It had been damn hard to let go of her, but her clothes were drenched and she needed to change or she would catch a cold. The house is strangely silent, in the middle of the afternoon no one is there; it's one of the perks of the a -job-for-all method that Deanna had going on. Beth had just climbed up the stairs to her room and Daryl is now entering his. As he sits on his bed, he thinks about the events of the day; Beth's presence in front of Aaron's house had left him puzzled and the second he took in her sad expression he knew that Erik had told her about the recruiting. That wasn't how it was supposed to go, she had to hear it from him. Still, he had managed to mess up. She'd looked so hurt right before leaving the driveway...Even though she'd said she was okay he didn't really believe her.
He takes off his leather vest and puts it on a chair, then starts unbuttoning his black shirt. He sighs. He knew she was purposely avoiding him when he didn't see her getting out of the school at the end of her shift. Her co-worker had told him she had left early so he went back to the house only to find it empty, like it is now. Panic had started to surge; where could she be? What if something bad had happened to her? Those were the questions buzzing through his mind while he was searching around Alexandria. But Beth was nowhere to be found. He had no choice but to calm the heck down and wait on the front porch, hoping she's eventually show up. Minutes seemed to go by like hours, every glance he took at the road ahead would bring him nothing new. Then suddenly he'd heard steps approaching closer and closer, spattering on the wet asphalt. It was her. Relief washed over him immediately, only to be replaced by a feeling of anger when she was close enough. Didn't she know how worried he had been? Didn't she know how much she meant to him? When Beth explained that she was the one worried about him, all the anger subsided. She didn't want him to go recruiting but at the same time she knew it was the only thing to do. He could see it in her eyes that she honestly cared about him, just like she said. He couldn't wait any longer to press his mouth on her beautiful, soft lips. As he kissed her feverishly and felt her holding on to him, Daryl knew he was in deep. She had captured him, no escape from there. And she had the same fear of losing him. If only the world wasn't that awful...but it was, which meant that all he could do was promise her to at least be careful. More than usual, 'cause she'd be waiting for him.
He leaves his shirt with the vest and puts on a new pair of jeans. He's still damp from the rain so he goes upstairs to get a towel in the bathroom. He swings the door open and freezes. Her blue eyes widen in surprise but she regains composure pretty fast, smiling awkwardly at him. Beth's wet blond hair is falling on her shoulders and she'd been attempting to dry 'em up by rubbing them with a towel. A white bra is peeking through the long unbuttoned-shirt she changed into. Daryl's eyes travel along her bare legs. He's simply hypnotized by how stunning she looks...He shakes his head, his gaze to the pristine floor. "I'm sorry, I was looking for a towel...I'll just-" he mumbles backing away.
"Wait!" she calls. He stops but doesn't look up. "Don't mind me, you can take one from the cabinet" he raises his head only to follow the instructions. There is in fact a cabinet, against the wall on her right. Beth is standing by the sink and near the bathtub. Daryl supposes he could take the damn towel and get the hell out of the bathroom. As he opens the cabinet doors he's still too aware of her presence so close to him. He grabs the towel from a stack and turns around, one foot in front of the other.
"When are you leaving?" she stops him once again.
He hasn't even made it to the threshold. She is talking about the recruiting again. He turns toward her. She's staring at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. "Tomorrow morning" he answers.
She inhales deeply. "Soon"
"Yeah".
"All right" Beth lowers her eyes a bit and drops the towel on the edge of the tub. He can't see her like that, sad, trying to hold the pain in like it's nothing. His strong girl...He goes standing behind her. His face joins hers in the reflection in the mirror as he slides his arms around her waist. They look so different, yet they're also very much alike. The scars on her face tell a story of violence and loneliness, his eyes have seen things he doesn't want her to know. Truth is, before the apocalypse shook the world he would have never even dared to wish for a girl like Beth, so kind-hearted, so hopeful. He had been a screw-up, too scared to actually take a stand and step out of his brother's shadow. Once, Carol had said to him that somewhere along the way he'd become a man, which meant that the immature boy he used to be was long gone now. He wants to believe it so badly, because Beth deserves better. He feels her hand closing over his.
She turns her head just slightly, her mouth tracing soft kisses on his neck, then up to his stubbly chin until she's finally covering his lips. He steers her so she's facing him, never breaking the kiss. The smell of rain still lingers on her but it can't conceal her natural sweet scent. He presses her body against the sink and before he knows what he's doing he's lifting her up so she's sitting there, her legs wrapping around him. The kiss only grows more intense, sticking together like that is like an urge that is taking over him and Beth is keeping up the pace. Her fingers run through his hair while his hands slip under the open shirt, brushing her silky skin. A quiet moan escapes her mouth. In one swift move he sweeps the shirt down her shoulders, only then he parts from her lips, pulling her tightly against his chest, enjoying the feeling of her body so close to his. Her breathing is frantic, her gaze on him as if she's begging him to keep going; he tucks her wet hair behind her ear and starts kissing her neck, sucking like he's hungry for her. Beth grabs his shoulders stronger and her head falls back with every touch of his lips.
A door closes downstairs. Daryl jumps back, wary, Beth is just as startled.
"Beth?" Maggie's far away voice calls.
Her eyes widen and it takes her a second to retrieve the shirt and put it on. He's still shirtless though, so he figures out something quick. "You go to your room and put some pants on, while I take a shower" a cold one, while he's at it.
She nods, getting down from the sink and fastening the last two buttons. He runs the hot water and she slips out the bathroom door. He takes a deep breath. That was close. He locks the door and leans against it. So close to being busted and...to something else.
Hi guys! sorry for the delay, to be honest this chapter has been ready for a while now but it's the one after this that has been a little difficult to write down the way I wanted it. Let's just say I hit "delete" a lot before I was satisfied...! By the way, I hope you like chapter 9, you may have noticed that I've put the words "Beth deserves better" in, because it's something I always come across online when there's a Beth talk so I just couldn't escape it. I legitimately have no idea of how long I'll keep updating this, it'll probably be another 2 chapters. I'll let you know how it goes. thanks for reading :)