A "LOVE" STORY

CHAPTER 2

On a cold Saturday evening nineteen year old Nina was walking home from work. Nina was shivering from the cold when a guy came walking up to her.

"Need a jacket?" He asked holding his jacket out to her. Feeling suspicious, sge shook her head and walked off.

"Are you sure? I can see you're cold."

Nina stops and looks back at him. He's right, she is cold. She wants to say yes, but Nina's trust in people and kindness faded away many years ago.

"Please." The guy says, stretching his hand with the jacket towards her once again.

She stands there for a moment longer before slowly moving towards him, taking the jacket carefully from his hand when she gets to him.

"Thank you. I hope it keeps you warm" he says with a smile. "I'm Leon, by the way. And you are?"

"Nina." She whispers in reply.

"Nice to meet you Nina." Leon says still smiling sweetly.

This is the first time in so long that someone who isn't Nina's dad did something nice for her. Not knowing how to respond she nods and gives Leon half a smile. After a minute of awkward silence the two of them go their separate ways.

***

When Nina arrived home she threw herself down on her bed, finally forming a proper smile. She isn't used to people being kind to her. She has seen people being kind to each other, but never to her. "Is he really being kind, or was he just feeling sorry for me?" Her smile faded as the thought came to mind. "He was most likely just feeling sorry for me." She says to her self as tears started forming in her eyes. "That's all it will ever be."

After a while of silently crying on her bed Nina goes down to the kitchen to get some food. Walking up to the fridge she sees a note.

"Working late again, sorry.

I made you a sandwich

Love You."

"Love you too Dad." She whispers to herself and opens the fridge. She takes her sandwich up to her room and eats it before taking a shower and heading to bed.

The next day after work she sees Leon again. "Hey!" he shouts from across the street waving at her. Nina smiles, waving back at him. Maybe it wasn't just pity. Maybe Leon was a genuine kind-hearted person.

He runs over to her offering her a hug, but stops when he sees that Nina is uncomfortable.

"How are you?" He asks smiling at her.

"I'm fine." She whispers looking down.

"Is fine good or bad?" He asks jokingly hoping to make her laugh, but Nina just shrugs, not knowing what to say.

"You're very quiet. And thats okay. But unfortunately I have to leave now but same tomorrow?" He asks, causing her to form a genuine smile. But as soon as Nina realise she's smiling she looks down and walks away.

***

"Why, why, why?" She asks herself as soon she walks into her room. She falls down on her bed, scolding herself for being the way she is. All she wants is to not be scared of people. She wants to know how kindness and love feels. But she is the one currently pushing it away because of fear.

As she lays on her bed she gets an idea and rushes over to her desk. She rummages through the drawer, pulling out a pen and a piece of paper. She sits down at her desk trying to find rhe words to write down.

"Hi there, sorry I'm so quie-" she starts, but scrunches up the paper and throws it aside.

"You seem kind." Another piece of paper gets balled up and thrown.

"Thanks for the jacket." No. Again.

A few more pieces of paper gets thrown away before Nina decides to just write down her number.

"Good enough." She says to herself before putting the pieces of paper in her bag.

Nina pulls out her packet of cigarettes and lights one. She finishes her cigarette before falling asleep with the thought of Leon in her mind.

***

Work is the same as always. Cleaning tables, moping floors, taking orders and dealing with rude customers. But one small thing is different. For the first time in years Nina is excited about the day. She can't wait for work to end so she can see Leon again.

In the last hour of Nina's shift she can't stop checking the time. She barely got any work done, but she doesn't care because she hates her job anyway.

"What's up with you?" Amy, Nina's manager asks. The only tolerable person in that place.

"It's nothing." Nina says, her cheeks reddining.

"Nothing? Is that the guys name?" Amy asks chuckling. "Well I'm assuming it's because if the guy that you've talked to a few times outside that's making you act like this."

Nina blushes even more shaking her head. Amy laughs once more and walks off, happy for Nina. Amy has always had a soft spot for Nina. She saw Nina smoking weed outside the restaurant one day and went to confront her as it was bothering some customers. But before she could say anything she saw that Nina's arms where full of scars. Instead of chasing her of, Amy offered Nina a part time job to which Nina agreed. Nina used the money she made to help with rent and food. She wanted a job for a while now, but no one wanted to hire someone like Nina.

After work Nina rushed outside. She looked around for Leon, but couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe he's just a bit late today. A few minutes passes, then an hour. With Nina's excitement now long gone, she decides to head back home, crying on her bed once again.

"I knew it was to good to be true." She thinks to herself, falling asleep with tear stained cheeks. "No one would want to talk to a f**k up like me."