Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own The Walking Dead or anything affiliated with said series.
The next few months passed quickly and the family of three found themselves settling quite nicely into Alexandria. Miles, having finally been given a job to do, had all but taken over the community's recordkeeping. He kept track of everything from supplies to what he jokingly referred to as 'insurance claims'. Deanna wasn't too happy about the title he'd given to all things damaged within the walls, but the residents seemed to enjoy the sense of normalcy the term brought to their everyday lives so she'd grudgingly allowed it.
Chelsea had made several more recruiting trips during that time, once Aaron had been cleared for duty of course, and though Miles still wasn't thrilled with her leaving every few weeks or so to go off searching for new people to join their little community, he'd become far more accepting the more time he spent with Rena.
Every time he heard one of her horror stories about her life before Alexandria it made him that much prouder of what Chelsea was out there doing. Sure it was dangerous, but he knew from experience that she could more than take care of herself. Plus she always had Aaron out there with her which helped ease his mind immensely. The man may not be what he'd call a 'skilled fighter', preferring peace over violence, but he trusted him to have his sister's back no matter what.
He'd even come to respect Daryl. The man was a great shot and damn good with a knife so he knew Chelsea was in good hands when they went outside the gates. While he'd really prefer to be the one watching out for her, at least he didn't have to worry quite so much so long as those two were around.
ooooo
Miles had been in the process of opening the fridge door when he heard the sound of footsteps on the porch. When the front door was flung open and Chelsea stomped in he rolled his eyes and prepared for what he knew was coming.
"Hey sis, welcome home," he said as he went to join her in the entryway. "How was your trip?"
"It was just fine until that asshole decided to get his panties in a twist," she snapped. Kicking off her shoes she dumped her backpack on the ground and took off in the direction of the stairs.
Doing a mental countdown Miles managed to make it to three before Daryl came storming inside. "I take it you two had another disagreement."
"Damn woman walked inta tha middle of an unknown group alone!" he growled. "Coulda gotten herself hurt, or worse!"
Having heard something similar several times before Miles simply shrugged. "You know as well as I do that she can take care of herself."
"Ain't the point! She shouldn't be so reckless!"
"Well I'll just leave you two alone to work things out," Miles said as he slipped on his shoes. This kind of thing happened practically every trip; Chelsea would do something Daryl didn't agree with and when they got back the two of them would argue until Daryl calmed down enough for them to talk it out properly.
Miles had started thinking of it as foreplay for the two of them and even had bets going with some of the other residents about when they would finally get around to hooking up. Not that he liked the idea of his sister sleeping with anyone mind you, but with the way those two fought he figured it was only a matter of time before they either slept with, or killed, each other.
As he watched Daryl take the stairs two at a time he figured today would be a good day to give them some extra time. The other man looked far more pissed off than usual and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly his sister had gotten herself into that had the usually calm man that wound up.
With a shake of his head he closed the door and headed down the street to see if he could join Rena and the gang for dinner since Natalie was at a friend's house for the night. He'd talk with Aaron in the morning and get the story from him before deciding whose side to take this time.
As he approached her bedroom door Daryl took a deep breath before knocking and letting himself in. Chelsea had her back to him and was in the process of digging through her closet for a clean shirt when he cleared his throat to get her attention. "We need ta talk."
"I'm pretty sure I said everything I wanted to say back at the rec center," she said without pausing in her search. "What you need to do is get the hell out of here before I kick your ass."
Running a hand through his hair he growled in frustration. It was bad enough that she put herself into situations like that to begin with, but to brush off his concern on top of it was going too far. "I ain't goin' nowhere 'til I get it through yer head that ya don't gotta do this shit alone!"
"I didn't do anything," she snapped, finally pulling her head out of the closet to glare at him. "Aaron sent me in there because I look the least menacing out of the three of us; he thought it would make things easier. If you want to be mad at someone be mad at him, it was his idea!"
"Ya didn't have ta agree ta it!"
"Why wouldn't I? It was a sound plan, or at least it would've been if those guys hadn't been complete wackjobs. If you'd gone in it would've turned into a free for all before anyone had a chance to speak and Aaron had a point about most men not thinking of a woman as a serious threat. So tell me, other than you not wanting me to go in there, what exactly is your problem?"
Opening his mouth Daryl paused with a frown. It had seemed so logical at the time to be furious with her for walking into what had turned out to be a trap, but when she put it that way he was forced to agree with her. Aaron's idea had been good, and they'd planned for situations like the one they'd encountered so it wasn't like they had been in any serious trouble, so why the hell was he so upset?
"Look, I'm beat and would really like to wash the filth from the last few days off so if you've got nothing more to say I think it's time for you to leave."
When she crossed her arms over her chest Daryl watched as it pulled her shirt up enough to show the scar from where she'd been shot, as well as a darkening bruise in the shape of what appeared to be fingers. Seeing red he was across the room in seconds, his hand lifting the hem of her shirt higher so he could get a better look at the injury.
"The hell are you doing?!" she demanded as she slapped his hand aside. "Get your hands off me!"
"This from one of 'em?"
Daryl's voice had turned steely and Chelsea raised an eyebrow at his slightly shaking form. "No, I ran into a wall. Of course it was one of those jackasses," she replied sarcastically. "Remember that guy who grabbed me in the beginning? Yeah, he wasn't exactly being gentle when he was shoving me around."
"No one . . ." Daryl began and she looked at him curiously. "No one touches ya."
"It's no big deal; it'll be gone in a few days."
"I don't think ya understand," he growled lowly. "No one is allowed ta touch ya 'cept me!"
Any thought of brushing off his comment, or more likely slapping him for it, went flying out the window when he shoved her up against the wall and pressed his lips against hers. Frozen in place she stood there with wide eyes as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening. A few seconds later her shock wore off and she wrapped her arms around his neck so she could pull him closer and return the kiss in earnest.
He hadn't planned on acting on his feelings, hadn't really been sure he had any beyond attraction to be honest, but seeing the mark of someone else's hand on her body made him snap. She was his, and in that moment he needed to make sure she knew who she belonged to.
It hadn't even occurred to him at the time that staking his claim and forcing himself on her was probably not the smartest of moves, but seeing as she was currently welcoming his tongue into her mouth with a moan of pleasure he figured she wasn't all that upset about it.
Pulling her head back so she could catch her breath Chelsea felt a blush coloring her cheeks as she kept her eyes locked on the wall across from her. "Um . . ." she began, not entirely sure what she should say as she allowed her arms to fall back to her sides.
Thankfully Daryl saved her the trouble of figuring something out when he took a step back and ran a hand over his face. "'m sorry, didn't mean ta attack ya like that," he mumbled, though he refused to allow her enough space to escape before they had a chance to discuss what had just transpired between them.
While she'd definitely enjoyed the kiss she didn't want him to get the idea that she was no longer upset with him so she cleared her throat before responding. "You should be; that kind of behavior . . ." Whatever else she'd been about to say was cut off when he dove back in for another kiss.
He hadn't meant to kiss her again, really he hadn't. He'd actually been trying to think up some kind of apology that would hopefully not have her trying to cut off a very important part of his anatomy, but having her that close with her chest heaving and her lips swollen and red made it very hard to think of anything other than throwing her down on the bed and ravishing her and in a moment of weakness he'd gone in for one more taste.
When her hand made its way into his hair and she purred against his lips he was gone.
ooooo
When the sunlight came peeking through the curtains the next morning Chelsea burrowed her head deeper into the pillow with a groan. She was warm and comfortable and had no desire to climb out from under her blankets until Natalie forced her up.
Snuggling towards the warmth at her side she froze when she realized where the heat was actually coming from. Jerking her head up she stared down at the shirtless body next to her and barely managed to suppress a scream.
"'s too early, come back ta bed," the sleepy voice next to her mumbled and her face drained of color when an arm snaked out to wrap around her waist.
The hand felt far too comfortable clutching her hip and she pressed her eyes closed as she tried to remember everything that had happened the night before. They'd been arguing, again, and somehow that had led to them making out on her bed. Eventually they'd wound up falling asleep next to each other.
Annoyed that she hadn't moved back down to join him Daryl slowly blinked his eyes open and glanced up at her. "Wha's wrong?" he asked when he saw the frightened look on her face. "Ya okay?"
Without a word Chelsea threw herself backwards out of the bed and bolted from the room leaving him to stare after her with a stunned look on his face.
Frowning at her sudden departure -the look on her face hurt him more than he cared to admit- he slowly climbed out of her bed and, after hunting it down, put on his shirt and grabbed his shoes and socks off the floor. Straightening out the sheets as best he could he ran a hand through his disheveled hair before deciding there was no point in waiting for her to return and making his way downstairs.
When he stepped into the kitchen a short time later he nearly collided with Miles who was racing around gathering items and throwing them into a small bag.
Pausing in his mission Miles eyed Daryl up and down before asking, "So, how hard do I need to punch you?"
Taking a step back, the look in the other man's eyes said he was dead serious, Daryl held his hands up in front of him. "Now hold on a sec, what'd I do ta ya?"
"You made my sister cry."
It was silent for a moment and Miles watched as several different emotions flashed across Daryl's face. First there was confusion, then sadness, and finally resignation. Shaking his head he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered several choice words under his breath before releasing a sigh and pointing to an empty chair. "Take a seat; I think we need to talk."
"No offence, but I ain't in tha mood," Daryl replied, his voice devoid of emotion as he turned towards the front door.
Miles narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't a request. Sit."
More exhausted than he could ever remember being Daryl decided to just get it over with and sank into the chair as ordered. "Make it quick."
Taking the seat opposite him Miles got straight to the point. "Am I to assume you didn't actually do anything to hurt Chelsea?" The look Daryl sent his way had him quickly saying, "Okay, okay, stupid question. So, care to tell me what happened then?"
Daryl really had no desire to relive their last moments together, but Miles sounded genuinely curious and he figured it couldn't hurt to get it off his chest. "Everythin' was goin' great," he began slowly, his arms coming up so he could rest his head in his hands. "We made up last night and she let me stay with her . . ." Pausing when he saw narrowed eyes zero in on him he hastily added, "Just ta sleep, I swear!"
Seeing as he had been the one to ask in the first place Miles reigned in his overprotective nature and motioned for him to continue.
"Then this mornin' she up and freaks out. No explanation, nothin'. Just bolts as soon as she wakes up. I mean I thought we . . ." Trailing off he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration and asked, "Can I go now or are ya gonna ask me ta talk 'bout some other painful memory?"
Looking up at the ceiling Miles shook his head while mumbling, "Damn, so it wasn't just sexual tension after all. I was afraid of that." Clearing his throat he turned his attention back to the man across from him and said seriously, "You can, but I really think you should hear me out before you leave."
When he remained seated Miles leaned back in his chair and tilted his head so he could look out the window before speaking. "Back in college Chelsea met this man named Bryce and they started going out. He was a nice guy; had a decent job, got good grades and treated her well . . . at least that's what everyone thought. About a year into their relationship they got engaged and that's when things took a turn for the worse. I didn't know it at the time, but as soon as that ring was on her finger he started to get possessive. He'd call her all the time, demand to know where she was and who she was with, and even went so far as tracking her phone."
Closing his eyes as the memories came back Miles took a deep breath before continuing. "And then it started to get really bad. I never saw any proof that he abused her, not physically anyway, but that man took over her life in every possible way. Hell, she wouldn't even hang out with me and play video games anymore for fear of inciting his wrath. It got to the point where she hardly ever left the apartment she shared with him and when she did she was never allowed to be more than an arm's reach away from him."
"Unfortunately, by the time any of us realized what was going on she was so far under his spell that I feared she'd never break free. And then one day, just like that, she snapped. I don't know what happened, and honestly I'm afraid to ask because I don't know what I'd do if she told me, but that day she came back home to us as if nothing had happened." Pausing, he ran a hand over his face as if trying to erase the memories in his head.
"She said the two of them had broken up and that was the last time she ever mentioned him, but from that day on it was obvious that she'd changed. The cheerful, carefree sister I used to know was gone and in her place was someone overly protective and extremely driven. She swore off love and took it upon herself to take care of all of us even though we were more than capable of doing so ourselves, and she's been that way ever since."
"Now I'm not saying this to excuse her actions, but try to understand where she's coming from. As far as I know you're the first person she's truly cared for since then and I'm guessing the thought of that terrifies her. Should she have taken off on you like that, no, but don't give up on her because she's too much of a chicken to own up to her own feelings."
Daryl sat there silently and let everything he'd just heard sink in before finally muttering, "I ain't ever gonna hurt her, she knows that."
"I'm sure she does, but that doesn't change the fact that for her love is something reserved exclusively for family. It's going to take her awhile to get past the fear of really letting someone else in so you'll just have to be patient with her."
Feeling slightly better than he had when he'd come downstairs now that he had a better understanding of things, Daryl tipped his head and muttered his thanks as he rose to his feet. When he made to move towards the door Miles' voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I only told you all that because I think that you could be good for her. But mark my words, if you do anything, and I do mean anything, to hurt her I will take great pleasure in tearing you apart piece by piece and feeding you to the zombies outside."
With a nod of acknowledgment Daryl waited until he heard the other man resume his wandering of the kitchen before continuing on his way to the door. At first he'd planned on heading home and drowning his sorrows in that bottle of whiskey Carol kept for special occasions, but after hearing about her troubled past he decided to find Chelsea so they could have a little chat.
He would respect her wishes and give her time if that was what she wanted, but first he needed to make sure that this thing between them was real and that she truly wanted to see if it could go somewhere. If not and she wanted to go back to being just friends he would accept that, and hopefully they could put last night behind them and move on.
Either way he needed to know where they stood with each other before he did something they would probably both regret.
ooooo
After fleeing her bedroom Chelsea raced down the stairs and tugged on her shoes and jacket, the only thought in her head being that she needed to get as far away from Daryl as possible. As she was opening the door Miles poked his head out of the kitchen and she briefly caught his eye before slipping outside. The worried look on his face almost had her turning around to explain, but there was no way she could handle going back inside. Not yet.
Letting her feet lead the way she angrily wiped the tear streaks off her cheeks as her mind played her little meltdown over and over in her head. With a cry of frustration she yanked on her hair in a futile attempt to make the images stop. Instead, not only did they continue, but scenes from the night before joined in as well.
Surprisingly enough their make-out session hadn't lasted for very long, Daryl claiming they both needed to get some rest and that they'd have plenty of time to continue things later. She'd been tempted to argue with him about it, but she'd been beyond exhausted so it hadn't taken much to convince her to curl up on the bed with him.
Once they'd both gotten comfortable she vaguely remembered him kissing the top of her head and murmuring something softly into her hair before drifting off to sleep in his arms.
It had been an amazing night and she'd slept better than she had in a long time.
And then she'd woken up.
Finding him in her bed had been a bit of a shock at first, but that wasn't what sent her over the edge. No, it was when she remembered the way he'd held her and whispered those three damning words that brought back all the painful memories she'd long since buried.
It had been years since she'd thought about that asshole, but as she sat there staring down at Daryl and replaying everything that had happened between them suddenly it was like she was back in that two bedroom apartment being suffocated by him.
So she did the only thing she could think of, she ran.
Of course now that her head was clearing it was obvious that they were completely different and that Daryl would never do anything like that to her, but at that moment she'd reverted back to her old self, that pitiful person who'd always walked one step behind her master and never once tried to stand up for anything.
That wasn't someone she would ever allow herself to become again.
Stopping next to a nearby tree Chelsea leaned back against it and closed her eyes while taking several calming breaths to steady herself. She hadn't felt that weak and powerless in a very long time and it left her more than a little raw.
This was why she never allowed anyone to get close to her; she couldn't run the risk of falling into another trap because the next time she might not be strong enough to break free.
Shaking her head to dispel it of those particular thoughts she couldn't stop the small shudder that ran through her. There were some things she never wanted to think about and that day was at the top of the list.
It took a couple more deep breaths before she finally felt stable enough to open her eyes and push herself away from the tree, but the moment she did she caught sight of the last person she wanted to see right then.
And he was making his way straight towards her.
ooooo
Daryl hadn't had to go far to find his target, she'd only gone a couple of houses down the street, but when his eyes met hers he found himself frozen in place. She looked like a cornered animal -tiny, helpless and terrified- and he was torn between wanting to rush over there and pull her into his arms until she stopped shaking, and needing to find whoever made her feel that way and rip his throat out.
When the thought that he might actually be the cause of it passed through his mind he barely managed to stop himself from falling to his knees in the middle of the street.
Chelsea had been ready to flee when she saw him approach her, but before she could convince her legs to move Daryl stopped dead and she found herself caught up in the emotions flashing across his face. There was worry closely followed by anger, but those were both soon replaced with anguish and she took a step in his direction without thinking.
No words were spoken as she slowly made her way to his side and once she was close enough she reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders so she could pull him towards her. "I'm sorry," she murmured softly.
Between the trembling arms holding him and the heartfelt apology Daryl found himself pulled from the abyss he'd fallen into and he returned her embrace with fervor. He could feel wetness on his cheek and he raised his hand so he could cradle the back of her head as she stood there shaking against him. "Shh, 's okay," he whispered into her hair.
They stood quietly holding each other for several minutes until Chelsea untangled herself from his grasp and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I think we should talk," she said after clearing her throat so she could speak without her voice shaking. When she noticed the people milling about she added, "In private."
Nodding, Daryl took her hand and started leading her to the one place in Alexandria where they would both feel comfortable . . . the garage.
Allowing herself to be pulled along Chelsea felt a smile form on her face when she realized where he was taking her. At first she thought he'd take her back home, but she could understand his need for neutral territory right now. Sure it was his place, but she'd spent so much time there lately that everyone had started thinking of it as 'theirs'.
That word hadn't bothered her before, back when she'd squashed any romantic feelings she may have felt for him in favor of being his friend, but the closer they got to their destination the more ominous it began to sound.
Now, with everything that had happened between them, she knew that things would never be able to go back to the way they were. Once they stepped through that door that would be it and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle what was coming.
Daryl pushed open the side door when they reached their destination and ushered Chelsea inside. Motioning for her to take the only available crate he leaned back against the tool bench and crossed his arms over his chest while he waited for her to take a seat.
Sinking down onto her makeshift chair Chelsea buried her face in her hands and forced herself to slowly count backwards from ten. It didn't exactly make her feel any better, but at least her heart no longer felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.
With one final deep breath she allowed her hands to fall into her lap and looked up to find Daryl watching her intently. "So," she began hesitantly. "I guess I owe you an explanation, huh." Dropping her eyes to the ground she started twisting her fingers together to give herself something to focus on other than the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
Before she could continue Daryl cut in. "Yer brother told me 'bout that bastard ya use ta date so there's no need for ya ta talk 'bout 'im . . . unless ya want ta."
"He had no right!" Chelsea snapped without thinking and was on her feet ready to head home and beat him to within an inch of his life for telling something so personal to someone else without her permission, but Daryl's hand on her arm held her in place.
"Ya should be thankin' 'im. If he hadn't said nothin' I woulda left thinkin' ya took off 'causa me; that I did somethin' wrong and ya were mad at me."
Frowning at the pain she could hear in his voice Chelsea grabbed his hand and took it in hers. "Is that really what you thought? That I ran because I was upset with you?" He didn't have to answer, the look on his face said it all, and she pulled him back into her arms to comfort him. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel that way."
Stepping back far enough so she could look him in the eye she reached up and trailed her fingers down the side of his face. "You did nothing wrong, nothing at all. You hear me? I ran because I couldn't handle all the feelings I was suddenly forced to deal with, not because of anything you did. It was me, not you. Got it?"
Nodding, Daryl leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers and was about to ask exactly which feelings she was referring to when she pushed him back and stepped out of his reach.
"Thank you for being so understanding. I know it'll be awkward between us from now on and I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again, but before I go I just want to tell you how much your friendship has meant to me. It's been a long time since I had someone other than family I could truly be myself around and for that I'll forever be grateful." Forcing a smile onto her face she choked out a final farewell. "I wish you a long and happy life, goodbye hunter boy."
Stunned into silence Daryl watched in disbelief as she turned around and made her way to the door. One minute she's talking about feelings and the next she's telling him goodbye; needless to say he was more than a bit confused.
The one thing he did know, however, was that this time he wasn't going to let her get away.
Grabbing her before she could step outside he spun her around and pinned her back against the wall. "Now wait one goddamn minute," he growled. "Tha hell ya think yer doin' leavin' like that?"
Refusing to meet his eyes Chelsea squared her shoulders and snapped back, "Look, I know we can't be friends anymore so I was just trying to leave before things got any worse between us. I didn't want the good memories of our time together to be overshadowed by a nasty breakup."
"Who said anythin' 'bout a breakup?" Daryl demanded. "I don't recall sayin' anythin' of tha sort."
"It's obvious we can't be just friends anymore, not after last night," Chelsea bit out angrily. "And I doubt you're the type of person who'd be satisfied with a purely physical relationship so that doesn't leave us with any other option!"
She was stubborn he'd give her that, and had it been anyone else he probably would've accepted the answer and gone on his way. But there was no way in hell he was giving her up without a fight, not after everything they'd been through.
Stepping in closer so he was standing a hairsbreadth away from her body he placed his hands on either side of her head to cage her in. "I get ya had a bad experience, but I ain't gonna give ya up just 'cause ya say so. We can take it as slow as ya need and I promise I ain't ever gonna pressure ya inta nothin'. I'll take whatever yer willin' to give, just please . . . don't push me away."
His last words had been breathed against her ear and Chelsea sucked in some much needed air as the world seemed to close in around her. "I can't," she finally choked out. "You don't understand, I can't go through that again! I won't! The pain, the fear . . . I barely survived last time!"
"I ain't gonna let nothin' happen ta ya."
"That's exactly what he used to say. But you know what, he lied. And if he did so can you!" Burying her head in his chest Chelsea gripped his shirt like her life depended on it. "He told me that he loved me, promised he'd cherish and protect me, but instead he kept me tied up so he could act out his sick, twisted fantasies whenever he wanted! I never complained because I loved him and wanted to make him happy, but each day I died a little more inside until finally I couldn't take it anymore. When he came home one day I bashed his head against the wall until he stopped moving and then I walked away and never looked back. I made a promise to myself back then that no matter what I would never allow another person to have that much control over me again!"
Holding her tightly Daryl swallowed thickly. What Miles had told him had been bad enough, but to find out that what he'd heard had only been the tip of the iceberg had him itching to tear the bastard apart. No wonder she reacted the way she had when things escalated between them. If that was what she had to go on for past experiences he could understand her wanting to run away. That kind of thing would make anyone shy away from relationships.
But that didn't change the fact that he still wanted her. If anything it only made him want her more. Not only so he could prevent it from ever happening to her again, but also so he could show her what love truly is.
Moving back far enough to give her space but not so much that she could escape he lifted her chin with his finger and waited until her eyes met his. "Listen, I . . . care 'bout ya a lot and I ain't gonna do nothin' ta make ya uncomfortable. If ya need ta go on thinkin' there ain't nothin' special between us that's fine, I ain't gonna force ya ta admit somethin' ya ain't ready for, but if ya think I'm just gonna walk away yer outta yer damn mind. Yer stuck with me now whether ya like it or not."
Chelsea took a shaky breath before sadly replying, "I can't give you what you want."
"Then I'll wait 'til ya can." When she opened her mouth to speak Daryl smirked and added, "But don't expect me ta keep my distance 'til then 'cause that ain't gonna happen. Tha two of us got some unfinished business and I plan ta finish what we started tha next chance I get."
Blushing slightly at the look on his face Chelsea swatted his hand away and pushed him out of her personal space. "Keep dreaming hunter boy," she said, attempting to keep her voice nonchalant. "You managed to catch me in a moment of weakness; it won't happen again."
"That right?"
Looking far too innocent he stepped over to the door and Chelsea eyed him suspiciously as he motioned for her to go before him. Watching his hands closely she failed to notice him lean down until after his lips had already made contact with her neck.
"In that case I'll just have ta be more darin'," he said with a cheeky grin as he ducked past her and took off across the street.
Sliding her fingers over the spot he'd kissed she shook her head at his behavior before looking up at the sky searchingly. She'd tried to save him from heartache, but he'd refused to back down no matter what she did. Now she had no choice but to see this through until the end, she owed him that much.
She only hoped that when all was said and done he didn't hate her for it.
Catching movement out of the corner of her eye Chelsea glanced over towards it and spotted Daryl waving to her from his front porch. Returning it with one of her own she felt her heart flutter at the smile he sent her way and her eyes went wide as she waited for the familiar feelings of terror and despair to wash over her.
Only this time nothing came.
Watching in shock as he disappeared inside she collapsed back against the side of the house behind her. For the first time in a very long time she felt something akin to love and it didn't make her want to crawl under a rock and hide, quite the opposite in fact.
Raising her face skyward once more she closed her eyes and allowed a true smile to grace her lips. Maybe, just maybe, there could be a future for them after all.