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“Well, now I guess I’ll just have to show you some technique,” Sofi said, flirting in a way she typically didn’t on a first date. But between Bash being so sweet and Austin being right there, she couldn’t help it.
Sofi walked over to pick up Bash’s ax, sashaying her hips a little more than she needed to, knowing Bash was watching. She lifted it and turned to walk back to him with a flirty smile, but froze when she caught sight of Austin’s face.
His jaw had dropped and the open longing in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Sofi swallowed and turned back to Bash, her date, minus the smile. Who cared how Austin looked at her? He was attracted to her, sure, but that and friendship were all that he could give.
The look Bash gave her was no less intense and Sofi pushed a smile back to her lips as she came to Bash’s side and handed him the ax.
“When you throw, try to lean back a little and then push yourself forward. That momentum should help,” Sofi said, backing down from the idea she’d had to place Bash in the position he should stand in, her hands going all over his abs. It had seemed like a good idea in theory but now she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It was too forward. It wasn’t her.
Bash tried Sofi’s way and he hit the target with the back of his ax before it bounced away.
“Better,” she said with a clap and grin, trying to forget how closely Austin was watching her.
Sofi decided not to compete against Bash—it wouldn’t be fair, considering her experience—but by the end of the night he was hitting the target more often than not, not quite the center like Sofi typically did but he’d improved remarkably.
“You’re a natural,” Sofi complimented Bash as they gathered their things.
She swore she heard Austin grunt but she ignored him the way she had with everything else he’d done that evening.
She and Bash took their things back to Billy and walked toward the front door, but there was one thing Sofi had to do before they left.
“Do you mind waiting for a minute?” Sofi asked Bash.
He shook his head as Sofi headed back to where they’d been throwing and saw that sure enough, Austin and his friends were gathering their things as well.
“Stay,” Sofi said as she approached Austin and then put a hand on his chest.
Seeing the stern expression on Sofi’s face, Memphis and Joey dispersed.
“You know I can’t do that, Sof. I promised the Tías.” Austin shrugged as if he couldn’t help what he was doing but Sofi knew he was loving every minute of ruining Sofi’s date. She wasn’t sure why, but he was enjoying himself.
“Tía Rosa picked this guy out. He’s not some rando from the internet.”
“Pretty sure there weren’t any such guidelines. You go on a date, I follow.”
“The guidelines were implied.”
“Not from where I stand.”
“Austin, please. I think I could really like this guy. The date is going fairly well despite you. We are going to dinner, alone. I need this. Please.” Sofi knew her voice held more than a hint of pleading but she needed Austin to understand without fully understanding. Nothing could ever grow between Sofi and another man if Austin were there because she’d always choose Austin. But Austin wasn’t a choice. So she had to be given a chance to make something else work.
Austin lifted Sofi’s hand from his chest and held it with both of his own.
“If this guy does anything to hurt you . . . ”
“You get free rein at him,” Sofi promised.
Austin nodded once. “I’m sure he doesn’t deserve you.”
“Who does?” Sofi joked.
“Yeah, who does,” Austin repeated, but his expression was far more austere than Sofi’s had been.
Sofi turned and left before she tried to analyze Austin or before he changed his mind. If the second half of this date was as good as the first could have been without Austin, Sofi finally had hope for a new future. One in which she didn’t pine for Austin for the rest of her life.
Five
