Something To Fear | Glenn Rhee

[스물 일곱] Affliction

"Anyone who is not one of us is a threat."

~Rick Grimes

The road to the Hilltop was a silent and awkward one. Abraham was seemingly too focused on the wheel while Rosita stared out of the passenger window solemnly.

"You've been avoiding me. You were never the one to give me the silent treatment- Why are you holdin' your tongue now?" Abraham finally asked, not breaking his gaze from the road.

"I thought you would be upset or something about me and Rick. And I didn't want any damn lecture," Rosita sneered.

"Me? Giving you a lecture? Rosita Espinosa, you are a grown-ass woman. Why the hell would I give you a lecture? Did I give one to you when you were with Spencer?" Abraham was slightly offended by this ridiculous accusation.

"Don't mention him!" The woman grimaced at the painful memory of her former boyfriend. This instantly shut the ginger up. "But no, you didn't. This is different though."

"Enough with the drama, Rosita! Tell me what the hell you're talkin' about." Abraham swerved to the side of the road roughly, putting the vehicle in park.

"Because a part of me still hurts after what you did! A part of me wanted to yell you weren't the last man on earth when you walked in on us!" Rosita snapped; tears pouring from her reddened eyes. "A part of me wanted you to feel what I felt."

Abraham looked at her with a softened expression. He had no idea she had been hurting all this time. He had taken for granted that beneath her tough exterior lied a vulnerable and devastated woman.

"I know it's childish and stupid compared to everything that's happen-"

"I'm sorry," Abraham interrupted. "I was a douchebag- I am a douchebag. I never meant to hurt you like that."

"I would have understood, you know. Leaving me for Sasha. Sasha's great." Rosita rubbed her eyes with a gloved hand.

"Yeah, she is.." Abraham sighed. "And so are you. You both don't deserve an idiot like me." Abraham shifted the gear into drive.

He stayed quiet for a moment as he drove off before asking, "Do you... mm... have feelings for Rick?"

"At first, I wasn't sure. I thought that maybe he was just a rebound," Rosita exhaled deeply. "And I felt guilty. But now, whenever I'm around him... I feel calm. For once, I don't think of you or Spencer or anyone else. I just see him." Rosita smiled to herself.

"I know he may not always make the smartest decisions sometimes. His leadership skills can be... faulty. But he still persists and takes action. He never gives up on his people. Even right now with this Glenn situation, he still sees him as his friend," Rosita continued. "How many men are like that? How many men have remained like that?"

"If you were to get with someone else, I would hope it'd be a man like Rick Grimes," Abraham responded gently. "But if he ever breaks your heart, you come and tell me. I'll make sure he-"

"Alright, I get it!" Rosita laughed loudly, interrupting before he could finish his sentence.

Just as the pair was growing comfortable with each other, Abraham's cheerful mood shifted as something just occurred to him. This dramatic shift did not go unnoticed by Rosita as she asked:

"Hey, what's up?"

"I feel like I failed Rick...well, not just him, but all of y'all."

"What are you talking about?" Rosita glanced at him incredulously.

"That night... that night you were all captured... I wasn't there. I should have been there! Things might have gone differently."

"Abe, you were protecting Alexandria. You couldn't have known-" Rosita stopped, unable to utter the remainder of what happened that night.