Too Much Time Together - RINI

chapter four: the morning after

The first thing Ricky sees when he wakes up on Friday morning is Nini Salazar-Roberts sleeping peacefully, the morning sun hitting her face gently, casting a warm glow to her features.

He takes a moment to just look at her, taking in the way that this is the most peaceful state he has ever seen her in. Usually, when he's looking at Nini, she has her eyebrows pinched and a scowl on her face (nine out of ten times it's directed at him, scratch that, ten out of ten times).

He sees her eyelashes flutter and instantly worries that she caught him staring and is gonna wake up, slightly panicking he closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep. When nothing happens after a few seconds he slowly opens them one at a time, seeing the same calm Nini.

The sun is hitting her face, so it makes her usually dark hair, a warmer burnt honey color. Her long eyelashes hitting her upper cheek delicately. A small smile playing at her lips, and not just because she made Ricky mad, just a smile of restfulness. For the first time, he notices freckles on her cheeks. They're barely there but just visible enough, tiny little dots scattered across her cheeks. Like stars, a splatter of stars in a dark sky. Granted he's never been this close to Nini's face to notice this, but he's still surprised.

Her hair has fallen on to her cheek in her sleep, covering half of her left cheek. Ricky has the urge to push it away, so he can see her face out and in the open. He's in the middle of questioning whether that's the best choice when he hears a sleepy voice break him from his thoughts.

"Geez Bowen, close your mouth when breathing. You have morning breath," she says, her eyes still closed. He wonders if she could feel him staring at her all this time, but he doesn't have time to ponder on that too long as she opens her eyes, sitting up leisurely.

"You know your breath isn't exactly strawberries and vanilla," he starts, her face staying blank, tiredness evident in her expression. "Especially when you snore, all that air just fanning on my face." he watches as her face heats up, her jaw slacks as the realization of the boy's words sink it.

"I-" she starts, her voice cutting off. She watches the boy grin, feeling her ears heat up in embarrassment. "What time is it?"

"Uh I don't know let me check." she stretches her arms, ranting about how her parents are gonna kill her for this (also spewing at him "Why didn't you wake me?) as he grabs his phone, jumping up from his bed as he reads the time.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" he mumbles as he looks for his backpack.

"What?" Nini says from behind him, standing up quickly, a panicked expression on her face.

"We're late, like really late," he says, throwing on a sweatshirt from his floor and looking for some socks.

"Shit, I don't have a change of clothes," she practically screams, eyes panicked.

"Just take whatever from my closet, I'm gonna be downstairs." Ricky rushes downstairs, slipping on his vans quickly. He grabs two pop-tarts packages and puts the small jelly-filled treat in the toaster. He considers telling his dad but ultimately decides he deserves the sleep, he grabs the car keys off the counter, he and Nini's "breakfast" popping up.

While Ricky is organizing their breakfast into small zip baggies and grabbing everything they need for today Nini is currently peering into his closet. She looks at all his clothes, questioning why he doesn't wear most of the items in here. She grabs a red, orange, and white sweatshirt, pulling it over her head. It hangs at her knees over her petite frame, the sleeves being a little too long. She smiles to herself as his smell surrounds her, she breathes in slowly taking in the new aroma.

She slips on her shoes, grabbing her backpack, and looks around for anything she may still need, almost forgetting the most important item. She ultimately decides that's everything and heads downstairs, Ricky already waiting for her.