Broken Road »» Rick Grimes (TWD)

Chapter 60

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"Why do you smell like vanilla?" I asked Rick as I stood in front of him.

"The body wash in the shower." He answered, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Why the fuck were you talking to Caroline like that?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"There you go again with the fucking trust issues, Jess." He spat as he stood up straight.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you so short with me when I'm just trying to figure out what's going on?" I questioned as tears pricked my eyes.

"I'm not doing this again." He replied, shaking his head and leaving the room before I could say another word.

I also left the room and bypassed Rick by walking out the back door.

"Feeling better this morning?" Maggie asked as she hung a towel up to dry on the clothesline.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"Bullshit. Tell me what's going on." She ordered, placing her hands on her hips.

"I don't even know myself." I replied.

"Why did you sleep on the couch last night?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

I sighed and picked up a damp towel from the basket before hanging it up on the line.

"I think Rick is cheating on me." I stated, looking to her to see her reaction.

"What? What makes you think that?" She asked, stepping forward with wide eyes.

"I overheard him and Caroline last night. She was giggling and flirting. He won't even have a conversation with me, he deflects and basically avoids me." I explained as I picked up another towel.

"Surely Rick wouldn't do that to you." She replied, furrowing her eyebrows.

"He got mad saying I wasn't trusting him and that he wasn't 'doing this shit again'. He wouldn't even talk to me." I stated.

"Something isn't right. I noticed it when he got back yesterday." She replied, shaking her head.

I shrugged my shoulders and picked the empty basket up before following Maggie around the house.

"I'm not going to be miserable and fight for someone who isn't fighting for me." I stated.

"I don't blame you." She replied, linking her arm with mine.

"I don't know what's wrong with him." I muttered.

"Maybe he will come around." She stated.

"If he does, great. If he don't, then I'm not going to chase after him like a damn puppy." I replied as we walked around the house.

"Good for you, Jess." She replied, giving me a smile.

I glanced to the porch, finding Rick and Caroline speaking to each other. Maggie quickly pulled me out of view and we placed our backs against the siding of the house.

"I'm sorry." Caroline sighed as she apologized to him. Maggie and I slowly peeked around the side to watch as the conversation unfolded.

"Don't be." Rick ordered, looking into her eyes with a look I had only saw him have with me. 

My heart sunk and I quickly stepped back, not wanting to hear or see anything else.

"Damn, Rick. Got your hands in two different cookie jars?" I heard Negan ask with humor laced in his voice.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked to Maggie who was still peeking around the side of the house.

"He's always stirring shit." I hissed while Maggie turned to face me.