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Morning came all too quickly for me. I lay awake most of the night, thinking of both Carl and Will. I had chosen Carl, there's no doubt about it. Even so, I felt guilty. It was only days after Will's death that I began dating Carl. I was distracted during school, my mind running full speed. I wore a nice dress to the party. Jesse had given it to me.
It was a navy dress with pink flowers on it. She also gave me a light-colored jean jacket. She also gave me a navy pair of shoes to go with it. I applied a small amount of lip gloss, too. And as always, I had my C and A necklace on.
"I'm going to go find Carl," I said, kissing my parents on the cheek. Mom nodded.
"Have fun, sweetheart." I walked away from the two and into the crowd of people.
"Excuse me," I mutter to a couple. Thye both looked to be in their early thirties. The lady had shoulder-length black hair. She stepped closer to the guy, so I could pass them. I squeezed past them. I walked into the kitchen, no sight of Carl. I grabbed a quick drink before continuing my search.
"Rori!" A small body crashed into my legs.
"Oh, Theo!" I jumped slightly, the paranoia from being alone in the world was still with me. I bent down and picked him up.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked the toddler before adding, "Wheres Matt?"
"He's with Jesse, I think," Theo said, wrapping his arms around my neck.
"Let's go find him, huh, Theo? Let's be detectives and find him." I smiled at the young boy before setting him down. I gripped his hand with my own.
"This way!" Theo pointing ahead of us. He took off running, pulling me with him.
"Slow down, Theo."
"Sorry, Rori," Theo gave me a childish grin. He continued to lead me towards where he thought Matt was. Eventually, we made it Jesse. And sure enough, Matt was there.
"Hey, guys, I think you lost someone," I smiled, motioning to the monkey on the ground. Matt smiled, looking down. He crouched down so he was eye level with Theo.
"I told you to find Will, not Rori," Matt laughed.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go find Carl," I said. Matt's eyes met mine. He gave me a quick nod. I turned around and walked away from them, towards Rick. I had managed to spot him on the way to find Matt. "Hey, Rick!"
Rick turned towards me, "Hey Rori. What's up?"
"I was wondering if you happened to notice where Carl was?"
"Yeah, he's over there grabbing something to drink." Rick pointed towards the kitchen. Dang it, I was just there.
"Okay, thank you!" I rushed off towards the kitchen. Sure enough, Carl stood in the middle of the kitchen. His eyes glanced over to me, immediately filling with happiness.
"Hey, Rora," Carl smiled, wrapping his arm around my hips. He was mindful of my hip, which now had stitches thanks to Pete (the surgeon here). I leaned my head on Carl's shoulder. "Tired?"
"No, just bored," I replied.
"Understandable," Carl nodded, holding me tightly. And in this moment, it felt as if the apocalypse wasn't a thing.
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The next morning, Dad was preparing to leave. As well as a few others.
"Is that everything?" Dad asked one of the people going with him. The guy nodded.
"All set?" Mom and Dad.
"Mhm," Dad nodded.
"You got this. You always do," Mom smiled.
"Yeah," Dad said, kissing Mom on the lips. When he pulled away, he embraced me in a hug. I felt his lips kiss the side of my head.
"Have fun while I'm gone, but not too much fun," Dad whispered in my ear.
"I will," I said, letting Dad walk away.
"I've got some things to do today, I'll see you later," I said to Mom.
"Okay, sweetheart," Mom gave me a half hug. I began to walk away, but not before I heard music start blasting. I smiled as I watched the van drive away. Alone with the music.
I walked towards the Grime's house, where I knew Carl was. I pulled the door open, gently calling out his name.
"Carl!" He came around the corner, a bright smile on his face.
"Ready to go?" Carl asked.
"Yep," I nodded, grabbing Carl's hand once he was close enough. I pulled him out the front door, waiting only long enough for him to shut it.
"Do you have your knives?" Carl asked. We walked towards the gate of Alexandria.
"Yes, I don't ever leave without them," I replied. "Morning."
"Morning," the guard at the gates, Jerry I believe, greeted us. He pulled the gates open.
"Thanks," Carl and I said at the same time. We walked through the gate, hearing the clinking behind us as Jerry pulled the gate shut. We trailed off into the woods and away from the main road. I skipped ahead of Carl, letting our hands separate.
"Hurry up, Carl!" I laughed.
"I'm coming!" Carl laughed along with me. I began to run and Carl followed my lead. The two of us ran until we found our spot. I felt a body slam into mine from behind, and I collapsed onto the picnic blanket giggling. I turned in Carl's arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stared into my eyes. Slowly, he leaned closer to me. I let out lips connect. It was like magic. His lips felt hot against mine. His hands traveled down my sides. At that very moment, I knew I was truly in love with Carl Grimes.
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