Paint You Wings

Chapter Eight - Daryl

I parked my bike near Aaron's car and hopped off. He walked to me and looked around. "So how's Jakki doing? She okay?"

"She's fine." I kicked a rock a bit. "She still has nightmares every once in a while but she's good."

Aaron stared at me for a second. "You care for her, don't you?"

"She's living in my house. Of course I'm gonna take care of her." I grumbled back.

"I don't mean in that way." He shook his head. "You like her."

"We really shouldn't be talking about this when we have work to do." I say and start off into the woods.

Aaron followed behind me. I could feel his eyes boring into my back as we walked. He was onto me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

We stopped in the outskirts and checked our surroundings.

"How'd you know?" I asked him quietly as I looked at my feet.

"Know that you like her?" He looked at me with his eyebrows raised.

I nodded sheepishly, still keeping my head down.

"Your face. It gets softer when someone mentions her. Like, she makes you feel calm or something."

I looked at him and nodded a bit. She did bring a sense of calm to me. She made me feel at home in hell. Not that I ever knew what an actual home feels like.

"We kissed last night..." I confessed.

"Really?" Aaron smiled a little. "Never thought I'd hear that from you."

I chuckled a bit and shrugged. "Something new happens everyday."

"Are you guys a thing now?" He asked, some hope in his voice.

"Yeah, I think so. I've never really had a relationship before so I'm not so sure."

"Well, did you ask her?"

"I asked her to be my girl and she said yes."

       Aaron grinned. "You're definitely a thing now."

       I couldn't help but smile a little. I just wanted to hurry up and get home to Jakki at this point.

       Aaron and I scoured the area for any sign of life. We found a fire that had been put out a few days ago and a trail that led to nothing. We decided to do some scavenging instead.

       We drove to an area that held a few houses and some stores. We found a little bit of food and medical supplies.

       At one of the houses, I found a little Polaroid camera. I remembered that Jakki said she missed photography. Going over to the stores, I found some film for the camera.

       We loaded the goods up into the truck and I tucked Jakki's gifts away in my bag. Noticing that we still had a few hours of sunlight left, I told him that I was gonna stay out and hunt, he could go home without me.

       All I could manage was a few squirrels and rabbits. It was dark when I packed up and headed home.

       I took the meat and dropped it off at the town's designated butcher before heading home.

       Jakki was reading on the couch when I walked in. She looked up at me and grinned before marking her spot and greeting me with a hug. I smiled softly and hugged her back.

"I got you something." I announced as I pulled my bag off my shoulder. I pulled out what I had claimed for her.

       Her face lit up when she saw the items. She picked up the camera and inspected it before looking up at me. "Thanks, Daryl."

       I have her a small nod. "Any time." I pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

       She wrapped her arms around me and held them there. "Am I allowed to take pictures of you?"

"Depends on my mood." I chuckled.

"You're the best." She kissed my cheek and put the camera down. "You hungry?"

       I nodded. She pulled me to the kitchen and made me something to eat. She sat the plate at the table where I ate quickly.

       I followed her up the stairs after she shut all the lights out. "Want me to sleep with you again?"

"Only if you want to." She looked up at me.

       I nodded and she smiled. "Okay."

       We walked to her room where she gathered some clothes and left to change. She came back in her pajamas and with her camera in her hands. She set it and the film down on her dresser before joining me on the bed.

"How was the run?" She asked quietly.

"Pretty good. I got you that and some meat for everybody else."

        She grinned at me. "Good." She scooted back and laid against her pillow. "Come here." She patted her lap.

       I assumed she wanted my head in her lap so I did as told. She ran her fingers through my hair, grazing my scalp as she did. I let out a small groan of satisfaction and closed my eyes.

       I had been touch deprived so long. Nobody showed any interest in touching me and I never really wanted to be touched. But it felt so good.

       I found myself leaning in more to her hand. She eventually stopped and moved her hand to the side of my face and just laid it there, moving her thumb up and down my cheek.

       I felt my body settle into this state where my body felt a little tingly and it felt like I had no worries. It was just me and Jakki, alone with her touching me.

"Daryl, lets get some sleep." She spoke softly.

       I opened my eyes and sat up before moving so was laying beside her. I kicked off my shoes and crawled under with her, letting her rest her head on my chest. I wrapped an arm around her and held her close.

"Is it okay if I kiss you again?" I asked her.

"Of course." She looked up at me.

       I put a hand against her cheek and kissed her lips softly, taking my time. The kiss lasted a while before I pulled away, leaving Jakki breathing heavily.

       She looked at and smiled a little. "Goodnight, Daryl."

"Night, Jakki."