Haunted | Daryl Dixon

11. What the Future Holds

"I can't believe we're done," Daryl breathed out, leaning up against the side of the building.

Evelyn grinned up at him, shedding off her graduation gown to reveal the clothes she wore underneath, "I know, it's all so surreal."

The ceremony had ended about fifteen minutes ago, and the two new graduates had slipped out of the sea of crying families and cheering eighteen year olds for a moment of peace.

Given that the graduation had taken place right outside the high school, the two were able to slip around a corner of the building, drowning out most of the noise, even though everyone was only about fifteen yards away.

"All that torture, just to walk across that small state and get this piece of paper." Daryl scoffed slightly- though there was still a light and playful atmosphere about him- shaking his diploma in his hand jokingly.

"I know," Evelyn sighed, leaning up against the wall opposite to Daryl, a soft smile on her face as she looked at him.

One of his eyebrows lifted in her direction, still smiling, "Why're you lookin' at me like that?" He asked.

"Like what?" She responded, heart beating so loudly in her chest she could've sworn he could hear it.

She didn't wipe that look off of her face, though. Not for a second. She wouldn't hide any longer. She had no reason to. They were on their way to starting their new lives- the futures they had dreamt up together.

She was looking at him like they both looked at each other in those polaroid pictures. With the love she felt so strongly for him.

God, how blind Evelyn must have been to not have noticed all these years how much she loved the boy who was always by her side.

What had she thought she was feeling whenever her heart would pound in her chest whenever he left a lingering touch? Or when he would press a soft kiss to her forehead when she started dozing during one of their movie nights?

Had she really been brushing it off as friendship all this time?

No matter what she thought it had or hadn't been, it didn't matter now. Because now, she knew. She knew with her whole heart- with her entire being- that she loved Daryl Dixon more than anything in the world.

Daryl shook his head softly, "I dunno, ya just got a look in yer eyes."

"What look?" She prompted, her heart fluttering for a moment at the thought of Daryl possibly realizing what it was before she even said anything.

Amusement danced in his eyes, "I think yer in shock that we actually graduated. Or maybe that I actually graduated."

He was just teasing, and Evelyn knew that, but her heart sank slightly.

Did he really not know? Could he really not see?

Maybe not, but he was looking at her with such a soft, adoring look, that she couldn't find it in herself to care all that much.

Was this his look of love? Was this what he had been looking at her within that first picture?

She tried to call the photograph to memory, as if she hadn't stared at it for at least fifty hours in the last four days, but she couldn't seem to recall how exactly he was looking at her then.

How could she be expected to focus on the past when he was looking at her like this in the now?

"Daryl, I-" Evelyn's voice seemed to get lost, seemingly at the same time she made eye contact and got lost in those shockingly beautiful blue eyes of his.