Chapter One | When It Happened

H A Z E L

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The rush of caffeine through my veins was the only thing that helped me through the days at uni.

Scratch that. Torturous, mind-numbing, and borderline lethal days at uni.

That was the reason why I loved the quaint cafe nestled in the corner of our university's campus. Unlike the other establishment that refurbished themselves to attract a flow of students, this place kept its old-school charm. From the hardwood paneling along the walls to the canary light cast by the bulbs, everything about this place screamed for comfort and privacy. Aptly living up to its name, Intimo.

It even had that tiny bell that chimed when I walked into my comfort zone. The icy breeze of the air conditioning felt like a soft touch on my warm skin, making me sigh in contentment.

With my heavy books, the ones I just got issued from the library, clutched in my hand and my laptop tucked under the other arm, I walked straight to the counter. My clothes stuck to my skin after my walk in the harsh LA heat. For September, it was too hot this year.

Yet, even looking like a chaotic mess, Noah smiled when he met my eyes. Had I not been frequent with my visits, I would have shied away from his eyes as they roamed over my makeup-free face and the messy bun on top of my head.

"Tough day?" he asked, still keeping that brilliant smile. His pin-straight hair flopped into his eyes, obscuring his cerulean eyes.

"More like, I dressed wrong for a hot day," I replied, leaning against the counter in an awkward pose.

He gave a quick chuckle at my words, leaning forward in his arms. "So, I assume it's going to be the usual?"

His face was suddenly close to mine, making it impossible to avoid his eyes. I felt awkward.

Trying not to be obvious, I smiled, standing straighter in my spot. Regaining my personal bubble. "You know me."

"Why don't you take a seat and I will bring out the order for you? You look like you have your hands full." He gestured towards the tables.

Shooting him a grateful smile, I quickly twisted on my heel. Scurrying towards the tables, I took one against the glass wall of the cafe, depositing my stuff on the top. With no second thought, I quickly worked on the paper my professor graciously tasked us with in the first week back after summer.

I barely looked up when Noah placed the scalding hot coffee on the table. Giving him a half-hearted thanks, I kept my eyes glued to the screen. Hoping somehow. The words in front of me started making sense.

It was when I reached for my coffee that my eye fell on the napkin placed underneath it.

With the cafe's name printed in beautiful calligraphy in a corner, the napkin held a messy scrawl. A phone number.

My composure evaporated quickly, and like a fool, I looked up to meet Noah's eyes. As if expecting the attention, he was staring right back at me. There, in his cerulean eyes, was hope, making my heart sink. The feeling of my thousand insecurities clawing up my bodies, made me duck my head.

Memories after memories replayed in my mind, making me grit my jaw in frustration.

Our hearts are fragile little things. Once broken, they never collect the same. And the first love always leaves behind a scar in its wake.

As time passes, it heals until it stops hurting anymore.

But there are days when the scar suddenly throbbed, bringing back a smattering of the pain from our past. That's what I felt at that moment. The scar was hurting again.

Suddenly, I felt stupid for ignoring the lingering glances and the bright smiles. Stupid for waving off these signals in the name of friendliness. And I detested that feeling because there were already enough people around me to assume my intellect based on my polished blond hair.

Like, excuse me? Do you need a rewatch of Legally Blonde?

I bit my lips in frustration, thinking about a way to reject him as softly as possible. Surprisingly enough, no such idea came to my mind.

While there was nothing wrong with Noah, at the same time, I couldn't imagine myself with him. See me dating him. Most importantly, beneath the surface of my thoughts, my insecurity lingered like a caged beast. Growling every so often and reminding me how much it hurt when I tried imagining that with someone. How much of a fool I made of myself, giving away my heart to someone who never had an interest in me.

Doing what I did best, I crumpled the paper and shoved it inside a pocket, choosing to ignore it. Returning to my screen, I tried concentrating on the numbers and graphs. Hoping that somehow the workload would carry me away from my problems, just like they did the first time.

It was one reason why I chose Economics as my major, the other being pure madness.

With my head buried down, I was engrossed in my chaotic thoughts that I barely noticed the person approaching my table. "Why do you look like a zombie even after your coffee?" M asked, making me jump in my spot.

Looking away from my screen, which I was staring mindlessly at, I met my best friend's eyes. Her bright green eyes held a questioning look as she plopped down on the seat in front of me.

Groaning as she leaned back in her chair, M stretched her hands behind her head. "So, are you going to talk, or do I need to pull some emotional cards?"

Startled by her loud words, I took a quick scan of my surroundings. Satisfied with the fact that we were away from Noah's earshot, I leaned forward on the table. "Lower your voice," I hissed before taking out the napkin discreetly from my pocket.

M took the napkin from my hand before I could blink. As she read the number, her eyes went wide, and she let out a whistle, totally disregarding my earlier words. "I knew the barista boy was into you," she said, handing back the napkin. "It was time that you saw it too."

"But I want to unsee it," I groaned lowly, leaning my head on my hand.

M raised her eyebrows in a suspicious look, frowning at my reaction. "Don't tell me you are going to reject him?" I opened my mouth to answer, but she cut me off. "Seriously, Hazel? I mean, he is so cute, and you want to say no to that guy."

"I don't like him like that." As soon as I said that, I cringed at how childish I sounded.

"Oh, really?" She sounded unconvinced as she crossed her arms and gave me that look. The one that said that she didn't buy my bullshit.

I glared in return.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with that douche of an ex you had in your senior year of high school? Which, if I recall correctly, you are still not over after almost four years?"

I winced, making a look of triumph shine in her eyes. She knew I had a habit of pushing away men because I was scared. Scared of the heartbreak that I might face again. My need to protect my heart overrode my many emotions.

"Leave it, M." My tone held a warning, telling her not to pry further. While in contrast, my cheeks heated with a harsh blush. The truth couldn't have been more obvious.

"You need to get over that stupid boy, babe," M spoke soothingly, giving me a look of concern. "It's extremely unhealthy for you to hold on to a relationship for that long. We were teens, and we had bad memories. Now leave it all in the past and enjoy the present."

I gave her a grateful smile, feeling a bit better in the current situation. "That's some deep stuff, Magnolia. I didn't know you had it in you."

I laughed as she huffed at my words, waving her finger in front of my face threateningly. "Don't call me that!" Her face scrunched up in a grimace. "I hate it."

"But it's a pretty name."

She gave me a flabbergasted look, placing her hand on her chest for dramatics. "Who names their kid Magnolia these days?"

I rolled my eyes at her antics, looking down at my screen with a smile. With M's light chatter, my heart felt lighter. The thoughts about Noah's number pushed out of my mind.

I could say that I almost forgot about it until Noah came to our table once again. This time with M's coffee.

He had a bright smile on his face, with an expectant look. Set on ignoring him until I figured out what to do, I acted as if I didn't notice him. Yes, my actions were heartless, but I couldn't help it. But this was me, acting on my instincts.

I wasn't the brave one to face problems head on. I was the one who avoided them as long as I could. Something I really should change about myself.

As I behaved like I was engrossed in the research paper in front of me, Noah lingered at our table for a few seconds. M acknowledged his presence with a charming smile, but his eyes stayed on me.

His shoulder dropped when I didn't look up, along with his smile. My guilt intensified. I helplessly watched as he trudged back to the counter.

Over the edge of my laptop, my eyes met M's. She raised her brow while directing an unimpressed look my way. Red blossomed over my skin, and I gave her an uncertain smile.

We spent the next hour in the cafe, working on our respective assignments. While I was an economics major, M was getting her major in pure mathematics. That's exactly how we met. Through a shared calculus class. She helped me with a tough integration, and Voila! We became friends.

I looked away from the screen when my phone blinked to life.

Looking at the screen, a frown made its way to my face, making my eyebrows furrow. Talia's name flashed on the top until it didn't anymore. Assuming that it was an error, I almost returned to my laptop. But my stepmother's call came again.

"Pick it up," M said, not moving her eyes away from her book.

I hummed in response and heeded her words. Pressing on the accept call button on my screen, I brought the device to my ear. "Hello, Talia?"

Faint chatter behind her filled the silence between us, along with her ragged breathing. On the other end, she took a shaky breath before speaking. "Hazel, you need to come to the hospital now. Y-you father got in an accident," she choked out before breaking into a sob.

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This is my first time trying to write a NA romance, so please bear with me. Also, I am not much aware about economics major. I did research about it in general, but not too deep.

So, let me know what you think about Hazel's character? I know she is a bit bitter, but it's just the start. But please do leave your valuable feedback on my story.

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