AND THEN I FOUND YOU » Daryl Dixon

26. ORION'S STORY

During the time after their little moment on the road, Daryl and Jasmin spent the last hours of daylight walking. There was no other big confession, no heated make-out session against the tree (though both of them had thought about it), just simply walking with the comfort of knowing that things between them were finally starting to become more secure.

Though outwardly, it looked like they were spending their time pretty uselessly–exchanging longing glances, looking away with rosy cheeks, and walking a little too close to one another causing their hands to graze with each step–it was meaningful to them in a way they both understood.

And once again the sun had set below the horizon, turning their eventful day into a warm memory, give or take a few life-threatening moments.

Asphalt had also turned to soil beneath their feet. The trees that surrounded them for days on end were now replaced with large fields of grass, stretching out over distant hills.

Shining down upon them was the moon, casting a blanket of soft light across the earth as it ushered the world to sleep. The natural hue of their skin had turned into an iridescent shade of silver, adding to the feeling of being placed in an alternate universe – one where death wasn't the norm and beauty was.

Walkers were nowhere to be seen; only two souls occupied the vast grassland.

No walkers and feelings of happiness were hardly ever a good sign, contrary to how it sounded. Something would always send them crashing back down to rock bottom. But they were both so full of joy, nothing negative could dare pass through their minds.

Jasmin slightly turned her head to look over at Daryl, aching to catch a glimpse of how otherworldly he looked in the moonlight. But it seemed he had the same idea as he was already gazing at her. Bashful smiles stretched across their faces and they both looked away.

This was how most of the day had been spent and it was clear the night would bring no change.

Few words had been exchanged between them which wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence. The silence was neither overwhelming nor awkward, but instead quite pleasant. Everything that needed to be unearthed between them had already been expressed, not just through spoken words but also through other means of communication.

The second Daryl's lips had left hers, her mind was already replaying the moment over and over, savouring and engraving the sensations he caused into her brain.

She remembered the pressure of his hands as they wandered all over her body, the taste of his lips as he kissed her like a man starved of all affection, and how their tongues moved against one another in a way that weakened her knees to the point of nearly giving out beneath her.

He fitted into all the spaces she had closed off for years. Every part of him perfectly slotted into place with her – his hands, his mouth, his entire body. They were like two missing puzzle pieces, separated from the rest and joined together to create a small picture of their own, one that only made sense to them.

Every step they took was perfectly synchronised. Nothing other than the burning desire to constantly feel their skin touching each other could explain why they walked so close. Their hands brushed against one another and there was no way the action could be claimed as accidental anymore.

She kept her gaze fixed on the distant horizon, knowing that if her eyes met his, all her self-control would be thrown out the window.

Daryl's thoughts were racing. They had kissed not even five hours prior and here he was shaking in his goddamn boots over their close proximity. His fingers twitched nervously at his sides as countless thoughts buzzed through his head. He tried so hard to ignore the warm soft skin rubbing against his arm, but it was useless.