Note from the Author:
Imagine Beth and Daryl growing up together. Imagine Beth having to relocate to Florida and having to leave Daryl for good at 14 for 7 years. Imagine how she feels when she sees him again.
The waves crashed against the Destin shore relentlessly. Storm clouds could be seen far away, as foreboding and foreshadowing as her near future she felt. She lifted her chin and inhaled the salty spray of the sea before her. She dug her toes deeper into the sand, hoping to imbed the memory deep into her brain. Her fingertips glided over the sand beside her, letting the snow white grains fall through her fingers here and there.
She was going to miss this place. They'd moved here when she was 14. She surfed these short waves, grew up with this sand in her hair, and lounged on this beach more than her own bed. While, at first, she missed the farm it was easy to get over as it was being replaced with an environment comparable to paradise... she wondered what happened to her friends back home. It had been years since she'd been home. Her sister, Maggie, had just moved back to the farm with her very new husband, Glenn a year ago. They built their own house on the land, and updated the farm house, so that they all could live near each other again and start up the farm to bring in extra finances.
So, this meant instead of a Florida college, Beth would be attending Georgia Tech, instead. She was just glad all this was happening at the end of winter into summer, she'd have time to adjust back to Georgia, and familiarize herself with the state again. She was looking forward to seeing her old friends, though she wondered if they'd still get along..she remembered her first crush and best friend at one time. At that thought she shook her head and smiled. She was all of a sudden looking forward to returning with a sudden excitement.
After another 30 minutes she grabbed her flippers and headed back down the beach to meet up with her father who was over looking the loading of the Penske rental truck. She had an old light blue Chevy truck that was packed with just her things from her room. She couldn't live without her guitar, pick, and notebook full of songs and poems. She always had to be prepared when inspiration hit.
"Hey, Daddy." she came up behind him, taking hold of his hand and resting her head against his shoulder.
"Hey, Bethy. This is our last load, that means you'll be following us. Glenn and Maggie will drive the Penske, while me and Annette will drive the car. Will you be alright all alone?"
"'Course I will! I can sing as loud as I want to the radio! It really sounds like an alright plan," she half frowned, half smiled as she looked over her shoulder to the beach.
"You're gonna miss it a lot, aren't ya?" her dad asked, already knowing the answer while putting his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder.
"Ya have no idea. But, I am ready to be near Maggie again, get to know Glenn better, too."
"Yep, we'll have all the time in the world, now."
"We sure will." Beth kissed her dad's cheek and headed for her truck.
"Stop being so sappy!" Maggie ordered, hustling her huge duffel bag over her shoulder as she garnered Beth's attention.
"Wait, Maggie, let me get that," Glenn came over and took the bag off Maggie's shoulder.
"Thanks, babe." Maggie gave Glenn a look Beth couldn't quite decipher as she stood beside her sister.
"Well, Herschel, I will see you when we get home." Glenn patted Herschel's shoulder and set off for the truck.
"I love you, Daddy, honk if you need us." Maggie kissed his cheek and grabbed Beth's hand as they separated from their father.
"I love you, girls. Ya drive safe, OK?"
"Like a snail!" Beth smiled lightly over her shoulder.
"You don't hate me for convincing Daddy and Annette to do this, do ya?" Maggie turned to Beth, her face showing her worry.
Beth's eyes widened in shock. "Maggie, Lord, no! I love you, and I miss you and we shouldn't be so far apart! I'm happy. I promise! When you love people, change is something we have to do..it's what I want to do! But, I am going to miss the ocean!" Maggie hugged her tightly.
"Ok, I want to tell you something first, and don't scream - I haven't told Daddy or Annette...and I know Daddy would be.." Maggie was cut off by Beth.
"Well, what is it? You're worryin' me!"
Maggie turned Beth so that their backs faced the family, held her hand, and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant!"
Beth immediately lit up with a smile, her eyes watered, and she fought the shriek of excitement from leaving her mouth. "When did you find out?!"
"I found out early. I went in for what I thought was a stomach bug, not even suspecting a baby! Glenn and I talked about it and both agreed we want one. I'd stopped my pill only about 2 months before the nausea began, and I went in to see my regular doctor. He did a blood test and surprised the hell out of me!"
"Maggie, oh my God, I'm so happy!" Beth hugged Maggie tightly, they both shared a private moment Maggie saved just for them. "Thank you for tellin' me first!"
"I planned that all along!" Maggie smiled brightly. "I wanted to do it in person, had to. So I told Glenn while were planning the move with Daddy and Annette, I'd tell you first! I'm due in late December!"
"A Christmas baby!" Beth gushed quietly. "What a present this is gonna be!" Beth smiled with Maggie.
"Well, ladies, I can only imagine what you're talkin' about!" Glenn smiled as he as toting one last box to the truck.
"You'd be right!" the girls answered in unison, laughing together as well.
"Well...I know who you're gonna be happy 'ta see," Maggie smirked.
"Don't!" Beth ordered. "He may not even be around Georgia anymore.." Beth wasn't allowing herself to hope to see him. It had been so long.
"Fine, I'll shut up. But, you know I'm right!" Maggie pointed at Beth as she sauntered away to the Penske.
Beth sighed as she pulled open the creaky Chevy door and literally climbed onto the old gray seat, slamming the gigantic door with a big clang. She wasn't sad about leaving anymore. The idea that he might be there, still in Georgia, made her smile. She'd looked for him on social media, but couldn't find him. Every now and again it hurt knowing they'd said goodbye on a bad note. It was like a love song that ended in heartbreak.
She just assumed that chapter of her life was closed, he would be off in L. A. somewhere, and life would remain dull knowing her luck. She took in, then let out a huge breath and turned on the old radio to let Nirvana's soulful notes of "Heart-Shaped Box" lull her anxieties away as the mid morning Florida warmth drifted into her window for the last time in what would most likely be a long while.
Leaving Florida was like slowly peeling off a band-aid for Beth, every mile she drove she felt her heart sink a little. Sure, she can visit sometime, but with school coming after summer, when would that be? She would have classes, deadlines, limited financial funds, and most likely an abundance of sleep deprivation. She promised herself not to think about it, let it pass, and let it go. She had bigger fish to fry, and worrying about this was like worrying about milk that hadn't spilled yet.
After a long while a familiar sign came into view. "Welcome to Georgia! The peach state!" it read and she sighed as she rolled past it. This was her hometown of 14 years and she barely remembered any of it. Nothing remains the same and she knew she wouldn't recognize a lot of anything due to the years that have passed. Everything seemed newer. She remembered some state parks, like Stone Mountain, but the scenery had her baffled now that her family had sped up in front of her and she was lagging behind.
Beth pulled into a gas station and parked at a pump. She didn't expect needing a top off so soon, but might as well do it before the tank went dry in the middle of the sticks with no station in sight. She dialed Maggie's cell and waited.
"You guys left me behind," Beth said dramatically. "You couldn't wait?"
"Oh my God, we're sorry! Where are you, we can wait!"
"It's ok, I only lost you guys about 20 minutes ago. I don't want to hold anyone back, so y'all keep goin'. I stopped for gas at a station."
"Be careful." Maggie reminded her. "Call us if you need anything. We're only about 30 miles to the farm, you should be about 35, or 40.."
"Alright. I'll call you when I get near."
"Gotcha, love ya!" Maggie replied.
"Me, too." Beth smiled as she threw her phone into her knapsack and climbed out of the car.
She wasn't too worried about looking up to cross the small lot to the store entrance. She was busy untangling her sack closure and just continued walking. It was absolutely silent, there wasn't a soul in the entire lot when she had pulled up. She took a step and all of a sudden a huge roaring sound filled her eardrums and a motorcycle groaned past her and turned into a space at her left. She must have vacated her mind for 30 seconds to not hear the damn loud monster. He passed so close in front of her, too!
What was his problem? Did he have eye problems? No, most likely not.. You know what? She was pissed. Beth Greene never got pissed. Beth Greene got slightly annoyed, but being "pissed" was not in the Beth Greene emotional thesaurus! Who the hell did this man, or guy, think he was? He could very well have killed her. She could be dead now. She wasn't about to let him off the hook. She strode over to him without thinking it through, he could be a psycho, after all he did just try to kill her.
"Did you not see me back there? Were you even watching, or did you even care?" Beth asked as she got close to the man un mounting the bike.
She tried to keep herself on track, truly, she did. As the guy un mounted the bike she was distracted by the way his muscles twisted beneath the tanned skin of the length of his arms and that sliver of back showed at the bottom of his vest right above his jeans. Then, she saw the angel's wings sewn onto the back of said vest and she was silenced into an even deeper stupor. His hair was long, brown and thick to his chin beneath the helmet when he'd lifted it. She got a glimpse of his mouth first, hair grew in thick around it, a lighter shade than his hair. When she finally met his eyes she was stumped dumb.
"Daryl Dixon?" she asked completely shocked, speechless, and without the ability to produce another sentence.
"Well, Beth Greene. I'm surprised you 'membered me." He smirked at first, then he appeared completely shocked and lost for words. "Beth." he spoke it like he was really seeing her now.
Beth blinked rapidly, trying to force her mind to function, her eyes to move off his arms, and her lips to move to speak. "Um, yeah. Ya think my memory is that bad? I'm more surprised you remembered me!" she exclaimed.
Daryl moved closer to her, slowly, slightly nervous, and watching her reaction the entire time, before pulling her in for a hug. It was a quick hug, but her body's senses went alight at his arm around her. He smelled the same, that hadn't changed. Even with the scent of the outdoors on him, sunshine and an earthy scent, he smelled like the Daryl she remembered, the Daryl she had fallen for so long ago. She still felt the same jumping of her heart she always felt when he hugged her. As he pulled away, his goatee slightly rubbed her upper cheek and it was a hot shock that went straight into her system.
"What are you doin' back in Georgia?"
"Me, my dad, and mom are moving back to our farm because my sister Maggie just married a guy, Glenn, and they're havin' a baby..I want to be there for her..plus, she is going to need a lot of help and I want to know my niece." Beth answered slowly, having to look elsewhere to distract her from watching him bite his thumbnail.
"I'd bet so." Daryl seemed to get nervous, even more than he had been the whole conversation.
"Plus, I'm going to Georgia Tech next fall, already waited a little late since high school graduation."
"21 is late? Shit, try never goin'. I couldn't put myself through the torture'a school 'n all again."
Beth chuckled lightly. Her memories of Daryl in her classes were of his eyes rolling, or him drawing in his composition notebooks. "It's never too late," she caught his stare. "You could do it."
"I still can barely believe you're here. I really thought you'd left forever, ya know?"
"Well... Guess I didn't after all." she caught his stare and was transfixed by his deep blue gray eyes again. His eyes took her back to age 14 and goose bumps erupted on her arms.
"Me too." he replied, his eyes were glued to hers, all of his nervousness gone. "Can I have your number? So we can keep in touch, maybe meet up, or..something?" he finished not so smoothly.
Beth smiled at him, charmed by his not so suave way of asking for her number. "Yeah, you can."
Daryl turned and went back to his bike to grab his phone.
Beth didn't mean to stare at him like a glass of water after she'd trekked the Sahara, she meant to look away, but how could she, though? That t-shirt did nothing to hide his large upper arms at all, thankfully. Then those jeans fit him just right, from the way they sat on his hips, to the way they met his black leather, buckled riding boots. The wind hit his hair and she was awarded with a long look at his neck, tanned as well, taut, like his arms. He leaned over and that sliver of tanned skin shone from below his T-shirt and his jeans again. She involuntarily bit her bottom lip enough to make her jump slightly right as he straightened and turned.
"You can go ahead and type it in." he handed her the phone, their fingers touching sent chills up her arms.
"Alright, there it is." Beth handed it back to him, placing her hands on the strap of her knapsack.
"Good. It was good seein' you, Beth. You look, uh, you look good. But, you haven't changed much.." Daryl started his comment before looking in her eyes, at the end he held her gaze."I like that."
"You, too, Daryl." she spoke softly, loving that he liked her now as he did then. "Well, you have changed a lot, like, a whole lot. In a really nice way, though." Beth smiled nervously before they both became shy and looked away.
"I gotta get goin', I have to be back at the shop soon."
"Ok. Bye, then!" Beth squeaked and they both slowly stepped farther away.
Beth got back to her car and began opening her gas cap methodically like a robot. Her mind was literally in 10 directions. She was thinking about way too many things at once. One, she was disappointed he wasn't outside when she came out, but she knew he most likely had a job at his shop he was responsible for. She was also still thinking about his eyes, how they were just the same as she remembered, not one shade different, not one eyelash thinner. They were the same deep beautiful blue gray as always.
She finally shook Daryl from her thoughts as she pulled up to the road the farm house sat off of. There were what looked like several, multiple thousand dollar priced homes on the winding road. All were gated off and spaced out at least a mile apart. She was shocked. This was the sticks, no one lived on this road but one neighbor, and he owned a stable, too. His land was at least 3 miles from them. It saddened her that she no longer could look at her old stomping grounds and see where she grew up. Some things she felt she remembered, but not most.
She turned off the road and onto the gravel drive up to the house. On the way she saw the fields that were freshly plowed, the red dirt in neat, endless lines. She saw the tree she and her middle school and high school friends would hang out under when the weather was too hot to bear. Then she came upon the barn. The infamous barn where Maggie had been caught multiple times, for multiple offenses. It was obviously painted since she'd been back, but even that paint was a little faded, too.
Driving past the stables made her blush. When she and Daryl were 14, that's where they'd first kissed. It was an innocent kiss, very innocent, but meant so much to her. He was the little gentleman, of course. He was wild and crazy most of the time, but that day, he was completely different. It happened right before she and her family moved away. The thought made her eyes water at what could have been, who they would be to each other now.
Beth pulled up to the house and sighed as she turned off Big Blue. Maggie was heading down the stairs towards her. She imagined how she would look in January, round, exhausted, cranky. Lord, she was going to need prayer to get through it.
"We're sorry, Bethy!" Maggie said sweetly. "I was nauseated, Glenn was, too, watching me wretch..so we decided to just gun it and go for it to get here before we lost our lunches."
"Mags, it's fine! I actually am glad you guys left me in the dust!" Beth grinned as she climbed out of the truck.
"What?" Maggie asked with a grin from ear to ear. "Who'd you see?" she asked curiously.
"How'd you know?" Beth asked suspiciously.
"Well, you're grinnin' like the cat that ate the canary and you never could hide anything from me!" Maggie put a hand on her hip and an elbow on the truck bed.
Beth shook her head and looked at the stables, then back to Maggie. "I saw Daryl," Beth smiled. "He's, um, wow. I can't even!" Beth laughed, blushing.
"I know, right? He grew like a weed, really. It's amazing. You never told me just how close you guys got!" Maggie brushed Beth's elbow with a swipe of her hand.
"It was never serious, I mean," Beth searched for the right words. "It meant a lot, to me..and now, today, I'm thinking it might have meant a lot to him, too."
"Beth!" Maggie said pointedly, eyeing her with a glare. "Details, please!"
"Alright, alright! We kissed in the stables before we moved. It was a nice kiss, not crazy, or anythin'. We used to hold hands walking a lot, innocent stuff." Beth blushed. "And maybe a bit more!" Beth smiled.
"So, all those sex questions you used to ask me were just for actual literal knowledge?." Maggie looked put on a forlorn face and then laughed.
"Yeah, me and Daryl never did much of anything.." Beth left out a bit, not wanting to share all her secrets in a day. "Plus, I have only had, like, 2 boyfriends since Daryl. So, I don't think you'll be shocked to learn I'm a virgin, still."
"What?!" Maggie inadvertently let out loudly.
"What does it matter? You make it seem like I'm a damn leper, or somethin'!" Beth rolled her eyes.
"No, no..I don't mean to. I just am shocked. 21 and a virgin? I had lost faith in anyone lasting that long now days!" Maggie laughed.
"Yeah, well..I did!" they both laughed heartily together.
"Come on, let's feed you something good, I know all you got from that Pump'N'Grocery were fritos and a diet coke!"
"My favorite snack!" Beth laughed.
As Beth grabbed her bag, she looked to the stables, they were smaller in the distance, and she smiled to herself. Maybe it was fate, or God, or maybe it was the will of the God's she was back here, and that she ran into Daryl. Either way, she was happy she was back. She was thrilled now and Daryl's smirk flittered through her mind and her smile grew.