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Ricky’s phone pinged a third time in five minutes and he shoved the spoon of cereal in his mouth in record-breaking time to check the group chat.
Out of the four of them, EJ had been the one most nervous for their first Valentine's Day, and it was absolutely endearing watching him check and double check everything down to the last detail as if it was the opening night of a show instead of a date night.
“Tell Nini I said hello” said his father, startling Ricky
“What?”
“That smile, you only have it when you’re talking to Nini. Plans still up for tonight?”
“Yes, romantic dinner by her house at seven.”
“And her moms know that?”
“Absolutely. And I’ll be back before midnight.”
Ricky felt a bit guilty (he did, really!) for lying to his dad. Honestly, he didn’t even think he would react badly. But when the four of them started seeing each other, part of him didn’t think they would make it. It just sounded so impossible – their history alone would make it hard for any couple to work out, but the four of them? There wasn’t a chance. Gina had agreed with him, back then, almost pulling back, too afraid to ruin the weird peace they had found.
Back then, they didn’t tell anyone. Not even Ash knew during the first month. To everyone else, they were going on double dates: Nini and him, East High’s newest Gabriela and Troy, and EJ and Gina, the unlikely power couple. Except under the table his foot was hooked on EJ’s calf and Nini was laughing a little too loudly at Gina’s jokes. There was a particular kind of thrill, Ricky had found out, of being allowed to pull Gina by the waist and kiss her in the kitchen while EJ and Nini finished the popcorn.
But still, he didn’t think it would last. He was half-sure this would end up being a bittersweet memory, a summer romance at best. Except the summer ended, and he found himself sitting by EJ during lunch and picking Gina to school on his dad’s old car. And then the year was ending and he and Nini went Christmas shopping together so they could split their gifts because his dad's allowance didn’t account for three gifts instead of one.
And now it was Valentine's Day, and he was starting to think that he might have to tell his parents soon. At least his dad. Even if this blew up in his face eventually, it was looking like it would do so later rather than sooner.
It was just EJ’s luck that his parents decided to travel around Valentine's Day. It wasn’t a romantic trip, of course, they had some business to attend in Tokyo – he couldn’t remember the last time their parents had done anything romantic. But it meant he had the house to himself. And it meant he had spent the last week organizing the perfect day for his partners.
He still didn’t believe he wasn’t wrong about their feelings.
When they told Ash, she hadn't believed that he had been the one who suggested it. But everything clicked into place for him at the same time, as if he had been staring at half a picture all his life. He grew up with so much internalized self-loading, in an emotionally repressed household, but since that summer with Nini he was trying to do better. It had been Gina who showed him how, and Ricky had been the catalyst – the reason why he sat down with his feelings and found out attraction amid them.
The four of them had started a tentative friendship after High School Musical: The Musical. Nini dragged Ricky to sit with them one night at Salt Lake Slices and started talking as if they did that all the time. Which led to occasionally sitting together during lunch and evolved to an unexpected group chat.
At some point, Nini started by complementing Gina, and Gina started blushing.
Once EJ noticed that, he couldn't stop noticing it.
It was obvious that there was still some tension between him and Nini. He could feel gravity pulling them together every time they were together. And he wasn't blind to the way Ricky looked at his girlfriend. This was easy to see – expected, even.
What he didn't expect was how Nini wouldn't stop touching Gina. Sure, Nini was touchy with her other friends – she and Kourtney were always hugging or close, but it didn't look the same. On Gina, Nini’s touches lingered. He watched as his girlfriend melted over and over again under Nini’s hand over her waist, and felt the tug of jealousy usually reserved to the way she smiled at Ricky.
It was a Wednesday, two weeks before summer break, when everything clicked for him.
Ricky stopped by his locket after gym, hair wet from sweat, eyes glittering at him. “Hey Eej, I was thinking we could go double dating this week? Nini can't stop talking about this new musical on theaters, and I thought you and Gin would love it.”
Their nicknames sounded so casual on his lips, as if they had always been Eej and Gin to Ricky, that EJ only noticed that later.
“Hadestown?”
“That one. Sooooo, Friday at 6?”
His stomach flipped, and he couldn’t hold back his excitement.
“I’ll check with Gina but... yeah, sure”
Ricky smiled at him, all dimples and freckles. EJ couldn't look at anywhere else.
“Good, it's a date then.”
Everything clicked at once.
EJ stood there, books in his hand, staring at the place Ricky had been, until the bell rang.
Nini’s moms were the only parents who knew. Or, better phrased, were the only ones who found out. After the summer break, Gina started showing for dinner more often than not, sleeping over and stealing Nini’s over-sized shirts to sleep with. One particular morning, as the girls giggled to themselves over breakfast, her mom casually asked
“So, do Ricky and EJ know, or do I have to bribe your mom not to gossip to Mike?”
They both blushed so deeply, killing any chance for denial.
“How do you know?”
“Please, I pulled the best friend sleepover too when I was your age.”
“I’m sorry, mom, I know I should've...”
Her mom stopped her with a hand wave. “Save that for Carol. So, do the boys know?”
Nini coughed, and looked at Gina. Gina looked like a deer caught in the headlights, eyes bugged and glued to Mrs. Salazar-Roberts face, but she moved when she felt Nini’s hand over hers. Blinking a couple of times. “Yes, the boys... uh.”
“We are dating. All four of us.”
This came in handy this Valentine's Day. The two adults had their back as long as Nini promised to tell them if their relationship changed to something more physical. Gina was over that night so they could get ready together, and she was still not used to the overload of maternal love she received from both Dana and Carol.
The door was open, as it always had to be when she was over, but Gina knew by now that neither of the moms would drop by without stepping unusually loud on the stairs on their way up. She was laying on top of Nini, shadow pallet in hand, as she tried to finish the touched on her eyes.
“I don’t think that’s the best way to do that Gin” Nini laughed from under her.
“Oh, it absolutely is.” She lowered her face, their lips just about to touch, and when she spoke again she could almost taste her own words, “Are you complaining?”
Nini blushed so deeply that it looked as if Gina had overdone her makeup (which, of course, she would never).
“No” she managed to say.
“Though so. Now don’t move, I need to get this straight.”
Gina knew that if Ricky had been here, he would laugh at the unintentional pun, and she snorted at the thought. From the way Nini shook under her, she had done the same. She finished the makeup and leaned down to kiss her properly on the lips. Any previous shyness had apparently left Nini as she pulled her down by the waist, forcing her weight down on her chest. She kissed back with the same intensity, letting her tongue slip past her lips and framing her face with her hands.
Then, they heard the clear sound of stomping feet from the stairs.
They broke apart, Nini frowning her nose at Gina as they untangled themselves from each other.
“Girls, are you ready? We want to drop you off before…” Carol’s face popped up by the door, and she smiled at the girls. “You look gorgeous. Both of you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Robert.”
Carol smiled at her, reaching for her hand to softly touch her cheek.
“I’ve told you before, it's Carol. Now come, Dana and I have a reservation for tonight, and we need to drop you off soon so we won’t be late.”
“Thank you for the ride, mom.” Nini said, as the three of them walked to the garage.
“Oh, don’t worry. I hope you know we’re doing it because we are hoping to snag a picture of the four of you before we go.”
“Mama.”
“No, don’t mama me, it's your first Valentine's Day! You’ll thank me in ten years, all your mom and I have to show is her crumpled ticket for the Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.”
“Yes, because you threw up on yours.” Dana said, from inside the car, a smile so found that Gina’s heart couldn’t help but warm to.
Nini laughed at them, opening the backseat door and letting Gina climb in first. “You never told me you threw up on your first Valentine's Day!”
“Oh, all over my costume” offered Dana, “She and I decided to join a drinking game…”
“Which you should never do.”
“Which you should never do.” Agreed Dana, “she was absolutely sure she would win. She didn’t.”
They drove to EJ’s house like this, casually remembering stories of a love that was still bright and young, despite its age. Gina had never seen that, didn’t know it was possible, to be quite honest. With her father out of the picture and seeing her mother get her heart broken every time she tried again, she had no frame of reference for what love should look like before. She held Nini’s hand thigh the whole drive.
When they arrived, Ricky was already there, opening the door for them with EJ by his side.
“You look… God, you both look gorgeous” Said EJ, smiling so softly that Nini couldn’t resist but pulling him to a soft kiss.
“That’s what I said too!” Said Carol, a few steps behind, forcing the boys to look up at her in surprise.
Nini rolled her eyes, moving out of EJ's personal bubble and missing his heat instantly. “My moms want a photo of us.”
Both boys blushed.
“Oh… I…”
“Don’t pretend you’re shy now, Ricky, I know you too well for that.”
They laughed, eventually posing for the picture. It took a few tries before Carol was satisfied. “Thank you, kids. Now, you know the rules, I’ll pick them up at midnight. Enjoy your date.”
“You too mom!”
They were behind the closed door before Carol was even back at the car, finally comfortable enough to kiss each other.
"Happy Valentine's day, my loves." Said EJ theatrically “We have pizza, popcorn, and I baked us…”
“You bake?”
“Yes, I’m full of surprises” EJ winked, “I baked us some strawberry pie.”
Nini grimed at him – it was her favorite.
“And, of course” He added, “the Singing in the Rain Blu-ray version, as voted in our group chat last week.”
It was only hours latter when Nini checked her phone. Her partners were all in various positions on the sofa, as EJ set the movie on his huge screen. Ricky was softly playing with her hair, but was listening as Gina explained why Gene Kelly’s tap dancing was one of a kind.
Her mom had sent her the picture: She was on one end, hand on Gina’s waist, as EJ’s arm reached for her shoulders behind Gina’s own. EJ was hugging Ricky with his other arm, kissing softly the crown of his head. She looked up at her partners, t, feeling bright and young and light, filled with love to the brim. She quickly changed her wallpaper, laid her head back on Ricky’s shoulder’s and enjoyed what was the best Valentine's Day she ever had.