Chapter 2: The Morning After
Tris POV
I crack one eye open and quickly determine its entirely too bright. "Ugh" I moan. "Turn out the bright." I feel arms tighten around me, and hear a grunt from behind me.
"Shhhh. You're talking too loud." He says.
I see the maze tattoos on the arms around me and realize it's Eric. "Holy shit, I didn't dream all of that?" I ask.
"It depends." He grumbles.
"Well, we're almost fully clothed, so I'm guessing that I don't quite know what is reality and what's a dream." I chuckle.
"What do you remember, Stiff?"
"Lots of tequila. Body shots. Making out. You calling me Tris." I reply.
"That all happened." He chuckles.
"What do you remember?" I ask.
"Lots of tequila. Body shots. Making out. Marrying you in Max's office, then having amazing sex in your office." He replies.
"We didn't really get married, did we?" I laugh.
"It's not legal till its filed. Is marrying me such a bad thing Stiff?" He replies.
"Well, considering you still call me Stiff, and that love is usually a good thing to have in a marriage, I'm thinking the tequila made the decision for us last night. Although, I'm quite pleased to know that the office sex really happened because it was fucking amazing." I sigh.
"It really was. I've waited a long time for that, Tris." He replies with emphasis on my real name.
I turn around to face him. "Really?"
"Really. You're not just some quick fuck, or even a conquest. You're more than that. I've wanted you for a long time, I just was waiting for my chance." He replies.
"Why did you wanna marry me? Is this more of the bullshit fighting between you and Four?" I ask.
"While I do love making that prick angry, I certainly wouldn't make a life changing commitment just to get under his skin."
"So why make the life changing commitment then?" I ask.
"You thought I just wanted to get into your pants, or treat you like a conquest. I wanted to prove to you that you mean more to me than that." He replies. "I didn't marry you because I was drunk. I did it because I wanted to be with you, and I took the chance that maybe you wanted it too."
"You actually want to be married? To me?"
"Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Because it's crazy. You tormented me throughout initiation and training. Most of the time you act like you want to kill me. I've thought you barely tolerated me all throughout leadership training. Plus, in every single conversation we had about my fucked up relationship, you were adamant that you didn't do relationships." I reply.
"I kept you at arms length for awhile because I have feelings for you, and I'm not in the practice of stealing another mans girl, even if I hate the bastard. I've spent the last almost year getting to know you, and letting you know me. I don't let people see the side of me that I share with you. As for my reluctance to be in a relationship, of course I said that to you because you were the only person I wanted to be with, and you were with someone else. Was last night just a drunken mistake for you, Tris?" He asks.
"Eric I do see a different side to you, which is why we've become so close. Last night wasn't a mistake, I don't do drunken mistakes. I definitely don't do casual sex or one night stands either."
"Which is exactly why I knew I needed to prove that I want a real commitment from you."
"It seems like we skipped many stages of a relationship though." I laugh.
He pulls me closer to him and I can feel his laugh rumble through his chest. "Ok, you have a point there. So, we did everything backwards. How about we give this a real shot? There's obviously something here between us, and if we don't work we can split up."
"But, that's divorce Eric. Do you really want to have to go through that if this doesn't work?"
"I'm willing to take that chance. I've waited for you long enough."
"I don't get it Eric, why me? Why marriage? Why not just tell Max not to file the license and we try dating?"
"It's a lot simpler than you think. I don't have some grand scheme cooked up, and I would never use you as a casual fling. I've loved you for awhile, but I've been waiting for you to finally come around and realize it. I get that you probably love Four, but I'm asking for a chance here to see if you could love me. I'm not the jerk that people think I am, I just need to act a certain way to earn respect around here. Before you, I was the youngest leader that Dauntless ever had, and no one wanted to take a teenager seriously. I became a hard ass, and it works for me. You are the first person to see through that and see me for who I really am. I don't need to go through all of what society deems is acceptable for the path to marriage. I want you, and I've patiently waited for you for almost a year."
His admission floors me. Eric is not an emotional guy. While we have become friends over the past 8 months of leadership training, and there have been definite moments of flirting, I never thought he would want any type of commitment, and certainly not with me. It's hard not to be attracted to Eric, physically he's perfect, and mentally he's the sharpest and smartest person I've ever met. He's always challenged me both mentally and physically, pushing me to almost my breaking point. Looking back, I realize that we've had many effortless personal conversations too, and our friendship turned into one of the easiest friendships I've ever had. He never overstepped his boundaries, and always offered neutral advice when I would open up about the problems between Four and me. He's always been able to read my moods and he neither coddles me or forces me to talk about things. If I'm truly being honest with myself, I know that it was much more than tequila that drew me to him last night.
"I just thought of something. You said you hadn't been intimate with anyone in almost 8 months. Why?"
"It's when I realized I had feelings for you." He replies.
"Eric, this was a spur of the moment thing. I can't get hurt again. Four claimed to love me, but he spent months treating me like I was just a fixture in the apartment. What happens when the novelty of getting his girl wears off?"
"There's no novelty with you Tris. Four and I are different, he's great at putting on the outward appearance of being caring and gentle, but inside he's not a good person. I saw through him when we went through initiation together. I'm good at playing the part of a jerk, and believe me I can be just as ruthless as necessary when protecting Dauntless and the people I love, but I do know I'm a good person. I don't have to pretend with that. I would never hide anything from you, I would never betray your trust and I would always talk to you if there are things that bother me. None of the shit that number boy pulled." He replies.
He's absolutely right. I've seen Eric for who he really is. He's always had a tough exterior, but with me he's thoughtful and gentle. Four always appears to be kind, but behind his mask is a very controlling, insecure and paranoid person. Eric may be harsh with his choice of words and his actions, but he is always honest.
"Ok." I reply.
"Ok? What exactly does ok mean Tris?"
"Let's give this marriage all we've got. I know you think I'm in love with Four, but I'm not. I think I was at one point, but he pushed me away when he refused to support my decisions. I want the chance to know you better."
Eric leans in and presses his lips to mine. It starts off as a gentle kiss, he licks my lips asking for entrance and I open my mouth so he can slip his tongue to mine. We don't deepen any further, we just share kisses while holding each other.
"Come on, let's get out of here. We should grab breakfast, and go see Max." He says.
We shower, together, and quickly get dressed and head down to the cafeteria. I look around and see my friends, but thankfully no sign of Four. My friends are accustomed to seeing me with Eric, and he often has joined our table for meals, so when we sit down together no one thinks anything of it. I've been very lucky to maintain my close friendships even when leadership training took up the majority of my time. I was pleasantly surprised when Eric and I became friends he not only made a real effort to get to know my friends, but they also accepted him too.
"Good morning fearless leaders." Christina says.
We greet Chris, Will, Uri and Marlene. We all make small talk while eating our breakfast. Eric has his hand on my leg under the table, but when he brushes my hair off of my neck and leans closer to me he freezes. Unfortunately, Chris noticed.
"Where's Four?" Chris asks, giving me a questioning look. Chris knows all the details of my fucked up relationship with Four, except the fact that I caught him cheating last night.
"Don't know, don't care." I reply, stealing a piece of Eric's muffin and popping it into my mouth.
"What? Did something happen?" Chris asks, while Will, Uri and Marlene turn their attention towards me.
"Things haven't been good for awhile now, as you all have seen." They all nod in agreement. "Well yesterday, I came home much earlier than I usually do, and I found him in the shower having sex with some girl, telling her how much he loves her while she called him by his real name."
"Oh my gosh Tris, what happened? What'd he say?" Chris asks.
"Nothing, they were both entirely too busy to notice me. I just left, and went down to the Pit with Eric, Max and Dana."
"So he doesn't know that you saw him?" Marlene asks.
"Nope." I reply.
"Holy shit, it's gonna be crazy when you confront him. You really shouldn't do that alone with how hot headed he can be." Uri says.
"I agree, you might want to have that conversation where we can at least be close enough to see you." Will adds.
"There isn't a conversation to have, I'm done with him. I just need to get my stuff. Uri, do you know when he works again?"
"I think he's there now. I'm relieving him at 5." He replies. "Need help getting your stuff?"
"I can help her." Eric replies.
"Where are you staying?" Chris asks.
"With Eric." I reply. Everyone looks surprised.
"Is something going on here?" Chris grins at me.
"You could say that." I smile. Eric smiles down at me, and squeezes my leg under the table.
"I knew it!" Chris exclaims. "Uri, you owe me 50 points!"
"Whatever woman!" He rolls his eyes.
"What is this? A bet?" Eric asks.
"Well, we noticed that you became a hell of a lot less ruthless and broody once a certain leader in training was placed in your care. Plus we can all see how you two look at each other. We figured you were just waiting for her to get her head out of her ass and dump the idiot. So, Uri and I made a small wager as to when you two would finally stop dancing around it and do something about it. So he now owes me 50 points." Chris replies.
"You haven't won anything yet Chris! Your bet was they'd hook up, mine was they'd start dating." Uri says. "So, fearless leaders, who wins?"
"Well, technically neither of you win. We didn't hook up and we're not dating." Eric replies with a smirk.
"Well, you said something was going on right? So if it wasn't a hookup, and you guys aren't dating then what else is it?" Chris asks.
"We sort of got married last night." I reply.
"What!?" They all yell.
"Shhhhh. Stop yelling." I say.
"You did what? How did this happen? How do you 'sort of' get married?" Marlene asks, shock evident on her face.
"It's a funny story." Eric says. "We started with a lot of tequila and making out last night. She thought I only wanted in her pants, and I wanted to prove how I felt. So we got married."
"Oh my god. You two got shit faced and married? Are you insane? And Max allowed it?" Uri asks.
"Well, we convinced him that he didn't necessarily need to file the marriage license, so that we could have the chance to sober up and change our minds." I reply.
"Besides, most of the couples he's married have been drunk. He even admitted that." Eric says.
"So you're not married? Whew!" Chris replies.
"Technically, the license hasn't been filed, just signed and witnessed. But, after breakfast we're gonna see Max and have him file it." Eric replies and I nod my head in agreeance.
"You're going through with this?" Will asks.
"Yeah, we are. He's been a great friend to me over these past 8 months, and when I look back on it I realize that he was giving me the emotional support that Four wasn't. We had more of a real relationship than the cheating idiot I lived with." I reply.
"And I love her. Have for awhile now." Eric replies. It made my heart skip a beat when he effortlessly declared his feelings in front of our friends. They all look quite shocked at his admission.
"Uri, close your mouth before you catch a fly." I say.
"I think I won the bet." He laughs.
"Not so fast Pedrad. Did you two consummate this marriage?" Chris asks.
"Chris, really? That's the question you really want answers to?" I reply.
"Well, yeah, eventually I want to know about hot, drunk wedding night sex. Ok seriously Tris, I know that you guys are good friends, but are you sure you want to be married? No offense to you Eric, but Tris you just found out your boyfriend was cheating on you last night and today you're married. It seems like a pretty rash decision." Chris says.
"Four hasn't touched me in months. He's been distant and cold. I knew he was hiding something, but I naively didn't think he would actually cheat on me. He was entirely too Abnegation for that, or at least I thought. Eric has spent months developing a friendship with me, and we both know there is something much more going on here."
"Well, congrats. Seriously. She needs to be happy and treated well. If you're the man who can do it, you have my vote." Uri says, and Marlene and Chris both nod enthusiastically.
"We are totally throwing a party for you two." Chris says.
"Make sure there's tequila." Eric and I both say together. We all laugh. "Ok, we need to go see Max." Eric stands up, offering his hand to help me up. Once I'm up, he laces his fingers with mine.
"This is so weird." Chris says, but she's smiling.
"What the fuck, Tris?" Four yells from behind us. "So you don't come home last night, then I come here to look for you and find my girlfriend holding this assholes hand?" He's livid.
"At least you only found me holding his hand, Four. I found you holding some bitch against our shower wall, screwing her!" I yell back. His face blanches, and we earn a few stares.
"It was a mistake, Tris. Honest, she means nothing. I'm sorry. Please don't throw us away over that." He begs.
"How stupid do you think I am? You were telling her you love her and she was using your REAL name. The only mistake was me not leaving you before now. You've been jealous, unsupportive of my decisions, cold, uncaring and distant ever since I joined leadership. You were never happy for me, and I should have broken up with you then. The cheating was just the last straw." I reply.
"She's a better fuck than you anyway." He shouts.
"I highly doubt that." Eric replies, calmly.
"How the fuck would you know? Oh so you've been fucking my girlfriend Eric? For how long?" He spits, getting into Eric's face.
"You should step away Four, I'm still your leader. And to answer your question, I never fucked your girlfriend. I made love to my wife." Eric replies coolly.
Four looks incredibly confused. "Your what? Who?" He asks.
"My wife, Tris." Eric replies.
"What the fucking hell are you talking about?" He yells at Eric.
"We got married last night." I reply for him. "Now if you'll excuse me, my husband and I have to see Max. Goodbye Four. I'll be getting my stuff out of your apartment shortly."
"You are not married to this asshole. Stop this, Tris. Let's talk about it. He's dangerous and you know this." Four pleads, grabbing my arm roughly. Eric tenses beside me, and I squeeze his hand.
"Eric is now my husband." I move Fours hand from my arm.
"How can you throw the past year away? How can you be in my bed the night before last, and married to someone else today? Am I really supposed to believe that you haven't been cheating on me this whole time?"
"Yes, you absolutely should believe it. You spent months distancing yourself from me and our relationship. You brought someone else into our home and had sex with her, and said words to her that you've not said to me in months. Who knows how many others, since you sure as hell didn't want me. You've treated me like I was nothing more than a possession. Unlike you, I never once cheated on you. I will admit I was developing feelings for Eric before our relationship officially ended, but I never once acted on them."
"You're pathetic Tris. While you were developing feelings for this asshole, I was definitely getting mine. You were barely home, and then you were always tired, so yeah I got my needs met as often as possible." He smirks at me.
"You should be very careful how you speak to Tris. She is not only a leader of this faction, she is my wife and she deserves respect." Eric growls.
"She's not a leader, she's a trainee." Four scoffs.
"Yet another thing you don't know about the woman you claim to love. Not only is she a leader, she made full leadership faster than anyone in the history of Dauntless. You would have known that if you weren't too busy getting your needs met elsewhere." Eric replies, pride evident in his voice.
Four stands there looking dumbfounded. "You never told me." He says, looking at me.
"You never asked. As a matter of fact, you never once asked about my career. You degraded me, yelled at me and went so far as to talk to Max to ask to have the offer revoked. So, it's no real surprise that the only people who knew about my successes are sitting right here." I gesture to the table with my friends. "And the only man who's shown any pride over my decision and work is now my husband. Do yourself a favor Four and pull your head out of your ass for the next woman you're with."
"Maybe if you weren't just like him I would have cared. Whatever Tris, don't come running back to me when this dude gets what he wants and leaves you." Four says.
"I can assure you that will never happen. Unlike you, I cherish this woman." Eric replies.
"Goodbye, Four. Go control someone else's life, and enjoy the better fuck than me." Eric and I head out of the cafeteria, hand in hand.
"You ok?" He asks.
"I actually am. It felt good to finally stand up to him. I'm relieved to have that part of my life over. I'm really proud of you. You never once lost your cool even when he was provoking you."
Eric stops and pulls me into a deep kiss. When we break for air, he says "I'm proud of you too. You stood up for yourself, and us, while holding your head up high."
We continue walking to Max's office, hoping to catch him in on his day off. Our hunch pays off and we find him sitting at his desk, dressed casually but typing away at his computer.
"Hey there, finally sobered up?" He chuckles, and gestures for us to take a seat.
"Yeah we are. That was one hell of a night." Eric replies, laughing.
"That it was. So, I am going to shred this marriage license. Although it was a lot of fun performing your fake marriage ceremony."
"No, wait!" I say. "We want you to file it."
Max opens his mouth to protest, but Eric speaks. "Max, file it, we want to be married."
"Are you sure you're not still drunk? I don't like to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but you understand once I file this you're legally married as of yesterday? The only way out of that is divorce, unless by some miracle you haven't consummated the marriage, in that case we could have it annulled. However, based on how you two were acting last night, I think it's safe to assume that won't be an option."
I blush and Eric laughs. "We understand that divorce would be our only option." Eric replies.
"We're sure." I answer to Max.
"This will not interfere with your leadership duties. I expect you both to behave professionally, no matter what happens with this experiment of yours. I'll file the license now, congratulations newlyweds." He says with a serious tone, but a smile in his eyes. "Now get out, enjoy your day off. Actually, take next week off. Have a honeymoon. Now scram."
We head out of Max's office and to the apartment I shared with Four. I don't have a whole lot here since I moved in with him directly after initiation. It only takes Eric and me two trips to get everything.
"I seriously can't believe we're doing this. We skipped everything. No first date, our first kiss was due to body shots, our first time was in my office, you never proposed, we had no wedding and I only move out of my ex's place the day after our marriage. Does this not seem crazy to you?"
"A little." He chuckles. "So what if we're backwards. I'm going to give you all of those things, anything you want."
"I'm holding you to that, Mr. Coulter."
"Good, I expect you to, Mrs. Coulter."