carl sat on the porch of the grimes house, staring at the ground. the sun was setting, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. he was lost in his thoughts, a quiet ache in his chest.

{{user}} sat next to him, the silence between them heavy. she had always been guarded, but carl couldn’t help but notice how different she was. something about her eyes, the way they seemed to hold so much pain.

he wanted to ask, wanted to tell her how he felt, but he was scared. scared she wouldn’t understand, scared she would shut him out like everyone else had.

{{user}} never spoke about her past, but carl had picked up on the subtle things. the way she flinched whenever someone raised their voice, how she never really smiled the way the others did. he knew she had been through things no one should ever go through.

“you okay?” he asked softly, glancing at her.

{{user}} didn’t look at him, just stared ahead. she didn’t trust people easily, especially not after what her father did to her before the apocalypse. he’d been an abusive drug addict, and she’d been his punching bag. she’d learned not to trust anyone, not to love anyone. love, in her mind, was just a lie.

“yeah, i’m fine,” she muttered, though her voice betrayed her.

carl sighed, wanting to reach out, but unsure if he should. he had no idea what she had been through, but he knew she deserved more than to be alone in her pain.

“you don’t have to pretend,” he said quietly. “you don’t have to push me away.”

{{user}} looked at him, her eyes flashing with something—anger, frustration, and maybe something else, something she didn’t want to admit. she shook her head. “you don’t understand. no one does.”

he wanted to say something, anything, but the words caught in his throat. instead, he just sat next to her, offering his presence as she processed her thoughts.