Beth stared at Daryl, unblinking, trying to make sense of what he'd just said to her. "I'm sorry…but what?"
"I've been buying the wrong underwear." He mumbled again and she still was no closer to understanding what he was talking about. She didn't want to ask him to repeat himself again because she could tell from the light pink tint on his cheeks that he was embarrassed.
"What makes you say that?" She asked carefully, trying to understand why he'd just walked into the kitchen at almost seven in the morning, poured himself a cup of coffee, and blurted out something about his underwear. There had to be something she was missing. Something her sleep-addled mind wasn't picking up on. She saw his eyes dart down to his mug, steaming in front of him, and then the frown that took over his face.
"Never mind." He grumbled before getting ready to stand and leave the room.
"No, Daryl wait…" Her hand shot out and landed on his wrist. "I'm sorry. I'm half-asleep and I don't know where that comment came from." She offered him a small smile. "I'm not makin' fun of you, I really just…I don't understand." He started picking at the skin of his thumb before moving said digit to his mouth to bite at it and Beth could instantly tell he was more than just nervous, he was embarrassed to be having this conversation. She wanted to soothe him. They'd had a relatively unconventional relationship thus far, but she'd hoped he at least felt comfortable to talk to her about personal things like this.
"Got dressed this mornin'," he started, not meeting her gaze, "but all my normal shorts were in the wash, so I put on those new ones you bought me a while ago." She beamed at him and he reddened a bit more. "And I realized I've been buying the wrong underwear. I dunno if these are just softer, or what…but…" he trailed off lamely. He wanted to let her know that he wanted to get more of these ones, but had no idea what the difference was. He usually just grabbed the same package of shorts every time he needed some new ones. He didn't really ever venture into the unexplored aisles of men's underwear.
"I'm glad you like them." She stroked his arm. "Would you like me to buy you more?" She felt her own cheeks redden. They'd been officially dating for a few months, unofficially together for a while longer, but this felt decidedly more domestic than anything they'd done so far. Sure she spent the night at his place, but it wasn't like she had a key. It wasn't like they shared a bank account, or a bathroom, or personal shopping items. She'd honestly bought the two pack on a whim when she noticed his normal short seemed a bit worn. She wanted to treat him to something nice. She knew a pair of sexy panties always made her feel better, and thought maybe he would enjoy a nice pair of shorts of his own.
"I can do it." He grumbled out, "I just…" His eyes shot up to hers shyly. "Where'd ya get 'em?" She looked confused.
"Just at the store. Same store everyone gets their clothes."
"No, I mean." He cleared his throat. "Where'd ya find 'em, in the store?" Realization dawned on her as the last puzzle piece clicked into place in her mind.
"Oh." She smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. "Would you like to come to the store with me, when you need more, so I can show you?" He gave a shrug before nodding his head a couple times.
"Yeah, sure." He felt so ridiculous asking his (new) girlfriend to take him underwear shopping. He was a grown ass man and it shouldn't be this embarrassing, but for some reason it was. He felt a little more put out because he didn't want her thinking he couldn't take care of himself. It was a bit of a hit to his manly pride. She smiled at him.
"Alright, well you let me know when you need some more, and we can go. I'll let you decide when you're ready." He gave a nod before taking a sip of his coffee. She looked at the clock. "I gotta get ready to head to the farm, so I'm gonna go get dressed. I don't wanna make you late either." He smiled at her.
"Actually, got today off. The rain is going to cut into work today, so Rick gave us all some time off. Abe said something last night about spending the day with Rosita, so I was wonderin' if you wanted to do something today." Beth stood awkwardly in his kitchen, fidgeting as she thought. Of course she wanted to stay with him, but she did need to head to the farm to help out her daddy for a few hours. "Or you know, you don't have to."
"No, I want to. But I gotta help daddy today, at least for a few hours." She thought for a moment. "You know, you could come with me. Daddy always likes seein' you 'round." She offered. She watched as he rolled the idea around his head before nodding. "And maybe after, we could get some lunch and do some shopping?" He perked up, and she wanted to grin like a fool at how adorable he was. He was excited about buy new underwear and it just about melted her heart. He gave a nod.
"That sounds good to me." He rumbled before finishing his coffee and standing. "C'mon. Let's get ready." Beth beamed at him and scurried to the bedroom of his place to get changed.
Daryl shifted uncomfortably as he followed Beth into the men's department at their local clothing store. He felt so awkward as she pointed at different things, trying to explain the differences between all the different underwear. He just wanted to grab a pack and get the hell out of there, but he knew he had asked for this. He watched as she stopped and snagged a couple different packages from the hanging hooks. "These are the ones I picked up last time." She said and showed him the two pack. "They have bigger packs, and they have some with different patterns and colors." He gave a nod as he looked at the packages. "And you can tell these are the ones you like because, see that little color marker on the corner, that's the same color I bought." She grinned at him. "I think you normally get the green ones, but the blue is the one you told me you liked." He gently reached and grabbed one of the packages from her.
"I'll get this one." He mumbled before turning to make his way back to the front of the store. Beth scurried to keep up next to him, smiling shyly as he took her hand in his. "Thank you Beth." He mumbled before kissing the top of her head.
"You're welcome." She almost whispered. "I'm glad to help. Can't have you buying the wrong underwear for the rest of your life."
"What would I do without you?" She giggled before giving him a delicate shrug. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head again. She was something special, and he was so lucky she wanted to spend her time with him. He still didn't understand why, but he wasn't going to question it anymore. He just wanted to revel in the happy that was coming his way.