Next to the number one is my picture and the name "Tris".
A weight in my chest lifts. I didn't realize it was there until it was gone. and I didn't have to feel it anymore. I smile, and a tingling spreads through me. First. After all the worrying and the pressure, I can finally take a moment to breathe. I feel Will's arms crush around me as he squeezes me into a bear hug, I see Christina pointing to the board with tears filling her eyes. Dread starts to creep into me, so I turn to study the board. At sixth and seventh place, I see Will and Christina's name, and relief runs through me. I look to Christina to see why she is on the verge of crying when I realize that they are tears of joy. I smile at her and she leans across the table to give me a hug. I am too distracted to react to the affection, but I must stiffen a little out of reflex, because when she pulls away she laughs.
As I continue to read the board, I see that Drew and Molly are next to the numbers eleven and twelve, and are now factionless, but Peter is safe in fifth. Not quite the victory I had in mind, but a victory non the least.
The Dauntless are celebrating wildly all around while I sit at the table and mull over the last few weeks, and it is oddly comforting. With Christina and Will messily kissing beside me, the fists pounding the air, the shouting and the laughing, it all says freedom to me, and it sparks the part of me that chose Dauntless.
There's a tap on my shoulder, and when I twist around in my seat, I see Tobias standing behind me. I smile brightly as I stand and face him, tilting my head up so I can see his face.
"You think giving you a hug would give away too much?" he asks.
"You know, I really don't care," and with that, I stand on my tiptoes and gently press my lips against his. I feel the happiness surge through me, and this must be the best moment of my life. He lays his hand against my cheek and pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against mine. He wears a smile that reaches his eyes, and they transform from black pits to warm and brown and comforting. I brush my lips against his once more, wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head softly against his chest.
In the chaos of the Pit, Tobias and I stand embraced in our own little bubble as I listen to his heartbeat.
I lose track of time in his arms. When I realize my eyes have been shut the whole time , I open them to find Christina and Will looking at us. Christina's shocked face slowly turns into a mischievous grin as she raises her eyebrows at me, but Will's face is only full of surprise. I flash them a quick smile, and then look up at Tobias, whose eyes are closed.
"I wish we were alone," I whisper. Right after I say it, embarrassment runs through me as I realize what I just suggested. But Tobias gives me a small smile as he pulls away.
"I almost always wish that," is all he says as he takes my hand and leads me through the maze of tunnels that make the Dauntless compound. After a short walk that lasted about five minutes, we show up at a familiar door.
His apartment.