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If he loves you...
He'll go out of his way for you.
Nini had been searching through her desk drawer furiously. All of the drawers and her wardrobe had been open as a reminder to her future self that she had already gone through that furniture.
Her favorite necklace on earth had gone missing, and she was about to lose her damn mind if she didn't find it. The necklace had been given to her by her moms as a birthday gift when she was 10, and it quickly became a major part of her accessories.
She had worn that damn piece of jewelry almost every day for the past seven years, which is why she was amazed she had been so careless with it all of a sudden.
"Hey Neens, I wanted to ask if—woah, did a tornado blow through here?"
Nini turned her head to see her best friend, Ricky, standing at her door frame. She took a moment to look around her room and could see why he commented on its apparel.
She didn't even notice she threw clothing all over her floor and a few necklaces that slightly resembled the one she yearned for. She usually hated when her room was in this state, but right now that was the least of her worries.
"Ricky, what're you doing here?"
"Your moms let me in. I wanted to ask if you were up for a movie, but it seems I should be asking what the hell you're doing. Is it spring cleaning day already?"
She rolls her eyes. "I'm looking for my locket."
"The golden, heart shaped one?"
"Yep, that one."
"You lost it?!"
"Why else would I be trashing my room like this, Ricky?"
"I don't know. Maybe you just felt the sudden need to redecorate."
"I'm being serious!"
"Alright, sorry." He sighs as he glances at her room. "When was the last time you saw it?"
Nini furrowed her brows, making that cute face she forms when she's concentrating. "I think it was whenever all of us went to the skating rink, but it's hard to tell if it's there anymore since we went a couple other places after that."
Ricky nods. "Stay here. I'll be back later." He hurriedly leaves her room.
"Where are you going?" She yells.
"I'll fill you in later."
She hears the front door shut a few seconds later and decides to just wait until he comes back.
It's been two hours since he had left, and she assumed he might not be coming back after all. She plops down on her bed with a huff, staring blankly at the ceiling. There was no sign of that locket anywhere in her perimeter, and she admits it made her wanna cry a bit.
Suddenly, she hears the sound of loud footsteps coming up the stairs. She already knew it wasn't her moms's, which only left...
"Neens."
She sat up straight to face her friend. She noticed he had been a little out of breath and could see a few sweat droplets on his forehead.
"Did you go run a marathon during that time?"
"No, I went looking for your necklace."
"That's what you were doing all this time? You didn't have to do that."
"Well, I saw how upset you were and hated to see you all worked up about it, so I took matters in my own hands and well it led to this." He held up a white plastic bag.
"You found it?!"
He frowns. "Unfortunately, no."
Her hope began dying out. "Oh..."
He took a seat next to her. "I swear I looked all over the place for it. I backtracked all of the restaurants and entertainment places we went to in the past week, but to no avail. When I realized that I wouldn't be able to find it, I knew you'd be crushed. But I also didn't want to show up here empty handed so..." He gently placed the plastic bag on her lap. "I got you this."
She lifts a brow and grins at him. "What is it?"
"Only one way to find out." He winks.
She opens the bag to find a small black box that was no doubt holding some piece of jewelry. She slowly lifts the top off of the box and gasps.
Inside was a gorgeous butterfly shaped necklace. It had small pastel pink crystals within it, and she could tell that it was indeed real. She rests a hand over her heart.
"Ricky, oh my god."
"You like it?"
"Dude, this is real! Like you spent money on authentic rocks for me of all people! Why would you do this?"
"Because you were upset." He says nonchalantly as if he didn't just spend at least $90 on her.
"Ricky, I can't accept this."
"So you don't like it?"
"No, don't get me wrong. I love this. This is definitely one of the best gifts I've ever received, but I don't deserve it."
"I wouldn't have given it to you if you didn't deserve it. Think of it as an early birthday gift if it'll make you feel better."
"How much did this cost?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Ricky..."
"I already tossed out the receipt."
"You're too much." She grazed her thumb over the gorgeous necklace.
"I know this'll never replace the other locket, but I hope you'll love it just as much or at least make it your second favorite necklace."
She makes a toothy smile at his words. She sets the box down on her nightstand before throwing her arms around Ricky's neck. He smiles into her shoulder and holds her closer.
"Thank you, Ricky. This really means a lot that you'd do this for me."
He shrugs. "Of course I would, Neens. I'd do anything for you."
They stay in one another's embrace a little longer than they probably should have, but neither seem to have minded at all.
***
If he loves you...
He'll start doing things he's never done before.
"Alright Ricky, you're almost done."
"What's almost?"
"Maybe 5, 10."
"Seconds, minutes, hours?"
"Maybe 15..."
"Not helping, Neens."
Nini had been doing Ricky's hair and makeup for the past hour and a half for her cosmetology class. She had been hesitant to take the course since she wasn't sure if she wanted to pursue it as a profession, and it cost extra. After hearing Kourtney rave about it and seeing her results, Nini decided to try it out herself.
This week's assignment was to give glam makeup with matching hair to a real person. She originally was going to do it on Ashlyn, but she ended up visiting her grandparents this weekend and had to bail. When Ricky got a call from Nini that afternoon, he happily said he'd do it.
She was honestly shocked that he said yes since he usually would refuse to put on any form of makeup since he claimed it made his face feel oily and gross. She isn't sure why he had a change of heart, but she was grateful for his help nonetheless.
"I feel like you coated my face with ten layers of makeup products I could not remember the name of to save my life."
"I think that you look stunning. I'm sure you'll have all the pretty boys jealous."
She spots an area of his face that didn't have enough highlight. She tried her best to cover it correctly, but her current position was getting in her way due to the cramped bathroom. She tried to think of a way to get closer and blushed when she came to a conclusion. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna have to sit on your lap for a moment."
She thought he'd be weirded out by her request, but he smiles and makes room for her on his lap. She awkwardly grins as she swings her legs on either side of him. He grabs her hips to steady her, and she feels electricity shoot through her.
Her cheeks reddened at the contact, and it didn't help that his thumbs began massaging her. She cleared her throat and continued to work on his face as an attempt to distract her mind. Four minutes later, she finishes the last few touches.
"All done!"
She stands up and doesn't miss the whine from his lips at the loss of contact. His hands linger on her hips before finally releasing her. He got up from his chair and was taken aback when he saw his reflection.
She applied sparkly golden eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and brown lipstick. The foundation, bronzer, and highlight all matched perfectly with the rest of the face, and his hair was even curled to perfection.
"Holy shit Neens; you're insanely talented! I didn't know you even had that bottled in you for all these years!"
"You flatter me."
"It's well earned praise for sure. I don't think I've ever looked this attractive in my life. I might have to start wearing this crap after all."
She laughs. "Oh please, you don't need makeup to look attractive."
He smirks. "Is that so?"
She rolls her eyes playfully. "Don't go getting a fat head." She lightly smacked his arm.
"Can you go ahead and take a picture of your artwork? As much as I love your craft, I'm starting to feel greasy."
"Sure."
She picks up her phone and snaps some pictures from different angles. When she was content with the outcome, she sent them to her folder for her course.
"Alright, you're free to wipe all of that off."
"Oh thank god." He snatched the closest makeup removal wipe and smeared it all over his face.
"As a thank you for doing this for me, I'll treat you to the restaurant of your choosing."
He stops wiping to look at her. "No need. This was a favor."
"I insist. It'd feel wrong not to since you went out of your way to get me that necklace a couple of weeks ago, and you didn't plan to be doing this today."
"But-"
She presses her index against his lips to shush him. "Nope, you can't convince me otherwise. Now do I have to choose where to go, or will you just tell me where you wanna go?"
He chuckles and removes her finger. "In-N-Out sounds good right now."
"Then In-N-Out it is."
When he finishes washing his face, he sees she's looking at him oddly.
"What?"
"You missed a spot."
"Where?" He tried to search for a spot but found nothing.
She pointed at his cheek. "There."
She got on her tippy-toes and pecked his cheek in the area she poked. His face heated up at her gesture, and she refrains from laughing at his reaction.
"Come on, I wanna beat the traffic."
She grabs his hand and begins dragging him out of her bathroom. Ricky felt like he entered the gates of heaven, and he hoped this wasn't the only time she'd graze her lips on him.
***
If he loves you...
He'll give you "the look."
He has been acting differently lately. Not different in a bad way, but it was noticeable. He was always touchy, but he seemed to have kicked it up a notch. She didn't think it was serious enough for her to bring up since it wasn't causing anyone any harm.
They were preparing homemade blueberry muffins as she spoke about how excited she was to finally show off her cosmetology skills in front of her class for her final. Nini gushed about how confident she was that she'd blow her teacher away when she sees how much she's improved.
Nini recognized that he hadn't spoken ever since she opened her mouth. She sneaked a look at him and paused when she met eyes with him. He had a twinkle in his eye that she had never seen before. He was so focused on her, and his eyes had such adoration in them. It was the most intense gaze she has ever seen.
The world seemed to disappear around them, and all she could concentrate on was those breathtaking eyes. She doesn't even register that he had taken a step forward and placed his hand on top of hers until his other hand cups her cheek.
The skin contact sends the same electric feeling she got just a couple of days ago. She almost forgets how to breathe when his eyes land on her lips. Everything feels as if it's occurring in slow motion.
He ducks down so that his lips hovered over hers while her arms looped around his neck. Next thing she knows, their lips are smashing together in a passionate kiss.
He ensures there is no space left between them as he deepens the kiss. He reaches down, lifts her from her knees, and wraps her legs around his waist. She tangles her hands in his hair and moans in pleasure when he rolls his tongue.
He breaks the kiss to catch his breath, not even thinking of letting her go. "Before we continue, as you can tell I'm totally into you."
"Oh really? I didn't notice."
He smirks. "What gave it away?"
"That whole kissing me stunt really spoke volumes."
"Talk about us later?"
"For sure."
Their lips met in the middle as he walked them to the couch. They can figure out what they are to each other afterwards, but now all they wanted was to convey their feelings through kisses and be in one another's presence.