Hello again, Richonners!
I didn't forget this story, just needed some more time to polish it.
Without a big intro, I will let you enjoy this second chapter.
Stay hydrated!
A.
"Michonne, you seriously owe me. If they realize I ordered this…"
"Sasha, stop it. You said it yourself: the portions were tiny. After all that dancing we were ravenous. You happened to be the one with a card so we could order," Sasha rolled her eyes at her friend.
"And we love you for that", said Andrea, as she hastily shoved a crumbly, buttery biscuit into her mouth, crumbs falling onto her dress as she tried to chew and swallow quickly.
After the meal and all the implied dancing, they were indeed starving. Sasha ordered pizza because she was 'the responsible one' and always carried her cards with her. The rest of them only made sure to bring their IDs. It took ages for the food to get there since they were on the outskirts of the town. They were sitting in the Southern Belle Pavilion's garden eating the double cheese pepperoni pizzas they had ordered. Maggie was also outside with them.
"Be careful not to ruin the dresses, or we'll never hear the end of it from my mom," Maggie hiccuped.
"Hmmm…" Michonne nodded in agreement, her mouth too full to speak.
"Yeah, Mags, you've said that a gazillion times. Can we eat in peace now?" Andrea took a bite of her slice of pizza. She had noticed that Maggie had been repeating the same thing over and over again, and she was irritated at this point. They were not dumb. Although she understood the reason behind Maggie's insistence, all she wanted was to savor the food.
It was prom night, one of the most memorable nights before graduating from high school. They had been looking forward to it because it somehow symbolized their transition into the real world. Maggie's mother worked at the store where the girls picked up their dresses for the night, so Maggie was particularly excited and worried about it. Sasha got up and grabbed some of the trash.
"I need to wash my hands. Are y'all coming?"
"I am." Andrea got up and Maggie followed. "I need water."
"I need to find Glenn," she hiccuped again. Michonne, Andre, and Sasha stared at her. "I saved some pizza for him."
"Are you ok?" It was Andrea's question. Maggie nodded.
"I'll come by later," said Michonne. "I want to stay here for a little while."
"Are you avoiding Ezekiel now?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.
"No." Honestly, she was.
"BS. You should have said no. Why give him hope?" said Maggie.
"What hope? He knows damn well nothing is going to happen between them," said Sasha.
"Still…"
"Accepting him as a date to prom doesn't mean we are going to hook up or something," intervened Michonne.
"But everybody knows it does," said Maggie timidly.
"Damn, Mags… If your Dad hears you talking like that ..."
"It's the truth though. Me and Glenn, we've talked about it. We have talked about the future, you know?"
"I'm pretty sure Ezekiel is not who Michonne wants to hook up with," said Andrea smiling.
"Y'all better hush up about me and Ezekiel because there is no such thing."
"Oh, we know. Certain someone was eyeing you as if you were a peach cobbler". Michonne rolled her eyes so badly that it almost hurt.
"Weren't y'all going to the bathroom?"
"We are. Someone needs to freshen up too," said Andrea looking at Maggie.
"Why are y'all looking at me like that?"
"What did you drink?"
"Just coke... and something that Daryl gave me," she confessed.
"Really? Daryl? You should know better."
"Let's go, Mags. You need some fresh water in that face."
"Nooo, it's going to ruin my makeup! I'll be looking like a ragamuffin. Glenn can't see me like that!"
"We'll figure it out. Let's go."
Andrea grabbed Maggie and they both started heading for the door. Sasha stayed behind for a few minutes.
"There's some pizza left, you might want to tell Daryl," said Michonne.
"Don't. He decided to ask Connie so… why would I give him any pizza?" Michonne arched an eyebrow but wisely decided to keep her comments to herself. "No snarky remark?"
"Why? You like each other but you pretend you don't. You came with Abraham and he asked Connie. Absurd."
"Well, I don't see Rick around here…"
"Daryl hasn't dated Connie. Rick… and Lori… It's a different story and you know it."
"Michonne, you have been pining for each other the entire four years of high school. This was your chance to do something about it, but no, you had to go and accept Ezekiel as your date for tonight. That is even more absurd."
"He decided to ask Lori. What was I supposed to do? Why would I say no? But I'm done. No more pining, no more nothing. I'm going to focus on what's next. That's it."
"Honestly, you are both so stubborn."
"Pot, meet kettle," said Michonne, wiping her hands and mouth with napkins.
"OK. I'll be right back. DO. NOT. EAT. the whole thing."
"Yeah yeah."
Sasha held the delicate fabric of her dress, careful not to let it touch the damp ground as she made her way back into the building. The scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass filled the air as Michonne got up and started walking to follow the winding garden path. She stayed there enjoying the silence and the breathtaking view of Savannah's signature greenery – towering live oaks, fragrant magnolias, and vibrant azaleas. She liked the way the native plants filled the air with their sweet perfume.
Camellias and gardenias.
Trickling streams and babbling brooks meander through the garden, their gentle sounds creating a sense of serenity. Small ponds dotted with water lilies and lotus flowers provide homes for colorful koi fish. At the edge of the garden, she could distinguish the sweeping view of the Savannah River. As dusk was suddenly approaching, the garden was bathed in the soft glow of gas lanterns and fairy lights suspended from the branches of live oak trees creating intricate patterns of light and shadow on the ground below.
Michonne loved this city. She loved being there and being part of it. She was dreading the day she would move to Atlanta to go to college and leave her parents, and her friends. She sighed and kept walking the cobblestone pathways leading her to blooming flower beds, tranquil ponds, and secret garden alcoves.
"Are you hiding too?" the voice scared her until she recognized who it was.
Rick.
"No. Are you?"
"Kinda." She turned around and looked at him. He came walking from behind an oak tree, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a classic black suit with gold cufflinks. Underneath the suit jacket, a crisp white dress shirt gave him a clean and elegant base to his outfit. A black tie and black other accessories would complete his look, finishing with a pocket square in a subtle gold hue as a touch of sophistication.
"You cleaned up well, Grimes. Almost as if you knew what I would be wearing today." In a weird coincidence, their outfits were matching. A glamorous hairdo combined with her stunning radiant gold dress with exquisite details, sparkling earrings, and a statement necklace. Her locs were held by a golden hairpin, and simple makeup enhanced her features.
"It wasn't hard to guess. This has always been your favorite color."
Silence.
"What are you doing here?", she wondered, as she noticed that he was by himself.
"Enjoying the peacefulness."
"Was the company that bad?"
"It could have been much better."
They remained there for a while and as evening was falling, gas lamp-lit pathways started to illuminate the garden, casting a warm, inviting glow on the scene. The soft flicker of the lamps created a romantic ambiance. They talked for a while, about their future, their friends, their families. Rick has always felt so comfortable sharing his ideas and thoughts with Michonne that time seemed to stand still and only the two of them existed in that garden.
One moment he was talking about his future career in the police and the next one he was zeroing in on Michonne's lips. The girl noticed it and stopped talking.
"What is it?"
"I wanted to say something… I was going to ask you. I wanted you to be my prom date."
"Why didn't you?"
"Ezekiel just got ahead of me. I was so mad at myself for that. I wanted it to be perfect but then it took me so long to figure out how to do it." He stared at her. "But you also said yes."
"You asked Lori… what was I supposed to do?"
"No, I… that happened after." She gave him a confused look. She had only said yes to Ezekiel because she was sure he was going with Lori. Everybody was talking about it.
"After?" He nodded.
FUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKKK.
That's why she never listened to rumors. Never.
"I didn't know, Rick," she said honestly. "I was hoping you'd asked me too but… well, here we are."
"Can we… can we start over?"
"What do you mean?" Start over what? Nothing had started, not for lack of interest.
"Us. I mean, us. And not 'us' in friendly territory, we already have that, I want more, Michonne… if that's what you want."
She gulped because she didn't think Rick was ever going to be as direct as he was being right now. But honestly, she wanted more too. It was time to stop running and accept the feelings they had for each other. The only thing she was not sure was if he had picked the best or the worst night for it.
"Yes," she whispered. "I want that too. But… are you sure this is the right moment for this?"
"It's the perfect moment." He took her hands. "I don't want to waste any more time. You are going away to college, I don't know if we would survive a long-distance relationship. I know I would wait for you but the future is so uncertain. I want to take advantage of every possible moment we can have together."
"Rick…"
"No, no promises that we don't know if we could keep. I only want us to be together until we can." She smiled and nodded.
"What about… Lori? Ezekiel?"
"Lori knows damn well that I am not interested. At all. I couldn't be clearer with her. It was just a date to come to prom and honestly, I only did it because you were coming and I had to be here too, even if we were not together." he paused and scratched his eyebrow. "What about... Zeke?"
"Like you said with Lori... just a date, and I told him..."
Rick moved closer and didn't let her finish the sentence. His face appeared in front of hers and made her stay silent. They both smiled and that was the only approval Rick needed to go further.
Tenderly, but firmly his lips fell on hers.
For a moment she only breathed Rick Grimes and he only breathed Michonne Hawthorne. They only breathed each other and it was as if time had stood still.
Sweet first kiss.
Unforgettable.
Perfection.
Thank you for reading!
Let me know what you think with a review.
See you in another slice
:)