I want to apologize for the wait and I would like to blame school for it! Even with a four day weekend completely off work, I had enough homework to keep me completely busy. :( Well, anyways, I really liked writing this chapter and I really hope you all like reading it! :)
Chapter Ten
"You didn't have to help clean up, Daryl. Really." Carol finished drying a plate and placed it where it belonged in the cabinet by her head. Daryl stood in front of the sink with his hands immersed in the sudsy water. Without saying a word, he had helped Carol clear the table and started washing the dishes.
"I wanted to." He turned and gave her a crooked smile. Scooting over slightly, he rinsed off the last plate and handed it to Carol. "Plus, I'd feel bad if I just sat there and watched you do all the work."
That's exactly what Ed did. Carol surpassed a shudder when an image of Ed sitting at the dining room table, cigarette dangling from his mouth, as he watched her wash and put away every dish. His beady eyes watched her every move and waited for that second she would slip up, because to him she always slipped up, so that he would have a reason to hit her.
"Carol, you okay?" Daryl stood in front of her, now, eyes filled with concern.
"Uh, yeah." She smiled and turned to put the plate up. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm hand touched her hip.
"If there's anythin', anythin', you need to tell me, just say it." The grip tightened and Carol turned to fully face him. "I'm here for you. All right? And I'm not goin' to let anythin' bad happen to you."
Carol had to quickly blink back the tears that threatened to spill. "Thank you, Daryl. But I'm fine. Really." She had to quickly look away from Daryl, because she saw in his eyes that he hadn't believed her.
"So, how about we have some ice cream and sit on the catch to watch a movie or something?" Carol knew her voice sounded too bright and cheery, but she needed to get away from his questioning eyes. Sooner or later, she was afraid they would finally see something of her that would scare him off.
"Sure," Daryl agreed and wiped his sudsy hands on the towel she had been using earlier to dry the dishes.
"I have chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Which one do you want?"
"I'll have whatever one you have," he answered.
Carol plucked out one of the cartons from the freezer and set it on the counter. "Mint chocolate chip it is! My favorite." She said, brightly. "Now, if you could reach behind you into that cabinet and grab two mugs that would be great." Turning from him, she opened a drawer to her right and took out a scoop.
"Mugs?" Daryl questioned, but did as he was asked with a confused look still on his face.
"Yeah, I eat my ice cream out of coffee mugs, is that okay? I can grab a bowl for you, if you want."
"Naw, its fine." He shrugged and leaned on arm on the counter to watch her scoop out their dessert. "Normally, I just eat it straight out of the carton."
"Well, we won't be doing that." Carol laughed and scooped a generous amount of ice cream into the two mugs. After throwing the now empty carton away, she took out a spoon, placed it in a mug and handed it to Daryl. Some ice cream had spilled over the edge of the rim and Daryl quickly leaned down to lick up the trail it was making. When he saw that Carol had watched him the whole time, he flushed a deep red.
"So, um, you said somethin' about watchin' a movie?" It was clear Daryl was trying to deflect the attention away from him and Carol found it adorable.
"Yeah, I don't know what we'll watch, but we can decide that once we get comfortable in the living room."
"Okay," he said and followed her.
They ended up watching The Princess Bride, one of Carol's favorites, and instead of rolling his eyes at her choice of movie; Daryl had settled into the couch and watched with interest. She had found it surprising that he had never seen the movie before, but was glad he had ended up enjoying it.
"I love Cary Elwes. Even now, he doesn't look that much different than he did when he did this movie." She had gotten up from the couch to place the DVD back in its case and turned to Daryl. "Maybe next time, we can watch Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I think you would like that one. It's very funny."
"Never seen it. But if I get to watch it with you, then I can't wait."
Carol blushed and turned away from him. "Then, it's another date."
She didn't even hear him get up from the couch, but then there was an arm wrapped around her waist and she found her back pressed against his chest. A woodsy scent invaded her nose. The move had startled her and she froze, but when she realized that it could only be Daryl, she relaxed a bit.
Daryl placed his chin on her shoulder. "Is this...okay?"
Carol placed a hand over one of his larger ones on her midsection. "Yeah, this is fine." Truthfully, Carol was enjoying the embrace more than she thought she should. When was the last time she had felt safe in a man's arms? Not since those beginning weeks of her marriage to Ed and she found that she was craving Daryl's protective touch.
"I should probably head on home." Daryl said after a few minutes and released her. Carol wanted to grab his arms back, but kept her hands firmly on her side.
"Okay."
"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and cupped her cheek. "Goodnight." He leaned forward and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her lips before leaving the room. Carol remained in that spot until she heard the roar of his truck's engine.
Carol felt ridiculous in the pair of silver heels she had put on. It had been over a year since she had worn anything like them and now, she had taken to wearing them all day so that she would get use to them. Luckily, she hadn't sprained an ankle. Yet.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that Daryl would most likely be there in about fifteen minutes and she was proud to say that she was completely ready. She had been ready for over an hour. It hadn't taken her long to know what she would wear. That first month free of Ed, she had gone out and bought a dress on a whim. Now, was the perfect time to wear it.
The dress was a navy blue in color and had a scoop neck that showed off her collarbone and long neck. It fit her snugly around her waist and then flared out. The hem reached a few inches above her knee.
Carol couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt this beautiful. Hopefully, Daryl would think the same thing...
Just at the mention of him, it seemed, the doorbell and ringed and announced his presence. Taking one last deep breath, Carol made sure her appearance looked all right in the bathroom mirror and then, walked to open the door for Daryl. She took great satisfaction when his mouth dropped open at the sight of her. Carol took the opportunity to look him over. Tonight, he wore a pair of black dress pants and an olive green button up shirt. She thought he looked very handsome.
"You look beautiful, Carol." He finally managed to say. Carol blushed and thanked him. "Well, um, are you ready to go, then?"
"Yeah, I am." Daryl reached for hand and she let him take it. Together, they walked to his truck.
Daryl's hands were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. It was silent inside the cab as they made their way to Atlanta. He couldn't help but keep glancing over at Carol. She looked absolutely stunning in that dress and the silver heels she wore helped show off her long, smooth legs.
"Uh, I hope you don't mind, but we're not goin' to one of those fancy restaurants," he said, nervously. No matter how hard he tried, Daryl just couldn't imagine himself sitting in a place like that. He hoped Carol would understand.
"That's fine, Daryl," she smiled. "I wasn't expected it and truthfully, I'd be kind of disappointed if you did take me to one."
"Really?" He asked in slight surprise.
"Yeah. I mean, do you know how small the portion is at those places? God, I would have to order at least two meals to be satisfied." Daryl couldn't help but snort out a laugh.
"What?" She asked. "I hope you didn't think I ate like a bird."
"Course not. If you recall, I was over your at place for supper last night and saw you put away two plates full of spaghetti." He laughed remembering it. "I know you can eat."
"Hey!" She playfully slapped his arm. "So, where is it that you're taking me?"
"Just a little place on the outskirts of Atlanta. They serve everythin' there. Chinese, Italian, Mexican." He shrugged. "Thought you would like to have a variety of things to choose from."
"Hmm, fried rice and a burrito sound so good. Did I over dress?" She glanced down at her blue dress.
"Naw. It's actually pretty nice inside. Me and Merle stumbled in there one night after hitting a bar one night. We got the evil eye from every one there. This time I have much better company, though." He reached over and squeezed her hand.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated right away. The place was full, but luckily, they had a table for two that was empty. The waiter handed them their menus and scurried off to go to another table.
"Seems pretty popular." Carol said, looking around.
"Yeah. I don't think there was this many people here the last time I came, but then again, it was pretty late at night." He turned his attention back to the menu, just as Carol did.
"So, I was serious about ordering fried rice and a burrito." She placed the menu down. "And I'm also thinking a glass of wine, too. Might as well try a little bit of everything."
"Hm, I'll get sesame chicken, refried beans and a beer." Satisfied with his choices, Daryl placed his menu on top of Carol's.
"They're going to think we're crazy." Carol hid a smile behind a hand.
Daryl just shrugged. "Hey, they offer the choices and it shouldn't matter how I want to mix them up."
As it turned out, the waiter did give them an odd look when they ordered, but didn't say anything when he left to put the order into the cook. They waited until he had left the table before they burst into laughter. More odd stares went their way, but they ignored them.
"Can you imagine the look on the cook's face when he sees that?" Carol giggled.
"Probably will think we're a bunch of crazy teenagers or somethin'." Daryl smiled widely as he watched Carol continue to laugh. It was nice to see her laugh.
"Well, Mr. Dixon, I'm already have more fun than I have had in a long time and our date just started.
Daryl felt his ears begin to heat up and he hated how much he blushed around this woman. "That's good. I was hopin' you would have a good time, tonight."
This time Carol reached for his hand. She didn't initiate touch much, so he was a little shocked. "I'm pretty sure I'll have a good time every time I'm with you, Daryl."
His thumb absentmindedly rubbed over the ring on her finger. "I want to marry you, right now."He blurted.
When Carol took her hand back, almost like he had burned her, Daryl found himself regretting saying those words. Why couldn't he keep his big mouth shut?
"I suppose we have to talk about that, huh?" Carol's hands hand gone down to her lap and she didn't look up as she spoke.
"We don't have to, if you don't want to." He quickly said. "We can bring it up whenever you're ready."
"How about in a month?"
"Talk about it in a month. Sure," he agreed. "We can d-"
"No. Let's get married in a month." She finally looked up at him. "Is that good or...or is that too long to wait?" A weak smile spread across her face.
"That's fine, Carol. I want you so bad. Uh, I-I mean," he stuttered. "I want you as my wife. So bad."
"Why?" Her voice was quiet. "We haven't known each longer long. I know I've asked you this before, but you didn't come across as someone who would fall for someone so quickly. And plus, I'm nothing special."
"No!" He almost shouted, then quieted down. "You are special. It's true, we haven't known each other that long, but from what we have known, I find myself fallin' more every day." He ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I sound like a sap, but it's true. I never believed in all that 'love at first sight' shit. But then, I saw you."
At that moment, their food arrived and their talk was interrupted.
They ate in silence, but Carol's mind was racing. Where had this man been when she had first met Ed? Why hadn't he been the one to sweep her off her feet? She would have never been hurt, then. She would have never been scared. She would have been able to be happy if Daryl had gotten to her, first. Now, she was afraid she would never be able to offer him everything he would want. There would always be that fear that Ed was still out there and Carol didn't know if she could ever allow herself to fall completely in love with this man. The last time she had down that, she had never been hurt so much.
"I'm-I'm sorry if I upset you, Carol." Daryl's voice sounded a bit raspy and he peeked at her though his bangs.
"No, you didn't. I promise." She smiled. "Everything you said made me...happy."
"It's all true. I swear. I love you. I never thought I would say the words to anyone, ever, but here I am."
"Well, I am damn lucky for you to be saying them to me."
Once again, the fell into silence, but this time Carol couldn't wipe off the smile on her face as she ate and it looked like neither could Daryl. When they finished, Daryl paid the bill and left a tip.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked and stood.
"I am." She pushed back her chair. Daryl walked over to her side of the table and wrapped an arm around her waist. Together they made their way through the restaurant to the front doors, but a familiar face had Carol stopping in her tracks.
No.
Turning her head slightly to the side, Carol saw the face that haunted her in her nightmares.
Ed.
"Are you okay?" Daryl was looking at her with concern and when he tried to see what she was staring at, she ushered him along.
"Sorry, I just thought I saw someone I knew. False alarm. Let's get out of here." It was taking all of willpower to not burst into tears. Why did he have to show up now?
In the truck, Carol made sure to keep the conversation going, so that Daryl wouldn't get suspicious. She wasn't ready to talk about that part of her life, yet. She didn't know if she ever would.
"Well, we're here." With a start, she saw that they had pulled into her driveway. Why had the drive gone by so fast? She wasn't ready to be alone in her home. What if Ed had followed them? What if he was waiting for Daryl to leave before he showed up?
"I want you to stay the night, Daryl." She blurted.
"What?" He turned fast to look at her.
"I-I want you to stay the night." Carol willed the tremor from her voice.
"O-Okay."
Daryl couldn't believe that he was lying in the same bed as Carol. He didn't think that he would be able to sleep this close to her until after they were married, but here they were. She had changed into a pair of pajama and had found him a pair of sweats to sleep in. Luckily, he had on a white tank top underneath his dress shirt and wouldn't have subject Carol to the scars on his back, yet.
"Is this okay?" She had asked when she had snuggled close to his side and placed her head over his rapidly beating heart.
Daryl curled his arm around and pulled her even closer. "It's more than okay."
Well, Daryl continues on his OOC path, but a lot of you have said that you like him this way, so I won't change him! Also, as you can see, things are starting to get a little more interesting. This chapter was going to MUCH longer, but I decided to split in half. So, more interesting things are going to happen in the next chapter, as well!
Thanks for reading!