"Why did you have to invate all of them?" Michonne signed to Connie as she spoke.
Connie shrugged and signed back, "Just be nice."
Michonne was not excited about seeing Rick. She had barely slept because it irritated her that yet another man thought he could speak to her in a very condescending way. Sure, they both got out of line, but he was the one who started this whole thing.
"I'm kind of jealous I didn't get to witness you punching this dude." Sasha laughed loudly as she signed and spoke.
They always signed when Connie was there. It was something they had always done. She could read lips, but her friends wanted her to know exactly what they were saying. So whenever they spoke, they also signed.
Michonne leaned into the chair as they waited in their table at the restaurant. It was a casual place inside the hotel, nothing too fancy or special.
Connie could sense her anxious mood, "Him and his friends helped me a lot."
Michonne sighed because of course her friend was right. Daryl really helped her when something bad could have happened. Connie lost her phone earlier and she didn't even know that, so looking for her would have been impossible.
"Just this once." Michonne nodded at Connie and smiled.
With that, the group of men walked towards them. Daryl threw a peace sign soon as he was close enough for Connie to see and hugged her like he had known her his whole life. It was odd for the men to see their guarded friend so relaxed.
All of them said hi to each other and introduced themselves as adults would do in a situation like this. Except Rick and Michonne who avoided each other. Now seeing her in broad daylight he would not mistake her for a stripper. She was very put together with her black sleek dress and expensive looking heels and purse. She seemed a bit snobby, maybe that's why their worlds didn't mix well together Rick wondered. He gave her the cold shoulder. So she decided to return the favor.
The men joined their table. Rick was sitting on the other end of the table and Michonne on the other.
"So where are you guys from?" Sasha asked curiously, "I'm guessing from the accents that not from any big cities."
"King County, Georgia." Rick answered flatly, as he flipped the menu. It was just easier to stare at something else than her. She still managed to annoy him as all the things she said the night before rushed back into his mind.
"Really? then we are almost neighbours," Sasha was trying her hardest to keep the conversation going, "We are from Atlanta."
"Ya'll work together?" Negan chimed in as he leaned in his seat, "Your friend might have wrote that down yesterday, but I was drunk as hell so I might be wrong."
Connie laughed at Negan and nodded.
"Michonne and I opened the law firm together almost four years ago. Connie assists Michonne and her sister Kelly is my assistant," Sasha explained to him, "We grew up in the same neighbourhood, bounced around doing different things and then just decided it was time to do something together since we both studied law."
"Well that's ballsy." Negan was very impressed.
"It hasn't been easy."
Michonne tried to relax as she listened Sasha and Negan chit chatting, but she could just feel the negative energy radiating from the other end of the table.
"How long are you staying?" Glenn asked curiously.
Michonne answered casually, "We leave on Friday."
Daryl and Connie were in their own bubble as they sat next to each other and Connie tried to help him learn new letters to sign.
Sasha turned her attention towards Rick, "I heard you are here to celebrate something special?"
Michonne immediately kicked her leg under the table and shot her a look which didn't go unnoticed from Rick.
"Yeah. We are renewing our vows with my wife of eighteen years." He said as he lifted his gaze from the menu.
"Congratulations!" Sasha smiled genuinely.
He slammed the menu on the table and shot a look towards her. They made eye contact for the first time, "See, that's how normal people react."
Everyone stared at him in confusion. It was like a chapter missing from a book.
"And I said," Michonne put her menu on the table very calmly, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Wait-What is going here?" Negan looked at the both ends of the table and laughed, "What war zone did we step in?"
Michonne responded with a nonchalant wave towards Rick, "The sheriff is salty because last night I told him my personal opinion and experience when it comes to renewing vows. He can't get over it."
Connie and Sasha stared at Michonne. They just knew that her smart mouth got her into trouble again.
"Just ignore him." Connie signed towards Michonne.
"You don't even know us, " Rick argued, "You can't just go up to people and assume you know them."
"You are the one who literally came up to me and thought I was a stripper." Michonne fired back.
"Okay, hey now, let's not get carried away ," Glenn felt like a referee and tried to stop their conversation from escalating, "I don't know exactly what happened last night, but I think you should both just say sorry and move on."
Both of them went silent and just returned their eyes on the menu.
"Rick?" Glenn tried to reason with him, "Maybe you should-"
"I already apologized for that. She is the one who should apologize to me this time."
Michonne scoffed and got up, "I'm going. I don't have time for this."
"No, I'll go!" Rick got up at the same time.
"What are you twelve?" She rolled her eyes at him as she grabbed her bag.
"Nobody is going anywhere!" Daryl got up and raised his voice, "ya'll are acting stupid as hell right now. Sit down!"
It felt like the whole restaurant turned silent and everybody looked at their table. Both Rick and Michonne sat down, embarrassed and upset that they had caused a scene when they never meant that to happen.
He felt disappointed in himself. Something about her and the things she said made his blood boil in a way that it hadn't in years. He was so used to being calm and collected that it made him feel nervous. All of a sudden he was capable of lashing out at a woman he hardly knew.
The waiter came around to take their orders, while others were ordering their food. Rick and Michonne locked eyes again. His eyes studied her face for a moment. She must have felt as awful as he did.
"Sorry." He mouthed to her, trying to break the ice.
A small grin appeared on her lips. She simply nodded at him and gave him the middle finger as a joke. The humor of the situation finally hit them both.
He returned the favor and raised his own middle finger at her. Daryl watched him out of the corner of his eye and wondered what the hell was he witnessing.
Lori rushed out of her car, she felt like she was always running. She had exactly twenty minutes before she had to be back at the hospital.
The long haired brunette stepped inside the diner and exhaled in relief as Lucille waved at her from behind the counter.
She was already pouring her coffee.
"Hey babe!" She yelled out softly to her best friend.
"Hey," Lori took a seat infront of her, "I forgot my lunch in the refrigerator and I have a double shift again, you know how scrambled my brain gets."
Lucille smiled and set up a plate, "You know you can always come here and we will make sure you don't have to wait."
"Luci!" Someone yelled from the kitchen and she went to get her friends food.
Lori looked at her phone and there was no new messages. It didn't worry her since Lucille had just been with her kids that morning, but a text from her husband would have been great, though she knew there was probably nothing worth texting about. Usually Rick preferred to call and she didn't mind it, but it was also difficult because it was hard to reach her when she was working.
Lucille came back with a big chicken salad and some cornbread, "Your favorite. I made sure they packed you some extra to go."
Lori smiled at her friend and was quick to start eating.
"You need to take better care of yourself." Her friend reminded her as she leaned against the counter and watched her eat, "Carl is always complaining that you don't take care of yourself."
"I know. I promised him that I would take less hours, but they really need everybody they can get," She sighed and looked at her phone again anxiously, she probed cautiously, "you hear anything from the guys?"
"They were going out to have lunch with some people they met last night," Lucille replied, shrugging off the question, "You know how Negan is. He would tell me if something was wrong."
"I didn't mean it like that," Lori was trying to put her thoughts into words, "I trust Rick. It's not that, I just feel like sometimes he doesn't remember that I even exist. I mean even Carol gets five calls a day because Daryl needs to check on his dog"
"I'm sure he remembers, but he doesn't want to bother you when he knows you're working a double shift" Lucille tried to cheer her up, she shifted uncomfortably, "Besides Daryl is obsessed with that dog."
"But sometimes I don't remember either. Like is that normal?" Lori wondered as she ate, "I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking it."
"I think you should listen to your gut. You probably just have the jitters because this is a new beginning after everything you two went through," She tried her best to comfort her friend, "I mean it was a lot."
"Yeah, it was."
Lucille took her hand and squeezed it, "Are you happy?"
Lori looked at her, and thought about the question. There were a lot of aspects in her life that made her happy. Sha ran a hand through her messy hair as she tried to muster up the answer.
"Lori-"
"No, I am," She finally answered quietly, "I am."
Lucille smiled back, but a lump formed in her throat. She had a feeling that there was something her friend wasn't honest about.
The guys finally finished lunch which went more peacefully towards the end. They actually ended up having a nice time. Everybody got along. Michonne and Rick kept their distance and from there it was smooth sailing.
"Man, I ate way too much." Negan complained to Glenn who walked beside him.
"I told you not to order two sides." Glenn laughed at Negan who was holding his stomach.
Daryl and Rick walked behind them in the hallway. They finally reached their suite door, but Daryl pulled Rick aside.
"You guys go ahead," He told his other two friends, "I need to talk to him."
"Why?" Rick asked, confused.
Negan grinned, "I bet it's about the girl"
Glenn opened the door and pushed Negan inside, "Just get inside."
"That's what your mama said." Negan snickered as the door closed.
Daryl paused for a moment, it was an awkward conversation to have.
"Man, I don't want you to get pissed, but I gotta ask," He muttered quietly, "what's up with you and Connie's friend?"
Rick looked even more confused, "What friend?"
"Man, you know what I'm talking about. Don't make me spell it out to you," his friend grunted, "Michonne."
Rick was taken aback by what he was insinuating, "What?" he repeated.
"I see the way you act around her." Daryl was trying to keep it down, so nosy Negan wouldn't hear him. He didn't need him meddling into this.
Rick squinted his eyes so hard he felt like a vein on his forehead could pop, "How am I acting?"
Daryl was trying his best not to set him off, "Remember when we were in third grade and there was this girl Tammy, the one with the butterfly clips in her hair."
His friend just stared at him, not believing he was being serious.
"I think every boy in our class had a crush on her," Daryl continued, "We all tried impressing her, I gave her gum and one other kid gave her a fuckin lottery ticket or something like that."
"Yeah, yeah I remember her, but what the hell are you saying?"
"You were the only one who teased her and made her life a living hell."
"Daryl-"
"Man, I'm just saying," Daryl interrupted him, "you were giving Tammy a hard time and then in the end you were the one she kissed behind the shed."
"This is stupid," Rick was shifting uncomfortably and laughed dryly, "You think I'm crushing on her like a little kid? Are you kidding me?"
"I don't know, but you sure as hell are acting funny around her."
He was now very frustrated, "you've seen me with her for like two seconds."
"And I've known you for my whole life brother," he patted his shoulder, "I'm just saying, be careful."
"You couldn't be more wrong," Rick said gruffly, "You think I would be the type of man to do that awful shit after what we went through with Lori."
"Sometimes we do stupid shit without realizing it." Daryl sighed as he opened the door to their suite and left Rick wondering in the hallway.
Michonne leaned against the bedframe as she stared at the papers that were sprawled in front of her. Her laptop was open, but she just didn't have the energy to start typing.
She was supposed to get a couple of things done before it was time to relax again. Suddenly there was a knock on her hotel room door. She bounced up and opened it.
"Don't tell me you are working." Sasha came in with a huff, "Are you insane?"
Michonne looked at her friend and rolled her eyes, "I just saw you email our client during lunch."
"Yeah well," Sasha plopped down on her bed, "I don't bring work into my bed."
"Because Abraham takes up all the space in your bed."
Sasha snorted, "That's true though."
Michonne gathered her stuff from the bed and sat down next to her friend, she wanted to be honest, "I think coming here was a mistake. I just feel more shitty about all of it."
Her friend sighed, worried, "I kind of figured, you've been a bit tense since last night."
"Well that's because of that one hillbilly." Michonne rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on," Sasha laughed wholeheartedly, "I get it, he thought you were a stripper, but it's not that serious. Besides you really punched him good, his eye was all bruised girl."
"I just can't deal with ignorant assholes right now."
"Well they helped a deaf woman who lost her phone and friends in Las Vegas. They can't be that bad."
Michonne leaned against Sashas shoulder, "I'm gonna die if Connie actually likes this dude and we have to hang out with them again."
"I'm guessing she does because she kind of invated them to the Casino tonight." Sasha closed her eyes in fear of her reaction.
Michonne looked up at her friend, "No, she did not."
"Yep, she kind of did." Sasha smiled nervously.
She didn't say anything, but her expression spoke volumes.
"It's not that bad," She tried to cheer her up, "I mean they are all married. None of them is trying to get it on. Let's just wing it for Connie. She deserves it."
Michonne grimaced at the thought, but had to admit that Sasha was once again the one who was being rational, "Fine."
"You just stay away from the Sheriff," Sasha got up, laughing loudly.
"He is the one who should be told to stay away from me."
"Maybe he has a hard time doing that." She suggested and looked mischievous, "I mean he wanted to see you take your clothes off."
Michonne tossed a pillow at her, "It wasn't like that. He treated me like a charity case."
"I'm kidding." Sasha tossed the pillow back at her, "I'm gonna go get ready, and you do the same. I'll see you like we planned, right?"
Michonne nodded, "I'll be there."
Rick felt overwhelmed. He wasn't sure why Daryls words didn't sit right with him. And of course Daryl had planned to meet up with the group of women again. It was like he couldn't escape her. His marriage was solid. They were stable, content with one another, and he didn't want anyone to have the wrong impression. Especially his closest friends. So he knew he had to keep his distance and play it cool. He wasn't sure why he even had to put a game plan in place when there was literally nothing between them.
"Let's go make some money boys!" Negan walked towards the blackjack table as he pulled Glenn with him, "You're with me."
"Just because I'm asian it doesn't mean I can count cards." Glenn muttered and looked back at Rick and Daryl for help.
Rick and Daryl laughed as they stood there while the machines all around them were making noise.
"I'm gonna get a beer." Rick told him after a minute of silence. It was awkward.
Daryl could sense that their conversation from earlier weighed heavily on his mind.
"I'll wait for the girls here." He simply told him, not wanting to touch the subject.
Rick nodded as he went towards the bar. .
The place was big, but he knew exactly where to go. All of a sudden he found himself distracted and stopping. He stood dead in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice.
"You can't just expect him to be fine with you after you bailed on him last minute," Michonne was agitated. She walked back and forth while she was on the phone, "No- you listen to me Mike!"
Rick stood there listening. He knew it was an invasion of her privacy, but he listened anyway. He couldn't tear himself away from the situation.
"I'm telling you for the last time, stop fucking around and do what you promised! For once in your miserable life can you just fucking act like you care!"
Ouch.
Rick leaned against the slot machine.
"fuck you too!" She shouted.
He hadn't seen this side of her before. Sure she was pissed off at him earlier, but that was nothing compared to this. She looked angry and heartbroken at the same time. She took a deep breath, and with shaky hands tucked her phone back into her purse.
He stood still, frozen almost because he realized that she looked straight at him at that moment. Rick slowly raised his right hand to wave at her and she waved back.
"Sometimes we do stupid shit without realizing it."
God he hated it when Daryl was right.