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Gina had learned at a very early age that good things were often temporary. Her own bathroom that she didn't have to share with her messy brother? She'd enjoyed that for a month tops. The dance studio that was conveniently minutes away from her new house? The money they paid for lessons would be wasted due to a hurricane in Florida. There were many instances like this and because of it she never let herself get too comfortable.
However, Salt Lake changed this- changed her. Things were great, perfect even, and for once Gina wasn't worried about it being ripped from her. She had great friends, Ashlyn and Kourtney were basically like sisters to her. And she had an amazing (albeit secret) boyfriend. She and Ricky had practically mastered the art of secret dating and she was unbelievably happy. They were in their own little bubble and nothing could pop it.
Years of moving had conditioned her to always be prepared for the other shoe to drop but she was tired of living that way. That is until it does drop. “It’s time, Gina.” Kourtney announces at their lunch table which currently only seats herself, Ricky, Big Red, and Kourtney.
Gina raises a perplexed eyebrow. “Time for what exactly?"
Ricky sneakily tries to steal a grape from the container of her lunch but Gina swats his hand away. “Hey! Get your own grapes, Bowen!” When Ricky gives her a look of mock hurt, she relents. “Fine. Open.” She orders and Ricky’s quick to oblige, his lips parting to form an ‘O’. She tosses it into his open mouth, smiling when he catches it with ease.
“Ahem! Girl trying to stage an intervention here.” Kourt interjects. "It’s been almost five months since your breakup and you haven’t even so much as looked at another guy."
And the reason for that was sitting right next to her. She spares a glance at Ricky whose being about as subtle as an earthquake. He's pretending not to eavesdrop but the way his hand freezes mid-reach for another one of Gina's grapes makes it obvious that he's listening in. His chewing comes to a halt at the dangerous subject Kourtney's veering them towards.
Gina slides the container of grapes in front of Ricky, subtly squeezing his knee underneath the table to reassure him. "I've been... busy," which isn't entirely a lie. Between rehearsals, school, and her reoccurring role of 'extra number three' in the High School Musical reunion movie, she really had been swamped. Any free time she did have went to Ricky. Orchestrating secret meet-ups was a lot more time-consuming than one would think.
"It's time to move on babe. I'm the biggest advocate for being single and sufficient but as your friend, I cannot have the last person you kissed be EJ Caswell." Out of the corner of her eye, Ricky's ears have turned a bright red and Gina's own face feels like it's on fire.
“I want you to come on a double date with me and Jet-” Ricky whose mid-bite into his turkey club begins to cough loudly as he chokes on his sandwich. "There's this great guy in one of my classes who I think would be perfect for you." Kourt concludes. Or, at least, she thinks that's what she said. It's hard to hear her over Ricky's coughing fit.
Without looking at him, Gina passes her water bottle over to Ricky. "A double date?" Gina repeats, disbelief coloring her voice. "I don't think so Kourt. It's so sweet but-"
"Ricky, you're coming too." Jet interrupts as he approaches their lunch table. He plops down in the seat next to Kourtney, his lunch tray thudding against the table. "It's time for you to move on from, you know who." Did they just get roped into a double date? And is Gina crazy or did Jet just look at her?
Ricky finally stops gulping down Gina's water to protest. "Uh, no way."
"You should go Ricky." Big Red chimes in from the opposite side of the table. "You haven't been on a real date since Nini... or technically Lily which is even worse." They all collectively flinch at her name except Jet who was lucky enough to have never met her.
"So, it's settled! Triple date tonight!" Kourt exclaims, clapping her hands together in excitement.
"Yay!" Gina exclaims weakly. Ricky shoots a panicked glance at Gina who can only shrug helplessly. They had made plans to go on a date this week and technically they were... except with other people.
___
Gina hears a knock at her window and immediately knows who it is. Ricky climbs through with the kind of grace and dexterity that can only be gained after months of him sneaking through it. The first time he attempted to do it, he face-planted on the floor. Gina forced him to leave soon after out of fear that her mom had heard the loud thump. "You know, you could use the door like a normal person." She teases.
Ricky grins. "Where's the fun in that?"
"Well, it seems all this sneaking around has come back to bite us in the ass." Gina chides. "A triple date huh?" She finally acknowledges for the first time since lunch.
Ricky groans, letting his head fall against her shoulder. His entire body folds, slumping against hers in a defeated manner. "Don't remind me. Who knew dating in secret would be so complicated."
Gina moves her hand to cradle the back of his head, playing with the curls at the nape of his neck. "I think it's actually kind of funny."
"Yeah, well you didn't have to listen to Kourt go on and on about how great your date is. Apparently, he spends his summers volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club and has boy band looks.”
Gina bites the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing at his antics and instead pretends to hum in consideration. "Hmm, well I did go through a One Direction phase in elementary school. Did Kourt say which boy band member he resembles because I've always been partial to-"
Ricky's head shoots up to glare at her. "Hey!" He objects.
"I'm kidding!" Gina laughs at the adorable pout that's overtaken his features. "You're the only musician for me." She reassures.
A mischievous glint twinkles in his eyes. "Prove it." He challenges with a smirk on his lips.
"Alright." She brushes her lips against his and he shivers. "Do you believe me now?" She whispers, skimming her lips lightly down his jaw.
"I may need a little more reassurance. Boy band looks is very intimidating." He murmurs before moving to capture her lips with his own. His hands trail down her arms before settling on her waist and Gina feels warm everywhere he touches her.
Gina loves kissing Ricky. She loves the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, soft and warm. She loves the taste of Juicy Fruit gum, a flavor he exclusively chews instead of mint. But mostly she loves how he kisses her like they have all the time in the world. She honestly thinks she could kiss Ricky Bowen forever.
Well, until her phone buzzes. She moves to reach for it but Ricky pulls her back into his arms for another quick kiss. She shoves him away playfully and Ricky flops onto her bed with a loud huff. "Down boy." She warns.
“Who is it?" He asks, voice muffled from the pillows he’s currently burrowed his face in.
"It's Kourtney. It's probably an update about our date." Sure enough, it's a message telling her to meet them at the movies at eight o'clock sharp. "Looks like we're going on a movie date in two hours."
"Sounds like a blast," Ricky replies, sarcasm laced in his words.
Gina bites her lip, her face contemplative. "Do you think we should just come clean? I mean, I understand us hiding it from the public-" Especially after the Frozen docuseries had evoked quite a bit of speculation and hate about their relationship. "-but they're our friends."
Ricky props himself up on his elbow, resting his chin in his hand. "Hey, there's nothing I'd love more than to scream that I, Ricky Bowen, am dating Gina Porter. It's up to you. You're the one with all the power. You always have been."
She smiles sadly at his words. "Why do you have to be so sweet? It makes this secret thing a lot harder." She admits quietly.
Gina's frustration must show on her face because Ricky suddenly appears in front of her. He takes her face in his hands, the pads of his thumbs stroking her cheeks. "Hey, we don't have to decide today." He reassures softly.
"We're about to go on dates with other people, Ricky. I think we do." She argues but Ricky just shushes her, pressing another kiss to her lips to silence her even further.
One of his hands slides from her face and down to the side of her neck, leaving a trail of tingles in its wake. "I'll make sure to score a seat right next to you. That way we can still share Milk Duds."
This gets her to smile. Their third date had been a movie night at Ricky's place and that's when they learned each other's go-to movie snacks. When roaming the aisles of the grocery store, Gina grabbed a box of milk duds while Ricky returned with a box of microwavable popcorn. "Milk Duds mixed into the popcorn bucket." Gina remedies.
Ricky smiles softly down at her and Gina's heart flutters. She'll never get used to him looking at her like that. "Exactly. It'll feel like we're on a date... except with four other people third wheeling."
The idea is ridiculous, and yet Gina feels a thousand times better. "Well, it won't be the weirdest date we've ever been on." Gina reminds him.
Ricky gives an exaggerated shudder at the mention of it. "Nope. I think the double date at the escape room with Mrs. Jenn and my dad takes the cake. Thanks again for tagging along for that. I couldn't have handled that impromptu bonding session on my own."
Gina pats his cheek sympathetically. "Of course. What are secret girlfriends for?"
Gina's phone buzzes again. "It's Kourt again. She wants to facetime to workshop outfit ideas."
They both reluctantly pull away from each other after a moment of continuing to linger. "Alright then. I better take off anyway. Got a big date to get ready for." He presses another quick kiss to Gina's lips before heading back toward her window. "See you tonight?" He asks.
"Tonight." She echos back to him before he climbs out. Gina moves to her window to watch him go as she usually does. It's their ritual and yet she still blushes when he turns back around to face her, pressing the palm of his hand to his heart and pointing at her. Gina knows exactly what it means. "Love you too." She whispers.
___
Ricky's already at the movies when Gina arrives. When he catches sight of her, he holds up the box of milk duds, smiling secretively. Gina's about to approach him, and maybe pull him away to sneak a kiss or two, when Kourtney intercepts her. "You're here! There's someone I want you to meet." Before she can protest, Kourt grabs her arm and steers her in the opposite direction of Ricky. She glances back at him helplessly, already regretting agreeing to this.
She leads him to a boy who does oddly resemble a younger Louis. "This is Thomas! He's in my English Lit class, has three sisters, and was born in England. What are the odds?" She nudges Gina with her elbow.
Gina offers a polite smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh! I think I hear Jet calling me. You two get to know each other!" Kourt winks at Gina, who mentally facepalms at her friend's attempt at matchmaking.
"Subtle Kourt," Gina says through gritted teeth as she excuses herself.
An awkward silence builds the minute they're left alone and Gina suddenly feels afflicted with a familiar phenomenon: word vomit. She's never been good at improvising and that hasn't changed. "Listen, you seem like a great guy and all but I'm kinda already dating someone." She blurts out. "Well, not kinda. I am dating someone. Him, actually." She points at Ricky whose trying to catch the popcorn that Jet's tossing at him in his mouth.
Much to her surprise, Tom smiles. "I'll be honest with you. I only came because Kourtney helped me with a paper last week. I felt I owed her." Gina should've felt offended but it was drowned out by her overwhelming sense of relief. He checks his watch. "Movies starting soon. We should go join them."
She nods in agreement. When they rejoin the group, Ricky's date arrived. Jet introduces her as Hannah, a girl from his bird-watching club. Something about her seems oddly familiar but Gina can't quite put her finger on it though. "Hey, guys. Ready to grab our seats." She asks.
They all nod, heading toward their theater in their assigned pairs of two. In front of her, Ricky politely chats with Hannah about birds. She laughs into her hand when he mentions his fear of ostriches and Ricky turns his head to smile back at her.
"Dork." She mouths and he smiles wider.
"I don't know how you two have managed to hide it this long from Kourtney. It's so obvious." Tom comments quietly and Gina flushes.
Just as he promised, Ricky slides into the seat next to her. He places the popcorn (already mixed with her candy of choice) in between them on the seat rest. She smiles gratefully at him, resisting the urge to just lay one on him. Let this Hannah girl know that he was hers.
When the lights dim, Gina lets her hand find Ricky's. They hold hands for the entirety of the movie. Ricky only lets go when he finds a Milk Dud in the popcorn. When this happens, he releases her hand to place it in her palm. Once she's popped the caramel candy in her mouth, his fingers interlock with hers again.
The movie is good but Gina can't wait to get home so she can spend time with Ricky, preferably without the company of their other dates. She especially feels this way when the lights flicker back on and Ricky's forced to let go of her hand. She wishes he hadn't. Most of all, she wishes that Kourtney and Jet did know so that she could hold her boyfriend's hand.
They all linger in front of the ticket booth after the movie ends. Gina figures they're about to go their separate ways but Kourt decides she's not done playing cupid. "Gina, you should give him your number! In case, you want to go on a second date."
"You too, Ricky." Jet jerks his head in the direction of Hannah.
Ricky glances at Gina, unsure of how to proceed. "Erm-" He fumbles over his words and Gina knows she needs to make a decision. It's now or never.
"I can't take it anymore! Kourt, I'm sorry but I can't give my number to Tom." She shouts, surprising herself and the people around her.
They all stare at her, perplexed by her outburst. She takes a deep breath before confessing, "Ricky and I are dating." She grabs his hand and raises it up to emphasize this. "He's my secret boyfriend."
"Just your boyfriend now, babe." He corrects, a shitfaced grin pulling on his lips. He looks so proud of her and Gina knows she made the right decision.
"I'm sorry for not telling you Kourt. We thought it'd be better if no one knew until the drama of Camp Shallow Lake blew over." When she turns to Kourt, she's surprised to see a matching grin on her face.
"It's okay. We knew the entire time." Kourt reveals.
Gina's mouth falls open and Ricky nudges it closed with his knuckles. "You... know?" She repeats, dumbfounded. The realization hits her like a ton of bricks. "You knew!?" She demands this time, now outraged.
Kourt holds her hands up in mock surrender. "You said it yourself, you aren't good at improvising. All the excuses you gave so you could hang out with Ricky were downright painful."
"I wasn't so bad! I thought I was doing a solid job at hiding it." Gina argues.
"You once told me you couldn't hang out because you had to feed your cat. You don't even have a cat!" Kourt says through a fit of laughter and despite her previous feelings of mortification, Gina laughs too.
Ricky turns to Jet. "And were you in on this?" He asks.
Jet just shrugs. "Kourtney came up with the plan but I bet Carlos that we could get you to come clean today." Gina tries to swat at his arm but he dodges it with a laugh. "Thanks for that. I'm ten dollars richer."
Gina stares at the two of them in disbelief. "So, this entire thing was to get us to come clean?"
"Mostly," Kourt admits. "But it was for you guys too! It was painful watching you guys try to hide it. You two, are about as subtle as a freight train."
Jet exaggeratedly gags. "All those longing and secretive glances. I didn't think it was possible for Ricky to get even more unbearable about you after Camp Shallow Lake but-" This time Ricky does manage to shove him, his cheeks tinted pink.
"And our dates?" Ricky asks. They both turn toward their blind dates, expectedly.
"Well, Tom was here as a favor to Kourtney," Gina explains. "But Hannah?"
Hannah shrugs. "Jet promised to introduce me to Maddox. I kinda have a crush on her."
Gina and Ricky exchange a look. Jet was apparently oblivious to the romantic tension brewing between Ashlyn and Maddox.
Gina blows out a breath, still reeling from their entire plan and the fact that they'd been caught. "Wow. That's completely devious. You two are truly a match made in hell."
They smile like it's a compliment. "It was a pretty great plan. Now, if you'll excuse us, Jet needs to get me home before curfew or my mom might murder him." Ricky's laughter dies down when both their faces remain stoic. "I’m not joking. My mom's seen a lot of crime shows. She knows how to hide a body." She tells them and Gina shudders. There really is no messing with Mama Greene.
Kourt takes Jet's arm, letting him lead her toward the parking lot. "Have a fun rest of your night you two!" She calls out.
Gina watches them go, still in shock. When they finally get into their car, Gina turns back to Ricky. "Can you believe that!" Gina exclaims in disbelief.
"I did accidentally kiss your forehead that one time during rehearsal. And you told me a polaroid of us fell out of your locker in front of Ashlyn and Kourtney." Ricky recalls.
Gina feels embarrassment prick her skin again. "Okay. Maybe we weren't as good at hiding it as we thought."
Ricky shrugs. "Hiding how much I love you has never been my strong suit. Watch any clip from the Frozen docuseries."
Gina feels her heart swell at the sentiment. "It's never really been mine either. Ask anyone who knew me during the spring semester."
Gina's actually grateful for their friend's scheme because she's never felt more relieved to be exposed. She figures they're both tired of hiding their feelings for each other. They'd already wasted so much time doing that when they were dating other people. They earned the right to act on their feelings whenever they felt like it, in public or in private. "Come on. I'll drive you home." Ricky offers, extending a hand out to her.
Gina accepts his hand, momentarily forgetting that they were supposed to be hiding their relationship from the outside world too. Or maybe she just didn't care anymore. "Maybe you can use the front door this time," Gina suggests.
Ricky beams at her. "Not a chance Porter."