I had such a good vacation and it felt so good to give my mind a break. The support this story is receiving makes me feel so warm and happy inside so thank you so, so much for that.

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Chapter Eighteen. Rio Rancho.

She has no idea why she's nervous. It makes absolutely no sense to her. They already live together and they've already kissed – more than once – and isn't that what most people are nervous about when they go on a first date? But her stomach has been in a perpetual knot ever since she came down the stairs earlier and Daryl was there, waiting to take her out. Maybe it's because she likes him. Really likes him. And she's so ridiculously happy and excited to be going out on a date with him, but it's still Daryl and they are friends but now they have the chance of possibly being something more and it's all a bit nerve-wracking.

"Stay," Daryl commands once he's parked the truck in a space in the restaurant's parking lot and Beth smiles, almost letting out a giddy giggle, as Daryl gets out and walks around the front of the truck, coming to her door and opening it for her.

"You don't have to do that," she tells him – just as she told him when he opened the door for her as they left the farm – and she slides out of the truck, looking up at him.

Daryl just shrugs though. "My ma would slap me upside the head if she found out I didn't open the door for you."

Beth's smile grows a bit wider. "So, a grown man like you is afraid of their mama?"

Daryl's lips twitch in that way they always do and he shoves his hands into the front pockets of the blue jeans he's wearing that night. "You've met Paulie," he responds and Beth lets out a soft laugh at that.

They walk to the restaurant's main entrance together, side by side. There had been a rain that swept through town earlier that day and with it, it brought a cooler temperature and the puddles of water and wet pavement sparkle underneath the parking lot lights. They are both casual – Daryl in jeans and a gray tee-shirt and Beth in jeans, as well, along with one of her light-weight plaid shirts, this one pink and white. She likes that they're casual tonight. Maybe that means that they're both comfortable with each other? That's what she hopes anyway. Although she rather enjoys the mental image, she can't imagine Daryl wearing anything formal like a suit and being at ease in it. And that's what she wants when he's around her. She doesn't want him to feel any sort of pressure about tonight.

At the main door, Daryl reaches it first and he pulls it open for her, letting her step in first, and she flashes him a smile as she passes.

"I didn' know if we'd need it, but I called and made us a reservation," Daryl tells her as they approach the hostess stand.

Beth's not sure why but she feels a warmth in her chest from learning that. Earlier, for a few minutes, she had begun worrying and self-doubting that perhaps, Daryl felt some sort of obligation to take her out since he kissed her. But if he hadn't really wanted to take her out and was just doing it because perhaps, that was what he was supposed to do, he wouldn't have made the time to or cared that much about making a reservation.

It's Thursday night and the Mexican restaurant in town, Rio Rancho, has plenty of tables open, but when Daryl tells the hostess his name – as if everyone in town doesn't already know everyone else – she takes two menus and with a bright smile, she leads them to a cozy table for two against one of the windows.

Beth opens the menu and smiles. "You brought me here just for 2-for-1 margarita night, didn't you?" She teases him when she sees the flyer tucked inside, advertising the special.

"Yep," Daryl answers, not missing a beat, opening his own menu. "Figured you were a closet booze-hound and this will take it easy on my wallet."

She laughs at that and he doesn't lift his eyes to look at her but she sees him smiling. He has such a darn-good looking smile and she wants to make him smile as much as she possibly can. She doesn't know nearly enough about things from his life – just what she has heard from other people in town and that does not count – but she has a feeling that Daryl has been through enough things that have kept him from wanting to smile and it might be too full of herself to think of it, but she wants to try and give him reasons to smile.

"If you wanna get a margarita, you can," Daryl then says and he looks at her now. "You can get anythin' on the menu that you wan'."

Beth smiles at him. "You should see me after one glass of wine. Lord only knows what a margarita would do to me. I'm just going to get a Coke. Coke in Mexican restaurants is the absolute best. Have you ever been to the Coke museum in Atlanta?" She asks.

Daryl shakes his head, not moving his eyes from her as a busboy comes to their table, setting down two glasses of water along with a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa.

"Well, they let you try samples of Coke from all over the world and Mexican Coke uses real sugar and holy crap, it's delicious," she says and Daryl smiles a little at that.

"We should do that," he says after a moment. He takes a chip and dips it into the salsa. "Go to the Coke Museum. It sounds pretty neat."

"It is," Beth nods, hoping she isn't appearing too eager. "And I'd love to go with you."

Her stomach knot tightens a bit more. He's making plans of more things for them to do together. That's a good sign. Isn't it? She wishes that she was able to just flat out and ask him certain things but, although she's never been afraid of talking, she honestly doesn't know how to word these particular questions to pose to him.

He kissed her so that must mean that he likes her. But just how much does he like her? Beth can't imagine Daryl just going around, kissing any girl around him. This is a man who feels deeply for a person. One just had to look at his relationship with Amy and how long it took him to get over her for proof of that. At least, Beth thinks he's over his ex-girlfriend. She hopes and prays he is. But that's another question she can't find the right words to ask him. She tries to tell herself that if Daryl isn't over Amy completely, there's no way he would have asked her out on a date; let alone kiss her in the first place.

"Good evening," their waitress appears at their table. "Can I get you two anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Coke," Beth smiles up at the woman.

"Me, too," Daryl adds. The waitress leaves and Beth smiles at him. "Usually just get Coronas when I'm 'ere."

"You won't regret this," Beth promises him and he smirks a little. "Do you know what you're going to order?" She then asks.

She tries not to act like an idiot when they both reach into the chip basket at the same time and their fingers wind up brushing together.

"Always get the chicken enchilada. Wha' 'bout you?"

"Cheese quesadilla. Can't go wrong," she smiles. "It's weird, but when I was in college, I could get almost anything I wanted, living in Atlanta, but most days, I missed things from here. When my friends and I ordered pizza, I'd eat it and think how much I miss Pesto's. And no one can make a stack of pancakes as fluffy as Dale can. And cheese quesadillas in Atlanta don't taste as delicious as they do from here."

Daryl's quiet for a moment, crunching on a chip. He then shrugs. "Don't sound weird to me."

"Maggie and Shawn were always restless living here. Maggie, more than once, said that living here was stifling her. And I never understood that, because here, it really feels like the only place in the whole world where I can breathe."

Beth's not too sure why she's just said that to him, but now that she has, she feels slightly embarrassed, and she turns her head, pretending to be looking out the window.

"When we were younger than we are now, Merle would leave a lot," Daryl says and Beth slowly moves her eyes away from the window to look at him. She is expecting him to be looking anywhere else besides her, but instead, his eyes meet hers when she turns her head back towards him. "He's served a couple stints in prison, but those weren't the only times he was gone. Sometimes, me and ma would wake up and he just wouldn' be there anymore. Ma tried to act like it didn' worry her and she always said that Merle just has a restless spirit, whatever that means," Daryl shrugs then. "I think Merle was jus' obsessed with the idea that maybe, somewhere in the world was better than here."

Beth almost feels as if she's holding her breath, her chest feeling tight for some reason.

"And what about you?" She is finally able to ask.

Daryl shrugs again, reaching for another chip. "Could never see myself livin' anywhere else 'cept here." And as if he can feel Beth's smile at that, he lifts his eyes and looks at her for a moment before he smiles a little, too.

Their waitress returns with their Cokes and takes their food order before leaving again.

"Just to warn you, I'm going over to your mom's house again on Saturday," Beth tells him.

"'nother girl's night?"

"Sort of. She's going to be teaching me how to make pecan pie," Beth says and then smiles, almost laughing. "And I'm sure she'll want to hear all about tonight. Did you tell her that we were coming here tonight?"

"Sort of. I told her I was goin' out with you. I let her think whatever she wanted 'bout that. I also figured that someone here would go report back to her 'bout us bein' here."

"Small towns are wonderful for that," Beth laughs a little, taking another chip and dunking the corner of it into the salsa bowl. "Of course, the person reporting to her might just think we're out, eating dinner as friends," she comments.

Daryl shakes his head. "They'd be wrong then."

Whoosh.

Beth almost can't breathe when she feels the whoosh sweeping through her stomach.

"Can I ask you something?" She then asks of him.

Daryl doesn't say anything. He just nods, looking at her.

"When you and Amy… where did you go out for your dates?" She is able to ask him and she has no idea where that sudden bout of bravery has come from. "You don't have to answer," she then quickly makes sure she adds, just in case he's under the assumption that he has to.

"Don't have a problem answerin'," Daryl tells her. "And you're assumin' me and Amy went out on dates like this."

Beth's brow wrinkles a little. "So, what did you do instead?"

"Go to Joe's mostly," Daryl says while taking another chip. "Or to the diner. Only went somewhere different when we first started datin'."

Beth wants to comment on that, but she's not too sure what to say. She still has no idea why she had asked him that in the first place. Talking about the ex-girlfriend isn't exactly an ideal topic of conversation for a first date and thinking about Amy is the last thing Beth wants Daryl to have on his mind tonight while out with her.

"And wha' do I need to know 'bout you? What ex-boyfriends do you have?" Daryl asks and the question makes Beth laugh for some reason.

She shakes her head. "Well, one's the town dentist now and we have already decided that we are friends and nothing more and the one I had in college, Josh, he's already married so I don't think he'll be a problem for you."

Daryl's lips twitch. "Can't really imagine you and Zach together, to be honest."

"That makes two of us," Beth agrees with a smile. "But really, how many of us are lucky enough to date the person we're meant to be with when we're sixteen? He was Captain of the soccer team and I was considered one of the pretty girls and we were just kind of pushed to be together. I don't think we had anything in common. I hear he is a pretty good dentist now though," she then adds as if an afterthought.

Daryl smirks at that and Beth smiles.

"What do we have in common?" Daryl then asks, sounding genuinely curious as if he's been thinking about that himself.

Beth takes a sip of her Coke through the straw and thinks it through though she supposes that she really doesn't have to. "We both love animals and this town." She pauses to take another sip of Coke. "And your mom's cakes and Jacqui's puff pastries. Writing checks… and the movies in the park. At least, I think we both love those. And by the way, they're showing Jaws tomorrow night and you're coming," she informs him and he smirks a little again.

"Bossin' me 'round already?" He jokes.

"Yep. When it comes to scary movies, you have no choice," she informs him.

"Good to know," Daryl replies with twitching lips.

When their waitress returns to their table with their plates of food and fresh glasses of Coke, the door to the restaurant is yanked open and a group of people practically tumble in, all laughing and calling back and forth to one another.

"2 for 1!" One of them shouts.

Beth's back is to the door and she glances over her shoulder to look at the disturbance. And when she sees it, she nearly wants to laugh. Of course. Of course. The universe must have decided that because she and Daryl are on a date – their first date – they clearly need a wrench thrown into their plans to keep things interesting.

The group all goes to the bar in the middle of the restaurant and Beth looks to the blonde among the other people for a moment before she slowly moves her eyes back to Daryl to see if he's looking at her, too. But instead, Daryl is cutting into his enchilada and taking his first bite. She can't tell whether he sees Amy or not and if he's just able to ignore her.

"So you don't like scary movies, huh?" Daryl asks. "Suppose that's not surprisin'."

Beth pretends to be offended. "And why isn't that surprising? I could be ridiculously brave, Daryl Dixon," she says but he just smiles before taking another bite of enchilada.

Beth remembers her quesadilla and focuses on eating that and does her best to ignore the rather loud group at the bar, who, from the sounds of it, really don't need any more alcohol.

"When I was younger, my parents were out and Shawn was babysitting me. He decided that I should watch Alien, which, he told me, was a story about a group of astronauts who discover an adorable alien on a distant planet and they all become friends."

Daryl lets out a snort at that.

"I should have known better considering the tag to the movie is "In space, no one can hear you scream"," she frowns and it looks as if Daryl is trying very hard to not let out a laugh. "It terrified me, of course. And I swear. Sometimes, when I get a stomachache, to this day, I'm convinced an alien is about to rip itself out of me."

This time, it seems as if Daryl can no longer contain himself and he lets out a laugh at that. And just hearing him laugh, it makes Beth smile happily. But then there is another explosion of laughter and cheers from the bar and Beth can't help but tense up at the noise. She can't help but glance to the scene. She recognizes those there. She doesn't know them personally but she recognizes them. There is Amy and Randall and the others from Randall's band along with their girlfriends. Some are around her age and others are a little older but even though they have that in common, Beth has never been like that. She's never been a huge drinker and even in college, she chose to stay in on a Friday or Saturday night more than go to one of the house parties off campus. She has always liked staying home – much to the chagrin of her older sister and friends.

Maybe that's why she feels so comfortable with Daryl. He's older than her, yes, but she feels older than she really is.

"You want to take our dinners to go?" Daryl asks, instantly getting her attention again.

"Why? Do you?" She asks, looking at him with slightly widened eyes.

He gives his head a shake. "You keep lookin' over there. If they're makin' you uncomfortable, we can go."

Beth shakes her head. "No," she answers truthfully. "I'm fine." She manages to give him a smile she means. "I just… I just wished they weren't here."

"When I was younger, I'd go to the diner after school and I'd do my homework in the kitchen, Dale watchin' me and makin' sure I did it," Daryl says rather unexpectedly and Beth is confused for a moment at what he's saying before she catches onto what he's doing.

He's trying to distract her.

She gives him a smile to show her thanks. She just wishes she knew how he is looking so relaxed right now. After all, he's the one who has the ex ten feet away.

"And when I was done with it, I'd get up and help 'im on the grill. Irma and 'im never had any kids of their own and I think they just kind of adopted me. And my ma, too."

Beth smiles at that. "That's really sweet."

Daryl shrugs, pausing to chew on another bite of enchilada. "Think Dale just wanted to help me out. No secret I didn' have much of a father figure growin' up. 'cept for Merle. When he was 'round."

Beth wants to ask more about his father but she doesn't feel like a Mexican restaurant with a drunken crown just a few feet away is the ideal location to talk about Will Dixon.

"Will you be offended if I ask what Merle was in prison for?" She asks instead.

"Ain't a secret to most. Bein' stupid and drugs," Daryl answers her. "Sometimes, I think Merle might hate me a lil'. We're brothers, but we turned out completely different. Had two different lives and sometimes, I think Merle wishes that I was jus' like 'im."

Beth shakes her head. "You're wrong about that. Merle adores you."

Daryl shakes his head slightly as if he can't possibly agree with that and he eats his dinner for a few minutes without saying anything else. He finishes his plate and a few more minutes after that, Beth finishes her.

"Damn," he says. "For a lil' thing, you eat a lot."

Beth blushes and lets out a little laugh. "Is that supposed to be a compliment or insult?"

"Can't get closer to you like I wan' if I insult you," he says while giving their waitress a signal that they're ready for the check.

Whoosh.

There it is again.

She had confided in Paulie that she has wanted to feel whooshes in her stomach more than anything and now, with Daryl, she feels them constantly and she wonders if she'll ever get used to them. Is that even really something she wants to get used to?

The group at the bar is getting louder and Beth can't help but be uncomfortable with being in the same space as them and she doesn't understand how Daryl isn't. As soon as he's finished counting out cash for the bill, Beth stands up and she doesn't wait for him as she leaves the restaurant. Seconds later, Daryl is beside her and she feels him looking at her. Without a word, she feels brave and she reaches her hand out to take hold of his.

At the pickup truck, Daryl opens the side passenger door for her and she smiles up at him.

"Thank you for dinner tonight," she says. "It was delicious."

"Figured you liked it with the way you wolfed it down," he smirks and she pokes him in the side, getting him to smile.

"I thought you weren't going to insult me?" She laughs.

Daryl is still smiling and he takes a step closer to her. She stands completely still as he lifts his hands, placing them on her cheeks, staring into her eyes.

Whoosh.

Beth feels it rush across her stomach yet again as he lowers his lips to hers and in the parking lot of Rio Rancho, Daryl kisses her, softly and gently, and she has to circle her arms around his neck because her knees are feeling weak and she doesn't trust herself to not fall over right now.

The kiss isn't a long one but it keeps the whooshes constant and when Daryl pulls his head back and looks down at her, Beth feels like it's a miracle that she's still breathing. He doesn't say anything but he gives her a little smile, almost as if he's shy about the whole thing, before he pushes himself away and walks around to the other side of the truck.

Beth takes a moment, getting her breath back, and when she turns to climb into the truck, her eyes float back towards the restaurant. And in the windows of the front doors, she sees someone standing there, looking out towards the parking lot; towards them. And Beth doesn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize who it is. Amy's standing there, watching them; watching Daryl kiss her.

How long has Amy been standing there and why is she watching them in the first place?

Did Daryl see her standing there, watching them? That isn't why he just suddenly kissed her like that, is it? Maybe he saw Amy watching them and he wanted to make her jealous. He wouldn't do something like that… Would he?

Beth has no idea if that's the truth of it or not, but it seems like the instant the thought makes itself known in her mind, all remnants of the whoosh leaves her stomach.

She glances towards Daryl and she swears. He looks towards the doors of the restaurant as if he knows that Amy is standing there.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review.

Movie night in the park and both Paulie and Merle in the next chapter.