Her eyes land on the figure standing in the doorway, immediately recognizing the blond that was staring at them.

“Nini, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Well, I’ve been here,” She shrugs her shoulders.

Seb takes a few steps into the locker room, eyeing Daniel carefully knowing the bad blood between the pair. Nini shakes her head subtly, telling him that everything was fine, and she knew that the blond was going to have a few questions about it later. But she had more pressing matters at the moment.

Daniel clears his throat, “I, uh, I should probably get going,” Throwing his thumb over his shoulder, taking a few steps back, “Good luck, Nina, with everything.”

“Thanks, Daniel,” She manages a tight-lipped smile as he makes his way out of the locker room, leaving the two friends to themselves.

As soon as the pair were alone, Seb makes his way over to Nini taking a hold of her forearm and squeezing it lightly in comfort. It was clear that Seb was up to date on what’s been going on in social media and the gossip columns. There were also a few texts from him and their group chat with Kourtney and Carlos, sending her their utmost apologies.

But with Nini’s darkened and solemn expression, it was clear to Seb the girl had just found out about what’s been happening in the past week. When Nini doesn’t say anything, Seb starts to let the words spill out of his mouth.

“I am so sorry about everything, Nini. I wish this wasn’t happening to you guys,” He sends her a sympathetic smile, moving in to bring his friend into his chest for a tight hug.

“You and me both,” Nini nods, a sad look taking over her features, “What am I going to do? Did you see what they’re saying about me?” Hooking her chin over his shoulder as she tightens her grip on her friend, tears beginning to blur her vision once more a few tears escaping down her cheeks.

Sure, she was holding everything inside especially in front of Daniel. But now that it was just her and Seb, and the fact that he had her in his arms, she couldn’t keep it all in anymore. Nini didn’t know what to make of the situation, and to say she was disappointed would be a complete understatement.

She is terrified and it felt like her heart was ripped out of her chest. It felt like she was stripped naked and was put up on some pedestal to be ridiculed by the media. She hated that she couldn’t even blame the fans or the paparazzi for making these kinds of assumptions about her. For all they know, she could just be another girl Ricky was just trying to get into bed with and was willing to go to any lengths for it.

His image was this punk-rock player that had a long line of girls waiting to fall into bed with him. It was the furthest thing from the truth, but the media had no idea about the softer side of Ricky. They didn’t know that he had been in love with the same girl since high school, they didn’t know that he’s never been with anyone else besides her. They only knew what they saw, and what they saw was always never true.

A huge part of her was beating herself up. If she really thinks about it, it was her fault that they are acting so viciously towards both her and Ricky. If only she didn’t insist on them having a private relationship, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

They wouldn’t be calling her names, they wouldn’t be angry at Ricky for lying. Maybe everything would’ve been easier if they were just upfront from the very start. But of course, life doesn’t work out that way. All she could really hope for is that Ricky wasn’t going to be angry with her.

Beginning to doubt herself, she starts to wonder if this was it. Even though she had this big and sparkly ring on her finger, what if Ricky was ready to take it all back. Realizing that it was a mistake. After seeing everyone’s reaction, maybe he’s going to start rethinking about wanting to marry her.

“Hey, hey,” Seb squeezes her frame, “You know none of this is your fault, right?”

“But it is,” Nini mutters, pulling away from his grasp and taking a seat on the bench next to them. Dropping her hands to her lap, she twists the silver ring that was resting atop her finger, “We kept it a secret because of me. How can it not be my fault?”

Seb drops down next to her, he throws his arm to wrap around her waist, “So, what if you wanted to keep your relationship a secret?” He exhales, “You and Ricky both deserve your privacy, especially Ricky. So much of his life is already being shared with millions of people, he deserves to keep something for himself.”

“I suppose,” Nini murmurs.

“Why don’t you go see him?”

At his suggestion, Nini turns her head to look at him curiously. Her eyes shift between his eyes and the clock on the wall behind him, she knits her eyebrows together in confusion. “What about work?” She asks.

“I talked to Cameron and updated him on what’s been going on with uh, Ricky and stuff,” Seb starts, an apologetic look on his face, “He understands your situation, and is going to give you three extra days off. Paid vacation and everything. And just let him know if you need anything else.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Seb nods, sending her an encouraging smile, “Go see, Ricky. I think you guys have a lot to figure out right now.”

Nini nods, getting up from her spot she makes her way back to her locker as she collects all her belongings. Slipping off her white coat and hanging it back on the hook. Grabbing her stethoscope, she places it in her bag before hiking it over her shoulder.

“Thanks, Seb,” Nini smiles, as she turns back to her blond friend, “For talking to him for me, and just everything.”

Seb waves her off, chuckling lightly, “Please, it’s nothing. Just looking out for you.”

Drawing her lip in between her teeth, Nini nods in thanks, “Okay, I should probably get going,” She starts to make her towards the locker room door, leaving Seb on the bench they were sitting at.

“Nins?” Seb calls, causing the brunette to turn around and lock eyes with her friend, “Congratulations, I’m really happy for you guys,” He gestures towards the new jewellery piece that sat on her finger.

The young doctor blushes at the thought, glancing down at the ring for a moment, “Thanks, Sebby. I’ll see you in a few days.” Nini says, finally making her way out of the door and towards the hospital exit.

Thoughts swarming the brunette’s head, quietly wondering if her boyfriend had any idea on what has been going on. If he did know, why didn’t he tell her? Was he trying to keep it away from her? What was going through his head when he found out?

And most importantly, she begins to question what in the hell were they supposed to do now?

Ricky was the first one at the studio that morning. It was a complete shock to him considering how Nini was practically pushing him out the door this morning, spouting words about how they were both going to be late. But he doesn’t question it, instead, he settles on the couch and drops his bag down to the ground. Fishing around his bag in search of his songbook.

As soon as he gets a hold of the red notebook, he flips through the pages landing on a song that he’s been working on the last little while. It wasn’t for the next album or something he ever planned on releasing, it was actually for his girlfriend. There was a section at the back of his notebook that was practically inspired and written for Nini. Sometimes she got to hear the songs, and other times she didn’t.

The song he’s working on was one that he’s been playing around with for what felt like ages. There was just something about the song that kept him from writing it. It wasn’t anything like his style now, it was completely different and new and maybe that’s why he’s been so hesitant about writing it. It was a little more mainstream than he was used to and, honestly, it was just straight up sappy so for some reason it felt like something inside him was pulling back from it. But after the last week he spent with his girlfriend, now fiancée, it got him rethinking about this song.

Moving to the other side of the studio, he makes his way to the guitar stands. Normally his usual instrument of choice was his beautiful bright red electric, he named her Ripley and has had her for the past five years. It was his absolute favourite, a gift from his parents when his career started taking off. The guitar had travelled across America and even when they had toured some cities in Canada. She was his baby.

But, the song he’s been working on didn’t match up the sound with the sound of Ripley. Instead, he picked up his acoustic guitar, it was the oldest guitar he owned. Cherry is what he had named it back when he was twelve. It was stupid reason really, but his favourite fruit at the time was cherries and it kind of just stuck.

He’s always loved the sound of acoustic guitars and had begged his parents to buy him one for years, and they finally conceded. He didn’t play with the acoustic too much considering the music they released was always much harder and edgier than what an acoustic could play, but he still loved it just as much as Ripley.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools in the middle of the studio, propping up his notebook on the other stool as he plucks the strings on the six-string. A beautiful melody bouncing off the walls and back into his ears, smiling shyly as a picture of Nini begins to pop into his mind. Deciding to let his heart speak for itself, he opens his mouth and the words just begin to flow out like they were the easiest thing in the world.

“They don’t know about the things we say, they don’t know about the I love you’s.” Ricky sings, smiling to himself as he hums the next few bars not quite sure what the lyrics should be, “They don’t know about my love for you, they don’t know I’ve waited all my life.”

Ricky continues to play through the song, pausing every so often to write in his notebook changing some notes and altering the few lyrics that he had. The boy wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he started, but he couldn’t help but feel giddy as the song was slowly coming together. Picking up a notebook and his pen, he scribbles in another lyric he thought would’ve been perfect when suddenly he’s interrupted by his bandmates walking into the studio.

The trio all wore mixed expressions. And he wasn’t exactly sure what to think of them, but he didn’t pay too much mind to them. Sending over a small smile and wave, he starts to bring his attention back to his notebook but the group seemed to have other plans.

“You proposed to Nini?!” Gina blurts out, practically shouting into the studio.

Sheepishly, he ducks his head and runs his hand over the back of his neck a little flustered. He did promise EJ and their management that when they got back Nini was going to have the same ring on her finger as when they had left. Technically, it wasn’t a total lie. She had just moved it from one hand to the other.

And the fact that Gina and Ashlyn had no idea about the trip made the nerves inside of him rise. It wasn’t that he was nervous, more like he was anxious about their reaction. He knows that they would be happy for them no matter what, but he did kind of just up and left without so much as a word. Surely, EJ helped the pair fill all the empty spaces in between

Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, he looks up at his best friends all expectantly waiting for him to answer. “Yeah,” He nods, a smile dancing on his lips, “She told you?”

“No!” Gina’s volume continues to increase as she takes a step closer to the lead singer, “It’s all over the internet!”

Ricky practically falls out of his chair, his notebook and pen falling to the ground as he attempts to stabilize himself from the shock that the drummer had just spouted. Not quite sure what to think or what to even say, he felt completely frozen and numb.

“Gina!” Ashlyn hisses in warning.

Looking over to the pair of cousins standing a few paces behind Gina, trying to read their faces to confirm what she had said was true or not. He hoped to god that they were just fucking around with him, but he knew his friends better than that. There were a few things in the world that they didn’t mess around with. And Ricky and Nini’s relationship was one of them.

The concern written on the Caswells faces made everything crystal clear to the singer. Gina wasn’t joking. They knew about their engagement because of the fucking internet. As soon as the thought passed through his mind, he felt his world collapsing in on himself.

They found out about their engagement. They found out about their relationship. They were no longer a secret to the world, and it wasn’t on their terms or their own time. He thought for sure they were being incredibly careful, he thought they were able to finally be a normal couple even if it was just for a few days.

Fuck.

Ricky wasn’t even sure how to wrap his head around this information. How did they find out? Was there a fan at the airport? Paparazzi? There’s no way. Even if there was, he wore his disguise, he swears he did.

Now thinking back on it, a hoodie was probably the worst disguise he could’ve come up with. But it was the middle of the night, he was almost certain that no one was going to recognize him. Most people that were sitting at their gate were middle-aged couples, a few elderly ones too. No one seemed to be too interested in them, and he can barely recall if any of them were paying any mind to them when he had got down on one knee. It was subtle enough for people to assume he was just kneeling in front of her just for the heck of it. But maybe it was just an illusion, that he was so swept up in their own world he didn’t notice anyone else.

Ricky tended to get completely lost in Nini, no matter what they were doing. To the point that the world around him was completely blocked out, and he wouldn’t notice anyone or anything going on around him. And this was especially true in the one moment, the very moment where he was asking her to be his forever, nothing else in the world mattered.

The part that he hated most about this?

It was easily the fact that the best moment in his entire life was practically tainted. The public, whether it’d be a fan or paparazzi, completely ruined and stripped them of their special and intimate moment together. They took away their privacy, they barged in on his proposal to the point he couldn’t even tell his best friends and his family about it. All the important people in his life, everyone he was looking forward to sharing the news with, had to find out through the goddamn internet.

“I am so sorry, Ricky.” Ashlyn pipes up, interrupting his thoughts.

It was clear that Ricky was beginning to spiral, not having said anything for a few moments. It was like he froze in place and wasn’t sure how to react. And that was probably the most accurate description of what he had felt on the inside. There was a complete jumble of feelings swimming around inside of him. From sadness to anger to complete despair. What was he supposed to do now?

Licking his lips, he slowly takes his seat once more, elbow resting on the top of his guitar as he places his head in his hand. Resting against his forehead, as he tried to soothe himself to no avail. He takes a few shaky breaths, keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

“How?” He mutters, complete distress laced in his voice.

“A fan saw you guys at the airport and posted it to Twitter,” EJ starts, walking over and taking a seat on the couch. Setting down his work bag, he tosses off his sweater before clasping his hands together in his lap, fidgeting with his hands nervously. “It wasn’t the first time they saw you and Nins together…”

Ricky felt like someone was squeezing all the air out of his lungs, “What?” He breathes out, snapping his head in his best friend’s direction.

“Yeah, it’s kind of been all over the internet all week,” Gina chimes in, her voice a lot softer than when she had shouted a few moments earlier, taking a seat next to her boyfriend.

“The first time it happened, someone took a photo of you guys at some outdoor restaurant. They weren’t sure if it was you at first, but then you got up and turned around and yeah…” Ashlyn continues, tucking her hand into her back pocket, “Ricky, I’ll be honest, it’s not looking good.”

Scared to ask what Ashlyn had meant, his knee begins to bounce anxiously. He scrubs his hand down his face, trying to process everything that his friends had said. Ricky wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear any more, but he knew eventually he would have to. And it’d be better than being told by their management team.

Seeing the answer behind his eyes, EJ starts, “They thought Nini was some local girl you were just fucking around with,” He pauses for a moment, immediately noticing the anger beginning to rise inside of him, “But then they saw you guys at the airport, and they think Nini tricked you into it or whatever, which we know that’s not true. And they think it probably won’t last long, because you know, your uh- image.”

“Fucking shit.” Ricky huffs.

“How did you not know?” Gina asks carefully, “Did you not check your phone when you got in last night?”

Ricky shakes his head, casting his eyes over to the drummer, “We forgot, it was late.” He shrugs in answer, “And we got up late this morning, Nini literally pushed us out the door. So, no, I didn’t check my phone.”

“Do you think Nini knows yet?” Ashlyn pipes up.

“Fuck.” Ricky felt pressure beginning to build up behind his eyes as everything was beginning to dawn on him.

This wasn’t a fucking dream. This is his reality, and now he didn’t know what to do. He is well aware Nini is ready to go public, she said so herself, but that was when the circumstances were entirely different. She had said that because it was going to be on their terms and on their own time.

They had this whole plan ready. They were going to devise a lengthy message detailing everything, from who Nini is and why he had kept her a secret, and respectfully ask the public not to pry into their personal lives. They were going to submit it to a reporter that they trusted, where they had never released information on the band that wasn’t the truth. It was going to be perfect and exactly how they wanted things to play out.

But life doesn’t always go the way they want.

Before any of them had the chance to say anything else, there was a small knock on the door frame leading into the studio. All four heads snap over to look at their surprise guest, not having expected meeting their producers until later this afternoon. Nearly all their jaws slackened as they saw the girl in question standing in the frame.

“So,” Nini breathes out, her voice timid and small, “Looks like our secret’s out.”

Chapter Text

All eyes were on the young doctor standing in the doorway, her fingers toying with the strap of her purse as her eyes flitted to each of the four bandmates scattered around the room. Once they had all realized what she had just said, they surveyed the girl in an attempt to understand what was currently going through her head. Especially considering how all of their anxieties had been shot through the roof, they couldn’t imagine what Nini must be battling. But the expression that was written on her face was something none of them had quite expected.

Immediately when the band broke the news to Ricky he was expecting his fiancée to be completely alarmed, worried and stressed. However, that wasn’t the person that was standing before him. The girl seemed incredibly calm and perfectly composed like her entire world wasn’t completely collapsing in on itself.

He doesn’t understand how because that’s definitely how Ricky felt at the moment.

The news felt like an end-all or be-all kind of moment, and he was sure praying to whatever god that was out there that it wasn’t the former. In all his years, he’s never been so angry at the press and his fans. He loves his fans with his entire heart, and he understands their curiosity but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that they outed his relationship. And sure, there were hundreds of articles and photos in the past that were blatant lies, especially when pertaining to his personal life. Where sometimes it led to arguments with his girlfriend and at other times his bandmates or even his family, but those he knew he would eventually get over. This, on the other hand, he wasn’t sure he’ll ever forgive them for.

If he was to be completely candid, he was terrified to talk to Nini. Even before she showed up at the studio. This situation is far from ideal and he didn’t want to know what she thought of it. And it’s not because he didn’t want to know what she was thinking about all of this, because of course, he did but if that lead to his heart breaking then he didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want his biggest fear to come true. If he lost her, he’s not entirely sure what he would do with himself.

Looking at his beautiful fiancée standing before him with a calm look on her face, he begins to study her a little extra carefully. Straightaway he notices the smallest downturn of her lips that he was certain only he had noticed, and her fingers were curled over the strap of her bag a little tighter than she usually would have. Both were clear indications that even though she wasn’t letting them see how anxious she was, the emotions coursing through her were definitely taking a toll.

“Nini, oh my god,” Ashlyn breaks the silence as she bounds over to and pulling her in for a tight hug, “How’re you holding up?”

A small smile graces her face as she wraps her arms around the red-head, her eyes never leaving her boyfriend’s as she did so. “Better than you think,” She assures not only Ashlyn, but everyone else in the room.

Before Ricky knew it, Gina had joined the pair and they all started quietly chatting as if her arrival and reason for her visit wasn’t all that important. He overheard them question how she managed to get out of work, which she informs them that they didn’t need to worry about it. Then suddenly Gina and Ashlyn started to fawn over the ring on her finger, asking her a bunch of questions about their trip and how excited they were for the couple. And even though he knew he had to, he couldn’t bring himself to break up their little gush fest.

Maybe it was his fear taking over. Scared that once he did speak up, he would be thrown into a conversation he didn’t want to be in. Although he likes to believe that they could make it through anything, he knows that this situation has been the root of a lot of their problems lately.

Deciding to remain in his seat, he shifted his attention to his guitar that was on his lap. Slowly closing the songbook that laid on the seat next to him, finding the words written on the page now tasted bitter on his tongue. His finger plucks on a single string over and over, so softly that it barely made a sound.

“Um,” Nini’s voice pipes up loud enough to echo through the room, yet softer than when she was speaking to the girls, “Could you guys give us a few minutes?” She asks kindly.

“Of course,” Gina nods in agreement, pulling her into a group hug one last time before following Ashlyn out the door.

EJ quietly makes his way over to the short girl not having said a word since her arrival, still a little in shock about everything. “I’m really sorry,” He sends her an encouraging smile, briefly glancing at his best friend who kept his head down, “Congrats, Lil’ Sis.” He kisses her forehead lightly before making his way out the door.

Despite how desperately Ricky wanted to look up, he couldn’t make himself do so. His teeth dug into his bottom lip deeply, an attempt to subdue the rising emotions. He could practically feel her eyes boring into him like a hot iron, begging him to look up at her. But he just couldn’t, he was scared that once he did his whole heart would just fall out of his chest.

After a few moments, he heard her let out a deep sigh. His fingers froze on his guitar as he hears her footsteps beginning to approach him. It felt like all the air in his lungs got caught, holding his breath waiting for the inevitable.

Her shoes come into his view as she stood right in front of him. And just the sight of her sneakers felt like it was all too much for him, squeezing his eyes shut at his impeding thoughts, doing anything he could to push them away. The grip on the neck of his guitar begins to tighten, as he takes a few shallow breaths.

“Baby, look at me.”

Ricky shakes his head, keeping his eyes shut as he gnawed on his bottom lip. A wave of heat flashed over him, rising from his spine and spreading across his cheeks. Pressure began to build up behind his eyes, refusing to lose control of his tears he does everything in his power to keep them in.

Suddenly the weight of his guitar was being pulled from his lap, hearing Nini’s footsteps make their way around the studio to set it down. He rests his elbows on his knees as he presses the heel of his palms into his eye sockets, as he attempts to alleviate some of the pressure that has been growing since his bandmates had entered.

A hand begins to run down his spine causing Ricky to shudder slightly at the contact, not having expected it. Nini moves the songbook off the chair and takes a seat next to her fiancé, her hand continuing to comfort him. His shoulders begin to relax, but it was obvious that he was still incredibly anxious and tense.

“Why won’t you look at me?” Nini asks.

“I-I don’t know if I c-can handle it,” He confesses, his words a little jumbled.

“Handle what?”

Tilting his head to look over at his fiancée the first time since she’s knocked on the door, and he’s immediately met with a concerned expression on her face. There was a crease in the space between her eyebrows, a small frown turned her lips downwards and her deep brown eyes were completely focused on him. The hand on his back never stopped running down his spine, giving him a small form of comfort.

His tongue darts out, licking his lips nervously, “Everything,” He straightens his posture to face her slightly, still not quite able to look into her eyes, “This isn’t how it was supposed to happen.”

“I know,” Nini nods, bringing her hand to slip into his, squeezing it tightly, “But, it did happen. We can’t change that.”

Ricky ducks his head back down, thoughts beginning to take over his brain once more. He stares down at their hands, Nini’s bones became more prominent through her skin due to the grip she had on him. But what caught his attention was the silver ring that was glittering from her finger. Suddenly the piece of jewelry reminded him of the conversation he was having with the band before she had walked in.

One particular comment from EJ standing out to him. As he begins to replay the message over and over in his head, his grasp on his girlfriend’s hand begins to tighten ever so slightly. Anger and frustration coursing through his veins and it was obvious to both him and Nini that he wasn’t taking this well at all.

What he couldn’t understand was how Nini could be so calm about this?

Ever since he started to rise in fame, Nini’s always been the reluctant and careful one. Never did she ever place a toe out of line, nearly threatening the secrecy of their relationship. However, Ricky’s done so a few times, and she’s always been up his ass about it. And the one time that they are actually exposed, she was suddenly so calm.

“Why aren’t you angry?” He grits his teeth, his eyes remained on their clasped hands, “How are you so fucking calm?”

“What is being angry going to do, Ricky?” Nini slips her palm from his hold, getting up from her seat as she stands in front of her fiancé. “Being angry doesn’t help or solve anything. Am I upset about what they are saying about me? About us? Of course, I am! But, I’m not just going to sit here and complain about it. We were exposed, that’s the reality. And, I’d much rather put my energy into figuring out our next move than to wallow in self-pity.”

Ricky picks his head up to look at the beautiful girl in front of him. Her hands were placed on her hips, her shoulders leaning forward slightly as she begins to finally let things off of her chest. Even if they weren’t words he was expecting, he was glad that she was finally saying what was on her mind.

When Ricky doesn’t say anything, Nini continues to pace back and forth. He notices her pinky tapping against the side of her hip, her bag was no longer over her shoulder having had dropped it down to the floor probably when he had his head buried in his hands. It was a little difficult to read her facial expression at the moment, not quite sure if Nini was being completely transparent with him.

His thoughts from earlier were starting to press against his mind. Even though he didn’t want to ask it, he knew he had to. He needed to prepare himself for the worst-case scenario. If he was going to lose her, he needed to know sooner rather than later.

Pressing his lips together, he takes in a deep breath before speaking, “Can you be completely honest with me?” He asks, twirling the ring on his finger anxiously.

The brunette stops in her tracks, a little surprised that he had decided to speak up. Turning to face him, remaining in her position with her hands on her hips. She nods her head silently gesturing for him to continue.

“Do you still want to marry me?”

“What?”

“It’s not a hard question, Nini.”

“Why would you even ask me that?” Her arms dropping down to her sides as she takes a few steps to bring herself to stand in between his legs.

At the girl’s presence, he lifts his head to meet her eyes. The first thing he had noticed was the slightest downward turn of her lips and the little scrunch by the corners of her eyes. She didn’t like his question. Not one bit.

“I need to know if I’m going to lose you,” Ricky gulps, tilting his head back to keep their eyes connected, despite the tears that were slowly blurring his vision. “I need to know if this was your breaking point. A-And that’s why you’re so calm about it. Because you’re just going to end it and-”

“You really think I’m just going to leave because of this?” Nini lets out just above a whisper, interrupting the man beneath her. Her own eyes beginning to build up with unshed tears, “Ricky, I wouldn’t have said yes to marrying you if I planned on leaving once things got rough.”

“Oh my god,” Ricky breathes out, feeling a single tear trickle down his cheek.

Immediately his arms wrap around her torso as he pulled her into him as tightly as he could. Resting his head on her chest as he feels Nini’s hand come up to thread through his hair as the other trailed down his spine. Her chin rests atop of his head as she lets herself be embraced by him.

Neither says a word for a few minutes. Ricky feeling relief wash over him, while Nini was the complete opposite. There was something pulling on her heart that she couldn’t quite place, but all she knew was that there was something in the way he acted and what he said that she wasn’t happy with.

“Can you please talk to me?” Nini whispers, a few tears slipping down her own cheeks.

They pull back from their embrace slightly, Nini’s palm slips to cradle his jaw as she swipes her thumb across his cheek. Ricky’s hands remained on her waist, as he fiddled with her shirt between his fingers lightly. Their eyes remained locked, quietly sweeping over each other’s features as they waited for Ricky to build up the confidence to admit what’s going on in his head.

“The second I saw you standing at the door, I felt my heart drop to my stomach.” Ricky starts sucking in a sharp breath, tears beginning to brim his eyes once more at the reminder. “I thought you rushed over here to end it. Because you couldn’t take what they were saying, EJ told me that they weren’t exactly the nicest things.”

“No, they weren’t.”

“I’ve never told you this. But, I’ve always been scared that you were going to leave me because you’d much rather date someone normal. Someone that can give you the privacy that you want, the life that you want.” Ricky feels the tears escape, Nini immediately wiping them away for him, “Something that I could never give you. And, I just thought, this was it.”

Her eyes softened at his expression, fresh tears coming down her cheeks as she watched the love of her life cry in her hands. Ricky didn’t know whether he should continue, one thought kept pressing against his conscience. A conversation he had with EJ a few weeks ago, having considered it a handful of times that it was truly still on the table.

His tongue darts out to lick his dry lips, “I thought about quitting too,” He pipes up once more.

“What?”

“The band,” Ricky clarifies, “If it meant I got to spend the rest of my life with you, I was going to quit.”

“Are you fucking insane?!” Nini blurts out, the volume completely surprising the pair as she takes a faltering step back, “Ricky, this is your dream!”

Ricky pulls Nini back in, his grip on her waist tightening as he refused to let her go. “Nini, you have to understand that I would give up everything, even my career if it meant giving you the best life that I can. As long as I have you, I’m happy.”

Her hand comes up to wipe away at her tears, “But, I wouldn’t be,” She tells him, her hands limp at her side, “If you gave up your career for me, I would never be able to forgive myself.”

“Ni-”

“No,” Her tone was strong and unwavering, “You have given me the best life. Just being loved by you is more than enough. I need you to know that I never plan on leaving, even when things get tough. When I’m angry and pissed off at you over something ridiculous, and when we argue over stupid shit. We’ll do everything to make it work. For better or for worse, my love.”

A deep sigh escapes both of their bodies as they looked into each other’s eyes, slowly leaning closer to each other. Ricky’s hands that were resting on her waist, snakes to circle around her torso, pulling her into his frame. Nini quietly climbs into his lap as she embraces the affection, nuzzling her head into his neck.

Shifting slightly, Nini locks her ankles together behind Ricky as she brackets his hips with her thighs. The entirety of their bodies pressed up against each other, as they quietly listened to each other breathed. Nini’s was much shallower than Ricky’s as she was still calming down a little from her tears. Ricky’s hand begins to trail up and down her spine, appreciating every bump and groove his fingers touched.

As they continue to embrace, Nini brings her head out of the crook of his neck and hooks it over her shoulder. They practically feel each other’s heartbeat where their chests were connected together. Nini sinks her teeth down into her lip as she prepares to tell him what she knew he wasn’t going to be entirely happy about.

“You’re not going to like what I say next though,” Nini starts quietly.

Confused by her statement, he pulls back to look his fiancée in the eyes. Searching her eyes for the answer, and she looked rather solemn about what she was about to say. A lump begins to form in his throat at her words, anxiety began to rise inside him once more.

“I’m going to stay at Red’s for a few nights.”

Ricky feels the air catch in his throat, and his hand on her back freezes, “Do you need space from me?” He asks warily.

He wanted to be understanding of her emotions and what was going on in her head. It was a lot to take in, especially for someone that wasn’t used to paparazzi and rumours flying around. Ricky was still trying to manage how to ignore it, and he’s been in the industry for so many years. He just wished that they could get through it together.

“No, I, uh,” She shakes her head, “I called him on my way over, and I just think right now it’s best if we’re not seen together. Not until we talk to Annika, see what our next move and stuff is going to be. I just don’t want things to go out of control more than it already has.”

“I don’t want to be apart from you, especially when we’re both going through something like this.” Ricky moves a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, “We can talk to Annika today, we can figure this out and you can just come home with me tonight. I just, I need to be with you.”

Nini sighs, placing her hand on his cheek as she presses her thumb into his pale skin, “You know it’s not that easy,” She sends him a sad smile, “Paparazzi are probably swarming our place right now, and I even saw a few photos of you kissing me goodbye this morning on Twitter. It’s just not the safest option for us.”

“I won’t sleep,” He admits, his warm fingers beginning to slip underneath her shirt, “Knowing that you’re sleeping in another bed without me when we’re both struggling to wrap our heads around this. I need to know that you’re okay, that you’re not scrolling through those headlines and Twitter thinking that what they’re saying is true. I know you, Nini. I know you think you can fool me into believing that you’re okay when you’re not.”

“You’re right, I’m not okay. But, this is happening, whether we like it or not. The only thing we can do right now is to face it.”

Hearing those words tumble from her mouth felt like a dagger straight to Ricky’s heart. Never in his life did he ever want to hear Nini say she wasn’t okay, not when he could at least try and do something about it. Even something as simple as hugging her and reassuring her that it’s okay not to be okay.

“I fucking hate this,” Ricky murmurs, dropping his head to her shoulder, “I hate that I did this to you.”

“Hey, hey,” Nini brings her hand to his chin, lifting his head to look up at her. Cradling his cheek, she begins to run her thumb over his smooth skin, going over the light freckles that sprinkled over his face. “You didn’t do this to me, Ricky. I was the one that said we should be a secret. I was the reluctant one, I was the one holding us back. And, I knew the risks when it came to dating a rock star, and I was willing to take every single one of them because of how much I love you.”

A lump forms in Ricky’s throat at her words, his eyes flickering between hers in search for a hint of reluctance. When he doesn’t see any, he grips her hips a little tighter in his hands, his thumbs grazing over her lightly. “You’re making it sound like this is your fault when it’s not,” Ricky comments, “And, I don’t want you to think that it is.”

Lifting her shoulder in a small shrug, “I guess, it’s kind of hard to think that this isn’t my fault. Even if you say it, I just, a small part of me will always believe that is.” Nini admits.

“And a small part of me believes it’s mine,” Ricky adds, a sad smile taking over his face, “That’s never going to go away, is it?”

“I don’t think so,” Nini shakes her head, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

“I love you like a stupid amount. You know that, right?”

Nini’s lips turn upwards at his words, “I know,” She brings her forehead to rest against his, “I love you a stupid amount too.” At her words, the edges of his eyes begin to crinkle, causing Nini to smile brighter. “We can FaceTime all night if that’ll make you feel better, just like when you would go on tour. I know it’s never really the same, but this is probably best for us.”

He brings his nose up to rub against hers in a small eskimo kiss, erupting a light giggle to come from the girl on his lap. “I hate sleeping without you,” He confesses, “And you always hang up before I wake up.”

“That’s because you wake up hours after I do!” She argues, tightening her hold on him as her joking demeanour falls back to a serious tone. “I know this sucks, but it has to be done just for a little while.”

“I know,” Ricky sighs, his eyes glancing down to her lips desperately wanting to plant his own on to them, “Stay here today, though. I’ll call Annika and get everything sorted for us, she’s probably going to want to speak with you.”

Nini nods noticing where he happened to be staring, her own eyes trailing down to look at his lips, “So, are you going to kiss me or what?”

“Bossy,” Ricky murmurs as he leans in to connect their lips together.

“You know you love it,” Nini mumbles against him.

Ricky hums, moving his hands a little lower towards her butt to shift her higher on his lap as to bring her closer to him. The sudden change of weight narrowly caused them to tip the stool over, causing a panicked squeal to come from Nini as she feels Ricky’s frame lose balance for a moment. The pair couldn’t help but burst out into laugher.

Despite the instance ruining the moment, they were able to pick up right where they had left off as a soft look took over both of their features and Ricky’s hands coming to rest on the small of her back once more. His thumb caressing the soft skin where he had slipped his hand under her shirt, smiling up at the girl in his lap. Nini completely mesmerized by the look that he was sending her, knowing that it was definitely not the first time he’s ever looked at her in such a way. Smiling to herself as she knew what he was going to say next.

“I love you, Nina. Forever.”

“No matter what happens,” She smiles, pushing his stray curl from his forehead, “I will always love you, Richard Bowen.”

Chapter Text

Collapsing onto the black plush couch, Nini throws her feet up onto the coffee table as she slumps comfortably into the cushions. Her fingers make their way to her scalp, scratching the sides of her head in hopes to alleviate the migraine that was slowly starting to build up since their meeting with Annika. Nini had just arrived at Big Red’s apartment after hours of deliberating with Annika and the rest of Ricky’s PR team. And she felt the stress slowly beginning to take wash over her.

All she could remember was that Ricky was going to have to come out with a statement within the next few days. Ricky was set to meet with a few news sites to do an exclusive interview about the rumours that were going around, and the team was sifting through several things that he was going to say. If Nini were being totally honest, she hated everything that had come out of their mouths, and she knew that Ricky did too.

Whenever they talked about publicizing their relationship, they knew that they always wanted to do it on their own terms. Never wanting the input from Ricky’s management or PR team. To them, it always seemed inauthentic. Like words were being forced down their throats that they had to say because it was the right thing to say. The team did not want him to steer away from their planned-out speech because it could potentially cause more problems.

Throughout the meaning, Ricky was adamant that he didn’t want to hear any of their suggestions. That he wanted to speak from the heart, and he didn’t care what the hell they thought because, in the end, it was their relationship. Nini couldn’t help but smirk slightly every time her fiancé would argue against them, recognizing the rebellious punk teenager she had first fallen in love with.

Although, she knew that this wasn’t Ricky being rebellious.

He didn’t give a shit what they thought, because it was his relationship. There were a few things in his life that he treasured, and their relationship was high on that shortlist. Ricky’s made that clear the last few years, and everyone knew that he wasn’t going to change his mind any time soon. But that didn’t stop Annika from arguing with Ricky about how irresponsible it would be for him to do so.

As far as she knew, Ricky was supposed to release a statement with a few reporters that they have trusted. And that was going to happen within the next few days. They needed to move fast, or else the press was going to get worse and worse. Invading and digging as deep as they could get, no matter the consequences. It wouldn’t be the first time the press has done that to any celebrity, and Nini knew Ricky would not be an exception to that.

All Nini had to do was to prepare herself. That’s what everyone was telling her. The fans and press were going to be brutal, no matter what Ricky says. There’ll be people supporting and falling in love with them, but there will also be haters. It’s hard to tell at the moment which one was going to rise higher than the other, and that’s what made her a little nervous.

Even though Ricky’s been a part of the media for a long time, they’ve never really focused on the articles that came out about him. Sure, there were the ones where people assumed he was with a new girl every few weeks, but they learned to ignore most of them. Only focusing on the positive and true headlines, rather than the ones filled with speculation and rumours. It wasn’t healthy for their relationship or their sanity.

An object falls into her lap interrupting her thoughts, causing the girl to snap her head down startled by the sudden contact. A box of her favourite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies laid in her lap. A small smile begins to creep onto her face, looking up to see her best friend standing a few feet from her as he juggled a few other snacks.

“Thought you might need it,” He shrugs, crouching down to drop what she could only assume was his way of comforting her given the events of her day. “Dinner’s in the oven. Mom made that hash-brown casserole you really like, brought it over for you earlier today.”

The excitement begins to grow inside of her for the infamous casserole that she’s been practically in love with ever since they were kids. When Nini and Ricky would have movie nights in Big Red’s basement in middle school, his mom always made this amazing casserole with potatoes, bacon and loads of cheese. Big Red usually didn’t eat too much of it considering he was lactose intolerant, but it has always been one of Nini’s absolute favourite dishes to exist.

And every time she’d join Big Red on his visit home, his mom always made sure to have a casserole prepared just for her. Sometimes, she made an extra one for Nini to take home and freeze until she was ready to eat it next. Those extra trays never last her all too long. Usually, she’d end up eating them within the next two days, with no shame or guilt. She’s a complete sucker for it.

“That’s so sweet,” Nini gushes, as she moves the cookies to sit next to her, “She didn’t have to do that.”

“She heard what happened, and knew you probably needed it” He informs her, “It’s been a tough couple of hours, huh?”

Instantly her mood depletes at the reminder of what had happened today. Nini rolls her eyes, dropping her head to fall onto the back of the couch. She stared up at the white ceiling, gazing at the freckling that was spackled across. Letting out a dry and sarcastic laugh, as the meeting with Annika begins to replay in her head.

The couch begins to dip as Big Red takes a seat next to his best friend. Copying her position, the pair stared up at the ceiling above them. Nini doesn’t say anything for a little bit, both not minding that they were sitting in silence.

During their phone call earlier that day, she didn’t give Big Red much to go on. She didn’t have to tell him what was going through her mind to know that she was struggling with it. They were both there when Gina and EJ’s relationship got exposed and how hard it was for them to grapple with. But the fact that no one knew the existence of Nini and her relation with the band, was far more explosive.

The articles, the tweets, comments, news sites; were all practically bashing Nini. She constantly had to remind herself that they don’t know the truth, so it shouldn’t matter what they are saying. But, that’s easier said than done.

“Do you want to know what Annika fucking said?” Nini disrupts their silence, not waiting for Big Red to respond. “She said that she saw this coming, especially with the whole vacation thing Ricky planned and that we should’ve been more careful.”

When those words had fallen from Annika’s mouth just a few hours ago, Nini felt like crawling into a hole. She felt a little ashamed and guilty that the public had found out about their relationship. But it’s not like they ever intended for any of this to happen.

Admittedly, they didn’t take all the precautions they could’ve when they were wandering the streets of Denmark. They really could have been more careful, choosing destinations that weren’t so populated and constantly keep up with Ricky’s disguises. At the moment, you don’t think about those things. They were so focused on the fact that they finally got to spend time together, away from the stress of work, and just be in their little bubble.

That vacation made her feel the most normal they’ve ever been since high school. They never got to do those kinds of things when they were in Utah, or even when they would travel across their own country. Constantly keeping a low profile when walking the streets, never holding hands or kissing each other in public. And she knows Ricky felt the exact same way. It was written all over his face throughout the entirety of their trip.

What made her feel even worse was when Ricky and Annika started going at it with each other. Ricky did not like what Annika was insinuating, as if she was blaming them for going on vacation that they had to deal with this press just before they start recording and producing their next album. They never meant to cause so much trouble, especially just before one of the band’s biggest projects this year.

As she listened to them, she searched for words in her head in hopes to interject and help her fiancé, but there was nothing that came to her head. All she could do was sit and listen to the back and forth between her fiancé and his manager. She knew that Annika was just being realistic and that she was right. Despite what Annika was saying, Nini knew she still cared about them. It was the absolute last thing she wanted to happen to the couple, more so for their privacy but also to keep the press away.

“I can’t believe she said that,” Big Red interrupts her thoughts.

Nini lets out a deep sigh, running her index finger across her forehead as her thumb pressed into her temple. “Like, I get it,” She admits tiredly, “Honestly, it crossed my mind a couple of times when we were there. But, like I guess I was just hoping for the best.”

“That doesn’t mean she has any right to say that,” Big Red argues, shifting his head to lay against the cushion. Eyes focused on his best friend, a tired look evident on her face. “I know she’s like the manager of everything or whatever, but that doesn’t mean she gets to dictate what they do or don’t do.”

“I know,” Nini agrees, letting her eyes fall shut, “Do you know what sucks?”

Big Red hums in question, “What?”

Pressing her lips together for a moment as Annika’s voice begins to repeat in her head, the condescending tone she had pressing on the forefront of her mind. It was one of the things she remembered vividly from the afternoon.

“It sounded like she didn’t want this to be ‘added’ to her plate or whatever. Like, I’m sorry my relationship got exposed and that I’m so close to fucking crying my eyes out but I can’t!”

Slowly she begins to feel the same pressure that’s been building up behind her eyes all day. But something was holding her back, and she couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was. Especially when it felt like Nini was back in high school and was being lectured by her moms about something that they didn’t approve of. As if she was in trouble for something that was completely out of her control.

“What the fuck?” Big Red utters, the words that she had uttered started to sink into his mind, “Ace, if you want to cry, then cry. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

Nini shakes her head as she opens her eyes to look at her best friend, mimicking his position. The pressure subdued as soon as her eyelids were pried open. The corner of her lip twitches to the side slightly, as she realizes that the tears just wouldn’t fall.

“Red, I literally can’t cry,” She tells him, “The only reason I cried at the studio this morning was because Ricky was crying. When I got back in my car, I thought I was about to completely fall apart. But no tears came. For some goddamn reason, I can’t cry for myself.”

“Maybe it feels like it’s not really happening,” The redhead suggests, “Like, it all happened so fast for you. And you haven’t really had time to let things sink in and register everything.”

Lifting her shoulders in a small shrug, “I suppose so.”

“What did Ricky say?” He asks, “Not just about Nika, but about the whole thing.”

Suddenly, the image of Ricky’s sad expression begins to take over her vision. A bubble begins to form in the depths of her gut, feeling sick to her stomach as she recalls their conversation and how sad and reluctant he seemed. She just couldn’t believe he would think such things about her and their relationship.

Almost as if he had no faith in them.

Drawing her knees up into her chest, she wraps her arm around them as her finger begins to trace patterns on her leg. Not quite sure if she wanted to ask Big Red something that was bothering her ever since she had entered the apartment. But, she knew that if anyone were to know the answer it would be Big Red.

“Do you think Ricky doubts me?”

Furrowing his brows at her question, “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know,” She manages a shrug, “He thought I could do better and want someone normal and like I was going to leave him. It’s like he has no faith in us. No faith in me. And I just- that’s insane, right?”

Big Red hums at her question, despite it being rhetorical, he decides to answer, "I think it's insane that you could even think that he has no faith in your relationship or you," He points out, a hesitant look sweeping over his face before saying his next words, "And, I understand where he's coming from. He's always been insecure about you wanting something better, someone better."

A small noise escapes Nini’s throat, not realizing that Ricky ever felt that way. Never once in their eight years of dating has he mentioned his insecurities when it came to her packing up and leaving. She thought it was rather obvious that he was the man she’s planned on marrying ever since they were younger.

To the point that her Pinterest wedding board she’s been adding pins to since high school, she’s had him in mind. He’s been the man she always pictured marrying, even if that sounded crazy back when she was sixteen. Even if everyone was confused by her relationship, she didn’t give a shit. She knew that Ricky was the only one for her, simple as that.

Moving to straighten his posture, he faces his best friend, “But, I’m not the one you should be having this conversation with.”

“I promise once this is all over,” She gestures around them vaguely, “I’ll talk to him.”

“Good,” Big Red picks up his phone, glancing down at the screen as it slowly comes to life. Realizing how much time was left on the timer he had set just before she had arrived. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll be back.”

Big Red starts to get out of his seat on the couch, pulling his shirt down to straighten it. Glancing over at his best friend who seemed to be hyper-focused on the ring that was laid on her finger. There was a sad smile displayed across her face, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as her shaky hand came to graze over the gem.

“I'm happy for you," Gesturing towards the ring on her finger, "If anyone deserves their happily ever after, it's you guys." 

"Thanks, Red," Nini smiles shyly, watching as her best friend makes his way into the kitchen. Her gaze shifting back to her finger, as she traced along the diamond, a sad expression taking over her face, "I hope we get to have it." She whispers to herself. 

After dinner and a few movies, Big Red had decided to call it a night since he had work the next morning. The young doctor decided she didn’t want to be left alone in the living room, she quickly made her way to the guest room. Making herself comfortable in bed, she had slipped under the sheets and turned on the lamp on the nightstand.

As soon as she was ready for bed, she had quickly texted Ricky if he was ready to FaceTime. The boy immediately responded, wanting to take a shower before bed and he’d call her once he was done. The brunette frowns slightly at the text but knew that his day was much longer than hers, having left the studio hours before he did.

Unsure of what to do, she begins to navigate through her phone trying to decide on what to do while she waits. Opening up one of her folders, a certain app stared back at her as if it was taunting her to open it. The bluebird app was the only thing she seemed to be able to focus on, and she was fighting the urge to not open it.

She had promised Ricky, and well, just about everyone, that she wouldn’t go on any social media platforms. Considering the news about their relationship still seemed to be trending. But, Nini was desperate to know what everyone was saying. She was curious as to what the fans thought about her, even if they don’t even know her name. That is, she hopes they haven’t found her name just yet.

Although within the next few days her name was going to officially be associated with Golden Monday, she wanted the reveal of her name to come from Ricky’s mouth. They took everything else from them, and even something as simple as her name reveal would make her a little bit happier. Admittedly, not by much.

Drawing her lip between her teeth, she shifts her position to lie on her right side as her phone stared at her. Knowing that she shouldn’t, that she really shouldn’t open up Twitter. But the tiny little devil perched on her shoulder was speaking a lot louder than the angel. And without realizing it, her thumb presses down on the screen and brings the app to life.

Nini’s eyes graze over her Twitter feed, thousands and thousands of comments and tweets were flooding through her screen

@goldxn: lmao what the fuck is this bullshit

@TRAVESTY: she’s an attention seeker

@ginasbass: who wants to bet she’s gone by the end of the month

@punkej: manipulation at its finest

@moonash: hate her already

@portwellove: another one for the books me thinks,,,,,

@WEIGHTLESS: wonder how long he’s been sleeping with her

@rb.sings: she isn’t even that pretty

@xgoldsmonsx: ENGAGED????? I HAVE TO LAUGH

@time-bomb: she’s that good huh

@PAINTING.FLOWERS: manifesting a hit song once they’re through

@toomuchmonday: he probably knocked her up and she forced him to marry him

She had hoped there were at least more positive tweets than negative, but she shouldn’t have expected anything less. These people have nothing to go on besides the photos that were leaked in the last week. And considering Ricky’s image the last few years, there was no way people would think he was serious about her.

The pressure behind her eyes began to build up once more as she continued to read more tweets and replies. Each one stinging more and more as she scrolled. Opening up Twitter was definitely a mistake, but one that she can’t exactly take back. Now that she’s started, she can’t seem to stop.

Just as she was reading another mean comment, Ricky’s contact photo fills up her screen, indicating an incoming call from her boyfriend. Quickly wiping away at her unshed tears, she takes a few deep breaths before clicking on the green icon. Feeling a little nervous as she waited for their call to connect, knowing that Ricky was going to see right through her immediately.

“Hey, angel,” Ricky grunts as he moves to get into bed.

A small smile graced her lips at his voice, already feeling a little bit calmer at the nickname. “How was the rest of your day?” Nini asks in replacement of a greeting.

“You know, it was,” Ricky pauses as soon as he gets comfortable in their bed, “You were looking, weren’t you?” He asks, immediately recognizing the expression on her face.

“I couldn’t help it,” She murmurs.

“To be honest, I’ve been reading too,” He admits, running a hand through his damp curls, “God, baby, I am so sorry.”

Nini’s tongue darts out, licking her dry lips as she shifts her head into a more comfortable position on her pillow. Tucking her free hand underneath her head as she looks at the love of her life. He looked mentally and physically tired, which was understandable considering the day they both had, but that wasn’t what caught her eye. There was a sad look in his eyes, and guilt was written all over his face, and she didn’t like that one bit.

A puff of air escapes her nostrils before she speaks, “It’s not your fault.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not sorry,” Ricky reminds her, his eyes flitted back and forth on the screen as he took in his girlfriend’s features. “Now, tell me how you’re really holding up.”

The last sentence he spoke caused Nini’s breath to hitch in her lungs. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and if Ricky wasn’t looking at her, it wouldn’t have been obvious once his attention fell back. As Nini shifts once more, she decides to sit up in bed and lean her back against the headrest, not quite sure what to say.

Her eyes shoot around the room for a moment, wanting to look anywhere but at the man on the screen. But if she didn’t say anything soon, he was going to pry it out of her one way or another, and Nini isn’t sure if she’d prefer that outcome. Drawing her knees into her chest, she wraps her arm around her legs, and rests the device on top of her knee, using it as a make-shift phone stand.

Rubbing her lips together in thought, she swallows the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. “I’m, um, I don’t know,” She stammers, unsure of how to respond, her eyes focused on her pajama pants.

“Nini,” Ricky’s voice quivers at her response.

She shakes her head as if he knew what he was going to say next. As she takes in a deep breath, her shoulders move along as the oxygen begins to fill her lungs then expels it a few seconds after. A habit she had picked up during med school when she needed to recollect herself.

“When I saw you this morning, I don’t think things had really settled in and stuff. Like I knew what had happened, but it kind of felt like I was watching myself go through the motions without really processing any of it,” She confesses, her teeth begin to pull at a piece of dry skin on her lip, “I don’t think they really did until I started reading all those tweets.”

And suddenly she feels the familiar pressure building up behind her eyes once more, but this time it came on a little stronger than it had all day. It felt as if she was being rushed to the edge of a cliff, that she had been taking her sorry ass time to approach. And she can feel her toes starting to teeter, hoping that she doesn’t tip over.

But as the next words come out of her mouth, as tears started to pool her vision, threatening to spill over, “They think I’m using you,” She murmurs, unable to stop the frown growing on her face, “Think that-that I’m this bitch and gold digger, and-and an attention seeker, a manipulator, that I’m ugly and stupid.” She continues to list off some of the things she saw people call her online, narrowly avoiding some of the harsher words that she couldn’t bring herself to say. Each insult felt like another slash to her heart.

And before she knew it, more tears kept streaming down as the words from Annika and every news outlet and Twitter account started to play over in her head. Each one pressing down on her mind as if it was trying to torture and torment her.

Finally, she was pushed off the edge. Quiet sobs slowly starting to wrack her body as she hears Ricky on the other end calling her name a few times in hopes to get her attention. Instead, she brings her free hand up to her face as she tries to subdue the flowing of tears. But nothing seemed to be working, not the deep breaths she attempted, not the pressure she was applying with her fingers to her eyes.

“Baby, please look at me,” Ricky begs.

It took her a few more minutes, the sobs still wracked her body but she managed to look over at her fiancé. His brows were knitted together in concern, his bottom lip slightly curved over his top lip as he tried to control his own emotions. The expression on his face didn’t really make Nini feel all that better, especially considering the conversation they had back at the studio earlier this morning.

Quickly wiping at her tears, despite it being counterproductive as fresh tears started to push through. Rubbing at her nose as she sniffled, her sinuses being clogged up from all the crying she’d been doing. Her hand slowly runs up the side of her cheek, as she cradles her face gently as she looks at her fiancé with a tearful look on her face. She didn’t really know what to say, so she decided to remain silent, letting Ricky take the lead on the conversation.

His teeth slightly drew his top lip in before speaking, “None of those things are true, and we both know that,” Ricky starts in hope to assure his girlfriend, “I know it hurts, I know it’s hard to ignore them. And no matter how much I want to, I can’t take that pain away from you.”

Her eyes darted down for a moment, wiping away at her tears once more, “H-h-how d-do you do i-it?” She asks quietly, still not looking up at the screen, “H-how do you n-not let it g-get t-to you?”

“Did you see me today?” Ricky asks, a dry and humourless laugh comes through the phone, “Nini, I’m a fucking mess. Every tweet and headline I see, I want to throw my phone across the room, punch every single person that said these things. I hate what they are saying about you because it’s like they are saying it to me too. I hate that it’s making you feel like you’re all those things because you’re not. And you’ve never been any of those things.”

At his words, Nini brings her hand to cover her face as fresh tears begin to come down once more, quietly wondering if they’re ever going to stop. Just like Ricky, she’s a fucking mess. Everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours made her feel like absolute shit. All her feelings were jumbled up and confused, unsure of what to think, feel, or even say.

It was clear that Nini was having an internal battle in her head. The fact that she couldn’t make herself look at Ricky, to the continuous influx of tears rolling down her cheeks, to the way she could barely manage getting a sentence out. Her shoulders continually shook as she tried to control her breathing despite the fact she could only manage shallow gasps right now.

“I want to tell you that things are going to get easier, but I don’t know if they are. I thought I had this whole famous-media thing down pact, but now I don’t know if I do.” Ricky confesses, “But do you want to know what’s getting me through all of this?” When she doesn’t respond, he continues in hopes she was listening to every word he was about to say, “The fact that even though everything seems like it fucking sucks right now, I finally get to show the world my love for you.”

Slowly Nini’s hand slips down her face, only letting Ricky see her brown eyes stare back at him. They were bloodshot and shining with tears, but the words he had said were starting to sink in little by little. The thumb that rested on her cheek pressed into her skin softly, as she tried her best to will herself to calm down.

A small smile slips onto Ricky’s face as he notices her starting to open up and listen to him. “I get to show the world who Nina Salazar-Roberts is, and how much she means to me. The love of my life. You’re my past, my present, and my future, my sweet angel. And that is never going to change.”

Pressing her palm against her lips for a moment before dropping her hand down to her lap. “You mean that?” She asks quietly, her voice slowly growing in confidence.

“With every bone in my body.”

“I really wish you were here,” Nini pouts, bringing her legs closer into her chest and props her chin on top of her knees, ensuring her entire face was still in the view of the camera.

“I wish I was there too,” Ricky sighs, shifting to lie down on his side, “I want to hold you right now, let you cry into my neck because I know how much my heartbeat calms you down when you’re sad.”

Nini scrunches her nose at his comment, “It reminds me that even if I feel like the world is against me, there’s a heart that beats for me. That loves me for all that I am, even if I can be an annoying and clingy girlfriend sometimes.”

Ricky chuckles at her words, “Hey, I love the annoying and clingy part. I love every single part, the good and the bad, even if you don’t believe me.” He reassures her, his voice softening at his words, “I love you.”

“And, I love you.”

“We’ll get to be together soon, I promise,” Ricky tells her, sighing as he stares at his device, “I have a few interviews tomorrow, maybe you can even come home tomorrow night.”

“Maybe,” Nini decides to slip back underneath the sheets, imitating his motions as she lies on her side. Briefly thinking about how they both laid down as if they were facing each other like they were in the same bed. “We’ll have to see what happens first, before deciding when I can come home.”

Begrudgingly, Ricky nods, “Walk me through your day, what did you have for dinner?”

The rest of the night they had spent quietly telling each other about their days since they parted. Teasing and joking with each other, as if their entire world was slowly falling apart right in front of them. As if they weren’t sleeping in separate beds on opposite ends of the city, as if everything was perfect. And even though right now things may be a little rocky with all that’s been going on, they knew as long as they had each other they were going to be perfectly fine.

Chapter Text

Ricky barely caught a wink of sleep last night.

All night he and Nini talked about anything that came to mind, particularly dodging the sudden turn of events in their personal life. It was a miracle that they still had so much to say and tell each other even right after an entire ten-day vacation. But eventually, the exhaustion started to catch up on his fiancée, and in the middle of her sentence, she started to drift off to sleep. The rest of the night Ricky admired the girl before him as soft snores huffed out of her, chuckling to himself remembering how Nini always argued that she didn’t snore but that was far from the truth.

As he watched his fiancée sleep, his brain wouldn’t stop running. And the biggest thing that took over his mind was the conversation they had right at the beginning of their call. He felt his heart crack as each sob echoed into his ears, only able to just watch his girlfriend as each tear slipped down her cheeks and her throat dried out from her overwhelming emotions. It pained him to see her in such a difficult mental place. And it pained him even more that he couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t take the words back, he couldn’t take away her pain, he couldn’t even comfort her like he usually would. They were miles apart, in separate beds, and all he could simply do was remind her that what the tabloids were saying was the furthest thing from the truth.

Even though they knew that all those stories about them were fabricated and taken completely out of context, the rude comments from the public were ruthless. Their words affected both of them deeply. Acting as if they knew who they were and what was really happening between the couple.

Although Ricky didn’t show it too much, he had been a mix of feelings all day. After his breakdown in front of Nini, he had to put his front back up once people started filing back into the room. It wasn’t because he was ashamed of what he was feeling, but once Annika came in he knew by the look of her face they were getting down straight to business. Alongside his manager, their PR team was present as well as Jasper, his media representative. So, he didn’t really have all that much time to take a second to see what the public had been saying about him, about Nini, about their relationship.

After looking through all the headlines and the tweets, comments, photos, he really wished he hadn’t looked and read through. They were brutal and ruthless, and downright cruel. Every word he had read, every photo he had seen caused every bone in his body to blaze hot in anger.

Unlike his fiancée, the words didn’t make him sad – it angered him to his very core. Every tweet he read, every article he came across, all spewed absolute bullshit. From the names they called her, the scenarios they were conjuring up to bring both of them down. And the fact that everyone believed that Nini was just some girl he was going to hump and dump.

Had his reputation reached an all time low that it was so unbelievable he could be in a committed relationship?

Despite what all the tabloids were saying, Ricky thought his fans had much more faith in him. It wasn’t that there were little to no fans that were unsupportive, of course so many of them were. But it didn’t matter how many positive and uplifting comments he had received. The hurtful comments will always outshine all the others. No matter how much he wanted to ignore all the negatives that were shouted at him, it is easier said than done.

The confusion expressed on the internet was completely understandable. Up until a few days ago, Ricky was seen as this player, womanizer and heartbreaker, someone that was never going to settle down or be serious about anyone. It may have been the furthest thing from the truth, but that was simply the image that was branded onto him years ago. And if Ricky really thought about it, he wasn’t exactly sure how this reputation came about. But that doesn’t matter anymore. The world knew the truth, in some shape or form. And by the end of the day, they were going to know the full truth.

Running on less than three hours of sleep, Ricky drowned himself in his work. In spite of what was going on in his personal and public life, he simply couldn’t stop working. He didn’t want to let his band down, wanting to make sure they were still on schedule for recording their latest album. When EJ had heard about Ricky’s plan he assured him that they were more than okay if Ricky wanted to take a few days to wrap his head around everything, but the boy refused.

From the second he had woken up, he had been hunched over his laptop going through emails from their producers. He spent hours sifting through all the notes and annotations they had made to the tracklist. Ricky had his notebook out, jotting down everything they had mentioned to make sure he had a copy of his own.

In all actuality, Ricky was doing everything he could to not think about his upcoming interview. He was wracked with nerves, scared that he might say the wrong thing which could lead to an even worse downward spiral. And he’d absolutely hate himself if he dragged down not only Nini but the rest of the band down with him.

It was all his fault.

If he hadn’t insisted on taking Nini on vacation then maybe none of this would’ve happened. If he hadn’t proposed in that airport, maybe the consequences wouldn’t have been as severe. If he had just waited until she was ready, if he hadn’t put them in a situation where they could’ve been seen together. Maybe none of this would’ve happened – or maybe it would have with far worse consequences.

Ricky knew he shouldn’t dwell on all the ‘what-ifs’ because no matter how many he could conjure up it doesn’t change the present. And if only Nini could hear the thoughts that were running through his head, he knew exactly what she would say. It wasn’t his fault, just like it wasn’t hers.

Maybe one day he’ll stop blaming himself. But that day isn’t today.

After hours of drowning himself in work and a quick phone call with his fiancée just to check in on how she was doing, Ricky found himself pulling into the parkade of the familiar studio lot. On his drive over, he blasted his favourite album by New Found Glory in hopes to take his mind off his upcoming interview. Surprisingly it did help a little bit, not entirely but he would take what he could get.

As soon as he throws the gear shift into park he slumps back into his seat, the music still humming through the speakers. Propping his elbow upon the armrest, he glances down at his black nail polish that he sloppily painted a few hours ago. Silently thinking to himself how the events of the night were going to play out.

In just a few short hours, he’ll be sitting before a live studio audience as the rest of the world sat at home in front of their TVs eagerly awaiting all the answers they’ve been waiting for. He’s gone over his talking points over and over in his head. There was no room for him to fuck up. If he did, he’s sure management would probably have his head. This was the first time in an incredibly long time, that he was actually nervous for an interview.

The only thing that was reassuring the singer at that moment was that at the end of the day, he still had his fiancée. He didn’t care what happened to his career, as long as she was by his side. Nini made it abundantly clear that she never planned on leaving him. There wasn’t even a brief moment of doubt that could be heard in her voice. Every single time she said forever in the last eight years of them dating, she meant it.

He couldn’t wait to spend forever with her.

Taking a quick glance at the digital clock, he lets out a deep sigh realizing it’s probably about time he heads into the studio. He pulls his keys out of the ignition and grabs his wallet and phone before exiting his car. Finally making his journey into the familiar studio, having done a handful of interviews with the host in the past.

And before he knew it, his hand was wrapping around the cold metal of the door handle and pulls it open. Immediately greeted by a young woman at the front desk. The red-head was currently on the phone, and sent him a kind smile, silently telling him to wait a minute as she finished up her call. The singer simply nodded as he waited off to the side for the woman.

After a few more minutes, she hangs up the telephone, twirling in her chair to face him. Her smile stretched across her face, as she glances at the computer on her desk. “Ricky Bowen, right?” She asks in confirmation.

“Yeah,” Ricky smiles.

“I’m Jamie. Let me take you over to makeup,” She stands up from her seat, collecting a clipboard and a pen in her arm before making her way around the large desk. “I’m sure you know the drill,” She starts, leading him down a hallway taking a quick glance at the schedule that was pinned to her clipboard, “Makeup, dressing rooms, then one of our runners will come to get you when it’s time for to head out. Jason’s probably going to pop in quickly before he gets the show started. Mentioned something about wanting to chat with you quickly.”

Ricky chuckles, shaking his head at the host’s eagerness to see him, “Sounds like him.”

The red-head nods in agreement as the pair continue to make their way down the hall. There were large posters every few feet, Ricky recognizing some of the artists that were plastered on them. Others he didn’t quite recognize, he wasn’t well-versed when it came to mainstream media sometimes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested, rather that he lacked the time to appreciate every single artist out there.

Before the singer knew it, they were rounding the corner and Jamie quickly opens the tall wooden door. “Here we are,” She smiles brightly, “Good luck tonight, Ricky!”

The man sends her the best smile he could manage, mumbling a quiet thanks that he wasn’t positive if she heard or not as she was already making a quick exit. Probably needing to head back to her desk to make sure everything was all set for the show that night. He examines the room quickly noticing there large number of vanities that were lined up against the back wall. It seemed that he was the first guest that had arrived as all the other vanities were vacant.

Another woman ushers him into one of the many seats. Ricky settles down in the chair comfortably, looking at himself in the mirror. His eyes adjust to the bright lights that were illuminating from the lightbulbs that bordered the large mirror. Hopefully, this makeup artist was extremely good at her job, because it was going to take a magician to make his eye bags nonexistent.

After makeup, Ricky found himself in one of the many dressing rooms the studio had. He made himself comfortable on the couch as he fiddled with his phone, texting back and forth with Nini begging her to come back to the apartment that night. But the young doctor was pretty set on staying at Big Red’s for another few nights, claiming that it was still early for them to be seen together. Which he thinks is quite outlandish, but he understood where she was coming from. Ricky knew he was being a little selfish in the way that he wanted to be with his fiancée, but he couldn’t help it. Having her home would make him feel so much better about the entirety of the situation.

Before Nini could respond to Ricky’s last message, a sharp knock comes from the wooden door. It opened slowly as a familiar man enters the small room. He was dressed in tan dress pants and a light blue button-up. The man had a bright smile on his face that Ricky couldn’t help but reciprocate.

“Ricky, my man!” He greets.

Immediately, the curly-haired man was pulled into a short bro-hug by the host. Patting each other on the back before separating. Ricky chuckling at the interviewer’s attire compared to his own. The singer had settled on wearing his nicest pair of black jeans, paired with an ivory vintage graphic tee and his favourite leather jacket.

“You sharpen up nicely, Jay,” Ricky teasingly pulls on the man’s sleeve.

Jason rolls his eyes at the comment, “Shut up,” He grumbles, the pair moving to sit on the couch together, “I’d much rather be wearing what you have on. But what talk show host wears a leather jacket and ripped jeans?”

“Don’t forget the trusty vans,” Ricky jokes kicking his feet up onto the coffee table revealing his black and red vans.

“Of course,” Jason chuckles, throwing an arm across the back of the couch, “Sorry about everything, dude. How’s Nini holding up?” He sends a sympathetic smile.

Lifting one of his shoulders in a small shrug, “She’s surviving. Laying low at Red’s for a few days, just to not make matters worse and stuff.”

“My jaw literally dropped when I saw the headlines,” Jason sighs, his other hand came down to fiddle with a loose thread on the couch, “I thought you would’ve come out about it years ago, to be honest. I mean you were voted best couple senior year, I was surprised you kept it a secret at all because you guys were definitely not subtle back then.”

Ricky lets out a loud laugh, his eyes beaming at the memory. Jason and Ricky have gone as far back as his friendship with EJ has. Maybe even earlier than that. Before Jason was this big-time talk show host, he used to skate the streets with Ricky and Big Red. They were pretty close back then but lost contact sometime after graduation. Especially after Ricky’s rise in fame, and Jason’s personal career journey.

But once Golden Monday ended up on his show, they instantly reconnected. Promises to get back to skating around one day, even if neither of them has really done that since high school. And when they got together, Jason had admitted to Ricky he wasn’t surprised that he and Nini were still going strong. And even though Jason was a talk show host that constantly talked about the latest tabloids, he always spoke the truth when it came to Golden Monday, and Ricky specifically.

Claiming it was the least he could do for one of his good friends. He promised to keep his lips sealed, even from his friends and family. Ricky assured him that it was okay to tell his mom, remembering that she treated Ricky like her own when they were younger. But Jason insisted that he wouldn’t, and he had kept his word to this day.

“It’s what Nini wanted,” Ricky admits, a small smile gracing his lips as an image of the brunette pops into his head.

“I’m invited to the wedding, right?”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” He laughs.

Before either of the boys could continue their conversation, one of the producers knocks on the dressing room door, informing them Jason was needed on set as they were going to start recording soon. To which the two men nod in agreement, Ricky suddenly feels a stiffness crawl up his spine. Anxiety and nerves coursing through his veins as he runs over the key points he had in his head the last twenty-four hours, even trying to recall some of what his management team wanted him to mention.

Pressing his lips together, his left leg begins to bounce nervously. His eyes were focused on his clasped hands as he continued to run his thumb over his skin in hopes to smooth himself. It was a habit that he had picked up from when he was younger. Whenever he was battling with something, whether that was school or work or his personal feelings, he constantly searched for a source of comfort. Growing up, Ricky’s mom used to run her hand down his back when he was upset about something and when he had gotten older and his relationship with his mom was on the fritz, he found a way to comfort himself.

A few months after he and Nini started dating, he had told her about his little trick when she had asked him about it. Now, whenever he was feeling anxious about something the last few years it mostly pertained to his work, she was always there to run her hand down the grooves of his spine or slide her thumb across the nape of his neck. God, he wished she was here with him right now.

A hand claps over Ricky’s shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts and snapping his head up to meet his friend’s dark green eyes.

“Ready?”

He sucks in a sharp breath, nodding nonetheless, “Now or never, dude.”

“Alright, I’ll see you out there,” Jason squeezes his shoulder once more before dropping his hand, “You’ve got this.” He tells him one last time before heading out.

God, Ricky hopes he’s right.

“I’ll be honest, if you haven’t heard of our next guest I’d think you’ve been sleeping under a rock! Golden Monday has been one of the fastest rising rock bands this generation has seen, taking the world by storm one album at a time,” Jason chuckles, shuffling in his seat as he tightens his grip on the white cards in his hands, “Please welcome Ricky Bowen, lead singer of Golden Monday!”

Applause fills the studio as Ricky plasters on his best smile. Despite the amount of cheers and applause that was coming from the audience, he couldn’t find it in himself to give them a genuine smile. Usually, whenever he did interviews he could feed off the energy from the crowd but this time it was different. And he knew it the instant he had entered the studio’s parking lot a few hours ago.

The live band that was off to the side was playing one of their most popular songs, giving Ricky a small form of comfort. Walking up towards the armchair, smiling brightly as he waved to the crowd and the camera. Then turning his attention towards Jason, settling down on the dark blue cushion comfortably.

“Thanks for having me,” Ricky sends his friend a soft grin.

“Of course! Who wouldn’t want Ricky Bowen in studio?” Jason teases, “So, from my understanding, your next album is about paying homage to home and giving your fans a little glimpse into who you guys really are.”

Ricky feels himself slowly relax as Jason eases him into the conversation. And Ricky was well aware that this was all intentional. He was incredibly thankful for his friend giving him the opportunity to loosen him up before delving into what he was really here for.

Rubbing his hand on his jeans nervously, “Yeah, it does,” Ricky nods, “We’ve always been on the reserved side when it comes to our social media presence and what we choose to share with our fans and the rest of the world. I think any one of our fans could tell you that. And, this album is kind of like our personal diary. We share our insecurities, our fears, things that make us happy, things that remind us of who we were before the fame and how much we have grown as not only artists but as people.”

“I like the way you phrased it – ‘personal diary.’ I’m sure the fans are going to be absolutely taken with what’s to come in the coming months with your music.” Jason sends Ricky a small smile, the look in his eyes immediately telling the singer what his next question was going to be. “You mentioned that you all carefully choose what you share with your fans. I hate to ask,” he pauses, “But are the recent headlines true? Are you finally off the market?”

Ricky’s tongue darts out licking his dry lips as he clears his throat, shuffling in his seat slightly. “To be completely honest with you, I haven’t been on the market in an incredibly long time.” Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, feeling his heartbeat quicken in pace.

Once the words leave his mouth, he feels a sudden weight lift off his shoulders. The secret he’s been keeping for half a decade was finally out for the entire world to hear. Sure, it wasn’t under the circumstances he or Nini had expected. But what matters is that he’s finally being honest. He can finally boast about his fiancée without worrying about who was around him to hear.

“How long exactly?”

“Almost eight years.”

“Eight years?!” Jason gasps, taken aback by his response. Despite knowing the truth, the surprise in his voice was genuine. Clearly to them, it hadn’t felt like eight years and even saying it out loud is still shocking to the singer. “Why don’t you tell us a little bit about this girl?”

A photo of the pair appears on the screen behind them. It was one of the pictures from their trip in Denmark. Nini was smiling brightly in her red sundress, their fingers were intertwined as they walked down the streets of Copenhagen. Ricky couldn’t pinpoint what they were doing at that moment, but it was clear to anyone that saw the photo that they were happy.

“Her name is Nini, and we’ve been friends ever since we were kids, started dating in high school.” Ricky smiles shyly, tugging on the end of his jacket, “I-I don’t really know what to say,” He pauses, kicking himself for forgetting his talking points, “All people really need to know is that she means the world to me and I couldn’t ask for a better person to share my life with.”

“So, I’m assuming she has a good relationship with the band?”

Ricky lets out a soft chuckle, “We wouldn’t be a band without her,” He scrunches his nose at the memory, crossing one of his legs over the other comfortably, “In previous interviews, we’ve been asked why we started this band. Nini was the glue that pieced us all together. She suggested we start a band, suggested Ashlyn be our bassist and introduced us to Gina. She even gave us our name.”

The host nods as he listens to Ricky speak, “So, you’re saying that Golden Monday would never have existed if it wasn’t for her.”

“My point exactly,” He nods proudly, “We wouldn’t be where we are without her. I wouldn’t be the man I am without her.”

“Why all the secrecy?” The interviewer asks, propping his elbow on the armrest, “Eight years is a long time to keep a secret.”

“When the band started to rise in fame, we had a long and serious conversation about it. We were only eighteen when we got signed, and we both knew that being a public figure means sacrificing so much. My entire life is put out on display, people like to theorize and watch every single move I make. And, I didn’t want that life for her. Nini’s always been a private person, so asking her to basically ‘show off’, I guess you could say, our relationship, it’s not fair on her. So, we made the ultimate decision to keep our relationship away from the media, it was what’s best for us as a couple.” The singer gulps down a lump in his throat, slowly wringing his hands together. “It’s nothing personal to the fans or anything, but my personal life is my personal life for a reason. I chose to keep her from the media because that’s what she wanted. And I was happy doing this one small thing for her because she’s done everything for me.”

Jason sends Ricky an encouraging smile, ensuring him that he wasn’t going to pry any further knowing that everything the singer had said was more than enough, “Is there anything else you want to add? To tell the fans, maybe even Nini?”

A small smile slips onto the boy’s lips, as he shifts to look into the camera, “For the fans, thank you for all the support you have given to me and the band all these years. And I truly hope you understand why I wanted to keep a part of my life to myself. I will continue to be limited in what I share about my relationship because, at the end of the day, it’s between me and Nini and no one else.” Turning back to Jason, he gives him a hopeful look, “I wrote a song recently. It’s incredibly different than anything I’ve ever done before, and I was hoping to perform it for you all tonight.”

A shock expression takes over the host’s features, but it slips into a knowing look. “An impromptu Ricky Bowen performance? Heck, yeah!” Jason stands up from his seat, gesturing for Ricky to follow him.

Before Ricky knew it a bar stool was set up in the middle of the stage a spotlight shining on the seat. Jason leads the singer to sit down, as an acoustic guitar was being handed to him. Ricky cradled the instrument in his lap while Jason clapped his friend on the shoulder. He squeezes it encouragingly, silently telling him that he was happy for him before making his way off to the side of the stage.

His tongue darts out, wetting his dry lips once more as he slowly strums the strings on the guitar. “A lot of my music has been inspired by my fiancée. And I’ve played with one of the lines in this song for what felt like months. Then suddenly it all came to me the other day, and I think it truly captures what’s inside my heart.” Ricky continues to strum the guitar, his eyes stared deep into the camera picturing the brunette sitting right in front of him, “This one’s for you, Angel.”

“It’s called They Don’t Know About Us.”

Chapter Text

The original plan was for him to finish the interview and as soon as he left the stage he was going to make his way home. Not wanting to be out longer than he had to, but unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening. After he handed the guitar to one of the crew members offstage he was pulled aside and was told to stand by the brick wall where all the guests were sent to after doing their segment of the show.

It was a tradition that after every one of Jason’s interviews the guests would take a photo against the wall that had the name of the show sketched out in some messy chalk design. The photos were always posted after every show on all of their media pages. The wall reminded Ricky of when they used to skate the streets of Salt Lake and would find little alcoves of graffiti. Ricky knew this was Jason’s way of putting a small part of his personality into his show.

As soon as the photo was taken he walked over and got a good look at the photo. Although he was smiling brightly it was obvious that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He knew that even if he took another photo the results would be exactly the same. He just wanted to go home and call Nini and maybe finally get some actual rest. Usually, he would stick around until the end of the show and chat with Jason for another hour or two, but today was different. Jason would understand, Ricky knew that.

Quickly he makes his way down the hall, passing by the dressing room he was in earlier and ensured he didn’t forget anything. Patting himself down, he still had his phone, wallet and keys in his pockets and carried on his way. He pulls his phone out of his back pocket, not caring to look up as he kept on walking. Navigating through the device he immediately presses on Nini’s contact and brings the phone up to his ear.

His phone started to ring in his ears as he passed by the front desk. He gives Jess a quick wave goodbye just to be polite to which she returned. Once Ricky pushed open the front doors Nini picked up the phone. Her soft voice echoing in his ears, immediately causing his heart to swell.

“You’re really something else, Bowen.”

Her words caused Ricky to chuckle softly as he shoved his hand into his pocket. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” He shakes his head as he crosses over to the parkade, silently cursing himself for the far walk he was about to make.

“So, you singing a song reminding the entire world that they didn’t know about us doesn’t ring any bells to you?”

“Hmm…doesn’t sound familiar to me, no,” Ricky laughs causing the girl on the other line to erupt in soft laughter as well.

As reality begins to sweep over the singer once more, he presses his lips together for a moment as thoughts swarm through his brain. Anxiety floods through his veins realizing that he never even double-checked with Nini if it was okay with her if he sang that song. It’s not like she knew about the song at all, but he should’ve at least given her a fair warning.

Gulping down a dry lump in his throat, “Was that- was that okay with you?” He asks warily, “Like, was it too much? I didn’t really think, and I just-”

“Hey, hey,” Nini’s soft voice raises slightly in volume, “I loved it. You were always better saying things through music.”

“Have I now?” He teases as he pulls his keys out of his pocket.

“Now you’re starting to sound cocky.”

Ricky rolls his eyes as he spins his keys around his finger, continuing to pass all the parked cars. As silence washes over them, Ricky draws his lip in between his teeth before asking, “Can I come by Red’s tonight? Maybe even stay the night or something.”

“Ricky…” Nini starts her voice a little unsettled, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“But Nins I can’t just not see you,” He argues halting to a stop.

Ricky knows he’s being stubborn but the last 48 hours has been literal shit. And he just knew that if he at least could hug her then there would be some semblance of peace and hope that everything is going to turn out for them.

“Babe-”

He lets out a small groan at the tone of her voice. Ricky didn’t mean to let it slip, but he was just so frustrated. Not at her, just the situation that they found themselves in. Whenever he was struggling with wrapping his head around a situation or anything really, he always went to Nini because she knew exactly what to say. However, this time around things are different.

This time, both he and Nini were facing the same struggles, and neither knew what to say or even do about it. There wasn’t much that they could do. It was all about interviews and waiting for feedback from the public, even if they didn’t really want any of the feedback. They were constantly reminding themselves that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thought, but it was easier said than done.

“Ricky, would you just look up,” Nini’s voice breaks through the phone once more deciding to ignore the groan at escaped her fiancé.

“Huh?”

“Look. Up.”

Despite his confusion, he decides to listen to the girl on the other line and lifts his head. His gaze moves past a few parked cars and finally spots Nini sitting atop the trunk of his car, phone pressed to her ear as she sends him a small smile. She shifts her gaze back to the device in her hand and hangs up the call, the beeping in Ricky’s ear brings him back to reality and walks over to the brunette.

He shook his head at her as a smile starts to slip onto his face. Not really sure what to say as he wraps his head around the fact that his fiancée was just a few feet away from him instead of at their best friend’s apartment.

“What are you doing here?” Ricky asks throwing his hands out in front of him vaguely as he continues to make his way over to the pretty brunette.

“I mean, I can go back to Red’s if you really want me to,” She points over her shoulder with her thumb, a teasing smile etched on her face.

Rolling his eyes at his fiancée, finally halting to a stop in front of her. Nini parts her legs instinctively giving Ricky a chance to slide in between and pull her hips closer to his frame. His thumbs slipping underneath her shirt and running along her smooth skin.

“You’re acting like I wasn’t just about to cry in a parking lot because I wasn’t allowed to see you,” Ricky jokes, even though a small part of what he said was true.

“It’s a miracle you can manage going on tour for months without me.”

“Oh, it’s truly a tragic time. I’m pretty sure EJ has a tissue box for every night of the tour.”

Nini tips her head back as she lets out a loud laugh. As she brings her head back down, she brings her hands up to cradle Ricky’s face. Smiling down at the man as her thumbs smooth over the skin on his cheeks lovingly. A quiet sigh escapes from Ricky’s lips as he leans further into her touch.

“You did good tonight,” Nini faintly speaks, as if she spoke too loud the bubble around them would pop. “I know you were nervous about saying the wrong thing, but I don’t think there’s really anything wrong you could’ve said. You were honest. And that’s all anyone could’ve asked for.”

“Maybe,” Ricky shrugs meekly, “I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

“And what would you rather talk about?” She questions.

Tilting his head up, Nini’s hands follow suit as she still held his face. He puckers his lips ever so slightly silently asking the girl for a kiss she giggles but complies. He hums as soon as her lips come in contact with his.

After a brief moment, he pulls back just enough to utter his next few words, “You never answered my question.”

Their lips hovered over each other’s, neither of the pair wanted to increase the distance between them but decided to do so anyway. Her chocolate eyes met his hazel ones, raising her right hand to delicately graze her thumb across his eyelashes. She’s always been envious of them, hers have always been short ever since she was a child and hated that he had the most beautiful lashes she’s ever seen.

“Is it such a crime that I wanted to see you?”

Ricky chuckles as he takes a hold of her hands and brings them down to rest in the gap between her legs. His eyes never leave the girl’s as he twines their fingers together, a small hint of a smile on his face.

“Not at all,” He shakes his head, “But last night you said-”

“Did you forget the part where I said I wanted you with me?” She teases, squeezing his fingers lightly in comfort, “It’s almost like I wanna be legally bound to you for the rest of my life or some shit like that.”

“I’m just that irresistible, aren’t I?” Ricky leans into her personal space.

His comment caused the brunette to push him back as he attempted to lean forward to plant another kiss on her lips. Releasing the hold she had on his hand, she places her palm firmly on his chest as she scrunches her nose and her lips purse tightly. Her eyebrows shoot up her forehead as if she was asking him if he seriously just said that.

Her tongue runs over the grooves of her top molars for a moment, “And, I’m not?” A teasing smirk lingered on her lips.

“Well, I didn’t say that,” He rolls his eyes at her comment.

“How about we get out of here,” She suggests, her fingers curling over his shoulder, “Get some food and we can finish this conversation.”

The tone in her voice made it evident to Ricky that she wasn’t talking about the teasing conversation they were just having. Rather she wanted to talk about the reality of what was going on in their life right now. No matter how much he wanted to avoid the impending conversation, he knew Nini wasn’t going to stop until they finally did. And in all honesty, they needed it.

Nodding at her suggestion, he takes her hand once more and helps her hop off the trunk of the car. He guides her to the passenger door and opens it for her, but before she could slide in he wraps his arms around her small frame once more. Inhaling her warm vanilla scent, it was always one of his favourite smells in the world.

With one final kiss to her head, she ducks into the passenger seat making herself comfortable. Ricky takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his unruly curls before heading around to the driver’s side. Whatever was to come of their conversation, all he knew was that at the end of the day he has her. And that’s all he’ll ever need.

After an hour of driving through the streets of downtown Salt Lake into the small neighbouring towns, they stopped at a random McDonalds. The entire drive was filled with idle chatter and low humming music – all Nini’s choice, of course. She told him all about her day with Big Red and how she convinced him to drive her to the studio wanting so desperately to surprise Ricky to the point they circled the parking lot at least six times before they spotted his car.

As Ricky turns into a deserted and poorly-lit road, Nini smiles to herself recognizing the small signs that they passed by. Each one was a marker as to how far they were from one of their favourite lookout points in Utah. Over the years they would spend hours at different lookout points across the state, not caring how far away from Salt Lake they would be. Even before they started hiding their relationship from the public, they were drawn to them.

When they were in high school Nini used to say how she loved being there with him. It’s like they were in their own little world, isolated with the person she loves and just appreciating every single moment together. It was a place to let them take a second and breath, not needing to worry about the over piling stress that came from school, work, and home lives.

Once Ricky throws the car into park the pair get out of the vehicle and make their way to the large tree. Thankfully Ricky always leaves a blanket in the trunk of his car for spontaneous moments like these. He lays the blanket down on the ground as close to the tree as possible before helping Nini set all the food down, both of them making themselves comfortable.

Digging her hand into the brown paper bag, Nini pulls out two boxes. One of which was Ricky’s burger, while the other was the box of nuggets that Nini had ordered. After handing over the larger box to her fiancé, she pries open her rectangular one plucking one of the pieces out and taking a small bite. Humming at the taste, she crosses her legs over each other and knocks her right knee into Ricky’s thigh lightly.

“Do you want to start, or shall I?”

Ricky lets out a sigh, setting down the burger that he didn’t have a chance to take a bite out of. His gaze was fixed on the cityscape below them, his head tilts back to hit the rough bark of the tree. His head was full of thoughts of what to say or how to even begin. Everything has been jumbled up in his head the last few days and was just ready for things to just blow over.

“I don’t know where to start,” He admits drawing his lip in between his teeth.

“Then I will,” She straightens her posture, setting her box of nuggets down on the blanket, “I’m scared,” Nini mutters, her eyes cast downwards feeling Ricky’s gaze fall on her, “No matter how many times I tell myself that there’s no reason to be, I am. My life has taken a complete 180 in the last 48 hours, wrapping my head around all of this has been so difficult. And it doesn’t matter what I do. It’s almost like there’s a whirlpool in my stomach and feels like it’s going to suck me into the depths of the ocean or something.”

The curly-haired singer closes the box in his hands and sets it to the side, turning to face the girl once more. Her head was ducked to her chest, while she twisted her engagement ring around her finger as she gnawed on the inside of her cheek. Running a hand through his curls, he cradles the back of his neck as he keeps his eyes on his fiancée.

When Ricky doesn’t speak, Nini continues, “I don’t want to be scared anymore, Ricky. I’m tired of it. I just want to be able to live my life normally. I hate living in fear, and that’s all I’ve been doing. Not just the last two days, but the last seven years.”

As if it was on instinct, Ricky winces at the words that had just fallen so easily from his fiancée’s lips. Slowly beginning to wonder if he had been right this whole time. That there was always going to be this small part in Nini that resented him, wishing that he wasn’t the man he turned out to be. She had sacrificed so much for him that he didn’t even think to ask if she ever regretted their decision.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he shuts his eyes momentarily willing the courage to spill out of him. “Are you having any regrets?” He utters softly, frightened by what her answer might be.

“No,” She responds quickly not missing a single beat, “Are you?”

“Not regrets…” He trails off, finally opening his eyes and immediately meets her chocolate ones, “Doubts.”

Nini nods her head sullenly as she slowly brings her knees up to her chest, “Of our relationship?” She asks warily, wrapping her arms around her legs.

“What?” Ricky snaps his head up, his eyebrows furrowed together in complete disbelief, “Of course not! Not once in my life have I ever doubted our relationship, Nini. Do you really think I ever could?”

“I don’t know,” Nini shrugs honestly, her eyes flickering between his as if she was searching for some hint of hesitation, “It’s just, I’ve been thinking about what you said at the studio that you were scared I would ever leave you for someone else. And I started to feel like you doubted our relationship, or maybe,” She pauses scared to say her next few words, “You were just doubting me.”

Without hesitation, he gently grabs her face in his hands and presses his thumbs into the apples of her cheeks. Noticing the girl’s eyes were beginning to glisten, fear was evident through her dark orbs and it truly felt like Ricky’s heart was splintering into fine little pieces. Never in a million years did he want Nini to feel like she wasn’t worth it or that he had no faith in her.

“I have never doubted you,” He confesses, fixating his attention on the girl.

“Then how could you believe that I would want to be with anyone else?” Nini’s hands cover his larger ones, her dainty fingers wrapped around his wrists and she squeezed tightly.

“It’s just,” He starts, slowly pulling back from his fiancée and casting his eyes down to his lap where their hands had fallen as if he was ashamed with himself, “I would get into my own head all the time and think about what our life was like before I was famous and what our life could’ve turned out to be. I guess it was just hard to believe that after everything I’ve put you through you’d still want to be with me.”

The brunette shifts closer to the singer, squeezing his hand that was now only softly holding hers as she props her chin on top of her knees. “I will tell you as many times as it takes, you’re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with,” She utters softly yet unwavering, “I might be scared right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m having regrets or doubts or whatever. The reason I told you all of this is because I want to be honest with you.”

Ricky lifts his eyes back to his fiancée’s seeing the underlying message hidden behind her words. Although she meant everything she had just said, she was hoping for some reciprocation on his part. And it was a fair ask, Ricky had been holding back on his feelings all day. Even when they were texting or on the phone earlier that day he didn’t reveal what was going through his head about the interview or anything about their current situation.

“I guess I’m just doubting if we’re doing the right thing,” He tells her honestly, his lips pressed together in a quick frown gone as soon as it came, “Like, did I say enough? Too much? I’m starting to think that I should’ve just packed a bag, swept you up and took you to fucking St. Lucia or something. I heard they have really nice beaches, and no one would find us there. We could have a beach as our backyard, sipping those fruity drinks that you like, maybe have a few dogs or kids, whichever you prefer.”

A giggle erupts from her throat as Ricky goes on and on about a different life they could be leading. Unfolding her legs from her chest, she shifts her position to lean her head against his shoulder as she looks out into the dark night. Her left arm twists around his right as she takes a hold of his bicep, letting out a satisfied sigh at the feeling of ease taking over her.

“As tempting as that may be that doesn’t solve anything, Ricky,” She rubs her thumb along his arm, “I’ve done my fair share of hiding these last few years and I can tell you it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Picking up her head, she rests her chin on his shoulder the best that she could thankful that Ricky was slumped a little lower than his usual posture so she doesn’t have to strain her neck too much. At the realization of her movements, Ricky mimics her and looks straight into her beautiful dark eyes searching for the answer to his question. Unsure of what she was about to say, but the look on her face helped ease his mind a little.

Instead of the usual fear and anxiety he would see whenever they talked about going public, he saw peace. And it was with her next words he knew that even if she was scared shitless, she’s finally ready.

“I’m done hiding in the shadows,” She mutters, “I meant what I said, that I want to live life normally. But my definition of normal is changing, and eventually, I’ll figure out what that means for me.”

“But for right now?” Ricky asks barely above a whisper, his hand falling to rest on her thigh lightly.

“Right now,” Nini smiles as she snuggles closer to her fiancé, “I want to do everything that I couldn’t do with you before. Going on dates, grocery shopping, getting coffee and ice cream. And maybe we could have like an official engagement dinner thing at that really fancy restaurant that Gina’s been wanting to go to. Moms and Lola have been begging to see me with the ring actually on. Even your parents have been texting me all day asking about when they were going to see their future daughter-in-law.”

She was a little surprised by her answer that she was so willing to just dive straight in as if the spotlight hasn’t been on them the last couple of days. Analyzing her features searching for some hint of resistance or hesitation but he doesn’t find anything. Rather, she seemed so calm and at peace like she’s absolutely certain about her decision. But he just needed some sort of verbal confirmation, or else he felt like he was just riding the wave of unsaid words like they’ve been doing for what seems like forever.

Squeezing her leg gently as his eyes bore into hers, “You sure you want this?”

“I want you, Ricky,” She tells him confidently, wrapping her arms around his neck with her chin still propped on his shoulder, “And if that means being photographed and written about everywhere we go, then so be it. I’ll learn to block it all out and I know it’s going to be hard, but this life thing with you? By far is the easiest and best choice that I’ve ever made.”

His eyes softened at her words, as he moves the hand on her leg to wrap around her torso pulling her in as much as he could. Their foreheads pressed up against each other’s as he sends her a bright smile. Nini’s fingers beginning to thread through his messy locks as she poorly suppresses the overwhelming emotions coursing through her.

“This whole life thing with you sounds pretty great,” He mumbles causing the pair to chuckle, “Thank you, angel, for just fucking everything you’ve done for me,” Ricky’s hazel eyes start to glass over causing Nini to press her thumb into the base of his skull, “And, I promise I’ll be here for you every single day. It won’t be easy, but doing all of this with you makes things so fucking worth it.”

Nini smiles at his words, unsure of how to respond she leans in and plants her lips onto his. Sighing at the contact, Ricky pulls her impossibly closer as he leans her further back nearly causing them to topple over. She deepens the kiss, trailing her tongue along his lips causing him to let out a low groan as he opens his mouth allowing her entrance. As they continue, Nini feels her beginning to feel gravity take over her, she brings one of her hands to land behind her supporting the pair. The pair chuckle against each other’s mouths slowly pulling apart, but Ricky presses a few quick pecks before completely pulling back.

“I think I’m getting hungry,” Ricky mutters in the small space that was still between them.

His breath fanned over her face, and her eyes flickered back down to his lips. A blush begins to rise onto her face at his words, but despite her bashfulness, she surges forward and collides their lips one more time. Her one arm that was still wrapped around his neck tightened and Ricky’s hand begins to slide up and down her back as they continued to embrace the other. Slowly she climbs into his lap, smiling to herself as his hands find their way to her hips.

After a few minutes, Nini soon finds herself needing oxygen back into her lungs but didn’t want to completely stop their ministrations. She moves her lips to cross over his jawline and down his neck, Ricky chuckles as she continues to plant small kisses along his collarbone. Dropping his lips to her shoulder pressing light pecks against her.

“Babe, I was kind of talking about my burger,” He lets out a loud laugh once he feels Nini freeze in her spot.

Lifting her head from where she was nuzzled, Ricky copying her motions as a wide smile spreads across his face. While Nini’s face was turning bright red that he couldn’t help but laugh at her embarrassment. Deciding to not let him humiliate her, she squares her shoulders and furrows her brows together. Shifting up higher on his lap, her hands finding their way to the back of his neck.

“I don’t understand why you need a burger,” She comments, Ricky a little confused by her remark, “When you have a whole meal sitting on your lap.”

Ricky tips his head back at her quip, letting out a wholehearted laugh, not expecting those words to fall from his fiancée’s mouth. Tightening his grip on her waist as he brings his eyes back to connect with the girl’s. It was clear that Nini was trying her best not to let her composure waver but was fighting incredibly hard not to laugh right alongside him.

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, “That may be true, sweetheart,” Ricky mutters, his eyes travel up and down her entire frame, “But I’d much rather eat my dinner first, then have you for dessert.”

“Oh my god, Ricky,” Nini’s cheeks flare up in heat slowly moving out of his lap and returns to her spot next to him, “You need to shut up.”

“You started it!” He defends.

Nini grabs his abandoned burger shoving it into his chest roughly, “Just eat your damn burger, and you can forget about dessert,” She huffs, grabbing her box of chicken nuggets she had completely forgotten about.

Before Nini could open up the box, she feels Ricky’s presence invade her personal space. Turning her head to look at him she suppresses the giggle in her throat as she sees his puppy dog eyes. They both knew when Nini made up her mind she wasn’t going to be changing it any time soon.

“Nope!” Nini turns her head back to her dinner, more like midnight snack.

“But, I love you,” Ricky mutters, moving his lips to her shoulder.

“That’s not going to change my mind,” She points out, popping a chicken nugget into her mouth.

Ricky huffs pressing a hard kiss to her cheek before finally unwrapping his burger and taking a bite from it. The pair sat there in silence for a few moments before bursting out in laughter, knowing neither of them could keep their hostility for long. Nini leaning back onto her fiancé’s shoulder as she nibbled on her chicken nuggets, snuggling as close to the man as she could.

And the rest of the night was spent in easy conversation, knowing that once they left their little spot their entire life was going to change and they were both okay with that.

Chapter Text

“Are you ready?”

The halt of their car and the sound of her fiancé’s voice causes her to turn her head and look over at the man. He was decked out in his nicest pair of black jeans, Nini having to shuffle through their closet to find them since nearly all of his pants seemed to be some form of black. He had paired it with a dark gray buttoned-down shirt and, of course, his favourite leather jacket. Ricky’s always been a little difficult to get into fancy clothing when they would go out for dinner, the young woman knew this was the best she was going to get out of her partner.

Meanwhile, Nini was dressed in a simple yet beautiful white dress that had a swooping neckline and hugged her in all the right places. She had paired it with the purse Ashlyn has bought for her last Christmas. The bag laid across her lap as she fiddled with the little buckle on it as her impeding thoughts began to run faster through her mind.

Over the last few days, Nini and Ricky made the decision to lay low. Mainly staying at home only really leaving the house when they had to for work. Even though they came to the conclusion that they were ready to finally be seen out together, they knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as that. After a long conversation between them and Ricky’s PR team, they were to wait a few more days to let their announcement settle in with the media and the fans before they could finally make their official public debut.

In all actuality, it didn’t feel all that different than when they were hiding their relationship the last couple of years. The only difference now was that when they were both leaving for work, they didn’t care if they were seen exchanging kisses and goodbyes in their apartment complex parking lot. Sure, there was always that little voice at the back of their minds that reminded them there was a possibility someone was watching but as the days went on the voice wasn’t as loud as it used to be.

But now sitting in their parked car, Nini couldn’t help but hear the voices getting a little louder along with the beating of her heart. Continuing to click the little buckle on her bag as her nerves started to control her actions, trying her best not to gnaw on her bottom lip having just swiped on lipstick just before they had left. Deciding to purse her lips together to replace her usual tick.

“Is it bad that I’m nervous?” She asks her shoulders lifting slightly out of habit after unbuckling her seatbelt.

Ricky’s features soften as he takes his hand off the gear shift and gently lays it on her thigh, rubbing her exposed skin softly. “Aw, babe, are you having first date jitters?” He teases despite knowing the truth behind her words.

Rolling her eyes at his comment, she punches her fiancé in the shoulder. Hard enough to elicit a small noise from the man, but not as hard as they both knew she could punch. A look of exasperation takes over her face as she sends him a sharp and warning glare.

“Ricky, I’m serious.”

“Okay, look,” Ricky shifts his body to face hers the best he could since he still had his seatbelt crossed over his chest, “I know this is technically our public debut or whatever, but let’s forget about that.” The hand on her thigh moves to take a hold of her left hand, his thumb lightly grazing over the ring that rested on her fourth finger. “This is just like any regular date night. You, me, and some delicious food.”

A small giggle erupts from the girl’s chest as the last few words fall from Ricky’s mouth, knowing that food has always been one of his main priorities. As she was putting on her makeup in their bathroom earlier, he kept on gushing about how good the food was at the restaurant they were headed to. It was a pretty popular restaurant in their city, Ricky’s gone a handful of times usually with the band and on the rare occasion his mom whenever she was in town.

Nini on the other hand hasn’t had the chance to go quite yet. Usually, Nini wasn’t the biggest fan of those types of restaurants finding it completely absurd how expensive the food could turn out to be. She typically gravitated towards small diners that were exceptionally quiet, peaceful and extremely unknown. That’s how Ricky and Nini would typically spend their date night. The young woman would find one in their neighbouring cities, always finding something new and different simply to keep things interesting.

“And a plus, it’s not some run down rickety hole in the wall restaurant you found,” He adds as if he was reading what was on her mind.

Landing another punch to her boyfriend’s shoulder, the contact causing the man to wince lightly, “You love my hole in the wall adventures!” She argues.

“That I do,” Ricky chuckles pulling on his fiancée’s hand and pressing his lips lightly against her knuckles, “But isn’t it fun dressing up all nice and fancy and sitting down at a restaurant not needing to worry about the possibility of getting food poisoning?”

“You’re so mean to me sometimes,” She mumbles as a small pout graces her face knowing full well that he was right.

There were a few incidences in the past few years where one of them caught a bad case of food poisoning. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t all that bad only lasting three days at most. But Nini would still argue that her hole in the wall and small diners were the best places to get food. Nine times out of ten they were phenomenal to the point they were surprised that the places weren’t more well known. It was both a blessing and a curse, the pair not wanting to share their little secret with anyone – even their friends.

“I’m mean with love,” Ricky smiles teasingly, “Come on, reservation’s at 7:30 we should head inside. That is if you still want to do this.” His eyes bore into hers, his last statement coming out more as a question if anything and was awaiting her response.

Taking a quick glance at the clock on the dashboard, the bright blue colours reading 7:28. Nini lets out a deep sigh mentally preparing herself for whatever their evening was going to have in store. Despite being incredibly nervous, she was very excited to finally feel and act like a normal couple albeit the eyes that will fall on them at least once that evening.

Pulling the gold chain of her purse to rest over her shoulder, looking at Ricky once more. Squeezing his fingers lightly that remained in her hand, she sends him the best reassuring smile she could muster even if her nerves were running wild through her veins.

“Let’s see if this place can beat my hole in the wall. Ten bucks that it won’t.”

A bright smile begins to stretch across Ricky’s face, “You’ve got a deal.”

It was safe to say their evening started relatively normal. If anyone had recognized them in that restaurant no one had said a word and neither Ricky nor Nini could care enough to take a look around to see if there were any prying eyes. The couple were entirely focused on the other as they exchanged stories from their own work days, Ricky’s being far more interesting than Nini’s considering hers has been filled with her typical patient rounds and funny stories from her co-workers.

Nini was twirling her pasta around her fork as she was relaying what had happened during her lunch break earlier with Seb. “It was a stupid argument,” Nini starts, “Like, it was literally over what couch they were looking to buy and what was going to match their walls and the price. I mean it’s a couch, I feel like it shouldn’t really matter.”

“You cared,” Ricky comments as he finishes his bite of food, “You wanted something comfy and practical. But you also wanted our home to look as if it was pulled straight from a catalogue and you didn’t want it to be expensive either. Do you know how hard it is to check all those boxes?”

“Okay…your point?”

“Maybe, from what you’ve told me about them, Seb is a little more mindful of what they spend on than Carlos. Something as simple as a couch you shouldn’t really be spending upwards of a thousand dollars.”

A thought briefly passes through Nini’s mind as she hears Ricky speak causing her to pause the spinning of her fork, only for a moment before she continues the action once more. But the small halt didn’t pass by Ricky all that easily. Setting his fork down on the table giving the brunette his undivided attention.

“What is it?”

She contemplates whether to tell him but it was clear that he wasn’t going to drop it until she spoke up. A deep exhale escapes her lips as she leaves her twirled up pasta on the fork and sets the utensil down propping it up at the edge of her plate. Taking a hold of her napkin to dab at the sides of her mouth before meeting her fiancé’s hazel eyes.

Lifting her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug, “I was just thinking,” Nini pauses once more, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. Tucking a strand of her hair that had fallen to dangle over her vision behind her ear, “I know we haven’t really talked about it, like at all, but like a wedding’s expensive.”

As realization hits Ricky, he shifts forward slightly preparing to interrupt her intrusive thoughts. But the brunette was well aware of Ricky’s personal thoughts on the matter, having had the conversation many times over the years. Opening his mouth to speak, but Nini interject before he could even get a word out.

“Money isn’t an issue, I know. But Ricky, it doesn’t make me feel great that we’re going to spend thousands of dollars and most of that’s coming from your pocket.” She confesses, her fingers make their way to her fork once more as she begins to push the noodles around the plate silently. “And like, I know you’re going to try and refuse my moms help and probably even your parents too. But it’s our wedding, you have to let me and our family help.”

Ricky understood where she was coming from, he knew whenever it came to spending she always wanted to pitch in a good share. When they were first moving in together she argued she wanted to pay half of the rent, not wanting to feel as if she was practically taking his money and living in their home for free. It didn’t sit right with her, and it didn’t stop there. More times than not, Nini paid for groceries and any other necessities the pair needed since Ricky has always managed to pay for 90% of their dates.

Laying his hand out on the table with his palm facing up, Nini slowly gets the message and places her hand on top of his gently. Ricky folds his hand to capture hers gently, running his thumb along her knuckles lightly in some sort of way to comfort her.

“I understand, angel.” Ricky sends her a soft smile to which she reciprocates, “How about once we actually start to plan this wedding we can sit down and figure out a budget that works for all of us?”

One thing she’s always loved about Ricky was how understanding he was. She knew Ricky wasn’t going to push her to do something she didn’t want to do unless he knew that it was something that she just didn’t have the confidence in herself to do. Which was a big reason as to why Nini didn’t tell him about that job transfer all those weeks ago.

Now that little tidbit of knowledge felt like years ago considering what they’ve been facing the last couple of weeks. And if Nini was being totally honest, she’s never felt more sure in their relationship than she does in that very moment. With Ricky’s words, she felt heard and understood, she felt the man sitting before her really knew who she was and loved her even with all her imperfections.

“I think that’s perfect.”

“But for our honeymoon,” Ricky starts a devilish smirk begins to stretch over his face, “I don’t want you to think about how expensive things are going to be.”

“Rickyyy,” She whines.

The singer chuckles at his fiancée’s disproval of his request, tightening his hold on her delicate fingers his thumb continuing to run over the small bumps of her knuckles. “I have expensive taste, baby.”

Nini rolls her eyes, despite the clear annoyance that her features were expressing he could still see the sparkle in her eye telling him she wasn’t completely irritated with him. Before he knew it, Nini’s displeased expression morphed into her puppy dog eyes and the pout she knew he couldn’t say no to.

Leaning slightly over the table ensuring that her hair didn’t dangle over her plate too much as to not get any pasta in her locks. “But you said we would spend everything fair and square.” She lifts her other hand to land on top of their connected hands running her fingers along the cuff of his sleeve, drawing patterns into his smooth skin.

“But once we’re married it’s our pocket,” Ricky teases, “There’s no more yours and mine. It’s ours – everything is ours.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“And proud.”

The engaged couple burst into a fit of laughter. It was clear to anyone that was looking on that the pair were so incredibly happy and in love. The way their faces beamed at the other and how Ricky refused to let go of Nini’s hand until he peppered numerous kisses to it before directing their attention back to the food that was set before them.

They finally felt normal.

As Ricky leans further back in his chair he drags the tip of his shoe along Nini’s exposed calf and down to her ankle. A bright smile was evident on both of their faces as they continued to play footsie under the table, mindlessly chattering as they waited for their check. Ricky having asked for it a few minutes ago and was beginning to wonder how long it took to ring up their bill.

“So,” The curly-haired man changes their topic of conversation, “Does this place beat your hole in the wall diners?”

Nini tips her head back as she lets out a bellowing laugh, “Not a chance, babe,” She kicks him lightly, “You can’t tell me that tasted better than any of my rickety diners as you apparently like to call them.”

The singer rolls his eyes at his fiancée but decides to admit defeat, “Fine, fine, you’re right.” He huffs out.

“Pay up.”

With another eye roll he reaches into his pocket he pulls out his wallet and slides two five dollar bills out and slides them over to her with an evident frown on his face. The woman giggles eagerly as she takes the two bills from Ricky. Sending him a sarcastic grin as she leans over the table to pat his head lightly.

“Maybe you’ll win next time.”

“But you always win!”

Before she could respond they were interrupted by their waitress finally bringing the sleek black booklet over to the lovely couple, setting it down on the table with a kind smile. Ricky picks up the book with a small thanks as he barely takes a glance at the white sheet and places his credit card inside the book. He hands it back to the woman who takes it in her perfectly manicured hands once more.

Instead of immediately taking the card over to the register the woman stays frozen in her spot raising curiosity in the couple that was seated at the table. Waiting another minute to see if the woman had just spaced out, possibly finally realizing who she had been serving all night. But when she doesn’t make a move, Ricky directs his attention back to the woman.

“Can I help you?” He deadpans.

As the four words tumble from his mouth, Nini kicks him in the shin harshly causing him to gasp out in pain. “Richard, that’s rude,” She scolds.

“I’m so sorry!” The woman apologizes tightening her grip on the black little book. Drawing her lip in between her teeth as if she was contemplating on how to phrase her next sentence. “It’s just- you’re Ricky Bowen,” Her voice drops in volume when she says his name, “and I’m like a really big fan. But with everything I’ve seen online I was just trying to be respectful and all. But, it’s just, um, I’ve been informed that there is a bunch of paparazzi outside. And, I wanted to give you kind of a heads up. I swear it wasn’t me, I would never want to disrespect you or anyone’s privacy for that matter!”

As the words tumbled from the waitress’s mouth Nini’s eyes widened in fear rather than shock. Having lived on the sidelines with Ricky as the main focus of articles and gossip columns, she’s seen her fair share of what he goes through with having absolutely no privacy. Nini had a strong gut feeling that today was going to be no different. She knew Ricky was rather hopeful tonight, but they both knew that at some point they were going to be recognized the outcome was the question that was left in the air.

Immediately Nini drops her hands to her lap and begins to fiddle with her engagement ring. Questions about what they were going to do swarmed her mind, she’s never had to deal with this before.

“Leanne,” Ricky calls her name after having read her name tag as he puts an end to her rambling. At the mention of her name she straightens her posture once more, her head dipping down to the ground rather embarrassed as she fiddles with the black book in her hands, “The fact that you even informed us doesn’t make me question whether you were the one that had leaked it.”

Relief washed over the young woman, letting out a breath that she was holding. She fiddled with the black book that remained in her hands as she kept her gaze on the couple sitting in front of her.

Turning his head to his fiancée seeing the look of worry behind her eyes that didn’t dare to look up at him. The corner of his lips turned downward feeling rather guilty that this was happening to them. But it wasn’t like they could do anything about it, they couldn’t control what other people might say or do. It was something that they were both trying to learn and accept.

“What should we do?” Ricky asks.

Nini’s head snaps up to glare at her boyfriend, “You’re asking me? You’re the celebrity.”

The waitress couldn’t help but giggle at Nini’s retort causing the couple to look over at her. A blush rises to the woman’s cheeks as she sees their eyes fall on her, feeling rather embarrassed for her outburst.

“I’m sorry,” She apologizes once more, “It’s just you guys are really funny and cute.”

“I’m the funny one though, right?” Ricky teases a smirk displayed across his lips, “I mean we both know Nini’s the cute one.”

“I’m both,” Nini kicks Ricky’s leg underneath the table, “You’re just there.”

Leanne bursts out into laughter, “She’s definitely the funny one.”

“Whatever,” Ricky rolls his eyes causing the girls to erupt in giggles once more. After a few moments, Leanne excuses herself to finish up their bell and just to let her know if they were interested in sneaking their way out the back.

Turning his entire attention back to Nini across the table, stretching his arm across and opening up his palm encasing her hand in his own, “So, angel, what do you want to do?” He raises an eyebrow, curving his thumb to caress her knuckles, “Sneak out the back or walk straight out that door?”

Without missing a beat, she speaks, “Walk straight out that door.”

It took Ricky a second to process what the girl before him had said. He expected a longer thought process, he expected her to sit there debating all their options before uttering any kind of response. The last thing he expected was for her to have an answer right off the bat, much less the scarier option of the two.

And in all honesty, Nini was surprised herself but she didn’t let that show on her face. Even though her guttural instinct was to run and hide because that’s what they’ve been doing for so many years, she knew that she needed to face the music. If she didn’t face it now she’s afraid that she never will.

She could see the question behind his eyes, so before he could voice his thoughts Nini continues, “I have to do this, Ricky.” Squeezing his fingers to reassure her fiancé, “Trust me.”

“Okay,” He nods gripping her hand tightly in his before bending down to press a tender kiss.

Not too long after their waitress returned to their table with their receipt and before they knew it they were pushing their chairs back and making their way out that door. The grip Ricky had on her hand was so tight to the point Nini was beginning to get a little concerned for her blood circulation. But she knew if she so much as joked about it she’d be getting a sharp glare from her fiancé.

It was no secret that Ricky was just as anxious about the paparazzi as she was. In Nini’s defense, she was way better at hiding those feelings than Ricky ever was. His tense jaw, stone cold expression on his face and the death grip on her hand were just a few giveaways.

As Ricky guided her towards the exit he makes a stop before he pushes the door open. His sudden halt caused the brunette to walk into his shoulder eliciting a small noise from her throat out of shock. Tilting her head up to make eye contact with Ricky, a question was hidden behind his eyes as if he was making sure that she was absolutely certain she wanted to do this.

She sends him a small smile before leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek in replacement of her words. They take a few more moments before Ricky nods slipping his hand out of hers and placing it around her waist. Bringing the brunette in as close to his side as possible, he pushes the door open and they were immediately met with far more paparazzi Ricky had expected.

Here goes nothing.

“Well, that went exactly how I expected our night to go,” Nini jokes as she slides into bed next to Ricky.

Her glasses sat atop her nose now having washed off all her makeup and taking out her contacts. Ricky watched as Nini pulled their sheets up to cover her lap resting her head against the wood of their headboard. Her glasses slid up her nose a little at the sudden gesture causing her to adjust them accordingly.

“You did good out there today, babe,” Ricky rests a hand on top of her interlocked ones that sat on her lap, running a thumb over her smooth skin.

“I didn’t do anything,” Nini shakes her head a small chuckle passing her lips, casting her eyes in his direction, “Neither did you really. We just walked by them like they weren’t there.”

Ricky shifts to move closer to his fiancée a smirk making it way on his lips, “That’s what you’re supposed to do. Pretend you don’t see them and walk right on by,” He nudges her slightly, “See you’re a natural already.”

The young doctor rolls her eyes, shaking her head at her boyfriend’s antics. “Shut up,” She mumbles.

“Can I ask you something?”

Furrowing her brows at his question, Nini nods for him to continue wondering where he was going with the sudden change of topic. Pulling all of her hair over to one shoulder as she shifts to face Ricky in a more comfortable position.

“You had the option of sneaking out the back and hiding from the press. Why did you choose to face them?” He inquires, “Because if I was in your position I would’ve taken the first option without second guessing it.”

The brunette’s shoulders slump slightly as she lets out a deep breath, pressing her lips together for a moment before speaking, “You think I didn’t want to?” Nini chuckles dryly, “But, there had to have come a day where I shouldn’t feel like I need to hide. And, I guess that day was today. All day I was scared of the possibility of us being seen, but then you asked me that question and I just knew. No more hiding, Ricky. Why hide the best part of my life?”

As the words begin to sink in and process in Ricky’s mind, he smiles at the girl before him. Realizing how far she has come throughout the last few weeks. Thinking back to their argument when Nini was so determined to never be known by the press, and now she’s ready to face anything to come for them. It didn’t matter what it was, he could tell in her eyes that she was no longer scared.

Bringing both of his hands up to cup her face and places a delicate kiss to her forehead causing the pair to chuckle lightly.

“I’m proud of you.”

Nini smiles shyly at Ricky as she squeezes his wrists, “Okay, time for bed. We’ve had a long week.”

Obeying her words, he disentangles himself from the brunette and shifts to lie down on his side of the bed. The pair leaning over their bedside tables shutting off their respective lamps while Nini slid her glasses and ring off and rested them on the nightstand like she did every night. Neither say anything as they make themselves comfortable pulling the sheets all the way up to their torsos.

Silently, Nini slips into his side, a little closer than she usually does at night. Immediately Ricky rested one of his hands in her dark locks while the other splayed across her back underneath her shirt, which was actually one of his. Slowly their breathing started to even out as they slowly let sleep take over. Completely content with being in each other’s arms, not needing anything else in that very moment.

Unfortunately, Nini was absolutely right when she mentioned it had been an incredibly long week. At least for Ricky, he had to deal with everything going on with the paparazzi and the media outlets to the progress of recording their next album. All Ricky really needed was a good night’s rest to get him through his day tomorrow. His eyes began to grow heavier as the minutes passed.

That was until a small voice broke the silence.

“Ricky?”

“Yes, angel?” he responds still keeping his eyes closed and his hand nestled in her hair.

“Are you embarrassed to be with me?”

Immediately his eyes shot up as he glanced down at the girl in his arms. Her face was nuzzled in his chest as she gripped onto his torso tightly. Confusion flooding through his veins as he moves his hand from the back of her head to her jaw as he moved her face to look up at him.

“Nini-”

“No, I know, I know,” Nini sighs, cutting off whatever he was about to say, “I just- I just really need to hear you say it. I’m probably going to ask you the first hundred times that we face paparazzi or like fans or something. I’m trying to get used to all of this and I-”

“Nini,” Ricky interrupts her rambling, cradling her face in his hand as he brought his face closer to hers, “Never in my entire life have I or will I ever be embarrassed to be with you. Do you understand me? And I will tell you as many times as you need until it’s burned into that pretty little head of yours.”

The girl pouts slightly as she nods her head, bringing her hands up to his face caressing his cheeks lovingly. “Even though it’s dark and you’re really blurry right now, I know you’re giving me that look.”

The pair chuckled quietly leaning their foreheads against each other’s, “Oh, you mean the look I get when I realize that I’m the luckiest guy out there?” Smirking faintly as Nini squints in an attempt to get a better look at his face, “Nini, you’re the love of my life. I don’t think it’s even possible to be embarrassed of you.”

“Thank you, Ricky,” Nini whispers, “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

With that, Ricky closes the small gap between them. Their lips colliding together in a soft, sweet and loving kiss. All of Nini’s worries slipping away as Ricky pulls her in closer, knowing that no matter he loves her and she loves him. Whatever their future holds for them she knew that they could get through it. Because they were doing it together and that’s all that will ever matter.

Chapter Text

The only noise that could be heard was a pen tapping against the table as everyone sat in their seats in silence. All eyes were cast down at their own hands or laps trying to calm their palpating heartbeats to no luck. It was no secret that everyone was nervous for what was going to be said in the meeting today. Barely able to look at each other much less the people pushing open the doors and striding their way to the front of the room.

Holding in their breath as they picked up their heads. Immediately they are faced with their manager while the rest of the teams meandered towards either side of the woman. Her expression was stern and hardened, almost like stone. It didn’t make matters any better that her shoulders were slumped slightly causing them to prepare themselves for whatever was going to tumble from her mouth next.

“So, I’ve heard gelato tastes so much better in Italy.”

As the words processed in their minds, not even two seconds later there were gasps and a shriek that filled the room. Turning their heads to look over at their fellow bandmates. Bright and wide smiles displayed on their face as they couldn’t believe what their manager had just said.

“You’re serious?” Gina yelps out excitedly, “We’re going on a world tour?”

“Dead serious,” Annika smirks as she sets her clipboard down on the table before her.

Instantly Gina turns towards Ricky and shakes his shoulder vigorously to the point that his entire body was shaking in his chair. EJ was stuck in a coughing fit having been the one shriek that was heard and was still trying to overcome the noise as he had accidentally breathed in too much air. While Ashlyn was literally in shellshock, her jaw still hung loose staring at Annika as if she was waiting to shout ‘gotcha’ at the band.

The conversation of a world tour has been on the tips of their tongues ever since they started writing this album knowing that it was definitely going to be one of their best ones yet. And when Annika had texted them earlier that day for a sudden meeting that they all needed to be present at they had an inkling that today was the day that they were going to get the news about. Their team had been a little silent about any tour in general since their album dropped just over a month ago. And in hindsight, they should’ve known that the possibility of a world tour was incredibly high, but they didn’t want to get their hopes up for nothing.

World tour has been on the blacklist of topics that they refused to talk about for the last two years in the event they might jinx it. Even when Big Red and Nini had asked them if they were considering it and where they would most like to go, the band practically shouted out a jumble of words drowning out their questions not wanting anything to be said out loud. Ashlyn was typically the one that was all for speaking it out into the universe and manifesting the possibilities, but this tour was too big to risk that chance.

Chatter filled the room as each member started coming to their senses practically talking over each other. Their voices were filled with excitement and amazement talking about the places they were going to see and the people they were going to meet. All the things they were going to do in every city and country they go to. Considering most of them haven’t really travelled all that much in the past years.

Concerts have always been one of their favourite things about being an artist. Whether that’d be doing local shows way back in high school to travelling across North America with Warped Tour and even just their own tours from their last few albums. The thrill their shows would give them, from the excitement radiating off the crowd to the music that they passionately created.

A world tour was one of the top things on each of their bucket lists. And now that in just a few short months they’ll be travelling across the world to all the places they could imagine and more. There was nothing that they were more excited for.

This is literally a dream come true.

“Oh my god, I still can’t fucking believe it,” Ashlyn exclaims as she takes a sip of her Sprite.

In celebration of the news, the band decided on heading out for dinner at their favourite restaurant in town. It has become a tradition to come to the same restaurant every time they receive good news. The family-owned restaurant was the same place they had received the call that they were officially being signed onto their label and from that day forward it kind of was like their good luck charm. After every big announcement, whether it’d be about a tour or their album concept being approved, they’ve always managed to find themselves seated in the back corner in the small restaurant.

Gina nudges Ashlyn lightly with her elbow nearly causing the girl to spill her drink all over herself but the bassist couldn’t find it in herself to care about that. Everyone was beaming brightly as they munched on their food as the news finally had settled in when they arrived for dinner.

“It’s your first tour with a boyfriend,” Gina mentions after finishing the bite of her pasta, “How’re you going to tell Red?” She inquires.

The rest of the band was intrigued by her answer. From what they’ve heard, mostly from Ashlyn’s end, she and Big Red have been doing pretty well over the last few months. And they all saw how Ricky was when they went on their first tour. The man was practically glued to his phone the entire first month of their trip trying to text and call Nini as much as he could, missing her far too much to anyone’s liking.

Ashlyn furrowed her brows for a moment as she sets her cup down on the table, “I texted him the second Annika started talking.”

“Really?” Ricky mutters in surprise.

“Yeah,” She shrugs nonchalantly, “What did Nini say?”

“I haven’t told her yet,” Ricky redirects his eyes to his plate in front of him, poking at the chicken that was half eaten.

The girls were shocked by his statement. EJ on the other hand knew his best friend like the back of his hand. Every time they are set to go on tour, no matter how much Ricky loved touring and singing on stage, there was always a small part of him that was upset about having to leave. Being away for months on end from the person you love most is incredibly difficult and something Ricky always dreaded. Now, he wasn’t just going to be leaving for a few months. It’ll be for a number of months and the time zones aren’t going to exactly be easy on the couple.

At least now that the public knew about his relationship it did let up a small amount of stress on the man. Knowing that he has nearly hit tweet on a few moments where he was practically crying over his secret girlfriend. But with everything that’s been going on in their lives the last few months, Nini’s been getting better with their public life. And honestly, he was quite proud of how far she has come ever since.

Ricky knew that she was going to be completely elated with the news. Even though she’s not technically speaking a part of the band, they all knew she held a pretty important role within it. Having been with them through their entire journey in their career and influenced them to take so many opportunities. She was going to practically jump off the walls at the news.

“Why haven’t you told her?” Gina asks curiously.

Shrugging at the question, “I’d rather tell her in person,” he answers simply.

The rest of the group nods in understanding. Given how big of a part of Nini had on this band and her relationship with Ricky, it completely makes sense as to why he’d rather tell her in person.

Noting Ricky’s expression, EJ decides to interject in their conversation and leading it elsewhere, “I don’t think we’ve ever discussed it, but what’s your favourite song on the album?” He inquires, knocking his knee into Ricky’s lightly.

The singer sends him a kind smile in thanks. The girls across the table completely missing the interaction between the pair as they begin going off on a tangent about how they simply couldn’t choose a favourite. It was as if EJ had asked them to choose their favourite child.

The rest of the evening went by smoothly. All of them shaking with exuberance over their upcoming tour and what was to come in the next few months. Well aware they were probably going to get little to no sleep with rehearsals and sound checks, but it was all going to be so worth it.

When Ricky had pushed the door to their apartment open he was expecting to be met with darkness and complete silence. After dinner, the band had gone over to Gina’s place to drink in celebration of their tour. Ricky, however, had limited himself to one beer knowing that he’d have to drive home afterwards.

It was incredibly late, at least for Nini’s standards, so he was certain she’d be asleep or at the very least cuddled up in bed waiting for slumber to take over. Instead, he was surprised to see the lamp in the living room was still on, illuminating the entire space with a warm glow that reminded him of home. And instead of silence or light snores, even though Nini constantly claims that she doesn’t snore, the melodic sound of the piano filtered through the entirety of their apartment.

Slowly toeing off his shoes, he peers further into the apartment. Immediately met with his fiancée’s back, her long hair cascaded down slightly tangled and damp, probably having just gotten out of the shower an hour or two ago. And her fingers were put to work as they danced across the keys of their piano elegantly, a beautiful sound coming from the instrument.

A small smile makes its way onto his face as he continues to make his way towards the beautiful girl. Slightly humming along to the song she was playing, something that he has never heard before and begins to wonder if this was one of the songs she’s been withholding from him.

As he draws closer to her, he gently sets his hands on her shoulders in hopes to not frighten the brunette. No matter how gentle Ricky was trying to be, Nini was still slightly startled her body tensing out of habit before tilting her head back to see her fiancé smiling down at her bringing his face down towards hrs. Her fingers paused on the keys as she feels his lips connect with hers, a small hum coming from her throat.

“That was beautiful,” Ricky says as soon as their lips part.

Nini scrunches her nose at the man gesturing for him to take the seat next to her. Moving to straddle the piano bench, Nini’s frame sliding a little closer to his as he draped his arms around her waist not quite wanting to let her go just yet. She didn’t think anything of this, finding it quite normal, but Ricky couldn’t stop hearing that small voice in his head reminding him that he won’t get to do this for months on end.

“I think I’m ready to play that song I was telling you about like a long time ago,” Nini moves her left hand to his forearm that was draped across her. She runs her thumb soothingly against his arm, smiling as she feels his grip tighten on her hip.

“Well, I’d love to hear it.”

“Good,” Nini smirks before returning her attention to the instrument before them.

Her fingers danced across the keys ever so lightly as she gets into position. Straightening her posture, she takes in a deep breath as if she was scared to hear his reaction, even though they both knew that he was going to love it nonetheless.

As she played the black and white keys so effortlessly, he stared down at her delicate little fingers as she began the song. And even though he’s heard his fiancée play and sing a million times in the years that he’s known her, he still was completely amazed by her talent. Her voice was so angelic. It was the reason he called her angel. She looked like one, sounded like one, and to him, she is one – his perfect angel.

Listening carefully to the words she had begun to sing, it hit a little too close to home for him today of all days. Trying his best to avoid looking at his fiancée’s face, and focused on her hands that danced across the keys. Nini not noticing the effect her song had on her boyfriend she continued to sing to the song she had written ages ago, and was so incredibly proud of how it turned out.

“If these sheets were the states and you were miles away
I’d fold them end over end to bring you closer to me
Because I don’t sleep at all without you pressed up against me
I settle for long distance calls
I’m lost in empty pillow talk again”

Before either of them knew it Nini was hitting the last few notes and her voice begun to fade out. Letting themselves be swallowed up in silence once more as she slides her fingers off of the keys, turning her head curious to finally see her boyfriend’s reaction to the song.

Of all the reactions she imagined, the one she got was definitely not on the list. Ricky’s eyes begun to brim with tears as the chorus rang through his ears and his hand gripped his thigh tightly as if trying to ground himself. Nini couldn’t help but let a small smile grace her lips at the reaction. Even though it was one she was not expecting, a small part of her was glad to see that she could move him with something as simple as a three minute song that was probably mediocre to anything that he’s published in the last few years.

“Baby, why are you crying?” Nini moves her hand to the small of his back.

“That was so beautiful,” Ricky compliments as he wipes at his eyes before tears could fall, avoiding the question she had posed, “When did you write it?”

Nini hums, tilting her to the side in thought. Her eyes squinted ever so slightly as she tried to recall the exact timeline when she did write it. It didn’t take her long to recover the memory that was probably nearly a year or so old.

“Remember how I told you I wrote a song after seeing you up on stage?” She asks quietly, looking up into Ricky’s light eyes as he nods in confirmation. “It was the legend of your tour and I was kind of just messing around with the piano. I was thinking about the months we spent apart and how much I missed you and seeing you on that stage reminded me that like no matter how much I miss you I know that you love me even with all those miles in between us. And, whatever happens out there, you’ll always come home to me.”

After hearing Nini’s confession, Ricky knew he couldn’t keep her out of the dark for longer. Of all people, she deserved to know. He knows she’ll be understanding and she’ll be proud, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t make him feel any better about being away from her for months on end.

“We’re going on a world tour.”

Her hand that was rubbing his back lovingly freezes at his words. Snapping her head up to look at Ricky with wide eyes and her mouth forming a small ‘o’ as if trying to decipher if he was telling the truth or not. When she notices his hardened expression and no light teasing behind his eyes, it’s evident that he was being dead serious.

“Babe, oh my god!” She cheers excitedly, “Congratulations! I am so happy for you guys!”

When Ricky doesn’t quite respond the way that she had expected, she analyzes his face carefully. Nothing the solemn and grim look hiding behind his features. A soft smile graces her lips once more, “That face doesn’t look like someone that wants to go on a world tour,” She teases, “So, tell me why you don’t look excited.”

“No, I am. So, so very excited. Like it’s literally been the only thing I can think of all day,” He assures her, “Meeting and singing for all of our fans across the world. It’s honestly a dream come true.”

“Then, what’s the problem?” Nini questions softly, “We should be jumping off the walls, screaming the lyrics to your songs and drinking the entire bottle of wine that I bought today because I finished the other one last night.”

The pair laugh lightheartedly at her joke before Ricky shifts and pulls Nini’s frame closer into his chest. Tilting his head down to look into his fiancée’s beautiful chocolate eyes. An exhale escaping his body as he prepares to answer her question.

“Six months without you,” He replies as if it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“So? You said it yourself, this is a dream come true.”

“I know,” Ricky shrugs with a slight nod to his head, “I guess, I just wish you would come with me.”

Nini’s lips tighten into a firm line as she moves her hand up to his curly hair, cradling the back of his head. “You know I would if I could,” She runs her thumb along his scalp, “But that’s not it.”

There’s never been a person that could read Ricky better than Nini could. Even Big Red who’ve they’ve known just as long as each other – well Big Red did have fifteen minutes up on Nini on that front. But, Nini’s always been amazing at being able to tell whenever Ricky was building up a wall or trying to convince himself otherwise.

Sure, what he was saying was a part of the truth, but it wasn’t all of it. There was more than what he was letting on. And in heart, she knew that it wasn’t about her. Something about this world tour wasn’t sitting right in Ricky and she wasn’t exactly sure what that could be.

Ever since the band started rising in fame, they always talked about their band’s bucket list of things they wanted to accomplish. And headlining a world tour has always taken that number one spot. So, it didn’t make sense to Nini what was suddenly holding her fiancée back about being extremely excited and thrilled for this tour.

It took Ricky five minutes of holding her tightly for him to muster up the courage to tell her the honest and straight truth. Things he’s never told EJ or Big Red or even the rest of the band. Ricky’s never been amazing at letting out his feelings, but Nini’s always been the exception to any rule he ever had.

“I guess it’s just after this tour, what do we have left?” He lets out a deep breath as he avoids eye contact, “By the end, we’ve crossed every single thing off on our list. No one makes music forever. We’re at our prime and honestly, I’m kind of scared to see what’s going to happen once we become…irrelevant.”

“Ricky, you don’t know what the future holds for you and the band,” She reassures, “Sure, everything on your list will be crossed off, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of that list. You guys made that four years ago, you can’t honestly tell me that your goals are the exact same since then.”

Ricky shakes his head confirming that she was indeed correct with her statement. Ever since they started growing in fame and as artists, after having met hundreds of other musicians, producers, songwriters there was one thing that Ricky has learned. There is always room to grow.

He’s constantly learning new things from the people he has met in their career. And they have grown so much as artists that sometimes when Ricky looks back at their first record he has to stop himself from correcting every single little detail. Like, how a note sounds a little too perfect where they should’ve let it fly to give it a little bit of attitude and personality. Or how a certain lyric would’ve suited the line so much better.

But that’s just how the world is. No matter where he is in life, there is always room for improvement. Their records showcase at what point of life they are at. Like with their first album, they were still figuring out what kind of message they wanted to broadcast and what is culturally acceptable in today’s society of what should be shared.

However, with their latest album the title says it all – nothing personal.

Because when everything felt like it was going to shit at the beginning of the year they had all realized, not just Ricky, that they didn’t need to apologize for being who they are or keeping certain things to themselves. It’s nothing personal to their fans but they had every right to be selfish. That was something that was difficult for them to learn and in all honesty, they were still working their way towards that.

So this record showcases who they truly are. Touching on things that they struggle with like, obsessing over tabloid culture and trying to bring down your walls that they’ve worked so hard on building. Not wanting to grow up, the overwhelming feeling of things being far too much to handle. It dives deeper into anything they’ve ever written or put out before, and it’s safe to say this is the most vulnerable they’ve ever been of a record.

“The future is scary,” Nini breaks him out of his thoughts, “But, I want you to just live in the moment. Embrace it while you have it because at the end of the day you’re given this amazing opportunity. Live your dream, Ricky, I guarantee you’re going to absolutely love it.”

“I knew I was marrying you for a reason,” He teases.

The young doctor rolls her eyes jokingly at his words, “Good to know I’m more than just a pretty face.”

Ricky chuckles as he presses a soft kiss to her hair mumbling quietly into her dark locks, “Promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Try and come to a few concerts,” He suggests with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, “Now that we don’t have to hide you or sneak you in anywhere. You could literally stand in the wings if you wanted.”

Nini’s always been a little hesitant about going to his concerts. Sure, she’s been to her fair share over the years but when they were still hiding their relationship from the media that did limit Nini’s concert attendance. Because whenever she did attend Ricky would make it a point that she’d sneak her way backstage and he would not take no for an answer, especially when they weren’t home for months at a time.

And now that they were going to be travelling across continents and not just North America, things were going to be slightly different. Their time zones weren’t going to be at most 3 hour differences, but it could be as big as ten to twelve hours. Ricky wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to survive those times. Thank god that Nini was sometimes put on the night shift that he’ll probably be able to catch her on some nights.

“Well, I’ll probably go to the LA one since that’s always the biggest one,” Nini reminds him, as she twirls her finger in his hair, “And obviously the one here. But, I prefer being in the crowds, I like to experience you in all of your glory.”

He smirks at her last sentence feeling rather smug, “What about Paris?”

“Oh, how romantic,” Nini teases.

Nuzzling his face into her neck, peppering kisses along her warm skin. Quietly thanking the young woman in his arms for having worn a tank top, able to reach as much skin as possible. Planting a deep kiss on her ticklish spot right behind her ear, chuckling as he feels her body shiver as she tries to calm herself.

“I can’t just go to the city of love without my lover.”

“Taylor Swift would be oh so disappointed.”

“And, we can’t let that happen,” Ricky laughs at her comment, bringing his head back up to look in her eyes, “So, Paris?”

“Paris,” Nini nods, bringing him into a deep kiss.

Ricky may get things wrong a lot of the time. But publicizing their relationship, being able to love each other out in the open without worrying about what people might say or think. That was one thing he did get right. Nini reminds him every day as she is eternally grateful for the little push he had given her.

They are the happiest they’ve ever been.

Chapter Text

Music Engine
A Pop Punk Proposal – written by Lisa Gaskarth

Earlier this year it came as a surprise to the world when Ricky Bowen, more commonly known as a player among sorts and hopping from girl to girl, turned out to be in a long term relationship with his high school sweetheart Nini Salazar-Roberts. And after eight long years, he decided to seal the deal and put a ring on her.

“I think anyone can agree that being together for eight years is a feat in itself,” Bowen comments, “But I’ve known I was going to marry her since we were sixteen. I always had this plan to make this perfect proposal because it’s what she deserves. But something just felt right in that moment. So, I kinda just went for it.” He popped the question while waiting for their flight back home to Salt Lake from a secret excursion away.

Nearly two decades ago, Bowen met his bride-to-be in his kindergarten class after accidentally toppling over her not having seen her sitting on the floor. Ever since then it they’ve been attached at the hip, the couple jokes.

Over the near decade that they’ve been dating they’ve done a lot of growing up together. With Bowen’s music and touring schedule and to Salazar-Roberts’s residency, it gives them little to no time to spend together. But that didn’t stop their love from growing apart, in fact it helped them grow stronger. It wasn’t just their love that had grown, the singer comments, but they had also grown so much as people each day trying to better themselves.

When asked about the secrecy of their relationship for majority of their years together and how that factor impacted them, they’ve admitted to the struggles they constantly faced. Both issues between them as individuals and also the external factors that impeded on this relationship, such as the headlines coming out about Bowen’s ‘player’ background.

“I’ve known Ricky my entire life and I put my whole trust in him. I can’t let a few things the media says get to me because they don’t know him like I do,” Salazar-Roberts says, “I fall more in love with him every day, and sure, we face our fair share of bumps in the road. But I think it’s healthy in a way. Without a few struggles and stress, how can we grow and evolve to the best person we could be?”

Bowen and Salazar-Roberts will be tying the knot in the spring after a nearly two year engagement. With Bowen’s touring schedule, they had to extend their wedding date a little longer than either of them had expected. But both agreed that it was the best for them at the time. They’ll be sealing the deal in an old beautiful church in their hometown. The wedding will be small and intimate with just their family and friends in attendance.

After years of secrecy many fans beg the question whether this relationship is one to last a lifetime. Especially after hearing a number of rumors over the years regarding Bowen’s questionable love life. So, we asked the couple, what do they love most about each other?

“Besides everything?” Bowen jokes, “Her determination. She’s always been this driven person, doing everything she can to please the people around her to the point that sometimes she can forget about herself. And with the amount of work she does, it always makes me want to grow and be this better man and not only for her but for myself too.”

“Everyone always tells me I must feel so lucky because he’s in this famous band. Yes, I admire his talent and one of my favourite things is to watch him up on that stage,” Nini notes, “But he’s so much more than that. What I love most about Ricky is that he accepts and understands me. In some ways we are complete opposites, and he understands that it takes me longer to process and get used to new things. He never pushes me, never tries to make me do something I don’t want to do. He loves me for all that I am, and I love him for all that he is.”

It is safe to say to all the skeptical fans out there that, yes, this relationship will last a lifetime there’s no doubt about it.