Alicia is excited. Glowing, almost. Ricardo sits on the couch and plays with the lengthening strands of his hair, watching her with a confused frown, before the doorbell rings. She beams and rushes to answer, Ricardo tilting his head curiously but not caring enough to move, enjoying one of his rare days where he has nothing more strenuous to do than see her off for the pay per view the next day. Until, that is, ...
Sofia walks in with the puppy he'd brought her months back and settles him gently on the floor, watching as he scampers around and then races up to the couch and hops onto Ricardo's lap, snuffling and barking and wiggling all over as Ricardo begins to pet him, perplexed. "Um, Sofia, am I supposed to be dog sitting today?"
Alicia giggles and Sofia sits down across from him, taking his free hand and squeezing it. "I appreciate you trusting me enough to watch over your puppy, mi hijo," she says softly. "But considering that your move to California fell through, it didn't seem fair that I would keep him. Especially when I knew you missed him so much. So Alicia and I discussed it and she agreed that having the puppy back would be good for you both." Ricardo peers up at Alicia over the dog's furry head and she nods, smiling at him. "Perhaps this time you may actually name the poor little guy."
Ricardo barks out a weak laugh, the dog yipping in response, and he sighs. "Alright. I... yeah. I did miss him so much that it hurt." He kisses the dog between the eyes and feels as he scrambles around, finally settling at Ricardo's side. "Gracias, Sofia. I... I'm sorry for burdening you with him. I just thought... who better to take care of him for me than you?" He smiles waveringly as she walks up to him and hugs him gently.
"Ssshhhhh, mi hijo. You have nothing to apologize for. I loved having him. I just knew you needed him more." She kisses him gently on the forehead before pulling away. "I would love to stay and catch up, but the gardener is working this weekend and I need to be there to make sure he's not sprawled out in the hammock most of the day." Winking at Ricardo, she gives puppy one last pat before heading out of the door.
"Adios," Ricardo calls after her, still more than a little dazed by everything. He checks the clock before getting up, approaching Alicia. "You're the best, you know?"
She chuckles, nods. "It's still nice to hear now and again." Her lips part softly as his fingers graze at the strip of skin where her shirt and shorts meet, a soft humming noise coming from her throat. "Ricardo... my flight..."
"We have time," he breathes, leaning in to kiss her neck. The puppy has settled in for a nap so Ricardo feels no guilt when he leaves him behind, lightly pushing Alicia backwards into the bedroom. Shutting the door behind them, he continues until Alicia is standing in front of the bed, one last bit of pressure from his hands against her shoulders sending her sprawling out onto the bed, her hair and long limbs glistening in the sunlight coming from the window. "You're gorgeous," he murmurs, staring down at her. "Inside and out..."
She smiles up at him, teeth gleaming as his fingers stroke up her legs, brushing against her ankles, up to her knees. As soon as he moves higher than that, she makes a faint keening noise and he exhales shakily, tracing up her warm, soft skin until she gasps and arches up, biting her lip. "Ricardo," she mumbles, his arm shifting to wrap under her hips, supporting her. He can't take his eyes off of her, how she's bridging up towards him, and then he leans in and kisses her skin, feeling her shudder at the sensation.
"I love you," he whispers, softly licking and nibbling at her smooth brown flesh. He slips his hand out from under her but she continues to hover off of the bed, clearly hungry for contact with him, even when her body starts to tremble and she digs her heels into his sides, staring at the wall behind her as she grips at the sheets. "I love you so much."
It's a few minutes later, when she's limp against the bed, Ricardo softly kissing along her nose and cheeks, when she finally finds the strength to respond. "I love you too, Ricardo." Her fingers are a little shaky as she strokes his cheek, but the affection in her gaze is undeniable as he scoops her hand up and kisses her palm with a soft smile.
By the time Noam arrives, Ricardo is back in the living room, stroking the puppy's forehead. He's wearing sweatpants and a tank top and looks much more relaxed in comparison to Noam's nervous energy, his obnoxiously bright business casual clothing making it hard for Ricardo not to laugh. "Alicia's packing a couple of last minute things," Ricardo tells him, unsurprised when Noam tries to get the puppy to come to him.
"Come, come, pupper, come to Noam!"
The puppy no-sells him and Ricardo muffles a laugh by coughing into his fist. Before either man can say anything, Alicia breezes out, gives Noam a kiss on the cheek in greeting before rushing over to Ricardo. Kisses him soundly. "I'll see you in a few days," she says with a smile, wiping the lipstick off of his mouth before leaning in to nuzzle with the dog and then heading off for the door. "C'mon, Noam, let's get this show on the road! We have to get revenge for my poor hair!"
Ricardo does laugh then, unable to resist the natural inclination at the dazed look on Noam's face as he snags her luggage and follows her obligingly. "Take care of her," he says before Noam disappears through the door.
He looks back and nods. "Will do."
But he doesn't. Ricardo grits his teeth, watching the following night as Alicia seems to injure her leg on the turnbuckle post. How she competes the rest of the match, he's not sure, but she manages it. Even though they lose, she never stops trying. He holds his breath, counts to ten and then texts her. Are you ok?
Her response takes awhile. No. Seems to be minor, but no, I'll be flying home tomorrow.
He grits his teeth, tries not to break his phone. I'll be there at the airport, just tell me when.
She does, and he is. Spots her limping through the luggage claim, collects her things and guides her out to the waiting car. As soon as she sinks into the passenger seat, he grips her hand and kisses her softly. "So, anything in particular we're supposed to do for you?"
She shakes her head. "Ice, rest. My appointment is in a couple of days to see exactly what this is. Until then..."
He nods. Understands. A lot of things with injuries is that they're a waiting game. "I'll take care of you," he promises, stroking her knuckles. Kissing her on the lips. "Come on, let's go home."
She smiles at him. "Let's."
