From the First Kiss. Zanele Nondzimba

      Dedication

      I would like to dedicate this book to all the people who have touched my life with love, more especially my beautiful family: Nondzimba, Bukula, Gumede, Shum. And to my closest friends; thank you. I love all of you with all of my heart!

      Chapter 1

      1

      Thando’s fury had subsided. She had made up her mind that for her own protection she was going to close her heart to men and surround it with electric wire and shards of glass.

      Her previous boyfriend had turned out to be a liar who’d cleaned out her bank account and left her with a mere twenty rand. Although it had happened eight months before, she was still trying to come to terms with having been conned. Just the mere thought of him made her stomach knot, but she was determined to get over her anger through gymming like mad and working herself to a standstill.

      Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that she was being watched from across the room by a handsome stranger as she pedalled away on one of the gym’s stationary bikes. The Virgin Active in Hatfield was always full of characters who tried their pick-up lines on her while she did her cardio, but she never paid them any heed. As far as she was concerned, the reason for going to the gym was exercise, not chatting with strangers.

      “Good evening,” the handsome stranger said as he got onto the bike next to hers.

      “Hi,” she responded without looking at him.

      “I’m Mandla. Mandla Kunene.”

      “That’s good to know,” she replied, pedalling faster, as if she were trying to cycle away from him.

      Sweat started to trickle down Thando’s face and drip down her neck as she pretended not to notice the man next to her. But then his cologne started seducing her nose. He had that shower-fresh fragrance . . . It made her lose focus. Her foot slipped off the pedal and she scrabbled frantically to get it back on, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her slip-up.

      She gave him a quick glance, to which he responded with a smile. Goodness, he had an attractive smile.

      No, gym is for exercising, not socialising, Thando reminded herself.

      Pedal, pedal, pedal.

      She gave the man another quick look and . . . he was looking and caught her out! She felt her face flush. He smiled at her and laughed quietly, which made her pedal even faster, like a crazed cyclist. Oh boy, he was gorgeous: tall and dark.

      He had a clean-shaven head with no facial hair whatsoever. She suspected that he was in his early or mid thirties, but who the hell cared? He had a killer smile. She wanted to smile back, but that would seem too eager.

      She certainly didn’t want to show this stranger that she was captivated by his scent, looks and smile. After all, she had forsworn men; well, at least for the time being. No, she wasn’t about to succumb to lust at first sight, so she pretended not to notice his deliciously masculine body from the corner of her eye.

      Thando heard him clear his throat as he dismounted from his bike to come and stand right in front of her. “You have yourself a pleasant workout, sisi,” he beamed confidently, showing off his deep dimples.

      His smile was so bright, it resembled the sun lighting up the heavens. He strolled over to the pumping station, leaving his fragrance swirling all over her senses. She slowed down her pedalling to admire his torso and to inhale his scent. He looked like the Greek god Adonis: perfect.

      Although he was training a distance from her and there were at least ten big-muscled men lifting heavy weights, he stood out from the rest with his poise. Most of them looked like wrestlers, but he was different. His muscles weren’t offensively big and he carried himself with unmistakable confidence.

      He had perfect broad shoulders to complement his tall frame, and his chocolate-brown skin looked as if it had been dipped in milk for a flawless glow. He kept looking in her direction as she did her bicep curls, but she was determined not to let him notice that she was watching him. As the music pumped harder, she heard her heart beat louder from both the exercise and the sight of his posterior as he turned around to pick up one of the bars.

      Focus, dammit, what’s wrong with you? Thando reproached herself, looking away from him to focus on her workout.

      When it was time for her warm down, she was glad that she would be leaving the gym soon. She had to get away from this man, who was still eyeing her. She got onto the treadmill and realised that there was no way she could escape his gaze, because the gym equipment was positioned in such a way that no matter which way you turned, you still faced the pumping station.

      She decided that it was best to focus on her timer to avoid eye contact, but it was getting harder because his gaze was starting to penetrate her body, making her tingle all over.

      After what seemed like a lifetime of running on the treadmill, she got off and rushed down the stairs leading to the changing rooms.

      She suddenly stopped as she was about to open the door. What am I doing? she asked herself, shaking her head. My flat is right across from here. Why go to the changing rooms? I don’t have to change clothes here! What’s wrong with me?

      She wasn’t used to being absent-minded, definitely not after a couple of minutes of exchanging glances with a complete stranger, even if he were divine-looking with what looked like buns of steel.

      Oh my word, what am I doing, thinking about his buns? she reprimanded herself as she dashed out of the gym. She quickened her pace as she walked past the boom across the entranceway to her apartment block.

      * * *

      When Thando entered her home, she found that her best friend and flatmate, Anastasia, had already started making dinner. They had moved into the spacious loft apartment together a month after meeting at a Buddhist meditation session three years before.

      “Hellooo,” Anastasia cooed. She was grating Cheddar cheese.

      Thando threw herself on the couch and gave a loud sigh.

      “What’s that about?”

      “I just met the hottest man in all of Pretoria at the gym, and I gave him the cold shoulder.”

      “And why did you do that?”

      “Because I’m over men, remember? After the con man I dated, I’m cured for ever!”

      “I can understand that, but tell me more about this gym guy.”

      “He’s amazing. He smells fresh, like a sea breeze. Plus he has this absolutely gorgeous smile that goes from ear to ear and accentuates his dimples.” Thando grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest. “And his body is perfect.”

      “Hmmm. Sounds sexy.”

      “He is!” Thando exclaimed as she jumped from the couch to twirl and gaze into space.

      “Did he ask you out?”

      “No! I didn’t give him the chance to do that.”

      Thando walked over to the kitchen counter to taste some of the macaroni and cheese Anastasia was making, which solicited a light slap from her friend.

      “Wait until I serve. Now go take a shower before Zo arrives,” Anastasia instructed with a big smile on her face.

      Thando made a face as she rushed into the bathroom for a quick cold shower.

      After slipping on a pair of her favourite bell-bottom jeans and a brightly coloured tank top which flattered her pear-shaped figure, she turned to face her full-length mirror and loosened the lustrous black braids that curled over her shoulders.

      She didn’t care much for wearing make-up, except when attending functions and for work, but that night she decided