…A few days prior, he’d watched you from the security camera feed in his office as you received a text, read it, and the appeared to shut down. Your body had stiffened, your face had fallen into a vacant expression, and you had moved about the rest of your shift in a zombie-like state. It was fucking weird, but he hadn’t asked you about it. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, admitting he’d happened to look up at the cameras and see your reaction.
The woman in front of him now, he thinks, is the real you. The joy in your expression is genuine as you give the old man a hug before turning to continue on with your day. And when your eyes scan the room automatically, and fall on Negan as he stands there smiling, your gaze softens just enough for heat to pool in his belly. Maybe you merely tolerated Negan, maybe you actually liked him, either way he was nearly bowled over by you—and unbeknownst to his conscious mind, a protective force was becoming more and more prominent within him every single day…
Summary: The reader struggles with her dark secrets. Negan has feelings and begins to learn about her life.
Warnings: Language, dark themes, angst, TW: (verbally) abusive relationship alluded to, self harm (cutting).WC—+4K
A/N: Resources provided at end of chapter. Remember you are never alone.
BACK
It was the perfect sort of morning, the sky already bright and cloudless, the sun drenching the downtown with golden light. You approach the door to Saviours Coffee Shop with a quiet, content sigh, ready to start another busy day. As you pull out your key to the front door, you automatically said another thank you in your mind to Daryl for recommending you apply for the vacant position at Saviours.
It was your favourite place in the entire world.
You didn’t mind the early mornings or long days even a little bit, because everything about the place—the people, the vibe, your coworkers—they made it worth hopping out of bed at the crack of dawn every morning. It paid well, but more importantly, Saviours was literally yoursaviour—your escape, your solace. You’d been working here for…wow, it had already been six months. You pause as you close and lock the door behind you, surprised at the realization. Time had truly flown by. Because for the past six months you were happier than you’d been in a long time.
Happiness was, for you, hard to come by. And you were okay with that, with lying in the bed that your actions had made for you. But working at Saviours had brought you close to a feeling you thought you were closed off from forever. All because of what you thought had been one bad date.
