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Ch. 20 - Avoidance

Negan sat on his couch, sipping gin from the crystal glass at his rough fingertips. The sun set nearly an hour ago, and there was still no sign of Jade. He let out a dismayed sigh as he placed the glass on the table before him. Negan knew she was avoiding him. After the night they shared in Alexandria, the last thing he expected was for her to disappear into the woodwork. He would knock on her door, no answer. Go to the kitchen, she wasn't there. Negan decided to orchestrate runs without the two of them present so he would be able to hang around The Sanctuary in case he bumped into her, because he wasn't sure if she would want to sit in a truck alone with him for longer than five minutes.

He wasn't used to feeling this way about a woman, or anyone for that matter. She was always the focus of his thoughts and the longer she continued to avoid him, the more he began to despise his mind. Negan wished he could fuck her like he did his wives, then toss her aside and not give a shit about her feelings. It frustrated him that his feelings went beyond his usual sexual desires. He just couldn't help himself, Jade reminded him so much of his wife Lucille. She was kind, fiery, humorous, beautiful, and was never afraid to put Negan in his place. Just like his first love.

As the time drew on, Negan began to grow frustrated with Jade. He wasn't sure if he did anything to upset her, or if she didn't want him anymore now that she slept with him. But he had a feeling that she wasn't that type of person. The type of person that Negan had been before. One and done, only using women for his selfish tendencies. There was something about Jade that made him want more of her, more than the sex. It had been so long since Negan felt this way about anyone, the territory felt new. He had to learn to balance his power while not upsetting Jade, keep Alexandria in line without bashing any heads in, and now he had to figure out how to express himself to Jade without running her off.

Negan pushed himself off the couch, snatching the glass from the surface of the table as he rose to his feet. He scratched his head as he shuffled into the kitchen, dropping his glass to the countertop and gripping the edge of the counter, hanging his head between his shoulders.

A sudden knock urged Negan to look over his shoulder toward the door. His first thought was Jade, and he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. 'Better late than never,' he mumbled to himself.

But when he pulled the door back, the last person he expected to see was Simon. Yet there he stood with a panicked look painted across his face. Negan grew irritated.

'Hey, boss,' Simon greeted the leader, shoving one hand in the front pocket of his grey jeans. 'We have an issue down in the cells.'

'An issue?' Negan repeats. It had neared midnight now, Negan hadn't realized how long he waited up for Jade until this very moment. What issue could there be at this time of night?

Simon nodded his head in confirmation and led Negan down toward the block of cells. Negan couldn't help but glance down the hall of Jade's floor as they descended the stairwell. She must've been asleep. So much for Negan's plans.

'Another one of Rick's people decided to break into The Sanctuary,' Simon explained. His boots echoed down the empty hallways as they neared the cells. 'Took Duke down outside, shot him right between the eyes.'

Negan furrowed his brows, the name didn't ring a bell, but that wasn't unusual for Negan. He was responsible for a lot of people, it was almost impossible to memorize every single name. Simon reached for his keys as they approached the door that hid Jade away months prior. The door swung open, revealing Sasha, who was cowered on the floor. She remained still with her back turned toward the two men.

'I'll deal with her tomorrow,' Negan said, grabbing ahold of the door and slamming it shut. Simon locked the cell door and watched as Negan walked away. Before he pushed the door to the main building open, he turned to face Simon. 'Jade does not hear a single goddamn word of this,' he warns. Simon nods, and Negan turns back to the door and crosses the threshold.