A/N: Why hello again. :) This is the second part of Walking Among the Walkers, and just like the last one, nothing is mine (including the titles of the chapters) except my original characters, thought process, etc.
Read, review, and enjoy!
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
These words rang in my head all morning, interrupted every now and then with a few sighs and moans from Daryl's sleeping being.
The most frightening part of these words is that they didn't only come from Daryl, but from Shane also. Did he really mean it, or was this really some last words I-want-to-be-remembered bullshit?
There was only one way to find out.
Ah, yes. I forgot this was the beginning. Ahem, ahem. So, for all of you whom are tuning in just now, my name is Ayden Arezzo. I am madly in love with Daryl Dixon, and confused about Shane Walsh. I do often get ahead of myself. Anyway, carry on.
I practically jumped off the air mattress, making Daryl angrily swat the air in his sleep and rolled over. I tiptoed the rest of the way out of the tent.
The sun had freshly made its appearance in the sky, making yet another sunny, summer day in Georgia. Although the soft dew in the grass tickled my bare feet as I walked toward where Shane was polishing his gun by the cars, I still confidently strode up to him and plopped myself in the chair adjacent to him.
"Good morning," Shane Walsh brightly said, giving me one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen out of him. It made my heart do a tiny flip.
"Good morning," I said between barred teeth, slightly annoyed by his giddiness this morning. His eyebrows rose.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked, returning to his shotgun with a grimy toothbrush.
"Yeah, you got an explanation for me?"
His eyebrows rose another inch until it came to him. "Ah, those words."
My arms crossed over my chest when he looked at me casually.
For those who don't know, Shane told me that he loved me a few days ago, when a zombie horde was on our asses. Coincidentally, the day after, Daryl said those same, antagonizing words. We thought we were going to die then, too, except I took Daryl's words much more kindly than Shane's.
"So you want an explanation, I suppose?" Shane asked. I almost thought he was stalling to make me angry.
"I'd love one, if you have one for me."
Shane paused his gun cleaning and looked into the distance. I tried to look for what he was looking at. "The sky ain't gonna give you an answer."
He looked back at me, the narrowing of his eyes telling me he was becoming annoyed with my nagging. "I love you."
I narrowed my eyes right back. "Don't say things you don't mean."
"And what if I do?" he said seriously, making my eyes roll as his serious composure broke into a laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you why I said that."
"Yes, please," I half begged, half whined. The sun was starting to rise higher in the sky, which meant that Rick was about to start getting everybody up.
"Because," he paused like he didn't want to say anything after all, "it's because… I love you."
Shane busted out laughing, making me shriek in frustration and bounce out of the lawn chair, smacking his head before storming off into the forest.
"Wait, wait! Ayden," Shane called after me, setting down his shotgun and quickly heading towards me. I swiveled around angrily as he pulled on my shoulder.
"Not everything is a joke, Shane!" I yelled taking a few angry steps backward. Tears threatened to drop from my bottom eyelids.
Shane saw my eyes becoming watery. "No, please don't cry."
"I want a straight answer out of you," I demanded, sniffling my nose to add to the effect.
The breeze was still slightly chilly, and even though the sun's rays had a tiny effect on the warming on my skin, I could feel warmth coursing through my veins as Shane took a step closer. He took another step, and another, until he was inches away from my face. My breath caught in my throat.
"An answer for an answer," he said, his breath on the tip of my nose sending chills down my back.
"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I understood what he was saying. I just didn't want to understand.
"Run away with me," Shane whispered, his hands sliding up my arms. He pulled them from my chest and waited for a reaction out of me before he smiled and grabbed my hands.
"I- that's not a question," I stuttered, my cheeks becoming the gathering place for the heat that was tracing my veins.
"I can rephrase it to be a question if you'd like. But I think you know what I'm saying."
I didn't resist his hands when they left my hands and trailed up my sides, shivering when they stopped at my shoulders. He pulled me even closer.
Before his mouth reached mine, he pulled out a little slip of paper from my pocket. It was the one that Carol used to write down what everyone wanted for Birthday-Day. He carefully unraveled it and found his name.
"You never got me that hamburger," Shane slyly commented, smiling when I rolled my eyes.
"Unless you want one made out of squirrel, I can't help you," I laughed, not being able to help my forefinger trace his strong jaw line. I caught myself and clenched my teeth, letting my hand fall back down.
"I know something else that would be better than a hamburger," Shane purred, folding the paper back in its square and sliding it back in my back pocket.
Before I could reply, his lips brushed my lips, making them part slightly. I reached for his hand that made his way to my neck, grasping it romantically as he pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine. It was the first official kiss that actually meant something, not just a lusty exchange of passion or a thing of last hope. This was real.
We broke a part for a few seconds, looking back at the camp to see Rick waking everybody up, partially confused at something. He was probably looking for us. That's when I saw Daryl inch out of his tent, drowsily looking around for me too. He noticed that Shane was gone too, and his jaw clenched.
I backed away from Shane, still holding the hand that had held my neck. Shane stood there, looking hurt, mad, and above all else, jealous. My eyebrows furrowed in sorrow as I pulled him back for one last kiss. It was over too soon.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, kissing his hand before making my way back to the camp.
There's nothing like starting a day with disappointing someone.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Daryl asked, his eyes still droopy from sleep. I bit my lower lip and shrugged.
"I was just getting some fresh air."
Daryl looked around us sarcastically. "We're outside right now."
I sighed and walked away, not wanting to spill anything and disappointing yet another person. I already felt as if I'd disappointed Daryl enough.
"Why do you always do that?" Daryl asked, tugging on my shoulder before I got too far. I could tell he woke on the wrong side of the bed; his voice was already heavily laced with annoyance and anger.
"Do what?" I asked, seriously not getting what he meant. I first thought that it was just angry rambling: what he does when he's annoyed and wants something to argue about. I'd noticed it had happened a lot since the CDC.
Daryl once told me that he and Merle had short fuses because of their parents and their lack of, well, parenting. I already knew that Merle had basically raised Daryl himself, and that their Dad was a drunk and both of their parents beat them, but what I didn't know is that they had ran away together when Merle was old enough. Since they are about fifteen years apart, Daryl had only been 12 and Merle was already 28.
Our childhoods were so similar, yet beyond different. That's somewhat how I felt about Shane and my relationship. How could something that feels so good feel so wrong all at the same time?
"This… walkin' away when I'm talkin' to you. It's like you're hiding somethin'," he said suspiciously, crossing his arms. I inwardly started panicking.
"Sorry," I apologized, thinking that it was a good start to my endless amount of lies concerning Shane.
"That's not an explanation," he nagged, raising one eyebrow into the distance. I looked over my shoulder to where Shane was exiting the forest, looking our way with narrowed eyes. Before I could make up more bullshit lies, Daryl poked me in the forehead to regain my attention. "Didn't you just come from the forest?"
"No," I said quickly, my offensive tone striking Daryl as a lie.
"Dammit!" he yelled, uncrossing his arms and slamming his fist into the nearest object, which just happened to be Shane's Jeep. I jumped as the impact rattled the Jeep, sending a few glaring and curious looks from everyone as he stormed away.
The tears from the forest now made an appearance.
