The Closer You Are

• chapter one

Rachel Parks was a number of things and one.

To a teacher at school, she was a dedicated learner and a star student. To her peers, she was nice enough and had plenty of friends to back that up. To her parents, she was a loving daughter. But no one knew her like Hayden did. Because the only person that could see right through Rachel's many personas was Hayden Lawson.

It all began as a mindless crush on the girl in his history class. And after pinning over Rachel for an year, Hayden finally mustered up enough courage to talk to her. Asking her out wasn't even in the equation, not that he didn't want to - because it took everything inside him not to scream the words out.

He bit his tongue and approached her with a smooth, calm smile. Walking up to her was painful, because he had no clue what he would say. He felt his throat go dry, and his hands clammy. Hayden thought back to all the times he saw her in the halls or sitting in class alone. Why hadn't he talked to her then? Why didn't he when he had the chance to do so on multiple occasions? Thoughts and hesitation swarmed his mind and when Hayden looked up to meet Rachel's gaze, he felt his heart speed up a thousand times. She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Rachel was holding a textbook in her arm, making sure she didn't close it up completely. Rachel wanted to get some studying done before she went home for the day. It wasn't everyday that she found herself here, with the hours ticking away. But with her parents always swarmed at work, her house wasn't exactly the prime spot. It was quiet enough, almost too quiet. But Rachel preferred the cafe a little more. The atmosphere was perfect for studying, with the lights slightly dimmed, and the music circulating soothingly. But not too much or she would end up falling asleep.

She disliked the empty feeling at her house more than anything, so visits here were more or less frequent.

Hayden was a mere three feet away from Rachel's seat and that was as close as he could get. He opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him.

"Hi there." Rachel said. Her soft voice blending into the cafe's enigma, adding more noise.

"Hey." Hayden spoke. He found himself feeling flustered and then slightly annoyed. He hated how much the girl messed with his head. Even though it wasn't something she could control.

Rachel wondered what the boy in the back of her class was doing in front of her. Not that she minded, but Rachel couldn't help her curiosity. She decided to play along.

Rachel squinted her eyes, "You're Hayden right?"

His eyebrows shot up, and he found himself dumbstruck once again. It never occurred to him that she would recognize his face or much less know his name.

Hayden cleared his throat, "Erm - yeah I am."

Rachel in return nodded slightly, acknowledging the fact that they went to school together. Hayden looked around the room, feeling out of place and then settled his gaze on the iced frappe she had sitting on the cafe table. 

"So, you come here often?" Hayden croaked. The sound of laughter shook him up and he realized the mistake he made. Of course Hayden would ask such a stupid question.

He quickly recovered, "I mean, sorry." He laughed awkwardly. "I didn't mean to sound so cliche."

Rachel rolled her eyes at him playfully. "S'alright." She could sense how nervous he was.

"Do you want to sit down? I don't bite." She asked, fully knowing what his answer would be.

Not to sound conceited, but it was hard not to overlook the stares she got from Hayden. Everyday at school she would see him look her way at least five times. At first, Rachel thought nothing of it, figuring it was a figment of her imagination. But when she felt his chocolate brown eyes boring holes into her back, her theory was confirmed. Rachel was relieved to know that she wasn't loosing her mind.

But the odd thing was, it had been a couple months since she last thought about Hayden. And all her suspicions had been washed away. Or, at least stored in the back of her mind until further notice.

Rachel didn't know whether to be surprised or composed.

Hayden took his seat directly in front of her. All he wanted to do was stay in this moment forever. Where he and Rachel were sitting together, and for a split-second, it wouldn't be so awkward or unsettling.

It was in this moment where he allowed himself to truly look at her. This time he didn't need to avert his gaze because they were having an actual conversation, or at least getting there. Hayden didn't mind because he knew it was the most contact they've had in months.

Looking at her, it wasn't difficult to understand why he was crushing so hard. Hayden liked the way Rachel's honey caramel hair flowed down the side of her torso, framing her face. He liked her button-shaped nose and rosy red cheeks that went along.

It seemed like she was made for Hayden because everything about her made him fall hard in love.

Rachel offered up her sandwich, "Do you want a bite? There's turkey, lettuce, pickles and my infamous ranch dressing."

Hayden took it graciously when he felt his stomach rumble. Rachel looked at him in anticipation and he shoved the sandwich in his mouth.

"This is actually really good." He licked the sauce off his lips and felt the lettuce crunch in his mouth. A juicy tang exploded and for a second, he swore he'd never tasted a sandwich so good. It might have seemed like an exaggeration now, but it wasn't always that Hayden found himself branching out from his usual peanut butter and jelly. He wasn't a particular fan of sandwiches but the way Rachel looked at Hayden, she seemed so sure he'd like it.

"What are you implying Hayden?" Rachel asked, teasing him. "Doubting my sandwich making abilities?

She gave him a devilish smile and waits for his response. But Hayden only stares at her, drinking up her features. Her eyes, nose, cheeks, lips, her mouth. She repeats something but he doesn't hear her, he only sees her.

Rachel,

Rachel,

Rachel.

The name sounds so foreign yet familiar.

His Rachel.