I watched idly as Shane and Rick loaded Randell into the Chevy, throwing any other supplies they may need on their journey behind him. A week has passed since we decided to 'save' Randell – if you can call it that. I still felt uneasy about the whole situation. When we returned from the bar the following day, Shane had made it known that he thought it was idiotic to bring Randell back here. Surprisingly, I agreed with him. We should never have brought him back, but in the past week, it's been proven to me that his crew not only doesn't care but isn't looking for him. We've argued – Shane, Rick, and I – about what to do with Randell, if he should be left somewhere on his own or if we should just put a bullet in his head and be done with it. Ultimately, Rick and I decided it would be best to leave him about eighteen to twenty miles out with some supplies.
So here I stand, watching as they blindfolded and gagged Randell before placing a set of headphones on his ears. Glenn and Maggie had gone out to the neighboring houses a few days ago and brought back a few things; A CD player and some headphones being among the few items they brought back. I watched as Rick closed the trunk and wiped his hands on his pants before looking at the group behind me. I smiled at him and wound my arms around my chest, unsure how I felt about being in charge of the camp. I mean, I can do it... it's just I don't know exactly what to do today; Laundry is done, cleaning around the camp is done, animals are all fed, and the perimeter is clear.
"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" I whispered to Rick as he approached me. He looked at me sternly and sighed. He confided in me the night before that he wasn't up for this today, so maybe I can go with and have this done sooner?
"I'm sure." Rick muttered to me, "We need you here to keep things in order. But it seems like there isn't much to do today, so don't go pissing off Daryl too bad." He smirked as he knew I had every intention of annoying Dixon. Damn, am I that transparent? I smiled at him and shook my head, stuffing my hands in my pockets as I looked at Shane. He was perched against the passenger side of the Chevy, his eyes scanning the lot of us before lingering on a certain someone. He makes it way too obvious. I won't be surprised if tensions grow during this ride or if only one returns.
"Stay safe out there, okay?" I murmured as I brought my eyes back to Rick's face. His beard was starting to grow, the hair black with some specks of grey thrown in. He nodded at me and smiled before walking away to say goodbye to his wife and son. I stayed there, staring at Shane as he looked at me. I made it no secret that he wasn't my favorite person, just like how he made it no secret that he didn't like me. We stood there, staring one another down, the tension building between us.
I must admit, it felt good punching him out the other week. It makes me miss fighting in general. Well, I'm doing another type of fighting now called survival. Once more, Rick passed me, patting my shoulder as he did so and flashing one last smile before climbing into the Chevy with Shane and pulling away from us. I turned towards the group and made eye contact with Lori, giving her a tight smile as I walked forward. Things between her and me this past week have been... strained. I don't know how to explain it; I'm just chalking it up to hormones and fear. She did have a close call last week with a few walkers. I will never know how she crashed a car when the roads were empty. She must be a special case of lousy driver.
I returned to camp, feeling particularly quiet today, and sat by the lowly burning fire. I watched as the embers slowly died, getting lost in the flicks of orange and yellow that desperately tried to get more oxygen. I felt a presence to my left and turned, catching a glimpse of Daryl before returning my gaze to the fire. He sat down next to me and grunted as he dropped down, his crossbow taking its place in front of the two of us. A silence enveloped us, comfortable and long, as we trailed away. This past week hasn't been too bad. In fact, it's been rather pleasant despite Shane's constant glares. If he and I were truly alone, he'd probably try killing me; that's how much I suspect he hates me. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at me, and it both terrifies me and makes me determined to outlive him, which should be easy since he's rash and makes stupid decisions.
"June?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the rough man beside me, flashing a small smile. He looked me over once, really studying my face. He's been watching me like a hawk since he learned that Rick and I had killed two people. I guess just trying to make sure that I was fine after the whole ordeal. "Let's get outta here." I looked at him and scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. Get out of here? Oh god, is he gonna kill me? Has my constant pestering annoyed him that much? Nah, he's too much of a softie to get rid of me.
"And go where?" I asked him, letting an amused smile spread across my lips as he struggled to stand up. He finally stood, brushing himself off, and grabbed his crossbow before offering me his hand. I grabbed it, feeling the rough callousness that littered his palm. He pulled me up, making me stumble and crash into him as a laugh escaped my lips. Daryl has been unusually nice to me this past week, but you won't hear me complain! I could get used to this.
"I got an idea." He smiled at me as we started walking towards the west side fence. I laughed and brushed my hair back with my hand, making a mental note to brush it tonight. I winced at the mere thought of fighting through the pain of detangling this mess. Instead of focusing on that, I turned back to the man and smiled.
"That's a first." I joked, watching as a small smile spread across his thin lips. We continued walking until he led me into the woods, asking me quickly if I had my knife just in case. My hand flew down to my hip, fiddling with the handle as I looked around us, ensuring there were no walkers. I watched the trees sway in the warm summer breeze, their leaves crackling and some falling to the ground, crunching under our boots. It's going to be getting colder soon. We will need to start finding more winter clothes to keep warm. Daryl stopped abruptly, making me crash into him and rub the spot on my head where it collided with his shoulder. He looked around us before putting down his crossbow, a smirk playing on his lips as he turned to face me.
"You said you were some type of badass MMA chick before all this started." He began, catching my attention. What is he getting at? "We should fight; see who comes out on top." I smiled at him and looked around us, ensuring we were safe. The last thing we need is a walker coming out of nowhere and attacking us.
"I never said that, but thanks for the confidence boost." I chuckled at the man in front of me. I pursed my lips and thought about what he wanted to do, biting my lip as I looked around again, ensuring the coast was clear. A few rounds couldn't hurt much. I looked back at the man and smirked, dropping my knife at my feet. "You sure?" I asked him once more as I started to stretch out.
"Yup." He answered, popping the P at the end as he circled his wrists around to stretch the muscles. "After that ass-kicking you gave Shane, I've been itching to fight you." I scoffed at his words and bent down, stretching out my hamstrings.
"I don't wanna embarrass you, Dixon," I smirked at him. Daryl rolled his eyes and scoffed at me.
"Don't get your hopes too high, little girl," He said, his lips twitching, threatening to spread into a smile.
"If we're going to do this." I started as I stood back up and rolled my neck and shoulders, "There need to be some rules." Daryl scoffed at me and rolled his eyes. "No low blows. I'm saving your ass with that one." I smiled at him as I said this, "Once someone says stop, we have to stop. I rather we leave with maybe a few bruises and cuts than broken bones."
"That all?" Daryl asked impatiently as he jumped in place to warm himself up. I nodded at him and stretched my arms above my head, feeling the euphoric pull of my traps and rhomboid muscles. "Ready?" He asked me once, his pale blue eyes teasing me as he watched me lower my arms. I grabbed the hair tie around my wrist and hastily threw it in a ponytail, hoping he wouldn't play dirty and pull at it. I only like having my hair pulled in certain situations, and this isn't one of them.
We started to circle, fists in front of our faces as we watched one another. I watched as he kept light on the balls of his feet, his lips pursing as he threw a fist my way. I managed to duck right in time, his fist flying next to my face as I delivered an uppercut to his midsection, hearing the breath escape him. I pulled away from him quickly, watching his face scrunched in pain. I pursed my lips and continued to study him, watching as his right foot stuck out as he threw a punch. This time it connected with my jaw. My head snapped back painfully as the shock of the punch radiated from my jaw down to my neck.
He wasn't pulling his punches. He was hitting me with what I assumed to be full force – and it hurt like a bitch. Like in the cartoons, I thought birds and stars started to circle my head as his punch rocked me. I shook my head and continued to circle him, composing myself again and deciding to start playing offense. Lunging at him, I threw my right fist forward, feeling the impact as I punched him square in the jaw. Using my left hand, I delivered another uppercut to his midsection – smiling as I heard him grunt. Since this wasn't boxing, I lifted my right knee and kneed him violently in the stomach, smiling as I backed away. Daryl held out his hand, requesting that I stop as he started to gag from the intensity of my knee.
"You okay, Daryl?" I asked him as I dropped my fists and approached him, fearful that I really hurt him. He looked up at me and nodded, obviously not used to this type of fighting.
"Safe to say you won the first round," Daryl muttered as he stood up fully, a pained smirk on his face. I smiled at him and huffed a laugh, massaging my fist. "Best out of three?" I nodded at him and raised my fist to my face, smirking as we circled each other again. He wasted no time and lunged at me, his right fist connecting with my cheek and his left one sending a barrage of punches to my abdomen. I pushed away from him and backed away, trying to create some distance between us so I could recuperate. He came at me again, knocking me upside the jaw and sending me to the floor. He joined me on the ground and started throwing punches to my abdomen and obliques, each punch connecting and making me gasp out for air as I tried my hardest to block them. I swung my left leg up and kicked him swiftly on his chest, the air escaping him as he retreated. I jumped up, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline that came with the fights.
I lunged towards him and started with a combination of punches, ending in a barrage of rabbit punches to the midsection before he pushed me away and kicked me square on the thigh, making me stumble. He threw me to the floor and landed a few punches, feeling my cheek swell as he continued to land punch after punch. He backed off me, watching me slowly get up to my two feet.
"You win this round, Dixon." I gasped as I touched my cheek, feeling the warm trickle of blood cascade down my face. I looked over at him and started to laugh, seeing blood from a gash on his forehead and his jaw starting to swell. He laughed at me as we slowly started to circle one another again for the final round. This round determines the winner, and I'll be damned if I lose to him in my own sport. I took no time and lunged forward, attacking him with a series of punches directed to his face and abdomen. As I continued to attack, he stumbled, finally falling to the ground as I brought my knee up again and got him square on the stomach. I grabbed his ankles and pulled him towards me as I directed punches to the side of his head. I gasped for air as he managed to free his leg and kick me with such intensity that it almost knocked me down. I wavered, backing off as I tried to get more air into my lungs. This allowed him to lunge forward and connect a few punches on the side of my head and jaw.
I raised my arms around my face, taking defense as he continued to punch, feeling the intensity of each punch rattle my bones as they landed. I threw my fist forward, taking a risk, and hit him on his shoulder – not enough force to stop him from attacking me. I started pushing forward against him, trying to get him to back off, when I decided to use my legs. I circled my leg around his and pushed him hard, feeling the two of us topple down with me on top of him. I started taking offense once more and delivered a series of side punches to his face, feeling some connect, and some falter as he tried to fight me off. I straddled him and grabbed his arms, using all my strength to bring them down and pin him. I smiled at him triumphantly as he stopped fidgeting underneath me, his scowl back on his face once he realized the fight was over.
We stared at each other for a while before the two of us broke out in laughter, analyzing one another and the damage we inflicted. He had a cut on his eyebrow, and blood flowed out of it, painting the whole side of his face in bright crimson. His jaw was a tad swollen, bruises forming underneath his eye and lip, and a few started to sprinkle across his chin. I got off and extended my hand, helping and hugging him tightly as my adrenaline started to wear down.
"I fucked you up, Dixon." I teased as I pulled away and examined him again. He smiled at me and pushed me away, walking over to his crossbow and slinging it over his shoulder.
"I fucked you up, too," Daryl noted as he handed me my knife. "Let's say it was a tie." I nodded at him, not wanting to argue about such menial things, and wrapped my left arm around him, wincing at the sudden pain but pushing forward as we started walking back to the farm. Good thing we were only ten minutes away. I don't think I would've made it far. We walked, joking between the two of us, our arms around one another and blood trickling down our faces. This was probably the most relaxed I've felt in a long time, and all it took was a good ass kicking.
"You know, I feel bad for any person that tries attacking you," Daryl said. I looked up at him and huffed, a smile spreading across my lips. "You can kick ass, no matter the size or what's in their pants. Poor bastard. You'll kick their ass if they attack first."
"Hell yeah!" I answered as I saw the fence surrounding the farm in the distance. "I've fought guys like Shane a lot back when the world was alright, sometimes bigger." Daryl looked down at me and gave me a confused look, wincing as he felt the sting of pain flood his face. He used his free hand and massaged his jaw, grimacing again as he touched his face.
"Why?" He finally asked as he massaged his jaw and wiped the blood away from his eye. I looked ahead and sighed heavily, feeling pain surge as I breathed.
"Small girl like me, one that liked to drink and flirt." I muttered, "Guys thought it was an invitation into my pants." Daryl scoffed and turned towards me, stopping us as he looked at me seriously.
"Good thing you could deliver the ass-kicking of their lives then." Daryl smirked, "Think you broke one of my ribs." I shook my head and chuckled, using a little strength to push him playfully and instantly regretting it.
"Probably bruised them." I said as I inhaled sharply, "I know mine are." Daryl wrapped his arm around me as we slowly returned to the farm.
"I'm gonna be sore for a week." Daryl chuckled as he pushed the gate, holding it open for me. What a true gentleman! I nodded at him and rubbed away as much blood as I could. We slowly walked back into the main camp, both of us wincing as Lori shouted at us from the farm. I didn't turn around while waiting for her to storm up to us. We've been gone for an hour or two. Who knows? But it wasn't long enough for anything serious to happen. Everyone looked calm, and no walkers were around, so what's the big problem? She grabbed me by the shoulder, making me groan in pain as I turned around to face her.
"What happened to you!?" Lori shouted as she took in my face, worry instantly flooding her features. She then looked over at Daryl and gasped.
"Daryl and I had a little match." I chuckled, grimacing as my ribs ached from the movement. "we really did a number on each other." Lori looked at the two of us, humor not finding its way to her face as she scowled at us. Geez, who pissed in her cornflakes today?
"You're in charge." Lori sneered at me, "And instead of being here, you went off into the woods with Daryl and did who knows what?" I backed away from her, feeling anger trickle inside me as she scoffed at us. Is she deaf? I just told her what we were doing, "Beth tried to kill herself." I bit the inside of my cheek and shook my head, my good mood swirling down the toilet.
"Tried." I muttered, "I'm not needed for that. Hershel is, it's his daughter, and he's a doctor. Nothing that he couldn't handle, I'm sure." Lori looked at me with such intensity that I was sure I would have to knock her on her ass. She scowled at the two of us before turning on her heel and returning to the house.
It's horrible that Beth tried committing suicide, but it's her choice at the end of the day, and if she tried and failed, then that's just proof that she probably didn't want to die. Daryl shook his head and wrapped his arm around me again, leading me into the house. We both groaned in pain as we climbed the few steps of the porch. I don't know about him, but I'm regretting the fight now. It hurt to even breathe!
In the living room, Hershel watched Daryl, and I open the screen door, taking in our entire appearance. He placed his book on the sofa next to him as he got up to inspect us. Shaking his head, he pointed to the kitchen, instructing us to take seats. I slowly lowered myself onto the wooden chair, groaning as my midsection lit on fire. Sure, my face hurt, but my whole abdomen area was the killer. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Daryl cracked one of my ribs! Hershel sat beside me, grabbing my face and using a damp washcloth to remove the blood.
"What happened?" He finally asked as he removed the final streaks of blood from my face. I gave him a guilty smile and looked over at Daryl. He looked terrible, but I knew it wasn't anything he couldn't handle... maybe his ego took more of a beating than his physical body.
"Daryl and I had a little sparring match," I explained as I turned back to look at the good doctor. His lips tugged up slightly as he taped my cut shut and worked on disinfecting the minor cuts that littered my face.
"Looks like you won," Hershel commented as he glanced at Daryl. I started to chuckle, trying my hardest to ignore the pain I felt as I did so.
"I don't know about that." I gasped as I pulled my shirt up. I looked down and saw my entire midsection covered in budding bruises, which explains why it hurts when I laugh or breathe. Hershel shook his head as he caught sight of my battered abdomen, his hands quickly going over my lower ribs to feel for any breaks. I hissed in pure agony as he palpated, biting my lip and clenching my fist to keep from crying.
"No breaks," Hershel concluded, "Bruised is all." I gave him a tight, pain-ridden smile as I stood up, letting Daryl take my seat so he could get cleaned up.
"So, uh." I trailed, leaning against the wall and fixing my eyes on Daryl, "I heard about Beth." Hershel looked at me and frowned, his blue eyes clouding with sadness.
"Yes, well..." Hershel paused briefly to dampen a clean washcloth, "She's going to be just fine." I nodded at him and cleared my throat, feeling a twinge of guilt wash over me. There isn't anything for me to feel guilty for, though! Nothing I would've said or done would've changed her mind.
"Important thing is that she's going to be okay, right?" I asked.
"Yes." He smiled, "She's going to be okay." I watched as he quietly worked on Daryl, giving Daryl a few stitches just above his eyebrow and feeling his ribs for any breaks. "I'm glad you two let your frustrations out." I looked over at the man and cocked my head, confused.
"Why do you say that?" I pondered, looking firmly at him while he dabbed rubbing alcohol on Daryl's knuckles.
"You need a good break." Hershel explained, "I'm glad you and Daryl found time to blow off some steam. I will say it's quite unusual that your way of blowing off steam is to pummel someone into the ground." He gave me a teasing look, his lips in a smile as he finished up with Daryl. I blushed and let out a strained laugh, gripping my sides as if it would ease my pain. I looked to my left and saw Lori standing in the kitchen, her hazel eyes trained on me with fury. I bit my lip and walked over to Daryl, patting him on the shoulder and squeezing him as I moved toward the kitchen. I just got the shit kicked out of me, but I'm not broken—I figure I could help out in the kitchen for now.
I walked into the kitchen and smiled at Lori and Andrea, running a shaky hand through my hair and wincing at the shooting pain. Andrea turned to me and gasped, her eyes widening at my appearance. I gave her a bright smile and waved her off, trying to tell her that I was okay silently. Lori continued to glare at me; her anger was almost palpable. I shook her off and leaned against the wall, hearing Maggie and Beth fighting upstairs. Strange how easy it was to tune out the fighting while I talked to their calm father.
"You should've been in camp instead of out there." Lori finally sneered at me once again. I closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders, trying not to snap at the pregnant lady. "Instead, you were off with Daryl doing who knows what."
"Fighting, Lori." Turning to her, I said, "He and I were fighting. It's not my business or problem if Beth wants to kill herself. It's her choice, and who am I to take that choice away? I'm glad she failed, and I'm happy that she'll be okay, but what happened here... I don't see how I could've prevented it." Andrea nodded, agreeing with me. She knew what it was like to want to kill yourself after losing somebody. She knew how angry she felt when Dale took away that choice.
"She's right." Andrea sighed, "If Beth were really serious, she would've done it anyway. We're all just happy that she failed and didn't cut too deep." Lori looked at the both of us and scoffed, her eyes rolling as she shoved a saltine cracker in her mouth. I closed my eyes and continued listening as the sisters fought upstairs. It seems that Maggie's scared and doesn't know how to handle the situation, so yelling is her best way of communicating.
"Rick leaves you in charge, and the first thing you do is run off," Lori muttered, her voice hitting my ears like a fork scraping against a plate. I looked at her and rolled my eyes, deciding it would be best to keep my mouth closed for now. Andrea huffed a big sigh beside me, sharing the same annoyed look. "What if walkers attacked the camp? Or those men came and attacked? First thing I'm gonna do when Rick comes back is tell him that he should never leave you in charge again. My twelve-year-old can do a better job than you."
"Lori shut up." I finally said, determining that keeping my mouth shut won't do me any good. Plus, who is she to bitch? She doesn't do jack shit around here other than try to boss everyone around and be judgemental. "All you have done since I've been here is complain. I needed a break, so what? The camp is safe, your son is safe, and the only harm done was self-inflicted. I understand you're mad and hormonal, but I will not be your punching bag. I contribute enough around here, and I have a lot of weight on my shoulders, so sorry if this isn't the reaction you wanted out of me." Andrea bit back a smile, her hand coming up to her mouth as she feigned a cough. Lori stepped closer, scoffing as her hazel eyes stared me down. The nerve of this lady!
"Sure, you 'contribute.'" She sneered, emphasizing the word contribute, and turned away from me. I let out an angry breath and clenched my fist, reminding myself that the woman in front of me was pregnant and that it was not right to hit a pregnant lady. But what if I slapped her? It's not like her face is pregnant.
"I was out there almost every single day looking for Sophia." I seethed, "I protect the group from walkers, I make decisions around here, and I support your husband on whatever decision he makes. I've protected you and Carl from walkers in the past, and if I remember correctly, I saved your sorry ass that night at the CDC." Lori paused, her eyes hardening as she looked at me. She shook her head at me and munched away on another saltine. I've done more around here than she has ever done in her lifetime. She can't go around saying I don't do shit.
"The men can handle things on their own." She shrugged her shoulders, "They don't need your help." I looked over at Andrea, who was visibly upset as well. Lori was basically telling Andrea that she wasn't needed out there, either. What kind of hidden, misogynistic bullshit is this? Because I'm a woman, I can't help protect anyone? If she wants to take things out of context, I will too.
"I beg to differ." I laughed, ignoring the pain in my side as I did so. "If I weren't at that bar to back him up, Rick would be dead. Your losses would've been much worse if I wasn't at the quarry that night. If I wasn't here right now, who would your husband look to when he needs help making a decision? Cause he sure as hell can't come to you. One minute you agree with him—the next, you don't. I have cemented my place here; I do a lot just to keep you safe. I go out almost daily—scavenging, bringing back supplies, protecting us, and you take that all for granted."
"Don't you ever tell me that I take things for granted," Lori practically yelled at me, her face red as she looked at me. "My husband is out there for the hundredth time; my son was shot!" But she fails to see that her husband always comes back! Her son survived! Not all of us are so lucky. I looked at Andrea, who was still leaning against the wall and watching as Lori and I argued. I pointed at Lori and flashed Andrea a smile, shaking my head.
"She doesn't get it, does she?" I chuckled dryly, receiving a shake of the head from Andrea. I turned back to look at Lori and sighed, feeling exhausted. "Your husband came back from the dead, your son too. You have a baby on the way, and the rest of us are just piling up on our losses – me, Carol, Beth, Andrea – but you keep on cause you haven't been touched by loss yet. You like playing queen bee 'cause you're Rick's wife."
"You like playing house and throwing around rules for everyone but yourself. Well, guess what, Lori? That shit isn't flying. When you've seen everyone in your family die – when you watch your husband turn into a walker or your son be ripped apart, come talk to me. I watched everyone in my family die horrifically. Everyone around you has lost everything, but you have all you could ever want and more. You have your husband, your son, your unborn baby, and on top of that... you have a boyfriend. I suggest you shut up, take your place in the background and let the adults handle all the tough situations because you clearly don't get it." I rolled my eyes, proud that I didn't raise my voice at her during my big speech. I walked out of the house and sighed heavily, the pain in my side subduing tremendously.
She wants to accuse me of doing nothing. Then I'll do nothing. I twisted my knife, feeling the wooden handle against my fingertips, and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I knew it was too good to be true. I knew that someone or something would come and take a massive shit on my good mood. I walked down the steps of the R.V., deciding that a walk around the perimeter would do me good and calm me down. I quickly stopped at the tent, ripping through my pack and producing my clean flannel. I shrugged it on and started walking around, admiring the beauty of the world around me. I have said it once, and I'll say it again, it's a damn shame that it took the end of the world for me to appreciate the beauty the world had to offer.
But the beauty around me wasn't enough to stop the thoughts pounding away in my head. How bad will the tension be between Lori and me now? Just when things were good between us, she had to go and ruin it with her foul, prissy mood. Why did she have to open her big mouth? She needs to learn how to shut up more often. Who does she think she is?! I gave her son my blood and was willing to search for Shane and Otis since they hadn't returned! I had her husband's back at that bar! I have saved Lori's ass countless times! And she still has the audacity to tell me I don't do anything around here.
I shook my head and huffed, shaking away any thoughts of her and enjoying the vast beauty ahead of me. I watched the sky turn orange, signaling the sun would set in the next hour. Today went by so fast, but Shane and Rick did leave at about noon or something like that. I approached my usual spot and sat down, wincing as the dull ache reappeared. My swelling had gone down from what I could tell, and some of my aches had gone away—my face didn't hurt anymore, but I just knew that my midsection would be a bitch. I fidgeted with the sleeves of my flannel and relaxed, watching as the clouds drifted across the setting sky and listening to the buzz of the cicadas around me.
"I hope your day was better than mine." I jumped at the sound of the sudden noise, my heart hammering away in my chest as I turned to the familiar voice. Rick was standing behind me, limping slightly as he came and sat down next to me. His vibrant blue eyes scanned my face, taking in every cut and every bruise. "What the hell happened to you?" I smiled at him and motioned to my entire being.
"Courtesy of Daryl Dixon," I explained with a pained smile. I could see Rick's face flush and his lips set in a thin line before I quickly explained, "We agreed to three rounds, and I think it's safe to say that I won." Rick looked at me and shook his head, his own cuts and bruises becoming evident. "Looks like I'm not the only one beat up."
"Shane," Rick muttered. That was all he needed to say for me to understand and roll my eyes again. I knew it would come to blows eventually; maybe everything would be good after this. "We brought Randell back. There were just way too many walkers." I nodded and rolled my shoulders, feeling soreness creeping into them.
"We'll come up with something else." I smiled at him, "Let's not stress about it." I looked up at him and laughed at the blood that had dried by his eye. I shrugged my hand up my sleeve and held it up to Rick's mouth, "Let me clean you up." He smiled as he put some of my flannel in his mouth, thoroughly soaking it enough for me to wipe away his blood. I slowly caressed his cheek and wiped the area, my bad mood ebbing away as I enjoyed my time with Rick. Yeah, I was crushing on the man, and I knew nothing would ever come from it, but moments like this made me both giddy and guilty. I shouldn't feel this way toward him, but yet, I can't help myself.
I finished and smiled at him, his hand holding mine to his face so I could cradle it. I bit my lip and felt my cheeks heat up, flustered by our sudden intimacy. I lowered my hand and shrugged my hand back through my sleeve, leaning against Rick and wincing in pain again.
"You okay?" He asked me as he looked down at me, worried. I nodded and slowly sat back up, lifting my shirt to reveal the numerous bruises that now made their home on my abdomen.
"I may have won, but he did kick my ass," I smirked as I lowered my shirt. Rick shook his head and grabbed me by the shoulders, slowly guiding me to him so I could lean against him again. I let out a content sigh as he wrapped an arm around me, the two of us enjoying the silence and watching the sun slowly set in front of us. Well, one thing is for sure... if Lori didn't like me now, she's bound to hate me if she caught Rick, and I like this. If I can be close to Daryl, why can't I be close to Rick? I can behave myself.
I glanced upward, smiling once I noticed Rick staring down at me, and felt my cheeks blush before I turned my eyes away again. Am I imagining things, or does it seem like Rick wants this as much as I do?
----*----
Someone recently asked me about how long it will take me to finish the edits and stuff and I said if everything works out, the end of August!
This book was long! Like 127 chapters long! So hopefully I can finish by August! Fingers crossed
Con Mucho Amor,
InMyDarkystHour