It has been FOREVER since I've updated and I am sorry for that. This is my first story and I love it but I always feel so much pressure because I know that my writing isn't perfect and I also lost some inspiration for this story so I took a loooong break but I am back and I am going to try to not disappear again. Thanks for reading.

Daryl felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, like he was watching the scene play out in front of him as part of an audience. He could see Beth nervously smiling at him while pulling him towards the bed. He saw himself reluctantly taking slow steps to follow her. His body was acting on its own accord but the rational part of his mind was searching for ways to escape the mess he got himself into.

The back of Beth's knees hit the side of the bed and her bottom crashed onto the mattress. A moment after she lifted her chin so that she could comfortably look up and make eye contact with Daryl, the air around them shifted. The tension was disappearing and now the vulnerability was evident on Beth's face. She had no intention of doing anything more than kiss Daryl when she dragged him towards the bed but she didn't want to continue without being honest with him first.

"I'm sorry for makin' you mad. But I don't regret it because it led to this." Beth gave a shy smile and interlocked her fingers with Daryl's as he stood paralyzed right in front of her. "Do you… have any regrets about what happened here tonight?" She asked nervously.

Daryl looked down at their conjoined hands and thought about the question for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. When his lips crashed into hers, it felt like electricity was flowing from her body into his and he can see himself easily getting addicted to that feeling. Maybe in the moment he didn't regret it because it felt so good, but could he find himself regretting it in the future? That is exactly why he had to get out of that bedroom right now. He needed to breathe and come down from the high that he got from kissing her. He needed to think clearly.

"I gotta go." Daryl's voice was soft and rough all at the same time and Beth wished that he had said something completely different in that voice. Their hands slowly separated as he backed away and she felt the butterflies abandon her stomach all at once; it left Beth feeling so utterly empty, she became slightly nauseous.

Daryl raced outside almost as quickly as he had stormed in minutes ago. He allowed the fresh, chilled air to fill his lungs for a few moments before lighting a cigarette and taking off into the night. Everything he feels right now and everything he's felt since meeting Beth is completely foreign to him. He only knows that he feels out of control of himself and the only thing he could think to do to get back in control was hunt. It was dark and he wasn't technically allowed to hunt in the woods surrounding the town, but Daryl pulled over on the side of the county road anyway. He grabbed his crossbow and took off into the trees.

By morning, Daryl was filthy. He had spent all night chasing squirrels and rabbits and came out of the woods empty handed. He was just too distracted to focus clearly. Thankfully, Merle was passed out when Daryl made it back to the apartment and he was able to make it from the front door to the bathroom in peace. When he spotted his reflection in the dirty mirror, Daryl couldn't believe the bags under his eyes. He looked like he skipped more than just one night of sleep.

See? This is what Beth does to him! She gets him all wound up and drives him to the brink of insanity and it's probably all just a big game to her. Who was he kidding? She's seventeen. It doesn't matter that she'll be an adult in a couple of months, she's too young; doesn't even know what she's getting herself into, chasing after a grown man who has never known love in his entire life. And what the hell had he been thinking?! Had he been thinking at all? He doesn't recall making the conscious decision of letting Beth get into his head. She just snuck up on him and now he doesn't know how to get her out.

Daryl stood under the shower head and let the hot water wash over his body. He quickly lost himself in thought. Closing his eyes, Daryl took himself back to that first day at Rick's house. When Beth had answered the door instead of Rick, curiosity hit him like a ton of bricks and he's never really stopped being curious about her since then. That's probably how he got to where he is today, regarding Beth. He's been drawn to her since day one. Beth is like a breath of fresh air to Daryl. She's kind. She's lost so much but her energy is positive and compassionate. She forgave him and comforted him when he did horrible things to make her hate him. But Beth wasn't capable of hate. Daryl, on the other hand, was used to things being ugly. Hate came more naturally for him than love.

By the time his body was clean and the water had turned ice cold, Daryl finally decided what he should do in this situation after looking at it from every angle. He knows what society would say about a man his age and a girl Beth's age but they don't know shit as far as Daryl's concerned. He's not trying to take advantage of a young girl and he's not a pervert. He didn't choose to pursue her. She pursued him. But he's never cared about what people thought so why should he start now? The only opinion that would slightly weaken his resolve was Rick's. It won't make a difference anyway. Daryl is going to do what Daryl does best: destroy good things for himself. Only this time, he's doing it for Beth's sake. He's no good for her. He's a redneck asshole and Beth's a southern belle. It won't work.

After dressing, Daryl crawled into his bed and thought about how he wanted to put some distance between he and Beth. He didn't want to push her away like he had tried to do before. That had only ended in disaster. He also didn't want to completely stop seeing her and going over to Rick's every other day. They were the closest thing that Daryl had to a real family, apart from Merle. He had to do the mature thing and tell her that whatever it was that was going on between them had to stop. Was Daryl capable of doing the mature thing? He guessed that he'd be finding out soon.