Zoe sighed as she took a draw of her cigarette, relishing in the calmness that washed over her as she exhaled. It had been a relatively quite day if her last weeks in charge was anything to go by. She watched as an ambulance approached and Connie ran out to meet it, they seemed to have, to an extent, settle their differences. She jumped slightly as a hand touched her waist.
"So you're back then?" Max asked, as he approached Zoe from behind. He had heard from Robyn that she had been in a few days ago, after disappearing off the face if the earth for three weeks. He'd heard all about the man whom she'd returned with, the one who exuded arrogance and wealth. She hadn't been answering his calls or texts and now, it seemed, he was dumped.
Zoe whipped around as she heard the familiar voice "yeah" she smiled sheepishly, stubbing her cigarette out with her heel. "It's good to see you" she reached out to touch his arm lightly.
"Where have you been?" Max asked her, looking her up and down. She looked good, had a sort of… glow that radiated from her skin. Her curvy figure was as present as ever, encased nicely in her usual skirt and shirt.
"I've been away, I had to get away for a while" she smiled "I'm sorry I never called but I needed space."
"So what about us then?" He looked at her stonily, her face said it all, they were over. "Nick Jordan?" Max questioned, he'd only ever heard the name in passing and when he'd questioned Zoe, she'd clammed up and told him they were over a long time ago.
"Yeah… Look I'm sorry, but, Nick. Well, Nick's the love of my life" she whispered, looking up to meet his eyes "I never wanted to hurt you Max, but we weren't going anywhere, were we?" She questioned, rhetorical to her but she sensed he had an answer for her.
"I thought we might have, yeah" he conceded, his hand reaching out to hold her was surprised when she never pulled away and he moved his face closer to her "I've missed you Zoe" he whispered, closing the two between their lips.
"That shouldn't have happened" Zoe sighed as she pulled her mouth away from his "you can't go around kissing me" she whispered, pushing him away from her.
"It wasn't that long ago you were pulling my into the storeroom now, was it?" He winked her, stubbing out his cigarette and walking away, leaving Zoe slightly flushed against the wall.
.
"Good day?" Nick asked as he approached the door Zoe had just entered, kicking her shoes off and dropping her bag.
"Yeah, it was ok" she sighed, running her hand through her hair and leaning into his chest. "I'm knackered though" she whispered, leaning her hair against his chest S he wrapped his arms around her waist. She wasn't used to the long shifts after five weeks off, and just wanted to go to bed.
"There's a nice bottle of red with your name on it in the kitchen, shall we curl up on the couch?"
"That sounds lovely" she replied, kissing him and allowing him to lead her through to the living room. "I love you, you know" she whispered a while later, long after they had finished the bottle of wine as she stared into the fire burning in front of them.
"I love you too" he replied, kissing her head.