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She sat with her legs crossed entwined in the silk white bed sheets. Although it was sprawled over the couch in a messy manner, covering her dainty feet and shoulders as she flipped the pages of the tattered book. It was late afternoon and the skies were mellow, emitting a clear light through the window in front of her, illuminating the specks of dust that swirled in the air. It had made her cough and sneeze the first few minutes, but she quickly got used to it.
She was so engaged in the novel between her fingers that she didn't even notice the lanky body teetering over her. He sighed deeply, something like a hum, then trailed to the empty spot beside her. She raised her head after finishing the page and closed the book, folding the corner over.
"Find anything?" She asked, tossing the book onto the coffee table. Negan tilted his jaw up, his line of vision set on the window in front of them, a perfect view of the spacey backyard surrounded by a myriad of trees. Almost a perfect square, the backyard's grass was unbelievably long and yellowing. If lawnmowers weren't so loud, she would have fixed the place up herself, added to the beauty of the area. But it wasn't worth the risk, whether they had seen walkers or not. So far, the few miles surrounding the old home had been fairly clear.
Negan reached into his pocket without saying a word and pulled something out between his thumb and index. He flicked his finger and up came a flame, flickering in the air. Vada's heart skipped a beat; she was hoping he'd find one but didn't find it likely. Now they could eat hot soup all day long.
"Hungry?" She asked, one corner of her lip tugging. Negan pushed himself from the chair and trailed behind her as she pushed forward, hurrying to the kitchen. Twisting the knob, she stuck her tongue between her lips in concentration and held the lighter just above the stove top.
"Be careful." Negan grimaced. "I don't need you setting the fucking place on fire after I spent thirty minutes going through it."
"Don't worry. It's my expertise." She flicked her thumb and up came a vivid blue flame. "There were a lot of storms where I used to live. Lots of power outages and I was always the one who cooked."
"You cooked?" He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms over his chest. Vada flipped on her heel and shoved the lighter in her pocket, the corners of her lips curving slightly.
"Yes, I cooked. And I could have cooked for you if you weren't such a hardass." She trailed behind the counter and hopped up on a barstool, crossing one leg over the other and leaning forward with her hands clasped. Negan leaned against the kitchen counter with his hands gripping either side, watching her intently.
"You broke into the kitchen at three in the morning." His brow twitched and his eyes flickered as he trailed the girl's every movement with keen focus.
