"Beth?" Daryl's voice floated over to her where she was perched on the counter in her small kitchenette. She was wearing a pair of cotton sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt. She'd thrown on her sleep clothes when she'd jumped from the bed after the shock of waking up wrapped around Daryl's warm body, almost completely naked save for her bra, which had one strap pulled down and the same cup was flipped upside down, baring one breast. She'd paced around the small apartment, not sure if she should wake him, let him sleep, make him breakfast, call him a cab. She had no idea. She'd had friends who had had one night stands, but she'd never done it herself, and was really at a loss as to what was proper protocol for the morning after. She'd frozen in her tracks at the idea that she had had a one-night stand with Daryl Dixon, man she'd been admiring from afar ever since she'd cleaned up his brother. She'd had a one night stand…and couldn't remember a damn thing!
As her stomach churned and embarrassment and awkwardness burned through her, she poured herself some orange juice into a mug and jumped up to sit on her kitchen counter to wait for him to wake up and face the music with her. She didn't have to wait long. A sharp intake of breath signaled Daryl's ascent into the land of the living and she steeled herself for what was to come. When his blue eyes met hers and confusion covered his whole face she felt herself melt just a little. He was just as confused as she was. All it took was her name, being someone whispered across the tiny space for her to jerk back to the situation at hand.
"Good morning." She said, trying to stay cheerful even though she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She could tell from the way he was squinting against the sunlight and how he kept his voice low that his head was probably killing him. "How's you head?" When he scrunched his eyes closed and touched a hand to one temple she hopped off the counter. "I'll get you some aspirin." She padded quickly to the bathroom and grabbed two pain killers and then grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge. As she pressed the pills into his hand she tried to stay calm. "I don't have any coffee made." She said softly. "But I can make some if you want?"
"Nah…I'll just." He shifted but refused to stand from the bed. Beth's cheeks warmed.
"Here…" She scooped up his clothes from the floor by the side of the bed, giving them a quick shake. She hadn't thought to pick them up and fold them when she woke up and now she felt ridiculous, handing him his clothes from the floor. "I'll just, um, go wait in the bathroom." She said while she fidgeted in front of him. "Just give a knock or a shout or something to let me know you're done." She turned on her heel and all but ran to the bathroom, pausing only long enough to grab some clothes out of her closet across from the bathroom.
When the bathroom door closed Daryl dropped his head into his hands. Oh man had he fucked up. Judging by the fact that he was in nothing but his drawers and an undershirt and Beth looked thoroughly mussed from more than just sleeping spoke to just how badly he'd messed up. And Daryl was mortified to find that he couldn't remember a single second of it. If he was going to have a one night fling, and let's face it, a little voice that sounded exactly like Merle sneered in the back of Daryl's mind, with a girl like that a thing like this could only be a one time fling. She's not gonna want some redneck with a bad last name darkening her doorway, much less her bed. He would liked to have been able to remember the encounter. Judging by how quiet she had been all morning and how awkward everything had felt, she remembered, and didn't exactly seem thrilled to have woken to find him in her bed. Why would she be? That little Merle voice taunted. With a grunt Daryl swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his worn jeans and comfortable flannel. He was pulling on his boots when Beth poked her head out cautiously, calling out to see if it was ok for her to come out. He'd given a grunt and stood as she walked into the small living space.
She was dressed in a pair of light wash jeans, a few rips strategically placed over her thighs and knees, a flow grey tank top, and her signature brown cowboy boots. He bit on the edge of his thumb to keep himself from smiling or saying something stupid to further embarrass himself. She'd brushed her hair and it was swept into a low ponytail the curled and waved over her right shoulder. His fingers itched to run through her hair and see if it really was as soft as it looked. He was sure he'd touched her hair, but once again, this was one of the details the eluded his befuddled and hungover mind. She fidgeted in front of him, her fingers hooking into her front pockets before popping back out and sliding into her back pockets. "Well, I'll just…" He motioned to the front door.
"Do you wanna get breakfast?" She rushed out before he could make his exit. "I don't have much here, but we could hit up the diner. It's not much, but…" He looked at her, his eyes sweeping up and over her. Hell yeah he wanted to do breakfast with her. In his current state he wanted to go back to bed and see if they could remember anything from last night, but that was just wrong of him to feel that way.
Beth nibbled on her lip, waiting for him to make up his mind. She hoped he'd want to do breakfast with her. She hoped he wanted to get to know her better, just like she wanted to get to know him. She hoped this wouldn't be just a one time thing, and that maybe…just maybe the next time she'd be able to remember it. She would be lying if she'd said she felt ashamed at her actions. She honestly only felt only slightly embarrassed, but more upset at the fact that she'd, apparently, had a great time last night and couldn't remember a single moment of it. That was a lie. She vaguely remembered a kiss, at her front door, but even that was hazy and jumbled and seemed more like a dream sequence than a real experience. He gave her a shrug and a nod and a big grin split her lips. Again her grin made his insides go all warm and his legs go a little wobbly but he paid it no mind. Darylina! The voice taunted in the back of his mind. "Great. Let me grab my keys and we can head out." She snatched her keys off the counter and turned to him, leading him out of the apartment and down the street to the diner.
They sat in a booth and browsed the menu, neither one of them really knowing what to say to the other. Finally she snapped her menu down onto the table and looked at him. "How much of last night do you remember?" Her cheeks were red and her eyes wouldn't meet his when he looked up at her. He felt the tips of his ears start to burn and was annoyed to find that he was blushing.
"Uhm…I dunno. Not much." He admitted and saw her eyes flick up to his, surprise in her gaze.
"Really?" He nodded before he began to chew on the side of his thumb, a nervous habit he'd developed as a child and one he hadn't been able to get rid of. "Me either." She said softly. "I remember, the party. Laughing with Rosie, Abe, Tara…the group." He nodded to show he remembered that as well. "Then I kind of remember us all piling into Tara's car for food…" He stared at her blankly. The waitress came, took their order and placed two cups of water down on the table between them. Once she'd left Beth began again. "Ok, you don't remember food…then I remember…" She blushed images of a kiss flashing before her mind. She could almost feel his lips pressed against hers, his hands on her hips, sliding around to her back to press her closer to him, the door jamb pressing lightly into her spine as his solid form pressed against her front. She took a sharp breath. "We kissed." Daryl choked on some water that he'd been drinking at that announcement.
"Hell girl, what are ya tryin' ta do? Kill me?" She frowned slightly. "Sorry." His face heated up. "I mean, I know we kissed…you don't wake up in someone else's bed unless there was kissing involved." He said honestly. She gave him a nod that said she agreed with him. "I don't remember…" He paused her soft voice drifting through his mind. Will you walk me up, Daryl? "I remember getting to the building and you asking me to walk you up." He said and the guilt set in. He knew she was in no condition for anything they'd done last night before he'd even really started to drink. He should have been the responsible one and said no, or some shit like that. He ran a hand through his hair. Her frown grew deeper.
"Stop it." She said quickly and caught his eye. "This was not your fault. I was just as much a part of this as you were."
"But…"
"No. I'm a big girl and I made decisions last night. You don't get to feel guilty because I came on to you." She jumped as the waitress came and set their food down in front of them. She blushed prettily and picked up her fork to start eating without looking up at the waitress who was trying very hard not to look interested or like she wanted to laugh. Daryl threw a glare at the waitress as she walked away and started eating his food. Breakfast was quiet until Beth paused. "You don't happen to carry condoms do you? Like in your wallet or pocket or something?" Her voice was almost too quiet. Like she was afraid of the answer. And the moment those words hung in the air he understood why. His deep blue eyes met hers and before he spoke she already knew the answer.
"No…" she bit her lip. She needed to go to the pharmacy and get something…just in case. "You don't have…" He didn't need to finish that sentence. She shook her head.
"Don't worry. I'll go by the pharmacy." She said quietly, twisting her napkin in her hands. The blood in his veins stopped. He'd never considered that aspect of their 'wild' night.
"Well, shit." He muttered. "M sorry." He muttered.
"No. Neither one of us was thinking clearly. And besides…I don't think…I mean…" He could hear the embarrassment in her voice. "I don't think it's the right time for that to happen." She looked at him, willing him to understand her meaning and he did. Loud and clear. "It's just a precaution." She said quickly. He nodded his understanding.
"I can go with you. If ya want?" He don't know why he offered but now he had and he wasn't going to take it back. She smiled at him.
"No. That's ok." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm going to throw on a big hat and some sunglasses and go incognito." He snorted.
"There is no way you wouldn't stand out no matter what you wore." She looked at him curiously. "You're too damn pretty for your own good." She looked shocked at that confession and truthfully he felt about as shocked as she looked. Before he could open his mouth and say anything else embarrassing he shoved a big bite of toast into his mouth and chewed vigorously. There was no way she could take that as anything other than a compliment and a big flashing sign that said 'I'm interested!' and he was not about to get turned down flat in a diner after a one night stand that he couldn't remember. He wanted to at least keep that part of his dignity intact. He looked away, feeling her eyes boring into his skull.
"Thanks, Daryl." Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. Daryl Dixon…just said she was too damn pretty. She would have done a happy dance if she had been standing. She didn't think a compliment had meant so much to her in her entire life. She bit her lip. She didn't want this to be a one off thing. She wanted to get to know him. She wanted to be around him. She wanted to be with him, over and over again until she couldn't remember any thing else. Now, the question was, how did she get him to agree that this didn't have to be a one time gig? She had the feeling that if she didn't solidify something before he left the diner he'd do his damnedest to avoid her for the rest of their lives, and she was not going to have that. "Look…" She started slowly. "I know we were never really close…before, but maybe we could, I dunno…try to be friends? I mean it's not like we have to let it get weird right? We don't have weird memories or feelings to deal with this way…so we can be…I dunno." She paused and caught his eye. "We could be friends." She sounded so unsure and hated it, but this was her going out on a limb and offering the olive branch. He seemed to be rolling the idea through his head, weighing his options before he nodded once.
"I'll be your friend. If that's whatcha want." He offered slowly, like every word cost him. She had no idea how hard it was for him to say that sentence. Her face broke into the biggest, brightest smile he'd ever seen. He smiled back at her (if you could call the tipping of the corners of his mouth smiling) and it made her tummy swoop and flutter like a million butterfly wings.
"Why Mr. Dixon." She said playfully. "That's exactly what I want." She held up her water like a toast, "To friends." He smirked at her and tapped his glass to hers.
"To friends."