I was awoken by the sunlight pouring through the window. I yawned, rubbing my eyes. I turned over on my side to face Daryl. He pulled my warm body closer to his. I grinned lightly, kissing his shoulder before carefully rolling out of his arms; the door to the bedroom was wide open and I quickly shut it so I could get dressed. An arm suddenly snaked around my waist, preventing me to go any further. Daryl pulled me back into bed as I giggled, my body pressed up against his once again.

"Stay here," he mumbled groggily.

"I wanna get dressed," I groaned, attempting to pull away from Daryl. His grip on me only got tighter.

"Stay, Aften," he whined.

"No." I broke free from his grip after kissing his forehead. I pulled my clothes back on. "You can come downstairs if you wanna be with me so bad."

"Nah," he grumbled, shoving his face into the pillow. I sauntered out of the room, down the stairs to the living room where the group was talking amongst themselves. When they spotted me, everyone went silent. I stared back at them, shifting awkwardly in place. I tried to ignore it and walked into the kitchen to find some food. I found a box of cereal and dug my hand into it, stuffing the bits into my mouth. When I tore my gaze away from the box, Daryl was standing in the living room being awkwardly stared at by the others. The group chuckled quietly. "To hell with y'all." Daryl grabbed his crossbow, his face turning bright red. He stormed outside. The group then shifted their eyes back to me. I stood there, somewhat glued to my spot as I slowly chewed the cereal.

"Does that hit the spot," Glenn asked me, holding back a chuckle. Everyone began laughing. My face became hot. I had to get the hell outta here. I took the box of cereal and quickly hustled outside, slamming the door behind me. I sat down next to Daryl who was cleaning his crossbow.

"Least they know ye're mine," he managed to say with a straight face. I almost choked on my cereal, giggling as my cheeks burst into flames. I quickly thrusted the box out to him to see if he wanted any, hoping to change the subject. He glanced at it. "Nah."

The door opened, the group spilling out. I groaned. They were probably coming out here to make fun of us again. I kept my eyes focused on the ground as Rick stopped in front of us.

"Deanna came by while you guys were sleeping. She said to explore so we're gonna do that," he smiled down at us, his hands on his hips.

"I'm gonna stay," Daryl mumbled, continuing his work on his crossbow.

"Me too," I said.

"Alright," Rick sighed. "We'll be back." He walked away, leaving us on the porch. The door opened again and Carol stepped out. She was dressed in a horribly gaudy outfit.

"Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles," she beamed, adjusting her cardigan.

"What," I snickered.

"I'm going to make dinner for the older people, moms who need a break and can't cook; you get to meet a lot of the neighbors that way."

"Okay," Daryl smirked facetiously.

"Have you taken a shower yet," Carol questioned Daryl, scowling at him.

"Mhm," he mumbled, focusing on his crossbow. She rolled her eyes.

"Take a shower. I'll wash that vest and your guys' bedsheets. We need to keep our appearances up, even you, Daryl." Carol made her way down the steps.

"I ain't startin' now," Daryl scoffed.

"I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep," Carol hollered as she walked away from us.

"I'll help," I called out to her. Daryl shot me a glare.

"You look ridiculous," he shouted at Carol. I closed the cereal box, chuckling to myself. I shifted my gaze to Daryl's face as I leaned my back against the railing. I focused on his features, my stomach casually filling with butterflies. His hair covered his beautiful blue eyes. I wanted to brush it away but I refrained. Being with him gave me a wonderful feeling that made me feel warm, like a blanket was being wrapped around my heart. My heart began to race at the thoughts that rushed through my head: living together, marriage, kids. I could feel sweat sprinkling my hands as I gathered up the courage to speak and disrupt the blissful silence.

"I love you," I whispered to him. His head snapped up from his work, his eyes slightly widening. "I love you," I whispered again, staring him straight in the eyes. It felt so good to say, so right. I've loved him for the longest time. He was the only thing that occupied my heart but I was too scared to admit it fully. Daryl stared at me for the longest time, my face feeling hot from his fixed gaze. I could tell he was having a battle with his thoughts inside his head, his cheeks pink.

"I love you too." Daryl slowly laid down his crossbow, his eyes sparkling. I smiled, my heart skipping a beat. Never in my life had I experienced this kind of love. He was my home. He made me feel safe, cherished. I felt like I was floating. The two of us leaned over towards each other, pressing our lips together. The butterflies in my stomach took flight as we stayed that way, our lips fitting together like a puzzle piece.

We broke the kiss to people causing a commotion near the gate. Daryl and I both glanced over at the small gathering of people. I stood up, slowly walking over to the altercation. Daryl followed me, his crossbow slung over his shoulder. We stopped a few feet away from the group, watching carefully. Glenn argued with some guy, the man then shoving him. Daryl lightly pushed me back, keeping me safe from the fight. Deanna rushed over to the scene.

"Aiden, what's going on," she questioned.

"This guy's got a problem with the way we do things." Aiden glared at Glenn. "Why'd you let these people in?"

"Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Glenn shot back. Aiden went to punch Glenn but he countered it and knocked Aiden to the ground. Nicholas dived into the fight but Daryl dropped his crossbow and tackled him. I hustled over to Daryl, throwing myself on him as he choked Nick.

"Let go," I growled in his ear, pulling him off forcefully. Daryl paced back and forth in anger.

"Everybody listen up! Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals. Understood," Deanna bellowed. "All of you turn in your weapons." I turned around and walked off before she could say anything else, Daryl following me again.

When nighttime rolled around, Daryl went out on the porch to smoke. I stayed back in our room, laying in bed. I happened to be in nothing but my underwear as I waited for him to come back. Once I heard the door shut, my heart began to beat faster. His footsteps coming up the stairs made me jittery. I barely covered myself up, the sheets sitting just a little above my chest. Daryl slowly opened the door. His eyes went wide once they fell on me, his face quickly turning red. I bit my lip at his reaction.

"I missed you, my love," I grinned. "I was thinking I was gonna fall asleep before you got back." I stood up, letting the sheets fall off me. I sauntered over to him and trailed my finger down his chest. "I'm sorry I wasn't waiting down there for you."

"No... no, that's fine," he muttered in awe.

"Come to bed," I whispered, kissing his cheek. I trailed my lips down his neck. He lightly moaned as I wrapped my fingers around his vest, pulling him down closer towards me. I turned him around and shoved him down on the mattress. Daryl smirked, breathing heavily.