Hello,

Oh, I have missed posting on here! To anybody that reads my other fic, Serendipitous, I will be updating that soon. Sadly, I have not had a lot of free time at the moment and that is a chapter that needs time but it is very much in the works.

Anyway, on to this one. A while ago now, I was re-watching series 5 and there was a brief moment in episode 18 where Rachel was waiting for Adam in a restaurant and my brain started writing a fic idea (as it often does!) which I could not get out of my head. This was originally a one shot which then turned into a two-parter. The second part should be posted next week.

Will I ever write a fic that doesn't revolve around a reunion? Maybe one day.

I hope that you enjoy and would love to hear what you think,

Becca x

Hello, Stranger

There was something about posh restaurants that unnerved Eddie Lawson. After all, formal had never been his sort of thing. The one suit that he owned (reserved for weddings, funerals and the LEA inspector) would always make him feel constricted. It felt unnatural, like a bad impersonation of someone else. The type of man that he could never be.

Usually, his ears would prick up at the mention of an upmarket choice of venue and he would rush to find an excuse as to why he could not attend (which was easier since having a second child), but tonight was one occasion that he could not get out of.

Next month marked the end of the school year and the completion of Eddie's first year as Head Teacher. However, it also begun the retirement of Glossip Hill's well-loved History teacher, Mrs Hayworth, which meant that Eddie could not possibly come up with an excuse this time.

It was not that he had become anti-social. He would regularly accompany his staff to the pub for a pint after work (wanting to be the approachable sort of boss that he had always imagined himself to be) and had been looking forward to toasting a glass to Eileen and letting his hair down at the end of the long school year.

But there was still four weeks to go until the end of term. Which is why he had been so confused when Susanna from the English Department had reminded him about Eileen's leaving do that morning. Apparently tonight was the only Friday that everyone was free before Eileen departed for her celebratory cruise at the end of the term and the date had been on the memo board in the staffroom for weeks.

The venue on the email (found unread in his inbox) hadn't been familiar, but he hadn't given it much thought as he had rushed out of the school that evening and straight into a taxi. It was only when the driver pulled up outside the restaurant, that Eddie realised that it was not some new pub or bar and instantly regretted not going home to change first.

It was fortunate that his new job title demanded him to dress a bit smarter and that these days, he opted for trousers instead of jeans, however, he could have been wearing a tuxedo and still he would have felt like an imposter amongst the marbled seats and Arabic-inspired architecture.

"So, have you finally got a child-free weekend Eddie?" Susanna asked him as she topped up his wine for a second time. "Eddie?" she repeated when she noticed that his mind had long drifted from the conversation at the table.

He had been trying to figure out what the garish red sculpture in front of their table was supposed to be but now turned to Susanna apologetically as she repeated her question once more. "No, I've got the both of them tomorrow so I better not over-do it," he tapped at his full wine glass.

"I still don't know how you manage it all- running the school and having young kids. How old is your youngest again?"

"Eight months. She's brilliant though, they both are-"

"Well, if you're ever in need of some adult company Mr Lawson..." Susanna interjected, with her eyes focusing on him as a predator might do on their prey.

Susanna was certainly not his type. Not that he had a type. Looking back on his past relationships, he could not find a common denominator between them; there were simply the women that had not been right for him, and then there was Rachel.

Strangely enough, the way that Susanna spoke his name had reminded him of Rachel. Except the words felt oddly displaced coming from another woman's mouth, and he could not stop himself from wincing at the sound.

Oblivious to Eddie's reaction, Susanna continued to grin eagerly at him. "I'm just going to see where the hell that waitress has got to with the champagne. You'd think that she'd gone to France for it!"

Eddie forced a strained laugh before sighing in relief as she left the table. The rest of the staff had now shuffled chairs into smaller groups and were contained by their own conversations, apart from Eileen who nodded to Eddie. "You can relax now," she raised one knowing eyebrow. "Single father, Head Teacher... you're going to get that a lot."

His eyes widened. "I hope not."

"Would you not like to find somebody, settle down? I'm a firm believer that there's someone for everyone, you've just got to have an open heart."

He smiled, with a glint of remorse in his eyes as he nodded at her words. "I already found the one Eileen, but it wasn't meant to be. No one else could compare-" He shook his head. "Enough of me, this is your night. Let me get you another drink, G&T?"

There was an unspoken rule amongst teachers to not speak about work once you had a drink in your hand. Eddie was now wishing that this rule was spoken about more often as his deputy Simon Patterson ran through his predictions for results day, and gave Eddie indigestion in the process.

Putting down his knife and fork whilst he nodded away to Simon, Eddie found that he had lost his appetite. It was a good job considering the portion sizes. That was another reason that posh restaurants baffled him. He could never understand how any sane person would want to pay triple the price for a quarter of the food.

"I'm so glad that you share my view on that." Simon prattled on, despite Eddie not being able to get a word in edgeways for the last ten minutes.

It was when Simon stopped speaking that Eddie began to listen. His deputy was not usually someone that stopped for breath, and so Eddie watched in utter bemusement as Simon gawped silently in the opposite direction. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Simon muttered before returning his attention back to their own table. "That woman over there- she's been stood up."

Eddie scoffed. "How do you know?"

"She must have been there for a good ten- maybe fifteen- minutes now, and she keeps checking her phone and looking towards the door. All the signs are there."

"She's probably waiting for someone, or eating on her own-" Eddie shook his head. "More to the point, why are you spying on a woman that you don't know? It's a bit creepy, isn't it?"

"Human curiosity." Simon uttered as his head turned back to the woman in question once more.

"Stop staring!"

"I'm an empathetic guy. It's embarrassing being stood up- not that I'd know about that- do you think I should go over and keep her company?"

"No, of course you shouldn't- wait a minute... I thought you were engaged?"

"It's been on the rocks for a while."

Eddie rolled his eyes. At the age of forty, Simon had been through four divorces and had been engaged seven (or eight) times. Deciding that it was probably time to intervene before Simon added to those numbers, Eddie turned to check if the woman had noticed Simon's persistent staring.

It was difficult to miss a lone diner in a room full of people. Eddie only had to glance over to catch sight of her and found that she was, fortunately, oblivious to Simon's shameless curiosity.

It had only been a fleeting look- after all he didn't want to alarm her- he hadn't even caught sight of her face as she sat with her head buried in her phone and still, he felt it. A feeling that at first felt so vague, until it settled into a comforting familiarity.

Eddie's breath caught in his throat as his eyes darted back over to her. Initially, he had doubted himself, because he'd been here before. He'd be in a supermarket or crossing a road in town and just for a second, he'd see a glimpse of her in a stranger. And each time, as the realisation of his mistake hit him, he would feel foolish for getting his hopes up and for being unable to stop his heart from pounding afterwards.

But as he watched on with about as much discretion as his deputy, he realised that this time, he was not mistaken. By some bizarre coincidence, it was her.

Rachel's attention tilted upwards whilst tucking lighter and longer strands of hair behind her ear and put her phone to one side with a concealed huff. Well, almost concealed. Eddie couldn't help but smile at the micro-expression because it had been a sort-of inside joke of theirs. He had almost forgotten how well he could read her. It would drive her mad. To the world, she could keep up an impressive front, but not with him, never with him.

"Alright, don't make it obvious!" Simon muttered.

The irony was lost on Eddie as he remained captivated by a warmth that he had not felt in a long time. If it wasn't for Simon giving him a sharp nudge, Rachel would surely have spotted him then and there.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Don't." Eddie sharply stopped his deputy. "Don't speak about her like that."

"Chill out mate." Simon breezily shrugged off Eddie's glare. "Why are you getting all defensive?"

"I just think that you're being a bit of a prat."

"No- no it's more than that." He glanced back to Rachel's table. "Do you know her?"

He could have lied. He could have conjured up an excuse as to why he had been so transfixed by a supposed stranger. Only it wouldn't have been very convincing, and Simon was not the type to let this kind of thing go.

"Yes." Eddie conceded. "She used to be my... my boss."

"No way. You lucky sod." He stopped, noticing the return of Eddie's glare. "Did you fancy her or something? You did, didn't you!"

"It wasn't like that-"

"Did you two ever-" Simon crassly raised his eyebrows whilst grinning like one of their students. "What was it, staff Christmas party? After-school management meetings?"

As expected, Simon was most definitely not going to let the matter drop and so before their conversation reached the other staff members, Eddie admitted through gritted teeth. "We were together. It didn't end well. I'd rather not speak about it, okay?"

"Shit. Sorry mate." Simon momentarily paused, before asking. "Are you not going to go over?"

It was a question that he had been asking himself. Only, he could not decide which option would be odder: to walk up to her table uninvited after a year, or to carry on with his evening as if Rachel Mason was not sat in the same room as him.

Life had taught Eddie many a lesson, but one that stuck with him now was that in moments of indecision it was best to take action. Which meant that he now found himself stood upright whilst his deputy watched him in confusion.

He lost his bottle. "I'm just nipping to the bar," he excused his clumsy movements to Simon.

"I'll have a scotch." Simon chipped in before turning back to the table and complimenting the appearance of the attractive twenty-something NQT who had not yet learned of Simon's reputation.

Eddie made a mental note to have a stern word with his deputy about pursuing any more staffroom romances as he headed to the bar. Not that Simon would listen, especially after telling him about his own history with Rachel.

Only in this moment, it did not feel like history. It was happening now, and he didn't quite know how to feel about that.

Some years in his life had passed him by, but the last year had been torturously long. After grieving what could have been for himself and Rachel, he had eventually found some acceptance. The years of his life that he had shared with her were ones that he treasured dearly, but another lesson that life had taught him was that everything has an ending. And so, he accepted that the goodbyes they had exchanged that day in the playground of Waterloo Road had been theirs.

He liked to believe that Rachel was happier now; happier than she would have been if they would have stayed together. She deserved better than being stuck in between the mess of himself and Melissa. And so, he could live with their decision, as long as she had found happiness.

The temptation to turn around was now becoming unbearable. Knowing that if he did, he'd chance Rachel spotting him and that she might be the one to approach him instead.

Unless she didn't. His life had changed massively since they had last seen one another, and no doubt so had hers. Perhaps she would not want to see him at all.

But then again, what if she did?

"What can I get you?" The bartender broke his indecision.

"A pint of Best, and a glass of merlot please, mate." The words rolled off his tongue, and in an instant, Eddie had made his decision.

It was only as he came away from the bar, drinks in hand, that he realised that Rachel was sat turned away from him. It meant that he could not give a casual wave before heading over to her, and more frustratingly, it meant that he could still back out.

The scenario could have been easier. He could have contacted her before now of his own accord. There had been so many times when he had needed her; for reassurance after Maisie had been born and she felt too fragile for a world that was so precarious, or when he received news of his headship and had desperately needed her words of wisdom. But he couldn't, because they had both drawn that line when they had ended their relationship. Who was he to go back on that?

Only, feelings didn't work in such a definitive manner. He might have found some acceptance, but the love he felt for Rachel could never alter; time had certified that. It was evident now more than ever, as memories of their relationship flooded back to him with an overwhelming clarity. The distant became familiar once more. He couldn't turn away from her. And so, he carried on walking.

He was close enough now that he could see Rachel replying to an email on her phone. Typical. He paused behind her, and found himself temporarily stuck for words as he stood awkwardly holding their drinks.

It wasn't as if he was being loud, in fact he had been unusually light on his feet in this instance as the room buzzed loudly around them, and yet something in her posture changed. It was as if she had already acknowledged his presence, as her shoulders relaxed and she put her phone to one side whilst in the middle of typing.

Time then relaxed with her, as Eddie became aware of every second. Which was how he knew that she was about to turn around. He could sense it, and he knew that he had to say something before she saw him. Before it got weird.

Although, Rachel had always been one step ahead of him.

As her head tilted around to greet him, Eddie could not have stopped the smile which lit up his expression as he uttered, "Hello, stranger."