if i can't have you || rini au

42. secrets to share

"it's christmas break!" carlos boomed as he walked into the café with a large pink winter coat and black beret on his head, snow flakes all around him as the rest of the group tried to follow him inside

"los, it's freezing outside move out of the way." kourtney chuckled as she walked in and removed her coat

"and sweetie, remember; inside voices-"

"i'm mexican and gay this is my inside voice!" carlos exclaimed at his boyfriend, people looking at him with amusing smiles or confusion but he didn't really care as he skipped towards ricky who was working behind the counter wearing a blue winter sweatshirt with his apron on

"okay, where's nini?" gina asked bluntly, sitting at the counter and tapping on the wooden surface

ricky raised his eyebrows "hello to you too,"

gina gave him a look and shook her head with a small smile "it's christmas break!"

"yes, i got that." ricky nodded, gesturing to carlos

"you don't even know where your own girlfriend is richard?" ej hummed as he took a cupcake from the display

"you know you have to pay for that right?" ricky asked the boy who just shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat it "why do you need her anyway?"

"because it's christmas break!" kourtney beamed happily

"meaning?"

"meaning shopping and a slumber party to get ready for the winter formal this weekend!" ashlyn grinned "how'd you forget? it's a tradition remember? didn't you ask her to go and tell her all that?"

ricky suddenly froze and opened his mouth forgetfully, looking at his friends before clearing his throat "oh! um...well-i-i mean-"

"you didn't ask her?!" carlos exclaimed, the café going silent once more at his loudness before he just smiled around him and turned back to the curly-haired boy behind the counter

"how did you forget-"

"i didn't-well, i did but i mean i forgot!"

"yes, we know but how?!" big red asked confused

"i don't know! the topic never came up in conversation!" ricky defended "plus we've just been having fun lately-"

"oh?"

"get your head out of the gutter seb," ricky sighed as the group just chuckled

ej took a deep breath as he reached for another cupcake, taking a bite "look, ricky-"

"you still have to pay for that..."

"-you need to come up with a nice way of asking her to formal." ej continued, ignoring him "it has to be creative, though."

"you literally asked me by handing me a piece of paper where you drew a snowflake and wrote 'formal' with a question mark on it." gina told him with a raised eyebrow

ej smiled sheepishly "you still said yes-"

"hey, lovebirds, you're sidetracking from the other lovebirds." ashlyn called, getting the couple's attention back on ricky who had now come back from the kitchen with a tray of pastries

"seriously dude, what are you doing?"

"working?" ricky replied confused

"no-we mean, what are you doing not asking nini!" kourtney exclaimed "she'd really love the dance and you need to ask her before we go to gina's house for the slumber party, because-"