Chapter 22: Ride
"What are you plotting?" Carol asked, narrowing her eyes at Daryl when he met her outside of his apartment building. He was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket, and he had a motorcycle helmet under his arm.
"You hungry yet?" he asked.
"A little, yeah. Pizza?"
"Nah. Thought maybe we'd try something else. You ready?"
"Well, yeah. Sure. I'll drive."
"Nah. We'll take the bike." Carol stared at Daryl for a moment.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"C'mon," he urged. "You'll be safe."
"You want me to…to get on the back of the bike with…with you?" Carol watched him for a moment, saw the little smile twitch at his lips. She couldn't help but notice the way his shirt clung to his chest and stomach. The leather was a good look, too. In fact, it surprised her how much she liked the look on him.
"Yeah, why not? You'll love it." He chewed his lip for a moment. "You ever rode before?"
"No."
"It's ok to be nervous, but you don't gotta be. Not with me."
"Says the guy who wrecked his truck."
"That's different," Daryl murmured, leveling a gaze at her that made her shiver. "I wouldn't take no chances. Not with you here." Carol let out a shaky breath, and despite her better judgment, she nodded her head. Daryl extended his arm out to hand her the helmet.
"What about you?"
"Mine's on the bike." Carol smiled then, and she quickly put secured her phone in her purse before slinging her purse cross ways across her body so she wouldn't lose it. She put the helmet on, and Daryl helped her with the strap, and then she followed him over to where he'd parked the motorcycle. He got on first, and she slid on behind him, and once the engine roared to life, sending vibrations all through her that made her feel a little tingly, Daryl tossed his helmet on and eased out onto the street. Carol pulled her arms around his waist, and Daryl put his hand over hers for just a moment. "You hold on," he called over his shoulder, before he hit the gas and started off down the street.
The momentum of the bike zooming down the street launched Carol forward in her seat, pressing up tightly against him from behind. She squeezed her knees against his thighs, and Daryl turned a corner and headed off out of town.
She realized he'd chosen a path he knew well, and when he reached the outskirts of town, the road smoothed and widened, and he picked up the speed a little. Carol's hands were tight against his stomach, but she relaxed a little when they were out of heavy traffic and speeding off toward farms and fields.
As they turned off onto a quiet country road, Carol relaxed and took a deep breath, smiling as she hugged Daryl a little tighter around the middle. He took it slow around a curve, and Carol felt a rush of exhilaration bubbling through her veins.
"Faster." He could feel the vibration of her words through his back, but he couldn't hear her over the rumble of his bike.
"What?" he asked.
"Faster!" she urged, squeezing him a little tighter.
"You sure?" he asked. When she hugged him a little tighter, he grinned. "You hold on." He sped up just a little, riding just above the speed limit, because he didn't want to risk an accident. He knew how fast he was comfortable handling the bike on his own, but no way was he chancing anything with her. He took a tight curve, and he felt her tense behind him, and when he slowed a little, her knees pressed against his thighs. He sped up again, and she started to laugh. She was loving this, and he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as he heard her laughter pierce through the rumble of the motorcycle. Riding with her had to be his new favorite thing.
But when something else pierced through the rumble of his motorcycle, he tensed and glanced in his mirror to see red and blue lights.
Oh, fuck me.
He slowed to a stop, and he could still feel Carol's shoulders shaking behind him as she stifled a laugh.
"Shit. M'sorry," he muttered, taking his helmet off. When he saw the cop getting out of his car, he groaned. "Shit. This asshole has it out for me. Gave me a ticket a few weeks back."
Rick Grimes came waltzing up to the bike with his hand on his holster, and Daryl cringed.
"Something wrong, officer?" he asked. He felt Carol shift behind him and gasp, but he didn't have time to question her reaction.
"You were goin' awful fast back there."
"I was goin' four miles over the speed limit. Ain't you got anything better to do than follow my ass around?"
"You fishing for a ticket?" Rick asked, squinting at him. Daryl took a deep breath and grabbed his wallet out of his jacket pocket. He pulled his license out and handed it over. "I gotta hand it to you. You weren't going nearly as fast as the last time I stopped you. I saw you had a passenger, so I was concerned."
"That's gotta be illegal. You just lookin' for reasons to pull people over?"
"You were going over the speed limit, so I had the right to stop you."
"Slow day, huh?" He felt Carol nudge his shoulder, and then she started to get off the bike.
"Don't be an asshole," she huffed, putting her hands on her hips and staring at Rick. Rick narrowed his eyes at her, unable to see her face through the tinted helmet. She removed the helmet, and Rick took a step back at the sight of his ex wife.
"Aw, shit. Carol?" Daryl did a double take, turning to look at Carol over his shoulder and then back at the officer.
"You know him?" Daryl asked.
"Daryl, this is my ex-husband, Officer Rick Grimes. Rick, this is Daryl."
"Oh hell," Rick snorted, letting out a little laugh. "This is the guy?" Carol glared at him.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Daryl asked. Rick shook his head.
"Nothing. Nothing. Look, I'm not gonna lie. I was gonna pull you over and give you hell, because you just got a ticket, but I'll let it slide this time." Daryl eyed him for a moment, and he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or pissed that the cop was laughing.
"What's wrong with you?" Carol asked. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I just never pegged you for a biker chick," Rick teased. Carol rolled her eyes, and she got back on the bike behind Daryl. "When you called me and asked me to pick Sophia from the house to let Rosita go home, I just figured you were working over. I didn't realize you were on a—"
"I told you Rosita was staying longer because I had plans. And why aren't you off work yet?"
"I was just heading to your place to get our daughter," Rick insisted.
"Yeah, couldn't resist one last stop before calling it a night, huh?" Carol asked with a smirk.
"Well, I gotta say I'm glad I did. This has been…interesting," Rick smirked. Daryl sighed and tensed on the front of the bike, and he was surprised when he felt Carol's hand on his side. He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He just wanted to get the hell out of there. "Daryl, I know we've met before, but it's good to officially meet you."
"Yeah, likewise," Daryl bit out. Carol snorted behind him.
"Can we wrap this up? We have places to be," Carol insisted. Rick nodded then, and he grinned.
"Yeah, you two have a good time. Daryl, good to see you're taking things slow these days." He quirked an eyebrow at that last line, and Daryl felt the back of his neck grow hot. He was pretty sure there was probably some double meaning in that, but at this point, he was ready to pull up the asphalt and bury himself under the road.
"Bye, Officer," Carol hollered, as Rick sauntered back to his patrol car and got inside. When he pulled away, she broke down laughing.
"Jesus, that's your ex husband?"
"Small world, huh?"
"That guy's a dick."
"I promise, he's really not. He thinks…"
"Thinks what?"
"He thinks we're, uh, you know." Daryl looked over his shoulder at her, and he noticed she was blushing.
"He does?"
"He thinks what he thinks, and I was married to him long enough to know he always thinks he's right." She rolled her eyes, and Daryl smirked, shaking his head.
"You wanna go back?"
"What? Are you crazy? I'm starving. I wanna eat."
"You still wanna go?"
"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, nudging his shoulder. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. C'mon." She popped her helmet back on and wrapped her arms around his waist. "And you don't have to take it slow for my sake."
"Think I created a monster," he chuckled before starting the engine and revving it to get a laugh out of her. In moments, they pulled back out on the road and headed off toward their next destination.
Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the feedback! I am so excited to share this story with you all. I hope you continue to enjoy, and as always, feedback is already appreciated!
