A Place Just For Us (Rick Grimes)

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Future

❝ I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt
I've been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met ❞

We returned home when dusk had already fallen long ago. I would never get used to this feeling; knowing I had a bed to sleep in, a roof over my head, it all felt like coming home, and it truly was. I realised it was going to take me a while to get used to this feeling, or maybe I never would.

After having stocked up our weapons back in the armoury, we all parted ways. I walked home with Rick by my side, and that was another thing I also wasn't used to yet.

Every time we entered the house together, it felt like the very first time.

It was dark and quiet inside. Rick shut the front door quietly, knowing his son would most likely be asleep at this hour. We made our way upstairs in silence, and neither of us spoke, silence was enough for us right now, at least it was for me. I followed him into the bathroom and locked it. He was just as eager to clean himself as I was; to get rid off the blood and dirt, the guilt and the pain.

Almost the entire ride home I had been squeezing the muscles in my right shoulder. I attempted to relieve myself of the pain again.

Rick started to unbutton his shirt, but he didn't turn on the shower just yet. He looked at me, a concerned look haunting his face. "Something wrong?" He asked, breaking the silence for the first time ever since coming home.

"Just my shoulder. It's fine." I brushed it off.

He didn't seem to be satisfied by my reaction. I had no doubt that he must have suspected that this night had fallen me heavier than expected. "Here, let me make it better."

He proceeded to place his hands on my shoulders, not giving me a second to protest, because he knew I would if I got the chance. As soon as he started massaging my shoulders, he had convinced me that I needed this. Not because the pain was unbearable, but because it was him touching me. It was him relieving me of my pain, whether it was physical or not.

After pleasurable seconds had passed, he lifted my shirt over my head, pressing his flattened palm hard against my back. His touch was warm, and above all, it was lovely.

I yielded to his hands and leaned into them. My deep exhales told him enough— he had done it again, yet again. It amazed me that he knew what I needed when I didn't know it myself. He knew I held these kind of moment close to my heart, and I knew he enjoyed them just the same.

I smiled to myself when he wrapped his arms around me, his chest pressing up against my back. Of course you were hoping to get something out of this, Rick, of course you were. He would fulfil my needs every time, even if he needed to guess, and I thanked him by doing the same thing; letting him listen to my breathing, turning around in his arms and kissing him just the way that he wanted me to. Sweet and delicate.

Not once did we let each other out of sight. We undressed as we spoke quietly. Rick was the one to turn on the shower, and I was the first to step in, instantly followed by him.

It were moments like these when we truly became one, when we could read each other, love each other without the use of words. This moment was much unlike that evening when we showered for the first time together. We had still been hesitant then, together as one, but hesitant. Now, we loved each other without fright or uncertainty. We were together now and this wouldn't end.

I sensed that he was staring at me as I was telling him my plans for tomorrow, at the same time cleaning my skin with a hand full of soap. "Do you have something to say, sheriff?"