𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 ➪ «𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛»

ch. XLVI - 《i am legend》

oOo

There was a knock at the door. Daryl didn't have to guess who it was, he could tell by the timidity of the sound. The door opened inch by inch until he saw her standing with her shoulders almost glued to her ears and a plate of what he assumed was his dinner in her hands. Her eyes only left the floor when she closed the door with a sock-clad foot and he shuffled to sit up against the headboard.

Daryl's mouth threatened to rip his face in half as he watched Diana suppress a nervous smile while sitting next to him. She gave him a coy sidelong look through her dark lashes, and he swallowed thickly, remembering what had happened some hours prior. He'd never been one for flowery dreams and high hopes, life had always been far too cruel on him for that kinda shit. But things felt different at her side. And she wanted him at her side.

"Yo wassup," was her greeting, so unexpected but so characteristic that a bout of laughter burst out of him. Diana chuckled along, her shoulders shaking and slowly losing their tension. But she had still put some deliberate distance between them so that no part of their bodies would touch. That had never been an issue for her before. Something was bothering her, something more than pure nerves.

Daryl had found it a miracle that she forgave him. Not only that but to know that whatever it was that he felt for Diana was actually reciprocated... It blew his mind. In all his life, he didn't remember feeling half as giddy. He had looked past the impropriety and his stupidity and had come somewhat to terms with the fact that he was crushing real bad. There was no point in denying it or naming it something it was not.

He also wanted to enjoy their bubble while he was confined to this room. He knew reality would shit on his parade as soon as he set foot out. And he had to set foot out; Sophia was still lost out there, and people were counting on him. He wasn't one to run from his problems and duties. From his feelings... hell yeah, he would, but those were known to pack a punch. But even those he was learning to confront.

Diana broke his chain of thought by gingerly placing the plate on his lap. Daryl felt her body heat as she leaned in and felt a chill on his skin as she retreated. "But really, though, how you feeling?" she asked and cracked her knuckles against her thigh. Yeah, something was on her mind.

His keen eyes looked her over; he knew she'd only spit it out once he assured her he was fine. And he was, he'd suffered through worse, although being shot at was a first. "Better," he said through a mouthful of beans he'd shoveled hastily into his mouth, "There sumn you gotta say?" He wasn't a fan of beating around the bush.

Her eyes widened, and she clasped her hands in her lap, opening and closing her mouth with no recognizable sounds coming out. In the end, she merely sighed and nodded. With one hand she massaged the other, and then spoke with measured words, "Okay, so, here's the thing, I... dunno what I'm doing."

Daryl kept a neutral face, expecting the worst and preparing for the worst. He put down the fork and nodded for her to continue, awaiting his rejection; for their pre-destined-to-fail bubble to pop. His brow furrowed at the fearful look on her face.

"There's a lot of things I haven't told you about me, I mean, obviously, ya know. And one of them is that I... I've never been with anyone... in a relationship, or- or otherwise." Diana's legs curled to her chest, and she covered her face with her hands while groaning in embarrassment. "Ugh, this is so awkward for me to talk about. Like... first, I don't even know why you want to be with me! I mean- I assume that's what you want, considering that- I mean, we kissed, so like... Is that what you want?" She uncovered half her face to look at him with her whiskey brown eyes.

Relief tasted sweet. And as much as Daryl wanted to be smooth and sweep Diana off her feet with beautiful promises, he was stumped. He was no damn poet, he didn't have that kinda charm. Add to that the shock of her confession. She felt insecure? He should be and had been the one wondering if it wasn't all just an illusion.