The Neighbor

Chapter 5

Dinner was pretty much ready, you just needed to steam the rice once Negan arrived. You'd thought carefully about what to wear, not wanting to look like you were trying too hard. You'd settled on some skinny jeans and an oversized shirt, buttoned just enough that you knew you wouldn't give away any of the good stuff.

When the doorbell rang, your belly did a little flip. For goodness sake, get a grip of yourself. He's a friend. Nothing more. At least not yet.

Pulling the door open, you were once again stunned by just how beautiful this man was. He had trimmed his beard a little since you saw him last, and you wanted to touch it. "Hi."

"Hey you." Negan winked and leaned in to kiss your cheek. "How you holdin' up?"

"Oh, I'm okay." You tried to ignore the tingle you felt on your face, and willed the blush you could feel creeping up your neck to stay away. "I need to just get this done. I can't believe he's away until next week, I feel like I'm trapped in some kind of hiatus, not able to move on yet!"

"Yeah, I get that. Well. Let's see if we can't give that brain something else to think about for the evening eh?!" He walked past you, grabbing your hand as he did. "Come on, lets choose a movie for later. You have anything in mind?"

"I'm kinda in the mood for something scary."

"You don't need to pretend to be scared for me to give you a cuddle you know, sweetheart! I'm all over that, whatever fuckin' movie we watch."

"Haha!" You smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Well, there's a bunch of DVD's under the TV, or have a little look on Netflix, see what you fancy. I'm gonna go get the rice cooking."

———

"Would you like a glass of wine with dinner?" You called through to the living room.

"Please." His deep voice came from right behind you, startling you, and making you drop the glass you had in your hand. "Shit, sorry. I didn't meant to scare you, let me clean that up. Where do you keep your dustpan?"

"Oh, don't worry, I got it. D'you wanna open this?" You handed him a bottle of red, and tidied up the mess. "Did you choose a movie?"

"Yeah, what do you reckon to World War Z? I love a zombie movie!"

"Sure. I love a Brad Pitt movie!"

Negan chuckled and poured a couple of glasses of wine. "Do you want me to take anything else through?"

"Nope. Go sit down, I'll be through in a second."

———

Dinner with Negan was everything you could want. As always, he was full of compliments, and the conversation flowed more naturally than you could have ever hoped for. It was in stark contrast to spending time with Eugene. How have I gone along with this for so long?! What a waste. The thought was depressing, and it must have shown on your face, because Negan reached over and held your hand.

"You alright, darlin'? I don't want you to ever look so sad when we're together. What's wrong?"

"Oh it's nothing, I just can't believe I've let myself live this life for so long. Why didn't I wake up sooner? I mean, what a waste. I'm 35. I've spent almost all of my adult life with a man who'd rather blow things up, than come to bed with me!"

"Well shit! I gotta say, I'm a big fan of blowing shit up! But sweetheart, there ain't nothin' that would keep me from taking you to bed if I had the chance! I'm sorry you think you've wasted your time, but honestly, life's all about learning. And I'm pretty sure you've learnt something from this, so I don't think you'll ever let yourself be so unappreciated again as long as you live. You gotta take the positive's outta this. Otherwise you'll be sucked down by all the negatives. If you let me, I'm here. You're not alone. I promise you that. As much or as little as you like. I got nowhere else to be."