I have been wanting to write about this for the longest time now. Daryl's POV is the first part and Beth's POV will be the second part. I hope you like it!
…
Part 1 of 2.
The first time he sees her, he is standing at the bus stop, cursing his brother's name – which isn't actually out of the ordinary – but standing at the bus stop on the corner by his place is.
Merle had borrowed his pickup truck the night before – just a quick stop at the bar, he had promised – and Daryl had been stupid enough to believe him; until he woke up to his phone ringing and Merle calling, saying that he had decided to take a quick trip down to Florida for the weekend – or week or month, knowing Merle. And with his bike currently in the shop being worked on in his spare time, Daryl has no choice, but to take the bus and curse his brother's name.
He sees her when he steps away from everyone else waiting to light a cigarette. Her shop is on the corner and he sees her turning on the lights inside. The Greene Thumb is printed on the glass in green lettering and through the large front window, Daryl can see the greenery of all kinds of plants and bursts of colors from arrangements of flowers.
And he can see her.
He can't see her that clearly, but he can see her blonde hair and the happy smile spreading across her face when an older man wearing a fishing cap comes in through her door as soon as she flips the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'.
Daryl looks at her through the window as he smokes his cigarette, but he doesn't know why. Does he know her from somewhere? Is that why he is looking at her? He's trying to remember from where?
There's no way he knows her though. He doesn't know any girls that look like her.
He just knows that he winds up standing there, smoking his cigarette and watching her through the window of the store until the bus comes.
…
He has been working his ass off and putting aside a little bit of money every month and he finally has a good enough job that allows him to do that.
He figures it's time to get himself a good enough place to live now, too, and he looks around, finding a place he thinks will work in a nice enough neighborhood filled with couples with their kids running around and dogs barking at the ice cream truck. He contacts the realtor and the woman shows it to him, explaining that it's a condo because he will own it and it's not like an apartment where he pays rent every month.
The place is simple enough. White walls and tan carpet with two good-sized bedrooms and two bathrooms and it's on the first floor so through a sliding door, there's a concrete slab of patio that would be his, too.
It's ninety thousand and Daryl has more than enough saved to put for a down payment.
It's the nicest place he's ever lived in and some mornings, he'll wake up and just keep lying in bed for a second or two, reminding himself that he actually lives here now.
…
Daryl works in the mechanic's garage for one of the car dealerships, seeing to a steady stream of cars all day – doing everything from oil changes and mile maintenance up to fixing shot transmissions and replacing starters.
Working on cars has always been easy for him – fiddling with them ever since he was a little kid, following Merle into junkyards where his older brother would salvage for anything he could take to the metal man for pocket money and Daryl would climb into the cars that were nothing more than piles of rusted out junk and he'd play around in them until Merle shouted at him that they were leaving.
He finds the work soothing in a way and somedays, it doesn't even feel like his brain is telling what his hands what to do. They know exactly what to do all on their own.
He has a quiet life for himself – finally; except for when Merle randomly drops in, but that doesn't happen often. No matter how old Merle is, he seems incapable of staying in one spot for so long and though Daryl loves his older brother, he has no problem with that. He may live in a place with two bedrooms now, but he's not looking for Merle to move in with him. Daryl already lived with him for a few years and he's not looking to again.
He works hard every day and then goes to a quiet home that's all his and sometimes, he'll drive past The Greene Thumb and try to get a look at the pretty blonde inside.
…
Daryl trusts his instincts. He's always been good at reading people and when he gets an impression on someone, he's hardly – if ever – wrong about that person.
He's never exchanged a word with the blonde girl who works in the plant store. He just catches glimpses of her through the windows as he roars past on his motorcycle. She always is smiling at any customer standing in front of her and it's not a typical smile that salespeople in stores have to give to people. It's a smile that the girl is giving as if every single customer is some near and dear friend of hers; as if she is truly happy to see them and to offer any help they might need.
Daryl wonders if she ever gets exhausted, smiling and being in a good mood all of the time like that. He honestly kind of gets exhausted just watching her for a few seconds.
But one night, as he's heading home, he is stopped at a red light at the intersection of where The Greene Thumb is and as he sits idly on his bike, waiting for the light to change, his head naturally turns to see if he can catch a glimpse of her.
It's dark and the lights in the plant store are pouring out onto the street. He sees her standing at the plants she has hanging in the windows, watering each from a can, and he can see it as clearly as if he was standing right inside with her.
She's crying.
…
The Greene Thumb is closed for the next few days.
Daryl drives past it in the mornings on his way to work and she usually opens around seven, but the sign remains flipped to "Closed" and the lights remain off. He drives past on his way from home, but it's the same thing. He even drives past during his lunch break, just to see if maybe she had just opened her store late.
But it remains empty for almost a week and he doesn't know why, but he finds himself being worried about her. He hopes she's okay.
He also wonders who is watering all of the plants with her gone.
…
Daryl doesn't realize what he's doing when he parks his motorcycle on the curb outside of the store and going up the two brick steps, stepping inside, a tiny bell tinkling softly above his head to announce his arrival, until he does it.
She is at a table in the middle of the room, watering all sorts of green things, and she lifts her head to see who it is. She smiles warmly at him as if she's been expecting him.
"Hello," she says and her voice is just how he imagined it would be.
Her voice is just how he knows the rest of her is.
It's kind.
"Can I help you find something in particular or are you just looking?" She asks.
Daryl takes a moment to look around the store he's been driving past for weeks now. It's smaller than he initially thought. The windows somehow make it seem bigger than it is. The floor is a warm light wood and there are tables set up in the middle of the room and along the walls, every inch of them covered with all kinds of plants. There is a counter with her cash register and there are buckets of all kinds of flowers behind there.
She's standing at a table full of different cactus of all shape and size and she holds her watering can in her hands. Daryl's eyes go back to looking at her. Up close, he can see that her eyes are blue. He wonders how old she is because she looks young; too young to own her own little store and too young for him to have been watching her.
"Uh…" he finally remembers that she's asked him a question. "I've just moved into a place-" Three months ago. "-and I was thinkin' 'bout gettin' some… color for it," he says and he wonders if he's maybe the dumbest sounding person to ever come in here.
But she just keeps on smiling.
"Of course. A house doesn't really feel like a home until there are plants in it. At least in my opinion," she says and there's a slight laugh in her tone. "Do you want anything in particular? I have just about anything, but if there's something that you want that I don't have, I can always place an order."
She has stepped away from the cactus table and has taken a step towards him.
Every bit of her is a little thing compared to him, Daryl notes.
What the hell is he doing in here?
"I don't know the first thing 'bout plants," he tells her honestly.
She never stops smiling.
"I'll find you something that will be perfect," she promises him and he doesn't even know her name – yet – but Daryl finds himself believing her.
Not only is she kind and pretty, there's something else about her. He can't imagine her ever wanting to let someone down.
She looks around for a moment, thinking, and then begins heading towards the front windows. Daryl follows after her. She sweeps to a green plant with tall sturdy leaves in a white pot.
"This is a snake plant and it handles neglect very well. I gave one to my sister when she moved into her new place and Maggie waters it just about whenever she remembers to and the thing is still alive and growing. They can grow in low light, but prefer brighter conditions. You don't want to water it too much because it can get root rot, which is actually what kills most plants. Just make sure the soil is dry between each watering."
Daryl looks at the plant.
He doesn't ask how much it is and he still doesn't know what the hell he's doing in here.
"Yeah, that looks good," he tells her. "I'll take this one."
Christ, she's got a pretty smile.
…
Daryl carries the snake plant into every room in his condo, looking for the perfect spot. He wants to make sure that it gets plenty of light and there is a section of tiled floor in front of the sliding door and Daryl finally sets it down there on the floor. It will get plenty of light there and once it's down, he takes a step back to see how it looks.
Maybe he should buy a little table for it. He wonders if the girl sells plant stands.
But it looks alright there for now. He gets down on his knees and gently presses his fingers on the dirt, checking to see how dry it is and if he should water it.
He really has no clue what the hell he's doing.
…
The bell tinkles and she's behind the counter this time, wrapping paper around the stems of a bouquet of flowers in front of her. She turns her head and he swears, when she sees that it's him, her smile seems to actually grow brighter.
She looks back to the old man in the fishing cap and hands him the flowers. "There you go, Dale," she says.
"See you tomorrow, Beth," he says as he heads out the door, the bouquet in hand.
Beth.
Finally. He knows her name and it's Beth.
Daryl doesn't understand it, but he thinks that that name is perfect for her. There's a lot of things he's not understanding lately.
"Hello, again," Beth smiles and comes out from behind the counter. "How's the snake plant?" She asks.
It's been four days since he's been in here and she still remembers what he bought.
"'s good," he remembers to answer her. "Don't think it's dead yet."
She laughs at that. "What can I do for you today?"
What can I do for you today?
That's a damn good question and one Daryl should have been prepared to answer, but instead, he's looking at her and his tongue feels swollen. What the hell is going on with him? He's never been good around people, but he usually just keeps to himself because he knows that. Why is he coming here all of a sudden and why is he a bigger idiot only when around her?
"Uh, I'm thinkin' I wanna get another plant," he finally gets out because why the hell else would he be coming into a plant store? It sounds like a good answer to him.
"Of course," Beth smiles. "Another snake plant or something else?"
"Somethin' I can't kill."
She laughs and leads him towards one of the front windows again. She takes a moment, looking at everything in front of them. She then points up to a hanging basket to a plant with long green leaves with tints of yellow to them, and it looks like it's growing crazy, the leaves spilling out.
"That's a spider plant and it's been said to be the easiest household plant to not kill."
"Challenge accepted," Daryl says before he can stop himself.
Beth just laughs though and her laugh is light and easy and with the sun shining through the windows onto her face, Daryl already knows he's never seen anything prettier.
…
He buys a hook before heading home and then that evening, he drills the hook into the ceiling near his patio door and the snake plant on the floor. He hangs the spider plant from it and then, like he did days earlier, he takes a step back to look at them both.
Beth's right. It's strange, but now, with the two plants in the room, things feel like they're coming together a little bit more in this place.
…
"Hey, baby brother."
"Where the hell are you?" Daryl all but growls when he hears his brother's voice on the other end of the phone. "And where's my truck? I swear to God, Merle. If you've-"
"Whoa, whoa," Merle says with a laugh. "Take it easy, Darlina."
Daryl absolutely despises that nickname, but he snaps his mouth shut anyway and he waits for Merle to explain things to him.
"I'm in Alabama," Merle states as if it's so obvious. Like where the hell else would he be?
"With my truck?" Daryl asks.
"Don't worry, Daryl. 'm takin' good care of it," Merle assures him.
Daryl doubts that. "When you headin' back this way?"
"Not too sure. But I'll be back 'fore you even miss me."
"I miss my truck," Daryl grumbles and Merle laughs as if that's the funniest thing he's ever heard even though Daryl is completely serious.
This is what Merle does. Merle shows up and then leaves for a bit before coming back. Daryl's gotten used to it and as he's gotten older, he's use to not missing his brother. Merle being Merle, he'll show up on Daryl's doorstep sooner or later. That's certain.
What's not certain is if he will bring back his truck in one piece.
…
He's on his way to work and is stopped at the red light in front of The Greene Thumb. He naturally looks towards it. The sign is still on "Closed" and the lights are off, but then he sees Beth coming around the corner and somehow, her eyes land right on him in the street. She greets him with a wide smile and a slight wave of her hand.
Daryl looks behind him to see there are cars waiting for the light to change to green, and he doesn't think about it. He just pulls the motorcycle from the line and stops next to the curb. Beth meets him, standing next to the bike and giving him a smile. She is holding a white paper cup in her hand of, what he assumes to be, coffee.
"Good morning," Beth smiles. "I've just realized something."
"Wha's that?"
She's wearing a green knit hat on her head this morning and he wonders if she wears green on purpose or if it's just her favorite color.
And not only does he notice what the hell this girl is wearing, Daryl finds that he actually wants to ask her about it. What the hell is going on with him? Somehow, he blames Merle. If Merle hadn't taken his truck and he hadn't been stuck taking the bus that day, he never would have ever seen Beth from The Greene Thumb and he wouldn't be sitting here now, thinking about how pretty she is.
"I don't know your name," she says, her cheeks becoming a deep pink as if she's embarrassed about that for some reason.
"Daryl," he says and then clears his throat when his voice sounds a little too rough to his ears. "Daryl," he repeats and for some reason, hearing his name makes her smile.
"Daryl," Beth repeats softly, more to herself than to be heard by him. "I hope you have a wonderful day, Daryl," she says with the softest smile on her face that almost makes him squirm because no one has ever smiled at him like that and he doesn't know what to do.
"You, too," he manages to say and then, without another word or look towards her, he looks over his shoulder, checking on oncoming traffic before he revs his motorcycle and pulls away, telling himself that no, he's not running away. He just can't be late for work.
…
Daryl tells himself to stay away from the plant store for a while, but of course, he's a Dixon and a dumb shit and can't even listen to himself.
Beth is standing with a man and a woman as they go over a variety of plants, the couple discussing what they want, and Beth showing them some options and when she hears the bell, she turns her head and instantly smiles when she sees that it's him.
Daryl does his best to smile back, but he knows he fails miserably at it.
As strange as it probably sounds to other people, he's just not used to smiling.
With his hands in his pockets, Daryl walks over to the table in the middle of the store where the entire surface is covered with cactus. He wonders if he should buy one of these next. The spider and snake plants are both still alive and he thinks he might be getting the hang of this whole taking-care-of-plants thing.
The couple is around for a few more minutes and Beth rings their purchases up. The woman walks out with two plants in her arm and the man is carrying what looks like a mini tree with dark, shiny leaves.
"Hi."
He turns quickly towards the voice and Beth is standing there, smiling as always.
"Hey," he says. "Wha' was that?"
"Which one?"
"That tree lookin' thing."
Beth smiles. "A rubber tree."
"They hard to kill?"
"Yes. And they do grow into actual trees unless you keep them trimmed. They'll stay short and busy if you trim them." Beth walks towards the wall where more little trees are and Daryl follows after her. "Are you interested in a rubber tree?" She asks.
"I am now," he answers her and she laughs a little at that.
"Medium to bright light, allow the soil to dry between each watering," she instructs and Daryl nods, picking up one of the pots while reaching for his wallet with his other hand. Again, he hasn't even looked at how much it costs. "You're turning into a regular horticulturist," Beth then comments as she takes the cash he's handed her and walks towards the register.
"I've got no idea what that is so I'm trustin' that you didn' jus' insult me," Daryl replies.
She laughs again and he shifts the tree into the crook of one arm so he can take the change with the other. He ignores the way her soft fingers graze across his skin as she passes the money to him. Or, he tries to ignore it.
He's figuring out that when it comes this girl, it's pretty damn impossible to ignore anything.
…
The rubber tree is placed next to the snake plant, which seems to have grown in Daryl's opinion and he's not going to lie. He feels pretty damn proud that he's keeping these things alive.
He wonders where Beth lives and what her place looks like. He bets it looks like this, but times a thousand. He wonders how many plants she has and she probably has more complex plants than just what isn't easy to kill.
He wonders what she would think if he was to invite her over to look at his plants. She already knows about his plants. She sold them to him. But maybe he could invite her over just so she could see for herself that he's actually keeping them alive.
He imagines she would turn him down flat. She doesn't know him expect he's a guy who comes into her store once every few days and buys a new plant. He doesn't think Beth is that stupid where she would just go to some guy's place without knowing him better.
But then, he starts to imagine her actually saying that yes, she would love to come over to his place and look at his plants.
Daryl's eyes sweep around the room that's his living room and dining room and kitchen all in the same space. It's a big room; simple.
It's clean. He is always sure to keep his place clean. But there's not much in the rooms. Just a few pieces of furniture and these plants. There's no way he could bring a girl like Beth over here.
And why the hell is he thinking about it anyway? He's never going to ask her and even if he manages to get the question out, she'll never accept. There's nothing to worry about.
…
Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review!