This chapter is from Daryl's POV. Hope you enjoy and please please review! :)
July 18, 1925
Daryl paced back and forth in his living room, gnawing anxiously on his thumb as he did so. It was nearing 8:00, and the sun had almost set. Zora was due to pick up another shipment that day, but as of yet, there was still no sign of her. He knew they had never agreed on a set time for her to arrive, but the fact that she was later than usual was driving him crazy. He also knew that he was probably only this anxious because of his decision earlier in the week to try to remedy things between them.
Daryl had tried to keep Zora at arm's length to protect himself, but it had done more harm than good. She had already made more impact on him in the short time he had known her than anyone else he had ever known. He wasn't sure if he wanted a romantic relationship with her; the thought of such a thing still scared the shit out of him. But he knew he wanted their relationship to be more than just professional. And to do that, he was going to have to apologize for pushing her away. Apologies and making amends had always been nearly impossible for Daryl, and the thought of having to put himself in that position very soon was driving his anxiety sky high.
He peeked out the front windows yet again, searching for the headlights of Zora's car. Outside it remained quiet and still. He let out an aggravated huff and went back to his pacing, trying to figure out how he was going to get Zora to forgive him for being such an ass. What if she didn't want to forgive him? What if she had grown comfortable in the new stiff boundaries of their professional relationship and didn't want to return to how things used to be? Daryl didn't even want to think about that.
He heard the sound of a car pulling into the drive and rushed back to the windows. Sure enough, Zora's car was parked behind his truck. He swallowed hard as he watched her exit the vehicle. She wore a simple light-colored dress and modest low heels, and as usual, her hair and makeup looked perfect. He couldn't help noticing that her mouth was set in a thin determined line, and her expression clearly showed that she just wanted to get this pick up over with. Daryl tried to swallow the lump in his throat and strode to the door, opening it just as she raised her hand to knock. Her face morphed into surprise as she stared at him with her hand in the air, still poised to knock.
"Was waitin' for ya," Daryl grunted roughly. Zora nodded and pursed her lips a little.
"Sorry I'm late. I had dinner with my father and we lost track of time."
"S'okay. Let's get you loaded up."
He followed Zora toward her car and tried not to fidget nervously as they began loading the crates of moonshine. Neither of them said a word until the car was completely loaded. Zora reached into her purse and handed him a stack of rubes, which he promptly stuffed into his pocket like usual.
"See you next week," Zora said flatly, turning to leave.
"Wait," Daryl said quickly, his heart already starting to race as she turned around with an arched eyebrow. He cleared his throat nervously. "Wanna come in for a drink?"
Zora frowned and studied him for a moment, seemingly contemplating his offer. Daryl felt like his heart was pounding so loudly that she could hear it from where she stood. After what felt like an eternity, she nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Daryl exhaled a deep breath and nodded, heading back toward the house with Zora following. He made his way into the kitchen and lit a few lanterns to account for the darkness that was falling outside.
"Coffee or shine?" he asked gruffly.
"I'll take a belt of shine, if you don't mind," Zora replied.
He nodded and retrieved a jar from the cupboard, pouring them each a small glass. He handed one to Zora and sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for her to do the same. She sat down and took a sip of her drink, eying him expectantly. Daryl's throat suddenly felt dry, and he anxiously cleared it and took a sip of moonshine. The tension in the air was palpable. He knew he had to say something; Zora was clearly staring at him waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat again.
"Look . . . I'm real sorry," he choked out suddenly.
"About what?" Zora asked innocently, but Daryl could tell that she knew. She wasn't going to make it easy for him.
"Bout pushin' you away. I just . . . I ain't good at this. I ain't ever had any close friends or nothin', just Merle. Guess I don't really know how to act."
"I don't see what this has to do with our business relationship," Zora said pointedly. "You said you wanted to keep things professional, and that's fine. I'm able to do that. You don't have to prove anything to me."
"I know, but I said that 'cause I didn't know how to handle this. Getting friendly with someone, I mean. I guess what I'm tryin' to say is . . . I miss you. The real you."
There. He had gotten the words out. He scanned Zora's face for her reaction, almost trying to steel himself for rejection like an abused dog expects a kick to the side. But to his surprise, her stoic expression dropped and was replaced with a small smile.
"Really?" she asked, her tone sounding hopeful.
"Yeah. Really," Daryl replied quickly. "You ain't like anyone I've ever met, and you scare the shit outta me sometimes, but I think that's good." Zora laughed at that, and the sound was like music to his ears. "It'd be jake if we could go back to bein' friends . . . if that's okay with you, I mean."
Zora's grin grew into a full smile, and she nodded, sending relief washing over Daryl like a fresh breeze.
"I can't think of anything I'd like more," she said. "If I'm on the up and up, I've been pretty grummy these past few weeks. Not having you as a friend really turned me into a killjoy."
Daryl gave her an apologetic half smile, taking a deep swig of his drink.
"Didn't mean to kill your mood," he said. "I'm an ass."
Zora shrugged. "It's in the past now. Everything's ducky."
Daryl smiled and raised his glass. "To bein' friends," he said.
Zora raised her glass and clinked it to his, both of them taking a deep drink and finishing their glasses. Daryl gazed at her from across the table for a moment, not wanting her to leave. Suddenly an idea struck him.
"Say, you got plans tonight?" he asked.
"No, why?"
"There's a small gathering of some folks who live 'round these parts out on the Grays' farm. Moonshine, food, maybe some live music. Nothin' like you're used to, but it could be fun. You wanna go?"
Zora's eyes lit up.
"Ab-so-lute-ly!" she exclaimed. Daryl raised an eyebrow at her.
"Didn't expect you to be this excited about it. Just a bunch of Reubens like me getting hoary-eyed together."
"It sounds amazing," Zora said earnestly. "I showed you what it's like to party in the city, so now it's your turn to show me what it's like to party in the country."
"Guess so," Daryl nodded. "C'mon, let's head out there. It's about a 10-minute drive. You should probably move your car so we can take my truck since yours is all loaded up with hooch."
"Good point," Zora agreed. Daryl pulled the cash from the sale out of his pocket and stashed it quickly in a container in one of his cupboards, also grabbing a few jars of moonshine to take along, before heading back outside with Zora following. He felt a million pounds lighter now that they were on good terms again, and he literally had to stop himself from putting a skip in his step.
Zora quickly moved her car and soon she and Daryl were in his truck on their way to the Grays' farm. Zora was chattering about something as they drove, but Daryl was so happy about her willingness to be friends again that he could hardly pay attention to what she was saying. He couldn't believe that one person could hold so much sway over him. It unnerved him, but excited him at the same time.
It wasn't long before the truck was pulling into the drive on the Gray family farm. Daryl parked it in the grass next to the other cars that were present. He could hear the sound of a few fiddles in the distance, and it appeared that everyone was gathered around a large bonfire. He glanced at Zora, who flashed him an eager smile. He returned the gesture and grabbed the moonshine he had brought, the two of them exiting the truck.
"You might feel a little out of place here," Daryl said as they walked toward the fire. "But they're all good people."
"I'll be fine," Zora said with a smile. "I get along with pretty much everyone I meet."
Daryl imagined that much was true, especially since she seemed to be able to get along with him, and he wasn't the most agreeable person in the world. He led her toward the small gathering of people who all glanced their way as they approached.
"Do my eyes deceive me or does Daryl Dixon have a pretty little doll with him?" Gene Gray's voice boomed out, and Daryl rolled his eyes.
"Pipe down, Gene," he called with a smirk, glancing at Zora to see her grinning widely. "Folks, this is Zora. She's from Atlanta."
He quickly introduced Zora to the fifteen or so people in attendance, all of them from nearby. They were the closest thing to neighbors that Daryl had, and even though he didn't see them often, he was on good terms with all of them. He wasn't sure how Zora was going to remember any of their names, but it didn't really matter. She was here with him and she wanted to be here, and it was more than he could have hoped for.
Daryl's cheeks actually ached from smiling. He wasn't sure if that had ever happened to him. As the party went on and as people drank more shine, the livelier things became. There were two fiddle players and one man playing spoons who kept a spirited tempo for the people who were dancing. Zora had bonded particularly well with Gene's wife, Marguerite, and the two of them were doubled over laughing next to him. Daryl leisurely sipped on his glass of moonshine as he watched them, feeling happier than he had in weeks.
Marguerite excused herself to go refill her drink, and Zora sidled up next to him and bumped her hip against his. Her cheeks were flushed from moonshine and laughter, and her eyes glittered in the light of the bonfire.
"What are the chances I can get you to dance with me?" she asked with a smirk. Daryl scoffed and shook his head.
"Told you I'm a hoofer. I don't dance."
"Not even among folks like yourself?" she asked. "No one's gonna make fun. Look at Henry and his wife. He couldn't keep time if his life depended on it, but that's not stopping him from dancing!"
Daryl chuckled and saw that she was right. Henry Hobart and his wife, June, were dancing without a care in the world, regardless of their lack of skill. He shrugged, suddenly throwing his inhibitions to the wind.
"Okay then. Let's go."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but don't expect much. I can't dance like the folks you spend time with."
"Nonsense," Zora grinned, grabbing his hands and pulling him toward the other dancing couples by the fire. "I don't need you to impress me."
Daryl placed one hand on Zora's hip as she placed a hand on his shoulder, their other hands joining together. He tried to ignore the jolt he felt as he touched her and instead focused on the rhythm of the music. Zora was leading, which normally would have embarrassed him, but at that moment, he found that he didn't mind. The fiddles and spoons were bouncy and animated, and with Zora's lead, he surprisingly found himself able to keep in time with the music as they danced around the fire. The smile widened on Daryl's face, and he took a risk and twirled Zora around. She squealed in delight and Daryl laughed. The sounds of the folk music and other joyous couples enveloped him, and with Zora in his arms, he knew there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
The pair of them danced until they were both out of breath. They pulled apart as a song finished, both panting and grinning like fools. Zora leaned against him and he couldn't stop himself from wrapping an arm around her shoulders to steady her.
"I think I need to lie down," she said. "All that dancin' and shine has my head spinning."
Daryl nodded in agreement. "C'mon. I've got a ratty old blanket in the truck. We can lie down in the truck bed till you've caught your breath."
"Perfect," Zora agreed, and the two of them made their way away from the fire and back toward where all the vehicles were parked in the grass near the barn. The sounds of the party faded as they walked away, but could still be heard in the distance. Daryl reached into the truck and grabbed the old blanket, giving it a shake before hopping up in the truck bed and laying it out flat. He reached a hand down to help Zora up into the bed with him, once again trying to ignore the jolt he felt when his hand touched hers. Daryl lay down flat on his back and laced his fingers behind his head, and Zora laid down next to him.
"Oh wow, you can see so many stars out here," Zora murmured. "The lights in the city block so many of them out."
Daryl hummed in agreement. It was a clear night, and although he was accustomed to being able to see so many stars, he rarely took the time to look at them. He stole a glance at Zora, her face illuminated by the soft moonlight, and saw that she looked enthralled with the sight of the night sky. He turned back to the sky, his lips curved upward in a soft smile. They both watched the stars in silence, enjoying the faint sounds of the music from the party and the comforting presence of each other's company. A shooting star suddenly streaked through the sky, and Zora gasped in excitement.
"A shooting star!" she exclaimed. "Make a wish!"
I don't need to, Daryl thought. My wish already came true.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! PLEASE review! I want to hear your thoughts! :)