I Need You

Memories

Less than an hour later, we hear some cars and instantly draw our weapons. Everyone relaxes some when we see it's just our people with another stranger in tow. This man is scrawny, and delicate. He looks weak. He instantly makes his way to Aaron and kisses him on the lips. We watch the couple interact for a brief moment then the other man introduces himself as Eric. Rick unties Aaron but assigns Abraham and Sasha to them as security detail.

Rick gets the directions to their community. He, Aaron, and Glenn take one car. The rest of us split up between vehicles, one of which is a RV that Aaron and Eric brought. We follow them for a ways only to discover that the road to Alexandria is trashed with debris from the storm. With no way around, we redirect on a different route, the long way. Instead of us being there a day, it will now take us at least two days to get there. One of our cars runs out of gas and those people pile up in the RV. When it gets dark, we pull into a big plantation home. It looks a lot like our old family farmhouse except two times bigger and way fancier. I can't help but think it is beautiful. The inside is just as impressive as the house itself. There are cobwebs and dirt everywhere, but other than that, it appears to be untouched.

We all make quick work of clearing the first floor, then move onto the second floor. Daryl and I clear the final bedroom. We hear a chorus of "clears" from everyone. Glenn and Maggie appear in the doorway of the bedroom that Daryl and I are in. "Beth, you gotta come see this." Maggie says with excitement.

I give her and Daryl a curious look. "What is it?"

"Just come see."

Maggie and Glenn disappear leaving Daryl and I with no other option but to follow them to the other end of the hall to what I assume is another bedroom. Still unsure, I open the door slowly and gasp at the sight. "Oh my God." I say in disbelief.

I walk inside and look around, taking it all in. I glance back at Maggie, Glenn and Daryl with a huge smile. Maggie and Glenn smile back but Daryl's face is set in a deep frown, very annoyed to be the only one in the dark. "What?"

"It looks exactly like my old bedroom." As I say the words, I realize Daryl never saw my bedroom at the farm. Unable to help myself, I look away from him and at the familiar space.

"It's crazy, right? You even had some of the same posters on your wall." Maggie says affectionately. They hover in the doorway for a few more minutes and I know it is time to join the rest of the group downstairs. I walk towards them and shut the door knowing I'll have to sneak back up here again before we leave.

As we settle in for the night in the living room, I am setting my stuff down and spot a piano in the corner of the room. I try to make conversation with everyone else, but my eyes keep drifting back to the piano. I know Daryl has seen it too and is thinking the same thing I am... that the last time I played was for him at the funeral home. It's the reason he is refusing to make eye contact with me. Anytime he thinks about the funeral home, he thinks of the night I was taken and blames himself all over again. I try to think about it differently. Yes it was a trap that ended badly, but the funeral home is where we were happiest. Where we were so close to admitting our feelings. I guess it haunts us both in different ways.

I subtly scoot closer to him so our arms touch as we finish our dinner, hoping it will pull him from those negative thoughts by silently saying I was taken. But I am here now... with you. Daryl doesn't react at first, not that I expect him too with so many people watching, but after a moment, I feel him lean ever so slightly into me. I know. He sets down the can of beans he was eating in front of him. He crosses his arms. I feel the hand closest to me, hidden by this other arm, begin to rub my arm. Guess you gotta keep reminding me sometimes. It's the smallest of affections. Yet it means so much to me. I resist the urge to look at him or smile at the sweetness of his touch. I wonder if that is what he really is trying to communicate to me. If so, then I will do it for as long as he needs me to. When I finish eating, I mimic his position, my arms crossed too so everyone can't see us hold hands. I will.