It had been a week since Carol had confessed her feelings to Daryl.
He felt like the luckiest man alive.
They woke up next to each other in her big bed, they ate all their meals together, and then at the end of the night, he would return to her bed.
He'd been worried that their relationship would change for the worse, but it had only gotten better. She still joked around and flirted with him, and he found that he was actually starting to enjoy it more, now that he knew how she felt about him.
Before, he'd secretly been intimidated and afraid of her flirting. He'd been afraid that if he'd shown any sign that he was interested in being more than her friend, she would have run for the hills.
He was starting to worry about their new relationship, though. They slept in the same bed together, but that was it. They hadn't kissed or done anything else. He worried that he wasn't fulfilling his role as a man and making her happy.
But then he supposed that maybe she wanted to take things slow. After all, it had only been a week. Still, he was worried.
"Hey, you," Carol said from behind him. She took a seat in the rocking chair next to him. They were sitting on the top balcony.
"Hey," he replied.
"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is."
"I'm going out today."
He turned to look at her. Out here, it was easy to forget what the real world was like. Back in the old days, he wouldn't have batted an eye at his woman wanting to go out. Now, he just wanted to tell her no. Not that she'd listen to him anyway.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well, Lori is going to have her baby soon, so the women wanted to throw her a baby shower, make sure she has plenty for the baby, and Hershel needs medical supplies to help with the delivery."
"Who's goin'?"
"Just Maggie, Hershel, and I. We'll be fine," Carol assured him, brushing a hand over his cheek.
Daryl didn't want her to go. She was ready, but the rest of them sure as hell weren't. Hershel was a good shot, but his reflexes were slow. Maggie knew her way around a gun too, but she didn't have the experience the rest of them did when it came to shooting and killing walkers.
"I can go," he told her, hating how worried his voice sounded.
"Daryl, look at me."
He'd been looking down at his lap. Now his eyes met hers.
"I think it's really sweet that you're worried about me. But I don't need you to follow me around all the time. I went through that with my ex-husband, and I don't want to go through it again."
He felt like such an ass. He could feel his cheeks turning red, a sweat breaking out on his brow.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
She rose out of her seat and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"It's okay, Daryl. I think it's sweet that you care that much. I'm gonna go get ready, okay?"
He just nodded, unable to speak.
After wallowing in self-pity for awhile, he decided to go downstairs and find Carol, tell her goodbye before she left.
He nodded hello to Carl and Beth, who were both downstairs trying to play pool. He found Carol in the bedroom, loading up on weapons.
"Hey," she said when she saw him.
" 'Bout to head out?" he asked her.
"Yeah."
Daryl moved in closer to her. She just watched him. God, she looked good. She was wearing a purple tank top today, and it looked with her silver hair.
"Are you going to kiss me, Daryl Dixon?" she whispered, looking right in his eyes.
He froze, his cheeks flaming. Well, he hadn't expected her to call him out on it, but yeah, he'd planned on kissing her.
She placed a hand on his chest.
"I want nothing more than to kiss you right now. But I'm not going to. You're just going to have to wait until I come back, and I will come back."
Before he could say a word, she walked out of the room.
Devil woman. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
They'd been gone three hours. Daryl paced around downstairs, unable to keep his mind from picturing Carol being torn apart by walkers.
He checked the bar for booze. Nothing.
He looked around. Well, he could play pool, he supposed.
He picked up a cue and starting hitting the balls that had been left scattered on the table from the previous game.
It brought back memories of hitting up the pool halls on a Friday night with Merle, the two of them doing their best to hustle some money out of the other bar patrons. They'd had some good fun doing that. Gotten their asses kicked a few times too, not that Daryl would admit that out loud.
He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Beth and Carl. They stood at the pool table, watching him.
"You're really good," Beth told him.
"Yeah, well, I've had a lot of practice," he grumbled.
"Can you teach us how to play?" Carl asked.
He had half a mind to bark a no at them, tell them to leave him alone. He had no right to be mean to them, though, just because he was nervous.
"Sure. Go grab some cues."
One hour later, they still weren't back.
He shadowed Beth and Carl as they played a new game of pool, this time using tips he'd taught them. They weren't half bad.
The front door opened upstairs. He practically ran up the stairs; he had to force himself to slow down. God, he was becoming such a pussy. His brother would be ashamed.
Hershel walked through the door, red-faced and limping.
"What happened?" Daryl asked.
Maggie walked in after him.
"He sprained his ankle. Tripped," she said, carrying in bags of stuff.
Daryl just nodded and headed outside.
There she was, unloading bags out of the truck. Her face was red too, but she was grinning from ear to ear.
"What are you smiling for?" he asked, coming to stand beside her. The back of the truck was full of supplies for the baby as well some bags that looked like they had food.
"Just happy is all."
She set down her bags on the ground, grabbed his face on both sides, and leaned up to kiss him. Her lips were soft, so unlike his chapped ones. He was frozen for a moment, but eventually he placed his hands on her hips and responded to the kiss.
It was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced in his life.
She was the first to pull away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him.
"See, I told you I'd be back."
"Mmhmm." He couldn't even form words to respond. His head was still spinning.
She laughed.
"Wow, I can't believe I left Daryl Dixon speechless!"
She picked up her bags and headed toward the house, still laughing.
He just stood there for a moment longer, trying to get his thoughts together. He would have words for her later, but right now he just wanted to be quiet and let their first kiss replay over and over again in his head.
Author's Note: Their first kiss! I hope y'all enjoyed it! If there are inconsistencies or errors, I apologize! Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought!
So, I've been thinking about this story and where it's going. I've got some ideas of what I'd like to include, but if y'all have any ideas for a cute Daryl/Carol chapter you'd like to see, let me know and I might include it in here!