Hot Cocoa

16

Once school was back, you thought it took less than a week for everyone at the school, and probably for half of the town, to know that Daryl and you were together. You weren't surprised, with how rumors seemed to fly in that town.

You had expected mean and snarky comments from the other teachers, maybe some remark about the Dixon's, but it didn't happen, with your coworkers still not talking to you, not even to be mean, treating you as cold as ice, and ignoring your presence as much as they could.

You guessed that I was better than their mean words, but you still hated that passive-aggressive cold atmosphere of the school, but your group of students, your art activity, Daryl and Sam, made it worthy.

You had wanted to take things slow with Daryl, since he'd seemed nervous and insecure at the idea of having a relationship with you, and he'd told you he'd never been in one, but you weren't sure if you could call things "slow" when you and he spent pretty much every day together.

As always, Daryl came to pick Sam from your art activity every late afternoon, and usually, you three would end up going either to your place or theirs for dinner, and watch a movie if it wasn't late or if it was Friday.

On weekends, if Daryl didn't want to go hunting, you'd see them too, either on Saturday or Sunday, and you'd spend the whole day with them, either at home or they'd take you to the woods for a picnic.

You loved every moment that you got to spend with them. You loved that sweet kid and were grateful for how much he seemed to like you, and you loved to see Daryl relax around you, open up to you, you'd already known he was a caring man, but you were surprised with how sweet and affectionate in his own way he could be when it was just you and him and he let his guard down, and even after weeks, he just had to look at you on a certain way to make you feel the butterflies again as strong as the first day.

On a Thursday, you were at the Dixon's cabin, sorting through the vegetables that one of the other guys at the garage, David, had given Daryl, from his garden, getting some ready to make a stir-fry with some rice for dinner.

"I'm going to sound like a snob, but really, industrial veggies have nothing to do against the real ones," you said to Daryl when he walked into the kitchen.

"I guess." Daryl shrugged.

"You could have your own garden too, at the yard," you said. Sure, the yard of the small cabin was small too, but enough to plant some vegetables. "You've never thought about it?"

"Yeah but never got to do it," Daryl told you as he started helping you chopping the vegetables.

"I always wanted to have one," you said. "But I've never lived in a place with a yard."

"Ya, uh...we could plant somethin' here, if ya wanna?" Daryl told you and you smiled at him.

"Really?"

"Sure." Daryl shrugged but gave you a small smile. "Don't know that much 'bout havin' a garden, tho."

"Me neither...but I think we're in the right season to start one...right?" You asked and Daryl nodded. "Do you think if I ask David he'd give us some tips about it?"

"Sure." Daryl nodded.

"Okay, then maybe we could try to plant something this weekend or the next?" You asked, excited, and Daryl nodded again. "I'm sure Sam will be happy to help us with it."

"Yeah, he will." Daryl chuckled with that fond, lovely smile that he had every time he talked about Sam, and you couldn't stop yourself from leaning to kiss his cheek.

After dinner that evening, you didn't feel like leaving even though the next day it was a school day, and so you stayed for a little while, watching some old movie on the tv with the Dixon's. Eventually, you knew you had to leave, Sam needed to sleep, and so did you...but you really didn't want to move.