GROWING PAINS
PAIRING: Nishimura Riki x Reader
WORD COUNT: 2.3K
SUMMARY: Reader and Riki go through a harsh breakup, and after the reader's life seems to fall apart, things start to come back together.
NOTES: Hi guys! it took me forever to get this out because your girl has a job and needs to make bank, but anyway here it is sorry for the waaaiiiiiiit. Also, once again, this is NOT proofread.
P.S this is another idea from my best friend :3
When you get dumped, you think back on every hint, not just the relationship and all of the memories it held, but your whole life. What led up to the relationship, how it changed you, and how it'll continue to change you now that it's over.
Your relationship with Riki was perfect, if not better than perfect. You met in high school at a party. You both stood off to the side, away from all of the drunk teenagers and loud noises. You had been ditched that night by your friends. He didn't care for parties. His friends managed to convince him to go over to you. The two of you hit it off instantly. You had so much in common. Music taste, fashion sense, interests, and more. It was basically love at first sight.
From that night onward, you and Riki were dating. Sure, people said you guys moved fast, but it was never a problem. That's not what came between you two.
Years flew by. You and Riki shared precious moments. He basically lived in your apartment, staying there most days. Every corner you turned had something of his: a toothbrush, a shirt, shoes. He was everywhere.
During the last few months of your relationship, the air between you two seemed to shift. You had no clue why. When you'd ask if he was okay, he'd nod. No real answer. It worried you. It was eating away at you. That was till you finally confronted him.
It was a normal Tuesday evening. You both sat on the couch, but on opposite ends.
“Hey, Riki?” You say softly, trying to get his attention.
“Hm?” He hummed, his gaze shifting from his cell phone screen to your face. You couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. It wasn't one of hatred or annoyance; they just didn't show the same love you remembered.
“What's going on? You've been acting… distant,” you muttered.
“Nothing,” he spits out, his tone just a hint sharp. His gaze fell back down to his phone.
You fall silent, debating if you actually wanted to force this answer out of him.
“I know you're lying. I just don't get why you're lying.”
He huffs, setting his phone down on the couch and looking back up at you. “You really want me to be honest?” he spat out.
“Yes! That is literally what I'm asking!”
“Fine! I can't stand to be around you anymore!”
Silence washed over the two of you once again, but this time, it felt heavier with the weight of his words pressing down on you.
“..what?” you mutter, looking at him in pure shock and disbelief.
“You heard me. Everything you do bugs me. I don't know why, but I just can't even bear 5 minutes with you anymore.”
Your heart shattered right then and there. His words instantly got into your head and made you wonder what you did wrong. Were you too clingy? Too loud? Too anxious? What did you do?
“Don't look at me like that.” He said.
You looked away. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. Everything. I don't know. It's like your personality just clashes with me now; like we're not as compatible as we thought.”
Tears slowly began to flood your vision, “Riki, don't say that, you know we are–”
“Do I? Do I know that? Because it doesn't feel like it, Y/n.” He says, shaking his head as he looks at you.
“So what are you trying to say, huh? That we aren't compatible? Are you about to dump me, too?” You spit out, the pain making your words harsher.
His silence answered your question. A tear slid down your cheek as you realized.
“Are you about to dump me?”You say, your voice more worried and pained.
“It's just not working anymore, Y/n–”
“Riki, I don't understand! What did I do wrong? I can fix it, please!”
His head shook one last time before he stood up.
“I'm sorry. I should go.” He says. His tone was remorseful.
You watched as he slid on his shoes and left without another word. Tears began to stream down your face. The love of your life had just spontaneously dumped you.
Months went by. You slowly recovered from the heartbreak. It wasn't easy, but with the support of your friends, it was manageable. You focused on your work and being happy with your friends, but the memory of Riki still crushed your soul every time you thought about him.
You’d see things that reminded you of him; a stuffed animal, a jacket, and so much more. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, you couldn’t get over him.
Your friends kept telling you, “Just go on a date!” “You’ll meet somebody new and realize that Riki was never worth it.” And such things. They eventually got through to you, but that didn’t mean you were ready.
You stand in your bathroom, adding the final touches to your makeup. your hands run through your hair to perfect it. Tonight you had a date; A date with a new man; a new man from Tinder. You hear your phone ping with a new notification. Your eyes glance down at the device, and you pick it up reading the message.
Your friends in a group chat hyping you up. You knew they were only trying to help you be happy again after Riki, but it felt like they were pressuring you to move on when you weren’t ready.
You let out a sigh and slide your phone in your purse. You give yourself one final once over in the mirror before walking out from the bathroom, grabbing your car keys, and leaving your place to head to your date.
As you drove, your mind drifted to Riki. It felt like you were betraying him. You could almost picture his hurt and disgusted face, but you knew that he wouldn’t react that way. You were broken up. He was probably going on dates as well; you were sure of it. As your car pulled into the restaurant's parking lot, you shook the thought out of your mind. You were moving on. You didn’t need him, right?
The restaurant was a semi- fancy Italian place. As you stepped in the front doors, the smell of red wine and food overwhelmed your nose. The restaurant was busy, but luckily you had a reservation. You were brought to your table and sat, waiting. You glanced at the watch on your wrist. 7:26 P.M. You were early. He’d be there soon. You let out a sigh, your thoughts swarming your brain. What if this was a bad idea? You weren’t ready, and now you’re about to lead somebody else on. Maybe you should leave.
Your thoughts were cut off by a server walking over. He asked what you wanted to drink. You ordered water, thinking it would be respectful to wait for your date before ordering. You couldn’t leave now. That would just be cruel.
Time ticked away, and your date hadn’t shown. You kept glancing at your watch, observing as the minutes ticked by. 7:31. 7:34. 7:41. 7:53. 8:02. Next thing you knew, it had been an hour, and he hadn’t come. You checked your phone, hoping he texted you that he couldn’t make it, but, of course, he didn’t. The same server as before came up to your table again, this time looking much more sympathetic.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but unfortunately we do need this table, and since the person you’re waiting on never showed, we were wondering if you’d be willing to give up the table.” He said, looking down at you like it physically pained him to kick you out of the table.
You nod, grabbing your purse. “Of course, sorry.” You say, your voice weaker than you intended it to be. You stand up and walk out of the restaurant. As you walk to your car, you feel tears slowly stinging your eyes. You unlock the driver's side door and get in. Tears began to pour down your cheeks. You couldn’t hold back anymore. Sobs wracked through your body. You leaned your head on the steering wheel, just sobbing your eyes out. The one time you tried to go on a date after your horrible breakup, you got stood up. Just your luck. Without thinking, you picked up your phone and called Riki. When the call began to ring, you froze, realizing what you had just done. You reached your hand over to click the hang up button, but he answered before you could do so.
“Y/n?” His voice said, sounding both confused and almost concerned.
At the sound of his voice, you instantly sobbed harder. You heard a small sigh come from your speaker before he spoke again. “Are you okay?”
Between choked-out sobs, you managed to mutter out “No.. I.. don’t know..”
“What’s wrong…?” He said, his voice becoming even softer at the sound of your broken sobs.
You sniffled, trying to hold back sobs so you could speak. “ I was trying to finally move on and.. and I got stood up on my first date…”
Once again, you heard him sigh, but this time it was a bit louder. “Y/n..” he muttered.
“I’m sorry, I.. I shouldn’t have called you. I.. I don’t even know why I did.” You say in a trembling, weak voice.
“Don’t apologize.” He said in that firm, yet comforting voice that used to always reassure you, though today it just made you sob harder.
For a minute the call was silent, as he just listened to the sound of your cries, that was until he spoke up again, saying words you didn’t expect.
“Come over.”
Your heart fell instantly as you froze. “..what?”
“I said come over, y/n” he repeated.
“But.. I.. okay..”
“Okay, I'll unlock the door.” He spoke in a soft voice, before hanging up.
You put your car in drive, feeling your whole body shaking. As you drove to his house, your heart was in your throat the whole time. Why did he invite you over? To be friendly? To help comfort you? Maybe something more? The thoughts consumed your mind, and between that and the tears, you barely could focus on driving.
You made it to his place around 15 minutes later. You sat in your car for roughly 5 minutes, and then stood at his door for a solid 5 minutes before you knocked. You knew he left the door open, but it felt wrong to let yourself into your ex's apartment. He opened the door and glanced over you. He saw the way your mascara had messily slid down your cheeks as you cried, the way your nose was red from sniffling, the way you picked at your fingers out of nervousness, and the worst of all, the broken look in your eyes.
Without a word, he stepped forward and pulled you into his arms, hugging you tightly. Your head instantly fell to his shoulder, where you broke down crying again. It felt both amazing and painful to be in his arms again. Your shaky hands slid around his waist, hugging him back.
The two of you sat there for what felt like eternity. He eventually pulled you inside and led you to his familiar couch. You sat down, still trembling slightly. You watched as he suddenly dropped to his knees and took off your heels. You almost melted into a puddle. Once he gently slid off your shoes, he sat beside you.
“What do you need?” He muttered, looking at you.
You sniffled, “I don’t know..”
His hand slid behind you, pulling you into his side. “Just silence? That’s what you always wanted before, yeah?”
You nod. Of course, he remembered. Any time you were upset, you just wanted silence. It hurt knowing he still remembered the little things about you.
Silence washes over you; one that wasn’t tense, yet was filled with unspoken words. You could basically feel his eyes scanning over you as you leaned against his side. You could barely focus on it though. After months of holding onto hope, you finally sat in his arms again.
“Can I say something?” He whispered, breaking the silence between you.
You instinctively nodded, listening to what he had to say. You heard him sigh before beginning.
“I regret it.”
“..regret what..?” You said, but you knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Y/n, do I really need to say it? I regret leaving you. I regret breaking your heart. When I walked out that day, I felt disgusted with myself. I had pushed away the one person who made me feel loved. And I regret it so much.” He said, pouring out his heart to you.
You pulled away slightly, sitting up fully to look up at him. Your stomach was churning. Your mind was spinning. This didn’t feel real.
“You’re serious..?” You mutter, looking at him like he had just told you his deepest darkest secret.
“Dead serious. I can’t get you out of my head. When I saw you call me tonight I knew this was my chance to get my girl back.”
His words made you melt. All the memories of your past heartbreak had faded away, leaving you with the fresh memory of his heartwarming words. “My chance to get my girl back.”
You reached over and hugged him, squeezing him so hard you heard him let out a small ‘oomph’ noise. He chuckled, his arms wrapping around you. He leaned his head on top of yours, taking in the feeling of you, the girl he almost lost for good, in his arms.
