Hi all – RL and once again other things have interfered with my writing, which is why I haven't been posting like usual.

Anyway, I only have about 2-3 more chapters of this story before I'll be wrapping it up. Thanks again for the continued support!

Chapter Twenty- eight

The past three weeks had been better. Everything had been better since he and Michonne had cleared the air and spent four days healing, physically and emotionally, and getting reacquainted with one another. During his stay in Atlanta, they'd talked a lot about all that had happened – the good, the bad and the heartbreaking. How they planned to move forward –by being honest with each other and taking their relationship day by day. And just life in general – their plans for Thanksgiving, she would be spending it with Sasha and Bob, and he with his parents and Carl; Dating - whether their next weekend together would be in Palmer or Atlanta, TV shows -he'd managed to get her into Hell on Wheels and they'd discovered a show neither had ever watched, but came to enjoy – The Expanse. Cars – she needed a new one a while ago, and he promised he'd help her look the next time he was in Atlanta. Exercise, food, movies, they'd easily picked up where they'd left off, conversing about everything and nothing, preparing meals and ordering takeout, agreeing and disagreeing about nonsense, and just enjoying each other's company, reconnecting without any awkwardness.

Having missed three days of work, recovering, Michonne had returned to the job on day four, while Rick had finally received clearance from the doctor to drive, and thus he could return to Palmer. While he'd savored every second he'd had with Michonne and had no desire for it to end, it was time for him to return to his life in Palmer – his job and most importantly Carl, who'd become increasing antsy about him being away so long, expressing his fear that he didn't plan to return – thoughts which Lori was in part responsible for planting. He needed to be in Palmer, with Carl, to continuously show him that he was his priority and that nothing was going to change that, but first there was something he needed to do in Atlanta – See Shane.

Michonne had been completely against it, reminding him that this man had tried to kill him, that to go and see Shane, who was being held without bond and in addition to aggravated assault was now facing attempted murder charges, would only antagonize the man more, which wouldn't be good for any of them. Rick had considered her warning, but decided he had to do this. He knew it was likely pointless, but he had to know if the man was ever his friend. He had to try and understand why all this had happened. So, he'd gone to see Shane, and it had not gone as expected. It was almost as if the man was coming down off some kind of high, a high that had been Lori and her lies. He seemed truly stunned by what he had done. However, when pressed, he'd admitted that he always envied him, envied his ability to find success, to have a wife and family who loved him.

He'd further stated that in college, he'd seen Lori first, and therefore always thought that she should've been his, that the life Rick built with her belonged to him, "but even when I was giving her everything she wanted, in bed and out of it, she always wanted you. And would use me to whatever end to get your attention." The man had sadly, bitterly confessed. "I was fool enough to believe that I could change that, that I could make her see that I loved her, that I would do anything for her, but she couldn't see it. Didn't want to." Shane had followed his confession with a heartfelt apology, leaving Rick speechless. The visit had not been what he'd been expecting and apart of him wondered if the man was playing an act, in an effort to get him to request the charges be reduced. After all, this was what Rick had been waiting to hear, but he didn't know if he believed him.

Thus, he'd left without giving Shane absolution, returning "home" to the condo, to find Michonne was back from work. She'd been upset to learn that he'd gone to see Shane and had fiercely scolded him about it. However, Rick had explained the reasons for his actions, which she still did not understand and revealed every detail of their conversation, with Shane's apology being something she too couldn't believe.

The news of his visit with Shane, had at first, put somewhat of a damper on his last evening there, but they'd talked it out – with him apologizing and agreeing to never visit Shane again, which had calmed her anger and incited her own apology for overacting to the visit.

Now, three weeks later he and Michonne were embarking upon their first "date," the first time they would be able to truly see each other, touch each other since he'd left her condo that cold November morning nearly a month ago. It had not been an easy journey to this day. For Lori was still being a thorn in their sides. She'd fought so harshly his plans to have Carl spend Thanksgiving with him, that in the end he'd relented, in an attempt to keep their relationship as healthy as possible, and thus cause minimal angst for Carl. Nonetheless she hasn't stopped there, but had tried to block the divorce, claiming she'd signed the papers under duress. She'd even been granted a hearing to argue her claim, but the judge had ruled in his favor granting him the divorce, which would be finalized after the New Year.

In the mist of it all, he and Michonne moved forward with their relationship. They'd resumed texting and talking multiple times a day, had done several Skype dates here and there, but nearly each time they'd been interrupted by Carl who claimed to be having some kind of crisis that needed his attention. However, after Rick had prematurely ended the "date" he'd learn that there was no crisis at all, but Carl manipulating the situation to try and sabotage the time he was spending with Michonne. Rick reproached Carl for his behavior, had even disciplined him a couple of times because of it, banning him from TV and the internet for a few days, but still the issue remained.

Just that day, he'd been delayed in leaving Palmer for Atlanta, due to Carl once again trying to exploit the situation, to sabotage his visit with Michonne, pretending to be afraid to be alone with his mother for fear someone would come and hurt him, specifically the person that started the fire. It had taken Rick nearly two hours to "calm" Carl enough to go to Lori's, but that hadn't come without a price. For his son had stormed out of the house to the car, but not before accusing that he loved Michonne more than him. Rick had emphatically denied this claim, but it did no good in easing the situation. For they'd not said a word in route to his mom's and Carl had left the car in a huff when they'd arrived.

Rick had thought about calling him during his drive to Atlanta, but decided against it. He figured Carl needed some time to cool off. He'd call him later that evening to check in, but right now he wanted to focus on Michonne. This was going to be their first weekend together since they'd gotten back together, and he wanted to be completely focused on her, to give her a wonderful time.

Atlanta, Georgia

Michonne gazed at what she thought was her attractive reflection in the mirror, then nervously made more adjustments to her hair before refining her light make up once more. She had to admit, the cream turtleneck sweater she wore made her skin glow, and the snug jeans and stiletto boots made her figure look particularly feminine and sexy. Michonne turned around to take another quick view of her ass, then drew a nervous breath and scolded herself for acting like a school girl going on her first date. "This is silly." She spoke aloud. Reminding herself that she and Rick had made love for God's sake. Thus, their experiences with each other were not new, and yet they were. Though this was hardly the first time they would be going out, it would be the first time they'd be together since he'd spent four days with her three weeks earlier. She was happy that they'd finally be in the same room again, sharing the same space and was excited about the uncertainty of their plans, having no idea what they were going to do, except go Christmas shopping for Carl. It had been a tough few weeks, dealing with the ongoing issues with Carl and Lori. The former not ready to accept that Rick had moved on, and therefore disrupting nearly every call or Skype date she and Rick had. His interruptions had gotten so bad that they had to start planning calls and "dates" when Carl was not around. Then there was Lori who was doing everything in her power to make co-parenting difficult and stop the divorce. Thankfully her attempt at the latter had failed, but the struggle continued as evidenced by Rick's delay in arriving, due to the tantrum Carl had pulled. She couldn't deny that it concerned her, how the situation with Carl seemed to be going backwards, but what could she do? She couldn't make Carl accept her, maybe time would manage that feat. Meanwhile, all she could do was move forward with Rick.

Work had quieted some before Thanksgiving, but had picked back up after the holiday along with Mike's persistent, albeit subtle, pursuit of her. His continuous actions had led to her confessing all to her boss, her past and present with Mike, and had in turn requested to transition off the project. However, the woman had vehemently rejected the request, stating that Michonne was critical to the success of the project and thus needed to work through her conflict with her ex. It had been a difficult situation but she was doing the best she could with it, keeping her communication with Mike to an absolute minimum. Furthermore, she'd turned down the interview in New York with his firm, but had received other offers - one from her current employer, a promotion, and two from outside firms. Whatever was next with her career, change was coming, and Mike would be completely out of her life soon enough.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, stirring her heart, making her giddy with anticipation. She drew a calming breath, took one more glance in the mirror, then made her way to the foyer. Michonne opened the door to find Rick standing before her, looking sexier than ever in a dark brown shirt, leather jacket and a pair of jeans. Her breath caught in her throat at his smoldering blue eyes staring at her with love.

"Hey." He quietly beamed, then took her in his arms, holding her close, loving her scent, the feel of having her in his arms again.

"Hey." She sighed at his strong arms around her.

"You look …great." He stated, as they slowly ended their embrace, him gazing at her with adoration and ardor.

"You too." She uttered with a hint of shyness that precipitated a delightful, yet nervous silence. "I should get my coat." She eventually said, then turned to retrieve it, when Rick gently grabbed her, pulling her to him and took her lips, hotly, tenderly.

"I'll get my coat." She breathed against his mouth.

"You're not going to invite me in?" He huskily questioned as he caressed her cheek.

"No." She shakily replied, surprising him as she stepped away from him, thinking what inviting him in might mean. Though the doctor had given her a clean bill of health weeks ago and her body was back to normal. She sadly thought, recalling again what she had many times over the past few weeks, what they'd lost. She desired Rick, more than he knew, but she wasn't yet ready to make love again. Michonne grabbed her coat from the closet, put it on, then closed the condo door and locked it behind them.

"So what's the plan?" He asked, capturing her hand in his as they stepped onto the elevator.

"What's the plan?" Michonne retorted with feigned outrage. "You're the one who wanted to come here to go Christmas shopping for Carl."

"That's not the only reason why I'm here." He declared, then seized her mouth, just as the elevator doors closed before them.

Being as they were getting a late start, they'd forgone breakfast for Starbucks coffee and from there began their shopping adventure. They'd ended up at the usual stores - Walmart, Target, Kmart, looking for a specific game Carl had requested for the Xbox his grandfather had replaced due to the fire. However, each store, which were packed with shoppers, were sold out of the game. Still, they'd been able to make good use of the stops, with Rick finding a few other things for Carl, specifically socks and clothes that needed to be further replenished after most was lost during the fire.

From there, they'd gone to Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta with a plan to visit the Pandora store. Michonne wanted to pick up a charm for her 8-year old niece, but they'd gotten distracted by the beautifully light adorned Christmas tree at is center, which was surrounded by a Christkindlmarket (Christmas German Market) – several booths selling handmade and homemade German toys, chocolate, pastries and quilts. They'd tried some of the chocolates and Michonne had found a lovely quilt for her great aunt, before they left the market, hand in hand, enchanted by the holiday décor, giving a magical ambience to their outing as they finally made their way towards Pandora.

"Ice skating, that's something you don't see everyday." Rick asserted, nostalgia in his tone, upon them discovering the rink just as they crossed the street towards their destination.

"You want to give it a try?" Michonne asked, slowing their stride.

"Give it a try? Don't you know? Ice skating is my second love." Rick lightly scoffed.

"What? You have got to be kidding me." Michonne blithely voiced in disbelief.

"Not kidding" He replied, hardly able to keep the smile off his face.

"I knew it! There's no way you're a fan of figure skating." She laughed, guessing that his smile meant that he was pulling her leg.

"Why can't I be a fan?" He chuckled.

"Because it's just not you." She quipped. "You're hiking, fishing and football, not figure skating." She said, deepening his amusement.

"That still doesn't mean I can't skate." He then pointed out.

"I never said you can't skate. But can you ICE skate?"

"Yeah I can. Pretty damn good too." He confidently replied.

"Is that a challenge?" She questioned, holding his gaze.

"Do you want it to be?" He smirked.

Fifteen minutes later they were on the ice. Unfortunately, it was rough, not like anything that would be found at a real ice rink. The skates were a little dull and uncomfortable, and thus difficult to skate on. Despite the challenges, Rick had shown that he really was good at ice skating, better than she ever thought he would be. He had more speed than her and even managed a couple of tricks that she'd never try. He spun her around a few times, mimicking dancing on the ice and taught her how best to skate backwards. Ultimately it had been fun.

"So where did you learn to ice skate?" She asked when they returned to skating side by side, their fingers intertwined.

"My great grandparents had a cabin up in Murphy, North Carolina. We used to go up one weekend each winter and there was a very small, very shallow pond nearby that would freeze over. We'd go skating on it." He revealed. "At first I was against it, because figure skating was only something girls did, but I took to it and done well, learned quickly. I liked going fast, and found that it was…cool. But the following year my brother and I asked our father to get us hockey skates before we went up there again. We argued they were more, suited for boys than figure skates."

"And did he? Get you hockey skates?"

"He did." Rick smiled as he looked her way. "What?" He asked at her adoring eyes.

"You never cease to amaze me." She softly replied. "Ice skating was something I never would've guessed about you."

"I'll admit, I'm not the type."

"And yet you are." She quietly stated, before initiating a loving kiss, then slowly pulled away as they glided in sync across the ice, and turned her eyes forward just in time to see a couple assisting their little girl who couldn't be any more than three years old onto the ice. The wound that still lingered in her heart, ached at her miscarriage from weeks before.

"You okay?" Rick compassionately asked as he fought his own pain at the scene ahead.

"Yeah." She quietly answered as she briefly turned her eyes to him. "It's getting late." She then said. "I'm starting to get a little hungry and we still have more shopping to do."

"Alright." He uttered, then slipped his arm around her back and pulled her to him, tenderly brushing his lips against her temple, comforting her, before leading them to the exit of the rink.

Seconds later they stepped off the ice. Both their thoughts still heavily on the pregnancy she'd lost, when their musings were unexpectedly disrupted.

"Michonne!" She heard someone exclaimed and looked in the direction of the person calling her name to find that it was her friend Angela.

"Hey!" Michonne asserted with surprise. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she and her friend hugged. "I thought you and Reggie were going out of town this weekend?" Her friend had explained that they'd decided to wait to go out of town for Christmas instead, since Reggie was having to work some that weekend. Michonne had then asked if Reggie was there, and learned that he was, but was off picking up their skates.

"So, you must be Rick." Angela then stated, before Michonne could make the introduction, turning judging eyes to him.

"Angela Sims, Rick Grimes." Michonne then jumped in, introducing her lover and friend.

"Nice to meet you." Rick stated, but Angela failed to return his cordial greeting, only saying "Hello" with a hint of scorn, causing an uncomfortable tension to permeate the mood, which Michonne attempted to diffuse by asking her friend how long she and Reggie had been there. The woman had answered that they'd just arrived and planned to skate before doing dinner and a movie.

"What brings you two here?" Her friend asked, a tartness in her tone. "Looking for gifts for your son?" She deduced again looking towards Rick.

"Not just my son…"

"Hmprh. I'm sure." Angela retorted, interrupting his response.

"Is there a problem?" Michonne staunchly questioned her friend whose attitude was starting to piss her off.

"No problem." Angela stated, her voice calm and nonthreatening, just as Reggie walked up. He was happy to see Michonne and had greeted her with genuine friendlessness as he did Rick when they were introduced. He and Angela then excused themselves, with the latter promising Michonne that she'd call her later before she and Reggie walked off. Michonne had immediately turned to Rick and apologized for her friend's behavior, but Rick had brushed it off, knowing that the woman wasn't his biggest fan, considering what Michonne had told him she'd said about their relationship.

"I'll get our shoes." Michonne said, now just ready to get out of there, then gave Rick a kiss before leaving him to retrieve their shoes from the locker they'd rented. He watched her walk away, towards the lockers then had a seat on one of the benches next to the rink and began unlacing his skates.

"You know, just because you finally divorced your wife and got your shit together doesn't mean that we accept you." A voice said, drawing Rick's attention from his skates to the woman before him.

"What?!" He retorted in shock.

"Do you think what you have with Michonne is sustainable?" Angela asked. "With you leaving your wife for her, and she leaving Mike for you?"

"That's not what happened." Rick strongly denied.

"But it is." The woman challenged. "You do know Michonne's first love is her career." She then said. "She'll never give it up to play housewife and soccer mom."

"I'd never want her to."

"You say that now. But you're just a deputy in a small town. You don't know ambition. You don't know life outside of your white picket fence and chil…"

"You don't know shit about me." Rick interjected, angered by her insults.

"I know enough." Angela stiffly countered. "Michonne is not just my friend. She's like my family. She is my family, and I won't see her hurt."

"I would never hurt her." He fiercely contended.

"Maybe not intentionally but you must know you're not right for her? That this will only end in disaster?"

"You ready babe?" Reggie came up stopping Rick's planned response.

"I'm ready." Angela smiled at her guy and went straight into girlfriend mode, acting as if she'd not just had a tense conversation with Rick. "You and Chonne have fun. Don't keep her out too late." She then said to Rick, but not before slipping him a look that was unseen by her man, telling him with her eyes that he needed to heed what she'd said just as she walked away with Reggie.

Not long after Angela and Reggie left, Michonne returned with their shoes. They'd turned in their ice skates and resumed shopping, going to Pandora, then briefly headed back to the condo to drop off their packages before they'd decided to walk to the Lenox, which was down the street, instead of trying to drive in gridlocked traffic that was attempting to make it down Peachtree to the Mall.

The walk there was quiet and tense. Michonne could sense that something was bothering Rick but decided not to approach it right away. He'd speak what was on his mind when he was ready. They'd shopped as planned, going to the Apple Store to price some iPods which was something Carl had asked for, but Rick had decided against purchasing due to the cost and the possibility that Lori might be purchasing it for him. From there they'd gone to GameStop and found the game they'd been looking for all day. By the time they left that store, they were famished and had gone to The Cheesecake Factory to satiate their hunger.

After waiting nearly an hour, they'd finally been seated, and unlike their date at Ray's In the City, Michonne had felt a little more comfortable sharing the same side of the booth with Rick. He'd commented that with time she wouldn't even think about it. It'd just be second nature, then kissed her with a slow, desperate passion, stirring a fire in her veins, yet concerning her with his melancholy caress. They'd been served quickly, and the mood had improved some. The kiss they'd shared and their close seating had helped as did the conversation which to start entailed simple topics. They'd conversed with ease about family and the upcoming holidays. Michonne had let Rick know that she planned to go to D.C. for Christmas, due to her entire family, including aunts and cousins she hadn't seen in years, planning to congregate at her parents, who were hosting Christmas that year.

Since Lori had Carl for Thanksgiving, Rick mentioned that he'd have him for Christmas. "I think we'll spend Christmas Eve in Palmer then head down to my parents on Christmas Day." He said after taking a swig of his beer.

"How long will you be down there?"

"I don't know. I'm thinking three, maybe four days."

"When are you due back at work?" She asked after taking a sip of her wine.

"New Year's Eve." Rick replied, then devoured another fork full of his delicious cuisine.

"That's too bad. I was going to ask you to be my date for Sasha and Bob's annual New Year's Eve party."

"I'd love to, but I can't." He sighed with regret. "I'm working New Year's Eve and everyday after until the 5th."

"Well don't feel bad. I understand. Besides I'm back in the office on the 3rd. So, I won't get any extra time off either." She stated, which led to an uncomfortable discussion about her work and the offers she'd received over the past few weeks. For one, her current job had gotten word about the firm for which Mike worked being interested in her and had responded by offering her a bigger title with more money to remain with them. Then her former boss had engaged her about working for his current employer. Though they were an international firm based in New York, they had an office in Atlanta where she'd be based and would be responsible for overseeing various fashion campaigns. It was 60% travel, mostly to New York, with occasional visits to Paris. The pay and benefits were excellent and the company was growing exponentially. The third opportunity had come to her from a former colleague that knew she was looking to make a change and recommended her for a position – Art Director, at her company. The job wouldn't require any travel, except to the annual industry conference, and would only be working with internal clients. The pay was good as were the benefits, and it was also a growing firm that would be doing some acquisitions in the future which would provide some excellent opportunities to advance in the company.

Rick had asked her, if she had to choose, in that moment, which job she'd take, which would it be. She'd told him without a doubt it'd be the New York firm. She explained that the culture of the firm was one of the best in the industry and the position itself would provide some wonderful opportunities for innovation and professional growth. "But you'd be traveling 60% of the time." Rick had pointed out. "That's only a little more than what I'm doing now." She'd countered. Dinner had ended shortly after her response, with Rick asking for the check and them quietly leaving the restaurant to commence an awkward walk home. They'd spent the first few minutes of their stroll making observations about the traffic that remained quite heavy on Peachtree and admiring the holiday décor, when they'd soon fell into a quietness that was anything but settled.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on? Or are we going to be like this for the rest of the night?" Michonne posed into the silence.

"I've just been thinking." Rick hesitantly replied as he gently tightened his hold on her hand, his mind partly lost in his thought, not knowing how to voice what was troubling him.

"About?"

"Us. Our future." He answered, several moments later.

"Do you care to share?" Michonne softly asked. Rick briefly glanced her way and noted that her focus was still ahead, waiting for him to respond, which strangely encouraged him to continue.

"When we were at the rink, and you went to get our shoes from the lockers, Angela came over to have a talk."

"What did she say?" Michonne queried, dread and anger quickly rising within her at the thought of what her friend might've said.

"The same thing Mike did a few weeks ago." Rick quietly revealed, reminding her of what her ex had told him about her career aspirations. He and Michonne had talked about it at the time, and she'd assured him that Mike was wrong and he'd believed her, but now, he didn't know. "She said, you don't want 'the white picket fence'. You don't even really want a family, that you thrive off the success of your career." He stated.

"And why would what she said bother you?" Michonne asked, thinking that she and Rick had talked about this, and thus Angela's assertion shouldn't be haunting him this way.

"She's the second person who…'knows' you to say this, to…warn me about the importance of your career."

"You already know how much I value my career. So why does what she said bother you?" Michonne asked again, stopping their trek to capture his eyes. "Is the white picket fence and …children something you want, right now?"

"No. But it is something I'd like to have in the future." He replied. "But based on what has been said, not just by Mike and Angela, but you, this…may not be something you want."

"I never said I didn't want those things." Michonne countered. "In fact, I've said I do want those things."

"Do you? Really want them?" Rick seriously asked, his eyes reflecting a tinge of uncertainty, worrying Michonne. "Or is it some distant something that you claim you want, but you're not really striving towards?"

"I've already answered that question." Michonne contented. "But you still haven't answered mine. Why is this so important right now?" She asked, once more. Rick fleetingly abandoned her gaze, struggling with whether he should say what he didn't think she was ready to hear, when he eventually ignored his doubt and spoke what was on his mind and heart.

"Because at dinner when I asked you, out of the jobs you'd been offered which one you'd take, you chose the one that would give you the least opportunity to…move towards the goal of building a home and family." He asserted, astonishing Michonne. "I know it's crazy, too soon, too much, all of the above, but I can't help the way I feel...I want a life with you." He passionately confessed, thrilling and scaring her all at once. "And the thought that you may not want the same thing, that you don't want a family…scares me."

"Rick…"

"I'm sorry." He sighed. "This is probably too much after..."

"No. It's ok." Michonne quietly spoke, keeping the angst she felt out of her voice. "I understand your concerns, but I have my concerns too." She revealed, astounding him. "It's been nearly a month since you told Carl about our relationship, and he's showing no signs of accepting us. In fact, he's digging in, determined to make things difficult whenever he can." She said, thinking of all the boy had done over the past month and what he'd done that day, attempting to stop Rick from coming to see her. "I get that it's only been a month, and that it will take time for him to accept this, but what if he doesn't?"

"Michonne…"

"No. Hear me out." She asserted, halting his response. "Carl is not the child you pick up every other weekend. He is the child whom you have full custody. He is with you most of the time. There won't be a workaround with us only dealing with his hostility on the weekends or holidays. It would be all the time. So, if he doesn't accept me, accept us, where does that leave this relationship?"

"Like you said, it's only been a month." Rick stated. "It's going to take time but he'll come around. I know it."

"Yes. It will take time." She concurred, but not with his faith that Carl would come around. "And just like it'll take time for Carl to...come around…" She stated what she didn't know she'd ever believe. "It'll take time for me to be ready to…start planning for a family." She honestly declared. "When I got pregnant, the last thing I wanted… was to be pregnant, and when I had the… miscarriage, I was just starting to accept the idea, to prepare myself for being a mother. But that was because I was forced to take that on." She said, emotion in her voice, prompting Rick to squeeze her hand which he held in his while slowly grasping her perspective. "But now that it's…over, now that I've...lost the baby, I have no desire to go there again, at least not anytime soon." She said. "I'm happy with where we are. I'm happy with you, and that's enough for me right now. Is it, enough for you?" She asked with caution and disquiet.

"It is." Rick answered without hesitation, even as concern lingered within. Relief and joy ignited in her heart, driving her to take his mouth, to kiss him with impassion and love.

"Let's get home." He then whispered, his lips inches from hers, wanting to taste her once more.

"It is getting cold out here." Michonne lightly voiced.

"I've got something for that." Rick huskily replied as he gently brushed his thumb across mouth, then sensually descended to her chin, making her shiver with yearning.

"I'm sure you do." She uttered in a near gasp, wanting so much to indulge in that something, to give herself to him, but she just wasn't ready. "But, I promised I'd help you wrap the gifts you bought for Carl." She said, successfully managing her wanting, yet confusing Rick, then quickly pecked his lips, before recommencing their walk towards home.