Tris POV

Caleb sits next to me on the couch in my apartment. I haven't done much in the past few days, but he has stayed with me. I think he's worried about me. I don't blame him. He passes me the bag of mini muffins we're sharing and I pop one into my mouth.

Out of instinct, I turn on my phone to see if I have any texts. Except for a few from Christina, my messages are empty. I'm not surprised Tobias hasn't contacted me since the hospital. He probably thinks I'm a freak. Maybe it's for the better; I'm not sure I can ever face him again.

Caleb gently pushes the hand gripping my phone back down into the couch. "Beatrice. You can't keep worrying about stuff like that," he tells me. I pull my hand out of his grasp.

"I want to go out," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow, and I nod. "It's time. I'm fine. I'm fine."

Twenty minutes later, I send Caleb out the door and head to a coffee shop to work on the news article Eric is expecting. What do I have to say about Tobias Eaton? I have nothing to say. Well, nothing that I want Eric to hear.

I order a chai latte and flip my laptop open on a table. My wallpaper picture is of me and Caleb during our cousin's wedding, where we're all dressed up. I'm in the front, and he's balancing a piece of wedding cake on the top of my head. It makes me crack a smile.

While waiting for the premiere of his movie Night Watchmen, Tobias Eaton is staying in Chicago. He has been seen taking morning runs around the city, as well as eating at smaller local businesses.

I stop typing and pick up my drink order. The whole article feels wrong. What can I say about him, without exploiting myself? If Eric knew the truth, I would be fired. Or worse.

I delete everything I've written and take a sip of my tea. It's too hot, and I let it gather in the space under my tongue as I open my mouth to try to cool it off. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and pull it out.

It's a text. From not Caleb, not Christina. Tobias Eaton.

dinner tonight?

My breath hitches in my throat, and before I realize it, in grinning like an idiot. I read the text a few times over, my heart beating faster the longer I stare at the two small words. My fingers fly across the keyboard, typing a response.

sure. where?

I wince at the two question marks. It's a thing I like to do, because so many people use either one or three. Maybe it looks stupid.

While I wait for his reply, I bite my lip and look at my computer screen. The document is completely empty. I don't know what I'm going to have for Eric, but I need to come up with something quickly.

I tap the "Q" key, watching the letter repeat over and over. It's what I used to do in middle school when I couldn't think of things to write. The letter skips to the next line and keeps going.

My phone buzzes and I pull it in front of the laptop.

felipe okay with you?

I almost laugh, but tell him I'll be there. Felipe. Not exactly my favorite, but it's perfectly fine.

I pack up my computer and finish the rest of my drink. It's a rare sunny day, and the rays illuminate my hair as I walk under the elevated tracks. The L rattles above, filling the street with comforting familiar noise.

A quick right takes me into a pharmacy, where I've finally remembered to go after needing more dish soap for two weeks. I stroll the options, finally picking the cheapest one that doesn't smell terrible.

There's a few people in front of me in line, so my eyes immediately roam over the colorful packages of gum and candy bars that line the front desk. Then there's the tabloids; something there about famous models, and what this scandal did, and someone going to jail, and -

Shauna and Tobias have had their last fight! And insider on the final straw that pushed her over the edge.

He didn't tell me about that.

Then again, why would he?

I buy the dish soap and hurry home. Christina lays on the couch when I get there, eating cheese crackers. "Your buddy's single again," she says, glancing up from the magazine I saw.

"So I heard," I say, sitting next to her on the couch and pulling the box if cheese crackers into my lap.

"Tris." Christina says, sounding almost awed. She flips the magazine so it faces me and I see a very blurry picture of Tobias sitting in a cafe window with a girl with short blond hair.

Me.

Tobias POV

The inside of my head is pounding. I sit alone in my hotel room and try to wish the hangover away. It doesn't go, of course. It persists, and I groan.

I invited her to dinner at the restaurant where I saw her for the second time. I can't go like this...Maybe I should eat something, drink something. It might help.

Begrudgingly, I get up and leave the room. When I reach the lobby, Nita brightens up and trots over. "Hi, Tobias." Her voice sounds like she's smiling. She wraps her hand around my arm. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Hangover," I tell her. Nita leads me into the lounge and sits me in my regular chair. She leaves, and when she comes back she has a tall glass of orange juice and a muffin.

"These are leftovers from breakfast. And I've closed the lounge." She smiles and hands me the glass of juice, setting the muffin a small table next to me. Nita pulls up a chair in front of mine and seats herself.

I take a long sip of the juice, and after the glass is empty, I feel significantly better. "Thanks," I tell her.

She smiles sweetly at me. "I'm glad we met each other." She reaches out her hand and takes mine. "You're my favorite actor, you know."

I half smile and take a bite of the muffin. Nita gets up and squeezes onto my chair next to me. I tense up. "I have to go, though."

The smile falls from Nita's face. "Why?"

"I have a...work dinner to attend." I stand up and brush my hands off on the front of my pants.

Nita pouts and plants a kiss on my cheek, just next to my ear. "Okay," she says, and leaves the Lounge. I watch after her, and feel a weird guilt even though technically I've done nothing wrong.

I make my way back up to my room and brush my teeth. All of the choices of nice clothes seem daunting, so I go with a simple pair of black slacks and a blue button up. I'm going to see Tris soon, I know, and I finally feel energized.

When I reach Felipe, my hangover lurks in the back of my head but it is easier to ignore now. I don't think she's here yet; the host takes me to a table near the back, and I wait.

I sip my glass of water and wait for Tris. I don't know why I feel this way, this strange blend of excitement and anxiety, but it's enough to make me stare at the doors and wait for a blond head to come through them.

Eventually, she does. Tris is there, and I feel the smile spreading across my face as she comes over to my table. She sits in the seat across from mine and mimics me, a small smile of her own making an appearance.

"Hi," I say, wishing I had a better thing to say.

"Hi," she repeats.

We both start laughing, and it feels good, filling some of the empty space within me. Tris looks alive, and much better than when I last saw her. The waiter comes back, and I order a glass of red wine. Tris sticks with water.

"Your premiere is soon," Tris says, sipping her water.

I nod. "Yeah. It's been a lot of work."

Tris smiles at me. "But it is really exciting. And I'm also really excited to see the movie. I mean...I've seen the trailers." She looks down into her glass.

I stare at Tris, taking in her stubborn set lips, her small nose, her large blue eyes. I think about everything she is; kind and curious, stubborn and intelligent, everything that makes up her person. I think about how I should phrase the words I'm about to say, and think hard so I don't mess it up.

"Tris..." She tilts her head slightly to the right, and I continue. "I want you to come to the premiere with me. As my date."

Wowowow. I have not updated in literally eight years. Okay. Not that long. But it feels like it.

I just didn't know how to do this chapter well, so I had super low muse, and it's a shorter chapter. I tried my best. It's not the highest quality chapter ever, either, but I promise I will have another one coming soon.

Anyway, school started and I have less time to write, but I will in between homework assignments and clubs and whatnot. But I love you guys and I want you all to know that you're amazing c: