𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 [a rini au]

- NINE!

"what's up, mtv, it's ricky bowen, and today i'm going to be answering some fan questions. before we get started, make sure to stream my third studio album, telling myself, out now. let's get into it!"

ricky sat comfortably behind a table in the center of a white backdrop. he held a giant plastic jug, perfectly cut strips of paper filling it. this was his third interview of the day, and much to his surprise, he hadn't been asked about his ex-girlfriend once. although the first interview was an elle song association while the second was a quiz with buzzfeed, ricky felt like he was walking on egg shells. it was only a matter of time until a question regarding nini popped up, and he didn't want to imagine the inquiries ridden with fan speculation inside the jug he held. he kept a smile as he always did, preparing internally for a curveball at any moment.

"okay, first up," the boy gave the jug a shake before reaching his hand inside of it and grabbing a slip of paper. "titi asks what it was like working alongside aaliyah on the "telling myself" music video.

"i had been pitching this bonnie and clyde style video to my team for a while, and when "telling myself" came around, i knew that's the song i wanted to use it for. when it came down to casting, i knew there was no one else i wanted in that role other than aaliyah. this isn't even me being a boyfriend right now, but she truly is one of the most gifted upcoming actresses out there. she played the part so well, and i couldn't have asked for a better costar."

a slight breath of relief fell from ricky's lips as he fished for a new question. he had to take it one query at a time, and he was already one down. he had faith in his team screening personal questions, but the possibilities were still endless with what fans could code or imply in their questions. "alright, what's next?" ricky said to himself as he freed a new question from the jug.

"el wants to know what i do to find peace when things in my life get overwhelming," ricky felt his heart skip a beat as he read the question out loud. it had nothing to do with nini, but the first answer that came to mind had everything to do with her. he cleared his throat as subtly as he could before giving a nod to the camera.

"yeah, i mean, oftentimes i find myself overwhelmed, especially when i'm working," ricky began, deciding to be truthful and share his original thought. "one of, uh, one of the things i like to do is take time for myself in nature. i love to hike, go on runs, but something that i've done for as long as i can remember is go to the hollywood sign at night with some comfy blankets and just relax there. it's quite peaceful, honestly, to look down upon the city at all the lights and then up into the sky at all the stars."

ricky bit the inside of his cheek as he concluded his answer. "and, uh, i've grown to know a little bit about astronomy, too. definitely enhances the experience."

___

"hi, guys! i'm nini salazar-roberts, and today i'm here with variety to play this or that."

nini wanted nothing less than to be thrown into media week following the twitter fiasco. but, life
doesn't just stop when you mess up. nini knew that well, but she still wished it weren't the case, especially now as she sat in front of the camera for her first interview of the day.

she was thankful that she was beginning with a harmless game, for she knew the day only held more serious interviews for her. that only meant one thing – probing questions about ricky. she had been wishing all day that her team screened questions well enough.

"oh, this is an interesting one, considering i don't even remember the last time i did any sort of school, but math or science?" nini read the first card she had been given.

"well, i am definitely not a math person, but i feel like science is a lot of math, so this could be a trick question," nini pondered her answer as she blabbered. "but, i'm kind of an astronomy nerd. i like to read up on it, and if i do any reading, it's mostly educational books on stars, planets, the solar system, all that stuff. i don't know why. i'm not a professional, though, considering i read a lot of blogs about it that might not be credible. astronomy's just always been very interesting to me. it's cool that there is this whole world of cosmos above us that we haven't even fully experienced."