New Year's Date
Summary: Michonne lets her best friend set her up on a blind date. Will she find love or will this be another matchmaking disaster?
A/N: no zombie AU Richonne fluff, what else would you expect? Please review!
…
"I don't know if this is such a good idea," I said, absently picking at the sequins on my short dress.
"MICH-onne!" Andrea exclaimed, much louder than the close proximity of our Uber back seat required, "If you say that one more time, I will tell Guss here –"
"Uh, it's Gareth," the driver corrected.
"Whatever!" Andrea was unconcerned, "to pull over and I'll leave you on the curb and go enjoy the party by myself!"
I blinked at my best friend. I wasn't necessarily surprised by her outburst, it was simply different being on the receiving end of her anger rather than an observer or supporter.
"Is that what you want?!" she demanded.
"No," I said in a small voice. I had no doubt that she would follow through with her threat.
"Then stop worrying and second guessing me. This is a good match, I swear. Rick is a great guy and he's great looking too," Andrea said with all the certainty in the world.
"So you keep saying," I replied, significantly less enthused than she was.
We were already half way there. It was too late to turn back now, so I had little choice but the resign myself to my fate.
"I mean it. He's like, ruggedly handsome. Totally your style. When are you going to learn to trust me?" Andrea grinned, no longer frustrated with me and excited once more.
I raised an eyebrow, "If he's as great as you say, why haven't you claimed him for yourself?"
Andrea gave me a look. I knew her too well. I watched her expectantly.
"Well, see…I would have. But no. That's a no go, right from the start. Bad idea, all around."
"And why exactly is that?" Now I was curious.
"Because…" Andrea answered reluctantly, "I already hooked up with his best friend. It was a long time ago, but still."
I laughed, "That would explain it!"
The driver pulled up in front of the club and we got out. Inside, the party was already in full force. The music was loud and the place was full of people from Andrea's office, nobody I knew. Not really my scene. I thought again maybe I should have stayed at home, but kept my mouth shut.
Andrea stood on her toes, peeking this way and that, looking for her prey.
"There he is!" she said, pulling me forcefully through the crowd to a small side table where a man sat, looking a little lost in the pulsating lights, nursing a beer.
"Hello!" Andrea cheerfully got his attention.
He stood up and greeted us.
"Rick, this is my friend I told you about. Michonne, this is Rick," Andrea introduced us, then she winked at me and excused herself to go to the bar.
I glared at her retreating back. Andrea means well, but she's not exactly known for her outstanding taste in men and I've suffered through more than a few disastrous blind dates thanks to her. And yet, I keep agreeing.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Rick said with a hint of a Southern drawl, holding out his hand.
I shook it, taking a moment to get a good look at him. Slicked back brown hair, a short beard nearly covering striking cheekbones, and beautiful blue eyes. Ruggedly handsome was right, I thought. He wore a blue button-down shirt, black jeans, and…scuffed cowboy boots.
"You look fantastic," he said, clearly taken by my sparkling gold dress and red lipstick. I wore my locks loose, with a piece of gold ribbon for a headband.
I smiled, "Thank you."
There was a glint of something in his eyes, like I was the only person in the whole place he wanted to look at, that dispelled all my reservations.
We made small talk, laughing about Andrea's well-intentioned but perhaps overly aggressive form of matchmaking.
When it became too difficult to talk due to the noise, Rick leaned in close and asked, "Would you like to dance?"
I gave him my hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor. I've long believed that dancing with someone new is the surest way to know if you truly have chemistry. You can tell a lot about a couple's compatibility from the way they move together to the music.
Rick and I? We had instant chemistry. Sure, his rhythm wasn't perfect, but he had an easy smile and I liked the feel of his hand on the small of my back. As the dance floor got more crowded, I thought he might decide he'd had enough but he only pulled me closer.
I draped my arms around his neck so we could dance with practically no space between us. My curious fingers ended up tangled in the soft curls at the nape of his neck. In that moment, I realized that the spark I'd felt from him earlier had only been a shadow of the way he was looking at me now.
I was captured by the intensity in his eyes. Before I knew it, his lips were closed over mine, warm and electric. Too soon, he pulled away.
"Sorry, was that too forward?" he asked, cautious but hopeful at the same time.
"No, no," I assured him, throwing abandon to the wind, "It was perfect."
We kissed again, curious and passionate. I was lost in the heat of the moment. Then there was a break in the music and somebody close to us hollered, "Get a room, why don't ya?!"
Even in the dim light, I could see Rick was blushing. I couldn't help but laugh at the unlikeliness of the whole thing.
"Why the hell didn't Andrea introduce us sooner?" Rick asked with a grin, touching his forehead against mine.
"Hmm..." I pretended to consider his question thoughtfully and, before I could stop myself, replied, "Probably because she was busy screwing your best friend."
"Wait. Daryl?!" Rick was surprised, "Seriously?"
"Oh man, I probably shouldn't have said that," I immediately chastised myself for blabbing. It was stupid to assume he already knew.
"Daryl can be real close-mouthed about that kind of thing. I never know if he's got somebody or what," Rick said, then asked, "So how long has that been going on?"
"I don't know," I said uncertainly, "It sounded like a one time thing."
"Ah…" Rick said and I could practically see the puzzle pieces clicking together in his mind, "Actually that might explain a lot. Daryl's been all mopey lately. Walking around like his dog just died."
This gave me pause. "Do you think he's hung up on Andrea?"
"Could be," Rick said, then grinned mischievously, "What do you think? Should we set them up?"
"It would be kind of poetic, huh? The matchmaker gets set up by her own match-ees. But we can't tell either of them, it has to be a blind date!" I said conspiratorially.
"It's a plan!" Rick agreed with a laugh and I thought about how I liked the way he smiles.
We danced, lost in the music and the festive atmosphere and each other until the DJ cut in over the speakers and announced, "Alrighty now, it's about time to ring in the New Year!"
I joined the crowd in chanting the count down.
"…Three! Two! One!"
"Happy New Year, Michonne," Rick said, for my ears only.
"Happy New Year, Rick," I replied, standing on my toes so that I could kiss him easily.
As fireworks sparked between us, I got the distinct feeling that 2017 was going to be much better than I'd ever anticipated.
…..
The End!
A/N: Well, I was feeling a bit bummed about not having anywhere to go tonight so I thought I might as well give Richonne a good New Year's Eve!
Also, in this AU all the TWD villains are Uber or taxi drivers.