Wildfire || A Modern Bethyl AU.

Loose Ends||Chapter 8

Beth lays close to Daryl on his unzipped sleeping blanket with her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. She was glad she knew more about him, but the relationship Daryl had with Rick left her with more questions than answers.
How deep was their relationship?
What exactly happened between them? How and why did it end, if it even happened?
She feels Daryl's chest rise and fall as he sleeps.
She looks up at his face. His mouth open as he snores only slightly. Which makes her smile, so unlike her father.
She reaches up and lightly caresses his stubbled cheek and chin.
"what are you doin'?" Daryl asks in a husky voice. Beth jumps a bit and takes her hand away.
"I was just-" she trails off, her cheeks warm with a blush. He made her feel like a giddy school girl with a lame crush.
"I was thinkin' on shavin'." he says and pulls Beth closer.
"No! maybe just trim." Beth quickly objects, and makes Daryl smile.
"Maybe just a trim." he agrees. They go quite and he starts to play with her hand. It was delicate but callused on the ball and the palmar surface of her hands, from working with the houses and working on the farm.
She lets her mind wander back to her questions.
Her stomach soars, should she ask? Can she ask?
"Daryl?" She asks and her voice gives a little.
"Yeah?" He answers but she atays quite. He moves to see her more.
"Beth what is it?"
"You and Rick, I mean, Carl, he told me-" She stutters but he groans at the mention of Carl.
"I don't care if that's your worry." Beth quickly says.
"It's not that." Daryl says and lays back down on his back.
"Can I ask about you guys?" Beth asks quietly.
"What about us?" Daryl breathes. It kind of scared Beth. Was he inviting her to ask? Or did he not want that?
"What happened between you?" Beth asks sitting up, taking her hand away. Daryl sighs and shifts to lean back on his elbows.
"What did Carl tell you?" He asks nudging her with his knee.
"He say you. In the garage with Rick." Beth confirms his thoughts.
"He was cryin'." he says softly. He lays back down and closes his eyes.
"After that, it was more comfort than anythin'. I stayed over his house for months. I would only go up stairs after Carl was asleep. I would just, kinda, get into bed and we'd lay there." he stops to look at Beth, who looks down at her hands.
"You loved him. Like loved him." she urges him, to continue. He hesitates but finally breathes out.
"Sometimes. when he needed it." He says, his heart beating fast.
"I understand." Beth days giving him a weak smile, then looking down again.
"Do you?" He asks sitting up and grabbing her hands in his.
"I do. People demand to be felt. Just like pain." Beth says, looking into his blue eyes.
"Rick told me, you fall fast and I can agree with him, but I know I can tell you, I fell just as quick. And maybe that's just stupid and lame, cause we've only just met, but I just- " Beth says in a rushed breath and takes a beat to calm down.
"Does this mean you wanna calm thing for a bit? before rushin' into things?" Daryl interjects and squeezes her hand.
"I'm sorry." Beth says and she knows she's going to start tearing.
"Beth, you don't have to be sorry. I understand. It's okay." Daryl says pulling her into him.
"We can be Us, but we don't have to be Us for them." He says as she lays her head into the crook of his neck.
"Okay." She says hugging his torso.
"I do love you. I feel that." Beth says sniffling a bit. "But with college, it's already gunna be hard to leave my family and now you." she adds squeezing him.
"Well, I ain't leavin'." Daryl says returning her squeeze.
"And I'll be about an hour away." She reassures herself more than for Daryl's sake.
"Then I'll come see you every day, if that's what you want." Daryl says. She nods and smiles. Daryl lays back down bringing Beth with him.
"Now go to sleep. We can worry in thw mornin'." Daryl says and she cuddles close to him, closing her eyes.
"Good night." she says into his shoulder.
"Good night, Beth." he says holding her close.

------
Again it's short and uneventful. But I just wanted to construct some base line if this little rickyl thing I had in my head.

keep liking and commenting and what not. Thank you guys so much. I never dreamed my story would be so popular. So thank you. I love you all.