I. Encounter
It had been a long day at the office for Atlanta's new district attorney Besides the swarm of colleagues introducing themselves and the mindless chit chat, Michonne Stevens managed to squeeze in some alone time basking in the luxury of her 2nd floor office.
The modest yet inviting room offered privacy with a touch of flair. Just like its new recipient. With caramel coloured blinds and a plush white sofa she made the most of her last hour on the job. Always alert, she took a brisk walk of the parameters to see if any visitors would be making themselves known. It was her first day after all. Peering through the windows of the main lobby she saw a group of men engaging in a hilarious conversation judging by the wide grins on their faces and a couple women clearing their desks ready to leave. She smiled inside, feeling a pinch of guilt about avoiding the men and women genuinely pleased to have her working with them.
Sauntering back to her office, she locked the door and proceeded to skip out of her mahogany pumps. It was the middle of spring and so she dressed light wearing an understated white blouse tinged with floral elements tucked into a long maxi skirt. It wasn't business attire but Michonne Stevens didn't stick to the rules when it came to her clothes. Besides, she was obeying the laws of fashion. Upon entry to the building, she almost burst out in rapturous laughter at the receptionists outfit but she reigned in her unintentional glee at the woman's misfortune look.
She firmly sat down on the 3 seater and decided on loosening up her joints to get fully relaxed doing some basic yoga stretches. Letting her brunette dreads free, Michonne laid back and closed her eyes and instantaneously, they were open again.
Shit.
In a flash she sat up and aimlessly looked for a clock, her phone or something to tell her the time. She found her smartphone and it was off. "Great" she muttered. Impatient, she tapped her hands on her lap making a light drum beat as she waited for the device to come to life. The bright lights signalled the phone was on and her eyes widened. 5:45pm.
"Fudge sticks!" she paused then laughed at herself, "wow I really said fudge sticks huh". Snapping herself together, she quickly got her things and left.
She was meant to pick up her cheerful 5 year old Andre from his fathers at 6. Knowing his apartment was several blocks away she momentarily relaxed, but realised she was going to be late. It took every grain of determination in her to lift that phone up and call the father of her child. Locating her Mercedes, she made a quick dash and got in the car scrolling down to Mike Anthony. She pressed call and waited.
"Michonne?" his voice clear and a bit too sharp for her liking, she breathed in and calmly replied.
"Mike I'm going to be a bit late." She waited hearing nothing but the cogs turning in her ex boyfriends mind.
"Okay", he spat out, "He's had his dinner but he keeps asking me for something called cheestring, you know what that is?". Michonne smiled. It was Andre's favourite snack and something she was once obsessed with herself. She cleared her throat and answered cheerfully.
"Actually I do" taking a moment to realise how happy she sounded, Michonne replied with less zeal. "If he's being cranky tell him Mama's on her way with cheestrings if he can behave for his Daddy". He absorbed her request and responded casual.
"That's cool. So don't worry about the late thing and yeah I'll let him know about his cheese stuff" a loud yell was heard in the background. Andre was clearly tired and Tired Andre ironically was also Loud Andre. Michonne smirked enjoying the fact Mike had his hands full with their son. Despite being present all of Andre's life, Mike surprisingly knew little about his boy's quirks and joys. He never missed late night feeds but somehow struggled with how to make him laugh. Michonne ready to drive forgot the phone call was still going on and abruptly returned "bye" before hanging up and tossing the phone on the seat next to her.
At a traffic junction, she noticed her tank was running low on gas. "Great just great" she mumbled. Swiftly, she made a stop for gas and proceeded to pay when she spotted the convenience store also had a dairy section.
"I'm sorry one moment I'm just going to grab something" she said to the acne plastered teen serving her as she signalled to the refrigerated section.
"Okay" he croaked. Walking amidst the tiny isles she grinned reaching the cheestrings knowing how happy they were going to make her little Peanut.
As if the whole world was moving in slow motion, a fairly calloused hand came out of nowhere above her shoulders and grabbed the last packet. The smile vanished from her face and she quickly spun on her heels to see the man who beat her to the cheese. Almost bumping into his chest she backed away into the aisle knocking some products down.
"Great just great" she breathed out in frustration. Reaching down to help her pick up the products, she almost forgot about the man in front of her.
"Sorry for startling you" he said, his voice thick with bass and genuine regret. She noticed his pronounced southern accent nonchalantly replying,
"It's nothing".
That was a lie. She was pissed. But he didn't do anything wrong and she was just gonna have to hurry up, pay the oily faced teen, and go. Grabbing the last box of butter on the tiled floor, her hand grazed his and she looked up for the first time to see the face of the man who in her mind, stole her baby's precious cheestrings. She chided herself internally for getting so worked up about it but all thoughts seemed to vanish as she took in the stranger's appearance.
His face was ruggedly handsome, sporting a salt and pepper beard that did nothing to diminish the pull of his aqua eyes. Lacing his face was a few stray curls that rested perfectly in position. He wore a tight black shirt and plain blue jeans but gave off vibes far from simple. Something was odd. Before this man could catch on to her staring she quickly withdrew her hand and stood up smoothing the crinkles in her blouse. The man stood up with the butter placing it back on the isle, oblivious to the multitude of unknown feelings he put in her from just a simple touch. He picked up his basket and turned facing her to apologise again, but on meeting her warm brown eyes he lost the words. Confused with why he was so nervous, Rick Grimes peeled his eyes to the floor and gathered himself.
"I'm really sorry." Silence filled the air making it harder to speak. He lifted his eyes to her face but they ended up sweeping over her body, taking in every little petal on her blouse. Reaching her face he realised she was intently looking at him and he felt blood rush to his cheeks. Noticing she was trying to hide her upset by plastering a fake smile on her face he confidently began.
"I was meaning to get these for my boy" drawing out the sentence when Michonne jumped in.
"Me too, but it's fine don't worry" she reassured, gesturing with her hands to signal it was cool. Rick extended his hand outwards with the packet sighing.
"How funny is that? We've both got sons mad over this" peering closer he read the title in confusion "cheestring?"
Michonne chucked at the sound of the word in his thick accent. Rick puzzled at her contained laughter felt proud for diffusing the tense situation. Before regretting it, he opened his mouth.
"My names Rick, by the way" and almost immediately blushed profusely. Why was this brief interaction causing his body to go into overdrive? He was about to scuttle away with his shopping before he heard her,
"I'm Michonne. And thanks I'll take your offer Rick." He liked the sound of his name on her tongue.
The poor teen coughed to get their attention and Michonne realised she kept him and more importantly Andre waiting. In a dash, she ran to the till and turned around yelling
"Thanks again Rick!" He stood still with a wide grin on his face, pleased with himself for making her happy and also baffled with his enjoyment of the situation. She paid for the cheese and gas and bolted out the shop on a mission to get to her boy.
Buckling her seat belt, she heard someone honking their horn and looked out the window to see Rick in his black SUV at the gas pump next to her. She waved enthusiastically taking in his boyish grin before speeding off.