I frown at him, trying to figure out where I know his face from. He looks so familiar.
“Mackenzie?” I ask, leaning forward trying to get closer.
“Yeah,” he grunts, pulling his shoulders back and squinting his eyes at me. “Do I know you?”
“I... I don’t think so,” I stutter, picking up my drink and watching as he walks away to serve someone else.
Shaking my head, I follow Jess and Scott to the booth with a drink in my hand that I’m not even going to drink.
“Move over,” Scott says to the guys in the booth.
They make enough space for the three of us, with me perching on the end. I don’t want to get involved in any of the conversations, not just because I’m happy to sit and watch the world go by but mainly because I’m ignored by them all which is fine by me, I’d rather be invisible than the center of attention. It’s not like I understand all of the baseball terms they use anyway.
It’s not until they start talking about the barman again that I start to get intrigued and lean closer to hear what they’re saying.
“Why does he have to work this side of town? He has bars by his own campus,” Scott moans to the guy he’s sat next to.
I turn my head back to the bar, he really does look familiar but I just can’t place where I know his face from.
“I swear, bro, it’s like he does it just to fuck with us.”
I lean over Jess and tap Scott’s arm, not being able to hold in my curious nature any longer. “Who is he?”
He looks shocked for a second that I’ve spoken to him first and I’m sure my own face reflects the same thing. I’ve never openly spoken to him and now I’m saying a whole sentence but this is who I am, at least, who I was anyway.
“Who?” He frowns.
“That Mackenzie guy?” I point over at the bar.
“What do you want to know for?” He raises his brows and I lean back afraid that I’ve come across too eager to know who he is.
Scott’s face changes and he must realize what he’s said. “He’s a player for the college over on the other side of town.” He tells me, leaning over Jess in the same way that I did.
“He works all the way over this side? Isn’t that like a twenty-mile trip?”
“Yep.” Scott grunts. “And
he’s a complete asshole.”
I turn to face the bar still frowning and getting frustrated with not being able to figure out where I know his face from. “What did you say his name was?”
“Mackenzie... Jackson Mackenzie.”
My hand flies to my mouth as I stand up without meaning to and almost knock all the drinks over that are in front of me on the table.
“Ava?” Jess and Scott ask at the same time. Waving my hand behind my back, I stare in shock at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish and my body not knowing whether to go over to him or to ignore it all and sit back down.
I can’t believe it’s him.
I’ve been told so many stories about him that I feel like I practically know him already. How hadn’t I recognized his face straight away? I’d looked at a picture of his face every day for months while I lived with Elena, it was even his room that I stayed in among all of his baseball trophies.
My feet move towards him, I don’t take my eyes off him the whole way to the bar. Hearing Jess and Scott calling my name behind me doesn’t even register because I’m too focused on getting to the bar.
Standing behind the guy that he’s serving, I wait for him to finish, his eyes flick over to me and seeing my face in the mirror, I try to school my features so that I don’t look stunned with both my ice blue eyes and mouth wide open.
Running my hands through my blond hair I try to give it some volume but I fail because it just falls flat. I want to make a good impression simply because of who his parents are and how much they’ve looked after me.
“Can I help you?” he finally asks when the guy moves from the bar.