Christina, Tori and I are piled into the explorer, we drive around to the front of the bar where Eric and Max are waiting for us.

"I can't believe you invited these guys," Christina squealed with delight.

"They invited themselves," I laughed back.

Eric and Max climbed in the back seat, sandwiching me in the middle.

"So where are you girls taking us," Eric asked me.

"You'll see," I said smirking back to him.

"You're going to love it," Christina called from the front.

Eric looked down at me with his grey eyes and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking in this moment.

he was a really good looking guy, I wouldn't deny it, but he was only here for a few days.

"So where are you guys from," Tori asked, breaking the silence in the vehicle as we drove down our well known road to the beach.

"Originally from Phoenix, Arizona," Max replied, "stationed in San Diego."

"What about you, Eric," I ask him.

"Chicago to San Diego."

I could hear the party before we saw it, whoops and hollers sounded from just beyond the thick trees leading to the beach.

"Holy shit," Eric whispered looking out the window when he saw the bonfire on the beach.

"Welcome to Hawaii," I smiled up at him.

Christina hit the brakes and jumped out of the car, followed by Tori and Max.

Eric lingered a little longer, looking out the window.

"You ok," I asked him.

"How are the natives towards sea men."

"They won't bother you," I said as a matter of fact.

"alright then," he says and gets out of the car, letting me out before shutting the door,

"Trissy!" I hear Uriah from somewhere in front of me.

"Hey!" I smiled when I saw him running towards me. He picks me up over his shoulder and slaps my ass before setting me back down.

"Whose this," he asks looking to Eric.

"Eric," Eric replies holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Uriah."

"Eric here is wanting to try out night surfing," I state.

Uriah gets a wicked shit eating grin on his face, "come with me brother."

Eric looks at me and then back to Uriah, I nod reassuringly and he follows him down the beach to the water, picking up a board on the way. I couldn't help but notice, even at a a distance, the way his muscles rippled when he stripped his shirt off of his body. He kicked out of his sandals and followed Uriah into the water.

"Who the hell is that," Four asks me on his way to my side.

"Just a Navy man."

"Where'd he come from, why is he here, this is our turf."

"Give it a rest would you," I sneered at him, "I invited them."

"Them?"

"The other guy is with Tori."

"Tris, why the hell would you invite them?"

"Is there a problem, Four?"

"I don't like them."

"You haven't even met them, knock it off. You're being twelve years old again."

I walked away from him towards the bonfire and found Tori still chatting with Max. Seems they had hit it off.

"Hey beautiful," I hear another voice. It's Marlene.

"Hey," I say smiling as she offers me a beer.

"Whose the blond," she asks gesturing towards Eric and Uriah running towards the fire soaking wet.

"Some Navy man."

"You gonna get on it?" She asks me.

"Oh shut up," I say laughing at her. I watch Eric scanning the crowd, his eyes land on mine.

"How was it," I ask as he gets closer to me, he grabs my beer and swigs it.

"Damn, that was great," he says smiling wildly.

I smile at the lightness in his voice.

"Come with me on the next one," he asks, looking down at me.

I scan over his face before nodding, "ok."

...

"So, whose the guy who can't keep his eyes off of you," Eric asks as we sit on our boards in the water.

"Who, Four?"

"Four?" He looks amused.

"He's just a friend, mad that I won't let him be anything more."

"And why is that? Why won't you let him be more than a friend? Are you a lesbian?"

"Jesus, ask me one question at a time," I say laughing and splash him with water.

"Well answer," he says, acting impatient.

"No, I'm not a lesbian. I don't like four the way he likes me, and I have my surfing to concentrate on."

"So you're not looking for a relationship."

"I haven't been looking at all," I reply looking over to him, "my mom always told me to stop looking so hard and focus on the one true thing you love, and true love will find you."

"She sounds like a smart woman," Eric smiles.

"She was," I smile back and watch his smile fall.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"Don't be, she died doing the one true thing she loved," I smile and watch a small grin break across his lips.

"Aren't we here to surf," I ask him and begin to paddle out farther towards a set rolling in.

I paddled quickly, looking over my shoulder ready to jump up on my board.

I got the drop and did a kick cutback, I loved hearing the spray of the ocean, the feel of the water against my skin was comforting. I glanced back to see Eric catching his own set.

All at once everything came to an end too quickly and the wave died out.

I saw Four quickly walking, no pretty much running full speed towards me. But I realized quickly it wasn't me he was coming for.

He collided with Eric and the two fell back into the water, wrestling for dominance.

"Four," I yelled, "get off of him!"

He didn't listen, Christina and Tori got involved quickly, helping me pull Four off of Eric, but he broke away from us and went back after him.

Eric got the upper hand this time, he punched him in the jaw sending him stumbling backwards before stalking up to him and shoving him under the water.

"Eri !" I screamed, "Eric stop!"

"Eric!" Max yelled, and Eric let go of Four, who came up sputtering the water from his lungs.

"You're dead, you're ducking dead," Four yelled.

i got in between the two men and held my arms out, "both of you stop!"

"Who the fuck is this guy, Tris?" Four screamed at me.

"Who the fuck are you, tell me! Who are you to attack someone you don't even know!"

"He's not one of us!"

"Why do you think everyone has to be one of us," I yelled, getting in his face, "Back the fuck off!"

"He's no good for you!"

"You don't know the difference between good and bad anymore, Four!"

"Tris," Tori put her arm around my waist, "Tris, let's go."

I stared long and hard at Four before I backed away with Tori, Max already had Eric in the explorer.

"He's just going to hurt you," Four yelled from behind me.

"Ignore him," Tori whispered and hurried me to the car, ushering me in the backseat beside Eric. I had the window seat this time.

"You ok," Christina asked me.

i nodded and leaned my head on my window as she drove away.

...

"I'm sorry tonight turned out so shitty," I said to Eric as I walked with him to the front doors of his hotel.

"Hey," he stopped and turned to face me, "I had a really good time tonight."

"I hope so," I said honestly, "since when do Navy men not sleep on the ship?"

"New changes this year," he said smiling, "Pretty great."

I grinned and looked down to my feet, then back up at Eric, "you have a good night...well morning Eric."

It was already five thirty the sun was starting to peak over the horizon.

"Will you be at the bar tonight?" He asked standing closer to me.

"No," I shook my head, "I'll be training all day, I have tonight off."

"Wanna come to a real party?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him, "am I going to get my ass kicked?"

"No, we're nicer than that."

I shook my head at him and laughed.

"Your friends can come too, seems Tori and Max are hitting it off," he glanced to a few yards away where they were sharing an embrace.

"We will meet you here."

A cheeky grin spread over his face.

"I'll see you tonight then."

I blew him a kiss and jogged back to the explorer where Christina was waiting patiently.

Tori wasn't far behind.

"Damn." We all said at once before we drove away giggling like little school girls.