The Blind Date || Rini AU

01. Blind date

"Just a minute, I'm coming baby!"

Nini's son was crying and now she couldn't find her bloody phone stupid phone underneath the mess that was her tiny kitchen. She scrambled, trying to follow the sound of the device as it vibrated against the countertop.

"Found you!" she said victoriously, sliding her finger across the screen before bringing the phone to her. "Hey Gina, what's up?" she greeted her best friend panting.

"Are you alright?" Gina laughed.

"Fine," Nini answered with a wave of her hand that Gina couldn't see.

"Is he okay?" Gina asked, cringing at the sound of Xavier's wails.

The brunette sighs, "Yeah, he's just teething, we were up all night again."

"Aw, poor thing, tell him Auntie Gina will give him a lollipop the next time she sees him."

"Will do!"

"Anyway... I was just calling to make sure that you're still coming tonight?" Gina asked enthusiastically. It took Nini at least three cups of coffee to achieve that level of energy nowadays, and knowing that Gina didn't drink caffeine at all made her feel envious.

Nini replied quickly, her phone tucked between her should and ear now as she took a cranky toddler out of his high chair, balancing him on her hip and grabbing the empty bowl of oatmeal with her free hand. Still rocking and hushing a wailing child, she skilfully dumped the bowl into the sink, joining the pile of last night's dishes."No Gina, I told you I'm not interested in-"

"Come on Neens, it's just one date! If you don't like the guy then I'll stop. I won't set you up ever again!"

"Dude, I don't even know this guy!" Nini countered. She put her son down in his playpen and gave him his favourite toy firetruck to play with in addition to the teddy bear and teething rings already in there. She then fumbled back into the kitchen, filled the sink hot soapy water and got to work on the dishes, distracted by a mix of her best friend's complaining and her baby's whining.

"I told you! His name is Ricky Bowen. He's friends with EJ, he's a junior, just a year above us. He's majoring in communications or something like that.. and he does something with music too!" Gina sighed. "So you've already got one thing in common, and you can expect him to be a good conversationalist!" She added.

Nini groaned.

"Nini," Gina said, begging.

"No Gina! I'm not getting my hopes just to watch everything fall apart again. You know how it is, most guys turn right around when they find out I'm a nineteen year-old college sophomore with a toddler at home. I cant do it again, it's not worth it and it isn't worth putting Xavier through getting attached to someone only to have them-shit! I mean crap!" Nini finished with a yell.

"What?" Gina asked, worried.

"Nothing, Xavier's just being fussy."

The little boy shaking the playpen with his little fists and trying to get one of his legs over the side. His firetruck had been discarded on the carpet behind him.

"Mama come play!" He yelled.

"I'll come play in a sec baby. Mama needs to do the dishes first and clean up your mess," the teen cooed, turning her head to look at Xavier and giving him a bright smile, despite her annoyance directed at Gina.

"He's so adorable," Gina said.

Nini huffs, "Yeah, when he's not being a nightmare."

Xavier was definitely adorable, despite the fact that his whole life had been a case of terrible two's. He had Nini's brown eyes and curly brown hair that seemed to run in her family, although the gene evidently skipped her. She had naturally straight brown hair.

"EJ already said you were coming so you have two choices, break this guy's heart or suck it up and come enjoy yourself, it'll be fun!" Gina went on, still arguing her case.

It's been a while since Nini has gone out with anyone and it's a double date, so it's not like it'd be just the two of them...

"I'll have to get somebody to babysit," Nini said, reluctantly agreeing.

"Ask Seb and Carlos! They'll need all the practice they can get with their little munchkin on the way!" Gina said excitedly, sensing she was on the path to winning their argument.

Nini shrugged, thinking about her son's father and frowning. "I'll ask Scott first, he hasn't seen Xavier in ages."

They live in the same city and go to the same college, you'd think he'd be easier to reach. But, he's a piece of work to say the least. It was all fun and games with that boy, not an ounce of responsibility in him but he was still Xavier's father, although not a very active one.

"So you'll come then?" Gina asked. Nini could hear the smile on her best friend's face and while the voices were muffled, she could hear her telling EJ, her boyfriend, that the plan was a go.

Nini sighed, what am I getting myself into?