Soulmates (Revamped)

Chapter 1

Melanie

I was good on my own, that's the way it was.....

Rihanna played softly in the background, as I placed my top in my suitcase. In two days I was traveling to Jamaica for a much needed friend's vacation. The whole crew would be there, and it was our way of closing out the summer.

I heard muffling at my feet and looked down to see Queen, my tan toy poodle/maltese puppy. She was hanging out in my room playing with her toy while I packed.

I thought back on the last five years of my life and the ups and downs that I endured. After staying in Atlanta for a year, I decided to move back to Nashville with Malik. Atlanta would always be my home, but Nashville gave me the opportunity to become a better version of myself. We both decided to leave the game to start a better life, and it was going really well for us.

Risse and I teamed up and opened one of the largest beauty bars in Tennessee. After Lynette retired she gave us the business, which pissed off Moni. She ended up moving to Jackson, MI. and a couple of months later her minion Desiree moved to Brooklyn.

Business was booming so we had to buy a larger space to accommodate all our new customers. Rimel's Beauty Bar was born after we bought a huge commercial suite that had been abandoned. We did everything from hair, nails, lashes, and make up. The business has catapulted us to multi-millionaires, and we were still growing. To keep the tradition of the old salon, we renovated the old building into a board certified beauty school, where we trained new stylists and techs.

Business wasn't the only thing that changed for me in Nashville, I also found love here. Within finding love, I also experienced my first real heartbreak. Malik and I spent an amazing two years together, until it all came crashing down after he cheated on me with Denise. He had been acting weird around that time, and he told me he had a business trip to take. I pushed away all my intuitions and trusted that he wouldn't hurt me. I was at home relaxing when my phone began buzzing, there where pictures of them naked together in bed and coupled up at the casinos.

Afterwards, I got word that he had been arrested in an illegal weapons bust in Vegas, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. I was still hurt and angry about him cheating, and I ignored all his calls for the first five months he was there. I didn't put any money on his books or even show up to his trial. When I finally got the strength to face to him he blocked me and put me on the no visitors list. We hadn't spoken since, but Nas told me he was offered an early release.

He was my past and I had already moved on to a new relationship. My new man Damian was different than any guy I'd dated before, but he cared about me so that's all that mattered. My family and friends hated him, but they tolerated him for my sake. He was a private chef that I met when he catered an event for the salon last year.

He helped me through my break up from Malik but lately our relationship had been in a weird place. He had been staying out later than usual, acting weird whenever he was on the phone, and picking arguments with me over dumb shit. I tried breaking up with him, but he would always come back begging to get back together. He also hated my guy friends and swore up and down that I was cheating with them. Queen hated him also and she always stayed near me or upstairs whenever he was over.

I wouldn't say I was in love with Damian, but he was special to me. I wasn't quite ready to let that go.

"LETS GOOOOOOO"

I heard Damian yelling downstairs followed by a slew of curse words. He was playing 2k which would explain his loud outburst. I zipped up my suitcase before walking downstairs to prepare dinner.

I looked around in disgust as I walked into my living room. There were beer bottles and food cartons everywhere and it stank. I always kept my place clean and I hated how Damian always seemed to mess it up everytime he came over. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag before aggressively throwing all his trash away.

"Thanks baby, I appreciate you cleaning up my mess."

"Well I wouldn't have anything to clean if you didn't make a mess. I don't go to your house and make a mess, so I would love if you didn't do it at mine.

"Mane there you go with all that nagging, damn I can't have peace for anything. I miss how you were when we first got together, now all you do is complain."

"Well I miss who you were when we first got together, now you're just a lazy, dirty, sneaky grown ass child." I mumbled to myself before I walked in the kitchen to cook dinner.

I decided to cook some roast chicken in the air fryer, along with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. It didn't take me long to cook and soon Damian and I began eating.

We didn't really talk much as we ate, and my mind flooded with thoughts of how I got here. I was never like this over no nigga, I dated them and left after I got what I needed. I was used to ballers, hustlers and rich business men, not men who couldn't even take care of themselves. I hated that I had morphed into this weak women for Damian, and I vowed to myself that I would never get here after Malik. That relationship really fucked me up, and as much as I hated it, Damian helped me pick up the pieces. I couldn't give up on him because he didn't give up on me. What good is the relationship if it isn't serving me anymore and I'm unhappy. On the other hand I can't let Damian go, it's like I owe him my loyalty.

I missed who I was before I allowed relationships to define my worth. I was that girl and I desperately needed to get back to her, and fast. I haven't been myself since Malik broke my heart, and even though it's been three years, I'm still hurt and angry about it. He broke me after he promised he wouldn't, and I would be happy in life if I never saw him again.

I couldn't wait to go on this vacation, I needed the get away badly.

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Hey y'all

What do y'all think?! Please let me know your opinions, if you don't like it I'll delete and continue with the previous. If y'all like it I will continue and post more chapters. I wanted to dig deeper into Mel emotionally, and Malik too. While shortening the timeline just a lil. Please drop your comments down below, and be honest with me. I promise it won't hurt my feelings. I know I say this 10000 times but thank you so much for the support. I love that y'all love these characters almost as much as I love creating them ❤️❤️