How do I put this eloquently?...Holy shit. Posted this story last night and as I am writing this it already has 9 followers. This is really exciting for me because I was terrified of posting this story. I'm not a confident writer and like I said before, I'd much rather be reading a fanfiction but when the idea strikes, you basically have no choice but to take advantage of it.
Let me just say that yes, this story will have some similarities to Sweet Home Alabama but many things will be different and it will probably contain quite a bit more angst hahaha. I have about a million ideas as to where this story will go but I hope you guys end up enjoying it.
The lovely Riain (please read her Bethyl stories because they are seriously amazing...I'm not kidding, go right now and read them.) has offered to Beta for me (after reading her proof my work, I now realize how horrible my punctuation really is haha) and she has been kinda talking me through my writer anxiety and problems. Can't thank her enough!
Anyways, on with chapter 2...
Looking up into those eyes; ones that were currently glaring at her, Beth felt as if she was suddenly 18 again.
The fresh faced teenager, in the red dress with the white apron, was not having a good first day. She was the new waitress at the only diner in town. Beth had been coming here on Sundays after church with her parents since she was just a little girl, but today she was seeing it in a whole new light, and she hated it
Not only did she feel as though the thermostat was kept at 115 degrees, but she had already dropped a few dishes and spilled a drink on a customer. That customer just happened to be Will Dixon, one of the town's local drunks, definite lowlife, and he looked like he was about to go nuclear with the spill on his clothes. The instant that Beth accidently tipped the coffee mug onto its side- the liquid spilled across the table, onto Will's legs. He immediately started screaming at Beth, who just stood there unsure of whether to apologize or cry.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Will roared, loud enough for the entire diner to stop eating and turn to see what the commotion was about.
Beth's innocent ears burned at his choice of words and the tone he was using to say them. "This fucking burns, what the hell is wrong with you girl?"
Beth opened her mouth to reply but Will just kept on ranting, not caring one bit what she had to say as he was grabbing a handful of napkins out the dispenser to clean himself up. Neither of the two paid any attention to the bell above the door chiming.
"You stupid bitc-" Will's eyes were full of venom, his fist curling slowly at his side.
"Dad!" The voice boomed across the silence of the diner, Beth released a held breath, thanking the Lord that someone had come to her rescue from Will Dixon.
Will was cut off by the man who had just entered the diner; only to see the sight of his father berating some young girl, who looked like she was about to break down into tears. Beth's lip was trembling, but inside she only felt gratitude for the new stranger who had interrupted the verbal abuse. As if a switch went off in her mind, Beth realized she should probably do something besides just standing there looking like a kicked puppy. She pulled the rag out of her apron and began mopping up the puddle of still steaming coffee just as the stranger, who was apparently the son of this man, sat down at the table.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I've been such a klutz all day and it's my first day and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing," Beth realized that her words came out fast and now she probably looked like a babbling idiot. "Just...let me make it up to you?"
Will, who only seconds ago was fuming with rage, now smiled. It wasn't the type of comforting and genuine smile that Beth was used to seeing. Instead he was looking at her like she was a prized cow up for auction. "Sure sweetheart, I'm sure we can think of something," he said as he grabbed his crotch in a non-discreet manner.
Beth squeaked in shock, blushing a deep red. No one had ever made a sexual innuendo like that to her before. But it somehow didn't surprise her, especially coming from Will Dixon. Beth was about to just up on the table altogether and ask to go home, when the younger Dixon in the booth spoke up.
"How about you just get us some new coffee?" The raspy low voice reminded Beth of gravel. Only then did she really look at the stranger. He had those blue eyes that any girl would drop her panties for and shaggy dirty blond hair that looked just a little too long. Her mouth watered as she looked over his impressive body-he wasn't huge, but he definitely was fit. Those arms looked like they were made out of rock, she caught herself silently thanking the Lord that his shirt didn't have sleeves. His clothes looked worn, his jeans had about four different holes in them, but he still managed to look like a movie star in Beth's eyes.
Snapping out of her slightly inappropriate thoughts, she realized she hadn't responded to his question, and had just been openly ogling him. "Oh y-yeah! Sure. And of course it's on the house." Beth tried to force a smile on her face, instead her expression just made her look like she was in pain.
Beth waited on them for the rest of their meal, despite her trying to push the table off onto one of the other two waitresses working at the diner that day. The older Dixon mostly just leered at her, obviously staring at her chest and backside whenever he got the chance. Beth hardly paid him any mind, just wishing he would hurry up and leave.
Beth breathed a sigh of relief when the Dixon's finally did exit the diner. She tottered over on uneasy legs to clean up the table and collect her tip. Underneath a receipt copy was a five dollar bill, Beth gasped when she saw it. Her first thought must have been that it was a mistake; that was certainly too much to tip for such a small check, especially after spilling coffee all over the place. She realized it was no mistake when she saw a simple note written on the receipt:
'Hope this makes up for my dad.'
Beth couldn't help but smile genuinely as she pocketed the five and began clearing the dishes. Now happily humming a tune to one of her favorite songs, it was amazing how such a simple kind gesture could turn her day completely around.
After that day, Daryl returned to the diner at least once a week, sometimes even more often than that. He always sat at one of Beth's tables, ordering the same thing every time. Beth and Daryl would often chat while he was eating, and once or twice he invited her to sit with him if she happened to be on a break. They got along well and Beth enjoyed getting to know Daryl- he was different from his father, that was obvious.
That innocent, friendly interaction went on for about a year. A month after Beth's 19th birthday, Daryl Dixon finally asked her on a date. It was all downhill from there.
Here she was, seven years later in a rowdy loud bar, staring into those same blue eyes and all Beth could think was 'Shit!' Her chest constricted and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She shook her head thinking that this was a mistake. She shouldn't have come back, she should've kept that promise to herself to stay far away from here.
Merle stood next to Daryl, his massive size was like a shadow over the bar. His grating accent piped up, making Beth's eyes dart over to his less than pleasant features "Well well well...if it ain't little Miss Bethany Greene," This man would get a kick out of any uncomfortable situation, especially when it was at Beth's expense. "Or should I say Bethany Dixon?"
Daryl's eyes flicked up to Merle, giving him a look that basically told Merle 'shut up before I kick your ass', before returning his ice cold gaze to Beth, who was starting to look just a little unwell. Nerves were coiling in her gut, Beth thought she was going to puke at the sight of the Dixon brothers.
Beth's chest kept getting tighter and tighter, her breaths were coming in short shallow bursts. She was pretty sure her entire body now had a fine layer of sweat coating it. Not sure of what else to do, Beth did what she was good at-she ran.
Bolting out the back door, after pushing her way through the mass of people, Beth could finally breathe. The chill in the air hit her face like a ton of bricks, jerking her out of her panic attack into the present of the chilly night. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on her heels. Placing her head in her hands, Beth had to keep mentally reminding herself to just breathe.
More Daryl in the next chapter and probably another flashback. Please review if ya see something ya like!...or don't like. Chapter 3 will be up soon!
