Beth sighed as she rested her elbow on the windowsill of the car door. Thankfully she had left early that morning, allowing plenty of time for traffic. The highway was currently at a standstill backed up for miles towards the city. The truck didn't have an air conditioner and the air was seasonably warm, but it was running well, and driving it made Beth spontaneously break out into a silly smile.
That smile wasn't exactly present at the moment.
Her exam was in forty minutes, and traffic wasn't moving at all. In the days since Daryl had given her the keys, she had driven the truck five times. From the auto shop, to and from work and to and from Vanessa's house. Talk about a Spanish inquisition. She had thought Maggie's text messages had been intense after she had found out about Beth's hospital visit and the 'patient' who had subsequently stayed at their house. Vanessa had seemed to go on a rollercoaster of emotions, from disbelief to a strange sort of joy to laser focused seriousness as she interrogated her. Beth had left her house feeling like a wrung out rag.
The problem was that she didn't quite know where she and Daryl stood. The kiss in his cabin seemed like a lifetime ago, but it had only occurred a week ago. In the days following, she had almost forgotten how it had felt when he had pushed her away. And, mostly, that feeling had gone away when she had slipped in between the sheets that night beside him. In the morning when they had kissed again, she had felt herself start to fall again.
Her father had definitely not missed the truck parked under the tree outside their house. His eyebrows had been in danger of disappearing off his face, but he hadn't really said much. He had looked a little relieved when Beth had said it wasn't staying.
The red lights of the vehicles ahead of her disappeared as they started to inch forward slightly, and Beth sat up to jerkily shift the truck into gear. She was still getting the hang of driving a manual vehicle.
Beth had not heard from Daryl since he had returned home, but that wasn't unusual. Beth had not messaged him either as she had been catching up on sleep and studying.
She was hoping that would change this afternoon after her exam had finished.
Miraculously, the cars ahead of her started to inch forward again and Beth let the truck roll forward, leaving it in first gear with the clutch in to drift along a short distance. She flexed her fingers around the gear stick, before gripping it tightly to shift it into neutral as she applied the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a stop.
It wasn't as though she was unsure about how he felt about her or anything. Yes, he had seemed to reject her…or, had actually rejected her when they had kissed. But they had kissed again.
Beth rolled her eyes at herself. She couldn't think about this, she had an exam that she was running late for to do.
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The truck pulled into the parking space, kangaroo hopping before Beth hastily stopped the car, quickly checking the side mirrors before judging her parking job as good enough. It was time to focus, and get through this exam so that her first year at university would finally be over. As she approached the lecture hall she spotted Hailey, a girl who was in her class that she'd worked with in group work before, standing outside looking over some notes.
"Hey, good luck," Beth told her when she looked up at the approaching footsteps. Hailey smiled, looking a little stressed.
"Thanks Beth, you too," she replied, smiling in commiseration. They fell in to step together.
"Were you up all night cramming too?" Hailey asked, with a knowing look.
Beth shook her head. "I haven't been able to make it past 10 lately," she replied a little ruefully. Her body had paid for the all nighters and was still catching up, but in a way it was good because her body clock had seemed to reset. She was no longer staying up all hours fruitlessly reading through her notes and watching thug life animal clips that Maddy would sometimes send at such a late hour that it was actually morning, or browsing through old photos on her laptop.
They checked for their seats on the chart on the wall in the corridor – their lecturer was set on assigned seating. Beth was sitting on the opposite side of the lecture hall, and so whispered good luck to Hailey once more before they made their separate ways to their seats. The supervisor sits at the front of the room, managing to look both bored and stern.
Beth caught a glimpse of Zach as she made her way to her seat, and quickly looked away as she reached her desk and sat down, swinging the desk in front of her. She studiously ignored looking his way again as she arranged her pens and student ID on her desk.
She sighed. This was it, the end of her first year of college.
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The sunlight was bright above Beth as she stood outside the campus building. It was mid May, but summer was well on it's way, the glare of the sun such that she had to squint in the white light. She could feel her hair stick to the back of her neck. The exam had been surprisingly all right – a part of her was buzzing with the feeling of having been prepared for once, or maybe she just got lucky with the questions. She truly was a nerd sometimes.
She had been waiting for twenty minutes or so, standing in the almost empty courtyard when she heard distant footsteps. She looked up to see Maddy walking towards her with a small smile on her face.
"How'd you go?" She asked, as she got closer.
Beth adjusted her bag on her shoulder, turning to fall into step with her friend. "It went pretty well, I think. How was your exam?"
"Horrendous. But at least it's over!" Maddy said brightly, her big eyes gazing upward at the sun in a brief moment of elation. Beth smiled, linking her arm through Maddy's as they walked towards the car park. For once, Beth was going to be the one giving someone else a lift home.
"So, how's Daryl?"
Beth unlocked Maddy's door to the truck and they both threw their bags inside before she made her way around to the driver's side. She shrugged in response as she searched her pockets for her keys.
"I haven't heard from him since he went home," she frowned as her search came up empty. Maddy grabbed her bag off the floor and passed it to her.
"He probably just wants to give you some space, I mean, he knows you've got exams on right?"
Beth nodded, pulling the keys out of her bag. "Yeah he knows."
Maddy stared at her. "So…why the frown?"
Beth glanced at her as she put the key in the ignition. "I'm not…I mean, it's just…that…I haven't heard from him," she floundered, the truck roaring to life around them. "It's stupid, I know."
Maddy smirked. "It really is. Whose car are you driving again?"
Beth stuck her tongue out.
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With peak hour over they made good time driving back home, the truck chugging along the highway happily as it hit the speed limit and then some.
Maddy was always good at taking her mind off something that was bothering her. She talked almost non-stop until they reached their turnoff, making Beth giggle and forget momentarily. She realised how lucky she was to have a friend like Maddy, especially after what had happened with Zach. The worst thing about that situation was how Maddy must have felt that night when she'd found them outside. Beth had started to apologise to her one day on the phone but Maddy had talked loudly over her saying that if she thought she was the one who had to apologise, she wasn't as smart as she'd thought. And they had left it at that.
They pulled up outside Maddy's house with such a giant lurch that made both of them laugh a little bit too hard, and Beth waited until she'd reached the front door before driving away.
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Beth drove back into the town centre to stop by the store to pick up a few things for dinner. She had been making a special effort lately to cook healthy meals for her father and keeping an eye on him in general. She drove past the Dixon's auto shop and caught a glimpse of Axel standing outside smoking.
After buying a bunch of leafy vegetables and a few bits and pieces Beth hurried back to the truck, getting into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut. She shoved the keys into the ignition before stopping, slumping back in her seat. After a moment she shook her head and turned the key, and drove home.
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The sun sat low in the sky as Beth pulled over next to the line of trees off the road. It occurred to her that this might not be a good idea. Once it got dark…well, that was getting ahead of herself.
She got out of the truck and strode over to the passenger side and gingerly retrieved the bowl of lentil soup and her bag from the passenger seat. Her father had actually enjoyed this soup so hopefully Daryl did too. She probably should have messaged him to check if he was home, but she was taking a chance that he was. The walk to his cabin seemed longer than before, every snap and crunch of a twig or leaves amplified in her mind. The soup swayed in the bowl, residual heat creeping into her hands. The heat was palpable in the air, an invisible force that pressed her clothes against her skin. She couldn't remember if Daryl's cabin was air-conditioned but she had a feeling it wasn't. The soup suddenly looked less appetising.
At long last the cabin appeared through the trees like a mirage, the light burning orange on the wood as it crept closer to sunset. The windows of the structure darkened in the fading light creating an almost menacing look to them. Not quite Blair Witch Project, but…well, Beth didn't want to think about that movie at that moment. She ascended the stairs with a last moment instinct to turn around and leave, but her feet kept going.
She couldn't hear anything as she approached the door, but he would surely be home. He wouldn't be going on that motorbike just yet. Although…this was Daryl.
She knocked on the door and for a long moment she didn't hear anything until heavy footsteps approached the door. Daryl opened the door slowly, peering at her until he blinked and opened it fully.
"Hey," her lips twisted at the word. "Surprise," she smiled sheepishly.
Daryl glanced down at the bowl of soup and looked back at Beth. The corner of his mouth tugged slightly at his skin before he stepped back.
"Hey."
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Beth sat up on the bench while Daryl got two bowls out of the cupboard next to her. To her slight surprise, it looked as though he'd been reading on the lounge when she'd knocked.
"Sick of TV?" She asked, leaning forward with her palms resting on the edge of the bench. He turned on the tap and quickly rinsed the bowls out, his jaw shifting slightly.
"Sick of lyin' around." He muttered. "How much do ya want?" Daryl nodded to the big bowl of soup next to her.
"Oh, only a little. I already had some at home."
He shrugged. "More for me."
Beth smiled as she pushed herself off the counter, and placed the bowl in the microwave. "I take it you're hungry?"
He hummed. "Starvin'."
Beth laid out the cutlery on the table while Daryl cut a couple of thick slices of bread – fresh bread, she noted – and placed it on the table with some butter. The room was cool and dim, with the curtains drawn and the doors shut to keep the heat out. He dished the soup out, giving her a generous portion that she imagined would be finished by him after she only ate a tiny bit in a short time.
As they ate she told him about her exam and finishing college for the year, which as she talked she realised what a huge relief that was.
"What're you gonna do all summer?" He asked, taking a small swig of beer (that he wasn't supposed to have). "Work?"
Beth chewed slowly before shrugging. "I guess so. It'd be good to go away or somethin', but I don't have the money."
His brow wrinkled slightly as he tore another piece of bread off and dipped it in his bowl. "Yer friends have plans?"
Beth swirled her tongue around in her mouth, working the bits of lentils that stubbornly refused to budge. "Summer jobs, I think. Maddy and Vanessa haven't actually finished yet, they've still got a couple of assessments due."
He looked at her as he chewed. "Boring summer then," he grunted, before swallowing.
It did seem to sound that way, she realised. "Yeah…I guess so."
He slowed in his eating, sitting back in his seat and clearing his throat. "Doesn't have to be. Still got time."
Beth smiled faintly and nodded. "That's true." She put her spoon down and pushed her bowl away from her slightly, now feeling quite full. Daryl leaned over slightly, eyeing the contents of her bowl. Beth pushed the bowl further towards him.
"Thanks." He picked up his bottle of beer, raising it to his mouth.
"Can I have a sip of your beer?" Beth asked lightly.
Daryl's eyes darted to hers as he froze, the bottle halfway to his lips. The moment of silence that followed was painfully loud. To her surprise he simply tilted the bottle towards her, but she didn't look away from him as her smile faded. His eyes had sharpened as he watched her.
She hadn't meant to recall the night she'd stayed over when she had made that smart remark to him, like a brat, but the focus in his eyes indicated he'd remembered instantly. In turn, she remembered their kiss, and her eyes darted away.
"If you're lookin' for a babysitter, you're at the wrong place," he stated pointedly, the beer bottle now hanging between them like a challenge.
Beth met his gaze steadily. "I'm not." She took the beer bottle from his grasp gently, placing it down on the table and returning his stare.
It was his turn to look away. He swallowed, his Adam's apple pulsing in his throat. "Beth…"
She could feel the blood rushing to her head, her face heating up. In spite of this she willed her feet to move, pushing the chair back slowly. Daryl was close enough that she could take a step and lean in, his lips close to hers. Beth was nervous enough so that when their lips met, she had to grip the edge of the table. He stiffened in his seat, his back straightening as he responded hesitantly. His mouth was warm, his lips soft and his skin rough. The touch made her marvel at the feel of him. His hand came up to brush against her face, the thumb stroking her skin.
Beth tilted her head slightly, her mouth parting as his engulfed hers. There was a scrape of wood, the clatter of cutlery as he stood, and she stumbled slightly as they struggled to stay connected with the sudden movement. His arms found her waist and gripped her tightly, pulling her body in to his. All she could do was clutch at his shirt to ground herself, to keep herself earth bound.
They broke apart slowly, their breathing heavy. Daryl rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
"Fuck." He gasped. They broke apart somewhat and he stared down at her seriously. "You sure this is what you want?"
Beth nodded. "Yes."
A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you liked this chapter, though I can't say I'm happy with it. I've reached the point where I can't really think of anything to change though so this is it I guess.
Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you all for your follows, favourites, reviews and for reading this story so far...I know my updates are slow, but know that I'm still working on it.