𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒.
chapter sixty-four; Haircut
" Don't mind the way you look, though. "

  LIVING IN A house again was strange. The idea of not sharing a room with a single person was almost completely foreign to Vex Williams; the last time she had a room to herself was when she was only 17 years old, and even then she snuck out to stay at Paul's apartment most days.

  But here, now, after the world had ended and almost everyone she had known from her life before, Vex stood in the center of a grand bedroom. There was a king-size bed, two nightstands, and a dresser cluttered with empty picture frames, candles, and perfumes. Her closet had been filled with clothes to her taste, by Jack Mitchell, and there was an en-suite bathroom stocked with soaps and towels.

  "You look like you broke in."

  Vex turned at the voice, letting out a short laugh once she saw Dean Williams leaning in her doorway with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

  "Yeah, tell me about it," She mumbled, crossing the room to tug on dirt-covered military boots, "Can you imagine how much this place probably cost?"

  "More than either of us could've ever afforded."

  "You probably could've bought it with Dad's money," Vex reminded, taking a seat as she began lacing up her boots, "Bunker was clearly a better choice, though."

  Dean clapped, earning an eye roll from his sister.

  "Deanna give you a job, yet?"

  "Said there's a construction crew that could use an extra set of hands," Dean nodded.

  "Really?"

  "Eh, she tried to convince me I'd make a good teacher for the kids," Dean admitted, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm not really up for that kinda thing yet."

  Vex pursed her lips, nodding in silence.

  "I'm gonna go finish brushing my teeth," He said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, "Zep's already out with that girl and Carl."

  "That girl has a name and it's Maeve."

  "Yeah, I didn't mean anything."

  "Don't be jealous that Zep isn't hanging out with you," Vex pointed, "She's not so little anymore. Eventually, it's not gonna be cool for her to be with us  all the time."

  "Okay, I hate it. Make her little again."

  "I can't do that," Vex laughed, "Even though I might want to."

  Dean groaned, but dragged his feet out of the room, back to his own.

  Vex smiled, standing and starting for the door. But the flash of her own movement in a full-length mirror caught her attention.

  It had been a long time since she'd looked at herself. Really looked.

  Her skin had tanned darker since her sunburn faded, and her hair had gotten longer. A lot longer. Vex tugged at the ends that were now nearly down to her naval; she needed to cut it. It hadn't been touched since the world went to shit, and having it tied back made her forget it grew.

  For now, though, Vex pushed it behind her shoulders, studying her face a bit closer. Sparse freckles had appeared across her nose and forehead, presumably from the sun exposure, and she still had a faint scar on her cheek from the night in Woodbury.

  The only mark still left from Paul.

  She stepped back, frowning slightly at the sight of herself. Wild curls, freckles, a faded Van Halen shirt with the neckline so stretched out it slipped down, exposing one of her shoulders and a black bra strap. Dark black plain jeans that hugged her legs and hid the healed wound on her thick, tucked into the same boots she had worn the day the world went to shit.

  She looked young. Every piece of her appearance subtracted another year off of her age; Vex wondered if she had ever really changed after 20. Or if it was all makeup and clothes that Paul picked, the stifling rules of the military, the presentation she tried to have as a mother.

  In some opinions, she was young. Only barely into her 30s, Vex was the youngest within the group she was setting out to meet. Carol was 10 years her senior, while Rick and Daryl had 7 years on her.

  But Vex felt her skin crawl at the idea of looking like she did when she was 20. Perhaps it had to do with being groomed from the age of 13, being told she was mature and ahead of the curve, yet somehow also naive. It was so deeply ingrained to look and act older than she was, that simply being her age unnerved her.

  Vex blew the thought away as she turned from the mirror. No one had questioned her for it. No one had scolded her for being younger or mentioned her appearance at all. Focusing on it would lead her nowhere. These people were not like Paul.

  Daryl Dixon was not like Paul.

🗡

  Daryl found Vex before Rick or Carol had. She was walking toward the gate, her rifle already strapped across her chest, waving at Jack who seemed to be manning it today.

  "Hey."

  She turned, a soft smile gracing her features as she saw Daryl catching up with her.

  "Hey," Vex greeted, "I think I'm gonna cut my hair."

  Daryl looked a little confused for a moment, but nodded, "Alright."

  Vex narrowed her eyes, taking this as a challenge.

  "Yeah, apparently Jessie used to be a hairstylist," She confirmed, turning away as they walked closer to the gate, "I'm thinking a bob. Super short, real blunt, you know."

  "Sure," Daryl nodded, his confusion still clear.

  "Or maybe I'll get it all buzzed off."

  "Are you okay?"

  "Just trying to see where the line is."

  "Huh?"

  "You know, when you'd freak out."

  "'Bout your hair?"

  Vex laughed, nodding. She waved to Jack as he opened the gate, the man waving back as they passed through it into the open world beyond. They turned into the forest, setting off to their meeting place with Carol and Rick.

  "I don't care about that kinda shit."

  "Hmm, okay."

  "I don't."

  "You say that now, but you've only ever seen me exactly like this," Vex said, "Maybe I'll cut my hair and you'll suddenly be unable to look at me at all."

  Vex laughed again, but it stopped short when Daryl grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a halt.

  "Don't say shit like that."

  "I was just joking."

  "Nah, you weren't."

  Vex pursed her lips, averting her eyes from his.

  Maybe looking in the mirror that morning had been a bad idea.

  "You think I like you 'cause of your hair?"

  "Well, not my hair specifically but--"

  "Vex."

  She frowned, looking back at him.

  He knew her too well and wasn't scared to call her on bullshit. She both loved and hated that fact.

  Because right now, Daryl wasn't leaving her room to evade this.

  "I don't wanna fuck this up. But I don't know. . . what would fuck it up. So I'm just in my head about stupid shit. Shit that I don't even really care that much about, and you've never mentioned before."

  "I like your hair."

  "Not the point."

  Daryl raised a brow, stepping closer to her.

  "It's you and me," He said quietly, "Not 'cause of how you look. 'Cause of who you are."

  Vex nodded.

  "Don't mind the way you look, though."

  "Tell me more about that."

  Daryl cracked a smile, shaking his head as Vex pandered for compliments.

  He could've told her that every time he saw the sun poking through the forest canopy he thought of her eyes. Every time she smiled, he understood why people sang songs about love. He could've told her that he had never seen anyone which made his chest tighten and his mind go foggy until he saw her. Every time he found her after even a few minutes alone tension he never knew he was holding released. That she was his definition of beauty and no one else would ever hold a candle to her. He could've said he dreamed of her, and since the day she had kissed him, the feeling haunted him, every fiber of his being aching for another taste.

  But Daryl wasn't a poet. So he just took another step forward, slid an arm around her waist, and tilted her chin up. Vex's guard came down, her own hands lifting to rest on his skin, and when he kissed her, she melted into him.

  He wanted her to understand. He needed her to understand. He kissed her like his unspoken words were something passed silently through their lips; you saved me. His hands molded to her waist; You make me feel like I'm worth something. His nose pressed into her cheek; I am trying for you.

  Vex was the first to break the kiss, breathing heavily as she held the back of his neck, bringing his forehead to meet hers.

  "Maybe I'll just trim it."

  "You're impossible."

  She just smiled.

  Vex stole another quick kiss before retreating fully, continuing their trek through the forest. Daryl stared after her for a moment, his mind running rampant before he pushed himself into motion after her.

  They arrived at an abandoned house that was the designated meeting point, where Carol and Rick already stood. The group scanned the area before speaking, hearing a low familiar growling, but unable to spot the walker it was coming from.

  "I don't see it, but it's close. There's just one of 'em."

  Daryl returned to the group after glancing around the building one last time.

  "We won't be here long," Rick assured. "So, what do you think?"

  "We can go in when it's empty."

  "How's that? It's locked up at night."

  "The window. There's just a latch, I can leave it open."

  "A latch?"

  "Yeah."

  Carol's job assignment had been working in the pantry. A building where the people of Alexandria kept most essentials; including weapons.

  And it was secured by a window with a latch.

  "What if one of those pricks shuts it?" Daryl asked.

  "Wait a couple of days, leave it open again," Carl said, shrugging.

  Daryl turned, hearing the walker, "It's gettin' closer."

  "We need to do it sooner than later," Rick said, "Right now, they're not watchin' us. Not worrying about meetings like this. We may need the guns, we may not."

  "We will, whatever way it goes."

  "They're the luckiest damn people I ever met. And they just keep gettin' luckier."

  "How's that?"

  "We're here now," Rick said.

  "They've got a couple of footlockers just full of 9-millimeter autos, Rugers, Kel-Tecs. Just tossed in there. They don't use them. They're never gonna know they're gone."

  "Someone's got one now, right?" Daryl asked, gesturing to the pile of trash in which Rick had hidden a gun.

  A gun that had since disappeared.

  "Listen, the others, we want them to try," Rick continued.

  "You, too," Carol said pointedly to Daryl.

  "So we keep it quiet," Rick said, "Just us. Here it comes."

  "I got him," Daryl said, turning with his crossbow as the walker approached.

  "Hey, wait," Carol said.

  She lifted her pistol, emptying far more bullets than she needed to, before putting the walker down for good.

  "We said we were taking me out shooting, I couldn't go back with a full mag."

  "Lucky he came by."

  "We should get back."

  They began walking back toward the gates at Rick's word.

  "You'll pull the latch, we'll pick our moment. Us, we don't need to be lucky."

  Daryl hesitated as they passed the walker, circling it before leaning down to inspect it. Vex herself furrowed her brows when she spotted what had stopped him.

  "The hell is that?" He questioned, "Is that a 'W'?"

  "Yeah."

  Rick knelt beside it, inspecting the body for a moment before standing and carrying on.

  "I have a feeling that's not something we're gonna be able to ignore forever," Vex mumbled, adjusting her rifle as it bumped her hip.

  "Of course not," Carol agreed, slowing to fall back with Vex, "You two have been together a lot."

  "We always are," Vex said, "Come on, I know you're pretending to be Betty Crocker, but we don't have--"

  "I care about you two. Get used to it."

  Vex rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small smile when Carol bumped her arm.

  "I think it's good," Carol said after a moment, "For both of you."

  Vex thought so, too.