The Hopeless Romantic ✔️

Chapter seven.

"You, uh," my cheeks were burning up, "didn't pick these up." I gave a shy smile, holding up the beers in my hands. I didn't know what to do at this point. Just stand here, hoping he would just take them and shut the door behind him?

"I'm sorry?" He said in a confused tone, scratching the back of his neck. I held the beers awkwardly, trying to remember if I was dreaming last night but I wasn't even drunk so that was a no.

"Last night, uh, you came over to m-my place and asked me to store these in my refrigerator." I cursed at myself for stuttering and acting so stupid in front of Jace, the most well known guy at school. "I came to return them."

He frowned, looking like he didn't even recognise me. His eyes shined a nice chocolate brown and they stared awkwardly into mine, trying to either remember or purposely forget. I really wanted to get this over with and go back to my boring life where no guy even wanted to talk to me. "I think you may have gotten me mistaken with somebody else."

My eyes widened in shock and I searched through my mind to see if I really did see Jace last night, wanting to use my fridge to store some beers. "N-No, these are yours." I tried to give them to him but, he took a step back, looking at me like I was some crazy stalker.

I was so embarrassed and I wanted to crawl back into my tiny hole.

"Look, I don't even know you." He said, closing the door slightly. "You must have gotten me mixed up with another person because those aren't mine and I don't even know where you live." His voice was deep and it sent sparks flying all over my body but his tone was harsh and I couldn't understand why.

"But, I live-" I was cut off by Jace slamming the door in my face, leaving me alone on his doorstep. I faced his door, still shocked that it even happened. He was there last night. Jace came over and asked me to store his beer and he said he'd pick it up later. That happened. I was not crazy.

Was I?

I slowly strolled back to my house, carrying the beers and wondering what the heck I should do with them. I didn't drink beer, or any alcohol for that matter. I hated the taste and mom would kill me if I didn't get rid of them. I headed back inside, replaying everything that happened in the past five minutes.

It just didn't make any sense.

*

"Avery, keep it down." Gwen shushed me over the phone. I could hear her complaining about her huge hangover as I stared at the beers that sat on my counter.

I sighed. "Didn't you just hear a word I said!" I practically yelled, forgetting that Gwen was still getting over her hangover from last night.

"Yes," she moaned, "I heard you! The famous Jace O'Connors asked you to store beer and the next morning, he forgot all about it and now here you are, yelling in my ear!" She moaned in pain again, making me realise that I never wanted a hangover in my life.

"Sorry," I whispered, "I'm just confused." Jace knew me. Or he at least knew I existed. He sat next to me on the bus a few times and he spoke to me last night. He knew where I lived and he knew my name, I think.

"But I do remember seeing a pack of beers in your fridge," she added, "and the last time I checked, you hate the taste of alcohol and your mom prefers wine."

I nodded in agreement even though she couldn't see me through the phone. "So, how was the party?"

"It was great. Jace really knows how to throw one." Yeah, and he knew how to lie, I thought. I felt incredibly stupid even though I knew that Jace was wrong. He made me so mad, I could just bang on his door and demand what his problem was but, I wouldn't.