"DARYL! You made it!" Tara exclaimed from the doorway flinging her arms around him making Carol take a surprised step back.
"Yep. Good to see you too," Daryl muttered, detaching her death lock grip from him.
"Oh I'm sorry and who is this?" Tara asked all too politely after Daryl managed to wrench her off him, "I don't believe we've been met before?"
"This is Carol," Daryl introduced, praying Tara wouldn't say anything ridiculously embarrassing.
"Pleasure to meet you," Tara extended a hand to Carol who took it with a gracious smile.
"Nice to meet you too."
"Come 'n' get you and your lady friend a drink D," Tara bellowed returning to her usual loud self, opening up the door to let them in.
Daryl rolled his eyes but nodded, "yeah think I'm gonna need it."
His hand lightly went to Carol's lower back causing a shiver up her spine. Daryl smirked to himself letting it drop just a little bit lower.
"Oh I am not playing that game again Dixon," Carol quipped, looking at him with sharp teasing eyes.
"Course not," he murmured back as he led her through the crowd of people, his hand dropping lower again to her ass, "only leads to trouble."
Carol bit her inner lip at his bold move, how did he do that? Go from this shy, adorable, considerate man, the sweetest guy she'd ever met to, lets see how much we can make her want to rip his clothes off without ever letting her do so? He drove her insane in all the right ways and if he wasn't careful she may just have to rip his clothes off regardless, or make him rip her clothes off. Either way someone's clothes were going.
He got them both a drink from the array of alcoholic beverages laid out on the dining room table that was pushed against the back wall to make more room for the ridiculous amount of guests Tara invited.
"Tara seems nice," Carol commented after taking a sip of a vodka and coke he'd handed her.
Daryl raised a questionable brow at her.
"I'm serious," she laughed, "she's...friendly."
"Yeah give it a few more hours you'll be begging me to take you home."
"Is that so?" Carol asked raising a suggestive brow at him, "don't be so over confident Daryl, I'm not one to put out on the first date."
He threw her a look back that told her that he doubted otherwise, "excuse me sweetheart but which one of us was trying to grope the other on the first night of properly meeting each other?"
"As I recall that was both of us darling," she drawled back, willing herself not to get embarrassed over her former drunken antics.
"Touché ," he responded necking the rest of his drink, "I gotta go to the bathroom real quick, could you pour me another drink while I'm gone?"
"Yeah sure," Carol responded, feeling slightly nervous at the sea of unfamiliar faces that surrounded her.
He nodded before going out of sight into the crowd leaving Carol alone.
She turned back to the table pouring both of them another drink, trying to drag it out so he'd be back by the time she'd finished.
"It's Carol right?" a man's voice came from behind her, making her spin around to face him.
"Uh yeah that's me," she said shyly looking at a man who was only vaguely familiar.
"I'm Glenn," he said with a wave, drink sloshing in his hand, "I'm close friend of Daryl and Tara's, we all work together."
"Oh at the restaurant? Thought I recognised your face."
"Yeah yeah, so...you and Daryl?" he asked raising a brow.
Before she could answer Tara appeared out of no where, flinging herself into the conversation.
"Let us forewarn you Dixon can be a grumpy son of a bitch and he is stubborn to all hell, however don't let that put you off, he has more redeeming qualities like, uh, fuck, Glenn care to take over?"
Carol tried to hide the snort of a laugh that escaped her mouth.
"Well I'm sure he's a very attentive lover, if you don't already know that is?" Glenn asked snickering along with Tara.
"Jesus what is wrong with you two?" Daryl interrupted before anyone could say anything more, "my life ain't your damn soap opera."
"Look we're just letting her know what's she's in for, give her a little insight," Glenn reasoned, a shit eating grin still on his face.
"I mean who else is going to tell her about that time you went camping and wiped your ass with poison oak?" Tara laughed sending Glenn also into a fit of laughter.
"Shut the fuck up," Daryl warned, heat rising up to the tips of his ears.
"You couldn't sit for a week," Glenn got out through his bellowing laugh.
Carol couldn't help but clasp her hand over her mouth as she started to giggle as well, tears welling up in her eyes at the restraint she was trying but failing to have.
"God you guys are dicks," he grumbled, picking up the drink Carol had made for him, grateful it was strong, "come on, we'll talk to these jackass's later," he said as he lead Carol away.
Once he'd moved them into the kitchen he let go of Carol's shoulders, grimacing as she gave him a dark smirk.
"Did you really wipe your ass with poison oak?" she asked her eyes dancing with mischeive.
He huffed before looking down at her, "yes, it was one time, I was a little drunk, I mistook it for just a regular leaf, okay? Happy?"
Carol let out another laugh, sobering as she saw his unamused expression, "I'm sorry, damn Glenn and Tara were right."
"Right about what?" he questioned, he's eyes narrowing.
"Oh nothing nothing," she brushed off taking another sip of her drink before murmuring under her breath, "grumpy ass."
Daryl's sharp ears caught her and he glared, almost pouting as he spoke, "I am not grumpy."
"You are being a bit grumpy," Carol teased.
"Am not."
"See they warned me you were stubborn too," Carol continued to play, getting more and more amused the more frustrated he got.
"I ain't stubborn," he argued, immediately realizing the paradox and letting out a long sigh.
"I'm just teasing," she said softly, raising a hand up to squeeze his cheeks together, "have a drink, relax."
He side eyed her before taking a large gulp, "you're a pain in my ass, y'know that?"
"Now why would I ever want to do something to hurt that ass of yours?" she asked, her hand slyly reaching down to give one cheek a slight squeeze making Daryl almost jump out of his skin at her bold move.
"You'll have to let me know what I can do to make it up to you," she spoke as she looked up at him, his eyes as dark as hers.
"Oh I'm sure I can think of something," Daryl responded lowly, his hands gliding down her sides until they stopped at her hips.