Chapter Three:

"...And you know he had the nerve to yell at me in front of everyone? The whole restaurant turned around and looked at me! I was so mad!"

Rick bit his lips together as he chuckled silently as he walked towards his truck, "I bet you yelled right back-"

"You know I did", Sasha huffed, shaking her head in annoyance, "I made him drop me home and then I deleted his number. Asshole"

He sighed at his friend, "That's the best way to deal with it"

He unlocked his vehicle and they both got in, done with a long day at work. Rick was exhausted and looking forward to heading straight home, but not after dropping Sasha home first. He didn't initially mind carpooling her to and from work when she told him her car broke down, but having seen that her car was back in her driveway, he began to suspect that he was effectively her chauffeur.

"You have the kids this weekend?"

"Nah", Rick answered regretfully, "Lori's taking them up to her parents for the weekend so she can relax for her birthday"

"Hey! Speaking of parents, I heard your dad's caught himself a young fish?", Sasha teased, tilting her head to see his face, "Tell me about her?"

"No.", Rick replied bluntly as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Have you met her? Is she nice?"

"I'm sure that I just said no?", He shot her the briefest side eye as he tried to avoid the topic of his father and his girlfriend.

"You need to take a page out of your father's book and get out there- oh, your aunt Riley told me she was setting you up with-"

"She's not setting me up with anyone and when did she tell you that?"

"I saw her in the store", Sasha shrugged, "How else did you think I found out about your dad?"

Rick groaned as he stared out the windshield, "I should rename her the 'town newspaper'-"

"Well at least she's telling me something. You just clam up all the time-"

"Why would I want to talk about one of my father's many relationships?"

Sasha gave him a dubious look, "Hey, you never know, this one might be your stepmom-"

Rick groaned even louder than last time, "Please don't? Just… don't…"

His friend snickered evilly at him, "Nothing's funnier to me than seeing you get all wound up. Mr-straight-and-narrow Rick is now Mr-stick-up-his-ass Rick"

He peered over at her again, retorting dryly, "Very funny."

"I know", Sasha quipped happily, "So Lori's birthday? What's happening with that? Riley said dinner tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. Nothing fancy, just that Chinese restaurant in town", Rick replied tiredly as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Need to get her somethan' from the kids"

"Aw. I hope if I ever get married and divorced that I can co-parent like you and Lori do"

He scoffed, "You know, you're not the first person to say that to me but we still argue, it just doesn't get as bad as it used to"

"You can still be in the same room as each other without hurling plates and cups", Sasha pointed out as she retrieved a bottle of water from her bag, "It's a good thing"

"It is, and I'm glad thangs aren't like they were before. It's better for the kids and… well, everyone else"

"Have you met Brian? What's he like?", She queried before taking a sip from her bottle, leading Rick to glance at her for a third time, wondering how she knew about his ex-wife's new boyfriend. She stilled, "Riley"

"Of course it was Riley", He breathed, shaking his head as he thought of his aunt, "Well, Brian seems alright. Comes on a little strong… I don't know, there's somethan' a little… different about him, but he seems nice enough. The kids are getting on with him"

"Different? Different how?", Sasha narrowed her eyes at him as she closed the lid on her bottle.

"Like…", Rick squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, "I don't wanna' sound like a moron but I get the impression that he might not really like Lori… or women, at all"

Her eyes bulged, "He's gay?"

"I'm not sure but I get the impression that he could possibly like other men"

"Oh Rick, I hope you're not just going off his behaviour", Sasha reprimanded firmly, "It's easy to assume that just because someone might not talk or act the way that society tells us, doesn't mean-"

"I've caught him checking out other men. Twice", Rick confessed dryly, "Leering at other men, I should say"

"Oh", Sasha choked out, shifting uncomfortably in her seat too, "Well, that's different then, isn't it? Have you mentioned it to Lori?"

"Nah", He shook his head, "I don't want to say anythan' and make thangs awkward if I'm wrong. And what if he doesn't even think he is? I've heard of that happening you know"

Sasha stared at the side of his head for a short time, her lips pressed into a hard line, "I could write a book about your family"

Rick snorted, "It would be the longest, most dramatic story in history"

Sasha cackled wickedly beside him, forcing him to chuckle also, as the woman's laugh was quite contagious. He had known her for several years, and the two of them hit it off initially, both finding each other amusing for polar opposite reasons. He dropped her off at her home, and he didn't miss an opportunity to draw attention to her car sat in her driveway, but Sasha responded the way she often did when she didn't want to talk about something; she ignored him and walked away.

Rick made his way home and prepared for a child weekend, which wasn't something that happened often. Even though he and Lori shared custody of Carl and Judith, they would still spend quite some time together as a family, regardless of whose week it was with the children. Rick could hold his hands up and admit that it was one of the best things to happen since the divorce, as he was initially worried that his time spent with his children would be affected, but they were able to work something out that benefited all of them.

The next day he left his home early to go into town to purchase and gift for Lori from Carl and Judith, as well as run a few other errands. His 'go-to' gift was always perfume, as he knew his ex-wife loved to drench herself in floral fragrances, so he grabbed her a bottle of the first thing he saw, then headed to the florist to get her flowers.

"Lori's birthday?", Joanne sniggered as he approached the counter, "Daisy's with a pink ribbon around 'em?"

"I should really just pre-order them for the next ten years", Rick huffed, resting his hands on the counter, "Or until Carl's old enough to do it himself"

The older blonde woman laughed, "But then I'd miss our little meetings? I enjoy watching you run in here at the last minute"

Rick smirked as he shook his head, "I feel as though everyone loves to see me flustered"

"You're too straight and narrow"

He immediately frowned at her, "Have you been talking to Sasha?"

"No, that's just what we call you when you leave the room", Joanne informed as she began to walk around the counter, "I think I first heard it from one of the Dixon brothers, actually…"

Rick narrowed his eyes at the woman as he watched her make her way through the shop, about to quiz her further when the little bell above the front entrance chimed, signalling a new customer. He peered in the doors direction curiously, about to look back at Joanne when he did a double take, almost snapping his neck in the process.

"Oh… hey", Michonne greeted, in a manner that Rick could only describe as shamefully, and after looking her from head to toe, he could see why.

She had on a straw hat, with a white tank top and a pair of tiny denim shorts that were hidden by a red flannel shirt tied around her waist, topped off with a pair of tan cowboy boots. Rick tried not to gawk, but his eyes were drawn to her lean legs as he tried to figure out where they ended, 'Uh. Hey."

She shifted from foot to foot, appearing uncharacteristically nervous, "This isn't my usual attire..."

"I didn't think it was?", He forced his gaze to stay on her face.

She took the tiniest steps forward, "I went dancing- your dad, took me dancing last night. Over at the-"

"Oh, yeah, I know where", He cleared his throat, "Yeah. Well that's great. Looks like you had fun"

Michonne appeared to bare her teeth at him as she took her time to respond, "...It was fun. I mean the music was terrible, but there are a lot of nice people around here and they sure know how to have a good time so yeah, it was great."

"Yeah…", He nodded, his gaze darting around the space beside her, "They do. They like to dance and… drink…"

"So… flower shopping?", She held her little tan purse in front of her, hiding any indication that she was wearing anything at all under the shirt, "Pretty early in the morning?"

"Yeah. It's Lori's birthday so… just gonna' get her somethan' from the kids"

"Oh that's- tell her I said happy birthday? That's great. She actually told me that we were the same age. I'm a month older, though"

"Yeah. You definitely are the same age", Rick repeated with a little too much enthusiasm, leading Michonne to purse her lips at him as she raised a single brow. He cleared his throat for a second time, "So, what brings you by?"

"Well, a friend of mine gave birth last night and I wanted to get her something before I went up there", She explained, and it was Rick's turn to look at her strangely, so she tutted, "After I change, obviously. I only stopped by in here because your dad said I could mention his name and get a great deal"

Rick fought the urge to roll his eyes, "Ah… well that's great, too. Nice of you"

"It's just flowers", She retorted dryly, "It's nothing compared to giving birth to a life"

He blinked at her, not entirely sure how to reply to her remark, "Well, yeah? In the grand scheme of thangs?"

Something about the way she studied him, let Rick further know that she still disliked him, even after their last encounter. He did his best to be mindful of the things he said in her presence at the lake, even going as far as apologising for his behaviour when they initially met, but Michonne still appeared to be the type of person who didn't forgive easily.

"Here you go, Rick", Joanne held out a fresh bouquet for him, wrapped in a silky pink bow. The older woman looked at Michonne and raised a finger to her as she quickly spoke, "I'll be with you in just a moment, honey"

"That's fine, take your time", Michonne insisted politely, before muttering under her breath, "He's a difficult customer"

Rick heard her, and he was sure she wanted him to, but still he smiled at Joanne as he handed over his silver credit card that he retrieved from his wallet, "Thanks"

In spite of what Michonne thought, the exchange was quick and Rick took his purchases as he stepped around her, unsure of how to say goodbye, and if he even wanted to.

"So… how are Carl and Judith doing?", Michonne asked after Joanne raised a finger to her for a second time as she answered the phone behind the counter.

"Great. They're doing great… With their other grandparents this weekend...", Rick replied faintly, his eyes zeroing in on the hat she wore, "Is that… did my dad give you that hat?"

"He did", She nodded, glancing up towards the brim, "He said I couldn't dance to country music without one. I thought the boots were enough"

"Ah, yeah well that's… that's my hat", Rick could already see the tiny bite mark missing from it, courtesy of an infant Carl, "I can see where my son has attacked it over the years"

Michonne's eyes widened as she all but ripped it from her head, "Oh, really? I'm sorry, here you go"

"Nah, keep it", He shook his head as he frowned, "I haven't worn it in God knows how long but even still, I don't think it suited me as well as it does you"

Michonne's delayed response told Rick that his compliment was unexpected, which was something he could understand, seeing as he didn't think better of his comment before it left his lips. She ran her hands through her dreads, repositioning them to fall over her shoulder as she finally replied, "Well, thank you… and thank you for the hat…I'll remember that the next time I wear it..."

For reasons unbeknownst to Rick, all the blood in his body decided to seek refuge in his neck and face, making him feel as if someone had lit a match under his chin. He began to back away from her I'm hopes of finding some fresh air, "So uh, yeah, well I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, maybe… Bye", She gave him a pathetic attempt at a wave before spinning on her heel to face the counter again, and Rick did the same to leave the store.

It would have been wise for Rick to try and figure out why his interaction with Michonne left him feeling a little uneasy, but as he was actively trying his best to not focus on the fact that she had most likely slept of at his father's house for the night, he refused to think about her entirely, and continued on with his day like nothing happened.

He dropped Lori's gifts at her home and spent a little time helping to get Carl and Judith ready to spend the night with their other grandparents before seeing them off. Rick would have loved to tag along for the journey, but he couldn't stand Lori's parents, and they couldn't stand him, so it was only right that he kept his distance, especially as they didn't get to babysit the children often.

He spent the remainder of his afternoon trying to complete Judith's newly decorated room at his home, applying new wallpaper and hand painting her furniture white, which proved to be a time consuming job, as by the time he was done, the sun was setting and he was running late to attend Lori's birthday dinner.

It was only natural that he attend as they shared the same circle of friends, and it gave him an excuse to have a beer and relax with good company. He had a quick shower and threw on his denim shirt and stonewash jeans, giving himself the once over before leaving his apartment, ready to apologise profusely for getting so caught up in his task.

"You're late", Lori pointed out flatly as she greeted him by the door.

"I know and I'm sorry. I was working on Judith's room", He explained as he followed her through the dimly lit establishment, "I told you about that"

"Yeah well, listen, that's all good and well, and I'm sure she'll love it, but right now, I'm about to lose it with your father", Lori hissed over her shoulder as she stomped her feet.

Rick frowned at the back of her head, "My father? He's here? You didn't tell me you invited him-"

"I bumped into him yesterday and told him to stop by if he's in the area, and he did but he's not alone!", She flipped her hair over her shoulder and plastered a fake smile on her face as they reached the table, announcing to everyone seated, "Look who's here!"

Rick's perked up, forcing a smile on his face as he recognised the familiar faces of his friends, and he was about to say hello when he noticed his father at the other end of the table, laughing heartily before taking a swig of his brown beverage, and Rick's smile immediately vanished, replaced with a questioning frown.

Not because his father was drinking and enjoying himself, but because he had a few of his older friends huddled around, squeezed in at the end of the table, and because he had has arm draped around a ginger haired women, who leaned in close to whisper something in his ear, causing his father to roar with laughter once again.

Rick's eyes darted back to Lori, "Who the hell is that?"

"His girlfriend, apparently", Lori breathed deeply as she watched the man scornfully for a second, "I love your father, but you need to get him the hell out of here, Rick. They're drunk, they're loud, and they're being obnoxious, not to mention he's damn near making out with that woman, so do something about that before I do"

He looked back towards the men, who were still howling at whatever antidote his father provided, leading the red-haired woman to grab hold of his chin and brand his cheek with another pink print from her lipstick. Rick took a moment to move as he was absolutely astonished at his father's brazen attitude. He was very aware that his father had been with Michonne just the night before, and he had even gifted her with his hat, so to hear that the woman that was tucked under his arm was a girlfriend, left Rick feeling mortified with the Grimes patriarch, and it was officially the last straw.

"Hey hey! Sharon, look!", his father bellowed, raising his glass towards Rick, "That there is my boy, my youngest. Richard Jr, don't he look like me?"

"Oh he looks just like you!", Sharon gasped, slapping her hand towards her chest, "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Rick. Richard had told me so much about you!"

"He's a good boy this one, raised right. I'm proud of him, he and his ex-wife get on like a house on fire"

Sharon pouted at Rick, "That is absolutely beautiful. So good for this children"

Rick's light brows were sat in a straight line on his forehead as he glared at his father, who tilted his head at him with confusion, "Hey? What's wrong, son? You alright? Need a drink?"

Rick slowly inhaled as he set his hands at his sides, "I need a word with you, outside. Now".