Chapter 7: Paparazzi
Daryl couldn't help but notice the same guy walking past the shop door at least eight times that afternoon. He was starting to get more than a little annoyed, especially since every time the guy walked by, he peeked in the glass door as if looking for something. No. Someone. It wasn't until he started to the back of the shop to take a piss that he noticed the man holding a camera in one hand and holding a cell phone up to his ear.
"Shit." He quickly grabbed for his phone and tapped out a message.
Think somebody's onto you. Some asshole's been outside the shop all morning.
About thirty seconds later, his phone buzzed in his hand.
Damn. I was afraid of that.
A moment later, a second text came through with a link. Daryl clicked on it, and the article with the picture of him helping her on the side of the road popped up.
See, that's what you get for doing a good deed for a stranger. I'm sorry. But, hey, maybe it'll be good for business.
Daryl snorted at that and quickly dialed Carol's number.
"Hey, "she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"You ain't got nothin' to be sorry about. You want me to bring your car to ya?"
"No," she said slowly, carefully. "I'll come get it." She sighed and shook her head. "It might be best if we don't see each other for a couple of days."
"Why?"
"These guys will do anything for a story. If they even think there's anything remotely going on between us, they'll find a way to get a picture and spin whatever story they want to tell." A beat. "I told you my life's crazy."
"Whaddya wanna do, then?"
"I'll have Michonne swing by and get me. She's used to this. I can drive out, and then maybe you can meet me someplace later?"
"Where?" he wondered.
"Mmm, I'll think of something," she offered.
"Alright. I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah," she promised. "I'm almost finished here. Give me an hour, and I'll be there."
"Alright. You sure you don't want me to run these guys off, 'cause I know I ain't used my crossbow in a while, but my aim's probably still good enough to scare the hell outta these pricks."
"No, it's fine," she laughed. "It'll be fine."
"Hey," he said quietly, voice low and even, comforting.
"Yeah?"
"I can take crazy. Trust me, I ain't gonna be scared off by a few flashing cameras."
"It gets old after a while. Are you sure about that?" She chewed her lip and waited for his response.
"M'sure," he promised. "I'll see ya soon."
...
"Ms. Mason, was anyone involved in the incident with your car yesterday? Was it an accident? Were you injured?" Carol kept walking down the sidewalk with Michonne as the paparazzo kept asking her questions. She hated ignoring people, but these guys were ridiculous. At the same time, she knew they were only doing their job, and this sort of came with the territory when one was starring on a wildly popular television show.
"Doesn't this jerk have anything better to do?" Michonne asked quietly, leaning in toward her friend. Carol shifted anxiously before they stepped into the shop. The glass in the door shook as Carol pushed it shut. She didn't see her car, so she figured it was out back, and she glanced at Michonne.
"Let me just pay him, and…"
"Does it seem a little weird?" Michonne asked. "You two get all hot and heavy last night, and now you're paying him?"
"Oh, shut up," Carol snorted with a laugh. "He fixed my car. Of course I'm going to pay him. Besides, it's not like we actually…you know." She cleared her throat when she heard the groan of steps, and she looked up to see Daryl coming down the stairs from his apartment. He was wearing a dark blue button down shirt with the sleeves cut off. It was smudged with oil and grease, and his muscled arms were slick with sweat. Her gaze flashed to Michonne, who was standing there staring with her mouth hanging open just a little. She cleared her throat and nudged her friend.
"Jesus," Michonne murmured. "That grainy cell phone picture didn't do him justice." Carol blushed at that, and then her face felt hotter when she saw him staring at her when he stepped off the stair steps.
"Ladies," he said with a nod.
"Daryl," Carol smiled. "This is my friend Michonne."
"Nice to meet ya," he said with a nod, wiping his hands on a red rag that he'd grabbed from his back pocket.
"You, too, I'm sure," Michonne said with an amused smile. "So, this must be new for you."
"Sorry?"
"The annoying guy out front with the camera?"
"Yeah, it's new," he admitted, "but he don't bother me much."
"Oh, give it time," Michonne chuckled, getting elbowed in the ribs by Carol. Daryl watched the exchange, and his gaze flickered to Carol's. She blushed a little deeper, and he licked his lips. Christ, she was cute when she blushed.
"Car's ready. Easy fix. I ain't chargin' you for it."
"And I already told you that I'm paying you anyway," Carol pointed out.
"You know if you pay me, I'm just gonna use it to take you to dinner, right?"
"Marry him now," Michonne whispered to her friend. Daryl caught it, but he pretended not to hear, and he smirked when Michonne stepped away. "You have a ladies' room, Daryl?"
"'Round the corner," he said with a nod, pointing toward the back. Michonne nodded her thanks, and Daryl waited the four seconds it took her to disappear into the back before he stepped close and pulled her waist into his hands. "Missed you."
"Missed me? It's only been, what, twelve hours?" she teased, running a fingertip along his jaw line.
"If you'd had the night I had, twelve hours would seem like twelve days." Carol smiled then, coiling her arms around his neck.
"Aren't you worried somebody's gonna see?"
"Check the door." Carol turned to see that there were heavy, black curtains on the glass pane of the shop door's window.
"Oh, somebody planned ahead," she whispered, before turning to kiss him softly and slowly. When she pulled back, she pouted innocently before her gaze flashed up to meet his. "Just so you know, I had one of those nights, too."
"Christ," he groaned, gaze slipping down her neck and into the dip of her shirt as visions of her touching herself flashed through his head. He longed to taste her skin, to tease her and make her scream his name, but there was no earthly way that was going to happen in the time it took for her friend to use the bathroom. "I wanna see you tonight."
"You sure?" she teased.
"Stop," he murmured, burying his face against her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume, pressing soft kisses along the spot where he felt her pulse thrumming against his lips.
"Let me get the car home, and then I'll call you." She sighed softly when he sucked at her neck, and she shivered when his fingers dug a little deeper into her hips. "Maybe I can make up for last night. I felt bad about leaving you so…hard up." She grinned when he snorted, and then his hands were on her ass.
"Maybe I can start a fire somewhere, distract 'em so nobody's thinkin' about followin' you."
"You're awful," she laughed. "I like the way you think." They laughed together then, and when they heard the toilet flush, they pulled apart, and Carol gently wiped her thumb across Daryl's lip. He kissed the pad of her thumb, and she shivered when she saw the lust in his eyes. "I feel bad, not paying you."
"Don't. I don't want yer money," he insisted. "But I got an idea."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I definitely got an idea. I'll call you tonight."
"Ok," she murmured, breath quivering as she tried to calm her racing heart.
"Alright, I wasn't expecting the bathroom of a joint like this to be so clean. I'm impressed." Michonne gave her friend a smile, and she turned her attention to Daryl. "Can I give you some advice?"
"Uh, alright."
"The cameras will always be there. And the media is gonna write whatever they want to write. Most of it'll be bullshit 99.9% of the time."
"Yeah, I know that," he said with a shrug.
"Alright. Just wanted to warn you. Remember when they tried to say we were in a secret lesbian relationship?" Carol smirked at that.
"Who says we aren't?" she teased, wiggling her brows at her friend and getting a groan out of Daryl.
"You're killin' me," he muttered. Michonne laughed then and shook her head.
"We should go. Don't worry, Daryl. I'll make sure she doesn't forget to call you." Carol shot her a glare, and Michonne just smiled innocently back at her, watching the way Carol blushed and then looked at Daryl.. "Alright, I'm turning around now, because you two obviously aren't ready to say goodbye yet." She turned then, moving toward the door to peek out of the dark curtain while Daryl moved to kiss Carol once again.
"See you tonight?" she asked.
"Tonight," he promised. She smiled then, stepping onto her tiptoes to give him another kiss.
"Bye," she whispered, giving his hand a squeeze. When she finally let go, she hurried off out of the shop with Michonne, hoping the cameras wouldn't pick up on the blush in her cheeks or the pink fullness of her just-kissed lips.
