Addiction [Rick Grimes]

Chapter 10

An entire week had passed since Rick had last seen Gabriella. He didn't dare even return to collect the bag he had left behind. He wanted nothing more than to check in, make sure she was okay, apologise and hope she would listen to the plans he and Carl had made for Christmas in the hopes she would join them.

He sat in the police cruiser, staring out of the window at the parking lot they had been sitting in for over an hour. He hadn't spoken a word to the Rookie that was sat beside him; his head was far too preoccupied with thoughts of Gabriella.

"-so anyway, she comes marching back in the house as she does. She's shy as anything around other people, but damn when it's just me and her and she doesn't like what I'm saying, she's a whole different woman. Off-topic, anyway- Rick? Rick? You going to listen to me yet?" Tara Chambler called out as she reached over to click her fingers in front of his face.

Rick turned to her, "probably not, Tara, no," he sighed.

"Something on your mind?" She asked, forgetting about her previous ranting.

"Is it that obvious?" He scoffed as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Well, you've ignored three radio calls and me for the past hour. I don't know what is so interesting out there, but it's got you hooked," she replied, looking in the direction Rick had been previously to try and see what he saw.

Rick frowned, but it quickly turned to a smirk, "why have you continued to talk if you knew I wasn't really listening?"

"I like the sound of my own voice," Tara laughed, "plus, if you're not listening, I can complain until my little heart is content with the knowledge you won't be able to gossip about me behind my back."

He smirked and shook his head, "you're ridiculous," he mumbled, his eyes focusing back out of the car.

"So what's the problem, Grimes? Woman troubles?" She asked, "I know the struggle," she sighed, scrunching up her face.

"Yeah, woman troubles," Rick mumbled in reply. He still wasn't focusing his entire attention on Tara and her babbling, but he tried to make some effort to converse with her so he wasn't seen as the grumpy officer the rookies wanted to stay away from.

"Well, you may not have noticed, but I am a woman; I could help, offer advice and things?" She shrugged.

He sighed, "I don't know how anyone could help this situation. I messed up big time."

"With your girlfriend? Wife?" She asked, with raised eyebrows, knowing the mention of his wife, well, ex-wife, would've struck a nerve enough for him to focus on the conversation.

"You know damn well I just got a divorce," he hissed, "and I don't have a girlfriend, she's my friend."

"Just a friend?" Tara asked, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning ear to ear.

"Yep, just a friend," he scoffed. He couldn't look Tara in the eye; this wasn't the kind of conversation he would've had with anyone, especially not someone who was supposed to be learning from him, not stuck in a car park listening to him complain about "woman troubles".

"A friend who you accidentally—purposely fucked?" She asked casually before taking a loud sip of her drink.

"No," Rick exclaimed in shock that his innocent-looking colleague could be so vulgar.