colder weather | Daryl dixon

chapter 2: sun to me

A local restaurant in Colorado, 2008

warnings: mentions of abuse and smut

Sun to Me - Zach Bryan

***

   The fall brought colder weather in Colorado, and of course it also brought colder memories. Ivy was cleaning off the counter to the bar after a drunken spill from one of the usual patrons, frustrated that the drink left a stain in the cheap wood with an even cheaper sealant to cover it. The bell rang, signaling someone had entered, and she looked up absentmindedly. Her heart dropped at the sight.

Her previous boyfriend was standing in the doorway like a goddamned omen. When she'd first met him in college, he was sweet and smooth-talking. He smoked with her and enjoyed hiking with her. He made her laugh and seemed to be perfect, but you never really know someone entirely, and one thing Ivy had to learn was his anger.

As soon as she saw him, she ran back into the kitchen, sprinting past the cooks, and into the employee bathroom. She barely reached the toilet before she started throwing up. Which wasn't a surprise. Sometimes it happened if she thought for too long about him - of course it would be an immediate reaction after seeing him for the first time in a year and a half.

"Ivy? You okay, sweetie?" One of the other waitresses asked.

Ivy held a thumbs up, face still in the toilet, "Just dandy." Was her brisk reply.

"Hungover?" The girl teased.

Ivy nodded. That was a better story than anxiety vomit at the sight of some guy.

Out at the bar, it was a day of chance and coincidence, as two familiar brothers strolled in. They sat at the same booth they had last time. The younger one's eyes scanned the dive bar, looking for a familiar head of blonde hair, only to come up empty. He couldn't deny the disappointment he felt - it had been months since he last saw her, she could be somewhere else entirely right now. He felt stupid for hoping she'd appear.

"Hey, sweetheart," Merle called their waitress over, "Is that pretty thing Ivy workin' here today? We been wantin' to see her." He kicked Daryl under the booth, making him grunt. Fucking Merle.

Before the waitress could respond, a tall and skinny man stepped up to Merle, "The fuck you say about my girl, man?"

Merle and Daryl both raised their eyebrows at this. His girl? That was certainly news to them. Daryl thought back to the night they shared. Although it was possible, he didn't really take Ivy as the type to tolerate infidelity. Unless this was a new relationship.

"Hey!" The bar manager yelled, "No fightin' in this bar. Ivy ain't here, Jared, so you can quit brooding around here and leave."

The man, Jared, scoffed, but did as he was suggested. He walked out of the bar, but not without another tough glare towards Merle.

Daryl was lost in thought about Ivy and this guy, wondering if he'd homewrecked a relationship or was too late for another chance with her. His worrying, however, was interrupted by a sweet and familiar voice behind the bar.

"Is he gone?" Ivy asked, peering over the bar manager's shoulder. She did a quick scan of the bar, and her eyes widened when they landed on the Dixon brothers, who were both staring her down.

"He's gone." The other waitress said, putting a comforting hand on Ivy's shoulder. Daryl took note of the action. This was not the same Ivy who had fearlessly elbowed a guy in the nose when he grabbed her - this girl was scared of her own shadow.