"So, Greg and Sean were talking about going and seeing a movie together. All of us." Becca said to Ren as they walked back towards their office.
"Sean? That's the one you talked her into going out with, right?" Marco asked.
"Yeah. I figured if it would make her more willing to go out with him a second time, we'd just double date." Becca looked at her friend. "You guys have been texting for like two weeks. And you told him you'd go out with him again."
"I know." Ren moaned. "It's just weird."
"Look it's never easy getting back out there after a long relationship like you had with dick bag." Marco said, "But even if Sean isn't his replacement, you need to get back in the grove for when you do find him."
Ren let out a long groan as the rounded the corner to their building. The three of them stopped as they saw a man getting shoved out of the front doors by security. One of the guards, Mikey, pushed the man a second time so he fell to the ground. "Stay out here!"
"What the hell's going on?" Becca walked up to them.
"Ladies. Marco." Mikey nodded his head at them, "Guys been hanging around for the last thirty minutes."
"Why?" Marco asked.
"Holy shit." Ren's stomach dropped as he picked himself up off the ground. She should have recognized him from far away but without having seen his face she couldn't imagine him being there. Even seeing him she almost couldn't imagine Daryl being there.
"He kept saying he was looking for you Ms. Reiter." The guard told them.
"And why were you kicking him out then?" Ren asked as her eyes couldn't leave Daryl's face, despite the fact he couldn't look at her straight.
"Because it didn't make sense ma'am." Mikey answered, "He doesn't seem like someone we should just let have access to you. Wanted to make sure you were safe."
"Next time, ask." She looked at Becca, "Call in a favor?"
"You really know him?" Becca asked and Ren nodded.
"I'll explain later." Ren looked between her and Marco.
"Okay. Yeah. What do you need?" Becca asked.
"Tell Justin if he asks that my lunch didn't agree with me or something." Ren looked back at Daryl, "I don't think I'm coming back the rest of the day."
"Alright." Her friend nodded but then leaned in, "Everything's okay, though right?"
"Yeah." She smiled, trying to reassure her friend, "He's a sweetheart."
"Text me later." Becca said before her and Marco headed for the door.
Ren nodded for Mikey to go inside too and when he did she turned around and they finally looked at her. She didn't know what to say. Or if she should even say anything.
She was beautiful, the sunlight gleaming off her skin, hair pulled back. She looked perfect, everything he needed to see. Stepping forward he swallowed, "Lost your number. I didn now how else to find you other than your job."
"I…I told you to use your tracking skills." She let out an awkward laugh. Ren could feel Mikey and the other guard staring at them through the doors to make sure Daryl didn't do anything to her. She asked, "Why…why are you here?" When his eyes met hers, her chest went tight and she nodded, "You want to talk about it somewhere else?"
"Yeah." He hated how scared he was of what she would say to him.
"Are you hungry?" She asked as they started to walk, "Cause we just ate, but I can sit while you eat if you want."
"Ren." He knew she wasn't good in situations like this. He wasn't much better, but he hated seeing her uncomfortable.
"Alone?" She knew it was the best option. He nodded and she did too, "Where are you parked? Or how did you get here?"
"Bike." He pointed to where it was parked on the street.
He rode his bike from Georgia? She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable that must have been. Ren hoped this wasn't a bad idea, "If you want you can follow me to my apartment. We can talk there?"
Daryl nodded, it would be good for her if it didn't go well, she would be home already at least. He just didn't know if there was a chance of it actually going well. He just knew she was being nice like she always was. He followed her in her car to a parking garage and she pointed him to a spot to park.
Ren texted the security downstairs letting them know that the motorcycle was with her and not to tow it. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for whatever was about to happen. Whatever explanation he had, she had to make sure that she wouldn't get hurt again. But having him leave would also hurt, so she wasn't sure what she needed to do. But she hated how seeing him on his bike made her feel. It wasn't the time for that.
They walked into the building on the sixth floor that connected to the garage and Daryl felt out of place immediately in the white walled hallways with sleek tile floors and silver accents on the walls and doors. Maybe this had been a mistake, maybe their worlds were to different and it didn't matter how they felt in the forest.
When she put her key in her door and opened it up to where she lived, some of his worries faded. The apartment wasn't clean and sleek like the hallway had been. It was cozy and inviting, there were decorations and pictures hanging on the walls. He could see where if someone wanted it to look like the hallway, it could, but Ren had made it comfortable and welcoming.
She'd prepared herself the whole drive. Turning to look at him she asked again, "Why are you here?"
"I didn mean it." He managed to get out. Daryl wanted to move towards her, wanted to hold her, but it wasn't right of him, "I don't think you're like that. I get it if you never want to see me again, but he fucks with my head and I didn mean to say it."
"Was…was what you said in the hotel room real?" She wanted to be sure, but prepared for the answer.
He nodded, "You're the best thing in my life."
"Wi-" She closed her mouth. She wanted to ask it, all she'd needed was to hear him say it was real. That he meant it. But it wasn't fair of her to ask it.
"Say it." He stepped closer, "Say it, I deserve it."
She shook her head, "It's not fair."
"What I did to you wasn't fair." He said, "So say it."
"Will you stay?" She looked him in the eye, her face pale and her jaw slightly quivering, "Here? With me?"
His chest went tight and he almost couldn't believe she just asked that. But, how could he? "Ren…I never had a job."
"I didn't ask that. I asked if you would stay." She didn't stop looking at him.
"I ain't gunna live off you. It ain't right."
"We'll figure it out." She shrugged, "Did you plan on going back to your brother?"
Daryl didn't say anything. His plan was to just apologize. His eyes left hers and she sighed.
"Daryl…Daryl I went out on a date." She told him and he looked back at her. Her lip was quivering even more, "I went on a date with a guy that practically everyone thinks is perfect. He's handsome, he's an MIT graduate, he's got a career." Ren held back a sniffle, "At the end of the date he kissed me." She saw his jaw go tight at this and so she took a step towards him, less than a foot between them now. Looking directing into his beautiful blue eyes she said, "And I felt nothing."
"What?" He didn't understand.
"He kissed me and all I could think of was you." She told him, a tear going down her cheek, "I don't know what you did, or how you made me only want you, but you did." She put her hand on his chest, "You came all the way out here for a reason Daryl Dixon. Drove almost three thousand miles. Why?"
"Cause I wanted to apologize to you." It had been the thing he thought of when he'd left, was at least telling her he was sorry. "Cause didn mean to hurt you."
"And after you did that?" She asked.
"Didn think that far ahead." He cupped her face, his thumb running along her cheek.
"Yes, you did." She leaned up towards him, her voice a mix of whisper and plea, "Stay."
Daryl couldn't stop himself. She was too close, and he met her lips with his own. Her fingers grazed his jaw line and his arms wrapped around her, holding her close as the kiss deepened. She'd missed him, the way his tongue felt in her mouth, the way his fingers pressed against her waist, but most importantly, she'd missed the way he made her feel. Ren backed away slightly, but he followed her, and she couldn't stop the smile as he kissed her deeply before letting her go. She asked, "Was that a yes?"
"I don't belong here." He finally vocalized.
"You belong wherever you want to be." She told him. "And I'll be behind you whatever you choose."
He wanted to be with her. He nodded, "I'll stay."
Her stomach unclenched and she couldn't stop her smile as he leaned back down to her. But as his lips met her his stomach also growled. Ren pulled away and looked up at him, "I thought you weren't hungry?"
He'd been too nervous to be hungry, but he'd barely eaten since he left Georgia. He'd wanted to make sure he had enough money for gas to get there. He ran a hand down her back, "Just a little."
"Uh huh." She moved from his arms, a smirk pulling at her lips, "Let me see if I have anything." As she made her way into the kitchen she stopped and turned, "Do you have anything you want to bring in?"
"I gotta bag." He answered.
"Okay." She tossed him her keys, "I'll find you something to eat."
He nodded as he headed for the door. Ren let out a big breath and wasn't sure if she was more nervous or excited that he was there. They'd lived together before, but that was in towers in a forest. This was living together. They had more things here though, so it was bound to make it easier.
As she opened her cupboard, she saw barely any food. She didn't have a lot of that since she almost always ate out. She managed to find enough to make him a sandwich though and was finishing it as he came back in.
Watching him put the backpack down she pointed, "That's it?" He nodded and she couldn't stop her laugh, "You rode all the way here with a backpack? You really didn't have a plan, did you?"
"Not past you, no." He told her.
She felt the heat in her cheeks. Handing him the sandwich she apologized, "It's not much...I don't really keep that much food in the house."
"Explains why you never remember to eat." He said before taking a bite.
"Well then I guess it's a good thing you're here." She smiled up at him, the nerves slowly going away as things began to feel familiar once again. Walking over to the backpack she asked, "I'm assuming these need to be washed?"
"Yeah but you ain't gotta-" He started but she put her hand up.
"You feed me, I'll do your laundry." She looked him in the eye.
He nodded, "Alright."
Putting the sandwich in his mouth he used the hand it was just in to open the door to the fridge and saw that there was almost nothing in there food wise. She sighed, "Yeah, I'm probably going to need to go grocery shopping. But that's fine because you're going to need clothes."
"Nah." He shook his head.
"I don't care if it's just t shirts and jeans, you're not living in the same three outfits." She opened up the backpack, "Plus, if you want to get a job, you're going to need different clothes."
The realization of what was happening hit him. He was going to be living with Ren, they were going to be together in a place he doesn't know, a city he's never been to. He didn't want to mess up or make her life harder.
"I've…" He was embarrassed by what he was about to say, "I've never done anythin like this before."
"I'd never done what I did in the forest before." She told him. "But we figured that out."
He nodded, "We'll figure this out too."
"Yeah." She smiled. "Now, so we don't overwhelm you, how about we shop online for some new clothes?"
"Alright." He'd never done that either. But he guessed she was right that was better than him having to go out to stores, something else he'd never really done. Most of his clothes had been Merles at some point.
"Come on." She waved him over to the couch and he stopped. She turned around to look at him, "What?"
"Can I shower first?" He asked. Despite how cozy her apartment was, it was still clean, and he was not after days straight on a motorcycle, sleeping outside at rest stops and in parks.
She laughed, "Yeah, come on. I might even have something clean for you to wear."
He followed her through the living room to a hall where the bathroom was, and she showed him where everything was at. It took all her willpower to not join him in there, but she knew she needed to start his clothes in the laundry and text Becca that everything was good. Which is exactly what she did before finding something that her brother had left there, she knew that would fit him.
When he was done, he came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair, wearing sweatpants and a t shirt. Ren was already seated on the couch and he sat down next to her as she pulled her laptop on her lap.
"So, I made a list of things you probably need. The ones up here are the more important, need right now sort of thing, and the ones down here are the ones we can get as we go." She pointed at the screen and he just nodded. Ren looked at him, her throat tight, "Where...where do you want to sleep because I have a spare bed, I just need to get like sheets and stuff for it but you're more than welcome to sleep in my bed with me if you want but you don't ha-" He stopped her by kissing her and she nodded, "Right. My bed it is."
They sat there for a while picking out things for him, or rather Ren was trying to get him to pick out things because he either didn't care or he didn't want to be too much trouble. After about an hour he finally started pointing at things on the screen when it came to clothes. He'd never really gotten to pick them out before. The ones he picked weren't fancy, but he'd always liked button down shirts. The ones he picked out were all black, but they were nicer than any of the ones Merle had ever owned, they didn't have holes in them, and Ren said they should fit him better.
They ordered dinner since they didn't feel like going out and when they were done eating, they were back on the couch.
Daryl put his arm around her, and she leaned against his shoulder. After a moment she nuzzled into him more and he took the chance to pull her legs over his lap, pulling her closer to him. He felt her hand over his and he watched as her fingers traced the tattoo on his hand. "This one's new."
"Yeah. Got it 'bout a week after you left." He said, his lips against her temple.
"I…" She swallowed hard and he rubbed her leg to let her know it was okay to say whatever was on her mind, "I shouldn't have left, should I?"
"You weren't wrong." He told her, "But…but I did come to see you." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and scared, "I was gunna apologize then, but you'd gone. I'm glad you did. I'd've never left if I'd've said sorry that night."
"I thought I'd never see you again." Ren leaned towards him, pressing her lips to his.
He cradled her head as the kiss deepened. He'd thought the same at points after she'd left, but the longer he'd gone without her, the more he knew he needed her. Holding onto his collar she leaned back, pulling him down with her as she laid on the couch. Moving over her his hand gripped her waist as her fingers tangled in his hair, their tongues meeting in passionate caresses. Daryl went to reach for his back pocket where his wallet was and remembered that there wasn't a condom in there anymore. He'd given it to Merle and saw no need to replace it if Ren wasn't around.
Breaking the kiss, he put his head on her shoulder, "I'm sorry."
"Why?" She wasn't sure if she should be worried or not.
"I…I uh ain't got a condom." He told her and she laughed.
"Really now?"
"I wasn't usin 'em." He looked back at her.
She moved hair out of his face, "Good answer."
"You don't have any?"
"I wasn't using them." She shook her head. A small smile was on her face, "It's okay though. We don't have a time limit anymore."
A/N: Okay guys, I know this was a long one, but I really wanted to keep every part of this chapter! I'm not sure if these longer chapters will happen more or not, but if they happen often, I hope you guys don't mind them. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter in all it's lengthy goodness!