Hey, this is a bit early but it was either post it now or post it way late. I would rather just post it now ;) I have family in from out of state and I have a busy schedule all weekend but I'll still try my best to post every day. For all the love this story has gotten, that is the least I can do. Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you all have fun this holiday weekend! Be safe if you are going to be traveling! =)
Chapter Eleven
The day Daryl had been dreading since Friday was finally here. Sunday. Carol's big date with that sack of shit pig, Shane Walsh. He'd been a huge asshole Friday. He knew she was pissed because he had taken off with Amy but he wanted an out and that annoying girl had shown up at the greatest of times. He wished he had just stayed home and dealt with pretending like he wasn't pissed.
For one, there wasn't a damn thing wrong with that girl's car. It was damn near brand new. She had kept insisting that he just keep driving it and so they had driven around all over town. Then she had needed to stop here and there which had really pissed him off. Then she had actually invited him to her apartment. He had refused. He didn't have the slightest idea what the girl's deal was but he was over it. He just wanted to get back home to his crazy ass brother and Carol, even if he was having all kinds of fucked up feelings that he hadn't ever had to deal with before. All of that would have been much better than dealing with this idiot girl and her rambling annoying voice.
He'd been gone nearly three hours before he finally pulled into the driveway. He tossed her the keys over the hood of the car and she had actually stopped him from walking past her by putting her hands on her chest. He'd had to step back two fucking feet to get away from her. And then she really had him wanting to scramble to the house when she asked him if he would like to go out and do something with her.
He'd been as honest as he could. He told her that she wasn't his type and the crazy bitch had had the nerve to laugh and tell him that she was every mans type.
She had called him twice since Friday. Both times Carol was the one who had answered the phone and both times she had nearly thrown it at him and stormed off. The two of them hadn't talked much and he found himself missing her even though she was right there. But he didn't have much to say to her either. She was pissed at him for hanging out with someone that she didn't like but she was actually going out with an asshole that he despised. Having friends was hard. Having a friend that happened to be a girl that you nearly had sex with and then moved in with was even harder. He almost missed that shitty apartment.
He had somehow managed to end up with the biggest bedroom. He'd been laying there awake for at least an hour, deciding that laying in bed all morning was something he had earned since he'd had such a tough time. He rolled over onto his stomach and stretched. Man, it was a nice thing to be able to do that. That couch he'd been sleeping on for the past year hadn't been big enough for any of that.
His room was right across the hall from her room, right next to the bathroom. He raised his head up when he heard the shower turn on. He groaned. He hated being in there when he knew that she was right fucking there on the other side of the wall, wet and naked.
"Fuck." He growled into the pillow. He really had to stop thinking about her like that. He really did. But it was only getting worse. Yesterday he was watching her eat. Eat! And every time she pulled the fork out of her mouth, dragging her lips across it he would just about stop breathing. It got so bad he'd left the room and avoided her for hours.
"Merle! Get OUT!" He heard her scream.
He was out of bed and shoving his legs through his pants as he was heading towards the door.
"Daryl!" She yelled.
The bathroom door was open and sure enough, there was Merle, just finishing up.
"I had to piss, God, stop screamin'. I didn't even look over that way." Merle grumbled just as Daryl entered the room.
She had the shower curtain pulled tight over herself as she poked her head out of the shower and glared. "That is so gross!" She hissed.
"Oh, like you never have to piss." Merle rolled his eyes. Now it seemed like he was just going to stand there and argue with her.
"Merle, get the hell out. There's a bathroom downstairs too and you know it." Daryl said as he glanced back towards Carol.
"Fine." Merle muttered. "I wont take a piss while you're in the shower anymore."
Carol and Daryl both gaped at him when he grabbed his tooth brush and started brushing his teeth.
"Merle!" She shrieked.
"Merle, get out and leave her alone." Daryl said distractedly. He couldn't focus on his brother when he knew she was about a foot away and she wasn't wearing anything but maybe some soap suds. Jesus, he needed to get the fuck out of here.
"I don't know why ya wanna hide behind jeans and t-shirts and shower curtains all the time, Carol. You got yourself one bangin' ass body. And speakin' of bangin', how come y'all ain't sharin' a room? Was it bad or somethin'? Cause if it was ya gotta give the kid a break, Carol. He can only improve with practice, ya know?"
"Get. Out!" She growled but he ignored her, rinsed off his toothbrush and then turned around to lean against the counter.
"Not until y'all make up. I got eyes. Somethin' ain't right."
"Come on, Merle." Daryl grumbled.
Carol scowled and then jerked the shower curtain back in place. She must have decided that she wasn't going to get a shower in peace today. "Nothing is wrong, Merle." She called from behind the curtain. "Nothing other than your brother is an insensitive prick."
Daryl felt his mouth drop. "What the fuck? Me?" He choked.
"What did ya do to fuck up so fast, little brother?" Merle asked.
"I didn't do shit." he snapped.
"Oh, please. I told you what your little girlfriend did to me and you didn't hesitate to run off with her the first chance you got! And if I ever catch her in this house I'm warning you, I will rip the girls hair out."
Merle was staring at him with wide eyes. "How the fuck do you got two girls willing to rip each others hair out over you?"
"Oh, so I can't run around with someone that you don't like but you can go on a goddamn date with Officer Dickface? Knowin' that the asshole hates my guts? Fuck you, Carol."
"Fuck you, you jerk!" She snapped as the water turned off. "Merle?"
"Yeah?"
"Towel." She stuck one wet arm out of the shower and Merle put the towel in her hand. "And it isn't a date, Daryl. Like it's even any of your business."
"And it ain't none of yours if I keep hangin' around with that Amy bitch." He snapped back.
"Go to hell." She growled. "You do whatever the hell you want. As long as I get the money for half the bills then I couldn't possibly care less."
"Sounds to me like you're both a little jealous is all. Y'all can work this out." Merle offered.
"Get out!" Daryl roared as he grabbed Merle by the arm and actually forced him out of the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it when he was finally out. "We need to talk. Now." His voice was harsh but he didn't care. They were going to fix this shit right now.
"Get out. I need to get dressed. I have things to do." She sounded like she was losing steam.
"I ain't goin' any damn where until you tell me why the fuck you're really actin' like such a bitch."
"I don't even know." She sniffled.
Oh God. He had made her cry. He took a step towards the shower and then rolled his eyes. What the fuck did he think he was going to do, try to make her feel better while she was naked? He groaned, that was the last thing he should have thought. There were all sorts of ways he could make her feel...
"Carol?" He said, forcing his own thoughts away.
"Will you please just go." She sniffled again, her voice horse.
He never meant to make her cry. He felt bad. Worse than bad. He dropped his head and left the bathroom but he didn't go far. He waited outside the door, trying to think of something he could say to make this better. It wasn't like they could be like this forever. They lived in the same house for fucks sake. He needed to stop being a jealous asshole is what he needed to do but it was hard because that was exactly what he was. A jealous asshole.
His head shot up when the bathroom door opened and she stepped out. She turned without noticing him there, and was about to walk off towards the stairs. He reached out and grabbed her upper arm, causing her to cry out in alarm. When she turned and saw it was him she smacked him in the chest. He hadn't realized he hadn't grabbed a shirt in his haste to get Merle out of the bathroom.
He looked at her face and cringed a little. Her eyes were red and puffy, one lone tear overflowed but before she could wipe it away he caught it with his thumb. His stomach twisted painfully. He'd somehow hurt her enough to make her cry. He felt so bad that he would have done anything at the moment to make her stop. She wouldn't meet his eyes at first, she was staring straight ahead, at his chest.
"You can't stay pissed off at me forever." he muttered, for once in his life wishing that someone would meet his eyes.
"You're not very familiar with how the female mind works, are you? We can very well stay pissed off at any given person, forever."
He wasn't completely sure if she was serious or not. He hoped she was trying to crack a small joke because if not he was in trouble. She surely couldn't stay pissed at him forever. At least he knew why she was pissed. She was pissed over him leaving with Amy. It still made no sense to him though. She could hang out with whoever she wanted but he couldn't? He didn't think he would ever understand females.
"So you're gonna stay pissed at me forever?" he asked, ducking his head so she had no choice but to look at him. He couldn't keep walking around on eggshells anymore and he couldn't stand the thought of her hurting because of him. Even if that meant watching her ride off into the sunset with that fuck face cop with a smile plastered across his face then that's what he'd do. Even if he didn't think it was very fair.
"Yes." She answered as she finally met his eyes.
"Cause of that stupid girl?"
She let out a heavy breath that hit him in the face. "Shane don't like you and he don't like your brother. I know that. But he hasn't ever done one thing to hurt you. I can't say the same for your friend. It isn't about me liking your friend or you liking mine. If Shane had done to you what Amy did to me then I'd just as soon spit in his eye than talk to him. And that is why I was pissed."
And there it was. He would have been better off if she had punched him in the gut. He was such a dick. He found himself pulling her closer without even knowing how his arms had gotten around her. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better I was fuckin' miserable the whole time and there wasn't even anything wrong with her damn car."
"Mmm Hmm. You were gone for over three hours. Were you miserable that whole time?" She lifted one eyebrow.
He nodded. "She's an idiot. She wouldn't shut up and she kept makin' me stop everywhere. I drew the line when she invited me to her apartment."
"You did?" He could tell that this surprised her.
"Yeah. What did you think? That I was out getting' laid?"
"Yes." She said bluntly and then narrowed her eyes, like she still believed that was exactly what he had done.
"Pfft. You coulda asked, Carol."
"It wasn't any of my business." She said haughtily.
"Was you jealous?" He couldn't help but ask even though he knew there was no way in hell she would be jealous of him with another girl. Her only problem had been the girl that he was with.
"Are you jealous of Shane?" She asked without answering his question.
"Yeah." He said without thinking. Shit.
She looked confused for a second and he knew he had to say something else. He had to diffuse the situation. He let her go and stepped away, into the wall. "Look, I wont ever talk to the girl again. Ever. As long as you stop bein' such a hateful ass. And I'll even be halfway nice to Shane. Or I'll try. I still think he's a real sack of shit and I still think you could do better. Hell, I would rather you date my brother than that clown."
"I'm not dating him. And I would never date Merle. I would never date a man that would barge into the bathroom and take a leak regardless of who else may be in the there. It's disgusting. And then he just rolled his eyes at me like I was some sort of annoyance."
Daryl couldn't help but laugh. Merle had been doing that to him since he was old enough to shower by himself. It never failed.
"That isn't funny!" She said but he saw the corners of her mouth turn up.
"Better you than me." He shrugged.
And that was that. The weekend from hell was over. That afternoon was spent with Merle, in the garage, drinking beer and finally finishing up with Carol's car. It was turning into a good day. She even brought them a late lunch and then hopped up on the counter and watched them work. Time flew by. He had even managed to forget about Carols date.
"Might as well change the oil." Merle said from under the car. Daryl didn't even know why he was under there to begin with. There wasn't anything wrong with it but Merle was a bit of a gear head. He was in his element.
"I checked that already." Daryl said as he wiped his hands on an old rag.
"Boy, you can't never keep a car like this clean enough. Don't worry bout it. I know what I'm talkin' about."
"Cause you think you know every damn thing." Daryl grumbled.
"That ain't true at all, asshole. I'm an expert at three things. And classic cars is one of'em."
Daryl rolled his eyes and walked to the work bench, leaning into it next to where Carol was sitting, swinging her legs back and forth and grinning at their banter. "And the other two?" he asked.
Merle wriggled himself out from under the car and gave them a brilliant grin. "That's an easy one to answer. Fightin' and pussy." He sighed. "Greatest three things known to man."
Daryl groaned but Carol laughed. "God, don't encourage him." He grumbled.
She put an arm around his shoulder and leaned her face close to his. "I don't think it matters. Merle is going to be Merle whether he's encouraged or not." She whispered into his ear.
He snorted, even though her lips being that close to his ear caused the blood in his veins to turn to fire. He turned his head so her face was right there in front of his.
"Y'all ain't gotta whisper about me now." Merle said suddenly. Neither of them noticed his approach but there he was, looming in their space. Daryl wanted to kick him. Especially when he maneuvered his big stupid self right there between her legs and then wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Merle, go away." he growled.
"Oh, don't be getting' all jealous on me, little brother." Merle grinned wickedly.
Daryl was about to come off with an offensive retort when suddenly her other arm went around his neck and she leaned the top half of herself into him. "Looks like your gonna have to save me from your brother, Daryl. He's deluded himself into thinkin' he's gotta chance in hell." She drawled into his ear.
Merle laughed.
"Am I interruptin' somethin'?"
Daryl looked towards the open garage door and there stood an awkward looking Shane Walsh. With Merle standing there in front of her and her arms wrapped around Daryl's neck he figured this made for an interesting sight. Poor Carol.
"Oh my God, Merle, move!" She hissed.
Merle turned around and leaned himself against the bench on her other side. She dropped her arms from around his neck, her face flaming, and hopped down from the work bench.
"No, you didn't interrupt anything." She said, but she sounded quite embarrassed. Him and Merle shared a look.
Shane just nodded. "I tried to call but no one answered. I figured I would check back here before I left. I was wantin' to ask you if you wanted to head out a little earlier. I gotta cover a shift tonight so I can't be out as late."
Carol glanced back but Daryl just smirked. He was really going to try to make her happy and if that meant to put up with assholes like Shane then that's what he would do. She smiled at him and it almost looked apologetic. She gave Merle a parting glare before she turned and walked towards the door.
"That's fine. I have to turn in early anyway." She said as she walked towards him.
Shane nodded and then once she reached him he glanced up over her head and glared at him and then Merle. Daryl grinned and waved and Merle glared right back and gave him the finger.
"You knew he was headed this way, didn't ya?" Daryl asked when they were out of the garage.
"Yep." Merle said as he killed his beer and then shook his head sadly. "Boy, how you gonna let that girl run off with that asshole? Don't it piss you off?"
Daryl shrugged. "She ain't mine. What the fuck could I say about it?"
"You don't say shit, baby bro. You gotta show that girl that she don't need nobody else around but you. Well, and me but that ain't important." He slapped Daryl on the back.
"I've tried dumb ass." He grumbled. And he really had. He would never put up with so much shit from anybody else. He was always swallowing his pride and shutting his mouth. Always agreeing to shit he would never have agreed to before.
"Oh, I've been waitin' for this day for a long time." He grinned as he threw his arm over Daryl's shoulder. "You might think you've tried, but you ain't yet. I got a few tricks up my sleeve that I'm gonna pass down to ya, boy." He looked thrilled to finally be able to school his little brother.
Daryl was surprised that he was actually about to take advice from his brother. But he was getting desperate. Desperate enough to rely on Merle's vast knowledge of pleasing women. Jesus, he was in bad shape.
"Ya see, pleasin' a woman seems to be a pretty easy thing in theory, ya know. But this ain't the truth. The truth is, once you get her panties off..."
"Jesus, Merle." Daryl grumbled.
"Just listen, damn it. I know you done got to that part, but if you had gotten my advice earlier she wouldn't be runnin' off with that douche bag. Now, once you get her panties off, a woman becomes a very complicated creature. Ya can't just go at it all ravenous and what not, you gotta know exactly what to do to get her ready for ya. Stick out your tongue."
Daryl frowned. "What?"
"Just stick out your goddamn tongue! Do ya want her or not?"
Daryl sighed and then stuck out his tongue.
Merle laughed. "Oh yeah, by the time I'm done schoolin' you that girls gonna forget that any other man in the world even exists, boy."
Daryl rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but listen to his brother and store away every little tidbit of information that Merle had to offer. It was about time Merle acted like he was the big brother.
I know that it is a little weird that so much stuff has happened just in a matter of days as far as this story is concerned. I really didn't do that intentionally. I have this annoying tendency to over elaborate, dwell on inner dialogue and basically ramble when I shouldn't. I'm really hoping that it isn't messing the story up! I've tried to break this habit but, like many habits, it is a slow process! XD
