"Do you have anything to eat, I'm kind of hungry," Michonne shyly asked; She felt him brush a loc back with his fingers, and felt her face flush.
"Do you like stale cornflakes with no milk," He teased, kissing her forehead gently, he waited a moment expecting a snarky response, but surprisingly there was none, "I know where to get us something great," He said after a moment and held her for a few more moments enjoying the beautiful, soft woman in his arms; until he finally forced himself to let her go.
In Rick's car, they returned to the Concorde Crab-Shack. Michonne frowned internally, she was not a fan of all the deep-fried foods on their dinner menu.
"It's wow-time," Rick smiled as he opened the car door for her.
She stepped out of the car, smiling back, trying to be a good sport, while hoping they'd at least have decent coffee.
She was pleasantly surprised, they served an appetizing breakfast buffet, plenty of fresh fruit, pastries, and omelets made to order. About a dozen customers excluding the kitchen cook and buffet chef, cooking the omelets are in the restaurant. The dining room staff consisted of three elderly waitresses; two filling water glasses and clearing tables, and one at the cash register.
"This is good!" Michonne admitted, scooping up a heaping portion of Greek yogurt with honeyed granola and berries.
"Are you telling me you weren't a fan of the fried jumbo-shrimp platter…" He teased; thinking about the way she crinkled her nose every time he fed her the deep-fried shrimp. Being the good sport that she was, she ate three before she started stuffing fries in her mouth to keep him from feeding her more shrimp.
"How'd you guess." Michonne quipped unapologetically.
"I'm paying attention now." He nodded. He'd guessed wrong all those years about the possibilities of he and Michonne. Maggie had suggested, but no one listens to erratic-meddlesome Maggie.
Michonne nodded, "We've gotten past the hardest parts. We're both taking a break from work and sorting through it all."
"How long do you have before you go back to work? His penetrating blue eyes fixed profoundly into her doe eyes; looking about for more clues to where Michonne's mind is.
"I have two weeks of paid leave, and then I'll have to go back unless the doctor recommends otherwise," she paused, the thought of going back to work still made her feel uneasy, she wished that wasn't so, "what about you, when are you heading back to LA?"
"That all depends."
"On what?"
"How things go while you're here." Rick grinned his signature grin; his expression, the indifference in his voice masked his true longing.
"Are you really asking me to stay with you?" Michonne smiled softly, biting her lower lip and she stared lustfully into his bright blue eyes burning with her heart's desire. At that moment she realized she'd misinterpreted his actions, his words, his expressions for so many years... All those years, whenever in the same vicinity, a reaction would occur. It ignited their smiles and laughter, changed their posture, inviting the most intimate of body language.
Rick's entire body flushed warm, "Yes," Rick nodded, "Michonne, will you stay, for as long as you can, on my boat?"
"Are you afraid Maggie or Sasha will come into town and push you back into the spotlight?" She asked, her voice was quieter; unsure of absolutely everything that was happening before her eyes, unbelieving of what her heart was feeling, unknowing if she should allow it. Unconfident if she could stop it if she wanted too.
"I do expect at least one of them to show up eventually, but that's not why I want you to stay." At that thought, he felt an infusion of strength, so intoxicating he felt dizzy. His private thoughts made him blush.
"I did sleep well; your bed is a lot better than the hotel." He listened as if her words are golden, perhaps some elixir he's been waiting all his days to hear.
"I'll pick you up at the Inn, we'll check out of our rooms and plan for tomorrow over dinner." His lips stretch broader into a wide beam and his eyebrows arch for the sky. Rick felt like he was sailing on a warm sunny day, waves of happiness and relief washed over him, and he felt it soak right into his bones.
"I can stay for another night." Michonne agreed, "my rental car is due back tomorrow afternoon, I'll have to be in DeKalb by 2." Her blush burned through her cheeks and her face felt like a hot oven.
From what he said next, Michonne could tell he was thinking so deeply, already with a strategy that's several moves ahead of where her mind was.
"While you gathering your things at the hotel, I'll go to the market and get everything we need…" He held out his hand for her to take. She complied, he brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon it. They instantly felt the spark of electricity. "Want me to pick you up to anything?" he asked, still holding her hand.
In his words are a kindness, a concern that is so quick that, for him, it is natural. This attentiveness is a part of who he is and that is, if she's honest, the most attractive feature she'd seen in a man for quite some time.
"Maybe some coffee or tea if you don't have that and some milk for your stale-ass cornflakes," She shrugged and smiled.
He chuckled, "I'll need to get all that."
After they were suitably fed, they said their goodbyes, and Michonne got into her rental car and drove back to the hotel.
Rick drove to the supermarket to get more supplies for the boat, which included mostly food and a few cleaning supplies. While he shopped, he thought about ways to convince Michonne to stay for as long as possible. He could not imagine waking up without her. Rick Grimes kept his soul in a bottle; he kept it there so no matter how many see right into it, right through those beautiful eyes, it was still his. The moment he'd seen Michonne in the lobby, his entire soul began to burn brighter than anything he'd ever known. With every passing day, it grows stronger yet, and he wondered what would happen the day he confessed. Would she believe him?
He never thought she'd ever been within his reach and now that he has her, he never wants to let her go.
He waited in the check-out line, examining the items in his basket, coffee, milk, tea, fresh cornflakes, check. He wondered if the moment he lays his hand on her lower back and pulls her in tight would she shy away or would she reciprocate. The thought alone consumed his mind, jolted his body with electricity. He wanted to taste her, feel the movement of his body, become one with hers. He's unsure of how to tell her, so he waits, caring for her as his hidden inferno grows.
"Did you find everything okay?" The clerk behind the counter asked.
"Actually, I forgot something," He said and turned to the woman behind him, "excuse me please." He maneuvered out of the narrow lane, turned his kart around, and went racing down the aisle.
He found a package of Scrunchies-ponytail holders; further down the way and found a quart-size, zip-top convenience kit. The unit is filled with women's feminine products, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, vanity pack, cleansing facial wipes, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor blades, nail file, and Loofah sponge. He returned to the checkout line with the items hoping he had everything they'd need for a little while.
Michonne surprised herself once again; she was happy to return to the Concorde Inn. As soon as she was alone in her room she stripped out of her clothes and leaped into the shower. She scrubbed herself thoroughly, properly conditioned her hair, and shaved everything. Taking her time to moisturize every inch of neglected skin afterward. She brushed her teeth and flossed. If she was honest, her anxiety situation had left very little room for the want to date, and she hadn't had much reason to groom beyond what fell within the spectrum of personal hygiene. She had no pretty underwear in her bag and nothing beyond practical jeans and sweaters. She'd have to make do with what she had. Rick had thought she'd looked cute lost in the middle of his baggy sweater after all. She felt she was probably alright. After drying her hair and trying to tame it without the help of her best pomades, she still had some time to kill as there was no sign of Rick just yet. Her thoughts took her back to past conversations with Maggie…Maggie had always insisted that she gave Rick a chance. Could she see something she could not? Undisclosed desires…Is that what others see when they look at one another?
She sat and reclined against the headboard and stretched her legs, with the remote in her hand. After flicking through the half dozen channels for a bit, she found something worthy of a smile. It was one of Rick's first movies – Hotel Hottie, a romantic comedy where he worked next to Naomie Harris, a pretty young actress who today was an A-lister herself. It was probably the movie that put Rick on the map as a heartthrob and helped build his career. Michonne put the remote aside and just watched him.
It was funny. She remembered going to the movies with her girlfriends at the academy to watch this when it came out. They were all tickled by the fact Michonne had grown up with the star of the movie and asked her all sorts of questions. Back then, she had been completely over her teenage crush – but it was still weird to be surrounded by female peers who wanted a piece of him – not that she could blame them. If she hadn't moved on back when she did, watching her handsome neighbor smooch Naomie Harris on-screen about fifteen times probably would have either cured her or killed her. Bizarrely, watching her friend even pretend-kiss other women felt invasive. It would have been parallel to stalking him in school every time he met with one of his girlfriends for some action behind the bleachers or something like that.
It was a different sort of weird now – because she had kissed the older version of that guy on-screen just a few hours ago and she could tell practice made perfect. She was so engrossed in the teen drama she nearly jumped out of her skin when there were knocks at the door.
Michonne laughed at herself, one hand to her chest. "It's open!"
Rick popped his head inside. "Hey."
"Hey. Did you get everything you needed?" she asked, waving him inside from her seat on the bed.
"Yeah, it's all in the trunk. God, what are you watching?" he stood next to the bed, staring at the screen with an adorable look of disgust.
"Look it's you!" she gestured to the screen unnecessarily.
"Christ, I look like I'm seventeen," Rick sat down next to her, staring at his younger self with a cringe.
"You didn't have a career when you were seventeen," Michonne laughed, watching his reaction to himself instead of the movie because it was so much more entertaining.
"I didn't have a career then, either!" Rick mumbled, gesturing with his chin towards the screen. "Look at that guy!" he scoffed. "She's so out of his league."
Michonne arched an eyebrow, looking back at the screen. Naomie Harris was pretty. But she knew what he meant. She already looked like a woman, while Rick, well he looked like a wiry boy with abs and tight curly hair and a sexy smile. At twenty-two, he was marketable-man-meat for teenage girls though – and, well, possibly older women as well. That was the way it went. It was funny how it could be said Naomie was too much woman for him at twenty-five, but now, they'd probably never be paired together in a movie again, because how could a forty-something woman be hot enough to be the lead's romantic interest?
Preposterous! She snorted at the idea and shook her head, thinking she wouldn't be paired with Rick in a movie either, since she was, you know, the exact-appropriate-age.
"I don't know she looks really into you!" she teased.
"What the hell is he doing with his arms?" Rick continued commenting on his younger self's performance. "It's like they're not attached to his body."
"Yeah, it's kind of cute though. Boys, that age always look a little lost in their stretching limbs, don't they?"
Rick eyed her funny. "Cute? It was a nightmare."
She laughed. "Well, you eventually adjusted, didn't you?"
"Sometime around thirty," he admitted with a smirk.
Michonne's eyebrows went up higher. The thought Rick would have been uncomfortable in his majestic skin into his thirties was crazy! Well, it showed her what she knew – not a damn thing.
"I'm packed up and checked out…You want to get out of here?" she suggested as she observed his profile – Rick continued to look at his younger self disapprovingly.
"I thought you'd never ask!" he perked up, turning to her. "Where's your bag?"
Michonne nodded as they started scooting out of bed. "It's by the door...Let's go!"