I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

Dinner and dessert

Blake placed down her fork neatly onto the plate, finishing the last of her food, before looking back up at the tall, dark-haired Saviour before her.

"So," she said after what had been at least five minutes of silence, a rarity now for the pair of them. "Do I get a fancy meal every night?"

She gave a small smirk, taking a small sip of wine to cleanse her palette slightly.

Negan looked back at her, having long put down his own cutlery, and shot her a widening grin.

"That mean you want another date, Peaches?" he asked giving an amused pout.

But Blake flashed him a small, smiling warning look.

"I did not say that," she uttered, pointing a finger at him, unable to help the small laugh that left her throat.

It wasn't as though she had enjoyed their dinner or anything....of course not...

But the food had been good.....

That was obviously the only reason for her feeling of utter contentment right now....

"Oh, you didn't have to," uttered the leader of the Saviours in a teasing voice. "Like I said, I can read you like a fuckin' book, sweetheart. And I think you had fun tonight. More than you were expecting to."

Blake pursed her lips, still smirking back at him lightly.

She gave a momentary raise of both her eyebrows, toying with the stem of her wine glass.

He wasn't wrong.

"Maybe I did, but that doesn't mean it was a date, Negan," she said shaking her head and looking up at him with dark green eyes.

But Negan, who was leaning back in his seat, leather jacket now unzipped revealing his grey t-shirt underneath, pressed a hand over his heart.

"Well from where I'm sitting I'm starting to think you're harbouring a very big soft spot for me," he grinned. "And you know that the feelin' is definitely fuckin' mutual, Doll-face"

Blake smiled, lowering her gaze, feeling her cheeks suddenly flush pink.

How the hell did have this effect on her?

It had been the same ever since their run, even before she had lost her fiancé.

"I think you must be imagining things..." she sighed lightly, taking another sip of wine, as Negan beamed back at her.

"Oh Darlin'," he said in a happy voice, shaking his head "Now you can pretend all you want. But I think...its love."

Blake shook her head back, placing her wine glass back down onto the white table cloth as she grinned.

"More like Stockholm syndrome," she swiped back, giving a small cough and brushing imaginary crumbs from her lap.

Negan leaned his bearded chin on his hand, gazing at her, with a look almost akin to awe in his eyes.

"I can still drive you home tonight, Doll...." he said in a low voice. "Back to Alexandria, if that's what you want?"

But Blake just smiled, looking back up towards Negan sat across the table from her.

She pulled at her bottom lip with her teeth for moment and wrinkled her nose, pausing for what felt like an eternity, contemplating her answer,

"Ask me again tomorrow," she said finally, giving the same reply as she had done yesterday, before getting slowly to her feet.

Negan just smiled up at her, titling his head in her direction, his eyes warm and brown....and full of something Blake didn't want to look into right now.