Chapter 13 – Rough Rider
Carol looked around, pleased at the work she had put in over the last ten days. Daryl's home was truly stunning, like a diamond in the rough. They worked well together, and they had embraced each other's abilities in certain areas. He had immediately told her that paint selection was all on her. She had been hesitant to take his cash to the local hardware store, but he had insisted. She only hoped that he approved of her choices of colors.
"It ain't like I got some eye for color, Carol. If I choose, shit will end up white or beige like we have in the cookie cutter shit we build in Towne Lake."
Her responding grimace at that idea only strengthened his position. So, she had walked the block over to the local Ace Hardware and got the first two gallons of a paint called 'silvery moonlight' that would open up the rooms a bit while giving them a cozy feel. The accent paint that she had carted back on the second trip was called 'rough rider'. That color was a much deeper gray green with some blue undertones. That single can would grace the accent wall in the grand old style living room. She had promptly painted swatches of the colors on the appropriate walls and waited anxiously for him to arrive to scrutinize them.
She had been in Kennesaw for less than two weeks. She had immediately adored all those she had met. She took immediately to the Grimes family, spending a lot of time with Michonne drafting those treasured sealed divorce papers. Rick and Carl were so much fun to be around. She learned that Rick was previously divorced from Lori and had custody of their son. Lori now lived out of state. Their baby Judith was a delightful three-month-old who had everybody wrapped around her little finger.
Glenn and his girlfriend Maggie had been over often as Maggie would frequently come over when Glenn was helping at the house at night. She sometimes brought over food for everybody to spell Carol from the duty on nights Michonne didn't come over for cooking lessons. The two along with Andrea, Eugene, Tara and her girlfriend Denise, Rosita and her boyfriend Abe had all joined them for a pizza dinner a couple nights ago. They were thrilled with the improvements that Daryl and Carol had shown off. Andrea was dating the other deputy on her case, Shane Walsh. While Andrea had frequently stopped by to visit with Carol alone, Shane had yet to introduce himself. Apparently, this was by design. Andrea had explained that Shane and Daryl had never really gotten along.
She particularly had fun with Glenn and Michonne, but she reserved a special place in her newly opening heart for Daryl. In the short time she had been there, Daryl and she had come to be at ease with one another. They had come to an understanding of sorts. She swallowed the shame of having to have somebody provide a roof over her head. He deftly ignored her self-loathing looks and pointedly told her that she should just teach Michonne to cook there instead of at the Grimes home. That way, she was feeding him too. And so, their relationship of tit for tat began. She cooked, cleaned, and worked on the house. He worked during the day, worked at the house, and ate her cooking. It wasn't long before the awkwardness of the situation mellowed and formed into a new, but strong friendship based on mutual trust.
That first night, when Michonne had her occupied with the clothing she had brought over (brand new from Target much to Carol's chagrin) Daryl had left with Rick on a mysterious errand. An hour later, they had returned with a brand-new queen-sized bed frame, mattress and bedding for her to sleep on as well as a small dresser and night table.
When the men had hauled everything inside, she had already been resigned to awkward acceptance of taking up residence in a bedroom there, all while despairing the cost that her benefactor had gone through. Her protests increased when the men bypassed the tiny bedrooms and deposited her new furniture in the vastness of the attic. Daryl proclaimed that since he was doing most of the work downstairs right now, that this would be her space. She had protested, saying that was Daryl's future space. He just fixed her with a look and had started putting the pieces of the bed frame together with Rick's help. She and Michonne had quietly begun sweeping and dusting the space as the men worked. Carol could only console herself with the idea that when the home was done, the space and furniture would be ready for Daryl to use.
She tore herself from her thoughts when she heard Daryl's truck pulling into the driveway. She dashed around putting tops back on the paint cans, taking care not to splash any on the various drop-cloths spread around. She refused to disrespect Daryl's work by dripping paint on the sanded but unfinished wood.
She watched him enter the home, waiting to see his immediate reaction to the paint. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw it. His expression did not disappoint. He broke into a grin. She smiled at his reaction, proud that she had done something for his home which he seemed to really like. Instead of resuming his previous night's work of sanding down the staircase, he crossed to the wall that had the rough rider sample. He picked up a roll of blue painter's tape and began taping the drop-cloth down more securely, allowing for painting to be done where the baseboards were already removed. That job done, he moved the tall ladder over and began to tape off the ceiling.
Not one to let her boss and friend have all the fun, Carol immediately put more 'rough rider' into the paint tray and began happily dipping her sponge brush into it to do some lower edge work. They met in the middle of the wall when Daryl was climbing down the ladder and Carol was straightening her back. He looked at her seriously for a moment before removing the brush from her hand. He put some paint in a plastic cup and climbed back up to do edge work around the ceiling. Carol picked up the roller and began on the body of the wall.
It wasn't too long before Carol felt it. A tiny drip hit her face from Daryl's brush up above. She didn't really pay the drip any mind until she felt another one. Then another. She looked up to see Daryl smiling with a smartassed look on his face. He was accidentally dripping more down on her. That's all it took for Carol to begin laughing. She loved these moments with him. It never ceased to amaze her that she felt more at ease with a man she had known less than two weeks than she did with her own husband.
Drip, drip, drip.
He was doing it again. "Oh, it's definitely on now," Carol thought. She didn't react much more than looking up at him. That plotting look of smiling menace was still on his face. She had to force herself not to retaliate just yet. She had to wait for the exact right moment. It wasn't long before the opportunity presented itself.
When he finally ran out of edge work that he could do without moving the ladder, Daryl began climbing back down. He intended to move the ladder and continue painting further over. He never got the chance. As he was in the middle of the ladder, Carol nonchalantly reached up and accidentally ran the roller from the seat of his pants up to his neck. Daryl was now covered in 'rough rider' from stem to stern. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She laughed.
Daryl was never one to allow somebody to get the better of him. Instead, he caught her off balance, and retaliated by brushing her left cheek with the sponge brush. The paint began flying around them, drips flying onto the protective cloth beneath them. By the time they both cried uncle, there was barely a spot on either of them that was not covered in paint. Carol realized then that she had no fear of this man. If Ed had been the man in front of her, Carol would never have done the things she had. If those kinds of things had happened by accident, her pleas would not stop the beating she would have received. The realization of this made her hesitate in her laughs.
Daryl had caught the look that had briefly passed over her face. He recognized it for what it was, bitter memories of a life not long left behind. He sighed and decided to keep the mood light instead of calling attention to her change in mannerism. Instead, he spoke, taking her mind to another topic that would make her smile.
"Glenn's gonna be late tonight. He won't be here until eight or so. He's havin' dinner with Maggie and her folks. How 'bout we clean up for the night and get some food in us?"
Carol smiled and nodded. She went into the kitchen and turned the roast in the oven down to warm while Daryl went to take a quick shower. He thankfully had kept some items there for a quick cleanup after working all day. After showering, he went back into the kitchen where Carol had washed up a bit. The smell of meat, potatoes and carrots filled the home in a heady scent that made Daryl's mouth water. The woman could sure as hell cook. He had never eaten better in his life.
They ate in companionable silence, but inside, Daryl's head was spinning. Sure, he had always thought Carol to be a beautiful woman, even with all the bruising still in evidence. But tonight felt different. When they were yucking it up with the paint, he had noticed a slight electricity to the air whenever they touched. He didn't know what to make of it, so he tried to ignore it. That lasted all of about two minutes.
It began innocently enough. She was passing him some food, and their hands brushed. There was that electricity again. What the fuck was that? He tried to brush it off again, but then she handed him the pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge. He felt positively jolted then and noticed her reaction to their touch as one of surprise. Could she be feeling that too?
Their dinner went as it normally did, but they each made sure to try to ignore the times that they caught one another's long glances. When Glenn finally arrived, the men went back to sanding and Carol went about taping off the rest of the room. Neither really paid the other any mind, but Glenn still could tell something was off about them. He didn't say a word though. He kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that even though Carol was still married to an abusive asshole, her and Daryl were beginning to carry on an affair of the heart.
Chapter End Notes:
Ok, so I painted my whole main level in Rough Ride paint. I totally thought it was called Rough Rider the whole time I used it and it made it into the story. It's a really wonderful color.
www DOT ppgpaints DOT com/color/color-families/neutrals/rough-ride#