dear, ricky [rini au.]

𝐨𝐧𝐞

chapter one: new friend.

Waves crashed on the edge of the ocean as the sun rose from it's night slumber while Nina walked along it. This was the early morning beach vibe everyone raved about. It was where Nina spent most of her evenings and some of her mornings if she was lucky enough to wake up early.

This particular Saturday morning was one of her lucky ones. Somehow, she managed to wake up at six and decided to make her way down around seven.

Nina found a spot on the sand, sitting down and positioning herself comfortably on it. Her legs curled themselves up against her chest while her arms wrapped around them, resting her head on her knees as she watched the waves crash over and over again.

She smiled as she felt the morning breeze against her skin. The air was cool and it smelled of salt water that lingered from the ocean. Oh, how she would miss this when she went back to Salt Lake. This Saturday morning would be her last one before returning to Utah to start the second semester of her Junior year.

Nina and Dana were currently spending their Christmas break in Miami, Florida, where her lola lived.

And, she absolutely loved it there.
Absolutely loved it.

She sighed and her eyes closed, wanting to take in every bit of this moment. That was until her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her dark jean shorts. Nina reached to grab her phone, dusting off any sand on it as she brought it close to her eyes.

A brighter smile formed on her face as she saw who the message was from. A new friend she made through LetterMe. An app to find online friends who share the same interests as you.

"Dear Neens,
Good morning."
The message read. In the app, the messages were automatically in a letter-like format when the first conversation of the day was started. Nina loved this about the app. Something about it seemed so genuine. So intimate.

Of course, she didn't use her actual name. No one really did. She just used the nickname her childhood best friends, Kourtney and Ashlyn, gave her when they were younger. It wasn't a common name. And, she felt it wouldn't be easy to track "Neen's" back to Nina.

Nina's fingers bounced themselves on her phone screen in a swift motion, typing up her response.
"Good morning.
What're you doing up so early?"

At the bottom of her screen, it told her that her new friends time was five a.m. Just two hours behind her. Just like in Salt Lake.

Nina watched as the typing bubbles moved around on her screen, indicating her new friend was responding.
"Basketball practice starts early on Saturday's."
He replied.