Written by Hipsy Bohannon co-written by Sandi Lynn Sabolchic
Ally was dead on her feet. She had been working every shift Dale would give her, trying to scrimp and save enough to get first month's rent up. She still hadn't found a reasonable place in her price range. There had been the tiny, not much more than a closet, efficiency that smelled like the last tenant was a wet dog that bathed in onions, but her Mustang was more appealing than that place, and her Mustang was rent free. Ally knew if she kept looking she would find something she could call home.
The diner was finally empty and she had already finished all of the clean-up necessary to shut down for the night. She had just laid her head on the counter to rest her eyes when the bell above the door sounded off.
"Rise and shine sunshine!" Merle bellowed.
"Why do you hate the idea of sleep so much," Ally groaned not even bothering to raise her head from the bar.
"Why do you always insist on passing out around me?" Merle retorted.
Ally rolled off her stool not even bothering to look in Merle's direction. She knew what he wanted. He came in every night around closing time to pick up whatever the day's special was to take home with him for his late night snack. She went behind the counter and grabbed the Styrofoam container that she had already prepared for him. She was startled when she turned around and saw Merle had taken a seat at a booth and there was someone with him though she couldn't see who. The stranger had his back to her, sitting opposite of Merle.
"Gonna need a second order lil bit," Merle said gesturing toward the dark haired man.
"No problem," Ally said making her way back to the empty kitchen. This late at night, the diner didn't get enough business to keep two workers on, so it was just Ally. She dug out what was left of the last order of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
"There goes my dinner," Ally said to herself with a sigh. Dale had told her that she could take home any leftovers from the day. Home still being her car, that is. She didn't want to squander money on food, so she usually ate just the one meal Dale provided for his wait staff during their shift. Most days however she got lucky and there was enough of the special left to have dinner and even some for a light breakfast. She grabbed up the containers and made her way out of the kitchen and back to Merle's table placing the containers on the table.
"Here ya go boys," she said as she turned to walk away, but Merle grabbed her wrist pulling her back to the table.
"Well ain't ya even gonna say Hi ta my friend here, or ya just gonna be rude" Merle asked causing Ally to finally take note and glance at the stranger. His head was held down, his hair falling over his for face.
"Hiya," Ally said too tired to play games with Merle and his mopey friend. She only had 15 minutes before she could shut the diner down.
"Well ain't ya gonna say hi to the nice lady," Merle coaxed, kicking his friend under the table and causing him to jump.
"Quit it Merle" the man hissed. A shiver ran down Ally's spine at the sound of the raspy-voiced stranger. She wasn't sure why, but her stomach clinched up and her face felt hot.
"You alright there sugar? Ya look a little flustered," Merle questioned, causing the stranger to look up at Ally. As his blue orbs met hers, Ally thought she might pass out right there on the spot.
"I'm sorry I raped you!" Ally blurted out. A stunned look fell over Daryl's face before he covered it with his mask of indifference, a look he had perfected over the years.
"Wasn't nothing," he said trying not to fall into her beautiful hazel eyes. If truth be told, all he really wanted to do since he saw her sitting at the counter when he and his sneaky brother walked in, was to flee out the door. He hadn't been able to get the crazy brunette out of his head all week. Every second of the night they had spent together haunted his every waking thought and he hated it. He would find himself wondering who she really was, where had she came from and what string of events brought her into the cab of his truck that night. He hated that he wanted to know who Shane was and why she was so angry with the man. He had been hunting twice that week just trying to clear his mind of her; both times he came home empty-handed because he couldn't concentrate. Ally's scent had seeped into his mattress and caused him to lay awake at night enjoying the scent only a woman could bring. When it finally faded he found that it saddened him. All of this was not ok in Daryl's mind. It was a one-night show, nothing more. She had made that very clear. He was a man, not some pussy ass that got all butt hurt because some chick used him then never called the next day. Hell, he took it with a grain of salt when Merle had spent the entire week harassing him about the fact that the little brunette hadn't even remembered their night together. He was surprised she could remember anything from that night after she drank her weight in tequila and then some. Merle, of course, ate it up saying "Forgettable is what you are little brother, not even worth remembering." Daryl wished he could forget that night, but it was burned into him deeper than the scar she had left on his shoulder blade, like a little forget-me-not. Well he didn't need it to remind him. He already had enough scars for a lifetime and there was no forgetting a night like that or a woman like her, but he had been trying like hell to do just that. Then his dick-head brother offered to buy him dinner. He should have known it was a trick. Merle had dragged him here just to rub her in his face.
"That's what she said," Merle said breaking out into a fit of laughter.
Daryl tried to hide the look of hurt from his eyes before Merle or Ally could see it. He set his jaw and refused to drop his gaze from the woman who stood before him. She looked different. She looked tired, worn out and running on empty. Still the bags under her eyes did little to take away from her beauty. Her shoulders sagged and she no longer had the confident stance of a woman on the prowl filled with liquid courage. He wasn't even mad about the nights' happenings.
Daryl had been dealing with wild drunks his whole damn life and at least this girl had spirit. That night she was full of life, enjoying the freedom. He could tell she had been a caged pet for too long and that night was her first taste of total freedom in a long time. He wished he could feel that way just once. Sure she had went a little bit off the deep-end, but there was just something about her that made him want to let her fly. He wanted to be the one to watch her soar. And soar she did, right into his every waking thought. But here she stood, no longer soaring. She had landed and it looked to have been a hard one. She looked weak and not just because of her small stature. She looked broken and it made him want to protect her. He quickly tried to push that feeling down. She wasn't his to protect. She didn't even remember him and why would she? He was just some back woods redneck she went slumming with to get her kicks.
This wasn't Daryl's first rodeo. It seemed like ever since he was 15 years old, girls like her had been sneaking away from their rich daddies, and then rich husbands to have their way with the town bad boy. Normally, Daryl didn't mind. Shit, sex was sex, but for some reason this time felt different and he had to continue to remind himself that it really wasn't different. It was exactly the same it had always been and always will be. No self-respecting woman would give a Dixon the time of day. He should just count himself lucky to have had her for one night and let it be.
Ally couldn't stand there under Daryl's intense gaze one second longer. She turned tail and headed straight for the kitchen as fast as her feet would carry her.
"Real mature Ally," she whispered to herself leaning against the kitchen door. She heard a loud slapping noise followed by Daryl's muffled voice.
"You're an asshole Merle," grunted Daryl.
She knew he had left the diner when she heard the tinkling of the bell on the front door. She peeked her head out the kitchen door and saw the place was empty. She walked out flipping the closed sign into place and grabbing the cash Merle had left on the counter for their food. She glanced up just in time to see the lights of Daryl's truck leave the parking lot. She sighed a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.
"Those eyes of his…damn!" she thought to herself. She had never seen eyes like his. Those eyes seemed to be able to look right into the core of her, a place that she had no intention of showing anyone the contents of ever again. She had thought about those eyes many times that week, wishing she could place a face to them. Now that she had, she wished she hadn't. He was beautiful. But that's not what you are supposed to call a man. If there was one thing she knew for sure Daryl was all man. From his rugged physique to his worn work boots he dripped pure raw sex appeal, all wrapped up in a brooding, sensual, mysterious package. The way he looked at her tonight it was as if time had stopped. She felt like she was no longer in her body, watching it all happen from beyond herself. She was able to take in every coarse hair on his scruffy chin, every strand that set perfectly out of place on his head. She had wanted more than anything to reach down and move that one strand that hung over his eyes. He was beautiful. There was no other word for it. She found herself wondering if his touch would be rough or smooth and she damned herself for not being able to remember. She damned herself for getting that wasted and for being so eager to lose herself in the arms of a stranger. She had always heard the best way to get over someone was to get under someone else. Well, that was a load of shit! That night did nothing to help her situation out at all, if anything it added to it. She counted her blessings though. She had been lucky it was Merle and his brother who had taken her under their wing for the night. If not, something terrible could have happened to her. Hell, she could be dead in a ditch instead of just terribly embarrassed about her actions. This Daryl guy had kept her safe, fed her, clothed her and dealt with her dramatics and how did she repay him? She stabbed him, then acted like a total freak, running out of the room when she should have been thanking him. She didn't do one-night stands. She had no idea what the protocol for something like this was. All she did know was she better hurry up and figure it out, because this town was small and they were guaranteed to be running into each other a lot.