𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮¹ ━ 𝙩𝙬𝙙

viii.

╔═══*.·:·.★ ✦ ★･:･:*═══╗

When Glenn had returned with Hershel and Rick, Paola quickly latched to his side. Hershel had gone missing after the barn, leaving Beth to go into shock and Paola to help Maggie care for her. The little girl was still distraught over her friend, Sophia was there since the beginning, playing games with her whenever she could and letting Paola borrow her sketch book. Paola just needed to get her mind off of her dead friend.

They had brought back a boy with them, his leg was all mangled and apparently, he was apart of the shootout at the bar, but Glenn didn't allow Paola to get too close.

He'd been different since he got back, Glenn usually greeted Paola with open arms, but it seemed thay he could only hold a conversation with her for only two minutes and it surprised her more when he brushed Maggie off too.

Paola swung her legs around from the height of the RV steps, it was quiet after the barn, not too many people around and it was a small pass time of hers. Maggie had washed Glenn's cap as promised but it never made it back to him, Paola had stolen it from the drying line to wear, it protected her from the sun and it would at least give her an excuse to talk to Glenn when he inevitably came looking for it.

She wished her parents were still here so that they could tell her what she had to do to make him talk to her, or so Sui can smack the boy around the back of his head for being so stupid.

Like the speak of the devil, Glenn appeared to have finished his conversation with Dale a little way aways and began to walk towards the little girl in the baseball cap.

"Can I have my hat please?" Glenn asks, his figure casting a shadow over her.

She rubs her chin in thought, "hm, are you going to talk to me?" He stays quiet, averting his gaze, "then no."

Glenn huffs, turning on his heel to walk off, "fine."

Jumping up from the RV steps, Paola jogs behind him, "will you stop ignore me?" She says, her voice hard to hide her hurt.

"I'm not ignoring you." He shrugs, not looking back.

Becoming frustrated, Paola yanks the cap from her head and throws it at his back with all her might, Glenn grunts at the impact, "yes you are." She protests, not caring that she sounds like a bratty child who stomps their foot whenever something didn't go their way. "Ever since you got back with Hershel, you can't even look at me. Whatever happened there, it doesn't matter-"

"No, it does matter, Paola. You're like my kid. You're like my kid and I love you and I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to lose me." Glenn snaps, raising his voice at her for the first time, but it breaks, it breaks as it showed how much he truly cared for this little girl, "when I was getting shot at, all I thought about was you. And Maggie and how I didn't want you to mourn over me because I want to stay with you for as long as I'm allowed to."

Paola's lips quivered before she broke out in sprint towards him, Glenn opens his arms and they embrace, Paola grips his shirt tightly, her voice trembling, "I love you too, Glenn."

|

It was later since Glenn and Paola's outburst, and she hadn't let go of him since. She held his hand to remind him that he was never going to lose her.

Paola thanked Carl as he passed her a hot drink, "what're you gonna do?" Lori asks Rick, hovering over the fire, "we'd all feel better if we knew the plan."