AND THEN I FOUND YOU » Daryl Dixon

29. MOMENTS LIKE THESE

Confectionary was not a luxury neither Jasmin nor Daryl knew often before the dead ruled the world.

Only when her mother snuck her some sweets in the absence of Phillip's knowledge did Jasmin get to indulge. More often than not, the sweets in question were Twizzlers — her mother's favourites, hence Jasmin's own strong liking for them.

Daryl, on the other hand, only got the taste of others' left-over gluttony. Merle would often drag him to hang out with his dealer — a man who lacked in size but made up for it with how much he could eat. The two of them would get high, feast on more junk than their bodies could physically handle, and then pass out whilst Daryl remained completely sober. Losing control around people he didn't trust was something he often tried to avoid, and Merle's dealer hung around the bottom of that list.

Whatever they left over–which was not much at all–Daryl ate. It was usually the crappy food too, but it was better than eating a squirrel's heart, that was for sure.

When Daryl found a whole stash of pre-packaged food in the funeral home's kitchen, he wasn't sure whether to be thrilled with his discovery or mournful about the memory of his brother. Then something else came to mind; he remembered the starving girl who was searching the rooms on the floor above him, pushing every other thought to the back of his mind. And when his eyes had landed on a bright red packet tucked into the corner of the cupboard, he knew for certain that he was thrilled.

"Oh my god..." Jasmin stared wide-eyed at the open cupboard.

A rainbow of colours filled her vision, all coming in the form of food she hadn't seen since before the outbreak. There was an assortment of jars containing various spreads, Diet Cola, cereals such as Reese's Puffs and Frosted Flakes, jugs of water, rolled oats, and much more she was ready to consume in one sitting. Just looking at them made her drool like an animal about to devour its prey; that box of Reese's Puffs was definitely her prey.

Daryl watched as her gaze flickered over each item on the shelves, suppressing a grin as her eyes turned almost predatory as she stared at the chocolate-flavoured cereal. He reached into his back pocket, attempting to conceal the crackle of the packet he found with a gruff cough. Jasmin didn't seem to notice, too busy daydreaming about the long-forgotten taste of chocolate on her tongue.

"Also found these," he murmured.

Reluctantly, she shifted her attention to him. Her desire for Daryl was intense, but it was no match for her love of food, especially sweets. His hand emerged from behind him, revealing what was in his grasp. There he stood, looking handsome as ever and she was sure nothing could make him look more appealing; that was until her eyes moved down to his hands, which were holding a squashed packet of Twizzlers — her all-time favourite snack. The attraction she felt for him suddenly skyrocketed to impossible heights.

"Oh my god!" she almost squealed.

Daryl plus sweets was a combination that seemed too perfect to be true, considering the state of things. After their tense exchange at the bungalow, it seemed their luck had started to change for the better. The Law of Averages stated that after all their misfortune, they would eventually have a reprieve; this had to be it. Of course, that law also stated that it would only be temporary. Jasmin was determined to prolong their luck for as long as possible, no matter what it took.

Perhaps it was too perfect to be true, but she would be damned if she didn't take advantage of the brief amnesty they had been given.

"Hope they're still ya favourite."

She thought back to the time they had shared a packet on his bed back at the prison; that was after they had a fight as well. It was starting to become a recurring thing, considering they just had an argument the previous day. Regardless, she was amazed he remembered such a minuscule fact about her.