AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm glad I logged onto FF today as my stories only had 2 days left before they got deleted.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters
Apologies in advance for any spelling and grammatical errors. Thoughts in Italics
Touched by an Angel
Chapter 6
Daryl was staring down into the glass counter, staring intently at nothing in particular. His mind was reeling, replaying his chocking episode. It wasn't how he imagined meeting the girl who had been occupying his mind from the moment she fell out of the sky and into his lap. Internally he cringes and calls himself the dumbest dumbass to have walked the earth.
Chocking - chocking on strawberry laces!
If he had died, that's what would be documented on his Death Certificate. His face twists, wincing at the thought. He can just hear Merle laughing - laughing like a Hyena and retelling the story whenever anyone asked how he died. Not a hunting accident, not wrestling with a grizzly bear or one of those dangerous daredevil road trips he takes once a year on his Harley but death by strawberry laces. He can only imagine what his hunting and hard-core riding buddies would say!
And then there were Shane and Rick. A cold shiver ran down his spine. The last stupid thing that had happened to him, Shane and Rick were both bawled over in fits of uncontrollable laughter, holding one another up for support. If they witnessed how much of a clumsy dork he's becoming and that over a girl, he'd never hear the end of it. Rolling down the street, caught up in a tyre was bad enough - chocking on some strawberry laces whilst drooling over a girl who doesn't even know who he is was just plain sissy. He's supposed to be hard-core, a tough son of a bitch not a pansy he reminds himself.
An imagine of Shane and Rick Bobbleheads snorting out loudly with pink laces coming out their mouths bounce their way into his mind. He shakes his head side to side which only makes Bobblehead Shane and Rick laugh out louder.
"These are newly in!"
When he lifts his head, Shane and Rick Bobbleheads pop out of mind as he watches the pretty blonde bouncing towards him on the opposite side of the counter. She had a pleased look spread across her face and she couldn't have looked sweeter. He couldn't help but stare.
"We have many colours and designs but I think these are really pretty!" She continues whilst aligning the scarves along the top side of the counter for him to take a better and closer look.
Nearly getting caught out watching her at work, Daryl lowers his lashes when she looks up. He was praying that the line of saliva travelling down the side of his lip goes unnoticed but more importantly, doesn't drop down and splash on the counter because that could be painfully awkward.
What's wrong with you! he asks himself confused.
"They're 100% pure silk and every girl would love such a gift!" Beth was explaining with genuine admiration, "A scarf always glams up a simple outfit and these scarfs are really, really gorgeous!"
Daryl eyes the scarves whilst his pretty sales assistant babbles on enthusiastically. He knows jack-shit about woman's clothing and even if he doesn't have a clue what she's raving on about - he trusts her opinion. Men didn't have that many choices of colour and patterns, the only colours he went around in were black, grey, brown, khaki and the occasional denim blue and there were so many shades of pinks, mauves and oranges staring up at him, he wasn't even sure which colour Lori liked or disliked.
Shit! Is all he can decide.
Standing on the opposite side of the counter, Beth sneaks a glance up and appraises her handsome customer. He was tall, dark and handsome with a muscular physic which in comparison to her petite frame, could engulf her. Thanks to the heating which was cranked up, her handsome customer who she's come to know as Daryl, had peeled off his winter jacket and placed it on top of his backpack on the floor. Her eyes move to his broad shoulders. He definitely worked out. She can see the outline of defined muscles and his muscular arms beneath the shirt he was wearing. She can't help but imagine what it might feel like to be enveloped in those strong manly arms. Zach definitely didn't have arms and biceps like the ones stretched out in front of her. Those were working hands, hands with experience she muses as they lay sprayed out on the glass counter before her.
"Miss?"
Startled, Beth snaps out of her reverie when she hears someone calling for her. Just as she tears her eyes off of Daryl's hands, she looks up just as Daryl does and they're both staring back at each other. She can feel the heat rising up her neck which would most definitely settle over her cheeks. His gaze was direct and intense, and she suddenly feels light headed because nobody's ever looked at her in the way he was looking at her.
"Miss!"
They both turn their heads in the direction of the demanding tone belonging to the man standing at the far end of the counter in an expensive looking suit.
"I'll be with you in a moment sir!" She answers sweetly, throwing a smile to the man to inform him she was aware he was there and would be with him once she's dealt with the customer she was presently serving.
But the man just huffs in exasperation, pulling his leather gloves off his hands and tossing them down on the counter along with his hat. He started drumming his fingers on the glass, clearly put out that he had to wait.
Beth scans the department floor, searching for one of her colleagues to appear and the two she spots closest were busy with their own customers.
Shoot!
Daryl watches the sweet joy and hope drop from Beth's face. She was starting to get a little flustered and it was her first day. He frowns as he follows her gaze, wanting to help her but not knowing how. The boutique was buzzing with customers, it was that crazy time of the year when Tillies and Millies have their big sale and let shoppers have a glimpse of their new lines for the next season. Women of all ages just went bonkers for a deal and the husbands and boyfriends who dared to step in just broke down in tears from the stress - hence the reason he didn't like shopping and shopping in fancy places like Tillies and Millies. It was too busy for his likings. He could see there wasn't anyone free to help behind the counter and the finger tapping had grown annoyingly impatient. His eyes shoot towards the noise wanting nothing more than to snap the jerk's fingers off and feed them to him.
"Go on." He says softly instead.
Beth turns to stare at him and he gestures towards the jerk with his head with the slightest smile.
"But," She stutters looking down at the scarves and then back up at him.
"It's okay," He insists "gotta pick a colour and pattern anyways." He says slouching forward and nearly slipping flat on his face when he sees the price tag.
Shit on a stick! I like Lori but not that much!
Beth catches the look on Daryl's face which told her, the scarves were way out of his price range and he was instantly disappointed. She felt terrible but it lasts but a second because she remembers there was one pretty scarf left in the sales, a third of the price which was currently wrapped around the mannequin's neck at the window display. Once she dealt with the waiting customer, she'd bring it over and show him – she could wipe off the disappointment from his face and make him smile again.
"Once I've dealt with that gentleman, I'll be back and this time you won't be disappointed!" She promises reaching over and placing her hand atop of his.
Like the time before, it felt like electricity had passed through into his body and sent off shockwaves all over. Things were coming back to life that had been dormant for some time. How could he be disappointed when he felt so alive, more alive than he's ever felt, and it was just a touch but the impact was unexplainable. When she withdraws her hand, he wants to latch hold but she had taken off before his reflexes could work, leaving him watching her go. He slumps forward breathing heavily not knowing what was happening to him, he's never felt this much intensity with a person so quickly not even with Rosita who was the love of his life.
Guilt hits him at full force and before he turned around, picked up his belongings and got out of there, Jesus appears. He edges a scarf forward indicating he was ready to pay forgetting the price, forgetting about the girl who almost sneaked passed his barrier to a place he vowed nobody would ever be permitted to go.
After handing the nicely wrapped package and receipt to the man who had taken his time browsing and asking a dozen questions, Beth waves him off with her award winning smile and rushes to the window display and does a little celebratory dance to see it was still there. Rushing back to where she left Daryl, she hops over Noah who was crouched down on his hands and knees taking down the last of the decorations and practically bumps into another mannequin. She has to jump to catch it before it toppled over onto the stand of designer glasses, the whole time squealing in horror and relief praying neither Jesus or Mrs Wilson were watching and they had been watching her all day.
"Nice save!" Noah calls out watching her run across to the other side of the store.
She was out of breath and sweaty, clumsiness was second nature to her but she made it in one piece at the speed she was going. Straightening down her blouse and fixing her hair in place, she scurries over to where she had left Daryl but the area was empty – there was no Daryl. And then she hears the roar of what sounded like a bike. When she looks ups, she sees Daryl riding off on his Harley.
"Nu-hoooo!" She moans in dismay with a big frowning pout, holding out the scarf she promised to show him and buries her face into it.
All she got was his name and she wanted to find out more. He was here one minute and gone the next, she wasn't sure when she'd see him again.
"Daryl Dixon," Jesus says appearing over her shoulder out of nowhere making her nearly jump out of her skin.
"35...ex-marine…was the best in his unit until a setback in life, now a mechanic who works at the garage down the street," He adds watching Daryl go.
"He does?" Beth asks surprised and now smiling.
Jesus nods and seeing the look in his newest employee's face, he didn't want her to get her hopes too high but more importantly he didn't want her to get hurt. He knows he shouldn't but he does. He reveals some significant details which he thinks are significant before she sets her sights and heart on a guy whose heart still belonged to someone else and everyone knew it.
"He came out of a long term relationship. Her name's Rosita. They met in the army and were the perfect match but then she left him at the altar, that was six months ago."
Beth's smile dropped in an instant. She looks at Jesus seeing he was serious and then looks down at the scarf in her hand not knowing what to say or how to react. She wanted to ask what happened but didn't at the same time.
"She ran off with one of her commanding officers, this really loud cocky schmuck and well, Daryl ain't been the same since," He reveals.
"That's awful!" Comes out of Beth's mouth in a whisper, clutching the scarf to her chest.
Jesus reaches over and places a comforting hand on Beth's shoulder, seeing the upset look on her face.
"I just advise, be cautious-"
"I'd better get this back to the window display and then help Noah." Beth says forcing a smile on her face, unable to stand there any longer feeling the way she was feeling about someone she barely knew, feeling ridiculous now about her silly crush that she scurries away as fast as she can.
Jesus watches Beth go. He sighs, knowing he could have handled that better than he had. He wished he'd kept his mouth shut but couldn't. Beth was sweet and kind and Daryl was the opposite, very temperamental when he wanted to be, mean even and he didn't want Beth to be the rebound girl and be on the receiving end of Daryl Dixon's temper and harsh tongue which he was very famous for.
