Playing for Keeps

Jersey

Lily POV:

I am in line to get a hot dog , staring at Tanya and Liam hugging on the side. I bit my inner lip because I want that, but I know I want that with someone way out of my league. Seeing Jack in person and realizing that he is even better looking than what I imagined has been crazy, even crazier realizing the guy I had been falling for the past couple of month is a big shot baseball player. 

If I felt that he was out of my league before, now I am sure he is, yet here I am waiting in line to buy a hot dog and a beer to go sit and watch him play. I stare at the floor as I think about how I can run away and go back home without Tanya noticing because I can't believe I let her convince me to give this a shot. I know that after today, I will lose the man I consider my best friend. I've been thinking about this since Sunday and the more I think about it, the more I know I will end up hurt. I'm not questioning that our friendship is important to him, but to go as far as Tanya has gone to say he likes me back, uh I don't think so. 

After getting our hot dogs and beer, we begin to walk over to the seats. Jack again had sent me tickets in the same area as last time close to the dugout. We begin to sit when Liam looks over and says "There is your man" pointing to Jack standing with Scott and two other guys laughing. I sigh as I take him in, me looks so happy so in his element.  "I can't believe you've been playing COD with him all these months and you never knew it was THE Jackson Merrill." 

I smile at Liam and say "I know, crazy times. At dinner though, can y'all not fan out? I don't want him to feel weird."

"We won't even sit with you guys, we will introduce ourselves and grab our own table, you two have a lot to talk about, you have your list right?"Tanya says to me as she takes a sip of her beer. I nod and smile at her. "Good, you got this. You promised to not run, so please for fucksakes don't try to run off." Liam and I both laugh at this as I say "Promise, you make it sound like I'm a toddler with short attention span" 

"No, you're a woman with trust issues and who can see how beautiful, smart, and amazing she is. " The hot dog lumps in my throat as I process what she just said. "Truth" Liam adds. 

"I promised to give this one time a real shot, so I am giving it a shot."

I look over to the field to try and catch a glimpse of Jack when I am met with him staring at me, his smile growing as he sees me looking at him. He is so good looking its not even fair. Scott waves at me excitedly and I wave back. He gestures for me to walk down to the area next to the field and he pushes Jack over to the side as well. I look over at Tanya and she gestures for me to go. My heart is thumping, I turn to see him walking towards the edge as his friends and teammates whistle and yell. I get up and straighten the jersey with Jack's number and name Liam had bought me as an apology for Saturday night. I walk a few steps down and reach the edge at the same time as Jack does. He looks at the jersey and he is visibly taken aback. Shit, I knew I shouldn't have accepted to wear the damn thing. 

"You're- You're wearing my jersey" he says as  he reaches over to grab my hand. 

"I hope you don't mind, I can change. I have another shirt undern-"

"No. Keep the jersey." He says as he interrupts me. "I missed you" he says looking directly at me, fire in his eyes. I smile because all of a sudden I have lost the ability to speak.  "Thank you for not running away" He says as he leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek. My stumble a bit as my legs lose strength, and I can feel myself blushing brightly.  

This makes all his teammates hoot and yell as Jack says "Ignore them, they didn't mature after high school" I laugh and wave at the guys. 

"I'm going to go back to my seat, I'll see you after the game." I turn to leave when he says "you're not going to wish me good luck?" 

"You don't need me too, you're amazing therefore I know you're amazing at what you do." His smile grows and the twinkle in his eye makes him look even more irresistible, it takes me a minute to catch my breath afterwards. I need to go back to my seat and have a huge gulp of my beer before I forget the reasons why this would never work out and I end up getting hurt. 

I start up the stairs and make it back to my seat to find Tanya and Liam smiling like idiots. I roll my eyes at them and take a huge gulp of my beer, finishing what I had left in one drink. I turn and say "Going for another one, want anything?" 

"I was not imagining it you know, he went to get you at the bar" Tanya says and Liam nods next to her. "Please stop it you guys, we are friends, that is it ok. This is weird enough for me as it is, don't push it please." 

"Can you bring me a beer please" Liam says ending the conversation.