Monday
Daryl poured himself a bowl of lucky charms, the delicious sugar filled cereal that had never once graced the Dixon household. He dipped the his spoon in the milk to take his first scoop, and then thwack.
"What the fuck?" Daryl shouted as he turned his head to see Charlene with a rolled up newspaper and a look that could kill. She swatted him with the newspaper again before dropping it on the dinner table and heading to the counter to fix herself a coffee.
"That's what you get for abandoning Cassie last night."
"I didn't abandon 'er… she came with you," Daryl knew better than to poke the beast that was Charlene but enough was enough.
"Ah leave the man alone Char, didn't you see him giving goo goo eyes at little Miss Fancy Pants all damn day?" Jim sat down at the table and winked at Daryl.
"Kate and... Daryl," Charlene half laughed as she poured her coffee.
"Whats wrong with that?" Daryl said trying to sound confident even though deep down he could think of a million reasons why Kate would never be with a man like him.
"She had a Celine purse and a Cartier watch… do ya'll know what something like that costs? Probably more than we all make in a month."
"Well what's that got to do with anything?" Jim backed Daryl up as he gave him a friendly nudge with his elbow.
"I'm just saying, Cassie liked you and she-"
"Jesus Christ Char, give over with that Cassie shit," Daryl stood up. "Ya always complainin' I ain't seein' anyone an' now ya complainin' 'bout the girl I am tryin' to see." He didn't want to talk about this with anyone. He didn't need one of his oldest friends telling him that he wasn't good enough for Kate, a lifetime of acting like Merle and Will had made sure of that.
Even if he was crazy for pursuing Kate, it was too late to worry about that now. Besides, Daryl's pursuit was working. Sort of. He grabbed the keys to his truck and headed out the door to ensure he didn't have to stand another second of discussing his love life, or lack thereof. The last thing he needed was Jim reminding him that he hadn't slept with a woman in over a year or that the last time he had anything close to a girlfriend was when he was a teenager.
Jesus fuck, the mere thought of his incompetence with women was enough to make him want to crawl back into bed. Except that Kate was different. At least he could hold a conversation with her, flirt with her, tease her a little. Daryl pictured her nervous laugh, the blush of her cheeks and felt more marginally better.
As Daryl climbed into his truck his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered without checking who it was.
"Baby brother, finally pickin' up the phone to ol' Merle."
Daryl let out an agitated sigh, "what ya want now?"
"That ain't no way to talk to yer brother."
Daryl grunted.
"Imma need ya truck for a little job I got goin'."
"What job?" Daryl imagined the worst.
"Ain't nothin' illegal. Me an' Harley got some work doin' some furniture movin' 'cept we only got our bikes. Then Imma help Bo move his old ladies shit outta 'er scabby apartment," Merle let out a big laugh and Daryl sat impatiently while he waited for his brother to finish. "Ya know Bo is movin' 'er in with him? He's one pussy whipped motherfucker."
"How fuckin' long ya plannin' on havin' my truck?"
"I don't fuckin' know… couple days, a week? Long enough so we can get some money together an' buy somethin' bigger… I'm enterprisin'. Ol' Merle's gonna be movin' up in the world."
Enterfuckingprising. Merle and Harley were more likely going to piss any money they made up the wall or enterprise it straight into gear they could sell. Daryl held in his grunt and said, "whatever."
"That a yes then baby brother?"
"Alright," as much as Daryl hated the idea of Merle using his truck, he loved riding the chopper. He arranged a place to meet Merle that meant he didn't have to drive all the way back to his Daddy's and did the handover as pain free as possible which was almost impossible with his fucked up annoying as shit big brother.
He got to work slightly later than planned since he'd had to meet Merle. He'd wanted to arrive early to give him a chance to speak to Kate before the day began but the staff carpark was already full when he pulled in and the Museum doors were minutes from opening for the day.
Daryl headed to the security office to grab his hat and utility belt. Shane was sitting at the monitors with his usual shit eating grin and Daryl nodded at him before he heard the familiar clip clop of heels clattering down the hallway.
Kate turned the corner and his heart skipped a beat. She was so fucking beautiful, Jesus. His eyes dropped to her hands and the jacket that was clutched in them before he span on his heel and tried to lean casually against the door frame. The last thing he needed was to fall over again.
"What you got there princess?" Shane stood up and stepped out from the security desk with his usual swagger but Kate stepped straight past him.
"You left it last night," she pressed his jacket into his hands with a smile and Daryl wanted to say something. Say that he'd enjoyed yesterday, or ask her to go to lunch this afternoon but before he could they were interrupted.
"Last night?" the look on Shane's face was so priceless that Daryl could almost forgive the interruption. "It's always the quiet ones…"
Kate stepped away from both men with her usual uppity huff, "why don't you get your mind out of the gutter, Mr Walsh?"
"I can't help myself when I'm around you Princess," Shane laughed as she sashayed away.
"Watch your damn mouth Walsh."
"That might be the most I've heard you fucking say Dixon."
Daryl hardly spoke to Shane if he didn't have to and he didn't have to right now. He grabbed what he needed from his locker and headed off on the morning rounds. Or more precisely, he headed straight for the exhibition hall to find Kate.
When he found her she was deep in conversation with Mr Blake who placed his hand on her lower back and nudged her towards his office. That was the last time he managed to see Kate who then spent the day giving talks to some historical society or some bullshit. Lou had the week off so he wasn't even there to talk to and Daryl realised how much of his day he liked to spend with his new English friends. This security job would be fucking awful when they were gone.
When he made it home he found Jim and Jason sitting in the back garden, drinking a beer and waiting for the BBQ to heat up.
Jim passed him a beer, "lucky for you, Char's at her sisters."
Daryl took a long drink before falling into one of the garden chairs feeling silently pleased. He didn't want to hear Cassie's name for the rest of the evening or ever again.
"Ya spend the night with Katy?" Jason's bright white grin spread easily across his face and Daryl realised he was in for it now. His friends were like dogs with bones when they wanted to be.
"He didn't," Jim replied with a grin to match his brothers. "So, what's your next move Romeo?"
"Jesus, I only just fuckin' sat down! An' I ain't talkin' to ya'll 'bout this shit."
"Come on… what else we gonna talk about?" Jim laughed and poked the BBQ coals with some long metal tongs.
Daryl let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he should get their advice? He was shit on his own. "I asked 'er to Irma's 4th of July picnic."
"Oh some Casanova inviting a British girl to a 4th of July picnic, what ya gonna do throw her on the BBQ?" Jason laughed and Jim did too.
"Shut up," Daryl huffed.
"And it ain't until next week! What else you got?" Jason said.
"That's it." Daryl replied.
"That's it? Don't you wanna get laid before she leaves?" Jim threw three huge steaks onto the grill before twirling his tongs in his hand. "Well?"
Daryl stood up and lit a cigarette. Talking about Kate in this way was making him as uncomfortable as it was horny. Jesus, of course he wanted to have his way with her. He could barely think of anything else. But he hadn't even managed a kiss so anything more seemed impossible. "I dunno if she would."
"Oh she would," Jason said knowingly and Daryl choked on the breath of smoke he was inhaling.
"Ya think she would?" Daryl eyed Jason with suspicion.
"Lemme have ya phone," Jason held out his hand and Daryl begrudgingly handed over his cell. "I'm gonna text her…"
"What?" Daryl exclaimed.
"Good thinking… butter her up…" Jim chimed as he fussed over the BBQ.
"I'm gonna tell her she has a beautiful voice and your bedroom has great acoustics."
Daryl nodded along until the penny dropped and he growled at Jason, "the fuck ya are! Sounds like somethin' Merle would say." He grabbed for his phone but Jason jumped over the porch railing like some kind of spry fucking lamb.
"Merle would never be so smooth," Jim pointed out in between his laughs.
"Fuck smooth, ya gonna make 'er think I'm an asshole!"
"Why'd ya care what she thinks?" Jason said with a smirk before hitting send and throwing Daryl the phone. He grasped at it desperately as he tried to read the text message.
/
"You're so tanned!" Isy exclaimed as her face popped up on Kate's laptop. True to her word, Isy had arranged for them to skype so she could be filled in on any and all details.
Kate admired the glow of her arms, "It's hot here."
"Oh? Is it?" Isy's man eating smirk made its first appearance of the skype call. "Tell me about last night..."
"Nothing happened. Not like that. Daryl took me…" Kate pictured last night and tried to find the words that wouldn't make last night sound utterly romantic, but there was none, "for a picnic under the stars." No matter what way she put it a picnic under the stars was about as romantic as she could imagine.
"A picnic under the stars and not even..." Isy's crude gesture was enough to make Kate squeeze her eyes shut.
"Fucking hell Isy! We didn't even kiss."
"Bloody hell, all that and not one little kiss?" Isy tut tutted.
Unconsciously Kate's fingertip found her lip as she whispered, "no."
"Well, don't make this one fall in love with you. I'm looking forward to having you back, single…" Isy's face fell, "I mean…"
Kate ignored the elephant in Isy's words. The part where she was single because Harry and Ryan were gone. "I know what you meant."
The buzz of Kate's mobile phone caught both women's attention and she grabbed it to see Daryl's name looming large, "he's just texted me."
Daryl: I can't stop thinking about yesterday… I hate losing at bowling.
Kate read the message out loud and her stomach fluttered at the beginning until she laughed at the end. She didn't picture Daryl as the kind of man to send her a text message. In fact he didn't even seem like the kind of man to have a mobile phone and she had never once noticed him checking it.
"He's defiantely keen," Isy's voice floated from her laptop, reminding Kate that she was there. "Or maybe it's not Daryl I need to worry about?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I can see your dreamy expression from here. It's only a fucking text K, not a dozen roses. Please don't tell me you're going to fall for this guy and never come home."
Kate rolled her eyes, "don't be ridiculous. I can't wait to come home. Besides… even if I wanted to stay I couldn't."
"Your job?"
"My visa."
"No time to lose then. Maybe you should ask him to come over right now?"
Kate laughed nervously as her thumb hovered over the tiny keypad. She began to type out a message before quickly deleting it and looking at Isy's eager face. The manic look in her dark eyes gave Kate stage fright, "I'll call you later."
Before Isy could finish the word, "wait," Kate closed the laptop and threw it down on the sofa along with her phone.
Then she made a cup of tea. Did she want to text back? Yes, of course she bloody did. She'd been more disappointed than she would ever admit when he hadn't kissed her like she feared he would. She typed out a message and pressed send before she could second guess herself.
Kate: Are you suggesting a rematch?
Her phone beeped back instantaneously and she hesitated before looking at the message.
Daryl: Tomorrow night?
Tomorrow Lou was taking her for dinner to meet the old school friend he had staying with him for the week.
Kate: I'm busy tomorrow.
Daryl: Wednesday then.
Kate paused, she didn't want to seem too keen even if she her phone chimed again.
Daryl: Ever been on a motorcycle?
A motorcycle. She ran her fingertips through her hair and imagined herself holding tight to Daryl as he sped along the road.
Kate: No.
Daryl: Make sure you wear boots and I'll pick you up Wednesday at 7.
Kate scoffed, that was rather presumptive of him.
Kate: I didn't say yes.
Daryl: You were gonna ;)
Kate's breath caught and she melted into the sofa with her cup of tea clutched in one hand and her phone clutched in the other. The stubborn part of her wanted to say 'no I wasn't' but the other part of her couldn't stop staring at the winky face which seemed so unlike the redneck security guard.
She took a sip of tea and bit her lip. Another date with Daryl. There was really no way she could deny it, and part of her wished he was picking her up right now.
AN- Thank you for reading. Sorry that my updates aren't as often as they used to be but I'm self employed and my work has tripled recently so I'm just super busy.