She comes with a smile and goes with a tear. That is how it has been for months now.
Sometimes she says she is on the way to hilltop and sometimes she just rolls her eyes when he asks why she is there.
Truth is he likes her visits but he is worried about her and he does not understand what is going on between them.
He is fine, he really is. He is always fine in the wild. Everyone knows that and she knows the best yet she comes to check on him like monthly visits to your child staying with your ex. The reason he does not like her frequent visits is it's not safe anymore. It has been around 2 years they had lost Rick and they had been attacked by 4 different groups. He knows she is strong but he is worried nevertheless.
Maybe she feels the same for him, even though she knows he is fine by himself she wants him to be back with their friends.
Now after 35 days again she is there waiting for him at his camp when he came back with his kills. By seeing her sitting there made him smile although he always pretends he does not care about her visits he knows if he had been a dog he would be wagging his tail.
When he comes around her, she smiles to him not the usual one, something is wrong he can sense. He let his eyes go over her body to see any injuries, she looks fine.
But there is something she is trying to hide, he did not ask anything. Looked over her again her hair has grown to her shoulders its in a bad shape from the travel
"some bird made a nest over your head" he said with a smirk
She looked at him then looked down to her boots
"Mean" that's all she said, he can see the smile on her lips
"It's getting dark, you came from morning"
She usually comes in the morning and leaves by the evening it takes around 2 hours to her from kingdom
"I just came an hour back…Umm..do you think its ok if I stay the night…I promise I don't snore"
She has that teasing tone of her but there is something else
"You snore like a tiger,aint the first time you are sleeping with me"
She looked at him with her big eyes, trying not to laugh
"so, you remember the positions then pookie"
"stop" shaking his head he started the fire and busied himself to cook something
"do you want me to cook something for you, it has been a long time" she said
He is hungry and he miss her cooking. He just shrugged his shoulders and she took over.
Now he has nothing to do but just look at her. When she usually visits, they have small talks, she helps him in his hunts or tracking then she leaves before sunset. She never pushes him to talk more which he appreciates but tonight she will stay. He does not know how she is going to sleep in the tent, he just sleeps in his old sleeping bag he does not have any pillow or blankets. She had slept in roads with him but now she must have been used to the comfort of bed.
"You have a sleeping bag?" he asked. She does not he can see she has not brought anything this time not even her friendly package she always left for him with some snacks and medicines
"No, I will sleep in the ground "
"You can have my sleeping bag but it aint clean"
She just nods her head
They ate in silence and he finished everything that was left in the pot after the first serving and also finished the half of Carol's dinner as she gave it to him with a smile saying she is not hungry
They checked the traps again and get back to the tent which is too small for two persons yet they both got side by side spreading his sleeping bag without the need to say a word
After sometime laying on his back unable to sleep he asked
"Everything alright"
He did not hear anything from her so moved his head to see if she had fallen asleep, she was not she was just staring something in the distant
He reached out with his hand brushing his fingers slightly over her hair of her forehead then she looked at him
"You alright" he asked again
She just keeps staring at him for a long time, he can sense her mind rushing with thoughts, he wished he knew better words to tell, she looks afraid and so small
"Daryl, I think I got bit"