if i can't have you || rini au

59. epilogue (1)

5 years later...

the woman with long brown hair took a deep breath as she took ahold of her bag, making her way out of the private airplane as she descended the staircase with the older-aged man following her

"this might be too much of an idea your highness," he whispered with a grumble as he opened the car door for her

the woman looked at the man with a small smile, keeping her white hat low over her face as her sunglasses covered her eyes and she wore a pink and black plaid patterned blazer with a matching skirt "remember benjamin...there's never an idea too big for the world."

the man sighed knowingly, nodding as she got into the car and he did too, the driver taking them to the specific place the new queen of autonia was so very eager to see.

the car came to a stop after a fifteen minute ride, arriving to a boutique that the woman had requested to go to.

"i'll be finished in about an hour," nina informed benjamin and the driver as she got out of the car

"do you need me to accompany you?" benjamin asked

the woman only smiled softly "i'll be alright benjamin, thank you. besides, someone needs to go see aunt erica for a bit while i get a few things."

benjamin saw her knowing grin and merely nodded as she closed the car door and took a deep breath, watching the car drive off before she nervously fiddled with the ring on her finger that she'd kept on all this time.

she made her way down the sidewalk, looking around her as she remembered all the different shops that she'd visited years ago.

an instant smile appeared on her face at the sight. there were so many good memories in this city. the best ones even.

her gaze lingered on the restaurant that had the large letters 'WILDWOOD' displayed over the door, feeling her heart stop at the memories that were flashing through her mind but she shook her head with a sigh and continued to walk her way.

as she did, the woman took her phone out of her purse, swiping up to unlock it and anxiously looked at the web page she had been staring at for days now.

she read the map directions and realized that it was only a few meters away, taking a deep breath as she kept going and took a turn, arriving at the window of the very bakery she was anticipating to see.

she looked up at the sign, her heartbeat increasing at the name.

dove's delight bakery

flashback:

"-blossom bakery! no...scrumptious sweets!! no...that sounds more like a store for candy...OH! I KNOW! delicious decisions!"

the curly-haired boy stopped what he was doing at the counter and looked up at his girlfriend with an amused smile "delicious decisions?"

the brunette girl nodded proudly "mhm! because when people come to ratatouille ricky's bakery, they made the decision to taste something delicious! obviously!!"

ricky shook his head with a chuckle "you're more excited for this imaginary future bakery than me. and it's supposedly supposed to be my dream career."

nini shook her head with a light smile and sighed "okay, what are you planning on calling it?"

ricky shrugged his shoulders "i don't know. something smart."

"are you saying my ideas aren't smart?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

ricky widened his eyes "what?! no-i-i just mean-i-" he stopped and leaned against the counter "you look beautiful today."

nini gave him a look to which he just smiled innocently before she suddenly gasped, making him jump

"seriously, princess, stop with the sudden noises-"

"doves delight!" she beamed

ricky blinked a few seconds "i'm sorry-how to doves have anything to do with baking?"

"doves are a symbol of faith and peace! that's always a good thing! people would have faith in your food and it would be a delight to eat them! doves delight bakery!" she jumped giddily "plus doves are my favorite bird."

"i never noticed." he said sarcastically, gesturing to the blue ribbon in her hair that had been decorated with white doves on it

she giggled softly and nodded "do you like it?"

ricky sighed with a smile and chuckled, nodding "sure, why not?"

nini squealed "yay! okay, now let's talk about the food you would sell."

end of flashback

at the sound of a bell ring, nina was pulled out of her thoughts and she shifted her gaze to the glass window.

and that's when her heart stopped when she saw the curly-haired man holding a tray of pastries in his hands and putting them on the display

she suddenly felt glued to her spot when realizing her suspicions were right. because he was here. it was his bakery.

she watched as he looked up and chuckled at something a customer told him, her heart warming up when seeing his smile. that same smile that always made her own form on her face.

his features were more mature, his curly-hair got longer and slightly messier, he wore an apron with flour stains on them and he had his sweatshirt sleeves rolled up to show a black bandana he now wore, with something attached to it

nina's mouth parted open as she looked at it. she didn't need any sort of confirmation to know. it was her necklace.

the chain seemed slightly shorter but she noticed the feather charm-locket hanging from the bandana.

'he kept it.'

nina saw as he turned around to focus on the coffee machine when the last few customers made their way out, making her take a deep breath to try and calm her nerves

'okay. now or never. nini.'

she took the first few steps towards the door before she quickly took off her hat and sunglasses, adjusting her hair nervously and fixing her blazer before closing her eyes for a split second and pushing the glass door open.

the warmth of the bakery took over her, the smell of freshly baked cakes and pastries filled her nostrils and she was in awe at how beautiful and humble the place was.

walking towards the cashier, her white heels made little thudded sounds, catching the man's attention but he continued to finish off wiping down the coffee machine as he spoke

"i'm sorry, we're actually going to close up in a minute, so-" he turned around and stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes met the brunette woman's, his mouth opening in surprise as a breath of air escaped him

nina looked back at him and swallowed as she formed a small, shy smile "could you...maybe make an exception...?"