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"I don't know what to tell you Neens."
Nini sobs as she wipes away her fallen tears. Her nostrils were flared, and her face was puffy.
"What do you mean you don't know what to tell me?! How about giving me a good explanation?!"
Ricky awkwardly scratches the back of his head and directs his eyes anywhere but at her.
"I already did."
"Ricky, people don't just break up after eight years together because you felt it was time."
"Yes, they do."
"Not us Ricky! We're not like other people! Most people haven't been friends since they were 5 and dated from their senior year in high school to their mid-20's! We tell each other everything, and you even gave me a promise ring just last year. You're really trying to tell me it was time? We were practically getting started!"
"I-I don't know what to tell you to help you better understand."
"How about the truth?"
They just stand there in their living room, or should she say what used to be their living room since he already packed his bags to leave to god knows where. He has a blank look in his eye that she didn't even recognize. It was almost lifeless, and she knew right then and there that it was truly over.
He had fallen out of love with her.
"Listen Nini, I'll always care about you. You're a major part of my life and always will be, but it's time to move on. We just weren't meant to be. Besides, you deserve a guy that won't walk out on you like this."
"Ricky..."
He picks up his luggage. "I left you some rent money for the rest of the year in the envelope on the dresser since I know you can't do it all alone, at least not yet."
"Then why are you leaving me all alone?!"
He just gives her a sad smile before sighing heavily. "I'm gonna head out. Take care Nini. I really am sorry for leaving like this. I hope you find-"
"Get out."
He blinks, slightly taken aback by her words. Right when he was about to say something else, she beats him to it.
"Get the fuck out!"
She pulls the ring off her finger and throws it at him. He blocked it with his arms and seemed shocked by her actions.
"Why the fuck are you still here if you wanna leave so bad?! I said get the fuck out!"
She pushes his chest harshly, and she finally sees that familiar gleam in his eye. That little light he always got when he felt guilty, but right now she wasn't trying to feel any form of sympathy for him.
He doesn't say anything. He just fixed himself up and closed the door behind him. The second he does, she falls to her knees and cries. She doesn't know how long she stayed there on the ground, but it was long enough for her to feel her knees bruising. Not like that mattered, nothing mattered anymore.
Half of her soul walked out of that door along with him, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever retrieve it back.
Nini shoots up from her bed in a cold sweat. She had noticed her vision was a little glassy and wiped her eyes. She must've been crying in her sleep. She quickly looks over to her right and lets out a sigh of relief at the sight of Ricky beside her.
He begins to move around in his sleep and eventually flutters his eyelids open. He rubs his face before looking up at his longtime girlfriend.
"Hey babe, what're you doing up?" He says groggily.
She feels the tears begin to fall as she recaps the dream, alarming him. His sleepiness seemed to have disappeared as he sat up straight. He begins massaging his thumb on her lower back since it was one of the many ways to soothe her.
"Neens, what's wrong?"
She doesn't say a word. She just climbs into his lap and throws her arms around his neck. He rested one hand on her hip while the other rubbed her back. She hid her face in the crook of his neck and held him as tight as she could.
He lets her cry it out since he knew she wasn't functional when she was like this. She finally finished two minutes later, and she wipes the remaining tears with her sleeve.
"Wanna tell me what's got you all upset at 4 in the morning?"
She makes a huffing noise. "I'm sorry for waking you."
"It's okay. Comforting you is more important anyway."
She rests her cheek on his shoulder. "You meant it, right?"
He lifts a brow. "What do you mean?"
"When you gave me the promise ring, you meant you'd be by my side forever, right?"
He was perplexed when she said that. He never assumed that was the thing that would've upset her.
He pulls away so that their eyes met. "Babe, of course I meant it. I meant every single word I said, and I will never take it back. You're the love of my life, Neens. You and I both know that."
Nini nods and feels her cheeks redden in embarrassment. Of course she knows he loved her, but what if one day he does decide she isn't enough for him and leaves? If she felt that broken in a fictional state, she can't imagine reality.
He cups her face. "Nini, where is all this coming from?"
She shrugged while averting her eyes to her hands.
"It's so stupid."
"Try me."
She tried her best to bring up the nightmare, but she struggled to come up with the words. He could tell she was having a hard time, so he drew circles onto her cheeks.
She places her hand on top of his. "I had a dream that you left me because you fell out of love, and it felt so real. I just wanted to die. It makes me wanna cry again just thinking about it."
Ricky felt his own heart break at the thought of him leaving her. He'd never in his life consider doing such a thing when he knows they were destined to be together.
"Nini, you have nothing to worry about. I'm here to stay until the day one of us die. Even then, I'll wait for you in the after life. I literally cannot picture a future without you being there."
Nini chuckles with no humor. "I told you I sounded like an idiot."
He pecked her lips before gently leaning his forehead against hers. "No, you're not. My overdramatic ass would probably be acting even worse if it were me. I'd definitely be annoying."
"How so?"
"I don't know; I’d probably do something like this." He smirks before closing the distance between their lips, causing her to sigh in bliss. He broke off the kiss far too soon for her liking. He pressed a few more on her cheek before stopping.
"The only thing annoying about that was the fact that you stopped." She says poking out her lip, making him laugh. He placed her down on her side of the bed and brought the comforter over them.
He opened his arms out for her, and she happily makes her way to him. She hugs his frame and buried her face into his chest, loving the feeling of being completely consumed by him. He puts one hand behind her head and wraps the other arm around her torso.
The couple finally falls back to sleep with faint smiles on their faces, ready to see what adventures tomorrow has in store for them.
***
Ricky waddled into the kitchen with Nini holding onto him for dear life. Her legs were wrapped around his waist from the front while her arms were around his neck. Though she fully believed his reassuring words, that didn't erase the need to be glued to him.
Ricky had set her down on the counter and laughed at how silly she was being. “Baby, are you gonna hold onto me like this all day?”
“Maybe.”
“Even in public?”
“Possibly.”
“You realize I’m not going anywhere, right? I’m 100% yours.”
“I do.”
“Well as long as you know that, I don’t mind this.”
“Great, because I don’t plan on letting go unless I have to.”
He giggles and pulls her closer to him. “Today’s gonna be eventful.”
She smiles and crashes her lips onto his. He responds by moaning into her mouth and roaming his hands all over her body. Nini deepened the kiss by inserting her tongue, and it took all of his strength to pull back. She whined and began kissing along his neck.
He moans when she nibbles on his sweet spot. “Neens, we gotta make breakfast.”
“What if I’m hungry for something else?”
He smirks. “Hm and what exactly is that something else?”
She pulls him down so that his ear is next to her mouth. She whispers exactly what she’s hungry for in detail in his ear, making him blush. In a flash, he’s picking her up from the counter and escorting her to their bedroom.
“I thought you wanted to make breakfast.”
“The thing you were hungry for sounded much more appetizing.”
Ricky placed her on the bed and began kissing her everywhere. “I love you.”
That comment alone was enough to bring a bright smile to her face and warm her heart. She hugs him and tilts her head back for him to press his lips against her neck.
And as their bodies explored one another’s, he makes sure she knows that he was here to stay with every loving kiss and gentle touch.