Beth woke up groggily on Monday morning. For a few seconds, she thought it was any old average Monday. But then she remembered… Daryl. He was here, at her house – and she wasn't sure what the day would bring. They hadn't talked at all about his plans for the day, or hers for that matter. She had planned to mention it last night. But, then they'd had that moment in the kitchen and she lost all her sensibilities. She really thought Daryl was going to kiss her. And for a second, she wanted him to. But she knew she couldn't, he couldn't, that it wouldn't make sense. It would have just been an emotional act, and as over-emotional as Daryl had been, that kind of thing wouldn't help anyone. She was glad that she'd found the strength to pull away, although she hadn't been able to say anything, other than calling out a haphazard "goodnight" once she'd gotten out of the kitchen.

Beth lay in bed for a while, just pondering the situation with Daryl. She was strangely drawn to him. Yes, he was a bit rough around the edges, but for some reason, with Daryl, she didn't mind. She couldn't help but find it refreshing that he seemed happy to just be himself around her. Beth had been around too many guys that tried too hard to impress her – and inevitably she found out later on that they weren't really anything like they'd tried to seem at first. She couldn't help but wonder why Daryl was so different. It occurred to her, though, that maybe he really was just focusing on getting through his pain, and wasn't interested in impressing Beth. He just wanted to be her friend, Beth thought. And that was okay with her. She knew that was what he needed – and more than anything right now, she wanted to help.

She finally pulled herself out of her own thoughts and drug herself from her bed. She was tired, but that was to be expected after her late night talking to Daryl. Beth moved quickly to her bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth. Her hair looked like an absolute mess, so she took it down, shook it out, and flipped her head over, putting it back up into a top knot that wasn't quite as wild as before. She still had on the oversized t-shirt and tiny yoga shorts from the night before, but didn't bother to change as she padded down the hallway towards the kitchen. She wasn't sure if Daryl would be up but she figured she needed to find them some breakfast before they talked about the events of the day.

As she approached the kitchen, the house was quiet. Daryl must still be sleeping, she thought. That made sense though, since he hadn't slept since Thursday night. She couldn't help but think it was possible that he might not even wake up all day – and that would be okay, she thought – he needed the rest.

Beth walked over to the large kitchen window, looking outside at the beautiful summer day outside. Quickly, though, she noticed that Daryl's truck was no longer parked behind her car in the driveway. It was gone. Fear and frustration rose inside of Beth, and before she knew it, she was moving quickly towards his room. When she got there and walked in, it almost looked like no one had ever been there. Had he even slept here, Beth wondered, or did he leave immediately after their late night conversations? The bed was made just as perfectly as it always was. She walked into the bathroom and noticed there was water in the shower and a damp towel was neatly draped over the sink – so she knew that Daryl had at least showered in the last couple of hours. She looked all around, but his bags were gone.

All Beth could feel was hurt. She had poured everything into helping this man. She had shared things with him last night that were deeply personal – she hadn't intended to, but she felt like she could trust him and his presence seemed so comfortable to her, as if she'd known him more than one day. Before she realized, tears were streaming down her face. Why was she so disappointed by this? Why was she experiencing such a crushing feeling, her heart literally aching inside her chest?

Beth sat on the bed in the guest room for a long time. At one point, she laid her head down on the pillow – and then she noticed it – Daryl's smell. He had slept there, but he must have left this morning before she'd gotten up. She didn't understand. Had she done something wrong? Said something wrong?

She finally got up from the bed, telling herself that she shouldn't be upset. She didn't even know Daryl – she'd only known him for 24 hours. She couldn't let him affect her like this. She walked back into the kitchen, grabbed a granola bar and ate it quickly. She moved back to her room, deciding to quickly change so that she could go for a run. She knew that would help her clear her head, and refocus on the day ahead. She couldn't let Daryl impact her this way and bring her down. She just couldn't. She changed into a matching sports bra and running shorts, quickly putting on her socks and shoes, and grabbing her iPod and armband.

She headed out the door, locking it behind her and securing the key inside the hidden pocket in her shorts. After a few moments of stretching, and then finding a good mix on her iPod, she started down the driveway. She quickly picked up her speed, being spurred on by her own feelings of frustration about Daryl and the angry tone of the music she was listening to. She realized that she'd instinctively moved past her normal "Good Running Music" playlist and, instead, selected her "Girl Power Mix" list, which she always listened to when she was frustrated, mad, or hurt because of a boy.

Beth thought that running would help her calm down, clear her mind. It normally did that for her. But not today. Instead, as her heart rate increased, so did her anger with Daryl. How dare he just leave, without so much as a parting word or a note! She usually ran at a quick, but steady and comfortable pace. Today, though, she found herself pushing harder and harder as her anger continued to bubble up. She clenched her jaw tight, more frustrated than she'd been in a long time. She couldn't get her mind off this situation and what made her even more frustrated is that she knew she was overreacting. It was obvious. She shouldn't be so upset about someone she had just met. She felt like a fool for caring so much.

Beth had always been quick to care about someone or something she deemed important. She always wanted to help, no matter the situation and no matter the cost or effort required. Her father often joked about this, although he was proud that his younger daughter had such a big heart. He loved to tell people about the time that Beth came home from 4th grade, telling him that her teacher had talked about children that didn't have the school supplies they needed. The school had organized a school supply drive; but for Beth, that wasn't enough. She organized her own drive, at her local church, also dropping off collection boxes at businesses across town, including her dad's vet office. The school had been so impressed by Beth's efforts, and the massive amount of stuff she'd collected, that they recognized her with a special service award at the end-of-year awards ceremony. Beth couldn't have cared less about the award, only thinking about her plans for making the next year's efforts bigger and better.

Yes, Beth had always had that huge heart. But she knew that sometimes it could get her into trouble. She'd experienced that too times, but the hurt only ever seemed to last long enough for her to find someone or something else who needed help.

After about 45 minutes, Beth had completed her normal neighborhood loop. Demi Lovato and Cher Lloyd's "Really Don't Care" was playing on her iPod and as she moved towards her driveway, she had started to sing along with the lyrics.

"Maybe I should've known… maybe I should've known…That you would walk, you would walk out the door… Hey!" Beth sang.

She was so focused on her thoughts, as she slowed down while running down the driveway, back towards the house that she didn't notice the familiar truck parked in her driveway. She didn't notice, that is, until she saw a man sitting on her front porch, a white paper bag sitting on the step next to him, as well as two large cups of what she assumed was coffee. His elbows were resting on his knees and his head was in one hand.

He looked up just in time to here Beth speak.

"Daryl?"

Daryl looked up at Beth, right as she said his name. His beautiful blue eyes felt like they were boring into her soul and all of a sudden, Beth couldn't breathe and it had nothing to do with her run. He smiled the sweetest, most genuine smile, but it quickly fell as he saw the look on Beth's face.

"What are you doing here, Daryl?" she asked angrily. "I thought you left? I got up this morning and you were gone… Not even a note! What the hell, Daryl?". Beth was frustrated – she didn't understand what was happening. She'd been upset for over an hour now, thinking she may never even see Daryl again. But here he was, sitting on the porch as if everything was fine, like this was completely normal.

Daryl stood up and walked towards her, but she quickly put up her hand to stop him, letting him know that his advance towards her wasn't welcome.

"Beth… Damn… I'm sorry. I just went to get us some breakfast" Daryl said, as he nodded back at the white bag and coffee cups, still sitting on the porch. "I… well…. I thought…" Daryl hesitated. "It's my turn, remember?" Daryl said finally, looking down at his shoes.

Beth realized what he was saying – he was using her words from yesterday. When she'd turned down his offer to pay for the pizza, she'd said it was her "turn". He was trying to be cute – like they had an inside joke. But she was too angry to think it was cute – too angry to see the sweetness in him going out and buying them breakfast.

"When I got back, I… I couldn't get in. I knew you were here… your car is here. But, I couldn't get you to come to the door. So… I figured I'd just wait…" Daryl said, seeming a little self-conscious all of a sudden.

"I went to your room this morning… Your… your stuff was gone! You were gone! It hardly looked like you'd even been there – and it surely didn't look like you planned on coming back!" Beth said. She realized in that instant that she was being silly. That she was way too emotional in this moment. But she had felt so hurt. And now that she realized she shouldn't have felt that way, she was still frustrated, although more with herself than Daryl. She was almost embarrassed – why had she jumped to the worst possible scenario? But didn't that seem like the reality in the moment, though?

Daryl started towards her again and this time she didn't stop him. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. All he muttered was "I'm sorry" and then, after a minute of standing there, he pulled away a little. He looked into her eyes and apologized again, adding "I didn't realize… Didn't think you'd think I'd just left".

She didn't want to cry, she knew she shouldn't. She knew it was stupid, and that Daryl would probably think it was stupid. But she just couldn't control it. Tears started down her face again, for the second time that morning, and Daryl reached up and wiped a few from her face before pulling her into him again. She cried because she'd been so upset, and because now, she was a bit relieved. Daryl hadn't left. Quite the opposite – he'd only gone out to get something for them for breakfast. Mostly, though, she cried because she was experiencing such a weird mix of emotions that she didn't know what else to do. It freaked her out, all of a sudden, that she'd let this man do this to her, after only knowing him for such a short amount of time. And here he was, comforting her, when he was the one that had been hurting so badly.

After she calmed down a bit Daryl pulled away again. This time, he took one of her hands in both of his and looked down at her. He seemed anxious now, almost like he was trying to avoid making eye contact for too long. His actions and apparent anxiety also put Beth on edge – what was he doing, she wondered? He finally looked her dead in the eyes, though, and quietly asked "Will you forgive me, Beth? Please".

Beth didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say. So, she just nodded her head affirmatively. And, after a moment of standing there, Daryl still holding her tiny hand in his two large ones, she started moving towards the house, pulling him along.

They started up the steps, and Daryl finally let go of Beth's hand, bending down and picking up the bag and coffees, as he followed Beth inside.

"You said something about breakfast?" she said shyly, giving him a small smile.

The two sat back at the breakfast bar, in the same seats they had occupied last night, with a spread of pastries and baked goods in front of them. Daryl had gone to Signe's Bakery, which was one of Beth's favorite places on the island, and gotten a very large assortment of things – Beth didn't think they could eat it all in a week of breakfasts, but she was hoping Daryl might stay around long enough for her to find out. He had gotten carrot and blueberry muffins, lemon raspberry angel wing danishes, caramel pecan sticky buns, cinnamon crumb cake squares, and an entire key lime pound cake. Daryl told her that he didn't know what she'd like, so he just got a little of everything. He also apologized to her that everything he bought was sugary, but she told him how much she loved sweets, and that she loved all of it. He confided that Signe's was a favorite place of his, which he'd found because of Andrea. He told her that he too had quite a sweet tooth and that he'd always preferred sweets to nearly anything else. Beth had joked that the key lime pound cake was her absolute favorite and that if Daryl didn't watch it, she might have eaten it all by the end of the day. Daryl knew she wasn't really joking.

Beth had warmed up the coffee Daryl had gotten, as it had gotten a bit cold while he sat out on the porch earlier waiting for her, and she also poured them both a large glass of orange juice.

Beth and Daryl fell back into casual conversation, the discomfort of the confrontation outside having dissipated quickly. Beth had been horrified initially when they'd come inside; she was so afraid that Daryl had seen her emotional breakdown as strange and awkward. But that didn't seem to be the case at all and Beth was glad to just forget about it all.

"So what are your plans today?" Beth asked Daryl casually. She didn't know what his plans were – if he'd planned to go and look for a job, or an apartment – but she didn't want to ask about those things specifically, didn't want to make him think that he wasn't welcome to stay there with her for a while longer.

"Well…" Daryl said, obviously thinking about Beth's question. "I need to get out there and talk to some folks about a job. I know a few people that I met working at my old job that I think I can count on… at least for something. So I guess I'll start with that."

"Yeah?" Beth said, as more of a response than a question.

"Yeah. And… well… I guess I need to look for a place to live" Daryl said, pretty matter-of-factly. He wasn't looking at Beth now, just moving a few pieces of food around his plate absently. She wasn't sure why he seemed distant in that moment, but to be honest, she had her own mix of emotions to deal with. While she'd known from the start that Daryl probably would only stay with her the one night, now, that didn't seem to be nearly enough time. What would happen when he found an apartment? Would they still be friends? Beth didn't like feeling uncertain about that.

"I guess" she started to respond. "Maybe…. Um… maybe do the job thing first? You can stay here for a while… you know… if you need to… or want to".

Daryl looked up at her then, a very serious expression on his face. "I can't, Beth. I… I've already inconvenienced you enough".

"Daryl, that's not true!" Beth found herself saying before she even realized it. Her face was starting to blush, she was sure, but she wanted him to know it was okay if he stayed – it was really okay.

They both just sat there in an awkward silence, neither of them knowing exactly what to say. Eventually, Beth stood and started busying herself with cleaning up the mess that they'd made. She wrapped up their numerous leftovers and it made her sadder than it should to think that Daryl probably wouldn't be there tomorrow to share them with her.

"What are you doing today?" Daryl asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Oh… um… Nothing much. I don't have to work. And… I didn't really make any plans…" she started to respond. "I… I didn't know what you were gonna do, so….".

Daryl was silent. He was still glued to his spot, looking down at the counter, now that his plate had been taken away. Beth couldn't figure out what he was thinking, or why things had gotten so awkward between them all of a sudden, all seemingly stemming from his mention of looking for an apartment.

Finally he responded. "I'm sorry, Beth. I guess I'm not hitting on much today".

"It's not that, Daryl…" Beth started to explain, but she was interrupted by Daryl coming up behind her, putting his hand lightly on her shoulder.

"You know I'd never just leave without telling you, right? I wouldn't do that, Beth. Not to you…" Daryl said quietly. "I promise". Daryl's tone was different than before, more thoughtful, and maybe a little emotional.

She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously. She wasn't entirely sure of what he meant, but she thought she got the general gist. She knew that Daryl was trying to further apologize for what had happened earlier, as well as smooth over the awkwardness of their discussion about him looking for an apartment. She felt stupid that it bothered her, but she didn't know how else to feel. As she looked up at Daryl, he still looked a bit uneasy about things, so she nodded again, giving him a small, but genuine smile.

"I… I need to go make some calls. Is… is it okay if I stay here to do that?" Daryl asked tentatively.

"Yes… Daryl, you can stay here as long as you want to. You do what you need to do". Beth tried to seem confident in her response to him – she hoped that if she seemed truly sincere and genuine, she would convince Daryl that he didn't have to leave.

"Thanks…" he responded and he turned around and walked back towards the bedroom he'd used the night before.

Beth stayed in the kitchen a long time. She busied herself with housework, telling herself she needed to get some chores done – but she knew the truth – that she was trying to keep her mind off what was happening with Daryl. She cleaned out the refrigerator and evaluated the contents, wiped off the counters, cabinets, and other surfaces from top to bottom, then pulling out some cookbooks to look for recipes that she could make for dinner with the groceries she already had.

Beth was lost in thought when she heard steps approaching. She looked up, seeing that the clock indicated that it was already around lunch time, and saw Daryl walking through the doorway, a huge smile on his face.

"Found a job!" he said excitedly and without her having a chance to ask him about the details, he started gushing about all the specifics.

"That's amazing, Daryl! When will you start?" Beth asked. She was genuinely happy for Daryl – things were starting to fall into place for him again, and after a short period of darkness, he was getting himself back on his feet again. For some reason, she thought about Andrea in that moment. She didn't know the woman, although she knew who she was – but she couldn't help but think that this was Daryl's first big victory over her, that he was able to stand on his own two feet and that he didn't need Andrea for help. That thought pleased her a lot.

"Tomorrow!" he answered. "Great, right?!"

"Yeah! Will you let me take you out for lunch to celebrate?" she asked. "It's my turn, remember?" Beth said, as she winked at Daryl playfully.

"Uh… Okay. Why not? Let me get my keys" Daryl said. He walked away, but was back by Beth's side just a few seconds later. And as he and Beth both headed for the door, Beth couldn't help but feel excited, joyful even.

That is, until Daryl asked her something that she really didn't want to hear. "Maybe afterward you could go with me to look at a few apartments? Now that I have a steady job lined up, I was thinking that I shouldn't have any trouble qualifying for one".

The look on Daryl's face broke Beth's heart; he was so excited about his new job, and now the possibilities of a new apartment. She couldn't tell him how it broke her heart that he seemed so anxious to get away from her – and she wouldn't take that joy from him. She needed to let go of it all; and if that meant letting go of Daryl, she'd do that, even if she didn't know how in the world she'd be able to handle it.