Notes: Happy Tuesday. This weekend was a little crazy for me, this week is also crazy but that's besides the point. Here is a new chapter for all you lovely people! There wont be an undated until next weekend. I know this one is short but hopefully it will tie you all over until then! Remember leave me some love!
Quiet days
"I don't miss traffic."
"Ah don't miss daylight savings time."
That sent Pandora into a fit of whooping laughter, arms wrapped around her stomach as she struggled to breathe. Tears pooled in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. They had ridden for about half an hour, picking a clearing in the woods surrounding their home. Daryl had found them a spot up on a small hill with a good view of the surrounding space.
"Any time yah wanna stop laughing" Daryl grumbled beside her, hands running over his face knees drawn to his chest arms resting on them.
"I'm sorry," She wheezed attempting to control her laughter. "It's just so…" The sentence died away as she began laughing again. The picture of him setting his clocks back and swearing in the morning when he got up too late or too early was hilarious.
"Ah could give you something to laugh about."
Tears in her vision, she turned to him not sure what he meant until he exploded into action. His fingers found her sides, getting just the right spot to leave her gasping and breathless. Reaching up, she tried to push his hands away, but he was stronger than she was. Rolling to the side, she put enough distance between them that his hands slipped away from her for a second. He followed her though until she found herself laying on her back laughing, looking up into his laughing face.
His smile was bright, brighter than she had seen in a long time. His frame loomed over her, hands at her sides to pin her in the same spot. He was kneeling over her now, arms and legs pinning her in place and chest directly over her. Heat rose in her face, a warmth making its home in her chest as she looked him at. He was still laughing, his much deeper than her high pitched laughter.
Slowly, the sounds coming from both of them died away, and they were left staring at each other in the growing silence. Under him, her body moved on her own accord, hand lifting to cup his cheek then moving to run her fingers along the stubble of his beard. Above her, Daryl was frozen, lips parted slightly as he gazed down at her.
"You could use a shave." She whispered, her voice pitched in a low, breathy whisper. Her eyes never left his as she watched him process her words. Her thumb ran in small circles over his jaw.
A sigh pushed past his lips and he closed his eyes leaning into her hand gently. Slowly, he lowered himself closer to her to lean into her hand as his eyes closed. He was just inches away from her face. Her hand slipped away from his face, tangling in his hair. Heat pooled in her chest then with his face so close to her, all other thoughts melted like liquid. His scent was the same as always: smoke, grease and earth. It reminded her of home.
"Daryl." Pandora wasn't even sure why she was saying his name. Daryl lifted himself up, slightly red-faced and locked eyes with her. Breath catching in her chest, she blinked and opened her mouth but no sound came out. In his eyes, she could watch the growing storm cloud the clear blue. In her chest, her heart pounded. Fear and desire mingled equally inside her but the desire was to kiss him, to taste him only for a moment was strong. Fear was there as well, fear that the moment they crossed that line she would find herself stumbling back into a flashback.
Behind them somewhere a branch snapped, the sound of the undead floated towards them. Just like that, the moment was gone as the real-world around them called for attention. Daryl is moving before she can, lifting himself off her and heading for the tree line behind them.
Titling her head back, she watched him as a dead thing stumbled towards him. He was fast though, knife out and in its skull before she even had her breathing under control. Bitterness rolled up inside her. Fuck this world, stealing every moment of happiness they managed to find. Rolling her head back to the sky she sighed, trying to make shapes out of the clouds above her. She waited for some time taking big, deep breaths. When Daryl finally came back he didn't come back beside her, only stood over her.
"Come'on." His tone was off, a certain distance she had never heard directed at her. He still reached out for her though, pulling her up by the upper arms until she was standing. Though she stood so close to him, she couldn't be further away as the gap opened wider and wider between them.
The rest of the ride back was spent in silence, each of them too caught up in their own thoughts. Images of his face being so close and so relaxed floated in her mind's eye. She craved his closeness because since he was real, he reminded her that she was real too. They rolled into the gates still in silence, her clinging tightly to him from behind. They stopped in the driveway and she slipped off the back, head tilted upwards to the sun. The sound of the garage door opening triggered a sag in her shoulders.
When he came outside, she was standing in the driveway with her eyes still on the setting sun. He was slipping beside her then, bumping her lightly on the shoulder. It was an uneasy gesture, an attempt at lightness that fell flat. A sigh escaped her, she wanted the awkwardness that surrounded them to disappear already. But the moments of unfinished actions between them were weighing on her shoulders. Her spine was bent with every touch of his fingers, every word whispered right in her ear.
"Dinner?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"Rosita invited me over to her place." She hadn't told him before, hadn't brought it up. But now standing next to him in the driveway, hands shoved into her pockets, she thought that dinner with Rosita was a bad idea. She wanted nothing more than to eat something Carol had left in the fridge and curl up on the sofa with him. Instead, she glanced at him from the side, trying to look calm.
Beside her Daryl give a light shrug, "Guess Ah'll see you later."
She didn't answer right away, only stood stiff, leaning against him slightly. "Ya." She breathed out the word. Turning, she made a move to leave but stopped to place a kiss on his cheek. The stubble of his beard tickled her lips. Not giving him the time to respond, she bounded down the driveway toward Rosita's house.
When she knocked on the door, Rosita's voice carried out from the inside telling her to come in. She slipped inside. The house was strong with the scent of whatever dish Rosita was cooking, something richly seasoned judging by the smell of it. Once inside, Eugene sitting at the dining room table caught her attention. Eugene sat in the middle of the table, the entire surface covered with different maps and scraps of paper. He chewed a pencil between his teeth whispering and mumbling softly to himself.
She slowed as she moved past him, trying to make out the scribbled notes. In front of him was a map of Washington covered in little circles and notes. Stopping at the side of the table, she leaned down to trace her finger along the highway that lead to the outskirts of the city.
"There was a base right here." She muttered, reaching for a pen. Gaze flickered across the streets she made sure she was right before circling the area with a delicate pen stroke. "It's hidden some kind of lab I think, but there might be something left."
"Oh," Eugene was writing on another piece of paper now. "That would need to be a whole new trip." Muttering to himself, eyes glued to the scraps of paper around him.
"Don't mind him," Rosita poked her head in from the kitchen. "We can eat in the living room."
Pandora only nodded, following the other woman into the kitchen. The meal was already laid out on the island: a bowl of roasted veggies, and a plate of what looked like patties. Beside the food, three plates sat along the island, buffet style seats all lined up. Pandora slipped into an empty seat as Rosita fixed her a plate of food. Holding a plate for each of them in her hands, the other woman walked towards the living room.
Pandora slipped off the bar stool to follow behind into the living room. Once on the sofa, Rosita placed the plate in her lap. A few moments of silence passed between them as they ate, Pandora didn't break it until she was half way through the meal when the silence was too much for her to bear.
"How are you?" Pandora asked in a low tone, slow and careful. She eyed Rosita from the side of her vision trying to predict the other woman's reaction.
Rosita only laughed, rolling her eyes slightly, "I'm single."
Pandora put another forkful of food into her mouth, chewing slowly while she processed her answer. Rosita's words had a bitter edge to them, a bite under the laughter. "I'm sorry." Was the only thing she could come up with now. Her mind drifted now to think about how long Rosita and Abraham had been together, all they had seen and done for it just to be over like that. The end of their relationship was another change to add her ever growing list, it made her uneasy.
Rosita sighed, tucking some of her hair behind her eyes but kept eating her food instead of answering. After they had finished, Pandora cleaned up. Cooking was not really her thing but cleaning up, she was all over that. With the kitchen cleaned, she went back to sit in the living room, tucking her knees to her chest as she watched Rosita.
"How are you doing?" Rosita asked finally.
A sigh escaped her, fingers running through the loose waves hanging around her face. The image of her and Daryl on the hill flashed in her mind and the carefree mood that she hardly saw from him. The memory brought back the sensation of his face being so close to hers, their lips almost touching. Absently, her finger ran across her lower lip trying to picture what he might have tasted like.
"Oh, girl what's that look?" Rosita jabbed her in the side, breaking her out of her moment of thought.
"Nothing," She muttered, her hands fell away to rest limp in her lap. "I went out for a ride with Daryl before, my head is still there."
Rosita gave her a long, lingering look that Pandora tried to ignore, choosing to pick at the skin of her fingers instead. They chatted for a while longer, Pandora curled on the sofa while Rosita stretched out her legs on the coffee table in front of her. They talked about life, about what would happen now and what the future would look like. It wasn't until the goose bumps began to appear on her arms as the cool breeze came in through the open window that she thought maybe it was time to go.
"It's late." Pandora finally whispered after they had lapsed into silence.
"You want me to walk you?"
Rosita was getting up now, flicking the lights on in the room and moving to tidy the things they left out of place. Pandora watched her from where she now stood in the open-door way. Long seconds passed of her blinking slowly at Rosita.
"No," She muttered finally. "I'm ok."
Turning, she wrapped her arms around Rosita to give her a tight hug before moving towards the door. Passing Eugene, she only nodded, twisting the knob on the front door so she could slip outside.
Once outside though she moved into the middle of the street and tilted her face up towards the sky. The cool night air tickled her face, blowing strands of her hair around. Long minutes ticked by with her standing outside, filling her lungs with the cool night air. She had a habit of letting her mind slip away.
"Pandora? Kid?"
Abraham's figure was silhouetted by the one light.The smoke from the cigar he was smoking twisted and curled into the darkness. From the corner of her eye she could make out his hunched frame and a large gun resting between his bent knees. Behind him a light was on in his house, a small outlined frame moving around inside.
"Abraham?"
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She shrugged instead of giving a real answer, allowing her legs to carry her beside him. She eased her way down onto the step, knee bumping his causally. Beside her, he shifted to reach into the pockets on the vest he wore, coming out with a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes. Despite herself, she reached for them, rushing to pull one out and place it between her lips.
"Here," He was holding out a match now. Moving forward, she breathed in deep as Abraham moved to put out the match. "Thought you might want to have your own pack."
Silently, she nodded. Taking another long, deep drag, the smoke filled her lungs simultaneously filling her with the deep calm it always brought with it.
"Thank you." She whispered when she flicked the growing ash off the end.
"What are you doing out so late?"
"I was coming back from Rosita's. I wanted a moment to myself."
Beside her, Abraham nodded. Sometimes he was the most aware of her needs, giving her more space than most. She had heard him from time to time exchanging heated words with Daryl over how he treated her. Now he watched her, she could sense his eyes on her. Glancing to the side, she met his eyes, gaze heavy.
"Are you happy?" She asked, taking another deep drag. She should be upset with him, should be mad that he had broken Rosita's heart. He was changing things, things that should never be changed. But there was something different in his eyes and the set of his shoulders that made her need to ask, need to know.
His laughing was the first answer she got, it shook the surrounding silence.
"Ah, you would be the one to wonder that wouldn't you?" He finally said when the laughter had died away. "I am."
She turned his answer around in her head, flipping it over and examining it slowly. Change was something she worked actively against, but if he was happy who was she to call it wrong? Still, she couldn't help but picture the bitterness of Rosita earlier in the evening. The cold hardness in her eyes when Pandora asked how she was doing. Silence lapsed between them again, the smoke had gone out some time ago and now with her hands free she found her twisting them around each other.
"Kid?"
"That's good that you're happy, you deserve to be." She stood up then, stretching out her cramping legs. "I should get back it's late."
She didn't give him the opportunity to offer to walk her home, instead she strode down the street in the direction of her house.
It was dark and eerily silent inside, Daryl must have gone to bed hours ago. She hadn't turned on a single light, fearing even the smallest one would wake him. Instead, she placed her hands on the walls to guide her. When she stopped outside Daryl's room, she listened to the sound of his deep rhythmic breathing that told her he had been sleeping for a while. There was a tug deep in her stomach that tried to pull her to the bed with him. She longed for it like a deep ache in her bones. She headed for her own room instead, a shower would make everything right again.
When she was finished, however, she stood in her dark room missing that sense of calm she usually felt. Hair dripping wet and dressed in shorts and a tank top, the idea of her own bed was suddenly so fucking stupid, why would she sleep alone? She didn't need the light or her fingers to find her way into Daryl's room. Instead, she just found her way into his room by memory alone.
Standing over his bed, she watched him for a moment. In sleep, years melted from his face. The lines etched deep in his expressions when he was awake melted away. He was all the more handsome while he slept, second only to when he smiled. Leaning down she brushed his hair from his eyes, "Daryl." She whispered, trying to be as quiet as possible so that she didn't startle him. He jolted awake still, hand gripping her wrist. He was more stable than she was though and the moment his eyes were open, he knew it was her. They didn't need words now, he just pulled her into him, shifting to make room in the bed.
"Are you sure?" She whispered, slipping into bed with him. She didn't turn away this time, she kept her face to him only inches away. Cold fingers found his warm chest resting lightly against the thin material of his shirt.
He leaned down to pull the blankets over them and drape an arm heavily over her. "Always." He whispered, pulling her tighter towards him, his hot breath tickling her cheek.