You'd first met Daryl a few months before the world went to hell. The two of you had quickly become close. The two of you had been together whenever everything began going down. He'd been by your side since day one. It had always been Daryl. Always. He was the first one to make sure you were okay after after a run, the first one to scold you for careless moves, he was always the one to make sure you ate. He was your best friend, and nothing more.

Even if he wanted to be more.

Daryl didn't know when he began wanting to be more than your best friend. He really couldn't. Since the world as everyone had known it ended, the days had blurred together just a little bit. Every day was a game of survival, one you didn't always think you'd survive. Life might be a mess but one thing was always simple. You and Daryl.

He didn't know how to show you his feelings. And, you were completely oblivious. You were the only person who didn't seem to know. Everyone else saw it, and said nothing. They all noticed how Daryl was a lot nicer to you than the others, how no other guy could even glance at you without getting a warning glare from Daryl, and how he'd always keep you in his sight.

"Don't you do that," Daryl's voice filled your ears as he walked up behind you. "That damn apple is halfway up the tree," he said. He should've known that when you found this tree you'd try and climb it. He wasn't going to sit by and watch while you break a limb over a single apple. If it was anyone else, he'd have found a nice place to sit and watch them struggle to climb the tree. You weren't just anyone though.