Shay rolled her eyes.
Using her encouragement, I tried again. This time, the dart soared right to the top of the board and hit the twenty slot.
“Nice,” Thayer said, holding out his fist for me to bump.
I bumped his fist, and warmth spread up my arm. This was getting ridiculous.
I tossed my last dart. Another miss. I shrugged, knowing two out of three was a record for me. I sat at the table and sipped my drink while Kason threw his darts. Of course, they landed in the twenty, ten, and fifteen slots.
Thayer stepped up next and threw his first dart. Bullseye. I clapped, and he glanced over at me and smiled. He turned back to the dartboard and released his second dart. Another bullseye. I clapped even louder, and a woot slipped from my lips. Thayer laughed before throwing his final dart. It wasn’t another bullseye, but it was enough to push us past Kason.
“Sit down, little brother,” I called to Kason.
Kason flipped us both off.
Thayer shook his head and glanced at me, a sheepish look in his eyes.
Before I could say anything, Jesse interrupted. “Anyone wanna play pool?”
“I’m in,” Kason said, following Jesse to the pool table. Shay trailed after them.
Thayer and I didn’t move. He leaned against the table and scanned the crowded bar. For a moment, I wished he’d touch me—like the slight brush of our fingers that morning, or the gentle touch of him moving a stray hair away from my eyes. But he did neither. Why would he? We were both dating other people. Last night was an anomaly. Something unexpected and a one-time thing.
“You think you’re ready?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed as he looked to me. “For what?”
“To compete.”
“Probably not.”
“That’s not how it looked today,” I said.
“You saw one trick.”
“I saw you in your element.”
“It could’ve been a fluke,” he argued.
“Nope. That’s not what today was,” I assured him. “You’re amazing on a board, Thayer.”
He rolled his eyes like he didn’t believe me.
“Come on. You know you are.”
“You’ve never told me that before,” he challenged.
“Just because I’ve never said it, doesn’t mean I don’t think it.”
“What else are you thinking and not saying?” he asked.
I swallowed around the large lump in my throat. “Nothing. Just that you’re good, and you need to compete again.”
“That’s it?”
What was he asking me? And why did I feel so flustered? My damn cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“I just need to do it?” he said, spinning the conversation back to what I’d actually asked.