02.

HAYLEY

It's been a long, heart-wrenching weekend since my breakup with Theo. Having spent all of it holed up in bed, I've finally decided to keep myself busy around the house doing something—anything at all to stop thinking about him. Even if that feels nearly impossible.

I'm in the middle of helping my mom set the table for dinner when she glances at me with a small smile on her face. “I bet you're excited to see your best friend again, aren't you?”

I lift my head from the table, slightly confused. “Huh?”

“I’m sure he's already on his way here,” she continues.

My brows furrow in deeper confusion. “I’m not sure who or what we're talking about here, Mom.”

My mom pauses from smoothing a napkin and glances at me, a little puzzled. “Baby, I thought we talked about Axel's return. You know, after everything that happened with his parents. How he’d be coming to stay with the Martinez's?” She sets down a clean mug, watching me with concern.

And right then, I remember. We really did talk about this. 

Axel Grey—my childhood best friend and next-door neighbor—was returning to Greystone. With the death of both his parents, he was coming back to our small town to live with his maternal relatives, the Martinez's.

“Oh, yes, Mom. I remember.” Still reeling from Theo's break-up, my thoughts have been scrambled so badly, I’d forgotten everything about last week, including the conversation on Axel's return.

But as I let my mind wander toward his arrival, anticipation crawls up my skin, and I know just why. 

Axel Grey was more than my childhood best friend. He was my secret crush.

Growing up in the same neighborhood meant we spent every day together. From chasing each other through the garden at the back of my house, to lying on our backs and stargazing long past bedtime, I grew very fond of him.

So fond, that as a little girl, I’d drift to sleep imagining us grown up and married.

So fond, that when he left Greystone with his parents in middle school, I cried for two days straight.

It's been over seven years since he and his family left town. But just last month, my mom broke a terrible news to me: Axel had lost both his parents in a feral bear attack this summer whilst on a camping trip.

With his only relatives residing here in Greystone and living just opposite us, he'll be coming back to stay with them. 

Tonight, my mom has made the decision to host them for dinner. Just like old times. 

She looks up, pulling me away from my thoughts. “Honey, why don't you wait out on the porch? They should be here any moment now.”

“Alright mom.” With a small nod, I head outside.

My phone buzzes in the pocket of my hoodie the minute I step out the door. It's a text from Corey, my friend. “That filthy piece of shit really broke up with you? I'm so killing Theo when we get to school, I swear.”

My lips curl into a smile. Classic feisty Corey.

I’m just about to text her back when I hear the low hum of a car engine rolling down our quiet street. I look up, and right on cue, Mrs Martinez vehicle turns the corner and drives toward my house. Nerves flutter wildly in my chest, but I push it down and walk toward the porch steps as the car slows to a stop.

“Hi, Mrs. Martinez,” I greet the woman with a huge smile.

“Hayley, darling,” she beams, pulling me into a warm, motherly hug. “Thank you for having us.”

“Oh, it's nothing.”

Lucas Martinez, Axel’s cousin and my favorite tormentor, steps out of the driver's seat. His sandy-brown hair is ruffled and his colored braces glint as he grins. “Sup, nerd.”

“Hey, dummy,” I reply with a matching smirk, striding to him. We launch into our silly handshake—tapping our palms, doing multiple fist bumps and ending with a pinky-lock that has us laughing like three year olds.

We’re still grinning when a voice calls out behind him.

“Hey, Hayley.”

It's a familiar voice, and yet oddly deeper now. Axel. He steps forward and my eyes settle on him. 

“Hi.” Breath catches in my throat, and the words come out barely above a whisper. Stupid nerves.

We both pause and the silence draws on awkwardly, much to the chagrin of Lucas who still has a huge grin splayed on his face.

“Uh, catch you both inside then, I guess,” he announces all too enthusiastically. Turning towards the front door, he gives me a “say something” look before disappearing inside.

I clear my throat in a bid to steady my voice. It doesn't work.

“You look…good,” I manage.

But that is a massive understatement.

Axel doesn't just look good. He looks glorious. His auburn hair has grown out, and his face—holy hell. His features are chiseled to perfection. With angular cheeks reminiscent of a model's and jaw carved like marble, the boy in front of me could easily star for Teen Vogue. 

The white shirt he has on struggles to keep his lean physique underneath, his muscles gleaming in the soft glow of the porch’s lamp…

And right then, I notice his eyes.

They're a soft, emerald green.

That's… new. Axel never had green eyes. Not as a kid. They were darker back then. Brown, maybe? I can’t be sure now. 

When he steps a little closer into the light, the green becomes even more vivid, almost glowing.

Weird.

Growth doesn't change eye color, does it?