delicate - rini au (sequel)

chapter 27: airport meeting

129 days.

Six months.

128 nights.

That's a lot of time, if you think about it. Imagine being alone for 6 months. Only being around people you just met. It's hard, and Ricky knew it. But it was an unforgettable experience, without a doubt. The relationship he formed with the cast was beautiful and pure. They couldn't google each other, they got to know each other without a device in the middle. The movie was amazing, he had the time of his life filming it. At first he cursed accepting this role, but honestly, it was a one in a lifetime opportunity, he would say again again, if asked. About his thing with Maya, it was weird the first time. But they always talked about it and it ended a week before shooting ended. He didn't miss her, they didn't develop any romantic feelings for the other. Which was the best part.

The plane was landing and he couldn't be more excited. He knew Nini was picking him up, he chose the 4am flight, so he could show his excitement and not worry about the cameras. He had a lot of baggage, and being away for 6 months makes the whole wait from landing and actually leaving really long. Nearly an hour and a half later, he was going to see her again. Was her hair still long? Was she still using the same perfume? Did she drop the album? Was she happy about him coming back? Did she hate him for leaving? His mind was racing, he was shaking, anxiety going through his whole body. Maybe she had met someone new, someone better. Six months is a long time, he couldn't ask her to wait for him. I mean, he did get together with Maya, even if it wasn't romantic or a relationship. He expected for her to do the same, but maybe she moved on from him. The way to their meeting point felt endless. He accepted that if she was with someone new, she would still be in his life. He arrived at the place they agreed on meeting. But no one was there. He waited for a while, he tried turning on his phone, which it did. Only to die 10 seconds after getting a signal. Great, he still is uncommunicated. He tried turning on his !pad. It had no battery, he was getting frustrated and Nini was nowhere to be found. He didn't think much of it, she wasn't the most punctual person. He was looking for something to eat when he heard a really familiar voice. They stood in front of them, smiling like a fool.

"So you are not going to hug your favorite human being after six months?" they both laughed and hugged. Ricky relaxed as soon as they hugged.

"In six months, I would never thought you would be the one picking me up."

"That's not fair! I missed you a lot dude."

"I missed you too, E.J."

"Why didn't Nini pick me up? I had to ask, sorry." Ricky said, after 10 minutes of driving. It was driving him insane not knowing if she was okay. What if she was in an accident or something?

"She didn't text you?" E.J. asked, his eyes still on the road.

"I don't know. My phone died as soon as the signal hit it Is she okay? Did something happen?"

"She is fine. Nothing happened to her... physically." his friend said, whispering the last part. Ricky stared at him, waiting for an answer, not understanding what he meant. He saw E.J. sighed and entered the highway. He looked at him and he grabbed the wheel tighter. Not a good sign. He continued talking, his voice low, sounding broken. "Things are not good. They were, she dropped the album. It was amazing, she was happy and she was breaking records and being loved. Ricky, you guys got outed. Some gossip site, they leaked a picture of you guys kissing in my house. I'm sorry man." he didn't give Ricky enough time to process the information, he just kept talking.

"That's not all. A picture of you and Gina got leaked, too. Some fan made a fucked up thread on twitter and Gina liked it. Of course, you were painted as the womanizer, Nini as the bitch and Gina as the victim. We tried to deny it but Nini didn't let us. She said it was her problem, but people started to cancel her. She is not dealing with it well. I don't blame her. I'm hurting and I have nothing to do with it. I mean, for a minute they thought we were dating but I shut them out immediately. Sorry man, I know you just got here, but I rather be the one telling you, and not some paparazzi."