-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-
Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).
Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, etc. that I use. This is simply my fan fiction.
-/-/-/-/-Chapter 4-/-/-/-/-
*October 2nd*
~~Tobias POV~~
"You going to be good for Auntie?" I ask Jack, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
He sits there patiently in his booster seat, his fort kit in his lap, and his over-night bag on the seat beside him.
Julia insisted he just stay the night at her house, since I'd be home so late anyway, he'd already be asleep. So I agreed to drop him off around 6:00.
"I'm always good, dad." he says with a roll of his eyes. But he's smiling, knowing that I know he truly is very well behaved. But that I always ask him that when I drop him off at his Aunts house anyway.
When we arrive, I get him of his seat and walk him to the door. When she sees me, I can see her obviously look me up and down at my attire, which causes her to smile and attempt to hold back a laugh.
"What?" I ask, looking down at my clothes, then back up at her. "Does this look terrible?"
"No, you look fine." she says, finally letting out a small laugh. "I just knew you'd go with plaid, and your leather jacket." she explains.
"Should I not have? I didn't just want to wear a t-shirt. And I pretty much just have plaid button-ups besides that." I say, now regretting my apparently predictable outfit. I almost went shopping and looked for something new just for the occasion, but then got overwhelmed at the store and just left without buying anything.
"Toby, trust me, you look nice. I'm only teasing you. You're my brother after all, that's what I'm supposed to do." she says, but I just sigh.
"Stop worrying, you look good. And she's even commented to me before, how she always liked how you wore plaid shirts growing up. So she will dig it." Julia tries convincing me.
"What do you think little man?" I chuckle and ask Jack who stands there looking up at me, waiting for me to say goodbye before he goes off to play.
"She'll dig it." he says, agreeing with his Aunt, causing Julia and I to laugh.
"Okay, thanks bud." I tell him, lifting him into my arms to give him a bear hug. I kiss his head before setting him back down. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay." he says.
"I love you." I tell him, ruffling his hair a bit.
"I love you too dad." he says, giving my leg one more hug, then running off towards his toys in the other room.
I bid Julia goodbye and begin to leave.
"Wait, when did she tell you about how she liked me in plaid shirts growing up?" I ask her, blocking the door from closing all the way behind me.
"When she and I went through her old photo albums yesterday." she says with a smirk.
My eyebrows raise in question, but she just shrugs and tells me to go have fun and pushes me out the door with an amused smile. "Go Camp Dauntless!" she shouts through the door after closing it.
I chuckle to myself as I head back to my car.
But as soon as I get back on the road and drive the 20 minutes towards her apartment, my nerves creep back up again.
Taking her along with us to the movies on Sunday went great, and we've seen her a few other times throughout the week. Even at one point, I stopped by Sweet Pea's on my way to pick up Jack after work, and she invited me to sit and eat with her on her lunch break. She just 'whipped up some panini's with leftovers' as she said, but they of course turned out to be amazing, and I enjoyed the impromptu lunch with her immensely.
But now that it's Friday night, and we're going out tonight together as planned, it's making me feel like I had about 10 shots of espresso instead of just the 2 that I actually had this morning.
The fact that I haven't been on an actual date in 6 years, makes it stressful enough. But the fact that it's with Tris, my dream girl, makes me even more nervous.
But when I knock on her door and she opens it almost immediately, standing there before me with that beautiful smile, my nerves subside. Just being in her presence has calmed me, and I'm reminded yet again, of the effect she has on me. She causes my heart to flutter in rapid excitement, but there's also a relief of comfort when I'm around her.
I take in the sight of her, in her dark green skinny jeans and black top, and her hair that hangs over her shoulders in silky waves.
"Hey you." she says, still smiling.
"Hey." I reply, but it comes out breathy. I clear my throat and try again. "Hey." I say more clearly, and she lets out a small melodic laugh as she leans in to greet me with a hug.
"You look beautiful." I tell her.
"So do you." she says, looking me over.
"I don't know if I've ever been called beautiful before." I reply with a chuckle.
"Oh, shush." she says with a playful shove. "You want to come in for a sec? I just have to put on my shoes and grab my jacket, then I'll be ready."
It's then that I realize I arrived 15 minutes earlier than I said I would. I guess I really was anxious.
"Yeah, of course, no problem." I say.
As I step inside, I take in my surroundings. Her apartment is on the smaller side, but she's used the space well. And it's got a lot of white and neutrals, giving it a very light and airy feel, yet still cozy.
"Would you like the grand tour?" she asks and I look at her. She smiles and takes my hand. But instead of leading me anywhere, she just spins me around slowly.
"How'd you like it? And you thought your place was small." she reminds me with a laugh once she's spun me in a full circle.
I chuckle too, because she's so adorable.
"Ok, so your place is on the smaller side...but it's awesome. It's cozy, and feels like you." I say. And it's true. All her stuff and decor fits her taste just how I'd imagine.
She shrugs and smiles. "Yeah, at first it felt like living in a shoebox. I went from living in that 2-story house with roommates, to this little 400 square foot studio by myself. But I've made it feel like home. And the rental price is great, so I can't complain." she says as she sits on the couch to slip on her shoes.
"I think I'll skip my purse tonight." she says, pulling out her ID, some cash, and her house key. She tucks those in her pocket, then her phone in her other pocket, before grabbing her jacket. "Alright, I'm ready."
As we head down the sidewalk to my car, we pass a group of shady looking guys huddled near the alley beside her building. They seem to be minding their own business, but they still turn and look us up and down, seemingly wondering if we're going to be a threat to whatever they're up to. Which I'm guessing by the looks of it, is a drug deal. So I instinctually place a hand on the small of her back, ever so slightly pulling her towards me in a protective manner, as we make our way to my parking spot.
That's one thing I don't care for about her apartment, is the location. It's known to be a crime filled neighborhood. I know she mentioned it was affordable, but I can't help but wish she lived someplace safer.
I open the passenger side door for her and she thanks me before slipping inside. I make my way around and get into the driver side, before revving up the engine.
"I still can't believe you're taking me to a concert." she says as I pull out onto the road.
"Is that okay? I mean, I know you like Arctic Monkeys." I say, glancing over at her as I hit a red light. I hope she didn't feel pressured, but I knew she liked them and when I saw tickets for sale, I decided to surprise her with them.
"Yeah, are you kidding? It's great! I'm definitely not complaining." she says.
"Good, I'm looking forward to it too." I say, stealing another glance at her before training my eyes back at the road.
Once we arrive to the pub we had decided to eat at before the show, we head inside and find a small intimate booth off in the corner.
"I always thought I'd take you some place fancy for our first date." I say with a nervous laugh, glancing up at her from my menu. Although this place feels like a higher-end style pub, and seems to have a good atmosphere and menu, I'm still apprehensive about it. I feel like I should have gone all out and taken her to Everest or Prosecco or something. Not that she's one to particularly care about eating at a super upscale place like that, she still deserves the best.
"Don't be silly. You know that all I care about is a comfortable atmosphere and tasty food. Plus, I've always wanted to try this place." she says, looking at the decor of the place before looking back over at me from where I sit across from her. I'm relieved to see a happy smile gracing her face.
After the server comes and takes our drink order, she purses her lips in amusement.
"Stop worrying so much, I can tell you're nervous." Tris says as she reaches across the table and takes one of my hands.
I instinctually lace my fingers with her soft delicate ones, and smile back at her.
"Sorry, I just- this has been a long time coming, ya know?" I say with a chuckle.
"That's true." she says with a light laugh.
"I uh.." I begin, looking down at our hands for a moment before I gain the courage to look back up at her and continue. "I had always wanted to officially take you out, as my date. Even later on, when Jack was a couple years old- a small part of me thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd see you again and possibly have that chance. But I remember one day, well- I kind of just lost all hope that day."
"How come? What happened?" she asks curiously.
"I saw a picture of you and Eric." I say.
"You did? How?" she asks, surprised.
"Long story short...I was hanging out with Zeke and he had his facebook page up. He was casually scrolling through, and I caught a glimpse of the picture, but didn't say anything" I say, recalling that moment when my heart felt like it had been stepped on. Even though I knew it had no right to.
"Apparently Zeke's friends with Christina on there? I don't really know how that whole facebook thing works. But anyway, when I got home that night, I looked up Chris' page since I knew you didn't have an account, and she really had posted a picture of you and Eric, with a whole group of people. Christina was holding your hand up showing your new engagement ring to the camera." I explain.
"The one where I'm in the blue dress?" she asks and I nod.
"I remember that picture. He had just proposed the weekend before, and we were out celebrating with friends. I was a bit grumpy that night because Christina was getting in full-force 'Christina mode', already talking food and dresses and colors for the wedding. When really, she was way too ahead of the game for me." she says. "I think I already knew something was wrong...I didn't know why I wasn't more excited to be getting married. I had only been engaged for a few days and was already second-guessing it."
"Well, at the time, I thought you looked pretty happy in that picture. And I knew I should have just been happy for you. I had no right to be jealous or angry or whatever. But it just felt like any hope I may have had went in the gutter. You'd be someone else's wife, and that was that." I say.
I have no idea why all these words are tumbling from my mouth. Way to bring down the evening buddy.
She gives my hand a squeeze.
"Well, I didn't know you'd heard of my engagement. But our friends are much more social online than we are, so I really shouldn't be all that surprised." she says.
The waitress comes over and sets the drinks we'd ordered on the table, then asks if we're ready to order.
"I'll have the mushroom swiss burger with onion rings, please." she requests.
"And I'll have the blue-cheese burger and sweet potato fries." I decide.
The server smiles as she retrieves our menus, and says our food will be out soon.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to get so serious and bring down the vibe." I chuckle after the server walks away. "I guess my point was, I'm really glad you agreed to come with me tonight. I've finally got my chance at an official date with Tris Prior." I add with a smile before reaching for my beer.
"Hey, it's okay. I like that we're open with each other. And I'd say the same- I finally got my chance at a real date with Tobias Eaton." she says with a bigger smile, picking up her beer glass and holding it up towards mine. "To our first date." she declares, waiting for me to clink her glass with mine in cheers.
"To our first date." I reply happily.
We clink them together and then pull them to our mouths to sip the frothy stout, while sharing a lingering look over the rims of our pint glasses.
"So, do you know who's opening for Arctic Monkeys?" I ask her.
"No, I didn't even think about that. Do you know who it is?" she asks.
"Yes." I reply simply, smirking, knowing she's going to like the answer.
"Well, who is it? Tell me!" she playfully scolds for withholding the information.
"The Lumineers." I say with a shrug.
She has her beer glass half way to her mouth, but at my reply, she sets it back on the table abruptly, sloshing it around slightly, but not spilling more than a couple drips. "Are you fucking serious?!" she asks with a laugh.
I grin and sip my drink again before explaining further. "I actually didn't know they were the opening act when I had bought the tickets, but it was a nice surprise when I heard it on the radio this morning."
"Well, that's awesome. Now I'm even more excited." she says with a grin.
Our food arrives shortly after, and we enjoy the amazing food while we talk some more. It's much more light-hearted now.
I love how much fun she is to be around, and how well this evening is going. I can't help but already hope she will agree to several more of these dates with me.
Once we're done there, we head over to the venue where the concert will be held.
We don't end up waiting long before the line begins to move forward. As we move amongst the crowd, I reach down and take her hand, hoping she'll allow it. I get a squeeze of her hand in response and I can see a small smile grace her face as we continue to move into the building. So I'll take that as a good sign.
We look around for a few minutes at the merch booths and pick up a second beer at the bar area and sit a nearby high-top table as we drink them down.
By the time our glasses are empty, we hear them doing sound check. So we make our way onto the main floor in front of the stage.
As we wait, we chat about the most recent concerts we've been to. And I'm not surprised that even with the newer bands, she and I still have very similar taste in music. We talk and laugh, and just enjoy this alone time together as the first band prepares to do their set.
Once the light dims, everyone knows the show's about to start, so the crowd packs in tighter.
By way of space, Tris kind of gets pushed in front of me. The crowd thickens and she backs up closer to me, her back pressed lightly against my chest.
My free hand instinctually goes down to her hip and keeps her close. I guess a part of me does it out of protectiveness as we stand shoulder to shoulder with so many people. I really don't want to lose her in the crowd.
But a part of me does it just because I simply enjoy the feel of being close to her like this.
As the members of The Lumineers take the stage and begin playing 'Stubborn Love', she looks over her shoulder and smiles at me, obviously excited to be here and to hear them officially begin.
I smile back before she turns back to face the stage, where she moves her body gently with the rhythm.
By the second song, she's pressed even closer against me and she pulls my other hand to wrap around the other side of her waist. We move slightly with the music and I love how I'm close enough to take in the smell of her hair.
When they begin to play 'Ho Hey', and they sing the lyrics "You belong with me, I belong with you, You're my sweetheart", I can't help myself when I lean in slightly and kiss the right side of her head. In return, she looks up at me over her right shoulder with a soft smile. She looks so happy and joyful, and I love that I am the one that helped bring this joy to her. She's here with me, and I feel beyond lucky. As they repeat the chorus, we continue to sway slightly to the music as we gaze at each other for a moment, before we both lean in and brush our mouths together briefly.
The kiss felt like a whisper, a tease of what is yet to come. It felt like it was as light as a feather, but it was still enough pressure for me to enjoy her soft lips upon mine for a few seconds.
We pull away slowly as she continues looking up at me. She bites her lip and I smile back at her, hoping to convey how wonderful that was for me.
When she faces forward again, she leans a bit more into my arms and I relish being able to fully feel her relax into my embrace.
After their set, we go walk around a bit, take a bathroom break, and get another beer. Then we make our way back in time to see Arctic Monkeys start up.
They end up rocking the show as well, and it's obvious the audience is having a blast. I'm beyond happy with how this night has turned out, and glad that Tris seems to be having so much fun.
The show isn't over until about 11:30, and by the time I drop her back off at her house, it's around midnight.
I decide to be gentlemanly and walk her to her door.
"Thank you again for taking me, that was awesome. I had a really great time." she says once she gets her key out of her pocket.
"I did too, I'm glad you agreed to go." I tell her with a smile, tilting my head as I look at her, without realizing it.
"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she says, but she makes no move to unlock her door and go inside.
"Okay." I say, but then decide to take my chance. "I know technically I already got a first date kiss. But-" I continue, but she interrupts.
"Yes, you can kiss me again." she says, looking down for a moment afterwards, as if shy. Then she looks back up at me under those long lashes, and it makes me want to growl she looks so sexy.
So I pull her against me gently and then lean down and press my lips to hers. This kiss is more persistent than earlier. But it's still slow and sweet. I want to convey my feelings in the kiss, hoping she knows how special she is to me.
It's not long until I feel her fingers thread into the hair at the nape of my neck and despite my brain telling me not to try and take things too far tonight, I decide I need to taste more of her. I glide my tongue along her bottom lip and she immediately parts her lips to allow my tongue to meet hers. Our heads tilt more fully to deepen the kiss and I relish in the feeling of utter pleasure she brings me.
She walks backwards a few steps until her back hits the door, and I feel her other arm reach around me to grasp my back as she pulls me closer against her.
I'm almost completely hard when she does it, so I'm sure she can feel the firmness in my jeans against her. But I remember her saying she wanted to take things slow, so I slowly pull my lips from hers, resting my forehead on hers while we catch our breath.
"I've wanted to do that for so long." I say.
"Me too." she says, smiling widely.
"Well, I should get home. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Thank you again for going." I say.
"Yeah..." she begins, and although I see she's smiling, I can tell it's taking a lot of will power to turn and unlock the door. I have a feeling she doesn't want this evening to end quite yet either.
Once she gets it open she turns back to face me. "After our next date, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from asking you to stay over. So you may as we'll bring an overnight bag." she states bluntly. After the words leave her mouth, I can tell she enjoys the surprised look that takes over my face.
"Well, if you insist." I say, attempting to tease back. But I can't contain my smile as I lean in and kiss her briefly one last time for the evening.
"Goodnight Tris."
"Goodnight Tobias." she replies, and finally I begin to back away and she gives me one last wave before closing the door.
When I get home, I head straight for my bedroom and I pull my phone from my pocket, tossing it on the nightstand with my keys and wallet.
I flop down on my back on the bed, grinning to myself as I recall the best date of my life.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
A/N-
So there's chapter 4!
Unfortunately it wasn't as long as the first few chapters. I almost kept going, but it felt too much like Chapter 5 was starting. So I decided to stop it where I did. But Chapter 5 (which will hopefully be posted next weekend), might be a bit longer.
Thank you for all your amazing feedback with that last chapter too. I love hearing what you have to say!
The picture collage to correlate with this chapter is now posted on my Tumblr:
madisonr1129
Ractre1127- A special thanks as always, for being so helpful and awesome!