Merle stays for a couple of days this time, and the Gods are merciful, because during his stay, his Dad is away – properly on some bender.
He meets her in their place in the woods and he shows her Merles leather jacket. Merle let him keep it. He knows it´s a little bit too big on him, but she thinks it´s cool too.
Usually she leaves at dusk, but it´s like they can´t bear to tear apart that day. She brought a blanket for them to sit on, and Daryl wishes, he thought of that.
She asks him to tell her about his brother, and he speaks about, how it´s been him and Merle against the world, ever since his mother died.
"What about your Dad?" She says and he tenses up. The anger in his voice surprises them both "That man might be my blood, but he ain´t no Dad to me." He gives her a look out of the corner of his eye and nervously chew his thumb.
She sighs, and then she says in a voice so low, he almost can´t hear her "I feel that way about my Dad too." "He hits my Mom and he…he says mean things to me." She starts tearing up and Daryl feels like, he would do anything to stop her crying. He awkwardly puts his arm around her shoulders, and she leans in to him.
Daryl says, "Once when I was thirteen- years- old, I broke a window. I didn´t do it on purpose, I was just messing around with a football and it happened. You know."
"You were just being a kid." She says.
"Yeah and he beat the hell out of me with a willow branch. I had to stay in bed for a couple of days. Still got the scars on my back from that time. But then I have a lot of scars." He sighs, this is the first time he ever told everyone, and he feels drained, but also oddly relieved
When he tells her that, the dam bursts, and Carol find herself sobbing into his chest. He just gently rubs her back.
After a while, she pulls back and before she can second-guess it, she timidly kiss him on the lips. He hesitates and then he kisses her back. It´s a chaste closed mouthed kiss at first, because they are both inexperienced.
He smells of soap and healthy male sweat and something about that scent excites her. She parts her lips a little and experimentally touches the tip of her tongue to his.
He moans and then time disappears, and there is nothing but sensation. At some point, they most have laid down, for she finds herself half on top of him, his hands on her back.
Her nipples are hard against his chest and she can feel his excitement.
"I really like you Daryl." She whispers shyly.
"I really like you too." He says.
Daryl feels like the king of the world, when he goes home in the early dawn. She likes him! She kissed him! He was surprised, when she did it, and he hope, he didn´t suck at it. He never kissed a girl before – but she seemed to like it and she likes him!
He is so lost in his thoughts, that it isn´t before he step inside the house, that he notice all the lights are on. That ain´t a good sign.
His Dad roughly grabs his arm. "Where the hell have you been all night!"
Daryl flinches, but can´t pull loose.
"Just…" His Dad don´t let him finish the sentence.
"Some girls parents called me. Said she hasn´t been home all night. Asked if she was with you."
Daryl don´t get it. Carols parents don´t have his number. His Dad sees the confusion on his face and says "We´re in the phonebook, Moron!"
Daryl just stutters and suddenly his Dad lets go and chuckles. "Well hell. Guess I can´t blame you. Did you give it to her good?"
Daryl don´t know what to say.
"Get your ass in bed." His Dad smiles, an unusual thing to see.
Daryl tempts faith and asks, "What did you tell her parents?"
"Shit, I said it ain´t my business, if their daughter´s a ho. Said they can´t expect a teenage boy to stay away if she´s out there begging for it."
And all Daryl can think is, shit, shit, shit. Because Carol´s Dad ain´t a nice man.
