"So Daryl, you want to tell me why is it that you dragged me out here in nearly 100 degrees? 'Cause I know it ain't because you were desperate for my company or because there's something wrong with the fences. You've got me where you want me – so spill." Rick had waited until they had walked nearly to the end of the rear fence and stopped in the middle of the gravel walkway. He rested his hand casually on the butt of his pistol strapped to his gun belt and waited for Daryl to find his words.
Daryl hemmed and hawed for a few moments; kicking at the dirt with the toe of his boot and then looked over at his friend. "Rick – you ever had a woman practically asking you to sleep with you one minute and then laughing it off the next?"
"Cain't say that I have…When did this happen exactly?" Rick coughed a little to hide a smile; it was unusual to see the normally tough Daryl looking so bewildered and confused.
"Coupla weeks ago – first night we arrived, actually."
"What…ah…what were the circumstances of the 'proposition'? It might help if I knew the context…"
Daryl looked down at his feet and then fiddled with his crossbow, obviously uncomfortable with Rick's line of questioning. "Ah….I was giving her shoulder a rub – she'd been having some issues with rifle kickback and…"
"Shit Daryl! Maggie propositioned you?" Rick guffawed with laughter, he would have paid good money to have seen Daryl's face when that happened.
"Hell no! It was Carol…."
"Carol? Our Carol? Naw…you're having me on. Our Carol propositioned you?" Rick was amazed that Carol had been so forthright with the otherwise taciturn man. Carol usually couldn't say boo to a goose, and to think that she went right on up to Daryl and asked him to sleep with her, well!
"She asked me if I wanted to 'screw around'; said that it was 'romantic' and some such shit. Man, I didn't know what to say…this was Carol, for chrissake!"
"Then she just laughed it off? That doesn't sound like her at all…seems to me like she saw that you weren't interested and did it to save face." Rick mused aloud, and checked over to see how Daryl had taken his statement.
"Never said I wasn't interested….just took me aback." Daryl kept his face averted, aware that his cheeks were flaming with emotion.
"Oh…so you are interested then."
"'Course I'm interested…just never thought she would be."
"And now…?" Rick asked quietly, watching his friend closely.
"Now I don't know what to think! Or to do! She's hardly spoken to me since that night and I'm worried that if I say somethin' now she will just brush me off again. I've been keeping my feelin's to myself ever since Sophia died; hoping that she might come to see me as someone other than a friend, but I think that I'm just foolin' myself." Daryl started to pace across the narrow walkway, running his hands through his overlong hair and muttering to himself. Rick watched for a while and then up his hand to bring Daryl to halt.
"What if she does feel the same way but is feeling the same anxiety as you? You've been friends since the beginning and maybe she is just worried about losing that friendship."
"Ain't ever gonna happen….if she don't ever feel the same for me it don't matter. I'm still gonna be there for her no matter what." Daryl was adamant about that; he was never going to abandon the woman he loved – even if she never returned his depth of emotion; he was always going to be around, watching over her and keeping her safe.
"I think that you've just answered your own question." Rick patted Daryl on the shoulder and started to walk back to the courtyard.
"What was my question again?" Daryl fell into step next to Rick, feeling a little confused. He had thought that they were discussing whether Rick had ever been laughed at by a woman.
"Whether you should tell Carol that you love her….the answer is yes."