Chapter 20 - Frankie's house party

Barely inside the door of Frankie's parents' high-ceilinged entrance hall, Daryl stopped in his tracks to let two guys who'd come barreling down the curved staircase – all shouts and loud guffaws, knocking a gilt-framed family portrait off the wall on their way - tear past him in front of him, and reflexively, he held an arm out to the side to prevent Tahlia from getting trampled, then glanced down at her with raised brows.

"How long's this party been goin' on for?"

"Only like, two hours!" Tahlia made a face at the loud music and raucous laughter reverberating from the belly of the house. "Sounds like it's descended into chaos already."

"Let's find Frankie." suggested Andrea from Tahlia's other side.

"Need a fuckin' map to find our way through this place." grouched Merle as he threw an arm around Andrea and started off towards the noise.

About to follow, Daryl absentmindedly reached down to take Tahlia's hand, only just catching himself in time, and covered by giving her a brusque tap on the forearm instead. "C'mon, this –" He stopped midsentence as he saw that she was halfway through a massive yawn, and he narrowed his eyes accusingly.

"Time you stay up workin' 'til last night?"

"Um…" Tahlia raised her gaze evasively. "I wasn't really clock-watching."

Daryl gave a disbelieving huff. "'Fore or after midnight?"

At the sheepish look on Tahlia's face, he knew it would've been well into the wee hours, and he tsked.

"Uh-huh. You worn yourself out from workin' too much and now all you're thinkin' 'bout is your bed."

"No, sir." Throwing her arms in the air, Tahlia swung her hips in time to the music as she moved in the direction Merle and Andrea had headed and called, "I'm ready to get my party on!"

Just before she disappeared into the next room, she glanced back at Daryl over her shoulder. "But just don't mention the 'b'-word again or I'm a goner."

Frankie's parents lived in the fancy part of town where every property boasted wrought iron gates bounding a flat expanse of landscaped gardens that flowed through to a pool out back and a huge house in the middle of all that. And as Daryl made his way through the lavishly decorated rooms with plush furniture and breakable-looking ornaments, he couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the whole effect was completely cheapened by the smell of weed in the air and the beer kegs on the terrace and the rowdy crowd trampling potato chips into the carpet and spilling from red plastic cups.

In the kitchen they found Merle already tucking into a slider from a tray on the counter and Andrea in the middle of a gaggle of Frankie's friends gossiping and pouring drinks. Upon seeing Tahlia, Frankie let out a loud squeal and caught her in an effusive embrace, and Daryl barely had time to steel himself before he was on the receiving end of the next one.

"You made it!" enthused Frankie. "Yay, nearly everyone's here. Let me get you a drink!"

"I'm good, I'm good." Daryl assured her. "I'll sort it. Party's goin' off, huh?"

"I know!" Frankie agreed, a boozy haze in her eyes and a slur in her words. "Wasn't supposed to be this big, but Justin invited a whole bunch of people and then it turned into this and fuck, my parents are going to kill me when they come back, but that's not a today problem, so let's have some fun!"

"Hey!" Dwight came wandering in, beer in hand and a very tipsy Sherry tottering at his heels, and addressed Merle and Daryl. "Tex and Hairy are here. At the table outside. They been asking when you guys were gonna show up."

"Tex and Hairy?!" repeated Merle through a mouthful of bun, perking up at that news. He'd been in a mood because his construction crew were under the pump to make the deadline of a building project and he'd had to work all day and was going to have to be up early the following morning for another half day of labor - as a consequence, he'd grudgingly nominated himself as designated driver for Andrea, Daryl and Tahlia, dark as hell that he wouldn't be able to get fucked up tonight.

"You have a friend called Hairy?" laughed Andrea incredulously, and Merle wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned.

"Haven't seen that asshole in forever! Gonna go say hi." He slapped Daryl's shoulder on his way past to indicate he should follow.

Hesitating, Daryl glanced over at Tahlia, just at Sherry shrieked, "Jello shots!" and started swinging a tray of little plastic cups filled with a terrifyingly fluorescent green wobble around, forcing everyone to take one.

"Think I'll pass on this." muttered Daryl, surreptitiously sliding his behind the fruit bowl.

"Gotta get in amongst." shrugged Tahlia downing hers, immediately wincing at how unexpectedly strong it was. "Ugh! A few more of them and I'll be on my ass."

"I ain't holdin' your hair back later if you're pukin' up that radioactive shit." remarked Daryl drily, prompting an elbow in the side from Tahlia.

"Your services won't be required as I brought a hair tie with me tonight, thank you very much."

Daryl grinned, then nodded towards the door. "I'm gonna go with Merle."

"But all Frankie's hot friends are in here." Tahlia teased with a wink. "You never know… your breakfast buddy could be right here in this room!"

Rolling his eyes, Daryl nudged her. "Why you so keen to fix me up?"

Tahlia's smile faltered for a second.

Because if she cheered loud enough for him in this department it might drown out the feelings she was trying to box up. Because seeing him with someone else might help her seal that box.

She pulled her smile back into place.

"Because you're getting all old and set in your ways and if someone doesn't give you a little push you're going to end up as a reclusive wild man alone in that cabin of yours with no one to talk to except the animals you kill."

"That sounds fuckin' perfect." smirked Daryl. "Think I might save some time and start that life now." Then his smile faded as he looked up to see Frankie and Sherry enthusiastically greeting Amber, who had just arrived. He'd rather steer clear of her if he could. "Hey," he said, laying a hand on Tahlia's waist. "Wanna come outside?"

"Hands off, Daryl. She's mine tonight." Andrea slung an arm around Tahlia's shoulders and pressed a large cup of something that smelled vaguely like paint-stripper into her hand, and Daryl quickly pulled back, a slight tinge staining his cheeks.

"I'll come find you later." promised Tahlia just as Andrea turned her around and they were both seamlessly absorbed into the chattering group.

Weaving through the people crowding the living room, Daryl headed out through the wide-open sliding doors onto the terrace where Merle and a few of the guys were sitting around the large outdoor table swapping stories and giving each other shit. Beyond that, steps led down to another large, stone-tiled area where a fire pit burned hot and bright center stage and bodies lounged in beanbags around the flames. And further still lay the pool, the pool house, the whole area bounded by string lights and heat-lamps dotted around to stave off the chill of the night.

Daryl much preferred it outside. He liked the space and the smoke from the fire pit and the crisp mid-November air and the dilution of the noise into the expanse of darkness above him.

Greeting some of the guys around the table with slapping handshakes, he made for an empty seat at the far end and nodded in thanks at a healthy pour of bourbon that was pushed his way, content to kick back and let the chat flow around him.

He kept his seat warm for a long while, getting up once to venture into the house to use the bathroom, surreptitiously checking that Tahlia was ok (she was – happily engaged in animated conversation with a few people he didn't recognize, drink in hand and smile on face) but after what had to be nearly a couple of hours at the table, he grew bored of hearing the bragging and the 80%-bullshit stories, and excused himself to go and find a beer.

"Daryl!"

By the keg in the corner of the terrace, a dark-haired man in leathers had just filled up a jug and was grinning at him. "Thought that was you!"

"Jed, hey man." Daryl greeted him. "Been a while."

"Sure has. Since that track weekend, right? What was that, couple of years ago at least?"

"At least." agreed Daryl. "How've you been?"

Jed filled up a cup for Daryl and then filled him in on life since they'd last seen one another, and Daryl nodded along even though he didn't really care what Jed had been up to because he'd only ever been a biker acquaintance, and soon the talk turned to motorbikes and that suited Daryl much better because at least he was interested in those.

Their vantage point was only a stone's throw from the lounge and they had a perfect view of the throng of people dancing and drinking and laughing, when suddenly, Frankie let out a loud shriek and gestured for someone to turn the music up as she shoved her way to the center of the room and jumped up onto the solid oak coffee table to dance.

Jed laughed. "See Frankie's still good-time as ever."

"Mm-hmm."

Then Frankie pulled one of her friends up next to her and attempted to twirl her around, which only resulted in her slipping off the side of the table, both of them dissolving into giggles. Encouraging her friend back up, Frankie grabbed hold of Tahlia as well who, attempting to protest at first, eventually gave in and allowed herself to be dragged up onto the table too, and holding onto one another, the three of them swayed together, singing loudly.

"Damn." murmured Jed, mesmerized by the scene. "Some seriously fine ass 'round here tonight."

Then the friend jumped off the table into the arms of some guy, and Frankie moved closer to Tahlia, catching hold of her hips, and Daryl's mouth went dry as the two of them slid into a sultrier gear.

Jed gave a lusty grunt and drained the rest of his beer. "Fuckin' hell. Look at that chick. You know her?"

Without taking his eyes off Tahlia, Daryl gave a terse nod of assent. "I know her."

"What's her story then? Was about to head in there and ask her myself before I saw you." Jed poured himself another drink and slurped half of it down straight away, leering all the while. "My buddy Jared over there's got his sights on her too, so I wanna go get in first. Damn, yeah, I'd like to hit that tonight. Can you fuckin' imagine what she'd be like? Looks sweet, but I bet she'd be a wildcat. Straight on her knees and fuckin' beggin' for…" Jed trailed off as he realized that Daryl was staring at him darkly, dangerously, unblinking, and Jed's eyes widened.

"Oh shit! Are you and her…? Is she your…? Ah fuck, sorry man, my mistake." he apologized, holding a hand up. "Didn't mean none of that. Well, I mean, she is pretty fuckin'…" he gestured at Tahlia, then cleared his throat and looked back to Daryl who hadn't made a sound, but his look was plenty loud enough. "But I swear I didn't know she was spoken for. Sorry dude, I'll let Jared know."

Unnerved by the way Daryl's glare was still trained on him, Jed swallowed hard and grabbed his half-empty jug. "Maybe I'll go tell him now. Nice to uh… nice to see you again, man."

Watching Jed hurry away, Daryl then tossed his cup down next to the keg. Maybe he should have corrected Jed's misunderstanding, but it wasn't like he was completely off the mark. Sure, technically Tahlia wasn't his, but she was his to look out for, and he didn't want anyone talking about her like that. Anyway, better to shut down goddamned Jed and his greasy buddy and whatever ideas they had because there was no way that either of them were even close to being good enough for her.

Shifting his gaze back to the living room, Daryl found that Tahlia had disappeared from the table, and after a quick scan of the bodies in the lounge, he caught sight of her over in a far corner talking to some big blond guy with a 1000-watt smile. Biting hard on his lip, he huffed out a sharp breath through his nose. It wasn't like he could personally vet every guy that was interested in her (although, actually, he wouldn't be averse to doing that, though, if he were honest – it was unlikely he'd ever sign off on a single one).

Deciding it would be better if he were somewhere where he couldn't see her; couldn't watch whatever might unfold with her and anyone else, he headed down past the table where Merle and crew were still yammering away, and out by the fire pit where Shadow and a couple of others were sprawled out on the beanbags. Taking a big toke of the joint Shadow passed to him, Daryl then sat down on a bench seat nearby and started to roll a cigarette. He had no desire to get on the same wasted wavelength that most people seemed to be on. Not tonight. The little he'd had had taken the edge off, and that was enough.

It wasn't much later when he stood up and ambled over to the fire pit to toss his cigarette butt into the flames, that he caught sight of Tahlia making her way down the stairs. He watched her for a moment, weaving a little as she walked, then headed over to meet her.

"Daaryll. Hiii." she smiled, her words all soft around the edges and rolling into one another at the ends. "Dwight said you might be down here."

He chuckled fondly. "You drunk, girl?"

"Mm... maybe a little. But don't worry!" She held her hands in the air, swaying on her feet. "I did not come to find you to ask for a kiss or to sing at you."

The corner of Daryl's lip twitched. He wouldn't mind if she did either of those things. "Naw? Why'd you come find me, then?"

"I just…" Tahlia paused and let out a light sigh. "I don't wanna be up there with all them anymore."

"How come?" Daryl's hackles rose immediately. "Somethin' happen?"

"What?" Tahlia blinked widely at him. "Oh, no. Just people are getting all messy and Justin's racking up lines and I don't want to do that and I haven't even had a drink with you yet!" She glanced down at his empty hands. "You don't have a drink."

"Neither do you."

"Shall we get one?"

"I'm good, but you tell me what you want and I'll go get it."

She studied him for a moment, then her forehead creased. "Shit. You're sober, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I've had a couple."

"But you're…" Frowning and huffing, Tahlia pouted. "Daryl! I thought that because you weren't driving tonight you'd have a few and get a little crazy and so I've had a few and now I'm all… but you're all…"

Daryl smiled at her petulance. "What's it matter? Ain't like you never been lit 'round me before."

"Exactly! I'm always doing stupid things in front of you and you never…" She trailed off, considering something, then gazed up at him curiously. "How come you never get drunk?"

"I do."

"Around me, I mean. You hardly drink when I'm around." she said slowly, thoughtfully. "You're always very restrained."

Daryl swallowed. He didn't think she'd noticed that. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?"

"You know." Tahlia gave his chest a languid tap. "I've heard all these stories about you getting wild, but I've never seen it."

"You don't wanna see me like that. Ain't pretty. Anyway," he grinned and chucked her cheek playfully. "If I got all wasted then who the hell would take care of your drunken ass and get you home safe and all tucked in?"

Of course, there was truth in that – he always wanted to be certain she was safe, but there was actually a specific reason why he purposefully didn't get drunk around her, one that she'd be unlikely to guess: alcohol had always been a means of escape for him, a way to forget, to drown feelings and thoughts and consciousness and just blank out for a while. He didn't want to do that around her. Didn't want to lose a second of time with her. Wanted to be present for every moment that had her in it and remember them all.

"So," he said, changing the subject in case he accidentally told her all of that. "Weren't you just gettin' friendly with one of them jocks inside? Thought maybe you were finally gonna try out a one-nighter."

Tahlia snorted then shook her head. "Nope, that's not happening tonight. No one here has made the cut." she joked airily.

Beyond her, Daryl could see Jed and Jared guffawing drunkenly with a few others up by the barbecue.

"You sure?" he asked, confident that there was no chance of her even entertaining the idea of anything with either of them. "Coz I know that there's a couple of guys out here who're into ya."

Tahlia gave a suggestive hitch of her shoulder and arch of her brow. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Which ones?"

He pointed over her shoulder. "Them two up there."

"Mm, nah." She waved a hand dismissively. "I'll pass. Not my type."

Daryl's lips quirked. "You didn't even look."

A slow smile spread on her face and she shrugged. "Didn't have to. I'm not interested."

"Lucky, that." stated Daryl with a nod. "Coz they think you're taken, anyway."

"Oh!" laughed Tahlia in surprise. "And who do they think I'm taken by?"

He smirked. "Some redneck asshole."

"Ah," Tahlia reached out with both hands and smoothed the front of his shirt before stepping into him and slipping her arms around his waist. "Now that sounds much more like my type."

It was just banter. He knew that. But warmth bloomed all the same and he wound his arms around her shoulders. "Thought so."

Holding her, he could feel her melting into him, growing still and silent. Frowning, Daryl then craned his neck back to look down at her.

"Hey. Silver. You sleepin'?!"

There was a long pause, then he felt her laugh before he heard it, low and lazy and treacle-slow.

"Shit. Nearly." She pushed herself away from him, and he caught her shoulders, studying her heavy-lidded, dark-circled eyes and realized that her words were all slurry and slack from tiredness, not booze, and she wasn't actually as drunk as he'd thought.

"Dead on your feet, ain't ya, Tahly? Let's split. I'll get Merle."

"No, no." she insisted, stretching her arms above her head, unintentionally yawning at the same time. "I don't want to make all you guys leave just because I've peaked way too early. Mm… maybe I'll just go find a bed inside and have a little power nap. But please will you remember to come and find me before you go?"

"You fuckin' crazy?" growled Daryl quickly, fiercely. "You ain't gonna go pass out nowhere by yourself at a party like this. Jesus, Tahly! And that's why I gotta stay sober – to make sure you don't go doin' dumb shit like that." He knew his tone was harsh, but horrific scenarios were already flashing through his mind and he could barely even stand the thought of something happening to her.

But he also knew that she did actually need to go sit down somewhere because she was fading right in front of him. He could take her into the house, but he really, really hated that music and it was bad enough from where he was standing. There was the pool house, but he was pretty certain there was some kind of orgy going on down there.

Then he spotted a vacant beanbag by Shadow, and he went to grab it, dragging it over to the fire pit.

"Sit."

"Too smoky here." replied Tahlia spacily, wrinkling her nose.

Rolling his eyes, Daryl shifted the beanbag back to a dark, unoccupied corner away from the fire and pointed to it.

"There. Sit down. Pass out. Whatever. I'ma stay right with ya."

Glancing at the beanbag, then at the stone tiles surrounding it, Tahlia frowned. "But where will you sit?"

"Ground."

"No." she folded her arms stubbornly and shook her head. "That doesn't sound good at all."

Daryl propped his hands on his hips. "Then what do ya want me to do?"

"I don't know! I just…" She rubbed her eyes and sighed, seeming a little defeated by it all.

"Stop it." he admonished her, pursing his lips.

"What?"

"Lookin' like that."

"Like what?"

"Like all... helpless and… cute."

That made Tahlia smile and she batted her lashes at him. "But I am helpless and cute."

Daryl fixed her with a withering look. "You ain't helpless."

She chuckled, then gestured at the beanbag. "There's enough room for both of us."

Daryl wasn't sure about that, but that was part of the appeal, so he rolled his eyes again.

"C'mon, then." He dropped down into the bag and the beans rose up to accommodate him, then he reached out and pulled her down, but she was so much lighter that she didn't even make a dent in the bag at all and ended up perched awkwardly higher than him on one side.

"Huh." she remarked drily. "Not quite what I had in mind."

With a snort, Daryl tugged her wrist and pulled her into his lap, settling her sideways across him so she could rest her head on the beanbag above his shoulder, and as he wrapped one arm around her waist, he glanced at her.

"Happy now?"

Shutting her eyes, her smile was wide and bright. "No. This is awful."

He gave her knee a hard squeeze and tried to hide a smile of his own.

"So," she said, lazily blinking her eyes open. "How about you?"

"How 'bout me, what?"

"Thought you were supposed to be looking for someone to take to breakfast."

"Thought you were supposed to be goin' to sleep." he shot straight back.

"Answer the question."

"You ain't asked a question."

"Daryl!" Tahlia giggled at his deliberate difficultness. "Seriously. What about Frankie's hot friends?"

The flames danced in the firepit, smoky tendrils reaching into the night above and he watched them for a long moment before responding with a simple, "Nah."

"Come on, Dixon." pressed Tahlia, stifling another yawn. "There's so many people here. Can't tell me that not a single one has caught your eye."

About to shut this line of conversation down, Daryl hesitated, his bottom lip pulling between his teeth. It was so tempting just to tell the truth – not explicitly, of course, but if he kept it broad, he was certain she wouldn't join the dots – especially given that she was a little drunk and semi-vacant from exhaustion (God, she was half-asleep already), plus, she was so damn modest that she'd never assume he was talking about her.

And so what if she did? He thought recklessly. So what?

Sucking in a slow breath, he settled back a little more and threw his gaze to the stars above. "Alright, yeah. There's one girl."

"There is?" Tahlia's eyes widened, thrilled that he was actually confiding in her about this. "Which one? What's her name?"

"No names."

"You dog! Please tell me you're at least going to learn her name before you-"

Daryl cut her off with a smack to the thigh. "I know it. I just ain't tellin' you."

"Ok, fine." conceded Tahlia, letting her head drop a little to the side, settling on his shoulder. "What does she look like, then?"

"Nah, coz you're just gonna try guess who."

"I promise I can hardly remember what half of the people I met tonight look like. I'll never be able to guess." she replied innocently, eyes sparkling emerald under the starlight.

Gazing down at her, angelic and open there in his arms, Daryl sighed out a long breath then lifted his hand to stroke a lock of hair back from her face, twirling the strands gently around two fingers and letting them slide loose again.

"'Kay." he said softly, eyes never leaving her face. "She's real pretty. Easily the prettiest girl here."

"Ooh, really?" And maybe if she'd been sober; alert; maybe if she hadn't been cuddled up against Daryl, she might've felt a pang of jealousy, a twinge of wistfulness, but as things were in this moment, she was just plain intrigued.

"Yeah." He ran a knuckle lightly down her cheek. "But you wouldn't agree."

"How would you know?" Tahlia huffed in mock offence. "I have excellent taste in women, thank you very much!"

Daryl chuckled. "Maybe. But I just know you wouldn't agree on this."

"Ok," allowed Tahlia drowsily, "But it's not all about looks. Personality's far more important. She's gotta be nice. Is she nice?"

Daryl's brow pulled and so did his something deep in his chest. "Total sweetheart." he managed gruffly.

"Aw man!" Tahlia tipped her head back and screwed up her face. "Pretty and nice? Ugh. Well at least tell me she isn't cooler than me."

Lightening at her comment, Daryl snorted. "C'mon, Tahly. You ain't cool at all. Y'know that."

"At all?!"

"Not one bit."

Laughing, Tahlia smacked his shoulder, then wrinkled her nose. "Ah, shit, Daryl, how're you supposed to get anywhere with her if I'm sitting on you like this?" She started to push herself away from him. "I'm gonna get up."

"Naw." Daryl tightened his arms around her, kept her close. "Don't. Ain't nothin' gonna happen with her tonight."

Letting herself sink back into him, Tahlia's brow creased. "Why not?"

"Mm… she's kinda drunk."

Tahlia smiled smugly. "Well, I guess no one's perfect." Then a frown darkened her face. "Wait. How drunk? Do we need to go make sure she's ok? Maybe she doesn't have a you to look after her."

"She's fine." Daryl assured her, barely able to contain his smile at that. "She's bein' looked after. She's got a… me."

The length of Tahlia's blinks had morphed into micro-nap territory, though she was valiantly trying to stay wakeful.

"Ok, good." she nodded, her words tripping even more. "Well, you should at least go and get her number."

"Already got it."

"Damn! You move fast."

"Nah." replied Daryl quietly as he trailed his fingers gently along Tahlia's forearm. "Movin' real slow on this one."

For a few blissful moments, the sounds of the party ebbed around them and the night deepened above as they sat entwined together in the peaceful center of it all, Daryl with one arm wrapped around Tahlia's waist, his other hand absentmindedly tugging and twisting the hair tie on her wrist while she near-dozed on his shoulder.

Then Merle appeared in front of them, arms folded staunchly across his chest. "The fuck are you two doin'?"

Tahlia turned her face into Daryl's neck. "I'm cockblocking Daryl." she murmured, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Ain't that the truth." agreed Merle brashly. "And I bet he don't mind at all."

"She's near passed out." growled Daryl defensively. "Ain't takin' the chance of leavin' her alone like this."

First nodding his acceptance at that because he'd take the same precautions with anyone he gave a shit about, Merle then waved his hand accusingly at the two of them.

"Ain't enough chairs around for you to have one each?"

Abashed, Daryl dropped his gaze to the side and gave a moody one-shouldered shrug.

Then Merle kicked at his sneaker, his tone sharp and leading when he asked, "You lookin' to get your dick wet tonight, baby brother?"

"Naw!" Daryl was appalled that Merle would even think that given Tahlia's state. "Course not! Not at all."

"He was." supplied Tahlia, oblivious to the fact that she had been and still was the topic of conversation. "But the girl he likes got too drunk." Then she rolled her head back and peeked one eye open to look up at Merle. "Do you know which one she is? The girl he's into?"

Merle fixed Daryl with a hard stare. "Yeah." he said coldly. "Yeah. I got a good idea."

"Is she as pretty as he says?" asked Tahlia sleepily before turning her face back into Daryl.

With a loud, incredulous laugh, Merle then gave Daryl a disparaging look and slowly shook his head.

"Sure, she's pretty. But see, I think he's just lookin' at her through rose-colored glasses, and all that's gonna go away after he fucks her, and then she's just gonna be left with a broken heart and the clap."

If Tahlia hadn't been curled into him, Daryl would've shot up and punched his big brother right in his shit-talking, asshole mouth, just on principle, just for something to fucking do instead of taking on anymore of the crap he so readily dished out, but as things stood, Daryl just clutched Tahlia a little tighter and gritted his teeth, firing a dark glare Merle's way.

Then Tahlia laughed softly and glanced up at the surly figure of the older Dixon. "God, Merle, you're so dramatic. You sure you haven't been on the Jello shots?"

And Merle was so used to the spiky defensiveness of his younger brother, the simmering aggression that underpinned their relationship, that Tahlia's unflappability and light-hearted temperament always caught him off-guard and had the immediate effect of diffusing him, shifting him back to neutral.

"What the fuck-ever." he remarked with indifference, spitting into the grass alongside the tiled terrace edge. "I'm fuckin' bored of this shitass party. Find Andrea then we're outta here."

"Why don't you come back and get us when you're ready to go?" suggested Tahlia with a cheeky grin as she shifted so her back was against Daryl's chest and her head in the crook of his neck. "And bring me one of those gin slushies that Frankie made. And one for Daryl, too."

"Get fucked." retorted Merle easily. "And get your drunken lazy ass up right now and go get my woman so I don't gotta talk to none of them fuckin' annoyin' chicks inside."

With a loud noise of protest, Tahlia let Merle pull her to her feet, then she reached back and did the same for Daryl.

And whether it was just to fuck his brother off or something a little more, Tahlia didn't let go of Daryl's hand until forced to inside the house when they were scooped up into goodbye hugs from their friends.

After that, they headed out to the truck and Merle and Andrea were walking ahead all looped around one another and chatting, so Daryl opened up an arm to Tahlia and tucked her against him until they reached their ride, then opted to sit in the back with her and stared out the window as she dozed and he held her hand all the way back to the apartment and tried real hard not to think about how utterly fucking scrambled he felt.