Beth woke to the smell of something delicious cooking. In was no completely dark outside, as far as she could gather looking through the thin cracks of wood on the windows. Daryl had lit a few candles and placed on the coffee table with a note.
In the kitchen making dinner. Don't move. Keep your ankle up.-D
Beth sighed and stretched. If Daryl was able to cook in the kitchen, that might mean propane. Propane might mean hot water for a shower or even better a bath. Beth began fantasizing about a huge claw foot tub filled with bubbles when Daryl walked in carrying two steaming bowls of pasta.
"Sleep well?" he asked.
Beth nodded. "I was out like a light. Are you sure I'm not still dreaming? Is that really a giant bowl of spaghetti all for me?"
Daryl placed the bowls on the coffee table as he went back to the kitchen for forks and two bottles of water. Returning quickly, he smiled and pinched her arm gently as he sat on the couch. "Nope. I think you are definitely awake." He rearranged her legs so she had a pillow under her injured ankle resting on the coffee table.
Beth wasn't used to the playful side of Daryl. It was adorable and unnerving all at once. Obviously they were both deeply changed by what almost happened back at the funeral home. Her mind wandered to what might have happened had they not been interrupted after she said, "oh."
Daryl snapped his fingers together and waved his hand in Beth's line of sight. "You still with me Greene? I know the idea of me actually cooking something other than snake is a shock, but I will not allow your dinner to get cold before you even try it."
Beth snapped out of her head and looked at Daryl. "Sorry. This looks and smells amazing." The pasta was perfectly cooked with what looked like a homemade heirloom tomato sauce and a little olive oil. She twirled her fork around and took and enormous bite. Her eyes closed and she groaned at how good it was. Daryl blushed as he thought of how he's love to hear that sound in another context.
"That's it. You're cooking from now on. I'll do the hunting." She joked.
Daryl smiled out of the corner of his mouth and finally took a bite from his own bowl.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, content with finally having a full meal.
Beth broke the silence by saying, "So what did you do while I was asleep? Besides make the most incredible meal I've had in a year."
Daryl swallowed his last bite of pasta and said, "Can't take credit for the sauce. Well, not fully. I threw together a few things I found." He continued to tell her about his day, the house, and what he had found so far. "The basement was pretty well stocked with dry goods-lots of pasta and rice. There are a lot of canned goods too-probably a month's worth. Only problem is most of 'em are home canned. Hard to tell when they are from or how good they are. The sauce was from one of the newer jars, not much dust on it." He explained.
Daryl was worried about some of the stuff being spoiled—the last thing either of them needed was food poisoning. "I think we have enough to sit back and recover without making any runs. Worst case I can go hunt."
Beth panicked at the thought of being left alone, but tried to push it away. "Do you think we need to worry about anyone coming back here? This place doesn't look like it was fully abandoned, maybe just neglected." Beth asked.
Daryl looked at her solemnly and told her about the couple outside. He sighed as he saw sadness creep into her eyes.
She blinked back a few tears and said, "I guess they couldn't live without each other. Don't you think that's beautiful?"
Before Daryl could think about what he was doing, he reached over and put both hands on either side of her face, cradling her cheeks in his palms. He looked into her eyes and leapt into their vast blue depths.
He whispered, "I do." His lips closed the minute distance between them as he kissed her for the first time.
Ever since the funeral home, they had become more familiar with one another-casually touching in ways neither of them had ever experienced before. Daryl had surprised Beth with the casual peck on her forehead earlier, but this had her temporarily frozen in shock. She had figured she would need to make the first move, if moves were to ever happen.
She began kissing him back, a tender reply to the delicate urging of his lips against the corners of her mouth, begging entrance in their quiet confidence.
When Beth softly nibbled on Daryl's lower lip, he groaned and fumbled to move the forgotten empty bowls, clumsily shoving them toward the coffee table as he leaned over to pull her closer without breaking their kiss.
The clanging of a fork dropping on the hardwood floor startled both of them long enough to break their trance.
Beth blinked and leaned back on the cushions, running her fingertips over her slightly swollen lips stained pink from their exertions. She came back to earth, absently humming in sleepy satisfaction.
Her eyes finally found focus on Daryl, who looked years younger as he gazed at her in quiet wonder.
"Are we going to talk about all of this?" She finally said.
Part of her expected Daryl to spring up and get defensive, apologetic, or prickly. She was prepared for his disposition outside of the moonshine shack, when he looked at her like a cornered animal asking, "What do you want from me, girl?"
Instead, he held her gaze like he had that night in the funeral home. Staring at her intently, Daryl spoke in a low but strong voice. "Yeah. We are. But not right now. Right now I want to carry you upstairs and hold you until we both fall asleep for a few hours. That all right with you?"
His voice was deliberate and direct, his eyes were questioning and vulnerable. Beth would have never thought this moment possible a couple of weeks ago.
While looking him in the eyes, she nodded and then clearly said "Yes." She wanted him to know there was no hesitation in her decision.
Daryl inclined his head toward her silently and picked her up effortlessly, carrying her upstairs.
They fell asleep curled together, on top of the made bed with their weapons and shoes inches away.
While tomorrow would bring more questions and tough decisions, tonight the universe granted them a moment of solace.