AND THEN I FOUND YOU » Daryl Dixon

8. THE TWILIGHT ZONE

To be re-written

As she got closer to the showers, humidity swept over Jasmin and she remembered why Daryl even when to the shower room in the first place. To take. A goddamn. Shower.

She was about to turn around once more and just wait to get the necklace later, but her feet refused to stop.

The room was filled with mist from the hot running water, almost making it impossible to see through, but she did see one thing and that thing was something that made her entire body almost give out right then and there.

In between showers four and five stood Daryl, completely naked.

She couldn't tell if it was the air in the room or if it was just her body's reaction to seeing such a thing but her face, her ears – hell, her everything felt like it was on fire. All the blood had rushed to her face turning her completely red. That combined with the hot air around her made her feel faint, but she was sure she'd feel just as woozy without the humidity.

Her breath faltered as she watched as he tilted his head up, exposing his neck, and ran both his hands through his hair. She couldn't see his body clearly through the steam but could see the outline of him which was enough to make her feel the way she did.

He looked absolutely beautiful; it was as if he was sculptured by angels. The way the water cascaded down his face as he kept his eyes closed soaking in the warmth looked so graceful. How could something so mundane look so alluring?

She knew she shouldn't have kept staring, but her eyes couldn't tear away; it was a sight they had never seen before and the image needed to be burned into her brain. He let out a small grunt as he reached his hand over his opposite shoulder and rubbed it trying to relieve some discomfort. It felt extremely wrong hearing the sounds he made, especially whilst doing something so ordinary.

Suddenly, the sound of water hitting the floor had ceased and the room was completely silent, apart from a pair of footsteps making their way over to where Jasmin was standing. She could just hear the theme song from The Twilight Zone echoing through her mind.

It was too late for her to try and hide, there was no way she would be able to get out without him seeing her, so naturally, she froze.

The steps got closer and closer as she kept her eyes glued to the ground in fear until they stopped right in front of her. "The hell are ya doin' in here?"

Slowly, she looked up from the ground to see Daryl standing in front of her with his hands on his hips, where a towel also hung loosely. His skin was glistening with water which seemed to accentuate the tones and curves of his body even more. He was staring at her with a hard glare as water droplets dripped from strands of his hair down onto his cheeks.

"I-I just- I forgot my- you-" None of the words she wanted to come out of her mouth managed to form properly. She could hardly gather a single comprehensible thought.

"You what?" he mocked, squinting his eyes slightly.

Her eyes darted all around the room, anywhere but him, as she tried to think of an acceptable answer, but nothing came to mind. She could feel her heartbeat pulsing in her neck, getting faster and faster. The condensation in the room had formed tiny droplets on her forehead and began slowly dripping down her face and onto her chest.

"Ya like spying on people, huh?"

"No, I-"

He took a step closer, backing her into the wall with a soft thud and trapping her between his arms. "Nah, just wanna be taught a lesson don't ya?"

Soon enough, he was so close that their noses were only an inch apart. Jasmin closed her eyes as she felt his hot breath fan over her face causing shivers to run up and down her body. He reached his hand up to her face, gently caressing her cheek before moving his hand down to her neck, using his thumb to stroke her jaw.

Slowly, he leaned forward moving his mouth down next to her ear. "Get on your knees."

Jasmin's eyes snapped open as she heard Daryl grunt again. A strange sensation pooled between her legs. Her legs squeezed together in the hopes of making the feeling stop but it just made it feel better in the worst kind of way. She ran her hand down her face in shame letting out a trembly breath.

The shower had stopped running and the sound of footsteps was making its way to the opposite side of the room. Now was her chance to get away, so without hesitation, she stood on the tips of her feet as she ran out of the room and back to her cell.

She sat down on the bed and let out a sigh of relief, wiping away the water that was probably mixed with nervous sweat off her forehead.

Remembering the outcome of what happened before, she quickly got up off the bed and rummaged through the shelves looking for some spare underwear then pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants that hung on her hips. She definitely wasn't winning any fashion competitions that's for sure, but it was better than wearing wet pants.

Falling back onto the bed, she stared up at the bunk thinking about what could have happened if she really got caught. What would his reaction have been? Would her imagination really have been the outcome? She shouldn't have even stayed to begin with. She should've left as soon as she realized what she had walked in on, but her body seemed to have other ideas.

All that and I still didn't get my necklace back, she thought.

"Hey."

With a jolt, her body suddenly jerked up off the bed causing her to hit her head on the metal beam above her. Hard.

She let out a pained moan and held her head in her hands.

"Y'alright?" the familiar voice asked.

She turned her head to see Daryl standing in the doorway. He had his arms folded over his chest, with his shoulder leaned against the doorframe.

"Yep. Totally fine," she said, rubbing her forehead.

His brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at her legs. "Weren't ya wearing different pants?"

"Yeah, uh, they got dirty so..."

"Right."

"Right," she repeated.

His look showed that he wasn't too convinced but brushed it off anyway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out her necklace. "Ya left this in the showers. Figured you'd want it back."

Figures.

"Oh my god, thank you," she gasped, taking the necklace from his grasp.

The anxiety that rippled throughout her body refused to let her unclasp the necklace as her hands shook with each attempt.

"Could you..." She trailed off with an awkward laugh.

He seemed to get the idea and walked behind her as she turned around. His fingers grazed across her skin as they moved her hair over her shoulder, causing her eyes to flutter close. She just hoped he couldn't see the way the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

The image of his naked body flashed in her mind, threatening to make those unfamiliar sensations return and she hoped, for the sake of her wavering self-control, that he would hurry up.

Finally, she heard the sound of the clasp click and Daryl stepped out of her proximity.

She turned back around and as usual, their eyes connected straight away. Neither of them could hold the gaze, too embarrassed from this morning's incident. She really couldn't look him in the eyes for too long because every time she did, she would remember the way he looked under the running water; the way he made her feel.

"Well, uh." Daryl cleared his throat. "See ya."

He turned around, moving the piece of cloth out of the way, and walked out.

"Bye," she said a second too late.

As soon as she knew he had left for sure, she let out a frustrated groan.

"Fuck."