What had that woman done to me?

For the second time in less than a week I'd ended up at Beth's, fuckin' the shit outta her. There was just somethin' about her, somethin' I couldn't understand. No matter what I did or said, she'd seen past my bullshit and called me out on it. After our run in with my dumbass brother and one of his many slutty 'friends', she'd pulled me inside her apartment to save me from their stupid nitpickin'. They loved teasin' me for whatever reason, probably because I was a bit softer than Merle, but I didn't care. I hated being a Dixon and whenever I was around Beth, I was jus' Daryl.

After I'd woken up on the couch, I pulled myself out of her tiny arms and redressed myself. I looked up at the now familiar clock on the wall and cursed myself for falling asleep. I had promised my boss at the garage that I'd help him on a bit of a side project and I was runnin' late. Takin' a piece of paper off the fridge, I found a pen and wrote Beth a quick note:

Beth, had to run. Going to help my boss at work. I'll stop by later if it isn't too late. -Daryl

Pouring a glass of sweet tea from her pitcher, I set the glass on the coffee table on the corner of the note, makin' sure she'd see it. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I'd fucked her and ran. I wasn't that kind of man and I'd be damned to let her think so. Normally I wouldn'tve cared, but it was Beth and she deserved a note goodbye. I slowly bent down and pushed the blonde hair from her forehead, pressin' my lips to the soft exposed skin. She mumbled a bit before turning over, exposing her naked backside. I grabbed a nearby blanket and covered her before I left, running to my bike as I tried to make up for lost time.

Once I pulled into the garage, I was greeted by my boss, Dale. He was an older fella, probably in his sixties or seventies. I'd started workin' for him the few days after Merle and I had gotten to Savannah and I never regretted it. Dale always had beer in the work fridge, paid well, and hired anyone he felt worthy regardless of their background. I'd tried to get Merle a job there too, but as always, he'd blown it within the first week by showin' up high. That was one thing Dale refused to tolerate. He'd taken some sort of special interest in me, praisin' me for the jobs I did well and teachin' me when I'd messed up. I'd been surprised when he asked for my help, but I owed the old man. So I showed up without complaint, ready to explain why I was late.

"Sorry I'm late, boss man" I said was I changed into my grease coated coveralls. I usually left them at the shop in my locker, but I knew I'd need to bring them home for a washin' tonight. "I got a little caught up in somethin'." The image that popped into my head made me grin to myself, seeing myself buried in that sweet, beautiful girl. I quickly pushed Beth from my mind before I was forced to hide underneath a car or somethin'.

"Don't worry about it, Daryl" Dale replied as he walked out of the office with two bottles of beer. Leave it to him to know how to get me to work for free. As he handed me one, he smiled at me. "I'm just glad you showed up. I really need your help."

Walking over to something covered by a sheet, he removed it and displayed what was underneath, a 1965 Mustang Fastback that had definitely seen better days. Merle had always dreamed of a car like that but never saved up enough to get one, buyin' the bike instead. Granted, the car was beyond beat up, with chipped paint and the works, but I knew we could make it like new again if we had enough time. "What do you think, son? Worth a try?"

Looking over the hunk of junk that sat in front of me, I smiled a bit as I took a sip of my beer. "We can get it done with the right parts and shit" I replied, feeling excited to work on such a classic car. "Who's it for?"

Dale smiled at me and clasped his hand on my shoulder. He was usually the only one I let touch me like that, well, apart from the recent addition of Beth Greene. "It's actually for my wife" the old man replied with a laugh. "She's way more of a badass than me. Our anniversary is coming up and I thought it would be a nice gift. I had one when we first started dating and she loved that car, probably more than I did. I think that's the reason she stayed with me originally, but I have no way of knowing for sure." With a wink, Dale removed his hand and pushed our beers together. "I appreciate you helping me, Daryl. I really do."

"Don't worry, seriously." Popping the hood, I started lookin' over the engine when I heard Dale speak again.

"So what's her name?" my boss asked me, sipping on his beer and smilin' wide. His question caused me to hit my head on the underside of the hood, hard.

"Excuse you?" I replied, my voice a little gruffer than I intended. That didn't bother Dale none. He just laughed at me

"The reason you're late" she said calmly, like he was all knowin'. "What's her name?"

"I don' know what yer talkin' about" I snapped. Dale had never really asked me such personal questions before and I had no idea of how to react. My surprise only made him laugh harder.

Walking up to me, Dale pulled the collar of my coveralls just a bit, revealing the marks that Beth had left on me. I could feel my skin blushing and I couldn't stop it. Releasin' my collar, he smiled. "I'm not gonna ask you again, what's. her. name?"

As I went back to the car, I sighed loudly. I wasn't one for putting my personal life out there, especially when I had no idea what was going on. Everything that was happening between Beth and me was different, I didn't know how to explain it properly. However, I knew Dale wouldn't stop, so I grunted and gave into his questioning.

"Beth" I replied shortly, "Her name is Beth." My skin kept flushing as her name left my lips. I had no idea what she was doing to me, but I couldn't say I didn't like it any. The thought of her made me smile, hell, even the dirty thought of her were enough to get me through the day. The sound of her voice rang in my ears all the time and her laugh sent chills up my spine, in a good way. This girl was an angel, one who'd decided to dance with the Devil instead of the rest of the choir.

"How'd you meet her?" I could hear him smilin' from under the hood.

"She's my neighbor, just moved in a couple'a weeks ago."

Laughing, Dale pulled up a stool and sat next to me as I tinkered. He had this father-like quality about him, one that I'd come to honor and respect. He'd given me chances, helped me get on my feet, he'd even helped me find the apartment Merle and I shared. "How does she like Merle?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Can't stand 'im, like most people." Beth had definitely voiced her opinion on my 'crude and infuriating" older brother. It was one of the things I liked most about her.

We sat and chatted for a couple of hours as we worked on the car. He'd ask me questions about Beth every so often as he tried to get information outta me. From what I'd said, he told me that I had myself a keeper and to be careful not to lose her. He'd even let me go a little early so I could still have time to see Beth before she had to go to bed. After we cleaned up, I shook his hand and got back on the bike. speedin' home faster than a bat outta hell.