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"I'm not gonna stop caring about you no matter how hard you try to push me away."
You and Daryl had grown close over the past few months, taking things rather slowly. It didn't bother you at all, you almost preferred it that way. There was no pressure of being anything, it was just very laid back and simple. But sometimes you questioned it, wondering if you were actually together or if you were just hanging out, but any time you tried to bring it up, he'd get mad, asking why it mattered to you so much that there was a label on it. "It matters because I like you," you'd tell him. Sometimes he acted like he didn't believe you.
Your relationship had reached new levels, allowing you to be closer to each other. Sleeping in the same place, you sharing personal stories with him that you hadn't shared with anyone, him almost opening up to you about his past, but always stopping himself before he says too much, almost acting like he was afraid to share them with you. You didn't understand why he never allowed you to get close to him, but any time you were about to, he'd pull away and become distant again. It confused the hell out of you.
Making your way through the trees, your face scrunched up as you thought long and hard about what you wanted to say next. Daryl hadn't said a word in almost an hour and you were beyond irritated. "I feel like it's a simple thing to answer.." You started talking again, mostly thinking out loud. "Drop it." He finally spoke! His tone was short and he was probably just as irritated as you were, if not more. "Why?! Why can't I just get some kind of answer?" He stopped to look at you. "Why can't you just leave it alone? I gave you an answer every time you asked me, but 'cause it wasn't the one you wanted, you keep prying for more. Just drop it."
You were taken aback by his response. "Don't you want to be with me?" Your tone was softer now. "If I didn't wanna be with you, I wouldn't be. Just take it for what it is and let it go." "You're setting us up to fail. You're avoiding any type of connection that we make because you're afraid, aren't you?" "Stop." "I'm not gonna stop caring about you no matter how hard you try to push me away."
He kept his gaze on you briefly before looking away. It all started to make sense now. You didn't know much about his past but you knew it wasn't easy, and maybe one day he'd be comfortable enough to share it with you. Taking a few steps closer to him, your hand hovered slightly over his shoulder before dropping it to your side. "Look, I'm sorry for pushing the label on you, it wasn't fair of me to do that, and if it's something you don't want, I'll respect that. I just want you to know that I care a lot about you, and I guess I thought that if we had a title then it would make some kind of difference."
"It wouldn't have.." He responded, finally looking at you again. "I know. In the back of my head I always knew that, I'm sorry." You gave a weak smile hoping he would forgive you. You would have gone as slow or as fast as he wanted, just being with him was what was important to you. "I just really hope you know that you can trust me because I'd never do anything to hurt you." You grabbed his hand and squeezed it, your gaze never leaving his. He hesitated momentarily, searching your gaze. "I know." He squeezed your hand back as if it was his way of convincing you he meant it. Your smile grew a little bigger and you gave a nod as a sign of relief.
