Chapter 10: Cut Short
Carol couldn't help but feel a little down when she woke up the next morning. It was Sunday, which meant this magical weekend would soon be coming to an end, and then they were going to have to work around each other's schedules to fit in time together.
But it didn't take long for the frown to fade from her face. She turned to find Daryl sleeping soundly next to her, his shaggy hair messy and hanging in his eyes. She bit her lip and snuggled closer to him, bringing her hand up to brush the hair out of his face. He moaned softly in his sleep, and she leaned in to press her lips against his forehead.
He sighed, muscles tensing as he stretched and let out a stifled yawn.
"Good morning," she whispered, kissing the corner of his mouth.
"Mornin' already?" he murmured.
"Mmmhmm."
"You hungry?"
"Yeah," she grinned.
"I can take ya to breakfast, and then we can do whatever you wanna do." Carol smiled then, sliding her hand up his chest and over his shoulder. He opened his eyes then, looking right into hers.
"Whatever I wanna do, huh?" she asked softly. "Oh, I can think of a few things." She slid her hand down, reaching into his boxers and curling her hand around his semi-hard dick. He groaned when she began to stroke him.
"Christ," he panted. "Carol…" She quieted him with a kiss, gently pushing him to lay on his back. She crawled over him then, kissing his neck, pumping him slowly as she began to trail kisses down his chest and stomach. And just as she was about to go further, her cell phone rang a familiar chime. She stopped, groaning and slumping over him.
"Damn it," she groaned, burying her face against his stomach.
"You gotta get it?"
"It's Ed. I'm sorry," Carol murmured, pulling away from him and scrambling for the phone. She quickly stood and put the phone to her ear. "Ed? Is Sophia ok?"
"Sophia's fine. Don't worry."
"Damn it, Ed, it's seven thirty in the morning. This better be good." She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, turning to see Daryl sitting up, hands gripping the side of the bed in an attempt to settle himself down.
"I'm sorry, Carol," Ed murmured. "I've gotta fly to Houston. A deal's about to fall through if I don't go. I don't want to give up the rest of my weekend with Sophia, but I want to make sure I have a job to help support her with. I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Carol sighed. "It's fine. When do you need me to come get her?"
"I can drop her off on the way to the airport. No sense in you getting out in church crowd traffic. I'll drop her off in about an hour."
"Ok. Alright."
"You're mad."
"I'm a little mad," Carol muttered. "But, I'd rather you keep your job."
"Thanks for understanding. I'll be there soon." The call ended, and Carol tossed her phone down on the bed. She noticed Daryl had slipped into the bathroom, and his duffel bag was gone.
"Daryl?"
"C'mon in," he called. She pushed the door open to find him standing in front of the sink, staring in the mirror as he buttoned his shirt up. Carol sighed, stepping up behind him and wrapping her arms around him from behind. She rested her cheek against his back.
"I'm sorry, Daryl."
"You ain't gotta apologize," he insisted. "Everything ok?"
"Yeah. Ed has to go to Texas on business. He's bringing Sophia back early. Are you disappointed?"
"Disappointed? Yeah, a little, but hell, I didn't have any plans past drinkin' beer and watchin' TV this weekend, so I gotta say it's already turned out a hell of a lot better than I coulda hoped for." He turned to face her, and she smiled up at him. "I'm gonna call you later."
"You better," Carol chuckled. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and she sighed. "Sorry I got you all worked up."
"S'alright," he chuckled. "I can take care of that when I get home." Carol smirked. "You do the same, and it'll be like we're together."
"I don't think I'll be touching myself for a couple of days. Frankly, I'm surprised I can walk this morning." Daryl smirked at that, and Carol rolled her eyes. "I'm not complaining. I've never had this much fun in my entire life. But I might have overdone it."
"That ok?"
"That's perfect," Carol laughed. "Like I said. Not complaining." She kissed him again. "Oh, shit. Your laundry."
"Don't worry 'bout it. I'll do it when I get home," he promised.
"Let me at least make you something to eat?"
"I should go," he offered. "In case he gets here early."
"Right," Carol sighed. She watched as he pulled on the rest of his clothes, and then she linked her fingers with his, running her thumb over his knuckles. "I had a lot of fun."
"Me too," he admitted. They left the bathroom and headed down to the front door. "I wanna see you Tuesday."
"Ok," Carol murmured. "You have work?"
"Yeah, but I can take a long lunch. I can get here in ten minutes from where I work."
"Oh, I like the sound of that," Carol chuckled. Daryl kissed her then. "Noon good?"
"Noon's perfect," she murmured. "I can't wait." She kissed him then, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'll wear something special."
"You ain't gotta wear a damned thing. Ain't that the point?"
"Shut up," she laughed. "Kiss me." He obliged, pulling her closer, not wanting to let her go. But, when they finally broke apart, he gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips.
"Tuesday," he promised.
"Tuesday," she agreed. "Be careful."
"Always am," he offered with a nod. With one last kiss, he ducked out the front door, leaving her to watch him drive away.
...
"This is my favorite," Carol grinned, flipping through the small stack of photos Ed had sent home with Sophia for her. The photo of Carol's liking was one of Sophia petting a baby goat.
"He ate out of my hand," Sophia giggled. "I liked him. Can we get one?"
"A goat?" Carol laughed. "No, honey. But we can go back and see him again sometime, ok?"
"Ok," Sophia said with a nod. "Can we go today?"
"Honey, mommy's tired."
"Why? You didn't work," Sophia offered with a shrug. Carol snorted.
"Honey, grownups get tired sometimes."
"You can take a nap."
"I might take a nap," Carol laughed. "How about we put in a movie, and I'll get us some ice cream." Sophia's eyes went wide.
"Ice cream in the morning?" Sophia asked. "I thought sweets were for after dinner."
"Well, today's a special occasion. This is supposed to be daddy's day, so we'll make an exception." Sophia grinned, and Carol kissed her on top of her head. "You want sprinkles?"
"Yeah!"
"Ok. You go put your backpack in your room and find a movie." Sophia scrambled for the stairs, and Carol chuckled to herself before dragging her feet to the kitchen. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she reached into the freezer, and she checked her messages. She blushed when she saw a message from Daryl and quickly opened it.
Tuesday feels like it won't ever get here. Can't wait to see you again.
Carol bit her lip and quickly typed a text back.
I know. It's crazy how much I miss you. Can't wait to see you again.
She tucked her phone back in her pocket, and she shivered with anticipation. It was going to be a long couple of days for sure, and she was already counting down the hours.
She distracted herself by dipping a couple of scoops for herself and for Sophia, and by the time she came back to the living room, Sophia had already popped a DVD into the player and was flipping through the previews with the remote.
"Oh, the mermaid movie again?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Your favorite," Carol chuckled.
"Mommy, can we go to the ocean and look for mermaids?" Sophia asked. Carol grinned.
"You think we'll find one?"
"Well," Sophia offered, furrowing her brows, "my teacher says the ocean's so big we don't know everything that's in there. So there's got to be one in there somewhere, right?"
"You never know," Carol offered with a tired chuckle. "I suppose anything's possible." If anybody knew that for certain, it was her. She was the last person who would have expected she'd meet someone on Friday and by Sunday already feel their absence like a heavy void. She couldn't believe herself. She couldn't believe that she'd open herself up like that to someone who she barely even knew. But she felt good. She wanted more. She missed him like crazy, and it hadn't even been an hour since he'd left. She felt a little guilty as she settled into the movie. She loved her daughter, and she missed her when she was gone, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a connection with someone who really made her question everything she knew about herself, and not in a bad way. She craved his touch. She wanted more of that. She wasn't sure how she was going to get through the next couple of days, but as she took a bite of sweet, creamy ice cream, she settled back against the couch and tried to distract herself with the movie about a little red-headed mermaid and a talking crab. Still, Daryl was never far from her thoughts, and she had a feeling that would never change.