Sage ➸ Carl Grimes

37 ➸ lovely

WAVES by DEAN LEWIS [ACOUSTIC]

SAGE

My eyes began to stir around behind the eyelids concealing them from reality. My vision went from black and terrifying to white and peaceful. In that moment, during those first few blinks, everything felt at peace. It dawned on me that I was laying on my side, warmed with white, fluffy blankets and sheets and just about the softest pillows my head had ever rested on. My body did not ache, my heart did not wince, my mind did not grieve. In that lovely moment, everything was okay.

My vision became clearer, and staring back at me was the bluest of eyes. One bandaged up, the other blinking slowly as it gazed into my grey ones with so much love, so much endearment and so much purity.

Carl was lying across from me on the bed, his head rested against the pillow. His pale skin was glowing from the sunlight shining through the white drapes. It ticked my skin as well, as a beam of light casted onto my cheeks. Carl's pink lips curved into the smallest of smiles, just to see my eyes flutter awake.

I felt butterflies in my chest and stomach once I realized he must have been watching me sleep. How long, I had no clue. But it had been what seemed like forever since Carl appeared to be at ease. Even if this moment wouldn't last us long, I was admiring every second of it. These were the things I would never take for granted. Those short-lived times where we could just be us—Carl and Sage—and in love.

Where we didn't have to be afraid.

"Morning, Sage," Carl said in the softest of tones. It was almost surreal.

Is this real? I wondered. Could this short and lovely moment be happening, or is it simply too good to be true?

I hadn't realized I was smiling until that very moment, and even then, I made no change in my expression. It felt relieving, like a breath of fresh air after drowning for so long.

"Were you watching me sleep?" I asked shyly, and I knew my cheeks heated up.

Carl shrugged a little. "Hm. Maybe," he hummed, and a smirk followed. "C'mere."

He opened an arm and held it out for me, and I filled the gap by scooting across the bed and nestling into his chest. Suddenly, everything was warm and okay once more. I breathed in his scent, and Carl chuckled at that. "Uh, yeah, I still stink."

That made me giggle softly, but for some reason, he didn't smell foul at all. I knew for a fact that Carl refused to use Alexandria's showers just yet, because until he trusted this place, he would not conform to it. But when I inhaled, all I smelled was earth. He smelled like the pine trees scattered outside of the Alexandrian walls. It triggered old memories in my mind of Carl. His scent was always apparent to me, and I absolutely loved it, with everything I had.

"Did you sleep?" I mumbled against the skin of his chest. He paused for a moment, and I sighed deeply. "Carl..."

"I couldn't," Carl admitted quietly. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of his face, and it looked sad more than anything. "It's the first night, Sage. I had to protect you."

"And I'm here, one night later, right?"

Carl pursed his lips. "Yeah, and thank god for that," he breathed.

In that moment, I was a blushing mess. The warmth of my cheeks heated by the second, and I smiled once again. He was looking down at me with great admiration, running fingers through my silky hair with ease. I knew Carl was caught in the moment. He wasn't thinking about the group, or Alexandria, or anything that had ever hurt him. He was thinking about me, in this moment.