Chapter 17: Classic
"Okay, that's probably the best pizza I've ever had." Carol stared down at the empty plate in front of her, and Daryl nodded.
"I told you. You mean to tell me you've been in Atlanta all this time, and you never ate there?"
"Well, no. I mean, I try to cook for Sophia. When I was married, sometimes Rick would bring home something from work, but most of the time, I cooked. And Sophia's the weird kid that likes broccoli and other healthy foods. She takes after me." Carol grinned. "No, I don't think I've ever had this pizza before."
"You're missin' out," Daryl said with a shake of his head. "That's a damn shame. How's the beer?"
"I usually hate beer," Carol admitted. "This is actually not bad." She took another swig of hers. "It's decent."
"It's a local brewery. Only one I really like."
"Oh, so you're a beer snob. Okay. I didn't expect that," Carol laughed.
"Beer snob? Shit. I used to drink 'em flat as an old tire. Merle—that's my brother—he was ten years older'n I was. I ain't seen him in probably thirteen years. He aged outta the system a long time before I did, but he'd come around on my birthdays sometimes. I remember my fifteenth birthday. He bought me a six pack and some smokes. What kinda asshole does that? Anyway, I hated the stuff, but I guess I liked the way it made me feel before I was leanin' my head over the toilet bowl. My foster parents at the time found the empty cans under my bed, and they found the smokes too. A week later, I had all my shit in a garbage bag in somebody else's closet." Carol leaned back on the couch and watched Daryl as he thought back on his earlier years. "Shit, don't know why I just said all that. You don't wanna hear that shit."
"Do you know where your brother is now?" Carol asked quietly, picking at a loose string on the hem of her shirt.
"Prison? Who knows? M'guessin' if he was dead, I'd have heard about it by now. I was pissed at him for a long time about the cigarettes and the beer, but it didn't stop me from goin' out and stealin' 'em when I had the chance, you know? I think I was more pissed, 'cause the home I got kicked out of was one of my favorites. So, I told him not to come around again. He tried a couple times. Then he just…didn't."
"I'm sorry, Daryl."
"It's the past. Don't matter now."
"Sure it does." Daryl shrugged, and Carol sighed softly.
"We had a lot of fun when I was a kid, though. I thought he was the coolest when he was drivin' and I was just gettin' trainin' wheels off my bike. Wanted to be just like him." He looked at her. "You have a sister or a brother?"
"Me? No. It was just me. That's probably a good thing. My grandma probably couldn't have taken on more than me. Probably would've been split up, in foster care or something."
"You're lucky you had family," Daryl said with a nod.
"I'm so sorry you didn't."
"I survived somehow," he said with a little shrug, tipping his beer up for another swig. He watched the way Carol drank down the last of her beer, the way she leaned forward and placed the empty bottle on the coffee table. He watched the little smile play at her lips when she leaned back against the throw pillows on the couch, and he felt all of the anxiety and tension he'd carried around with him just melt away.
She noticed the change in him right away. Despite the heavy conversation, he looked at ease, and she figured pushing him too much on personal information might not be such a good idea. Right now, he seemed to be feeling pretty good, and she was just happy to be somewhere other than home alone on a Friday night. She liked spending time with Daryl, and she was pretty sure he liked spending time with her, too.
"So," Carol said slowly.
"So?"
"Are we gonna watch a movie?"
"It's gettin' late. You still wanna watch somethin'?"
"Well, if it's too late, I can…"
"No. No, it ain't. I appreciate the company," he said, leaping up from the couch like an excited kid at Christmas. He moved over to the bookshelf on the wall that currently housed his DVD collection. "What kinda movies do you like?"
"I like pretty much anything. I'm a big horror fan."
"You?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah, me. Why does that surprise you?" Carol snorted. "Because I'm a mom?"
"No," he laughed. "I guess I just expected you to like the romantic comedies."
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I love a good rom-com. I'm a complicated woman," Carol said with a whimsical sigh. She grinned, and Daryl felt like his heart might burst. "And just wait until you find out my taste in music."
"Oh, hell," Daryl snorted.
"Oh, yeah. I've been known to listen to follow up my favorite sappy country song with some hard rock." Daryl eyed her, almost as if he didn't quite believe her. "Oh, you should see my CD collection."
"CDs?"
"Yeah, I'm old school. I prefer a hard copy. Something I can hold in my hand." She shrugged.
"I respect that," Daryl grinned. "Okay, so you're a big horror fan, huh?"
"Yep."
"Alright. Moment of truth." He pulled a DVD quickly off the shelf, hid it behind his back and squinted at her. "What's your favorite scary movie?" Carol pursed her lips together for a moment before narrowing her eyes at him.
"You're expecting me to say Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street, aren't you? Don't get me wrong, I love the camp of Freddy and Jason, but I'm more of a jump scare girl. So, final answer, Halloween." Daryl looked like he'd just hit the lottery in that moment. He smiled. It was an honest-to-goodness teeth-and-all smile. And then he pulled the DVD out from behind his back, revealing Carol's favorite scary movie. Carol giggled then, and clapped her hands once before standing up and heading toward the kitchen to grab another beer. "I think we just became best friends."
"Hey, grab me another while you're in there." Daryl popped the disc into the player, and Carol returned to the living room with two cold beers. She handed him one, and the two of them settled back down on the couch.
"Okay. Question."
"What's that?"
"Have you seen the new one? The one they just released a couple years ago? The 40th anniversary?"
"Nah, I didn't get around to that one. Was it good?"
"Um, I'm not going to tell you that. You have to see it for yourself. Next weekend, pizza's on me. I'll bring the movie." Daryl nodded in agreement, and when the iconic music began to play, they both went silent out of respect to the classic, but neither one of them could keep the grins off their faces for too long. Yeah, Daryl was pretty sure Carol was already the best friend he'd ever had, and he hoped like hell that this was just the beginning of something amazing.
Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for reading, and thanks for the feedback! I know it's been a couple of days since I updated, but I've been feeling a little under the weather. Starting to feel better, though! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always, feedback is very much appreciated!
