ELISE [Rick Grimes AU Series]

| CHAPTER FIVE |

CHAPTER FIVE - TOUCH

Despite being a teacher and having to spend her working day encouraging discussions, arguments, and retelling stories, she had always struggled with words. Well, words that didn't relate to specific historical topics.

Elise knew that telling Rick to be a better man was more for herself than for him and his family. It was the right thing to say, she shouldn't encourage him to cheat on his wife, but if Rick had said fuck it, before grabbing hold of her and never letting go, she'd have dragged him to her bedroom and gave him a night to remember.

She didn't want to be a homewrecker, but an evil part of her asked her how she could wreck a home that was already destroyed.

Every day for the last two weeks, she had battled with good and bad who argued both sides of the situation until she was exhausted.

She had thrown herself into work since that night at the bar again and wanted nothing more than to avoid the place forever.

It was a hot but pleasant Tuesday, and Elise was distracting herself with a new presentation board she had set up in the classroom. An afternoon of printing, cutting and laminating facts, pictures and the previous year's best works probably wasn't an exciting task. Still, Elise enjoyed adding her own flair of creativity to her teaching.

She was adding the finishing touches when she heard footsteps in the corridor outside. It wasn't an unfamiliar sound; teachers came and went as they pleased to complete work, prepare for the coming year's classes and some to escape from home for a few hours.

It also wasn't usual for one of said teachers to knock on her door, usually to ask if they had stationary they could borrow, but she was surprised to see Rick standing at her door with his full uniform on. His thumbs were tucked into his belt as he stared at her.

She knew she wasn't hiding her look of surprise, mixed with happiness and frustration. Elise didn't say a word and watched on curiously as Rick shut and locked her classroom door.

"Rick," she almost whispered, "what are you doing here?"

"Principal Hawthorne asked me to drop by and review a few security measures," he replied. She could feel his intense gaze upon her, but she refused to make eye contact.

She turned her back to him, walking towards the window and looking outside, trying to hide her confused look of happiness and anger. She craved seeing him, but for her, Rick was a difficult man to resist.

"Elise," he called out. She heard him walk towards her, and she closed her eyes tightly.

She hated that her body was refusing to listen to her head. Desire and lust overcame her, and she could feel it working its way through her body, pushing away all sense of reason and logic.

Rick was close, too close; she could sense it before she even turned her body around.

"Elise, look at me," he whispered.

She swallowed hard and turned around on the spot. She almost gasped when she realised how close he was. "What do you want, Rick?" she asked calmly.

He stepped closer, his body colliding with hers gently. Elise instinctively stepped back, but he followed and only stopped as her back hit the wall. She could feel the heat blazing through the window beside her head.