Just Say Yes

Chapter Three ~ Just A Regret

Down by the pool, they were all invited to a VIP section which was just some lounge chairs covered by a large canopy. The other girls ran off straight to the pool and swam to a bar that was built right in the water, where some guys seemed very happy to have them there. Mackenzie settled herself down on one of the lounges and started smearing sunblock onto her skin before taking out her book

"Are you sure you don't want to go for a swim?" Charlie asked while she finished putting on a layer of sunblock as well.

"Maybe in a little while. That trip was a little rough on me and I am eager to see if relaxation is even something I can achieve." Mackenzie replied while opening the book to the marked page.

"Suit yourself. For me, after a long plane ride, a nice swim always does me good but I will make sure to put us down for some full-body massages later" She grinned her mischievous smile and even wiggled her eyebrows a little before taking off to talk to one of the servers.

Mackenzie giggled and was about to lower her head down into her book when a bright light started flashing in her eyes. She squinted seeing it was the sun reflecting off of something shiny and looked over to where it was coming from.

That was when she saw him.

He was sitting at a table near the pool in deep conversation with the man across from him. His hands were waving around as if he was explaining something intensely and the sun was shining off the face of his watch on his right wrist. She could only see the side profile of his face, but there was something about him that made her heart pound and her breath stop.

His hair was dark and disheveled and he had a five o'clock shadow across his jawline. She could not see his eye color from this distance, but she had the impression they were a dark smokey gray. His skin was bronzed as if he spent a lot of time in the sun and as her eyes moved lower she could tell he was very fit under his button-up shirt and jeans.

Mackenzie bit her lower lip, feeling a lot warmer than she had a few moments ago. Maybe a dip in the pool would not be so bad? She had never felt anything like this before. She had looked at plenty of men in her life but none of them caused tingles to run up and down her body. He suddenly turned to look towards the pool and she quickly looked away. Reaching for her sunglasses and putting them on.

When she looked back she swore she caught him staring in her direction before he turned back to his conversation. She stood up and looked toward the pool, seeing Charlie and the other girls still at the bar but finishing off their drinks and swimming towards the grotto area with the guys they had just met. Charlie looked her way and smiled when she saw her standing, motioning for her to join.

Mackenzie walked to the edge of the pool, her whole body feeling like it was on fire. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him and instead kept her back to him as she walked into the pool. It was a lot warmer than she expected as she swam toward Charlie. Once she reached her, Charlie smiled and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Don't look now but this guy is giving you s*x eyes, big time."

Mackenzie knew it. Her whole back felt like someone was caressing it and all she wanted to do was get away as far as possible. She had no idea what was going on with her, but it was terrifying her. She was not sure she liked these feelings building up inside of her. Mackenzie suddenly dived under the water, sunglasses and all, swimming to the far end of the pool. Far away from him

"Mackenzie, wait!" Charlie yelled after her.

When she got to the other side of the pool there was another set of stairs leading out and she quickly pulled herself out of the water. Walking away and hitting the boardwalk along the beach before she took off running.

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Daniel watched as the woman swam to the other side of the pool and ran towards the beach, the other woman chasing after her. He was confused about the whole scene but most of all about why his heart would not stop racing in his chest.

The moment he had caught a glimpse of her it was like a punch right in the gut. The color of her hair was what struck him the most. It reminded him so much of someone he used to know.

In High School, there was a girl in a grade lower than he was. Her name had been Mackenzie Monroe. She was new to the school and no one really knew anything about her. She kept to herself, her head always in a book, and the hood of her hoodie always up while she walked in the halls.

The first time he had ever seen her was when he had to return a book to the library during lunch. He had been standing there waiting for the Liberian at the front desk, looking around the room, when his eyes landed on her.

She was sitting in the center of the room in one of the comfy armchairs, one leg tucked under while the other one bounced up and down to the beat of the music that was playing in her earbuds. Her hood was down and it was the first time he had ever seen her bright platinum blonde hair. It was long and hung in front of her face, but he could still see each feature perfectly. She was beautiful, and even though she was not looking at him he could even see the clear blue color of her eyes. His heart started to race and he knew he had to get out of there. He left his book on the front desk and took off.

Daniel was a part of the popular crowd in High school. The jocks and rich kids. He was the Football quarterback for their school and at that age, his social status and popularity were all that mattered to him. He dated a few of the girls from within their circle, but nothing serious. He could not get the image of blue eyes beind bright blonde hair out of his head.

There was a yearly talent show and he and his buddies entered as their senior prank. They danced in cheerleading outfits and made complete fools out of themselves but, it got a good laugh. Right after their performance, he heard the MC call her name and felt his whole world stop as he saw her walking on stage dressed in a long blue elegant dress. Her hair was down and stopped in the middle of her back, but she had it pushed away from her face as if she was no longer hiding from the world. One of the stagehands pushed out a piano and she took a seat and began to play. The song sounded sad and lonely and she opened her mouth and began to sing. It was the most haunting yet beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.

The next day at school he went looking for her, determined to tell her how he felt. His reputation be damned, he knew he could no longer hold all these feelings inside. However, she was nowhere to be found. Later, after prying it out of the people at the front office he found out she moved away and they had no idea where exactly she went.

"Dan, are you listening to me? We have to figure out this algorithm before we present it to our investors."

Daniel turned his attention back to his friend and business partner, Patrick, realizing he had missed half of the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Pat, can you tell me again what the problem is?"

Patrick sighed, but then quickly started to rattle off a list of things they needed to work on. They had come to Hawaii to relax before they presented their new security software to their potential investors but, his partner had no idea what the word vacation even meant. Daniel glanced back over his shoulder in the direction the women had run off to wondering where Mackenzie may be now and if she was happy. It was nice to reminisce, but he had put that life regret behind him a long time ago. At least, he thought he had.