Sorry for the wait! I'm going to try my hardest to get lots of writing down before I start school in a week!

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning Carol woke up with puffy eyes, swollen from her crying spell the night before. It was often that she allowed herself to cry like that. During her marriage to Ed, and the few months after she ran away, she had told herself that had cried enough for a lifetime. But that didn't stop her from feeling sorry for herself from time to time. Plus this time the tears weren't about Ed, they were about her parents and how much she missed them. She wished Daryl had answered her call last night, but she knew that she couldn't just expect him to drop everything to come to her. Daryl was already doing so much for her already, and in a few days, they would be married and probably inseparable.

The thought made her feel giddy. Daryl would be with her always. They would cook dinner together, watch movies, work in the garden and go shopping, together. They would be able to kiss all the time, laugh and be silly. They would also fight. It was inevitable and expected, and she didn't care because with the fighting, they would also make up. Her face flamed at one way they would probably make up.

Sliding out of bed, she stretched and looked at the alarm clock, surprised that it was well into the afternoon. Normally, she would sleep in but never this late, and from the way her stomach rumbled, it wasn't happy that she had not only skipped breakfast, but lunch, as well. Not caring that she was still in her pajamas, she walked into the kitchen and began collecting things to make herself a sandwich, and despite it being almost two, she started the coffee pot. Carol could drink coffee, anytime, even late at night, if she wanted.

Would Daryl indulge with her if she ever decided to have a cup of coffee at midnight? Or would he think she was weird? Would he care that she had to sleep on a certain side of the bed, and that the room had to be pitch black before she could get to sleep? Carol couldn't help but snort into her hand when a funny thought came to her. What if Daryl needed a night light to sleep? She laughed even harder as she continued to think of big, strong Daryl being afraid of the dark.

The smell of coffee wafted to her nose, and she saw that the pot was full. Reaching into the cupboard above her head, she took out her favorite mug, a large aqua colored one with little white flowers decorated all over it. Carol loved drinking out it because of its size, which was about twice the size of a normal mug.

Pouring the mug full, she added a decent amount of sugar and creamer, then reached for the plate with her sandwich. She would enjoy her lunch in front of the TV watching a movie. And then, her phone began to ring, causing her to jump and slosh hot liquid all over her hand. Cursing, she placed the plate and cup on her hand, wiped off the hot coffee and reached for the phone, which was a permanent resident on her counter.

Ed had stopped calling her after the first few months of Carol refusing to answer, and had resorted to texting. Could this be him, knowing that she was nearby? With shaky fingers, she picked up the device, looked at the number and sighed in relief when it wasn't Ed's number, but Daryls'.

"Hey!" She answered, and winced when it sounded a little too cheerful. She was just glad that it wasn't her crazy ex-husband...and maybe she was also glad that he was the one calling.

"Uh, hey." His voice sounded a little muffled, almost like he was talking while gnawing on his thumbnail. Carol pictured that and smiled.

"Is everything okay? Aren't you at work?" She hopped onto the countertop.

"Uh, yeah, I am. But its my lunch break." His voice sounded clearer now, more confident. "So, I was, um, wonderin' if I could stop by later, tonight? I have some stuff packed to bring over, and I could pick up a pizza for supper." He spoke that all in one breath.

"That sounds great! I haven't had pizza in a long time." And I would really like to see you, tonight. I miss you. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't find it in herself to say them aloud. She knew they would make him happy, but she didn't want to sound too vulnerable and desperate.

"Uh, great. I'll be there around six-thirty. Is that okay?"

"It's perfect." Now, it was her turn to feel nervous. "Um, would those things you're bringing over...would they be clothes? Because if they are, then I wouldn't mind if you wanted to spend the night." She bit her lip and waited for his reply.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they are clothes, so if you really want me to, then I can stay the night. I'll just have to get up early for work in the mornin'."

"I promise not to keep you up too late, then." Immediately, she felt her face heat up.

"A-All right. See you later, then." He paused, and Carol almost thought he had hung up. "I love you."

"I-" The words died in her throat. "See you later, Daryl." And she was the one to hang up.

Carol had just gotten out of the shower when the doorbell rang. Daryl was there, and she wasn't even dressed, yet. However, she didn't want to leave him out there waiting, so she rushed the door, after making sure the towel was wrapped securely around her body.

"Coming!" She called, and hoped he had heard. Making sure to stay behind the door, she opened it and peeked her head around. Daryl stood there, a bag slung over one shoulder, and a pizza in his hands.

Quirking a smile, he said, "Just got out of the shower, huh?" It wasn't hard to miss her wet hair.

"Uh, yeah. I, um, also didn't have enough time to get dressed. So, you can take that to the kitchen and I'll just run to my room and put some clothes on."

Daryl's eyes widened. "Y-You're...naked behind there?"

"No!" She blushed. "I'm wrapped up in a towel. I don't just run around my house naked."

Daryl's face matched Carol's. "I'm just...I'm just goin' to head to the kitchen, now." Keeping his eyes straight forward, he walked past Carol without even trying to glance in her direction. Her heart swelled with...something when she saw that he wasn't trying to sneak a peek.

When she made sure Daryl was in the kitchen, she veered to the left, into the living room. However, she would have to go through a small part of the kitchen to get to the hallway that led to her room. Using the semi-darkness of the room to her advantage, Carol peered around the corner and saw that Daryl's back was to her as he placed the pizza on the counter. Knowing that he couldn't see her, she made a mad dash to her room and shut the door, her breaths coming out in gasps. Then, without warning, she started to laugh, and once she got started, she couldn't stop. Just picturing the look Daryl had given her when he had thought she was naked sent her into another fit of giggles. If Daryl could hear from the kitchen, he'd probably start thinking she was crazy.

Standing up straight, Carol finally managed to stop her laughter, and walked over to her closet to pick out some clothes. After all, she couldn't just stay in a towel all night, especially with Daryl just a few feet away. Quickly, she picked out a simple outfit of a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved light blue shirt. Her hair was another matter. It was still wet, but thankfully, no longer dripping. So, she ran a comb through it real quick, and hoped it would air dry fast. She didn't want to get keep Daryl waiting any longer while she blow-dried her hair.

"Okay," she announced, walking into the kitchen. "I'm presentable." Daryl looked up from where he was leaning against the counter, gnawing on the skin of his thumb.

"Bet you were pretty damn presentable in that towel, too." One corner of Daryl's mouth quirked up at a smirk, and Carol felt her face begin to flush.

"Well, pretty soon, you'll be seeing me in even less than a towel." The words were out before she could stop them, and she wanted to run back to her room in embarrassment. Even Daryl looked embarrassed at the words.

"Uh, you brought pizza?" She quickly said, hoping that it would help them forget what she had just blurted out. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Daryl turned to the box sitting behind him, looking glad as she at the change of subject.

They sat on the couch, eating and half-watching a television movie. Since the little scene in the kitchen where Carol continued to curse her big mouth, they had been silent for most of their meal. However, there was something Carol wished to discuss with Daryl before they called it a night.

Reaching over, she hit the power button on the remote and the TV went black. Daryl blinked a bit, not expected that to happen, but turned to Carol. "Somethin' wrong?" He asked.

"No, I just...I wanted to ask you something." She played with the ring on her left finger, twirling it around and around, and Daryl's eyes lowered to it. A hint of a smile ghost his lips and he nodded for her to continue.

"If-If it's not too late for you to call off work, or something, I was wondering if we could get married on...Friday." There. She had finally said. It hadn't even been a week since she had asked for their marriage to be pushed up to two weeks and she hoped he was open to the idea of moving up their wedding even sooner.

Daryl was silent a bit before asking, "You sure?"

Carol nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"Then, I'll call off that day and the rest of the weekend." Daryl's face betrayed at how pleased he was at Carol's request. "But that doesn't give you much time to plan anything."

"I was just thinking that maybe we could go down to the courthouse... If that's all right with you."

"I don't care what we do, as long as I get to be with you." The words made Carol feel guilty. She still had not said those three little words to Daryl.

"Okay, then. It's settled." She finally allowed herself to smile and look at him.

"Good." His rough, work roughened hands moved to cup her cheeks and Carol shut her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her.

Finally, I'm making some progress on this whole wedding thing!

I hope you all are having a good new year, so far, and thank you for reading!