You were staring at him from across the room. He sat at the stairs while fiddling with his crossbow. You smiled bitterly, now he's avoiding you. He won't even look in your way.
You internally groaned. Why did you tell him? Why did you confessed your feelings for him last night?
"What?" He asked.
You've been standing there contemplating whether to tell him or not. You couldn't waste this chance, so you took the risk.
"I...I like you,"
He stood there just staring at you. You kept waiting for a response but there wasn't any.
"What? Do ya expect me to say it back?"
And just like that, your heart shattered into pieces.
God. You were so stupid, did you really expected him to feel the same way? Of course not!
You closed your eyes and shook your head. God, that was so embarrassing. But what bothered you the most is that you got rejected. You thought his gestures had meanings, turns out they don't. He's just like that to everyone. Right? No.
He stood up from the stairs and climbed up without even sparing a glance in your way. You sighed.
Glenn sat beside you, "sorry," he was the one who convinced you to confess. "I really thought he likes you too,"
You smiled bitterly, "It's alright, at least I know now that he doesn't like me."
He shook his head, "how come he acts different around you?" He sighed. "I really thought there's something behind it."
You smiled bitterly again and stood up, "see you tomorrow Rhee,"
He waved at you.
You have been with the group since Atlanta, you became a close friend to Daryl. In fact, you were his closest friend in the group. But not now, he'll avoid you from now on.
You sighed while you were lying on your bed. You need to forget about him and get rid of your feelings for him. The sound of footsteps caught your attention, you looked at the door in your cell and saw Ace.
"Hey, just wanna remind you about the run tomorrow." he scratched the back of his neck. "And I wanted to give you this," he raised his right hand that was holding a bracelet. You stood up and walked to him.
"Thank you," he smiled at you sweetly. "What's this for?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "No reasons." He took your left arm and placed the bracelet on.
You both heard footsteps. You were surprised to see Daryl walking towards your cell. He stared at Ace, then to your hands. "Ace, ya're on watch." His stares were still lingering on Ace's hand that was holding your arm. "C'mon hurry up." Then he left.
Ace said his goodnight and you went back to your bed. You sighed. You don't want to go to the run tomorrow, he will be there.
"Hey hurry up!" Glenn exclaimed. Daryl was standing behind him, he's currently talking with Herschel about the medicines that you guys need to get.
"Okay okay, relax Rhee."
Glenn squinted his eyes when he saw the new bracelet on your hand, he took your left arm and looked back at you. "what's this?"
Ace came out of nowhere with a huge smile on his face, "I-I gave her that." Herschel walked away and now Daryl is standing there watching you. "Thought it suits her." Ace remarked.
He was finally looking at you, unlike yesterday. But he looks angry. You sighed internally at this.
Glenn smiled cheekily at you. You rolled your eyes at him. "Stop it Rhee," then you walked past him and Daryl.
"What? I didn't say anything!"
"Yeah yeah."
The run was so far good. Ace stayed by your side, Glenn was in front of you guys while Daryl was behind you.
Daryl was rolling his eyes every time he catches Ace staring at you with goggly eyes, he swore his eyes were turning into heart shapes when he stares at you. "Focus," he said. Which earned him a chuckle from Glenn who was now surprisingly standing beside him.
"you need to focus too," Glenn said. Daryl stared at him, waiting for him to explain. "Well, you kept staring at the two of them." He just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his position and left the archer.
-
Daryl slumped to his bed. Who was he joking? Maybe he can fool everybody else but he can't deny to himself that he likes you too. He has always been in love with you since you two met. He was so determined never to tell you how he felt. But after you confessed to him, he didn't know what to do. Merle always told him before that it was impossible for someone to ever love him. Merle said that he'll be the only one who will love him. So he was shocked when you told him how you felt.
Maybe she don't really like me.
He was scared. Scared that you were just making a mistake. Scared that you don't mean what you said.
Someone knocked on his door and he opened it. It was Glenn, his arms were crossed as he gave Daryl that knowing look.
"What?"
"You like her,"
"What are ya on about?" Daryl walked back to his bed.
"Y/N," he stopped on his tracks at the mention of her name. Glenn smirked at this reaction. "I knew it,"
"Dunno what ya're talkin' about." Then he slumped back to his bed.
"why don't you just tell her?"
Silence.
Why would he tell you? Now that there's Ace. Someone better than him. He knew you'll choose Ace over him.
"I can't,"
"Why not?"
"I don't deserve her,"
She deserves better than me.
"Why not?"
"I'm just.. just me,"
"And what's wrong with being you, Daryl? She likes you."
He sighed. What if he tells you that he likes you too but things don't work out? Or what if it does work out but then you die? He can't afford to lose someone close to him again.
"Maybe she's just making a mistake, she didn't mean what she said."
"What if she's not?" Glenn sat on Daryl's bed and looked at him seriously.
What if she's not? What if she does like him? Daryl sighed.
He can't.
He can't let anyone get too close to him. He always loses them.
It seems like Glenn could hear what he was saying, he knows Daryl so well.
His mind was a mess, it's full of what ifs and negativity right now.
"Do you love her?" Glenn asked.
Yes b—
"Do you love her?" Glenn asked again after not getting a response from Daryl.
Daryl gritted his teeth, sighed and nodded.
"Then tell her, she deserves to know Daryl."
Daryl didn't reply to him. There was silence in the room.
"Can you stand seeing her with somebody else??" This caused Daryl to look at Glenn. "Can you spend the next years of your life avoiding her? Hiding what you feel for her? Seeing her create a family of her own? Because if you can, then, okay, fine. Don't tell her." Glenn finally stood up. "Think about it man,"
Then he left the room. Leaving Daryl in his own thoughts again.
Can I?
He asked himself.
Weeks have gone and the two kept avoiding each other. Rick noticed this so he never schedules the two of them on watch and runs together. Glenn would always look at Daryl as if he's urging him to tell Y/N how he feels.
Daryl sighed as he realized the answer to Glenn's question.
I can't. I can't stand to see 'er with someone else. I can't avoid 'er forever.
He made up his mind and exhaled.
"Hey Glenn, ya seen Y/N?" Glenn smiled at him and pointed into a direction.
"I saw her going that way,"
He nodded his head and went there.
His mind was blank. He didn't know what to say. He decided to just tell you the truth.
He likes you,
he loves you.
He saw you standing from a far, smiling genuinely. Its been weeks since he last saw that huge smile on your face and it still gave him that warm feeling, making him smile too.
But it quickly faded away when he saw who you were smiling to.
Ace,
He stopped in his tracks and his smile fell.
Ace took your hand and intertwined it with his.
Daryl felt his heart shattered into pieces.
He was too late.
Glenn's question weeks ago came back to him..
"Can you stand seeing her with somebody else??"
"Can you spend the next years of your life avoiding her? Hiding what you feel for her? Seeing her create a family of her own? Because if you can then, okay, fine. Don't tell her."
"Think about it man,"
He gritted his teeth at the sight of this. Eyes blinking rapidly, jaw clenching, hands turning into fists, his breath getting heavier and eyes watering. He swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled bitterly.
I can.
If it means you could keep smiling like this.
Glenn soon came and he was also surprised at what he saw. Daryl turned his back to you.
"D-daryl,"
Then he walked away, with his broken heart.
Maybe he deserves this, he was a coward. He thought.
Glenn watched, his heart were also aching for his friend.