Heartless ➳ TWD² [COMPLETED]

Chapter III ➳ Midnight

❝ And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds; in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you. ❞
— THE CHOAS OF STARS —



LATER that night, after the sun done went down, I sat on the bench's table and listened to the crickets sing in the distance. I had my legs pulled up to my chest and I steadily rocked forward and backwards.

"Tess," I heard someone say my name and I looked behind myself to see Brie approaching me. I hadn't seen her in so long. "Hey, there you are."

"Brie," I breathed out her name in surprise. She smirked and sat down next to me on the table. "Where the hell have you been?"

She shrugged and said, "Out and about." As I kept staring at her, she cracked a smile and chuckled. "Nah, I've been at the Kingdom. After everything that happened, we had to come here. Heard that y'all got a doctor now, too, which I'm gonna need him to take a look at my face. I want this burning to be a thing of the past."

I had almost forgotten all about her face until I leaned back out of the moon's way to shine on it, which I could see it more now. Negan had done that to her weeks ago. It looked somewhat better, I think.

"What can he even cure that?" I asked and, then, realized how rude they sounded. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay," she smiled and took a deep breath. "I already know that you're into guys with scars."

"Huh?"

She eyed me and admitted, "I heard what Daryl and Tara were talking about a little while ago. You and Dwight. I sort of saw that coming."

"You think so?" I asked and I don't even know why I did.

She shrugged again and warned, "Look, I know that you love him and he loves you, but... He still loves Sherry, too. I don't want you to forget about that."

How can I? This angered me, the mention of Sherry. She didn't upset me. Hell, she helped Daryl and I get out of the Sanctuary in the first place. But, the mention of Dwight possibly still being in love with her... It scared me more than it angered me.

"Maybe," I decided to say before placing my chin on my crossed arms over my knees. I wasn't going to comment on that anymore.

"Look, Tess, I'm sorry, but—"

"Hey," I heard a new voice enter the equation and I peeked my head, seeing that it was Rick. All I wanted to do was jump up and hug him with all that I had, but I just straightened myself up instead. "Mind if I speak to Tess alone for a moment?"

"O-Of course," Brie stammered out before she jumped down from the bench to the ground. "I'll just find you tomorrow, Tess. I'm gonna go head to bed now."

"Okay," I said as she walked away, leaving myself and Rick alone. He stood directly in front of me and it actually frightened me, too. "What is it, Rick?"

Expecting words, I received a letter. Seriously. He stuck out a white envelope to me and, with eyebrows together in question, I slowly took it from him and read the front of it: TESS.