"Role of a Lifetime" (RATED M/MA)


Chapter 7 (Tris' POV)


"Thanks for letting us hang out here." Tobias says as we approach my house.

"Of course, anytime." I reply, leading the way down the path to the front door.

Once we deemed Nita was safe at the hospital with her friends and family that had met her there, as well as Al, who volunteered to ride in the ambulance with her, we decided to hit the road before the paparazzi learned what happened and figured out what hospital she went to. No need to make a bigger spectacle of things than they already were.

But the delay at the hospital meant by the time they were dropping me back off at my house, they'd be heading back into the city during rush hour traffic, and their phones were already going off with many people calling with questions. So I offered for them to just come lay low at my house for a bit if they wanted. They happily agreed, saying that was a much better idea. Zeke even suggested we make dinner, as he said he's starving.

After all, that's why Zeke had blurted out that I had a headache to begin with, so that we could use it as an out to get going and grab some dinner on the way home. Although I really did have a headache, and he knew this since he saw me take some ibuprofen, it wasn't bad enough to make me want to necessarily leave and call it a day. But at the idea of having dinner just the three of us, no more annoying Nita, I couldn't pass the opportunity up. So I had gone along with it.

But after everything that happened, we never went and ate, we just came straight back here to my place. Now here we are, me unlocking my front door to let them inside, Amar's truck and the surf boards safely tucked away in my garage, hidden just in case.

"Yeah, and it's perfect, your house is nice and secluded, and nobody knows where you live." Zeke says with a grateful smile.

"One of the reasons I love it," I say with a small smile, flipping the lights on as we enter, even though it's still a bit light out. It definitely gives my home more ambiance, and it'll be getting dark soon.

Zeke's phone immediately rings again, and he quickly answers. "Hi baby, yeah, I'm okay. We're at Tris' house." he says, and I assume it's his wife Shauna. He goes and makes himself comfortable on the deep cream colored couch in my family room.

Tobias and I continue on through to my kitchen and he takes a seat on one of the bar stools at the counter. "I guess I should call Amar back, he called while I was driving." he says, pulling out his own phone.

I nod and turn to get us some water. I fill us each a glass, and prepare one for Zeke as well.

I figure I should give him a little privacy for his call, and I really want to get out of this swimsuit, so I gesture towards my hallway. "I'm going to go change, help yourself to whatever." I say.

He looks up at me as he puts the phone to his ear and smiles, "Okay, thanks."

With that, I head off towards my bedroom and close the door behind me. I go straight for the bathroom and tie my hair up in a bun on the top of my head, before turning on my shower to heat up. I need just a quick rinse-off to get the sand off me and get cleaned up. I feel a little sweaty and sticky, and a little hot water and steam will really help relax my muscles, if even for a few of minutes.

Once I'm undressed, I hop in for one of the quickest showers ever.

True to my word, I'm out in about 3 minutes, and then I'm out and drying off with my fluffy white towel.

I wrap it around myself before going for my dresser, and pulling out some underwear, yoga pants, a bra and a lightweight mint colored sweatshirt.

I pull my hair back down and brush it out, letting it stay down in its loose beachy waves that seemed to have formed earlier.

When I reemerge from my bedroom, Tobias is still at my kitchen island, his back to me, and I can't help but admire how his t-shirt stretches across the expanse of his broad shoulders.

As I round the island to peek into my cupboard to see what I can make for dinner, I notice he's leaning his elbows on the counter, mindlessly rolling an orange around on the counter that he must have snagged form my bowl of fruit beside him, as he continues regaling the details of the incident to whoever he has on the phone.

His tousled hair is a bit messier than usual from him running his hand through it like he often seems to do if he gets stressed or nervous. He's still in his board shorts, but he kicked off his flip-flops by the front door, so he's barefoot. He seems casual, relaxed, and a site I could get used to seeing in my house. I bite my lip and turn back towards my cupboard.

I grab out a box of penne pasta and look over to see if by chance I can easily get his attention without interrupting. But he's already looking at me, and there's a slight possibility I might have caught him checking out my ass, but maybe I just imagined it.

I hold up the package of pasta as if in question, to see if that's something he likes and feels up to eating. I know I can whip up an easy and tasty homemade sauce, and maybe even some meatballs...I think I have some ground beef in the fridge.

He grins and nods, seemingly excited at the prospect of it. I smile back and set the box of pasta on the counter, before grabbing out the rest of the ingredients- a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, mushrooms, heavy cream, garlic, basil and so on.

Before I get started though, I turn on my music, like I usually do when I cook. But I keep it very low so as not to disturb their phone calls.

I've got the creamy sauce coming together in a saucepan on the stove top and the meatballs are almost done in the oven, as I drop the pasta into the boiling water. I spin around and open the fridge to grab the container of mixed greens so that I can prepare a quick side salad.

Once that's ready in a big wooden bowl, I twirl again, reaching left towards the wine rack for a bottle of wine, and the up to my right to grab some glasses. I grab three expertly with one hand, and spin to place them on the island. But I'm slightly startled, finding Tobias watching me intently, his phone no longer to his ear. Instead, it's off and set to the side, and he's got his arms crossed as he continues leaning on the counter, observing me with a look so intense that I almost drop everything in my hands. On top of the way his eyes pierce me with that sexy stare, the smirk that forms on his lips seems like it might end up being the death of me.

But thankfully I'm not cleaning up glass and red wine from the floor, as I manage to carefully set them down on the counter, taking a deep breath as I try to pretend like he doesn't have this powerful effect on me.

"You look very comfortable in the kitchen." he says simply as I reach into the drawer for a corkscrew.

"I do?"

"Yeah, you made that look like a dance. It was beautiful, I like watching you."

Here I was, all comfortable and confident and feeling great under my own roof, despite the heart-throbbing company, and he still manages to make me blush within moments.

"I just know my kitchen well, everything has its place." I shrug, brushing off the compliment. Although I offer him a small smile, before turning and bending down to grab the colander from the lower cabinet.

"You seem very organized." He teases.

I grab the wooden spoon to pull out a noodle to check its tenderness, and I'm glad I checked, as it seems spot on right now. Perfectly aldente. So I quickly remove the pot of pasta and drain the water.

"My friends think I have OCD, and well, maybe I do a little. But I think it's just how I was raised, ya know? My household was very clean and organized, and we were always taught to help with multiple chores, and always had to keep our rooms clean and perfect. So yeah," I chuckle, "I guess it didn't go away."

I smile to myself as I think about Susan comparing me to the likes of Monica Gellar with my cleanliness. But I'm not that bad, right? I don't like, force coasters upon people or anything.

"I can relate." is all he offers, before watching me add the pasta straight to the pot of sauce. I then grab out the pan of meatballs, and use tongs to add them to the pot as well and mixing it together gently.

"Want me to help set the table or anything?" he asks, getting up and coming around to my side of the counter. He comes up beside me and leans his hip on the counter, facing me.

"Sure. Silverware is in here," I pull the drawer next to him open, "bowls are up there." I explain, but then I grab a fork and spear a noodle, "Want to taste and see if you think it needs anything?"

He grins, and rather than just reaching for the fork in my hand, he opens his mouth awaiting the bite. Seeing him up this close to me, and now opening his mouth as he leans in closer for me to feed him, it makes me desperately want to lean in and kiss him.

But instead, I hold my breath and feed him the bite, holding my left hand underneath so as to catch any possible drips of sauce. His eyes remain on me the whole time, but once he takes the bite, his eyes close momentarily, before opening and locking on me again.

"Fuck, Tris." he practically growls in appreciation of the food, but those words and the way he spoke them, has practically soaked my freshly put-on panties. Seriously dude?
"This is incredible. Where did you learn to cook?" Tobias asks.

"My mom...she was a chef. Had her own catering company."

"She must have been a pretty fantastic chef then." he says and I smile at him, thankful for the sweet comment. I consider sharing more, but I decide now isn't the time. And besides, our food would get cold.

"You want wine? Or I think I have some beer or maybe some hard cider in the fridge."

"Normally I'd take a beer, but wine with this pasta sounds perfect. But I think I need another bite first."

"Yeah?" I chuckle, spearing him another bite, this time with half a meatball. "It doesn't even have the fresh grated parm on top yet though."

Still, I hold the bite up for him again. He leans down and takes the bite, then makes another noise of approval as he leans in and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a bear hug with my arms trapped. But I don't mind, it feels amazing. I find my eyes drifting closed and he gives me a squeeze before letting go.

"You have no idea how long it's been since I've had a good homemade meal. And this is ridiculously good."

We hear a throat clearing, and my eyes shoot open. We pull apart and see a grinning Zeke standing there, his arms crossed. The smug look on his face makes me curious, but all he says is, "Let's stop talking about how good this food is, and let me try some already!"

"Wait 'til you try it, man," Tobias says, reaching up to grab a small stack of bowls from the cupboard I told him about as I put the pasta into a large serving bowl. He hands them to Zeke, who takes them to the dining room table, as Tobias collects silverware to carry over. I go and set the food down on the table, then go back to retrieve napkins.

Tobias follows in behind me, so I just hand him the napkins to take in, and I grab the wine and glasses.

"How are you so comfortable flipping those glasses around like that?" Tobias chuckles, following me over to the table where Zeke is already sitting and serving the pasta into all three bowls for us.

"I was a bartender for a short while when I was in college. Did it on the side between acting and small stunt jobs since I was still a broke student and was really new to the entertainment business at the time."

"Wow, Tris," Zeke says after his first bite, chewing and swallowing before finishing his sentence. "This is really good." He immediately goes for another bite, shoveling it into his mouth, then regretting it since it's so hot, but he still seems so satisfied with it as he moans in approval.

"No wonder Tobias wanted to hug you, you've really got a talent here." he says, sipping his wine before mumbling, "At least one of the reasons he wanted to," and giving Tobias a teasing look before focusing on his food again.

What's that supposed to mean?

"I was just telling Tobias, I learned a bit from my mom. But really, this was a lot easier to make than you think." I look to Tobias, "You saw how I just threw everything in. That wasn't too hard, right?"

He smiles sweetly. "It was a lot more to it than that, and you know it. But you did make it look easy." he then looks from me to Zeke, "She's like a graceful kitchen ballerina, so efficient and fluid, and obviously talented."

Zeke raises an eyebrow and I laugh before having another bite of my salad. Tobias gives me that flirty grin. "Sorry if that's creepy, you can always tell me to shoo." Zeke tries to hold back a smile, but seems to be a little surprised by Tobias' comment. Then I sense that he seems to watch the two of us a little more closely.

He's not suspecting anything of us since he walked in on Tobias hugging me, right? Surely that wouldn't cross his mind. Either of their minds.

Dinner ends up being somewhat silent, as we devour our food amongst comfortable silence...well, besides the soft playing of Beach House in the background since my phone is still playing on shuffle.

Even though I don't know if we really want to talk about what happened earlier, I feel like we should. At least a little.

"I'm still kind of in shock about Nita's fall. I feel really bad, she seemed to be in a lot of pain," I say, "And-" I begin, but then there's a loud repetitive knock at the door.

I look at the guys and then towards the door. Who is it, I wonder? "I'll peek through the peep hole," I whisper.

With my bare feet, I walk silently towards the front door, and I feel Tobias following me. When I peek through the peep hole, I see it's just Susan.

"Tris, it's me, let me in! Are you home?" she knocks again impatiently.

Tobias must see the relieved look on my face when I realize it's just her, because I see him smile. But I don't answer the door quite yet. I promised the guys a safe place to lay low, and I want to respect that, so I want to see how they feel about me letting her in.

"Sorry," I whisper, leaning close to his ear, "Susan, my best friend. She's harmless, I promise. Do you mind?"

"No, of course not, let her in already." he smiles wider, giving me a reassuring rub on the shoulder, and I bite my lip. As I turn towards the door, my eyes catch Zeke's, and I can tell he caught that gesture too and now he's smirking to himself as he begins cleaning our plates from the table.

I feel my cheeks tinting pink as I reach for the lock, so I end up biting my lip a bit firmer to distract myself. I get the lock undone and reach for the door knob, pulling it open just enough for her to slip in.

"Sorry Susan, come in."

"Oh my gosh, are those pictures for real? They're all over Tumblr." she begins, reaching down to pull off her overly strappy sandals, until she finally turns around to face me. Only to then realize I have Tobias Eaton standing beside me.

A surprised smile takes over her face, "Wow, okay. I wasn't expecting this. Tris, I got your voicemail, but I was halfway through listening to it when my phone died. But I had already seen the pictures, so I just came over to hear the story from you. And to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah, of course," I say with a chuckle, "We weren't in danger or anything. I was just being stupid and climbed a palm tree. And well, Nita tried doing it too, but fell from the top. We still haven't heard if she broke her leg or not."

"That's terrible." Susan says, her voice soft and concerned.

Tobias lets out a little bit of a snort and Susan and my eyes dart to him. He looks like he didn't realize he did that out loud and looks a little sheepish.

"Sorry, that was insensitive. It's just, well, karma can be a bitch." Tobias explains with a shrug Ike it was inevitable. But then his focus suddenly drawn to the small photo on the end table. It's of me, Caleb, Susan, and our friend Monica a few years ago, the day we moved me into this house.

"What do you mean?" Susan asks, looking at him, then me, "What did she do?"

"She's just turned out not to be a very nice person. And she's especially awful towards Tris. The way she treated her and spoke to her today was unacceptable. I wouldn't have wished for her to break her leg if given the choice or whatever, but I can't say a small part of me doesn't feel like maybe she deserved it."

He looks at me and puts his arm around my shoulders and continues, "Tris, I think your friend Susan would agree with me, that you're a very kind and patient person, it's not your style to be an instigator or one to get riled up easily. You're genuinely a good person, and you deserve to be treated with respect."

His honest sounding words make me smile and feel even more admiration and respect for him. My heart his pounding...he really knows how to make a girl feel good about herself.

I don't dare look at Susan, not able to take whatever face she'd surely be giving me right now. I can only imagine the grilling I'm going to get later.

"By the way, nice to meet you." Tobias says, pulling his arm from around me and stretching it out shake Susan's hand. She returns it and I can tell she's getting a little flushed herself. She bounces on her heel little and grins at him.

"Nice to meet you too. We're big fans of yours." Susan says, "Tris here got me hooked to the Underworld movies, didn't you?"

He looks pleased by this, grinning at me proudly.

I let out a small laugh and roll my eyes before finally exiting the foyer of my house, "C'mon, let's not ditch Zeke to hang in the entry all night."

"It smells great in here, did you guys just eat?" Susan asks.

"Yeah, Tris made this killer pasta," Tobias raves, "I don't know if there's any left, but if there is, you should try it."

"I know, she's an amazing cook, right? I always tell her she's got an awesome back-up career." Susan tells him, as if I'm not even here.

"And this is Zeke Pedrad." Tobias introduces his friend as we enter the kitchen where Zeke is currently loading the dishwasher.

"Hey, don't worry about cleaning up." I tell him, but he waves me off, insisting. Tobias helps him finish up, telling me to go sit.

So Susan joins me on the couch and she sits sideways, her knee up on the couch as she faces me, an excited and expectant look on her face. "Spill."

"They wanted to lay low a bit and wait out the traffic, and well, here we are." I tell her simply, but she just smilers wider and gives me a playful shove.

"First of all, they're great. Who knew they'd be so sweet? And second of all, I think maybe Tobias has a thing for you."

"What?!" I laugh, throwing my head back into the cushion. "You're hallucinating."

"Tris, don't worry about it, it's still early, you've barely known him a month. But I just don't want you to be totally oblivious...just trust me, I can even see it in the way he looks at you."

She's nuts.

When the guys return, they bring out the little bit of leftover pasta for Susan, and more wine to share. Tobias sits on my other side, and Zeke takes over the other couch for himself. We sit and talk a bit more, and I'm thankfully Susan is pretty well reserved and doesn't make any more embarrassing insinuations, but she does bombard them with several random questions. They don't' seem bothered by it though, and it's cute how they've reclined back into the deep set couches, letting themselves get more comfortable.

"You look comfortable." Susan chuckles at Zeke.

"This couch is nice, I just keep sinking further and further in." he replies with a grin.

"I know, I think this actually might be better than my couch." Tobias agrees, turning his head to look at me. "Do you want us to go soon? I'm sorry if we're overstaying our welcome." he says, looking at the clock which I saw a moment ago read almost 10pm. "I guess we missed the traffic anyway by now, so you can kick us out anytime."

"No worries, you guys can stay as long as you want. You're always welcome here."

"I was coming over tonight to watch a movie anyway, why don't you stay and join us?" Susan suggests.

"Yeah, it's a Saturday night, why not?" Zeke says.

Tobias' expression silently asks me my opinion. But what does he want? It's not like Zeke consulted him just then, what if he's tired of hanging out here?

"You tired of me yet?" he asks me, and it's then that I notice as our heads are both reclined back onto the cushions of the couch, turned to face each other, and I'm surprised how close our faces actually are to each other. I hadn't realized we were only about 6" apart, until I felt the warmth of his breath brush across my face and the deep timber of his voice sounding closer than expected.

"No way." I reply immediately. For a moment he just smiles and watches me, then he closes his eyes and breaths in deeply, before opening his eyes again. It's as if he's just breathed in fresh sweet smelling air, and he looks suddenly more content.

"Okay, good," he leans forward and gives me a chaste kiss on the cheek, "But I've got to pee. Can I use your bathroom while you pick the movie?"

"Of course, straight down the hall and to the left, you'll see it."

My face is still tingling where he kissed it, and I wonder what spurred him to do that. Is he like this what all his female friends?

Zeke seems oblivious and is already over by my shelf of movies, browsing the collection, pulling out a couple contenders. But again, Susan speaks her opinions clearly.

"Seriously, Tris? You believe me now?"

I ignore her and stand up, "Help Zeke pick a movie, and I'll make some popcorn."


At some point I must fall asleep during the 3 hour movie, as usual, the comfortable couch getting the best of me. Plus, it was just an exhausting day.

I glance at the clock and notice it's almost midnight, and let my eyes drift closed again briefly. But then I realize my head isn't on the pillow or couch cushion... I notice it's rising and falling, and I hear a heartbeat...I guess my head is on a firm chest, and there is a muscular arm around me holding me gently, presumably so I don't slide away and end up sleeping at some weird angle and getting a sore neck.

I open my eyes to see up close of Tobias' t-shirt, with the excellent view of his whole lower half from an unfamiliar perspective.

We're still on the couch, but he's reclined back, his feet crossed and resting on the coffee table. My own bare feet, which are currently quite chilly, are curled up on the couch beside me, seeking the warmth beneath the large throw blanket Susan is curled up beneath from where she lays down on my other side, her head probably still resting on the arm of the couch.

From this new angle on his chest, I'm able to get an up close view of the slight dips and curves his abs made noticeable through his shirt when it's tugged taut like this...and the slight natural bulge of is groin area through his board shorts is mouthwatering. My gosh, I can only imagine what he would look like if he were hard right now.

Embarrassed of these thoughts, especially while in his presence, I glance up to see if he's awake or asleep.

I see he's still watching the movie, although it seems to be almost over and he seems drowsy. He must feel my eyes on him, because he glances down at me. His lips lift in a tired smile, and I feel bad that he still has at least a half-hour drive. Maybe we shouldn't have suggested a movie. But this was so much fun...wait, I can't believe I fell asleep though! And now I'm lying on him!

"Sorry I dozed off." I tell him, and he smiles and shakes his head.

"I don't blame you, I almost did myself. This is so comfortable." he says, and I assume he's referring to my couch, as they were going on about it earlier. But a part of me hopes he could mean that it's comfortable snuggled up with me like this. I know at least for me personally, this is pretty much the most comfortable I have ever been.

Neither of us attempt to move.

But a few minutes later, when the credits are done rolling, the recording stops and it just stays on the menu to delete, save, and so on, the typical DVR screen at the end of a recording. It's then, in the silence of the room, that I notice Zeke is fast asleep over on the other couch, snoring lightly.

Tobias chuckles at this, but then yawns, causing me to yawn too. I again wonder if he's up for to a long drive this late and feel bad for being the cause of it. Plus, Zeke's already passed out...

"Hey, if you want, you guys can just stay here tonight if you don't feel like driving this late. And besides, you've been drinking. I can just bring some pillows and blankets out for Zeke, and you can take my guest bedroom if you'd like. Otherwise, let me at least call you a car to come pick you guys up so you don't have to drive"

"You really wouldn't care if we stayed?"

"No, not at all. And I don't have any plans tomorrow, so sleep in as late as you want."

He smiles and nods, bringing his hand up to move a move a piece of hair out of my face.

"That sounds nice," he says and a few long moments later, while still watching me, he adds, "You're very sweet."

"You're not so bad yourself."

I see a flash of something cross his face at that moment, but unsure of what it meant. I guess maybe it just feels an intimate moment because we're so close and I can feel his warm breath on my face, and the enticing magnetic pull his lips seem to have...it's a good thing I slept off my little wine buzz, or I might just be thoroughly kissing those lips right now. And that would make things much more complicated.

But when I look up to lock eyes with him, it seems maybe he is just as caught up in the moment as me. His eyes are a shade darker, and his eyes are taking in my face, lingering on my mouth more than usual. Is he going to kiss me?!

Just then, the TV has times out from the recorded movie, having waited on that menu for too long, and switches to live television, which makes us jump since the volume is so loud.

I quickly sit up and grab the remote to turn it down, but it doesn't seem to have awoken Zeke or Susan.

"Well, you don't have to go to bed yet. But I'll show you to your room?" I ask.

He follows me down the hall, and I remind him where the bathroom is, pointing out where the towels are in case he decides he wants a shower. Then I take him to the guest bedroom, which I have decorated fairly simple...a white bed and some throw pillows and s wide knit blanket, a cute decorative rug, and...not much else yet. It's a bit plain, but still cute and welcoming.

"Here it is," I say, gesturing to the spare room, "the sheets are clean, make yourself at home. If you need anything, my room is right there." I say, pointing across the hall to the master bedroom.

He smiles with gratitude, "You're the best."

I leave him alone then, and go brush my teeth and get into my pajamas. I hear him using the other bathroom, I even hear the shower turn on. But just minutes later, he's done and I hear the guest bedroom door click closed again.

Almost forgetting, I hop back up off the edge of my bed, and go grab pillows and blankets to bring to my other two friends still asleep in the family room. But while I'm out there, I hear a buzz and notice Tobias left his phone wedged between the couch cushions where we were sitting, and it's lighting up with apparently another unread text or call. So I grab it (without snooping), and go knock on his door to give it to him.

"Tobias?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, I was just bringing you your phone." I say, gently turning the doorknob. But then realizing I don't even know if he's decent and I shouldn't' be barging in, I pause and ask, "Wait, is it okay if I come in?"

He chuckles, "Sure, I'm already in bed."

With that, I open the door and let myself in, and I find he's laying back in bed, the covers pulled up to his bellybutton. He's got his shirt off, and the sight is like a spark straight to my clitoris and I catch myself clamping my legs together. Then my eyes are briefly drawn to the floor next to the bed where his board shorts lay next to his shirt.

Fuck, is he naked in that bed right now?

Unless he brought a change of clothes I didn't see before? I was going to offer him something else to wear, but knew I had nothing that would ever fit him, except maybe my big bathrobe. But that just seemed silly to offer. And even then, it would probably be too small on him.

"Um," I swallow, suddenly aware of my hardening nipples straining against my white tank top, and the fact that my little shorts don't cover much more than my bathing suit did earlier. Real subtle, Tris. Where's the bathrobe now? "Here, your phone was stuck in my couch."

I step closer and hand it to him. He takes it gratefully, but sets it on the floor beside his clothes and looks back at me, reaching for my hand. He pulls me closer and looks up at me from where I stand beside the bed, "Thank you again, for everything." he kisses the top of my hand then, and offers me a smile.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I giggle, unsure of what to think about his staring me down unblinkingly.

"I'm trying to be a gentleman and not look down," he explains with a chuckle of his own, but he keeps his eyes steady on mine, "You have very nice legs, and those shorts are quite short. Not to mention, your tits are perfect and your shirt is see-through."

I immediately cross my arms over my chest and laugh, "Tobias!"

"Sorry, I don't mean to weird you out, just being honest. Take that as a compliment from one friend to another." he grins.

I am pretty much speechless, so I just roll my eyes and keep my arms shielding my body. Why haven't I left the room yet?

"Well, thanks for the ego boost." I finally manage to reply with an amused tone, backing up to leave the room, "I shall leave you to your rest."

"Goodnight, Tris."

"Goodnight, Tobias."

Once I'm back in my bed, my chest is heaving and my mind is reeling. He's obviously had a little too much wine.

Nonetheless, between that, and the whole Nita ordeal and the future of this movie being in temporary limbo, my mind won't slow down and I can't seem to fall asleep.

That is, until I concentrate and close my eyes to re-play in my mind the way he looked at me and what he said. Before I know it, my hand has made its way down beneath my shorts, helping me find the release I need to finally relax and calm myself enough to get a few hours of sleep.

Thankfully with having roommates up until a couple of years ago, I've mastered being quiet. But still, that was proven more difficult than usual, as this was a much better orgasm than I've had before.


When Monday rolls around, I'm a bit more stressed. Not only do I still feel bad for Nita (making me feel guiltier), since it turns out she did indeed break her leg, but those pictures unfortunately continued to make themselves more known online, and therefore creating a whole array of stories and hype. On top of that...my mind has been reeling...what if Nita can't do the movie now? What if they cast someone much different than me and therefore I'd be cut from the film? Surely they wouldn't want to train two new people instead of just one, right? So they'd likely try to cast someone similar to Nita. But what if that's not the case?

It won't be long until I'm sure to find out my fate if I still have a job or not. I got a call from Amar, telling me training has been cancelled today, and that he wanted me to attend a meeting with him and the Producers in one hour instead.

Not knowing what to expect, especially since it's at their offices, not the training center, I get dressed somewhat nicely in a longer navy blue skirt and a white blouse. But I bring my fitness wear in a bag in the car just in case.

When I arrive, I'm sent up the elevator to the top floor, which leads to what appears to be a large fancy meeting room. I'm let in through the glass door, and I'm surprised to see everyone who's sat at the large oval table. I'm introduced to them all, even though I recognize all six of them. On the right side of the table, are procedures Tori Wu, David Anderson and Jeanine Matthews, and on the left, Amar, Tobias, and George Wu, the writer and director of "Four".

"Thanks for coming in." George says.

"Yes, we appreciate your quick response," Jeanine chimes in, "Please have a seat." she says, gesturing specifically to the empty chair beside Tobias.

Shit, did they find out he stayed at my house? Is that not allowed? It's not like we did anything...

Tori smiles kindly at me and it puts me slightly at ease, although I'm really kind of freaking out as to what's happening right now.

Surely I can't be in trouble. But why am I specifically here with this group of people? Do they want my opinion? Surely they wouldn't fire me in a group setting like this. Or is this just to keep me up to date on the situation?

Under the table, I feel a squeeze to my hand that I have gripping the seat of my chair. I glance over at Tobias, my nervous eyes meeting his for the first time, "Relax." he says under his breath for only me to hear, with that comforting smile that seems to steady me so well.

"As you know, Nita Paolos was unfortunately injured this weekend, breaking her femur in a beach accident. Thus, putting her in a body cast and pulling her from any work for the next 6 months, minimum." David says, watching me closely.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, I feel terrible. Honestly, I feel partially responsible-" I begin, but Tori puts her hand up to stop me.

"No need to explain, we heard all the details from Zeke and Tobias, you're not to blame for her poor behavior. However, this has unfortunately put us in a bit of an unexpected situation. Which is why we called you in."

"Me?"

"Yes, Tris. You see, we're confident in your abilities. Not only with your stunt work, but with your acting skills. We see how excellent you are at your job, and don't see why you don't expand your repertoire a bit." George explains, and he smiles kindly at me with a bit of amusement behind it. "We also see how you have some undeniable chemistry with our lead guy here." He puts his hand on Tobias' shoulder and looks over to the producers on the other side of the table, "Right guys?"

Wait, what?!

Tori especially smiles and nods in agreement, as does David, but Jeanine's smile looks a little more forced.

"What are you saying exactly?"

"We need a replacement." David says.

"Immediately. We start filming in the next two weeks." George adds.

"You're better than our back-up options." Tori explains.

"And everyone seems to think you're ready for such a part." Jeanine comments before giving me a challenging look as she sips her glass of seltzer water.

I'm so bombarded by all of their words and I feel my mouth opening and closing like a fish, until I look to Tobias for help.

He has a proud and almost hopeful looking smile on his face. "They're offering you the role Tris. They want you to play Harper."


A/N-

Predictable? Not predictable? Ha! Either way, hoped you liked it! We still have lots more of this story to come!

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