Falling Down (Rick Grimes Romance)

Chapter 16

My mother God rest her soul always use to say she could feel it in the air. It was one of her many sayings that I couldn't quite wrap my mind around, always seeming far fetch. After all how could anyone feel anything in the air so her bewitched barometer had to be little more than a combination of fluke and lucky guessing. Only today, without question, I knew things were about to change. For no specific reason I could feel it in the air.

It has nothing to do with Rick or Lori for that matter I was expecting the usual amount of strive there. It wasn't the unspoken dread you felt when there was a run because there wasn't one. The heard of walkers nearly all put down left but a manageable portion. There were guards in the towers and perimeter had already been fixed where Rick and Glenn had marked last night. The day was actually going better than most. While I couldn't quite put my finger on it..... there was just something in the air.

Standing in the courtyard I stared at the ground as the shadow of a man began to cast beside mine. Closing my eyes I took a moment to just appreciate the feeling of him being there. Silently wishing we had met at a different time and in some other place where the odds against happiness wasn't stacked.

"Did you ever gamble before things went to shit?" I asked without turning around. My eyes drifted over those working in the gardens watching them as if they were background noise. "Slot machines? Poker? Anything?"

"A bunch of us played poker on Friday nights," Ricks voice wrapped around me. His smooth drawl thick and inviting.

"Did you win?" It was an odd conversation but I had a point I was coming to.

Shrugging his shoulders Rick stepped closer behind me. I could tell from his shadow he was resting his hands on his gun belt in typical Rick stance. "I was pretty decent at it so I won more often than not."

"I never gambled, never played poker, never played slot machines." Taking a long pull of water from my bottle to wet my dry throat I smirked. "Hell I never even bought a lottery ticket."

Turning so I was facing Rick I smiled sadly, " I never gambled with anything until I met you. And when I did I went all in and came out bust. It took me going for broke to realize this game is rigged for me to loose no matter what card I put down."

"I'm here," Rick said moved towards me closing off the distance between us, "I'm right here. Nothing went bust. There is still more hands to play.

"I know that," I said looking deep into his crystal deep blue eyes wishing I could loose myself forever in them. "But your cards have a wife and a child in them."

"My cards contain my son, ex-wife, and this girl I have never been able  to put from my mind." Rick cleared his throat as he waited for some of the nosy gossipy people to walk by. What more could we expect as we were having a highly personal conversation in public again. "I can tell you what's in your hand."

I nodded before quietly asking, "Ya and what's that?"

"Shane, the other camp and" Rick paused as he looked deep in my eyes as if he was looking for answers, "And you have me. Problem is I can't read you and I don't know what card your going to put down.

"No the problem is you have a wife," I sighed, "And she wants to talk to you."

"Lori's always talking," Ricks laugh was short and cruel. "Words are just empty when they fall on deaf ears."