Prompt: Sequel to Guide Me (Volume I)
Guide Me II
Beth frowned when the arrow missed again. She was getting sick of pulling them out of the ground or digging around in bushes because she couldn't hit the damn target. She was trying to remember what Daryl had taught her, but using a compound bow was so much different than using a crossbow. She needed strength, which she was slowly gaining and she needed to be able to hold the tightly drawn string without the help of the bow itself. She clipped another arrow to the string and lined her sights up. She heard Daryl walk up behind her. She'd known he'd been watching her for a while now.
"You're too tense," he whispered, standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her and flashbacks from the time he'd taught her how to use his crossbow came flooding back, a hot blush covering her cheeks. "Keep your elbow up," he ordered, guiding the arm holding the bow up higher. "You need to pull your hand all the way back to your ear, that's how you're going to line up the sights. " He wrapped his hand around hers and gently pulled it back. "Don't rest your face against the string unless you want to get hurt." He tilted her head just so slightly so it wasn't resting against the bow string. "Remember, it's an extension of you. You're eyes know where the arrow should go." He dropped his arms and looked at her back. "Straighter." She felt his hands on her waist and the small of her back, guiding her into the right position. He slowly took a step back and looked her over. He nodded his head. "Try that."
Beth took a breath, closed her eyes and centered herself. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing the target and released her breath and the arrow at the same time. Dead center. She smiled and dropped the bow and looked at him. "You're an amazing teacher."
He smirked and gestured back to the dead walker. "Keep going." They spent hours out there and he corrected her every time she let something slip until she didn't need him to tell her to straighten her back or bring her arm up. Arrow after arrow landed in the walker. They soon turned it into a game. He would pick a body part and tell her to hit it. "You're a natural," he praised her as they headed back to camp. "Should have gotten you a bow ages ago."
Beth smiled and took his hand into hers, stopping him just outside of camp. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning up and kissing him. He stared down at her as she slowly pulled away. He nodded his head, not sure what to say. He'd always thought he'd have to make the first move, but she'd just shocked the hell out of him.