𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢 - 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐮

𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭

GENERAL POV

to say that the two were a mess was an understatement. 

it was beyond an understatement, actually, it was a flat out lie. 

nina salazar-roberts and richard bowen were boarder lining on the category of catastrophe, and that itself might even be an understatement. 

they were at a complete and utter loss as they slowly but surely grew farther and farther away from each other in distance, nini heading back to the cafe in a dazed state while ricky was in more of a surprising position.

crying his eyes out in a bathroom stall of the men's bathroom while holding onto poor little missy for dear life. 

he had forgotten how much it burned the eyes to cry. what once were the whites of his eyes were now a deep, bloodshot red and felt as if they were on fire. the feeling made him want to cry, but that would've been a little complex, considering the fact that he indeed was already crying. 

his nose ran, his eyes....leaked, sobs racked his shoulders, his head pounded, and he simply wanted to shrink into an imaginary hole in the floor, but part of him knew he needed this. this trip was the first time he had cried in much too long of a time. not just really cried, but cried in general. 

#unhealthylifestyles

regardless, he knew he wasn't getting anywhere anytime soon looking the way he did; his pride was much too high for that. and even though he knew nobody and would never see anyone in this airport again, he felt the need to keep his stiff upper lip. 

because you can't move your upper lip anyways.

all that was running through his mind, but his tears just kept on falling because the person behind his happiness had just dropped him off at an airport so he could go back to his country.

a country that was 3,626.98 miles away, give or take.

nini, on the other hand, might as well be deemed 'unresponsive'.

she was in a state of disbelief so deep, she wasn't registering anything around her, which was an extremely dangerous thing. a car could be coming right at her and she would have no idea. she was zoned out, gone deaf, and her brain was somewhere totally different. 

all she could think about was the fact that her happily ever after had just left to go back to living in a different country. 

a country that was 3,626.98 miles away, give or take. 

hence why nina salazar-roberts and richard bowen were border lining on the category of catastrophe. both their eyes glazed over, their thoughts drowning out the world around them as nini stepped into the cafe and ricky stepped onto his airplane. 

NINI'S POV

i couldn't see. well, i mean, i could see, but nothing was registering. i would look somewhere and it was all blurred out by everything i was picturing in my head; ricky's smile, his face when he was thinking, the way he studied people, the way his eyes scoured an area, taking in details he deemed important, everything about him. 

i missed him so much i couldn't think straight and it had only been about an half hour since i dropped him off. 

the sound of the little bell above the door ringing registered in the back of my mind as i stepped into the cafe. i had closed, just for the day saying it was something personal and there was a sign out front. by something personal, though, i meant that i'd be sobbing, curled up in a tiny ball for the whole day. 

maybe the cafe was going to be closed more than one day. 

regardless of my plans though, i didn't feel like crying. i didn't necessarily feel anything. all i could think about over and over again was there's no way he's really gone. he's probably just upstairs or this is all some sick dream. he's still here. he's coming back. 

 i knew it was wishful thinking, but wishful thinking was the only thing keeping me from going insane. 

but as i climbed the steps to my apartment, the silences was deafening. there was no sound of ricky typing on his computer, or ricky playing with sadie, or ricky laughing over the phone at something red said. 

or maybe that girl, avery, but she didn't call too often. 

turning the corner of the staircase, i was met with an empty apartment. no ricky, just how everything was before him; perfectly arranged furniture, a quiet kitchen, my bedroom at the end of the hall, and a guest room that could appear untouched to an outside eye. clean, organized and waiting for someone to stay there. family, maybe a close friend, but ricky no longer resided there. 

he was gone. 

the sound of little footsteps running at me disrupted my train of thoughts to see little sadie running at my feet. she whined, pawing at my leg for attention, but i could see in her eyes that she was confused. 

i wondered if she knew; she knew that ricky had packed his bags this morning, his scent and his warm sweatshirt she liked to cuddle in going with him. i wondered if she had woken up this morning, going to lay in ricky's lap while he worked, only to find the eerily silent apartment. 

i wondered if she missed him as much as i did. 

mindlessly, i picked sadie up from the floor and cradled her in my arms, recalling the day i got her.  completely going on a whim, my spontaneous character flowing thoroughly through my veins because ricky was there and i felt comfortable with him. i remember he was so worried that i wouldn't understand how to take care of a dog and he was so questioning, and i didn't blame him.

but i wouldn't change getting sadie for the world. 

the little puppy in my arms whimpered as i stroked her soft ears, feeling her melt under my touch. sadly, she lowered her chin onto my arm and let out a whine so quiet, that i knew she understood and that she was upset as i was. the two of us needed each other right then, and ricky probably knew that. 

lightly kissing sadie on the top off her head, i finally allowed myself to tear up. "don't worry, sadie baby." i whispered, using the nickname ricky would for her. "he'll be back for us." 

"he has to come back." 

i couldn't tell if my words were me trying to convince myself or if they were a plea, but either way, they were what i was going to believe until i was forced to believe otherwise. 

Author's Note: 

sorry this one was so short, friends, but the next one should be out quicker because these two chapters are just ricky and nini getting used to seperation