"Hi, Autumn." Aaron smiled. He squeezed her hand and drew her close, hugging her.
Once they released each other, he led her across the wide porch and unlocked the door, flipping on the light. Autumn waved at Matt and Avery, trailing behind Aaron. It's been two weeks since Autumn last saw Negan. The doctors at Alexandria restitched him and patched him up well. She's been avoiding Negan ever since what happened. Her mind was so foggy that she started a friendship with Aaron and his friends, they weren't as bad as she thought.
Daryl and she haven't talked since the incident either. He avoided her at all costs. Autumn has been staying with Aaron lately, keeping away from the house Negan lived in. She needed time to relax and think, Aaron helped her through it like no one else did. She saw Judith a few times a week, but never with Daryl like usual. He would usually just drop her off and walk away.
"Need a drink, anything?" Aaron asked, opening the fridge. A glance out the window revealed that the snow had piled up to four or five inches.
"Water please," Autumn asked, glancing away from the window. She leaned away from him, against the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Aaron retrieved the water from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter next to her.
"Anything new today?" He asked, leaning against the counter next to her.
She shook her head and sighed.
"Negan's living in my house and Daryl's avoiding the shit out of me, nothing new." Autumn groaned, taking a sip of the cold water. He laughed shortly as he crammed his hands into his pockets.
"Well, you gotta cut him some slack. He quite literally found the girl he loves on his least favorite person's lap." Aaron shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess so," She paused, "It wasn't my fault though." Once again she sighed deeply. She turned to see him gazing at her again
He nodded and lapsed into silence. Avery and Matt were cuddling on the couch, while Aaron and Autumn talked in the kitchen. It was a lazy Wednesday night. The silence lasted for about a minute.
"You have to talk to Negan soon." Aaron pushed off the counter and threw away Autumn's empty bottle. "Same goes for Daryl, he's your best friend."
"I think I might as well stop by Daryl's and apologize." She eyed his lean frame. "Then... maybe talk to Negan."
Autumn paced back and forth across the room, deep in thought.
"Well," He started, "It's not entirely a bad idea." He paused, obviously struck by another thought. "Although he's most definitely going to ignore you and Negan's probably rotting away in your house just waiting for you to show up."
She groaned, dreading the idea. Autumn had the most expressive face Aaron had ever seen. Her mind told her to hide from Daryl and never talk to him again, while her heart told her otherwise.
After dressing and freshening up, she found him in the kitchen wolfing down a sandwich. The woman laughed softly.
"I was upstairs for fifteen minutes and I come downstairs to you scoffing down a sandwich." Autumn giggled and he glanced over his shoulder at her.
"I was hungry," He pouted, "I skipped breakfast."
He watched her intently for a few moments longer and then turned his attention to his food. Autumn rolled her eyes and moved toward the front door.
"Let me know what happens please."
Autumn shot him a thumbs up and walked off. Stepping out quickly, she shut the door. Once Autumn arrived at the house, she began wondering if he was home. Snow covered her hair, and her skin was cold. As soon as she made it onto his porch, she looked through his window to find half the lights shut off. Confused, she knocked on the door, half nervous-half concerned. A minute went by with no response and she grew worried. She decided to knock again only to be met with silence again.
Autumn rolled her eyes and turned around to leave until she heard the front door unlock and open. She flipped around and was met with Daryl. He had no shirt on, a pair of sweatpants, and his hair was messy as if he had just gotten out of bed.
"Autumn?" Daryl questioned, rubbing his eyes so he could see better. Indicating he had been asleep or God knows what else.
"Hi, Daryl." She said. "Can we talk?" Autumn asked, shivering from the cold.
Daryl looked her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl before he stepped out of the doorway to invite her in. She ambled into the house and was immediately met with warmth.
"Quickly, please." Daryl walked further into the house.
He rubbed his fingers through his hair and looked at Autumn's small figure. Both Daryl and Negan towered over her.
"Can we please talk? No yelling, no arguing, just talking." He eyed her thoughtfully.
Daryl gave her a strange look and nodded as he lowered his frame to the sofa. He reclined on the couch, shirtless. His hands were clasped behind his head, his muscular chest and flat abs drawing her gaze.
"What happened the other day-" Daryl groaned and rolled his eyes. "Was not my fault." She finished, gazing at him.
After a minute of silence, she sighed and began talking again, "Can you just listen to me?"
She sat across from him, elbows on her knees, watching him. Daryl looked surprised for a moment and then his lips clamped together firmly.
"Do you like him back?" He asked Autumn genuinely.
"No," Autumn answered almost immediately. She sensed his relief.
"Okay," He stopped and breathed deeply. "Good."
Autumn nodded and leaned against the chair she sat on. He glanced at her, probably seeking a reason for her silence. She sat awkwardly, biting down on her bottom lip. She gazed up at him, soft eyes taking him in. Her eyes went to the chain dangling at the center of his chest.
They both sat silent, not knowing what to bring about. It wasn't an awkward situation, but it sure wasn't a comfortable silence. Until a woman strolled into the living room. She had Daryl's oversized shirt on, and a thong and her hair was tangled and messy. The woman automatically gasped when she noticed Autumn and took a step backward towards the stairs.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry." She struggled
Autumn blinked at her. Slowly her mind grasped the situation.
"Actually- I haven't gone to my house in two weeks." She cleared her throat, standing up from where she was sitting. "I think I should go."
His eyes flashed with anger as the girl backed away and practically ran back into their room. Her heart bolted and her body convulsed. Autumn felt embarrassed. Not betrayed or upset, but embarrassed.
"Autumn-" He said, catching up behind her. "Fuck."
"I'll see you tomorrow. I shouldn't have come." She said.
"Maybe you shouldn't have." His voice is like acid, and then does she notice the slurring and staggering while he walks? "Maybe you should go back to your fucking house."
Her eyes search his face in desperate denial.
"You're dunk." She points out, eyes wide. Daryl smells of it. "You're fucking drunk, Daryl." She laughs at him with no emotion or concern whatsoever. Tears stung her eyes.
"Yeah and what about it?" He spat out.
Autumn shook her head and opened the door to the house, slamming it behind her in his face. Her head spun. She couldn't think, so she decided the worst thing possible. The keys rattled in her hand as she opened her front door, and stepped inside.
It was well kept up, no mess, though it was dark inside. She climbed the stairs raising her eyebrow at the constant loud thuds inside her room.
She opened the door and leaned into the room to see what was making the noise. Negan sat up, scooted back so he could lean on the headboard of her bed, and tossed a ball several times into the wall. His white-silver hair was long and thick, and his pale face and hazel yet black eyes displayed no emotion. His snug sweatpants low on his lean hips showing a little skin. Glancing at his face, Autumn thought of the last time she'd seen him. His face was bloody and bruised, nothing like now.
"Bored?" Autumn questioned at the doorway. She'd expect a far more surprised reaction from him, but he wasn't surprised at all.
Negan kept throwing the ball, uninterested in her presence. "You could say that." He shrugged.
He threw it one last time before catching it and dropping it on her bed. "What are you doing here?" Finally, his head turned slowly, as if feeling her intense gaze. His somber gaze was alluring probably because he was unaware of how attractive it was. Autumn sighed and raked a hand through her hair.
"I wanted to see you." She admitted. At heart Negan's heart beat quickened as she spoke those few words. He ignored the feeling, taking in what she wore.
"Took you a few weeks" He replied, "Here I am" His black eyes scoured her features. Sobering, he folded his arms across his chest and rubbed his jaw.
"Why'd you do what you did?" She asked, quickly summing up her thoughts. His lips formed a hard line and his eyes turned cold.
"What exactly did I do?" Negan acted stupid.
"You know Negan" She answered.
"It might've slipped out of my mind." He shrugged. Autumn grew more annoyed by the minute.
"I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you." She bit her lower lip. The edge in her voice and the flash of her eyes made him hide a smile.
"And i'm trying to subtly avoid it." He grated out, his voice rough. They stared at each other for a moment. Annoying her for his own amusement was his only mission he wanted to accomplish.
She frowned, but didn't leave like she usually would. Surprising herself, Negan and her held each other's gazes. Negan knew deep down his attraction towards her grew stronger the more she was willing to go beyond her own boundaries to speak to him. They both knew that something between them sparked, but they didn't know why.
He sighed in exasperation. "You, Ms Grimes, are the only person who I somehow manage to keep thinking about." She sucked in a sharp breath, at once confused and concerned about what he meant. "So to answer your question" He paused, "I'm not sure why I did what I did, but it felt right."
A/N
Hiii, sorry this took awhile for me to write. Have been busy recently- but i'm back.
Next chapter will have you autumn/ negan lovers in love. ;) -Vote and comment please- 🤍