"Oh my goodness, look how much you've grown!" Dolly covered her face in amazement as she looked up at the man who had once barely reached her stomach, now towering over her by three inches.
"How long has it been?" Ricky asked while opening his arms as Dolly rolled her eyes with a smile before hugging the kid she treated long ago.
Dolly had remembered Ricky since he had visited her every now and then, though it suddenly stopped after the recent mob war raged onwards.
"Here, I was in the store and I thought of you." Ricky pulled the yellow flowers into Dolly's view as she was a little surprised.
"Yellow daisies, my favorite." Dolly grabbed the flowers which were gently handed to her as she smiled while taking in the aroma.
"He's not making it past the door." Edward shook his head as a bead of sweat ran down his face.
"No she's a good doll, she'll be polite and invite him in." Jake guessed as Dolly looked up from her flowers.
"I know you never stay but would you like a cup of tea? I just brewed a pot." Dolly asked with an innocent smile, though knew Ricky never stayed for long.
Ricky faked a hesitating look before giving Dolly a gentle smile.
"How did I ever say no to you?" Ricky asked with a calm expression as Dolly immediately slapped his shoulder with a slight chuckle, seeing his wide smile.
"Oh my goodness Ricky, you turned into such a flirt." Dolly made way as Ricky walked into the house though still looked at Dolly.
"Not always but you always seem to bring it out of me whether it's from when I was young to now, you're as beautiful as ever." Ricky spoke poetically, and though Dolly shook her head, she wore a bright smile since after all, everyone enjoys a compliment now and then.
"No way!" Edward grabbed his forehead in distress as he saw Dolly closing the door behind him.
"Alright he got-"
*Smack*
"Wait." Edward put his hand over the money on the dash while Jake raised an eyebrow.
"You do know that he's been practicing on the college girls for this exact moment Edward, we all saw how weak those chicks got over one conversation, he's gonna bag Dolly." Jake raised an eyebrow since they all should know what Ricky was capable of.
Although he hadn't slept with those girls, at least yet, he had been going to the local colleges and returning back to his usual charming self while using the college girls as guinea pigs, refining his skills.
Ricky had even been a wingman for all of them and had successfully helped Edward and Rocco lose their V-cards yet Jake was shocked Edward still doubted him.
Although Ricky didn't originally want to be their friend, he warmed up to them after a while before eventually he himself considered them his friends.
"This is different she's a widow-"
"It doesn't matter." Rocco laughed out, crossing his eyes while gazing at the window.
"Ricky's gonna bag that broad."
Walking in, Ricky surveyed the clean house while seeing the multiple pictures of her with Sammy, her deceased husband.
'And it begins.' Ricky thought while watching Dolly place the flowers in the vase.
"He was a good man, Sammy I mean." Ricky suddenly said as Dolly flinched before showing a sad look.
"H-He really was." Dolly smiled, placing the flowers in the vase before putting it over the sink to fill it with water.
"I can only imagine what you had to go through, Dolly." Ricky set the picture down before starting to walk towards the kitchen.
"I-It-...….It was tough at times, but I had a lot of friends to help me through it." Dolly's smile formed into a sad one as Ricky leaned next to her.
"So how has the dating circle been for you, I bet you get guys lining up all the way to the highway to get a chance to even look at you." Ricky flashed a cheeky smile, prompting Dolly to roll her eyes though her sad smile faded into a genuine one.
"They most certainly do not, in fact, I haven't been on a date in five years." Dolly confessed while intently gazing at the flowers to make sure there was enough water as she had completely missed Ricky's carnivorous smile which faded in a second.
"You're kidding?" Ricky showed a baffled expression as Dolly let out a sigh.
"Unfortunately, I'm not." Dolly forced a smile while trying to hide the crippling loneliness she felt.
Despite having wonderful friends to lean on, they were also building their own lives, which included starting families of their own.
Slowly but surely, Dolly found herself being left behind on the road of life.
Watching as each of her friends drove off into their own sunsets, while she was left waiting on the side of the road, feeling somewhat misplaced.
Dolly had unknowingly secluded herself from the outside world as the one who brought out the sunshine in her was now currently six feet under.
"Hey." Ricky grabbed Dolly's arm gently as she stopped and looked up to see a worried expression.
"Are you okay?" Ricky asked in a soothing tone which shook her to the very core.
When was the last time someone had really taken the time to not simply comfort her, but ask her if she was really okay.
"I-I'm fine-"
"No you're not." Ricky shook his head while taking the flower vase out of her hands and setting it down before grabbing her hand.
Gripping it tightly, Ricky led Dolly to the nearby couch before guiding her right next to him as she avoided his eyes.
"Dolly, I know that you've been alone but I'm here now, you can tell me anything and I promise I won't ever tell a soul." Ricky then placed his other hand to rest on her delicate shoulder as she looked down.
*Sniff*
"I-I just don't understand why they look at me like that." Dolly confessed as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"How do they look at you?" Ricky asked gently and Dolly bit her lip before closing her eyes.
"They say things, things like how Sammy took underhanded bribes." Dolly confessed as Ricky looked shocked.
"No~"
"Yes!" Dolly looked up at the seemingly shocked Ricky who faked a disbelieving expression, already knowing that Lucky himself popped one in Sammy's head.
"Your Sammy."
"My Sammy!"
"Sammy Henderson?"
"Yes!"
Dolly started to cry as Ricky carefully swept them away from her cheek as she looked thankful.
*Sniff*
"You're the only guy who hasn't run away when I've confessed this." Dolly laughed sadly while wiping away the tears as Ricky reluctantly let go of her other hand so she could easily wipe away.
"Dolly, I am so sorry for what you've had to go through." Ricky showed a warm smile as it seemed to warm up her cold heart.
"You are so sweet Ricky." Dolly smiled as a silence suddenly loomed over them.
Then, in a sudden and unexpected move, Ricky leaned his body towards Dolly.
She felt a jolt of surprise shoot through her as she seemingly froze, her ocean blue eyes locked onto his light green ones.
At that moment, she wanted to turn away, to break the intensity of their gaze but Ricky's warm smile and kindness seemed to envelop her entire being, making it impossible for her to look away.
Instinctively, she closed her eyes, feeling a mixture of emotions swirling within her.
There was a sense of vulnerability, of being exposed to something she had long kept guarded.
Yet, there was also a feeling of comfort, of being understood and accepted in a way she had never experienced before.
"When was this taken?" Ricky deliberately avoided her lips and instead reached past her, aiming for the picture behind her.
This was Ricky's usual tactic for gauging a woman's interest as he would conveniently place himself near an interesting object, then subtly reach for it while memorizing its details.
Afterward, he would say some nice words to loosen her up before testing the waters. However, unless the woman leaned in, he knew they weren't ready.
Sometimes, when they froze, it simply meant they were surprised and not necessarily uninterested.
However, in this case, he could see that Dolly was somewhat forcing herself to warm up, which wasn't a good sign.
Interactions like this often led to the woman abruptly stopping their intimate interactions halfway, a frustrating experience that had left Ricky feeling blue balled many times before.
"T-That was me when I graduated in high school." Dolly was flushed in embarrassment though Ricky purposely focused wholly on the picture so that Dolly wouldn't leave in embarrassment, giving her time to calm down.
Embrassent and one's own self conscience was, at least to Ricky, what he found to get a girl in the right mood in any situation.
At first they would contemplate why they reacted the way they did.
'I can't believe I thought he was going to kiss me!'
Then they would try to reason with themselves to try to justify their actions.
'I-I mean, was it wrong for me to assume the way he did? All he does is flirt with me and lean in?'
Then they question themselves.
'Wait was he flirting with me or just being nice?'
Then they would try to reason with themselves again.
'Dolly he is fourteen and you are twenty seven, he is out of reach.'
Then that final thought that turns the table into his favor.
'However, he doesn't look fourteen.'
All these thoughts raced through Dolly's mind as she began to truly see Ricky for the man he had become, rather than the child she once knew.
She noticed the muscles that now defined his body, his height that grew over her, and that jawline that seemed to chisel away at her very gaze.
"What were you thinking when this picture was taken of you?" Ricky asked thoughtfully as his smile widened at her reddened face.
"I wasn't, my dad just took it." Dolly said what was at the top of her head and Ricky started to laugh as if he had misinterpreted it as a joke.
"You know, you're a really great gal Dolly." Riky started to use his time periods lingo as Dolly showed him a heartfelt smile.
"Thank you Ricky." Dolly thanked him as Ricky let out a sigh which made her woman's senses tingle.
'Take the bait-'
"Ricky? Are you okay?" Dolly asked Ricky but with a sad smile while nodding.
"I'm fine-"
"Ricky." Dolly scrunched her eyebrows with a clear frown as Ricky let out a small laugh.
"You really are one of a kind." RIcky didn't forget to slip in a compliment as he had reached the second phase of his plan.
Letting her into his 'space'.
Instead of making a move, Ricky wanted Dolly to not only think of him as a trusted person but to genuinely feel that way too.
He believed that forging a bond through shared heartache was often stronger and more enduring than one formed through compassion alone.
"It's just-....." Ricky grabbed the picture tightly as Dolly couldn't help it and scooted over to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Ricky, you can tell me anything and I promise I won't ever tell a soul." Dolly rebranded his own word as Ricky let out a small chuckle.
"It's just sometimes I feel so suffocated and alone." Ricky confessed with a bold face lie, trying to relate to Dolly's troubles as much as possible.
"How so?" Dolly asked as Ricky sighed before caressing her highschool photo with his thumb.
"My father just expects so much of me along with everyone else and at first it was nice until, until I felt isolated." Ricky confessed with a disheartened smile while Dolly showed a sad look while rubbing Ricky's back in comfort.
"My father is the leader of a company, and he's great, but sometimes it makes it hard to find what's real in a person, you know?" Ricky turned to Dolly, their faces only inches away from each other as their breaths seemingly intertwined with each other.
"In a way Ricky, I think I do." Dolly nodded in understanding as Ricky set the picture on the table.
"I feel like this is real." Ricky confessed as Dolly showed an appreciative smile as Ricky once again went face to face with her.
"Me too." Dolly showed a warm smile as she stared in his eyes until she started to feel slightly lost.
It had been too long since she felt this kind of connection with a man, and it was slowly stirring up all the deep-seated feelings she had been holding back for years.
'Now.'
Ricky didn't want to waste any more time, but he also didn't rush the process as he gently brought his hand to Dolly's cheek, and instead of freezing or pulling away, she nestled her face into his palm, closing her eyes at the warmth of his touch.
Ricky placed his thumb on her luscious red lips, slowly rubbing it in a counterclockwise manner before gently pulling her forward.
He didn't need to pull for long; she willingly leaned in, meeting him halfway.
Their lips met, and as they did, Dolly felt Ricky's tongue gently slither against hers before slowly wrapping around it in an intimate embrace.
Their lips intertwined, and their tongues danced to the tune of passion.
Ricky's eager hand didn't stay idle on her cheek but slowly traced down her curvaceous body, finally resting on her lower back. The sensation sent shivers through Dolly, intensifying the connection they were building.
Pulling her up, Ricky kept their kiss while passionately keeping Dolly in a lip lock embrace as she started to slowly get lost.
Then, Ricky suddenly broke the kiss. Dolly opened her eyes, her heart pounding with a newfound intensity.
A feeling of longing washed over her, enveloping her entire being while her lips still tingled from the passionate embrace, and she could feel her pulse quicken in anticipation.
Ricky's gaze held hers, a mixture of desire and tenderness in his light green eyes. The air between them seemed to crackle with unspoken words and shared emotions, leaving Dolly yearning for the moment to continue, her heart aching for more.
"Ricky~"