Too Good to be Bad | Negan |

35 - Bullshit

We get back to the Sanctuary late in the afternoon and Negan has some guys help me bring all the stuff to my room. When it's all done I look around ecstatic. I can't even remember the last time I had so much stuff all to myself. I turn up to the dinner table with a large smile on my face, happy about everything we found and honestly, happy about spending the day with Negan. But when I see the suspicious glares on my friend's faces, my smile quickly falters.

'What's going on?' I ask as I take a seat.

Kieran immediately goes off.

'Priya says you went out there. With Negan.' He says the name with as much disgust as he could possibly gather.

'Yes', I say, making sure to keep a straight face. 'What about it?'

'Why?' Kieran asks, exasperation in his voice.

'He said he felt bad about Jared locking me up the other night. He offered to take me out to find me new art supplies to make up for it.'

'Bullshit', Kieran spits.

My heart rate picks up. Is he not going to take my lies anymore? Thankfully, Alex comes to my aid.

'What do you mean, Kieran? You think she's lying or something?'

'Of course, I don't think she's lying', he says. I drop my eyes at that and take a bite. It feels hard to swallow. 'It's bullshit that he took you out because he felt bad. It's obvious he wants something from you.'

'I can take care of myself, Kieran', I say shortly. Still, he pushes on.

'He asked you to be his wife, didn't he? And now he's paying you all kinds of attention. Did he try anything when he got you alone?'

'No', I say quickly. But I feel my face heat up as my mind goes back to what we did in that bar. Fortunately, I have a habit of turning red, so hopefully they don't read too much into it.

'You're making her uncomfortable', Alex says. 'Leave her alone.'

'Why don't you mind your own business, Alex? Like she said, she can take care of herself', Kieran snaps.

'Why don't you stop being such a dick?' Alex responds.

'Jesus Christ', I say, slamming my fork down. 'Everything went fine, he didn't try anything and up until just now I was very happy with all the new stuff I got. So just let it go, Kieran.'

'Even if he didn't try anything, it's dangerous to go out there. You shouldn't do it for something that's not even important', Kieran says.

'It's important to me', I slap back. 'And we were never in any danger.' I make a mental note to never tell anyone about the incident with the crazy guy. I was already on the fence about sharing it, but after this response I think it's best if I keep it to myself.

Kieran grumpily resumes his meal and everybody eats in silence for a while. Our new friends have been watching our argument a little awkwardly. Finally, to break the tension, Sherry clears her throat and turns to me.

'That's a nice necklace, Lara. Is it new? I don't think I've seen it before.'

When I shoot her a murderous glance, she recoils, taken back by my response. I quickly change my features back into a smile and she relaxes a little. She couldn't have known that bringing attention to my new necklace is the last thing I can use right now. I should've taken it off.

'Where'd you get that, Lara?' Kieran asks suspiciously. I'm guessing he picked up on my reaction.

'I found it today', I tell them with a smile to hide my anxiety. 'On the run. Pretty isn't it?'