Chapter 23: Hanging Out

"Holy shit, that was…"

"I know."

"And they're gonna make another?"

"Two more."

"I can't believe they remembered to give him a scar on his eye. Shit, talk about continuity. Most horror movies don't worry about that shit."

"I know. What'd you think?"

"Top four of the franchise."

"Yeah? Yeah, for me too," Carol agreed with a laugh. "I'm glad you liked it." Daryl grabbed his beer off the coffee table and took the last sip before putting it down. He watched as Carol relaxed back against the couch, folding her arms behind her head and crossing her feet on the foot stool. She had a sleepy smile on her face, and he knew their night was coming to an end. He had had the best time with her, even though her ex-husband had pulled him over. His favorite part of the whole day was riding around with her on the bike. He loved how much she seemed to love it, but even more, he loved the feeling of her being pressed up against him.

He knew he was falling for her. He hadn't expected to feel things like this for anyone for a long time, if ever. Being with Lucy had made him forget what a happy relationship was supposed to feel like, not that he had much experience that area. But he remembered, once upon a time, being happy with Lucy before everything turned to shit. But he hadn't met anybody he enjoyed spending time with as much as he liked spending time with her. Even when things were good with Lucy, he wasn't waiting for her texts when he was at work. He wasn't excited and anxious and stupidly daydreaming about hanging out with her.

He realized he'd been staring at her longer than a moment, and he cleared his throat and stood up.

"You hungry? You want somethin' from the kitchen?"

"Are you kidding? I'm stuffed. Where'd you find that burger place out in the middle of nowhere, anyway?"

"Uh, that's where I had my first job, actually. Worked there when I was seventeen, 'cause my last foster parents were gonna toss me out on my ass. The guy that used to run the place was pretty good to me. Let me pick up extra shifts if I could 'cause I didn't wanna go home. He also let me take leftovers home at the end of the night."

"Well, it was really good. Thanks for taking me there," Carol smiled. "Sounds like the place has good memories for you."

"Yeah. Kinda the first time anybody ever treated me like I was worth somethin', ya know? I mean, I had good foster parents now and then, but somethin' always screwed it up. I started workin' there 'cause I knew the day I turned 18, I was gonna be out on the street, so I had to do somethin'." Carol nodded then, and she sat up a little.

"When I was sixteen, I was convinced I wanted to be a teacher."

"Teacher?" Daryl laughed. "How'd you go from teacher to nurse?"

"Uh, well, when I was sixteen, I started babysitting. I basically got paid peanuts. What did I know? I just wanted gas money so my grandma would let me drive her car." Carol grinned and rolled her eyes. "I swear the three kids I watched were so bad, sometimes I wonder why I ever decided to have a kid. I mean, they were awful. I swore I was never going to deal with kids, work with kids, have kids. It wasn't until I met Rick and spent time with Carl that I realized I wanted one of my own. But, I knew I didn't have the patience to deal with twenty kids for eight hours a day. So, I went into nursing."

"Pretty big leap," Daryl said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I love it. It's hectic and scary sometimes, but it pays the bills, and it's never boring. I mean, even on boring days, something happens to turn it around." Daryl nodded then, and then he started toward the kitchen.

"You want another beer?" he called.

"No," she called back, but she got up just as well and followed him into the kitchen. She leaned against the counter while he fished for a beer in the fridge. When he stood up, he saw her standing there with her arms folded across her chest, and he felt a shiver go up his spine. "So, Rick's the asshole cop that gave you a ticket, huh?"

"Yeah," he snorted. "I kinda deserved the first one." He eyed her. "So, he's got ideas about you and me?"

"Yeah," Carol laughed, rolling her eyes. "He's convinced I'm hiding something."

"I mean, you're his ex. What's it to him?"

"He's still a little hung up on me," she said quietly, shrugging. "But if I'm being honest, I was still a little hung up on him until recently. At least…in some ways." She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh," Daryl smirked. "Say no more."

"Mmm, well, saying no more was getting us nowhere," Carol pointed out. "I was terrified of moving on for a long time. I guess I'm still a little nervous, but I know it's the only thing to do."

"What changed your mind? About movin' on?" Carol just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, but Daryl swore he saw a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "Somehow, there's this moment. It's the moment the shit hits the fan, or the moment you reach your limit. You gotta just get out, you gotta stop, because you know if ya don't, you're gonna end up hurtin' worse than you already are." He looked at her. "That's what it was for me when I left."

"Yeah," Carol said with a little smile. "Having sex with my ex husband definitely wasn't healthy, but it wasn't ruining my life or anything. It was a crutch. A comfort. It was what was keeping me from taking that next step. I was afraid of getting close to anybody like that again. My first marriage failed, so what did that say about me?" She rolled her eyes. "I know, cliché right? I know it took two of us to break us apart. We're better off as exes." She eyed Daryl when he popped the top off of his beer and took a swig. "Spending time with you."

"What?" he asked.

"It's what changed my mind. I knew if I could feel comfortable enough with someone and enjoy just hanging out with somebody, I could move on with my life and look forward to what comes next." Daryl narrowed his eyes at her.

"Huh."

"Huh?"

"Kinda makes me sound like a stepping stone."

"What? No. No, that's not what I meant," Carol said quickly. "I like spending time with you. You're fun, and you're such a good guy, and I feel like we have a lot in common." She felt her face getting hotter, and she cleared her throat. And the more flustered she got, the bigger the grin on Daryl's face became. "Besides, I'm not stepping on you. I mean, we're not…we aren't…fuck, what was I saying?"

"Wow, so that's what you look like when you freak out." Carol made a face at him, and Daryl took another swig of his beer. "You're usually so calm."

"Shut up," she pouted. Daryl grinned wider, and Carol huffed out a breath before moving back toward the living room.

"I get it," he explained, following behind her. "Just havin' somebody around that ain't expectin' anything from ya."

"Expecting?" Carol asked, quirking an eyebrow as she settled back onto the couch. Now it was Daryl's turn to blush. "What are you expecting from me?"

"Uh…I mean, nothing. I just expected to come here and watch a movie tonight. I swear. I wouldn't…I mean, I wasn't plannin'…not that you ain't beautiful. You are. I mean, hell, you're…" His tongue suddenly felt like it weighed three hundred pounds, and it was getting awfully fucking warm. Daryl suddenly wondered if he'd turned the heat on.

"And that's what you look like when you freak out," she grinned.

"Shit," Daryl bit out. He held his breath for a moment before letting out a laugh.

"Relax," Carol grinned. "Would you sit back down?" Daryl slowly sat down on the couch, and he wiped his sweating palms on the side of his pants.

"You wanna watch another movie?"

"Mmm, we can if you want to," Carol shrugged. She chewed her lip for a moment before she scooted a little closer to him. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" She watched his eyes widen, and she cocked her head to the side.

"Well, you're…I mean—and you have these eyes that—I just, I mean, you…" Carol grinned then as Daryl's words started getting away from him. "Shit, m'sorry. I…I ain't good at this. I ain't never been good at this."

"I don't know who told you that, but they lied," she said with a smile. Daryl felt the back of his neck and the tops of his ears burning, and he swallowed hard. She scooted closer, and he could smell the scent of her shampoo, and his heart began to race. "And just so you know, you're not a stepping stone. But, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it."

"About…about what?" he asked, suddenly wondering if he wasn't in a coma in a hospital somewhere and dreaming all of this, because surely this wasn't real life.

"You know."

"Yeah…yeah, I know." He let out something between a laugh and a sigh, and he suddenly found himself staring at her lips and wondering what they might taste like. Christ, her eyes were so blue, and the freckles on her collarbones were mesmerizing. And those lips. His gaze kept going back to those lips.

"Do you…do you want to?" She scooted a little closer, and her hand grazed over his.

"Want to," he choked out. "Want to what?" He was gonna need her to say it, otherwise, he was never going to believe it. She let out a little laugh, and she brought her hand up to brush his hair out of his eyes.

"You wanna fool around?"

Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback, guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you think!