Life I Left Behind (A Daryl Dixon Story)

Chapter Forty-Four

Charlie

Present Day

Night had fallen and Rick still hadn’t returned from wherever he was. Before drifting to our separate rooms to sleep that night, it was decided someone would have to go looking for him if he hadn’t shown up by the next day. I knew Rick was perfectly capable of handling himself, but I was worried about him. I had no idea the extent of the damage Lori’s death had taken on him. I wasn’t sure what he would be like once we found him. All I knew was that he needed to continue to be a father to Carl and his new daughter. Lori would expect that from him.

I was laying in my bed, not as tired as I’d hoped I’d be. Partially because it seemed my brain never turned off. Tonight I was busy wondering how the hell Daryl and I were supposed to hide what we were doing from everyone else. It had seemed like a simple enough idea at first, but it was hard to avoid the urge to grab his hand when we stood next to each other, or just say ‘goodnight’ when all I really wanted to do was grab him and kiss him. It was all still so new, though. It had taken baby steps to get to this point and I knew it would take even more cautious, little steps to get to a point where we wouldn’t have to hide this.

The sudden sound of heavy foot falls scattered my thoughts. Someone must have been on their way to relieve T-Dog on watch. I sighed, sleep still feeling extremely far off. I wondered if Daryl was still awake, too. I decided there was only one way to find out. I pulled myself off the bed and headed out into the dark corridor towards Daryl’s cell. It was further away than any of the others. I knew by now that he liked his privacy. Still, I hoped he wouldn’t mind if it was me dropping by. As I came closer, I could see the faint glow of a flashlight coming from inside the room.

“Hey.” I greeted quietly, leaning against the door frame.

Daryl looked up. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” He asked as I came further into the room. I dropped down on the bed next to him, peering at what he had in his hands.

I perked an eyebrow. “Are you actually sewing right now?” I asked, unable to keep the surprise out of my town.

“Yeah, got a hole in my shirt. Whadya think? Only women can sew?” He retorted, giving me a smirk. I watched as he finished sewing up the tear in the shirt, biting through the thread when he was finished. “Merle taught me, believe it or not. On one of our huntin’ trips. Yer’ mama never taught you?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No, she always did that kinda stuff for me I guess.”

He tossed the shirt onto a metal chair in the corner. “A girl who don’t know how to sew. Is there anything you can do, Charlie?” He teased. I mock glared at him. Before I could come up with a witty retort, though, Daryl caught me off guard by taking my face in his hands, his lips meeting mine. I leaned into him, deepening the kiss. His hands slid down the back of my neck and over my shoulders, until they reached the small of my back. I could feel the rough, callousness of his hands as they slid under my shirt, giving me goosebumps.

We reluctantly pulled apart after a few minutes. Daryl’s gaze bore into mine as his hands continued to gently rub the small of my back. His eyes were so incredibly blue. It was always one of the things I liked most about him, even as a kid. They reminded me of the sky on one of those clear, perfect summer days.

“Can I stay here? With you tonight?” I asked as my fingers toyed with the hem of his shirt.

“You sure as hell know I ain’t gonna say no.” He answered, a rare smile tugging the corners of his lips.

I smiled back, giving him a teasing peck on the lips. “You know, you looked pretty sexy holding that baby today.”

Daryl rolled his eyes, although the pink tinge in his cheeks was hard to miss. “You’re so full of shit.” He shot back.

“I’m being serious! I don’t know why…it just was.” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“So are you tryin’ to tell me that all I gotta do to turn you on is find a baby and hold it?” Daryl asked, his hands sliding over my hips. Once again, he was wearing that irresistible smirk.

“Maybe.” I answered, my pulse sky rocketing. I watched as Daryl leaned back and switched off the switch of the flashlight he had been using as a makeshift lantern, casting us into almost total darkness.

“I think I know of a few other ways that might work better than that that.” He whispered huskily, his breath hot against my neck. His lips found mine easily in the dark as he laid down on the bed, bringing me with him.