it was a quiet afternoon in alexandria, the kind of rare calm that felt almost unnatural in a world like this. carl was sprawled out on the couch in his house, his sheriff’s hat tossed carelessly on the table, his fingers absentmindedly brushing against the fabric of your sleeve. the two of you sat close, the kind of closeness that felt natural after everything you’d been through together. outside, the distant hum of people working around the community drifted in through the cracked window, but neither of you paid it any mind.

you were pretending to read an old, worn-out book you’d found on a run, but your eyes kept flicking toward carl. he’d been rambling about some supply run earlier, casually mentioning enid in passing—nothing unusual, but something about it just stuck in your mind. you couldn’t explain why it bothered you, but it did, settling in your chest like a small, stubborn weight.

without realizing it, you let out a quiet huff and flipped a page a little harder than necessary. carl caught the sound instantly, and when he turned to look at you, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“you’re the most jealous woman i know,” he teased, his tone light but with a hint of challenge behind it.

your eyes stayed fixed on the page, but your grip on the book tightened slightly. “you know other women?” you asked, the question slipping out smoothly, laced with a bite you didn’t bother to hide.

silence.

“i—uh—n-no! i mean, well, not like that! i didn’t—” his words stumbled over themselves, his hand flying up to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. his usual calm, that steady, confident air he always carried, cracked just enough for you to see the boy underneath—flustered, unsure, scrambling to fix what he’d just said.

you turned your head slowly to look at him, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity, silently daring him to keep talking.