Six. Hours.

Daryl stayed over for the next six hours, and we didn't even realize that time had passed us by. After our more awkward than not breakfast, the rough-and-tumble man offered to stay and help me wash dishes, saying that it was the least he could do in return for my cooking for him. I insisted on him not helping, but we ended up compromising on him washing and me drying. I could tell how uncomfortable he became by being so close to me, but I kind of enjoyed it. His strong silence was something different from the people I had become friends with at school.

After we were done I invited him to stay for awhile, thinking that he'd reject my offer. I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't and dropped himself on my couch instead. Grabbing us glasses of Sweet Tea, I soon joined him and placed the glass in front of him on the coffee table. Looking over at him, I couldn't help but giggle to myself. He just looked so nervous! His hands were in his lap like he was afraid to touch anything and his body language was very rigid. Eventually he looked over at me and asked, "Wha' so funny, girl?"

"You are" I replied before sipping my tea. "If I knew asking to hang out with you would make you this uncomfortable, I would have let you go home."

"I'm not uncomfortable" he snapped, obviously trying to keep up his 'badass' persona. "I'm just not used'ta hangin' out with college girls."

Setting my tea down I turned to face him, pulling my legs up onto the couch and crossing them. "Then what kind of girls do you hang out with?"

It was his turn to chuckle, probably at my naivety. I could see a faint blushing in his cheeks as he answered. "Don't really hang out with girls."

Feeling the flushing in my own cheeks, I dropped my head quickly so he couldn't see. Of course he didn't hang out with girls, I had seen the kind of women that went to his place. Well, I'd seen them leave on occasion. He must have seen my embarrassment, because he only laughed more.

"Usually it's chicks my brother brings home" he continued, trying to stifle his laughter. "One-and-done kinda chicks."

His last statement made me uneasy. I grabbed my tea hurriedly and sipped it, trying to get over my own mortification. The kind of company I usually kept never spoke about those kind of things so openly and I had no idea of how to respond. I couldn't imagine how that felt, to spend the night with someone different all the time.

"Sounds lonely" I finally said. He turned to face me, and his face was difficult to read. I couldn't tell if he was upset by my comment or something else. Instead of looking away, I took a moment to look at him, really look at him. While his demeanor and outward appearance screamed 'bad boy', his eyes said something different. His bright blue eyes were swimming with something I couldn't quite place. I could also see the bags under his eyes. He had barely noticeable wrinkles over parts of his face, and his skin was tanned like he spent a lot of time outside. He was handsome, in a rugged, mysterious kind of way.

"Can be", he replied, his voice quiet and serene. I could see he was relaxing while he leaned more into the cushions on my sofa and grabbed the tea I had set out for him. " I try not to think about it too much." And I could understand why. I wouldn't want to either. "So where's that smartass that was here when you moved in? Y'all don't live together?"

I sipped my tea and looked at him over my glass. "You mean my boyfriend?" I corrected, a bit more harshly than I had anticipated. I could tell he had noticed my tone because he straightened up a bit again. "Jimmy lives back in Ivey, down the street from my family's farm. I came here to go to school." My hometown was a couple of hours away from Savannah, but it was just enough of a distance where I could have my own life, where I wasn't "The preacher's daughter" or "Jimmy's girl".

With a smile, I played off the sinking feeling that was surging in my stomach. "Plus, I don't think my daddy would like us living together all that much." I explained. "Preachers don't usually condone livin' in sin."

Daryl 's eyes widened. "You're a preacher's kid?" he asked. "I need to stay as far from you as possible then."

I knew he was kidding, but I couldn't help but feel hurt by what he'd said. I was just getting to know him, but even the idea of quitting while we were ahead upset me. "Nah" I said cooly. "I'm just Beth. A normal, everyday college student. No need to be afraid of my God-fearin' Daddy."

"I ain't afraid of no preachers" he replied smugly, a grin twisting on his lips. "They just tend not ta like me all that much."

For the next few hours, we just sat on the couch and got to know each other. Granted, he told me a lot less about himself than I told him, but I took what I got. He told me a little about Merle, about how they had been all around Georgia and how they had just settled down in Savannah about six months before I arrived. Said it was the longest they had been in the same place since they were kids. I found out that he worked at an auto shop on the outskirts of town, and that he loved to be out in the woods, hunting and camping. He didn't tell me about his family, or friends, or much of anything past the basics. So I decided to matters into my own hands.

"Alright, what's your favorite country song?" I asked, knowing that he too had a love of country. "Everyone's got a favorite."

He sat there for a moment and I could tell he was genuinely thinking about it. I got up from the couch while I was waiting, to grab the Sweet Tea pitcher, and brought it over to refresh our glasses. Momma had always stressed being the perfect hostess when company was over. It was so engrained in me that I didn't even realize I was doing it half the time.

"Hurt" he finally said. "By Johnny Cash." He nodded in appreciation as he took a sipped of his newly poured glass of tea. "It's a strong song, meaningful."

Before I could say anything, he looked up at the clock on my wall and brushed his hands off on his worn black jeans. "I should git goin'" he told me, but he didn't really seem like he wanted to go. He stood up and grabbed our glasses, taking them over to the sink and placing them inside. "Thanks for the breakfast though, and the tea. Haven't had food that good in a long while."

I stood up and pulled down on the jean shorts I was wearing, crossing the room to meet him at the door while he put his boots back on. Honestly, I didn't really want him to leave. I had enjoyed our time together and I was sad to see it end. I couldn't help but feel guilty though, knowing my boyfriend wouldn't exactly be pleased if he found out I'd spent all day with the same man that threatened him. However, I noticed that my guilt didn't exactly stop me from what I said next.

"Would you want to hang out again tomorrow?" I asked timidly, fearing his rejection. I knew he was older, by nine years exactly, so I knew he probably had better things to do than spend time with some barely legal teenager. "We could watch a movie here, or I could cook us somethin'."

As he left my apartment and unlocked his door, he looked back at me over his shoulder. "I think I'd like that." My stomach flipped around like I was on some kind of roller coaster and I couldn't hide my smile.

"Goodnight, Daryl Dixon."

"Goodnight, Beth Greene."