MOTH TO A FLAME » NONI MADUEKE

001.

chapter one

Valerie brushed a strand of hair out of her eye, a deep sigh escaping from her lips. She barely got any sleep the previous night due to her mind alone keeping her occupied. It was over Jackson, again. Being alone in her thoughts was draining.

Not to mention the little voice in her head reminding her over and over again that'd she be seeing a face she hadn't come across in almost three years. Noni Madueke.

He was carrying out the dream he told her about all that time ago, returning to London to play in his favorite league. She was happy for him, but Valerie couldn't help but shake the feeling that things were going to be awkward.

She didn't end on bad terms with Noni. But they never got each other's number, instagram, or any information like that. Both were looking for something of a distraction and agreed that starting something outside of that would become to complicated, so they hadn't conversed since then.

Val knew she was going to be seeing him, having been told she was going to interview him one-on-one when he arrived. She wasn't entirely prepared, and it didn't help that as far as she knew, he had no clue he'd be seeing her again.

Things were different now, though. She had a boyfriend, and maybe Noni had a girlfriend. No reason why they couldn't be friends, after all.

The girl was fidgeting with her camera whilst she waited on Noni's arrival. He had likely already arrived to the training facility to take pictures, meaning she was only minutes away from seeing him again. The door swinging open made her heart drop to her ass.

Valerie's eyes locked with Carney Chukwuemeka. Not Noni. She sighed.

"Shouldn't you be training with the boys?" She lowered an eyebrow.

Carney was the twin brother of her best friend, Michelle. So in a way, Carney was something of a brother to her as well. Even though he was a year younger than her, it felt like he took on the older role.

"You want me out of here that bad?"

"Yes," she nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. "Your new teammate's arriving today. I'm the lucky girl who gets to interview him."

"I just met him a few minutes ago," he informed her, gesturing behind him as if Noni was meant to be there. "Decent guy. You'll like him."

She held back from making a face he'd be able to read easily. "Mhm. Can you go now?"

Carney made a fake expression as if her words actually hurt his feelings, holding a hand to his chest. "Where's your heart, man?"

She picked up an excercise ball nearby and chucked it at him, obviously missing, but it was enough to make him rush out of the room, muttering a few words to Noni who was approaching just before disappearing around the corner.

Valerie smoothened out her zip-up jacket, exhaling heavily as she approached the door to greet a face she was sure she was never going to cross paths like this. A part of her was hoping Noni would remember her, but it would've been easier if he didn't.

"It's nice to meet you, Noni," she spoke formally, holding out a hand with a professional smile. "I'm Valerie. I'm gonna be interviewing you."

"Valerie," he repeated, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Ouch.

It would make things easier since he didn't remember her, but she didn't understand how he could forget someone he shared such intimate moments with. The girl let Noni's hands go, ignoring the feeling she got in her stomach at the contact.