The Perfect Gift

Ch. 7

It isn't long before Ricky is holding the saw in one hand, the tree in the other, and he shouts out her name to let her know he's finished. Her name leaving his mouth jolts her out of her thoughts and she snaps her eyes back to him.

He grins at her and sets the tree gently on the ground as he re-wraps the saw. He picks up the tree after the saw if completely wrapped with the t-shirt. "You wanna hold the tree or the saw?" he jokes, holding up both things, one in either hand.

Nini rolls her eyes good-naturedly at his teasing tone. "I guess I can learn to trust you, so give me the tree," she laughs as she holds out her hands.

He grins and holds it out to her. "Careful," he says as she takes it from his grasp.

"Got it," she murmurs with a small smile.

They make the trek back to his car in comfortable silence. Nini is honestly a little bit shocked that they're getting away with this so easily. While it's not like she had been expecting the police to jump out of some bush to gun them down, she's still surprised that the mission went as smoothly as it did. She's just glad that Ricky had been right when he had pointed out that the park was sure to be empty.

Ricky opens the car to his backseat and unwraps the saw, laying down his rag of a t-shirt for Nini to set the tree on. He throws the saw into his trunk and stops at the driver's door. He lays an arm over the top of the car and peers over the roof to look at her. He taps out a rhythm with a finger and it catches her attention. The blank look on her fair features turn inquisitive and he smiles at her.

A sturdy wind whips by, plays with the ends of her pony tail, makes the tendrils that frame her face dance about. She grows uneasy and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "What?" she calls impatiently, wanting no part of this staring contest he is forcing on her.

"Nothing. Just glad I got to spend the day with you," he admits with a flirty smile.

The words sink in and wide, surprised eyes blink in rapid succession. Her cheeks glow red-hot and she hopes he won't notice. "Shut up," she mutters. "You practically elbowed your way into my life," she snorts unattractively.

He shrugs and breaths in deep, filling his lungs with the crisp air. "You let me stay," he grins pointedly and a playful spark comes to life in his eyes.

The hotness in her cheeks burns even hotter and she's scared that pretty soon, her face will match her red shirt. She sputters at him for a quick moment. "Sh—shut up! You were like this—this puppy that I couldn't get rid of!"

"So you think I'm cute," he accuses her.

Her eyebrows furrow at his statement. "What?" she asks in a harsh tone, confused by the sudden topic change.

"It's a universal fact that puppies are cute and if you're comparing me to one, then you clearly think that I'm cute," he states cockily, as if this was an obvious bit of knowledge that she should have already possessed.

She stares at him, expressionless. "I am this close to walking home," she says flatly, holding up fingers that are already pinched together.

Ricky laughs and slides into his seat. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up the rest of the way home," he promises.

"I don't think you're cute!" she protests pathetically as she follows suit in a grumpy manner.

He shrugs and smirks at her. "I don't think you're cute, either," he shoots back as they start to buckle their seat belts.

The wink he gives her makes her want to strangle herself with her own hair.

*******

Nini's laugh echoes throughout the elevator for a second before the doors open, the melodic sound now spilling out into the hallway.