A Love Worth Saving

chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

After standing in the queue for forty-five minutes, Nicole swore to never shop at Spar anymore, their services were poor. The ladies there spent more time chattering like monkeys, baring their teeth at whomever they thought would tip them the most.

She was running late to the office, it was supposed to be her day off, weekends, but somehow she'd missed a shift last week due to some issues she had to attend to back home, and now it was time to fill in for Stella, her friend.

Her phone rang again, jolting her from her thoughts, it was Stella on the line, again Nicole sighed and hit the answer. "Stella dear, I'll be there in a jiffy," she struggled to gather the white waterproof containing her purchases before slipping her card into the POS. She couldn't make out exactly what Stella was saying due to some background noise, she was at a wedding party as chief's bridesmaid for her sister. Nicole would've attended if she and Samantha weren't always at bottlenecks with each other.

"I'll call you when I get there!" Nicole cut the call and hurried to her car before their chief officer rang her instead. She was about to shut her trunk after dropping off the purchases when a voice spoke from behind her.

"Hi, you forgot your car-" the words left the stranger's lips as she turned to see who it was. Her breath hitched at the sight of the man before her.

"Richie," she whispered, words failing to come to her. Her poor heart hammered violently as she took in the familiar handsome man who used to be her everything.

"Nicole, I wasn't sure at first it was you." He gestured back at the mall. A difficult smile on his chiseled face. "I was two people behind so I couldn't get a proper look," he offered a suitable explanation to his walking up to her of all places and of all times.

Nicole stared down at her faded joggers and crop top, her hair loosely wrapped in a scarf as she'd paid little attention to her looks before stepping out. "Ah, yeah, came to grab somethings. You?"

"Same," his stares felt like they were boring into her soul, just like old times and it never got old as she still couldn't handle what it did to her insides. "Right, you left this by the counter," he produced her debit card from his pocket and stretched it towards her.

Nicole recoiled in utter embarrassment for having left her card in the machine after making payments. She'd been in such a hurry to get to the office and with Stella harassing her with calls her mind had become a mess.

"Thank you, I... I gotta go," she whispered, managing to keep her voice calm while her whole being quivered under his heavy gaze.

"It's nice to see you again, Nicole." There was a bit of hesitation in his voice like he was hoping she'd linger, probably agreeing to a bowl of ice cream while they caught up on their past.

After she got home, dropped off her groceries on the kitchen island, hurriedly dressed, and drove to the hospital. All through the day, she thought of Richie and the possibility of bumping into him at the mall. She thought he'd left the city just as he'd left her the night she broke off things between them.

That awful past tasted bitter on her tongue, she'd punished herself, goaded her mind and soul for ever trusting a cheat like him. It wasn't her fault she did, they had been young lovers since their high school days, everyone back then knew they were inseparable, bound to the hip like Siamese twins, and couldn't see anyone else except each other.

But in the long run, Richie had broken off from their bubble, he'd begun looking the other way for women who were less of her. Bimbos, attention seekers, and cheats like him.

After that heart-wrenching experience last two years, Nicole had sworn off men, especially ones that came with an easy charm, the likes of her ex Richie. She'd rather die single than end up with a two-timer. And as for that girl... What was her name again?