A Love Rekindled (Nancy and Bruce) novel Chapter 1

Everyone was drinking and having fun when I arrived.

Bruce sat amongst the crowd, the solemn expression on his handsome face lit up by the chandelier on the ceiling. Beside him was a pretty young woman.

Bruce's hand rested behind her, displaying how caring he was of her.

It was the woman's turn to choose between truth or dare.

Before she could even make her choice, the host of the game said gently, "Kiss someone of the opposite sex for two minutes."

The woman lowered her head shyly and shot Bruce a pleading look, looking pitiful.

Bruce eyed the crowd and said quietly, "Stop messing with her. She's shy."

Naturally, no one dared push the dare further, but Bruce still downed his drink out of respect for the rules of the game. It was clear he was protective of the woman.

As the table erupted in hoots and cries, no one noticed I was there in the corner.

I clutched my wrist, feeling the scars there, before turning around.

"Have you just arrived too, Nance?" Douglas Irvin, our class representative, asked me. All eyes swiftly landed on me.

Nance. I used to be proud of that nickname—the one everyone referred to me by when I was Bruce's girlfriend. But now it just seemed stupid.

As everyone looked at me, I said calmly, "It's been a long time."

No one responded as the room fell to pin-drop silence.

Who would care about someone who'd spent six years pining for Bruce, especially now that he had already found the love of his life? My appearance was truly quite inappropriate.

Just then, the woman beside Bruce broke the silence. "I know you, Nancy Fisher. You were the most hardworking student in our previous graduating year!"

The woman's voice was sweet, and her features tender. It was really hard not to like her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nance. My name's Cindy Lane, from the accounting department." The woman introduced herself before turning to Bruce and asking softly, "Why didn't you tell me Nance was coming here tonight, Bruce?"

Bruce glanced at me and said in a flat tone, "Why would I mention someone irrelevant?"

Irrelevant. So that was what Bruce thought of me.

But he wasn't wrong, really. Why else wouldn't I have had the chance to be by his side after our six years together?

Bruce never made our relationship official nor came to my aid as he did with Cindy.

Most amusing was that I always thought he'd never drink.

Everyone left the place after the gathering ended. Bruce and Cindy were at the centre of the crowd, flanked by everyone else.

I could hear Cindy's sweet voice saying, "I told you not to drink so much. You feel terrible now, don't you?"

Bruce's response was impressive. "And who did I drink so much for?"

Cindy said with tears in her eyes, "You don't need to see me off, Bruce. I feel bad."

I watched as Bruce said something to her, to which she giggled immediately.

The two lovebirds chattered about with one another as if it were just the two of them and no one else. Several people shot me sympathetic looks again and again.

I felt horrible.

I'd wanted to use this school reunion to gain investor connections. Not only did my plan fail, but I also ended up as a laughing stock tonight.

Douglas couldn't stand it anymore and offered to accompany me to the subway station.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know Bruce would be here," Douglas said regretfully. "He never joins gatherings like this."

Douglas was telling the truth. Bruce hadn't even signed his name on the reunion attendance list earlier.

I said gently, "It's alright. It's in the past now. I hope you'll be able to help me from now on, Douglas."

Douglas nodded. "I'll review the proposal and let you know if there are any updates."

See? Business was a far easier topic than relationships.

I returned to my apartment an hour later with some hangover pills. When the elevator door opened, a familiar figure stood before me. Who else could it be but Bruce himself?

Bruce was lighting a cigarette, his blue-striped tie slack around his neck, making him look quite relaxed.

His eyes went into a daze when he saw me. I pretended not to notice and stepped into the elevator.

Looking away, I pressed the button for my floor. Neither of us spoke a word.