A soft, teasing voice brushed against her ear, "I take it you're wearing underwear?" a familiar drawl.
Startled, she spun around, her heart racing at the sudden proximity. There he was, standing confidently with a blue shopping basket cradled in his arm.
It had been nearly a week since she had last seen him, and the recollection of that encounter lingered. Occasionally, the vivid image of herself, casually leaning against the counter with her pants bunched around her knees, would surface, and she found herself yearning to wipe that picture from her memory.
Despite her best efforts to move on, Rick seemed to pop up in every corner of the town as if he had a secret map of her whereabouts.
One minute, she was struggling to get him to arrange a date with her, and the next, he was showing up in all the spots she frequented.
For once, he seemed to be aware of her presence before she even caught sight of him. She couldn't make her usual stealthy getaway this time; he had caught her off guard right there in the aisle.
She was mindlessly browsing through the pasta sauces, completely unprepared after a week of skillfully avoiding him.
She must have resembled a startled deer, frozen in place, as Rick let out a "Sorry, I was just joking, didn't mean to scare you"
She paused, taking a moment to study him—not that she was checking him out, she insisted to herself.
He was dressed down in a brown t-shirt and black pants, much different than the Sheriff's uniform she had caught him in when she spotted him at the coffee shop earlier that week. The only thing that remained the same was that pair of cowboy boots that seemed to never leave his feet.
"It's okay," she said curtly, not wanting to entertain the conversation any further.
"Did you just check me out?" he teased, his voice dripping with confidence.
She could only respond with an exasperated sigh and a dramatic eye roll as she hurriedly maneuvered her cart further down the aisle. She needed to create some distance.
Rick paused for a moment, a smirk playing on his lips, before he decided to chase after her, trying to match her brisk pace as she sped away.
"Did you see my messages?" he called out,
She could sense the intensity of his gaze on her profile, yet she stubbornly avoided meeting his eyes.
Naturally, she had seen his texts; he was relentless in his attempts to reach her, undeterred by her silence.
Rick: Goodnight, Michonne I'm glad I finally got to meet you. Worth the wait
Rick: Hey, I'm not sure, but I think I saw you heading into the Laundry Mat I can set you up with a buddy of mine. Might give you a discount.
Rick: Let me finally take you to dinner. Are you free this weekend?
Every time her phone chimed, she felt a flutter of anticipation, quickly checking it, though she always held back from replying. Yet, at the most unexpected moments, she found herself scrolling through Rick's messages, battling the urge to respond.
"I did," she replied bluntly, still avoiding his eyes.
It was as if a light bulb had flickered on "Uh, so you have been ignoring me?" he exclaimed, realization dawning on him.
"No I'm just very busy," she responded, taking a sharp turn into the next aisle.
"I don't buy that," he insisted, reaching out to grasp her shopping cart, bringing her to an abrupt stop.
"What's your problem?" she asked, finally turning to confront him, her eyes narrowing.
The interruption was grating on her nerves, disrupting what she had thought would be a simple grocery run.
"Why are you avoiding me?" he pressed, tightening his hold on the cart, determined to keep her there until she gave him an answer.
"I'm not, just preoccupied," she replied, her voice tinged with urgency. "Could you please release my cart?" she implored.
His eyes narrowed further as he scrutinized her expression, silently daring her to reveal the truth.
There was a flicker of something in his gaze, reminiscent of the intensity he had shown as he held her in place against the island.
His stare remained fixed on her, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air until she finally broke the silence.
The weight of his gaze felt almost unbearable. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea, that's why," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
At last, he released his grip on the cart, raising his hand in a gesture of reluctant surrender as she spoke.
" What idea would that be?" he asked, watching her as she began to push her cart forward, the tension still lingering between them.
"Didn't want you to think what happened at my place needed to develop into something more than that?" she said
"But you seemed so eager to go out with me a couple of weeks back… what changed?" he probed, walking beside her, his gaze fixed on her, trying to decipher her thoughts.
"Well, first off, I don't know if eager is the word. Second, Maggie was the one who encouraged me to go for it, and I thought, why not? But I guess we jumped ahead too quickly, and I've come to realize that dating isn't what I need right now," she said
He leaned forward, a hint of skepticism in his eyes. "That's not it. It feels like you're holding something back," he countered, his tone unwavering.
Her heart skipped a beat at his assertiveness. She had shared her thoughts, yet here he was, questioning her sincerity.
"That's it," she said firmly she couldn't tell whether she was trying to convince him or herself.
"Okay I'll let it go," he said with his lips curling up into a crooked grin.
As she moved down the aisle, ticking off items on her grocery list, he trailed behind her. She asked him to stop following, but he insisted he was just finishing his shopping shadowing her to the checkout.
She attempted to get rid of him but he waited for her, determined to help her carry her bags to the car.
She finally relented, realizing that his playful banter was drawing curious glances from other shoppers.
As he carefully tucked the final bag into the trunk, she found herself gazing at him, her eyes lingering a heartbeat longer than intended as she closed the truck'.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft yet sincere, remembering to be polite.
He let out a light chuckle, shaking his head slightly, a silent gesture that conveyed it was no trouble at all.
"How about this? I'll respect your space if you promise to take my friend's number and get that washer machine of yours sorted out," he proposed, his voice tinged with a touch of urgency.
"Who says it's not already fixed?" Michonne retorted
He leaned in with a playful smirk, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "You never answered my question," he said, taking a step closer to her. As he glanced around the parking lot, his head bobbed from side to side, revealing nothing but an empty expanse.
Deliberate, he stepped slowly, his hands reaching, hovering over her waistband. His eyes met her, his head tilting slightly as if silently asking for her consent.
She was so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath, and in that moment, her own seemed to slow, caught in a web of uncertainty about his next move.
A voice inside her urged her to retreat, yet she found herself nodding, granting him the unspoken permission to proceed with whatever he had in mind.
With a teasing flick, his thumb grazed the edge of her pants, pulling them slightly away from her body. A thrill of anticipation coursed through her as he leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with mischief and curiosity.
Rick's gaze lingered on her bare skin. He bit his lip before flashing a playful smirk. "Did you shave?" he teased, releasing the waistband with a light touch.
At that moment, she felt a jolt of awareness, as if the world around her had suddenly come rushing back. Her eyes darted around the empty parking lot, a wave of anxiety washing over her at the thought of being seen. But to her relief, the space remained blissfully deserted.
"I see that washing machine still needs some attention," he smirked lightly.
A flush of embarrassment crept over her, though she couldn't pinpoint the reason. She instinctively took a step back from him.
Rick noticed her discomfort and quickly offered an apology, sensing the unease that hung in the air.
"I didn't mean to…I misread your nod… I'm sorry," he admitted, his gaze filled with regret.
Her eyes held his, a spark igniting in the depths of their connection. "You don't need to apologize," she replied, her voice steady yet inviting.
She realized the same impulse that drove him to touch her waistband was the same impulse urging her to permit him to do so.
"No, Michonne…" he stepped closer once more, closing the gap that separated them. "I'm sorry, but I can't quite articulate what it is about you. I know it sounds crazy, but there's this magnetic pull I feel, something so comforting about it. Perhaps that's why I've been acting like a horny teenager, but I sense there's something deeper here. I'd really like to show you that," he admitted
Her mind raced to process his words, yet she found herself frozen, captivated by his gaze.
"I know I said I'd give you space, and I will if that's what you really need," he asked her
"Yeah, I want space," she replied without hesitation.
His expression shifted, disappointment flickering across his features as he nodded. "I'll respect that" he replied, taking a deliberate step back. "I'll be sure to send you my friend's number," he added, a hint of resolve in his tone.
As he ambled toward his truck, he tossed a casual wave over his shoulder "See you around, Michonne," he called out, though his posture betrayed him a hint of defeat, his shoulders drooping like a dejected pup.
She stood there as he entered his truck, waiting for him to drive off from the parking lot before she got into her car.
As she settled into her car, a deep breath escaped her lips, filling her lungs with the cool evening air.
Rick's words played over and over in her head on her drive home. "Magnetic pull, I feel, something so comforting about it"
They were powerful words, perhaps too powerful for someone who barely knew her.
He was way past the age of acting like a lovesick teenager over some sex. Honestly, she felt a bit sorry for him; he seemed to be mixing up his feelings of lust with something deeper. Sure, there was chemistry, but she just saw it as physical attraction.
A wave of what felt like clarity washed over her; she definitely wanted space after that encounter.
She resolved to get her hands on his friend's number, fix her machine, and then, without a second thought, erase him from her life. It was as simple as that!
I hope the last chapter was good I was so nervous cause I've never written anything that spicy before. Not a lot of action in this chapter but enjoy:))