𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 4 ~ Drat, the Sheriff Caught Me

I let out a sigh, smiling slightly when I saw who it was.

"Too crowded for you in there?" Rick asked as he leaned against the doorway.

He was clean-shaven, chocolate-brown curls falling onto his forehead, and he wore a light-blue button-up shirt paired with dark jeans and boots. I shrugged in response, pushing back a strand of my dark hair.

"I didn't want to intrude so..." I trailed off to which Rick chuckled.

"Well, I think Michonne would prefer it if you did. Especially 'cause she's the one who wanted you to have this party," he smiled.

I nodded, smiling slightly as I pressed my back against the cool tiles of the counter. Silence ensued between us then and I bit my lip. I hadn't known Rick long and to be honest, I didn't know just what to say to him. Sorry my boyfriend and his gang attacked your town? Yeah, that would be a great thing to say to him, I thought to myself sarcastically. I dragged the tip of my high-heel shoe across the floor absentmindedly before he cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"You know, Angel...there's something familiar about you. I don't know how but...you just remind me of someone..." he spoke up suddenly.

Knots of anxiety formed in my stomach. I knew exactly who he was talking about. After all, I'd never met him until a few weeks ago when I came here. He was talking about Daryl...

"What did you say your last name was?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

I shook my head and forced a smile before grabbing a can of Dr. Pepper from the counter. I lifted the lid up before pulling the metal back.

"I didn't," I replied simply before putting the can up to my lips and taking a swig of it.

I exhaled as the bubbly liquid burned my throat on the way down before shooting him a smile. Condensation from the can wet my fingers as I held onto it.

"And why didn't you?" he pressed me, arching an eyebrow.

Those ice-blue eyes bored into me and suddenly, I felt like I was being interrogated. I liked being here, don't get me wrong. But why were these people so interested in what my last name was? Did they - like Rick - think I was familiar somehow? Had they started picking up on little things that maybe Daryl did too?

"I didn't tell you because I don't reveal personal information to people I don't know well." I shot back, a slight edge of defiance to my voice.

The friendly smile melted from his face and for a second, I saw a flash of hurt but he covered it up quickly with a simple nod before slipping back into the living room with the others. Sighing, I slapped the side of my head with my hand.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." I muttered to myself.

Rick was just being curious and I shut him out. After all, I was living in his town. He had a right to know something trivial as my last name. But...what if he connected me to Daryl? Honestly, it wasn't that hard to guess. Mom had always said I was a lot like my father.

I guess maybe it was true. Swallowing my pride, I stepped back into the living room. Time to mingle.