The sun is about to set, and I've gotten okay at hitting the target from 10-15 feet away. My arms and shoulders are sore. What I wouldn't give for a massage right about now I think to myself, but I keep going regardless. "Lets call it" Daryl says picking his bow up off the ground and heading towards the house "ill get us something to eat and then we'll crash here till mornin'" He says while he's walking away.
"One more shot!" I shout back to him. I take a deep breath, bringing the bow back up and into the positioning I've been working on. I close my eyes to focus and open them slowly. I look at the target, but behind it, on the fence, I spot a squirrel. I slowly switch my position and take aim for the little critter. I release my finger and the arrow goes flying. The arrow quickly pierces it through the body and it falls to the ground in a heap! "Oh my God!" I turn around to face Daryl "did you see that?!" I yelp as I run closer to him. His jaw is gaped open a little and when I reach him I throw my arms around him "thank you!" I squeal in delight, my bow already dropped to the ground.
"Holy shit!" He says wrapping his one arm around me. He lifts my feet off the ground just a few inches and swings me around in a half circle, hugging me back "that was great" he says, lowering my feet to the dead grass, his blue eyes staring at me.
"Thank you" I smile back, my heart racing. I don't know if it's from being this close to him, our bodies touching or the adrenaline from getting my first live shot. I don't have time to process through it as his lips are suddenly pushing against mine.
I kiss him back, moving along with his lips as if it's all I've ever wanted to do. It's nothing like that first kiss I pushed on him in the woods. This ones got something behind it. Only, he pulls away too quickly though, and my breath is caught in my lungs "sorry" he says, not moving a part from me though, his face stern. I shake my head to tell him he doesn't have to be, but no words form out of my mouth. His hand reaches to my face and he moves a strand off hair behind my ear "looks like we got somethin' to eat" he smiles just a tad before walking away to grab my arrow and the dead animal. I stand motionless, watching him move as if it's the easiest thing in the world. I stand there like a statue until he comes back, my heart and head wanting to say something to him, to somehow get closer to him again but he just walks past me towards the house.
"You sure someone shouldn't stay up to take watch?" I ask him nervously, looking out the upstairs window. After heating up and eating squirrel meat, Daryl went to look for some supplies in the other houses. I stayed behind and set up a room for us to crash in with the sleeping bags and whatever else we brought from the prison.
He shakes his head, laying on the floor and getting under the blanket, his arrows close by "naw, killed a total of 4 of em' while I was out that long, ain't no livin' dead round here" he says, turning to flick the flashlight off.
I walk to the bed and get under the blanket before he turns it off. The night sky and full moon illuminates the room and I stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. "What if a herd comes through?" I ask him in a low voice.
"Wouldn't come through here." he says back lowly.
I sit up on my elbows "what if people come through?" I ask, more worried, knowing now that they are the real threat in this world.
I see his silhouette sit up a bit before he responds back to me "the car is in the garage, we set up noise traps, blocked the door. We good for 1 night" he tries assures me.
"alright" I sigh and lay back down myself. The night ticks by slowly, minute after minute of worrying is mixed with minute after minute of wonder. Earlier in the night Daryl kissed me, and I kissed him back. What does that mean? I try to tell myself that it was nothing, that Daryl is just my friend, but is that really all I want? He can be so arrogant sometimes, such a jerk that I can't stand him, yet something about the way he stands up for the group, stands up for me, makes that all okay.
"I can hear ya thinkin' up there." Daryl spits out at some point.
"What?" I mutter back, unaware my tossing and turning was keeping him awake "sorry, didn't mean to wake you" I say back in a whisper.
The room stays quiet and I figure he is just going back to sleep. A minute, maybe two passes before he says something back "ya didn't."
"Can't sleep either?" I ask him.
He just humms back "mmmm."
It's that, that sound of comfort behind his voice, the sound of peace, that makes me crawl out of the large king size bed and tip toe over to where he is laying on an old shagged rug "what- aa what are you doing?" He asks as I sit down next to him, my legs straightening out. He's leaned up on one elbow now watching me curiously.
"move over" I demand looking at him with a smile. The moonlight allows me to see his eyes and the confusion behind them but he does as I requested and moves over enough for me to slide into the half opened sleeping bag along side of him. His body heat emitting onto my skin, the sensation tingling through my entire body. "Goodnight" I say happily, turning away from him and resting my head on my arm.
It doesn't happen instantly but after a few moments his arm wraps around my waist, and he mumbles back "night." My quickened heart rate slows now and I know. His arm might not be wrapped around me tightly, he may not be pulling me close to him, but he's here. With that one return gesture, he's told me what I wanted to know. Who would have thought that one arm would be all I needed. One arm wrapped around me made my world spin again, allowing myself to feel something I've never let myself feel before.