stolen kiss || rini au

36. a thin line

nini arrived home, slamming the front door behind her as her moms looked away from the tv

"hey hun! how was the party-"

they get cut off by the girl's loud footsteps up the wooden stairs, the both of them exchanging looks of confusion before they got up from the couch and made their way after her.

nini threw her jacket and bag on the bed - with a little too much force as they both bounced off the mattress and fell to the floor, nini's bag with a thud.

she hears a knock at her door as she collapses onto her bed

"yeah?"

dana opens the door, carol's head popping in next to her as the two women look at the girl

"what's up baby?" carol asked, the two making their way inside the room.

"why would you think something's up?" nini asked nonchalantly, hugging a pillow.

"well, because you're hugging a pillow, you're pouting and you stormed up the staircase before slamming your bedroom door. sounds like a nina outburst," carol exclaimed with a smirk, sitting down  on the bed as dana chuckled lightly

nini sighed as she sat up a little, leaning against the headboard with the fluffy white pillow tucked between her folded arms as she looked away

"i think ricky broke up with me." she muttered

dana and carol opened their mouths in sympathy as they frowned

"oh, honey," dana sighed "what happened?"

nini shrugged her shoulders "he's been acting weird and distant these past days and not to mention every time i try to get us alone to spend some time together he averts the idea. so tonight i confronted him about it and said that if he was going to break up with me, then he should just do it now. and he didn't say anything to contradict me. i mean, of all the years where he disagrees and argues with what i say, he chose not to today?!"

dana and carol exchanged looks and glanced back at their daughter

"well, did he say the words 'i'm breaking up with you'?" carol asked

nini sighed and shook her head "no."

"well, then i'm sure he's not honey. maybe he's just stressed. mike told us he had the basketball game coming up soon." dana explained

nini took a deep breath "i thought about that but-why won't he talk to me then?"

"we all have our own ways to cope with ourselves nini," carol said softly "just don't give up on him okay? we can see how happy you both are."

nini nodded slowly as her moms got up from the bed and kissed her goodnight before making their way out, reminding her not to go to sleep too late.

the girl sat up, fiddling with her fingers as she looked at her phone that was further away on her bed, taking it to see no notifications or a call from ricky.

she frowned to herself before jumping when hearing a knock at her window, turning the phone off as she saw the curly-haired boy sitting on the roof.

nini slowly got up and made her way towards it, her eyes on his as she opened the window up "well, this seems familiar."

ricky chuckled under his breath as he sat on the windowsill, bringing a knee up as he rested his arm on it "i guess this is where i'll confess about my stupidity."

"that and the bleachers." nini reminded him, ricky nodding

she took a chair and sat down in front of him, the boy noticing how nervous she was and he sighed as he took her hand in his

"i don't want to break up with you nini. and i was definitely not thinking about doing it." he said

nini let out a breath of relief as she looked up at him "then why are you being all...boweny?"

ricky raised his eyebrows "boweny?"

she rolled her eyes "you know-"

"i really don't-"

"richard." she groaned, making the boy chuckle

"boweny. that's a new one. what does it mean?" he asks interested

nini folded her arms "weird and annoying."

"so my usual self?" he asked

she sighed "are you going to answer the question then?"

ricky looked back at her, his small smile fading and being replaced with a slight nervous expression as he cleared his throat and looked down

"it's going to freak you out and frankly i'm still figuring it out myself-"

"okay. see, now i'm freaked out." she told him, leaning forward a little

ricky took a deep breath "i keep-thinking about-how i feel. you know? and-it's not like-it's not that i don't not like you...or-maybe the other thing. i'm just a little confused because we're early in this relationship and we've sort of had a hate relationship for years before so that's kind of confusing but there's also that-thin line thing-so i also kind of feel like i do...feel that. with you."

nini knitted her eyebrows together and blinked a few times "i'm sorry, i'm not following-you feel what?"

ricky sighs "i-this is-okay, you know how-they say it makes you crazy?"

nini looks at him "what makes you crazy?"

"you know...that thing-"

"like someone?" she asks

"like-yeah-in this case sort of, but it's also what i'm feeling-or what i think i feel-"

"so, you feel crazy?"

"well, right now with this conversation yes." he muttered, earning a glare from the girl

"what are you even saying ricky? i'm-"

"it's a feeling you feel when you're in a relationship between two people and it has four letters!" he exclaims in frustration "there's a thin line between something and hate?"

nini leaned back a little, opening her mouth as she thought about what he said "oh..."

ricky nodded "yeah..."

"so...you feel-that." she whispered in understanding

he took a deep breath "uh-you know what? i think i'm just gonna go,"

nini blinked a few times, trying to process what she was hearing and understanding from the boy as she shook her head "ricky-"

"it's a little late and you must be tired from the performance you know?" he chuckled, though it felt forced as he started climbing down the tree that was outside of nini's window

the girl sighed as she leaned out of the window "ricky!"

he continued climbing down and jumped down onto the ground, ignoring her calls before nini groaned in frustration and grabbed a pencil, throwing it at him as it hit him in the back of the head

"ow!" he exclaimed, reaching for the place the pencil landed on as he turned around

"bowen," she called, as he finally reached her eyes

"what?" he asked with a sigh

she shook her head with a small smile and took a deep breath "i love you."

ricky felt his heart lift and stop for a split second as he heard her say those words and he let out a short, disbelieved laugh, smiling softly "i love you too."

nini bit her bottom lip as she beamed at him before she heard her moms calling her from downstairs, turning back to the boy as she waved slowly before closing her window shut, ricky shaking his head with the happiest expression he'd worn as he skipped off back home.