BROKEN

Chapter 2 - Daryl

I felt Lauren climb on behind me and wrap her arms around my waist. I thought to myself, "You stupid ass, why did you say that shit to her?" I had no reason to give her a hard time just because she was talking to Rick. I volunteered for this trip, so there was no reason to take it out on her. I wasn't mad her, but I'm the one that put myself in this situation. It wasn't that I didn't want to go, I actually preferred being out getting shit done, but I had never spent time alone with her like this. It made me nervous and uncomfortable but at the same time...it was what I wanted.

I had the bike take off a little faster than I probably should have, but it was good to feel her arms wrap around me. I hadn't had a woman touch me a real long time. Carol didn't really count cause when she rode behind me or gave me one of her stupid hugs, she was just a friend, but Lauren was different. I hate the fact that I get nervous around her and then I'm short tempered and look like as ass when I really just want to get to know her. This is me jumping into the deep end...just me and her on my bike.

Dixon don't fuck it up.

I started thinkin' back to when I first saw her as I'm driving the bike through these deserted neighborhoods. The group that she was with was living at the camp by the quarry when Merle and I joined them. I thought she was the prettiest little thing I had ever seen. But there was no fuckin' way I was going to let Merle know that, he would have made my life a living hell. Naw, instead I just continued to be the redneck dickhead I was. There was no way a chick like her would even look at a douche bag like me anyway.

Next thing I know, Merle is gone, and if I don't stay with this group, I'm screwed. Hell, I wanted to go on livin', so I stayed with them. "Pay attention," I mumbled to myself steering the bike. "Get your head back on what's happening now, not in the past." The walkers were increasing, and we needed to get out of this area in one piece. I started to have to weave in and around too many of these geeks just to get out of town. I had to concentrate on what I was doing, not thinking about Lauren. I made a quick move that I think freaked Lauren out when I had to go up on the sidewalk to get past that small herd on the street. That was a bit too close.

Lauren was hanging onto me so tightly that I doubted she had ever been on a bike before. I'm gonna have to teach her a few things about ridin' so maybe we should stop. "I'm pulling over," I yelled over my shoulder not sure if she could hear me or not.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked.

"Short break, but I need to go over somethin' with ya." After we got off the bike, I turned to look at her. "Man she had pretty eyes," I thought to myself.

"What is it, Daryl?"

"You gotta stop squeezing me death while we ride. I gotta be able to breathe. Hang on, but loosen up some. You ain't gonna fall off. Okay?" I told her.

She looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm not used to motorcycles."

"Yeah, I figured that out, which brings me to turns." I saw that she looked confused. "When we go around a turn lean into it don't fight it and lean the opposite way. It ain't going go over, except if you lean outward. Just follow my lead. Got that?"

"Got it," she said. I watched her turn away from me and head towards the woods. Then my fuckin' mouth got me in trouble.