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They go straight to an after party following the premiere of the documentary. Ricky swears that documentary embellished every single event at camp, but in the end it did send a positive message.
The message that love and friendship is truly what lifts people up. And that finding yourself is more important than anything else.
Ricky agrees with that, even if that’s the only part of the documentary that he likes.
It had twisted every word of both him and his friends, however, not all of it was bad. Because in the most sincere way, without the terrible editing from Channing, Ricky is certain that he wouldn’t have kissed Gina. Or that she wouldn't have confessed her feelings for him in the first place.
He’s still unsure it really happened. It’s very surreal!
Gina Porter , his closest friend—aside from Big Red, and a person he’s imagined being with for nearly a year now is now his . Not EJ’s, or anyone else’s. She’s his to lose now.
She may not have seen it coming, but he certainly did. He saw her and then from the very moment she walked into East High and took the drama club by storm. She changed everything.
She changed everything for the better—especially Ricky.
The after party had been a fun event with music and dancing. Gina was on the dance floor the whole night, having changed from her two-piece outfit into a more casual dress. And Ricky didn’t take his eyes off of her the whole time. Her big Afro wasn’t tough to see, but her smile is truly what kept his eyes on her.
The grin on her face didn’t falter the whole night. She danced with him, Kourtney, Jet, Maddox, Carlos, and Ashlyn, and she was laughing and smiling the entire time.
It warmed the deepest parts of Ricky’s heart.
Seeing her happy after seeing her upset and confused during the final days of camp made him feel so much lighter—like a weight had been lifted from his chest.
Though they had yet to discuss the kids any further.
After they’d left the stage, the documentary had premiered and then they were being stuffed into town cars and sent to the party.
It was all fun and enjoyable, but Ricky couldn’t wait until he got back to his hotel room—primarily because Gina’s staying on the same floor as him.
Her mom has been watching over the both of them over the past two days. Terri Porter offered to go with Gina when she heard about the premiere in Hollywood and Gina had jumped at the chance. Ever since her mom had moved back to Salt Lake she’d been trying to savor as much time with her as possible. It was her way of making up for lost time.
And Ricky’s grateful for her as well. Gina’s mom has really taken to him ever since they met nearly a year ago. When she found out that he was going to the premiere alone, she’d told Gina to book a room at his hotel just so they could keep an eye on him.
Only now her eyes might not be what Ricky and Gina want.
Ricky drops down on his bed the moment he unlocks the hotel room door. It had been a long day, but such a life-changing one.
He’d never been on a red carpet before, he’d never attended a movie premiere, and he’d never seen himself on the big screen before. But more than all of that, he’d never kissed someone the way he kissed Gina.
He’s never felt power in a kiss like he did when her lips collided with his. It’s forever gonna define him from this moment forward.
Ricky changes out of his suit and goes into the bathroom to wipe off some of the makeup a wardrobe person had put on his face. He looks tired, but also Ricky notices just how much his skin is glowing. There’s only one person he can accredit that to. Gina.
And just like that, he hears knocking on his door.
Ricky scrambles out of the bathroom portion of his hotel room and rushes towards the door. He doesn’t have to look through the little peep hole to know who is on the other side of the door.
“Hey, Gi,” Ricky smiles brightly as he opens the door. She’s standing in her pajamas in the doorway, every drop of makeup removed from her face. She looks just as stunning like this as she is with her face and hair done to perfection.
“Hi,” Gina mirrors his smile as she steps into his bedroom. “I told my Mom I was going down to the hot tub to decompress, I think I bought myself at least a half hour.”
Ricky nods as he lets her sit down on his hotel bed, dropping down at the edge across from her, “good. I was gonna send you a text or something.”
Gina looks over at him, “we should probably talk about today, right?”
“We should,” Ricky agrees as he scoots across the bed and places himself next to her. “Only if you’re ready. I don’t want to push you into anything.”
“You’re not,” Gina clarifies, “I want this, Ricky, and I have for a long time. And I know it’s complicated, there’s history—“
“History is history,” Ricky says, looking straight into Gina’s big brown eyes, “you and me, this is what I want too. I choose you, Gina Porter.”
He watches her eyes well up with tears at his words. Ricky momentarily freezes at her reaction. He hates when she cries. And he hates thinking it’s his fault.
Ricky pulls her close to his chest, “it’s okay. It’s okay, Gi. What’s wrong?”
“No one’s ever said that to me,” Gina sniffles as she glances up at Ricky. “No one has ever said that they choose me. Not my dad, Jamie, or even EJ.”
Ricky hates that all of those men have hurt her. He hates knowing that she’s been wounded by them. And if he could make it all better he would, in a single heartbeat. “I’m sorry, Gina. You deserve so much better than that,” Ricky apologizes.
She smiles up at him, wiping a tear from her face, “has anyone told you that you’re the best?”
“Maybe once or twice,” Ricky grins, “from this really cute girl I know.”
“I’ll have to meet her,” Gina giggles as she rests her head on Ricky’s shoulder.
He wishes they could stay like this forever. He wishes he could inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo against his neck every time he needs comfort. And he wishes he could feel the warmth of her smile every morning he wakes up.
Ricky interlocks her fingers with his, “come to my room tomorrow at seven. It’s a surprise.”
Gina perks up as she lifts her head up from his shoulder, “what do you have planned, Bowen?”
“I said it’s a surprise, Porter.”
“Okay,” Gina agrees as she drops a kiss on his lips, a soft and chaste one. One that makes Ricky feel more fulfilled than anything else in the world. “Good night, Ricky.”
“Good night, Gina. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Tomorrow and the rest of their lives.
~~~~~
Ricky hears her knocking on the door at seven o’clock exactly. He smiles because he knows that Gina Porter is never late, even for hotel room dates.
Except this isn’t really a date…or is it?
Ricky knows that the moment they get back to Salt Lake he’ll be asking to borrow Big Red’s car and be spending a whole afternoon fixing his hair to go and pick Gina up and take her to the skatepark, only this time they’ll go to the empty bowl in the corner of the park and he’ll set up a picnic for her in the bottom. It’ll be perfect, just like her.
When Ricky swings open the door his face brightens immediately. Gina is standing in the hall, her hair up and an East High hoodie draped over her shoulders.
Ricky tries to find the words, but he can’t. He can’t seem to even think straight when she’s standing across from him. He steals her breath away every single time.
“Are you gonna invite me in?” Gina asks with a soft smile. Ricky nods and backs away, letting her step into the room. “And are you gonna blame it on polyester this time?”
“What?” Ricky chokes out, coughing slightly.
Gina laughs as she turns back to face him, “every time I walk in a room your eyes land on me, and every single time I try to talk to you, you become massively tongue-tied.”
It’s true, he’s not debating that. “I know, Gi. But it’s hard to find the words when you’re across from me. You're the most beautiful girl in the world and I struggle to believe that you’re actually in my life. It feels like a dream sometimes.” Even if it was a dream, there’s no chance in hell he wants to wake up.
Gina stops and looks at him. She can feel her heart soften at the thought of what he must feel right now. It makes her want to kiss him right in the middle of his hotel room.
“Can I kiss you?” Gina asks.
Ricky raises his gaze to her eyes, “there’s nothing I want more.”
She takes one step forward and their lips lock. Passion resonates between them, but also a deep level of intimacy Gina has never felt before. She feels connected and safe. Like she’s never felt before.
Ricky backs away first, placing a hand on her waist, “I don’t wanna get carried away, Gi. That’s now why I invited you here.”
Gina raises a brow as she looks at him, “then why did you invite me? What’s the surprise, Bowen?”
He turns her around towards his bed which has been housing a stupid amount of silver trays full of any and all types of breakfast foods. He knows Gina’s favorite meal is breakfast and what better to eat than hotel room service breakfast?
“You ordered room service?” Gina asks as her eyes widen at the array of trays and dishes.
Ricky smiles as he takes her hand and directs her towards the spot in bed he cleared just for her.
“I wanted our last day here to be special.” Ricky explains as he opens the lid to one of the trays, revealing a heaping stack of waffles. “For you.”
Gina’s heart leaps out of her chest. Ricky Bowen is quite possibly the best person she knows. “I can’t believe you’d do all of this for me.”
Ricky shrugs as he sits down on the other side of the bed, “it’s just my way of showing you how important you are to me.” Ricky grabs her hand for a moment, “and don’t think this treatment will stop when we get back to Salt Lake—that is, if you want to really be my girlfriend?”
It sounds childish to even say it, but he knows she likes to know where people stand with her. And this is where he stands.
Gina squeezes his hand softly, “I would love to be your girlfriend.” She smiles as she rips off a piece of waffles and drops it into his mouth. “Especially if it means more waffles in bed with you.”
“I’ll make you waffles every day and personally deliver them to your house every morning if that’s what you want, Gi. You know I will.”
Gina can feel herself melting. She swears only Ricky has ever made her do that. “I just want us.”
Ricky drops a kiss on the top of her hand, “me too.”
He stares at the back of her hand before dropping it down on the comforter. He can’t wait to walk into school holding her hand. He can’t wait to hold her hand as he lets her ride his skateboard even though it terrifies him. And he can’t wait to hold her hand as they take on whatever life throws their way this year—complicated or not.
Ricky Bowen cannot wait to take on the world with Gina Porter by his side.