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So, here is Chapter 2.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead. Don't think I ever will. Can only dream.
Rick
Rick took a last look at himself in the mirror and he massaged his temples when he felt a sudden throb before getting his phone and room key and headed for the door. Luckily, he didn't run into anyone on his way down. Although he was in a good mood, he didn't feel like being stopped to take pictures or having selfies; he wouldn't say no, but right now he just wanted to make it to the lobby to the others and go out.
When the elevator's door opened and he stepped out he was greeted by the familiar voices of people talking and laughing. Maggie was the first to notice him coming towards them and smiled.
"Great! You are finally here. Now we only have to wait for Daryl and Sasha. They were coming down already, just needed to pick Michonne up". She said as a sort of explaining why they were still there waiting.
"That's fine, I think we still have time", he tried to act nonchalantly to the mention of the woman's name. He shifted the weight from one foot to the other and checked his phone in an attempt to deflect the conversation.
"Any news from Lori? Did you talk to the kids today?".
"Oh, yes, they are fine. Carl really wants the school to be over so he could come and watch us filming but it will be next time I guess. I miss them a lot though", he confessed.
"He is a great kid, Rick. It's a good thing we are done for now, right? You can go back to them, and Lori."
"Yeah, it is".
Rick was not so sure about that these days. Sure it meant he could definitely go back home and spend time with his children, especially Judith who seemed to be growing with every passing day. She was his little princess and being able to see her or even hear her giggle or saying all that gibberish a toddler says made him the happiest father on earth. He liked bonding with his son too, even when the teenager was difficult most of the time he was around lately but they still have moments that Rick enjoyed.
But going back home meant that he'd also have to deal with Lori and her complaints about him not spending enough time with his family and asking once again for him to leave the show, which would turn into him saying not yet and into her acting cold, distant, weird and blaming him for every minor insatisfaction she might have. In the end, all the time he was supposed to be happy with his family would become a nightmare where the only highlight would be his kids.
He wasn't eager to go back to all that, if he was being honest he actually dreaded going back to his wife and all those arguments and the distance that he wasn't even sure when it started. If I could only have his kids, then this break will be perfect. He shook his head to free himself from that line of thinking. Things between him and Lori haven't been good for a while now and have escalated to worse but he hasn't ever thought about a separation. They were married. They were promised to each other. Divorce was something that has never crossed his mind.
That was before her. Michonne.
She had changed a lot of his way of thinking about life. About what he really wanted and deserved. There was nothing that she had done per se, but since the first day, he had felt this out-of-the-world connection to her. Something he has never experienced and never really thought was real or could happen to him. They have bonded since day one and have been sort of besties for a long time on and off-screen. They'd usually sit together when going out to eat with friends and support each other when working on other projects, be it in person or sending good vibes over many phone calls.
He would tell her about his children and how Carl would always ask about her, how she'd prepare to wield her katana, and whenever he visited Rick on set, Carl and Michonne would spend time talking about comics and the Marvel universe since Rick's knowledge about this was almost non-existent. She would tell him about her family, her travels and all of her projects, writings in process, all the causes and fights she was involved in, and that have been part of her for so long. She was passionate about everything she did to help empower women and girls around the world and Rick's admiration for her grew more to a level to make him feel proud.
They'd even connect so much that sometimes just a simple look will suffice to know what the other was thinking. But things started to change when she began acting weird and shy around him after finding out they were supposed to take their relationship onscreen to the next level. He didn't think much of it but inside he was kind of anxious about how that scene was going to play out. He shouldn't have felt like that. He had done that kind of scenes with other actresses before, no big deal. But not with her. They decided not to rehearse the kiss; "it should feel natural, the natural progression of their characters". Those were her words and he felt exactly that way.
So, when his lips touched hers on that couch and he could smell more of the scent of lavender and vanilla coming from her whole body and the mints from her mouth he grew dizzy for a moment. He had to regroup with all his might and put all his training to work so he was not lost in the moment and could follow the script and finish the scene. It didn't help that Michonne felt a bit lost like him and reacted the way she did.
Her full luscious lips have felt as smooth and soft as he had imagined them more times than he will ever admit and then some more. Her body warm and molded to his, her hands on the back of his neck grasping his curls, tinkling his scalp. His hands in her locs, then roaming her sides, trying to accommodate her to him. He didn't mean to suck on her upper lip, he just couldn't help it and so they kept going, him hovering over her, kissing and lightly licking, sucking, tasting until someone yelled cut, and then it was like someone had sucked the happiness out of his body when she pulled away from him and sat straight.
She didn't immediately look at him, and he figured it was because he did what he was not supposed to do and she knew he enjoyed it way too much. He knew she knew he had. But he relaxed when she looked up and gave her the I felt that stare and a smirk. He shrugged and cracked a joke about being more fun working with her than Daryl as an answer to her silent statement and everybody seemed to relax. After all was set (and they realized that one shot was all it took to make the scene work, Thank god he thought, he was already a mess) she disappeared while he lingered making small talk but actually trying to bury what had just happened and what his heart had started to tell him loud and clear.
Now, though they hadn't shared too many romantic scenes there always seemed to be a weird environment around them when they actually had to film one. He would think about it for some time before it actually had to be filmed. But as consecrated professionals, as they both were, they always made it work perfectly, smoothly and never talked about it more than they should.
In the end, he had to admit to himself that he had a crush on her leading lady and friend, a big one to say the least, and despite that, he really felt he was too old to use that word to define what he was feeling for Michonne it seemed the right one. There was no other explanation. Sadly, this was not something he could or would act on. He was married and she was definitely not the kind of woman who deserved to be seconds to any man. He valued her as a friend, a professional, and a woman. Hell, he wasn't sure if she was still dating Mike or if she even felt the same way. He had found himself desperate and lost because it was something that has never happened to him before, and so far he only knew what he should NOT do.
His mind was set on just letting things go and give it time and maybe, just maybe he would end up giving in and do what Lori wanted and finally, he'd leave the show. But his heart would always find a way to play some tricks on him whenever he saw her laugh and his eyes inevitably found hers across rooms full of people, or dwell on her floral scent when she would choose to sit next to him or make small talk when they were out.
He fought hard not to touch her more than a friend would but sometimes he'd just give up and press his hand to her lower back with the excuse to help her or lightly touch her arms when being too close was a plausible excuse. It was her dark chocolate skin, the way his fingers felt against it, how she would wet her lips and tuck a loc behind her ear at the same time when focusing on reading a script; those sensations he wanted to feel over and over again. Small things he would later think of as harmless but that would make his heart speed up like a bloody teenager.
He rubbed his temples again. He was going to get a headache if he kept thinking about that too much. He was looking forward to this night, he really needed to relieve some stress from all the filming. The plan was simple tonight: spend some quality time with his castmates and friends, including Michonne, and get ready to head back home tomorrow. Simple.
The doors of the elevator opened once more and they saw Daryl and Sasha coming out but no Michonne. Rick frowned, maybe she needed a couple more minutes and she would join them at the bar, he thought. Sasha was the first one to say hi once the couple reached the whole group and Daryl gave him a nod as a salute and then shook his head. Rick got confused as to what he was trying to say to him without actually saying anything at all. He was about to ask what it was when Sasha beat him and spoke.
"We should get going, we are gonna be late and I don't want to lose this reservation. I really don't."
"There is no way in hell I would let that happen. I need to drink my brains out", said Rosita. She gathered her purse and started heading for the hotel door followed by Tara and half of the people.
"You have a flight to catch tomorrow! Let's not get crazy!", he heard Tara reminding the short brunette but everyone knew Rosita was gonna do exactly that. She was not a lightweight when it came to drinking.
"Yeah yeah Tara, whatever…" Soon all that became white noise to Rick. He focused again and was about to ask about Michonne when Maggie read his mind and asked herself.
"Ok, but what about Michonne? Is she joining us there?"
"Nah, she is staying here. She is not feeling well", said Daryl looking at Rick quickly after answering Maggie.
"What is it?" Rick blurted a little louder than he meant.
"It's just one of those migraines, you know how it is. She is fine though. She was about to jump into bed and get some..."
"I'll see if she needs anything else, you guys go ahead and I'll meet you there", Rick cut him off and just like that he sprinted for the elevator again.
Maggie opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. She looked at Daryl and Sasha who were looking at each other. Sasha had an I told you so smirk but Daryl just rolled his eyes and grunted.
"Let's go," he said while gently pushing both women towards the exit.
"Wait! Are we just going to leave?" Maggie asked and Sasha just raised her shoulders and kept walking. Maggie opened her eyes to Daryl. "We should wait for a bit more guys, the bar is not going anywhere!"
"Come on, Mags. Rick is a grownup. He knows how to get there."
With that, he gave Maggie a final push and she reluctantly followed Sasha outside. Clearly, she had no idea but Sasha and Daryl knew better than to get in the way of Rick checking on Michonne's well-being.
Rick swore he would dream of that damn elevator tonight. So much up and down today. They were on different floors this time. He and Daryl were always on the same but on opposite sides. The production knew better than to put them too close. Once the door opened on Michonne's floor he stepped outside and went for the right end of the hall. Her room was the one in the corner. They always made sure she had one of the best views, something she requested politely once and it has been a constant since then. A reason most of them liked to hang in her room, especially Sasha. Those large windows are probably doing no good right now.
He stood outside her door and took a deep breath. This was not the first time he had come to her room but it made him feel antsy anyways. Those times before she had been waiting for him to pick her up or they had just agreed to spend time together. But now it was different somehow and he couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe the fact that she had no idea he was coming or that she was feeling sick.
But he had to know she was ok. It'd made him feel ok too. He just had to. Even stay with her if needed. You probably don't need to be so extreme Richard, he reproached himself. Just knock, ask how she is doing and if she needs anything. Show your support. Act normal and get the hell out before you do something weird. We can do this. He straightened his back, and touched his brow, took another deep breath, and finally knocked on Michonne's door.
Thank you for reading! Show some love with a review to make it even more magical. They are very much welcome. Chapter 3 is almost finished :)
