"Okay, well that's a good thing. So then why are you checking your phone every five seconds and acting so panicked?" Izzy asked and Ricky sighed again, turning his gaze to his shoes.
"I, uh, I kind of left her this voicemail afterward, telling her that I felt that moment and that it was intense and stuff," Ricky mumbled, picking at the blanket Izzy had thrown over them. Izzy stared at him in shock, her mouth dropping open slightly, before she reached behind her for a pillow and smacked Ricky's shoulder with it.
"Ricky! Why would you do that, you can't reveal all your cards at once! Guys who have girlfriends don't leave voicemails like that for their exes!" Izzy said, smacking him again, and Ricky threw his head back, rubbing his hands along his face.
"I know, it was dumb, I'm sorry," Ricky said and Izzy frowned. She had noticed that this was a trend with Ricky and that he often made self-deprecating comments about himself, particularly about his intelligence, and Izzy hated it.
"It wasn't dumb, you just let your emotions get the better of you. And this could be good. She's probably thinking about the moment too and knowing that you're thinking about it could plant some seeds of doubt in her head," Izzy reasoned and although she had only said it to make Ricky feel better, she found that it was a realistic view on the situation and Nini could be doing exactly that.
"I guess," Ricky said, but Izzy could tell that he didn't believe her.
"Okay, let's talk about something else to distract you. I have a question for you," Izzy said, making Ricky look up to give her his full attention. "Why is it that we've known each other since we were in kindergarten but we've only just become friends? I mean, it's clear that we get along, so how come we never became friends?"
"I don't know, I guess we're both the types to just keep to ourselves," Ricky said with a shrug, and Izzy nodded.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Or maybe you just never noticed me," Izzy said with a shrug and Ricky scoffed, making her look at him in surprise. "What?" She asked through a slight laugh and Ricky rolled his eyes.
"You can't be serious. I always noticed you, Iz," Ricky said, saying the last words softly, and his tone took her by surprise. They stared at each other in silence for a minute and Izzy was suddenly very aware of their hands touching along the back of the couch and the lazy circles that Ricky was drawing on her hand.
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked and the words came out more strangled than she had intended, but it was difficult to speak clearly when he was drawing those circles.
"It's a little embarrassing," Ricky said, looking away with a slight blush tinting his cheeks, and for some reason that just made Izzy's heart rate speed up.
"Tell me," Izzy pleaded and Ricky sighed as he met her eyes again.
"It's dumb, but when we were in kindergarten and we were in the same class, I had like a little crush on you. You were kind of my first crush," Ricky admitted and Izzy felt her cheeks heat up slightly as they locked eyes again. The air seemed to leave her lungs temporarily.
"That's not embarrassing, it's sweet," Izzy said and they continued to stare at each other in silence. Ricky opened his mouth to say something, but the doorbell sounding cut him off. The sound seemed to bring Izzy back to life and she snatched her hand away from his as she jumped up.
"Um, I should go get that," Izzy said, rubbing her hand slightly against her shirt to get rid of the tingles running up her fingers.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding once she got out of the room and rolled her shoulders back before stepping forward and opening the door. EJ was the last person she expected to see standing on the other side of the door and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.