In Another World (Kathryl One-Shots)

A World In Which History Is Made

She narrowed her eyes at the different colored fabrics that lay everywhere in her room. Kathryn was faced with a problem. A problem she did not have the resources to fix herself; she had to decide what to wear.

No matter how much she told herself it didn't matter. No matter how much she reminded herself that this was just dinner; that she had had dinner with him thousands of times before. This felt different. Her palms were sweaty, and her stomach was flipping and flopping every single which way. She had a fleeting idea as to why she felt this way, but she didn't want to accept it.

She didn't want to accept the fact that she saw he was nervous as well. How he shifted his weight back and forth, or how he continued to rake his hands through his untamed hair. Kathryn knew this night would shift something in their relationship, and she didn't know if it would be for the better or worse.

After what felt like a lifetime, Kathryn decided on a grey sweater and her best pair of jeans. She then pulled her hair up in a ponytail because she normally left it down, and if she was going to dress differently, she was going to wear her hair differently.

Kathryn nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her doorbell ring. She had to remind herself to take deep breaths as she approached the door. With one last burst of courage, she felt her fingers wrap around the door handle.

Daryl resisted the urge to pace as he waited for Kathryn to answer the door. He gnawed on his thumbnail, something he often did when he was nervous. He knew why he was nervous. He didn't want to admit it, though.

He froze as the door opened. Kathryn stepped out, looking as beautiful as she did every night. She was nervous. Daryl knew her better than she knew herself; just as Kathryn knew Daryl better than himself. It's how their relationship went.

"You look amazing," Daryl said quietly. His words were a raspy whisper, caught somewhere in between wanting her to hear them and having them being whisked away by Georgia's cool night breeze.

Her hearing was very good, though, and her trained ears caught the words. Kathryn glanced over her shoulder as she locked her door. Kathryn didn't believe she was beautiful, or even semi-pretty, but the way Daryl said it almost made her think there was a possibility that she could be. "So do you." He had somewhat tamed his hair, and Kathryn took notice of the nice collared shirt he wore. Kathryn spun in her heel, so the two were now face to face.

Daryl swallowed hard as her intense green eyes peered up at him. His eyes quickly flickered down, "We should, uh, go."

"M'kay," Kathryn hummed nervously, in fear of her words getting tangled in her throat.

The two silently walked down driveway. Nerves had them both on high alert, and this in turn, caused them to revert back to old habits. They both climbed in Daryl's pickup truck. Kathryn loved his truck. She loved the way it reflected the little things about Daryl she loved. Like the carefully stitched up seat covering, or the surprisingly wide variety of CDs that spanned across five different genres, or maybe it was simply the fact that even though the truck was beat up, it was one of Daryl's most prized possessions.

Kathryn flipped through the CDs. Daryl peered down at her, "What's the selection for the night, DJ Kath?"

Kathryn smiled at the stupid nickname. "I'm thinking...Aerosmith." Daryl nodded in agreement at the music selection. "Car rides are no fun without music," Kathryn muttered under her breath as she put on the CD.

It wasn't long before Daryl stopped the truck in front of a diner. It was a small, broken down place sitting almost on the edge of town. It both confused and comforted Daryl knowing that this was Kathryn's favorite place.