I open my mouth to respond, but the sudden roar of cheering from the bull riding pen drowns out our conversation. When the noise subsides, our eyes meet again.
She has a look on her face like she wants to say something, but she’s holding back. Instead, she moves to stand, as if to leave.
My gut screams at me not to let her.
I reach out quickly, placing my hand on her arm.
Her eyes lift to mine.
“Can I buy you another drink?” I ask, leaning closer so she can hear me.
“I actually didn’t plan on drinking any more tonight.”
“Great,” I say. “Me neither.”
She laughs. “What? Then why did you…”
“Soda is a drink, right?”
“It is.”
“We could get some soda, play some pool…” I toss my head in the direction of the pool tables on the other side of the bar.
Her spine straightens as she studies me. “Pool?”
“Yeah. You know, billiards.”
She chuckles. “Billiards?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling myself grow antsy. “Fuck. Sorry, I don’t know why I said that…”
My attempt at spending a few more minutes with this woman is the furthest thing from smooth, and the longer this silence stretches between us, the more I feel like a fucking fool.
I’m rusty in this department. Flirting? Bantering with women?
The last time I did that was when I met my late wife.
“Rhonan…” she says, waiting for me to meet her gaze before she speaks again.
I lift my head, lock my eyes with hers, and then that smile of hers reappears. “Vienna…”
Reaching out, she cups the side of my face. “I would love to have soda and play pool with you.”
***
Vienna smacks her lips playfully after taking a drink from her soda. “Man, those bubbles are gonna go straight to my head.”
A laugh slips out of me. “Be careful. I have no problem rescuing you a third time tonight, if need be. But I’d like to avoid any more incidents.”
She shoves me playfully. “Be nice.”
“I am. By letting you take another shot after you missed your first one.”
“That’s because my stick didn’t even connect with the ball.”
After Vienna agreed to play pool with me, she went to the restroom while I ordered us two Cokes and secured a pool table in the corner of The Charming Bull, far enough away from the bull riding that we could actually hear each other talk, but not so far that I couldn’t keep an eye on Elliot standing along the ropes, still hoping that his dick might react to a woman tonight.
Once Vienna found me, I racked the balls and started the game, only to learn that Vienna has never played pool.
