A not so quiet life

10/13

The next weeks were rough, no matter by now you were used to that kind of life. Whenever you found a place to hole up you could barely stay for a night if you were lucky before walkers forced you to leave and camp back into the woods or sleep crammed into your cars until you found another place, with all the dangers that sleeping on the open implied.

The herds of walkers seemed to be bigger and bigger each day, ripping through everything, blocking roads, forcing all you to be always on alter, always running from place to place. It was exhausting, it was depressing, and morale was going down.

As if that weren't enough, supplies were running low. Most of the places that you found to scavenge were almost emptied or full of walkers, making you leave empty-handed.

Daryl never said anything, not wanting to worry anyone even more, but wereas before he had always been able to bring something from his hunting trips, lately the game seemed to be running low too and often he came back empty-handed and frustrated. You always tried to make him stop beating himself about it, hating to see him blaming himself. It wasn't easy, but you tried anyway.

That day you had been forced to stop in the middle of nowhere, after hours driving nonstop, and made camp in the woods at the side of the road. No matter you had been able to set a perimeter of wire and rope around the camp, everyone was on edge, but you tried to stay strong as you went to keep watch, your shift being late at night.

You hadn't been keeping watch for long before you felt Daryl's poncho fall over your shoulders and then he was sitting down next to you. You smiled, wrapping the fabric around you and lifting one of the sides so Daryl could curl up under it too, your smile growing when he wrapped his arm around you, and you snuggled to him.

That'd been a thing between you two lately. Daryl would join you during your night shifts or you'd join him, and he'd hold you close. He only did it at night, though, when almost everyone else was sleeping, pulling away from you when the sky began to clear or the others woke up.

You thought some of them had noticed anyway, though thankfully none had commented but you had caught Carol smirking at you once or twice. Maggie, though, had tried to ask you if something was going on, but you had gotten so flustered and babbling that she hadn't brought the matter up ever again.

Truth be told, you didn't know what to think.

Your own feelings were a mess. You felt...you felt something, you couldn't deny it, something that was beyond been content to have someone to snuggle with during cold nights, beyond looking for comfort in someone's arms.

You did everything you could to ignore it, to not acknowledge it, but night after night your stomach did funny things and your heart beat faster every time Daryl smiled to you, every time he held you close, feeling content and safe in his warm embrace.

You felt guilty about it, though, you were a married woman, no matter your husband might be dead, you weren't supposed to feel like that. But you couldn't help it, and you found yourself eagerly waiting to join Daryl every night so he'd hold you close, seeking his company and the comfort of his arms.

You didn't know what were Daryl's thoughts or feelings, why he kept coming to curl up with you night after night but during the daytime you couldn't get but some light touches from him sometimes, though he was always kind and caring, making sure each day that you were alright.

You didn't dare to ask, though, afraid you'd drive him away. Whatever it was that you two had, you didn't want it to stop. You were afraid of his answer too, afraid that for him it might not be the same than for you, afraid you were misreading the whole thing and all he wanted was to have someone to find comfort and warmth during the night.