When we got back to Alexandria, Daryl left me to be alone. I've been sitting on my porch for about an hour thinking over everything that had happened this morning. Carol threatened me, and I don't even know if Daryl believes me. He tried to kiss me. I put my hand over my mouth just thinking about it. I feel a smile creep onto my face as I see him down the street talking to someone. My body leans forward so I can see better. My heart stops. He's talking to Carol.

Getting to my feet as fast as I can, I watch in horror as she smiles and points down towards my house. Daryl looks over and we make eye contact. What are they talking about? Daryl shakes his head at Carol and says something that makes her laugh. My arms start to shake as I grip my porch railing.

"Hey, Leah."

I jump and let out a small yelp as the sudden voice catches me off guard. I look on the sidewalk in front of me and sigh. I fain a smile to Carl, Rick's son. He's wearing that Sheriff hat again which makes me feel at ease for some reason.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he says a little amused. "I just wanted to ask you if you…wanted to come hang out or something…"

I raise an eyebrow and scoff quietly. "Do you know how old I am, Carl?"

His eyes close and he sighs. "No, but you can't be that much older than me. And I only meant…like…"

"I'm twenty-five."

He nods and quickly makes an excuse to go check on Judith, whoever that is. I hear someone clear their throat and I jump again. Damn quiet people. Daryl's face is emotionless and incredibly hard to read as he watches me. My smile fades as his eyes stare into mine. What did they talk about?

"Carol wants to throw a party, so you can get to know everyone."

I swallow hard and look over to where he was talking with her. She's no longer there, but that makes me even more scared.

"No…that's okay, she doesn't-"

"Come to her house around five, wear something nice, or whatever," he says walking away.

A party? People still have parties? I turn to go inside, but then I remember that my house has a back door and I don't know where Carol is now. I look back to Daryl who is now too far away for me to ask him to come inside with me. Besides, he probably has had enough of me. I stare at the door handle and mentally groan. I don't want to die.

I quickly rush inside and run upstairs into the bathroom and lock the door. Scolding myself for not locking the front door, I check around me to make sure I'm alone. I turn on the shower and start stripping my clothes to the ground. As I wash my body and enjoy the running water, I start to think and overthink about this party. What if it's just a trap? Maybe Daryl wants me dead too. My hands reach for the knob and turn off the shower. It won't be a trap.

As I get ready for the party, I start to sing to myself to calm down. Everything will be fine. Rick will be there and I'm positive he won't let Carol hurt or threaten me. Maybe I should tell him what happened before my bruises fade. I shake my head as I put on a pretty sundress that I found in the bottom of the dresser. It's a little loose, but I haven't worn a dress in a long time, so I'm going to make it work. How am I supposed to know when it's five? I go to my window and look around. A few people are walking towards Carol's house. Maggie sees me and waves up at me with a big smile. I wave back and am overwhelmed with a feeling of normalcy.

I wait a few more moments before going downstairs and working up the courage to go outside. I go up to Carol's house and walk into the wide open doorway. My heart is pounding as I hear laughing and various conversations happening. Maybe this is a genuine party or Carol's way of apologizing. I find Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Carol, and a few people I get introduced to, but I immediately forget their names. I've always been bad with names.

After people tell me their names, they all start talking to each other again. I try to listen to Daryl and Carol's conversation, but they are talking suspiciously quiet. Maggie nudges me and laughs. I shake my head and fake a laugh at the joke that Rick said at my expense.

"What did you tell her?" Daryl says a little loudly in an annoyed voice.

I can tell a few people are now eavesdropping with me. Carol laughs and shakes her head.

"I didn't tell her anything. She was the one who did most of the talking."

"What?" Daryl looks over at me and back to Carol.

She nods and laughs again, making it super obvious that she's being fake. "She told me about how her ex used to smack her around."

My face gets incredibly red as people start putting two and two together and start looking at me. I lick my lips and try to say something, but nothing comes out. I spin on my heels and start rushing towards the door. I can hear Carol saying that she didn't realize it was a secret or something. How could she say that in a room filled with people? This party was not an apology.

I run into my house and slam the door like a pissed off teenager and rush towards the stairs. Tears are falling off my cheeks as I stumble up the steps. I make it to my room and slam the door shut. My body collapses on the floor as I cry. I hate it here. Who does Carol think she is? My hands reach out for my bear and I hug it to my chest. It smells like my old house, bringing back memories of my family. I throw the bear across the room and cry more. I witnessed my family dying. I saw my baby sister dead on my floor. I haven't been able to grieve and now it's all flowing out.

A knock at my bedroom door makes me sit up so fast that I get a headache. It has to be Daryl, or maybe Maggie. Either way, I don't want to see anyone. I tell them to go away, and that I'm okay. The door opens despite my words. I'm half-relieved to see Daryl, but I'm also angry that he'd even ask Carol about what happened in front of all those people.

He shuts the door behind him and sits with me on the floor. I try to stop crying, but looking at him makes me cry more. His hands touch my arms as he pulls me to his chest. I let him hold me as we lean back against my bed and I cry myself out. His hand rubs my back gently as I calm down.

"I'm sorry," I say leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Don't be. There's no reason to be." His voice is low and makes my heart skip.

"You didn't have to ask her that…" I say in a whisper, almost hoping he doesn't hear.

"I was hoping she'd admit it in front of Rick." He pauses for a moment. "You know…I'd never hurt you."

I nod and look up at him. "I know."

His hand leaves my arm as it goes to my cheek. He lifts my head off his shoulder and closes the space between us. His lips are softer than I'd imagined and he's more gentle than anyone has been with me. Our lips move over each other's slowly, enjoying the silent intimacy. We stand up as we deepen the kiss, never breaking away from each other. Daryl brings me down onto the bed as his tongue slips into my mouth. I moan as our tongues slide across and against each other.

I pull away to catch my breath and smile at him. As much as I want to be with him tonight, I know that I can't. I've cried too much, and my mind isn't in the right place. I put my hand on his chest and feel his heart pounding erratically.

"Can you stay with me again tonight?"

He chuckles and holds me close. "Of course."