Not liking the idea of Wren sharing a cramped space with her brother and a man with a reputation for snoring, Negan had his men quickly vacate a room for Wren in a quiet part of the compound – and not too far away from his own quarters. Negan wanted Wren close; he'd meant it when he said he wasn't going to stop looking out for her.

It had been five days since their kiss and, while Negan was trying his best to get a platonic moment alone with Wren, she'd been trying to do the opposite. Although their intimate encounter had been pleasant, Wren felt embarrassed and unsure of where this left them. She knew it had been solely her decision to move out of his quarters, yet she admittedly missed his company. He was a bully with a bad temper but Wren just couldn't forget those moments they'd spent together; Negan was like a whole other person with her, which was why Wren had deemed it necessary for her to get away – being with him so privately had started to cloud her judgement.

Knowing that Negan typically left his quarters at around 8am, Wren had been ensuring to hide in her room until half past, and even then she'd sneak around the corridors in the hopes that she wouldn't run into him. Wren knew it was stupid; she was like a silly child trying to avoid her crush for fear of embarrassment – but of course, Wren would continually tell herself that she did not have any romantic feelings for Negan.

She did. Their kiss had made that painfully evident.

But of course, she knew pursuing any kind of romantic relationship was a disaster waiting to happen. Wren had spent years of her life married to a man who was forever being unfaithful to her, so how could she be expected to act like having multiple lovers was normal behaviour in this new world? Maybe it was acceptable in some cultures, but with Negan it was more of a power play – an assertion of his dominance – and Wren didn't want to be another plaything in his toy chest. Even if he did swear on the authenticity of his feelings for her.

However, on this particular day, Wren slipped out of her room at 8:35 to find Negan leaning on the wall outside. "Good morning, Birdie."

Wren nearly jumped out of her skin but pretended to be unfazed. "Good morning Negan." She quickly nodded in his direction, before turning on her heels in the opposite direction. But Negan followed her.

"I get the feeling you've been avoiding me…" Negan said, his large strides allowing him to quickly catch up with her.

"Must just be a coincidence." She smiled, "I've been a busy girl, washing everyone's underpants."

"I don't like that you've gone back to work so soon." Negan furrowed his brow.

"Well I've got to earn my keep, make an honest living." Wren continued walking, although she was having a hard time looking Negan directly in the eye. That had never normally been a problem for her; even when he was wielding a bat in her face and threatening the lives of her people, she'd never backed down, but now she couldn't help but shy away from his gaze.

"Stop there a second." Negan moved to stand in front of Wren, holding his left palm out to signal her to stand still.

Wren did as she was told, but was surprised when he gave her a wrapped gift. She hadn't even noticed the package in his right hand until he handed it to her. "What's this?" It was soft but fairly large – clothing maybe?

"Just a little something for my Birdie." Negan smiled. "There's gonna be a small gathering Friday night – my closest men, my wives and my…friends." He hated how that last part sounded, especially because he didn't want Wren to just be his friend.

"Since when did you have friends?" Wren smirked playfully, palming the gift curiously.

"Very funny, Birdie. I'm a very likeable guy, who the fuck wouldn't want to be my friend."

"I don't do friends." Wren told him, "but I might come by. Depends on what your generous gift is – thank you, by the way."

"No problem. Bring an acquaintance, since you don't do friends." Negan grinned, mimicking her voice. "I'll see you Friday night – don't you dare disappoint me, Birdie!"

"I'm not promising anything." Wren rolled her eyes as Negan strolled down the corridor, whistling as he went. But as soon as he was out of sight, she couldn't stop the smile that crept on her face. A gift from Negan? Surely that was a big deal, especially since she wasn't one of his wives.

Wren decided to skip breakfast and go back to her room to see what Negan had picked out for her. As she suspected, it was clothing: a lilac dress that looked like it had been worth a fair fortune back when people exchanged money for items.

Reluctantly, Wren tried it on, slipping the soft material onto her skin. Staring at her reflection in the small mirror, she hardly recognised the figure staring back at her. It had been years since she'd dressed so femininely; having only worn baggy shirts and nothing that rode too far above the knee even before the end of the world began.

She'd once loved to wear dresses; casual floral numbers that were perfect for picnics and more tightly fitted dresses for date nights that accentuated her figure. Either way, regardless of the dress and the setting, Wren had once felt beautiful. David had stripped her of that.

But now, watching her reflection in the mirror, she was smiling ever so slightly at the woman staring back at her. She felt beautiful.

Still, Wren felt bad taking handouts from a man like Negan when everyone else had to get on their knees for him one way or another. As nice as the dress was – as nice as his gesture was – Wren knew she couldn't keep it.

Wren decided she'd give it back later that day when he was out on a collection; she didn't want to have to run into Negan and explain herself to him because she knew he'd end up convincing her to hold onto the dress. He could be very persuasive – hence why she had to move out of her quarters before her feelings for him took over.

Glancing at herself one last time, Wren then removed the dress and changed back into her sweatshirt and torn jeans. They had seen better days but at least she felt like herself again. She glanced at her wristwatch and sighed; it was time for her to go to work.

"Not a fan of the pudding?"

Wren looked up from her dessert and over her shoulder to see a tall red-haired man standing behind her with an amused expression on his face. "What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"You've been mashing it up with your fork for the last ten minutes." He grinned, "not that I've been stalking you or anything."

Wren looked down at her plate; what had once been a chocolate pudding was now a mess of crumbs and custard. She was clearly distracted.

"Mind if I sit down?" The young man asked, nodding towards the spare chair besides her.

Wren usually liked to sit alone, but decided to accept his request, knowing that she definitely needed a distraction after her merciless attack on her dessert.

"I'm Liam." He told her with a smile.

"Wren." She replied, setting her fork down besides the plate. "I haven't seen you around before."

"Negan's men picked me up a few days ago. They found me stranded in the woods – I got separated from my group a while back so I was happy to come here. It's nice."

Wren raised her brow in amusement, "you're joking right?"

"No, I like it here." Liam said honestly before lowering his voice. "I mean, the kneeling's a bit weird but is anything really normal anymore?"

"Well I can't argue with that." Wren smiled cynically.

"What's Negan like?" Liam asked quietly, glancing around to make sure nobody could hear him. "Is he really the tough leader everyone says he is?"

Wren threw the redhead a suspicious look. "Why are you asking me that?"

Liam shrugged, "you seem honest. Most people seem too scared to talk about him."

Wren thought for a moment – how would she describe Negan to someone who didn't know him? Someone who hadn't seen the grin on his face as people cowered before him, someone who hadn't seen his cruel ways of punishing those who didn't do exactly as he ordered. Especially since she knew there was more to Negan than what was on the surface for all to see.

"Do as he says and you'll have a decent life here." Wren told him. Then she spotted Dwight sitting in the corner of the room, quietly eating his lunch. She nodded towards him, deciding to use the poor guy as an example. It still pained her to see Dwight's face knowing that she'd played a part in his cruel punishment. It also reminded her that the man she'd inadvertently developed feelings for was capable of such awful actions towards others. "That's what happens if you disobey Negan."

Wren decided to spend her day off showing Liam around the Sanctuary. However, because she had a limited knowledge of where everything was, it was more of a tour of the best places to hide from Negan, as she'd learned during her time in the care of the Saviors.

Wren was surprised to find that she enjoyed Liam's company; he was optimistic and funny had an almost innocent charm about him. While Negan's charisma came from his confidence – no, cockiness – Liam's personality was just so effortless. Having spent a few weeks in Negan's care, it was nice for Wren to spend some time with someone else, someone who was less complex and didn't make her feel a thousand different ways.

"I normally come out here at night; it's better when nobody's around." Wren led Liam out through the west door, exhaling when she felt the crisp breeze nip at her neck.

"Well it's nice to be able to get some fresh air without having to worry about what's lurking around the corner." Liam said calmly, gesturing towards the tall fences.

Wren followed his stare, her own eyes falling upon the gate. She recalled how David had stood there that night, his sickening smile when he noticed her, how he'd told her how happy he was to see her again. Wren could almost picture him; his tall frame, muddy blonde hair, those piercing eyes…

Then in a flash, they became lifeless grey orbs, and he was snarling hungrily at Wren with multiple stab wounds in his chest.

That was always how Wren's cruel daydreams would play out. Every time she thought about David, every time she got lost in a trance, it wasn't without the harrowing image of his reanimated form. The reminder of what she'd done.

But this time, she was with Liam.

By the time Wren realised she wasn't alone in her room or trapped in one of her usual nightmares, it was too late. She was standing still, lost in her own thoughts, with Liam staring at her in complete bewilderment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He cautiously touched her back, unsure of how to comfort her.

"I should go..." Wren brushed him off and stood up quickly. "Sorry."

Wren had spent most of the afternoon lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She felt too embarrassed to run into Liam after the fear she'd displayed; she hated being seen as weak, especially in the eyes of a stranger.

Liam was nice, she knew that, but Wren also knew that in this new world there was nobody you could truly trust. Even Kyle was starting to change in the new environment the siblings had found themselves in. Sure, they hardly ever saw eye to eye, both being too stubborn for their own good, but lately Wren had noticed a change in her brother. He'd started joining Negan and his men on more runs and seemed less vocal in his dislike of the Sanctuary leader, instead standing at the bat-wielder's side with a stiff posture as some poor fool got what they supposedly deserved. It worried Wren that her brother was becoming one of them – just another Simon or Dwight, willing to drop to one knee at the sight of Negan.

When Wren heard a knock on her door, she was quick to assume it was Negan coming to smugly ask about the dress and remind her of the event she'd apparently committed herself to. But she was pleasantly surprised to find a less intimidating face staring back at her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Liam asked softly, not crossing over the doorframe into Wren's room. He wasn't even sure if she appreciated his visit so decided to keep his distance.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I must've seemed like a crazy person; you must have so many questions…"

"Only if you want to answer them." Liam told her with a kind smile. "And I don't think you're crazy. You're the only normal person in here."

Wren couldn't help but smile and she held the door open, inviting Liam inside.

"Your room's way bigger than mine." Liam remarked as he perched himself on the edge of Wren's bed. "What did you do – sleep with the boss?"

He laughed but Wren's face didn't alter; she knew Negan had only given her the bigger room because of how he felt about her – or maybe it was just part of an ongoing plan to persuade her to be wife number six.

"Hey, what's this?" Liam asked, curiously holding up the lilac-coloured dress that Wren had left folded on the end of the bed. "It's nice."

"It doesn't suit me." Wren murmured.

"I'm sure it does. I want to see." Liam insisted, holding it out to her. "I'll turn around and close my eyes."

"Why do you care so much?" Wren's brows knitted together when Liam handed her the dress.

The red-haired man shrugged. "I bet it looks good on you. You can either humour me and put on the dress or we can sit here and talk about what happened earlier and our feelings etcetera. My guess is you don't like doing that."

Wren sighed, trying to hide the smile that was gradually creeping onto her face. "Fine."

As Wren slipped the dress over her skin, she couldn't help but stare intently at Liam. She really couldn't figure him out – he really didn't fit in with the rest. She wanted to know why he was being so nice to her; nobody else at the Sanctuary had given her the time of day. Except for Negan, of course. From behind, Liam looked a lot more intimidating: he was really tall, maybe even more so than Negan, and had a certain stance that told you he was confident.

But when Wren announced that she was dressed, Liam turned around and she was met with that infectious warm smile that she was slowly becoming addicted to.

"You look great!" Liam grinned, "you just need somewhere nice to wear it."

"Actually, Negan invited me to a thing on Friday." Wren paused, glancing down at her feet. She had quickly grown fond of the redhead and already saw him as a friend. "You wouldn't want to go with me, would you? I doubt I'll like anyone there, plus it'd be a chance for you to get in Negan's good books."

"I'm not a big drinker, but sure, I'm sure it'll be fun to go with you." Liam smiled at Wren once more. "But only if you wear that dress."

Wren rolled her eyes and agreed, laughing when Liam joked about how he was surprised she could still see straight with how often she gave that look of frustration. Liam had left not long after and Wren realised that he hadn't once brought up the incident from earlier; he'd probably been waiting for Wren to feel comfortable enough to mention it. It wasn't that Wren didn't trust Liam, she just didn't know him well enough to let her guard down around him. Sure, she hadn't known Negan that well either but after he saved her life, she couldn't help but trust him little by little.

As she settled in for the night, Wren wondered how Negan would react to her bringing Liam. The thought of him getting jealous hadn't crossed her mind when she'd invited him, but in the dark room, she started to question her motives. Although she'd only known Liam a day, Wren couldn't deny that she enjoyed his company; she couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard. He wasn't anything like the rest of the men in the Sanctuary – especially Negan – and maybe that was why Wren was so drawn to him.

But as she nestled her head into her pillow, Wren's thoughts quickly strayed from Liam and back to Negan. She'd tried so hard to avoid him, to block out their kiss, but it would replay in her head every night. She hated how the Sanctuary leader had been able to get under her skin like that yet, at the same time, she didn't want to forget their kiss. It had meant far more than she'd ever care to admit.