It's quiet outside. Ricardo sits in the peaceful serenity of it all and lets the sound of his own breathing lull him away. Another year, slipping away, a new on the horizon. He thinks about everything- the good, the bad, the in-between of 2016. It had been somewhat successful of a year, between India and England, but yes... so much pain had followed those two trips. First Paige leaving him for Alberto, and now Alicia unable to decide between him and Cedric. He exhales slowly before dipping a hand into the lake, running his fingers against the edges of the water.
He's pretty sure he'd jumped into a relationship too soon- especially with Alicia still in the process of divorcing Alex Riley. But she had needed him and he'd needed her, and it had seemed good for awhile. Until the Cruiserweights arrived and Alicia grew attracted to Cedric. He tries humming to refocus his thoughts but the humming sounds more like crying and before long he gives up on meditating and stares at the water, a glum look on his face pale face.
He's still sitting there, lost in thought, when Alicia joins him. Her warm hand slipping into his own, squeezing gently. He strokes her wrist and tries to resist the urge to kiss her until she's cuddled up close to him, eyes closed and fingers pressing against his chest. "It's almost midnight," she tells him with a small smile. "Do you want to dance or something? Can your knee manage that?"
"There's no music," he exhales against her hair, not sure if this is a good idea or not. She reaches into her pocket, pulls out her phone, and starts to play a soft, Spanish song that he'd told her he liked. He gasps as heat overwhelms him in a flush, joy and pain warring inside of him at the fact that she'd remembered despite everything going on. Getting to his feet, he holds a hand out to her. "May I have this dance?" When Alicia grips his hand and allows him to draw her up, she wraps her arms around him and lets him lead her in a lazy dance around the lake, the two of them lost in the feel of each other until the fireworks go off over the water, revealing that it's past midnight now.
She stops moving and looks up at him, lips twitching softly. "Happy New Years, Ricardo."
"Happy New Years, Alicia," he murmurs back, face tilted towards her. It's all her as she grips his jaw and leads him in, kissing him slowly, softly. When he groans, though, both of them lose all inhibitions and kisses with reckless ambition, Alicia's nails scraping enticingly against his skin. "Ali- Alicia," he moans, tugging at her shirt until finally he finds the self-control to pull away, exhale shakily.
"Happy New Years, Ricardo," she finally responds breathlessly, brushing some of her lipstick off of his face. She smiles at him before turning, still hand in hand with him, to watch the fireworks going on across the way.