Irresistible Danger

A Suspicious Adversary

You woke up the next morning bright and early, refusing to oversleep like you had the previous morning. You had spent the rest of the afternoon yesterday wandering around the compound, checking out the garden and a few other areas that you didn't normally visit before using some of your points to do a load of laundry and buy a few necessities at the commissary. When it had gotten close to dinnertime, you had been unsure whether to go eat in the cafeteria or if that would be considered breaking the "rule" Negan put forth for you to stay away from the kitchen. Deciding to play it safe, you had wandered back to your room to fold the freshly cleaned laundry. Not long after you had finished folding, one of kitchen staff had arrived at your room with a dinner tray, which you had eaten while reading some of The Scarlet Letter.

You had only been half-invested with the novel since your thoughts kept drifting back over the chess match and your interaction with Negan. You also thought about the three upcoming trips outside, excited that you had found another way to go outside the compound that didn't involve trying to bribe Dwight or another guard. You just hoped that Negan would go through with the bet and wouldn't drag his feet or find excuses to put it off. You planned on going to the medic in a few more days to see about getting your stitches out, that way Negan couldn't argue that you weren't healed enough. He seemed like the kind of man whose word wasn't easily broken, but you weren't taking any chances.

Getting dressed, you headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. You had used some points to buy granola bars at the commissary, but decided to forego them in favor of checking in with Ben and the rest of the staff. It was a bit ridiculous that you could miss the kitchen staff and the kitchen in general so much after being absent less than two days, but being a cook was a large part of your identity now, and you felt bereft not being there.

Ben and a couple other staff members were busy serving breakfast when you walked into the kitchen. When he looked up from stirring the oatmeal and saw you standing there, Ben grinned in welcome.

"I should've known you'd be down here bright and early as soon as your kitchen ban was lifted," he joked happily.

Furrowing your brows, you playfully asked, "What kitchen ban?"

You had been pretty certain no one else knew that it was Negan who had ordered you away from the kitchen, but you felt a small flicker of panic at the thought that maybe Ben had figured it out.

"Sherry said the medic told you to rest for at least a day. I must say, I'm surprised you took the advice."

"Oh, the medic...right. You know me, always one to listen to medical advice," you joked, relieved he didn't know about Negan's extra interest in your injury.

Ben gave a bark of laughter as if you had just made a hilarious joke, which caused you to scowl and smack his arm playfully. Ben just chuckled in response as he refocused on filling the breakfast bowls with oatmeal.

You helped yourself to one of the bowls sitting on a nearby tray, grabbing some honey off a shelf and squeezing a liberal amount on top of the grey sludge in an attempt to add some flavor.

After eating and chatting with Ben for a bit, you decided to leave the kitchen and get out of Ben's way before he could shoo you out himself. Walking back to your room, you grabbed a towel, some clean clothes, and the small plastic basket that held your shampoo and soap products. Since it was still too early to start focusing on meal prep for dinner, you figured it wouldn't hurt to take this time to shower.

Usually you showered early in the morning when first waking up, but your stitched finger meant that showering was bound to be a longer and more arduous task than usual. Therefore, it made more sense to wait until the morning rush was over so that you could take your time without worrying about a line of people waiting impatiently for you to finish.