I want to thank you all for sticking through this and giving this story more love that I could ever imagine. This chapter will conclude Hey Bartender. If I have ideas for it in the future I'll do a sequel but for now it's drawing to a close. As always I don't own the Divergent trilogy or the characters.
Eric was sitting in his office at the bar working on a stuck of paper work which had been building since before his birthday which had been a week or so ago. Everyone had realized he was incredibly distracted as of late and the reason for that was simple, Tris. The pen tapped against the mountain of papers he needed to read and sign off on or file away since they were invoices. Steely blue eyes looked up in a narrowed gaze as the office door opened without a knock or any civil or respectful way of asking for entrance.
The scowl on his face immediately turned into a wide grin as he saw the older man standing there, "Who do I have to screw to get a drink in this place?"
Chuckling Eric pushed himself up from his chair as he shook his head at the man, "No me that's for sure Harrison, I don't swing that way." The older man pulling him into a paternal hug and clapped him on the back leaning him out towards the main bar.
"Hear you got this place some interesting publicity. Now that's a story I want to hear." Taking a seat at the bar Harrison barely waited for the bar tender to take notice before ordering, "Well whiskey, double, three ice cubes." His focus once more returned to Eric awaiting what he seemed to hope to be a good story.
"Alright old man but only because my life is sadly your only source of entertainment." He watched as Harrison looked around taking the place in and probably seeing it in his mind's eye how it had been before he sold it to Eric. "So there was this girl. I know you say all the good stories start with a girl. She came in every week, same day, some time. I got pretty used to seeing her but you know me I'm more focused on my business than women but let me tell you this was sexy woman."
Harrison nodded along as his drink was placed on the bar beside him. "And I me I notice her because there's no way not too. We talk every time she comes in, I flirt a little and give her a hard time, I like the strange friendship we're building. So one day she comes in and she's not alone anymore." He watches as Harrison hangs on his every word wincing in sympathy, "Real banker looking type. I make peace with my missed opportunity you know. She'd been coming in for months after all I had all the chances in the world. I tried to be supportive of the incredible jackass she decided to date but he seriously pissed me off, real control type, didn't like when she actually talked to me because god forbid I make her laugh."
Harrison raised his hand to cut Eric off for a moment, "I'm sorry you know how to be funny and can make people laugh? That I've got to see kid." There was a smirk on the older man's face as he brought the glass up to his lips.
"Alright stop questioning the validity of my humor that's not the point of the story old man." Harrison pretended to be taken aback as he chuckled before taking a healthy gulp from his glass. "Anyway, they came in one night and he ordered for her, not her usual beer and she looked so uncomfortable so I questioned her about it. He got pissed that I dared to talk to her like she was his possession or something. You know Harrison I don't have any patience for dumbasses. To keep a fight from starting she pulled him off to the side to talk, they had a verbal fight and she came back over to the bar."
"Oh I bet the asshole was just thrilled about that. You're such a people person after all Eric." Harrison said with a snort and Eric rolled his eyes before narrowing them on the man, "Alright, alright I'm stop interrupting."
"Seriously old man, you ask to hear a story and then keep cutting me off." His tone was joking of course since that was just how Harrison was. "So the asshole follows her over and starts yelling," Harrison's expression darkened, he knew Eric didn't play that game, you didn't yell or lay a hand on a woman to inflict unwanted pain. "He grabbed her arm and she was in pain trying to pull her arm away. A decked him, he let her go and tried to come at me so I pushed him off the bar. He didn't even fill a police report fucking dumbass. So I shit you not the same damn night the same girl gets slipped a ruffie and I end up slamming two guys heads into one another and getting the cops to take them away."
Motioning for a glass of water he continues his tale and as he vocalizes it he realizes how crazy the circumstances are that lead to he and Tris being a couple. "I take her back to my place for her to sleep it off for the night. She was so wasted and testing my control but I was a good guy, make her breakfast and took her home in the morning. Asshole was waiting for us and she told him the hell off and it was a major turn on. Anyway we got pretty close after that, she came to see me here and things got…heavy. So I've got this girl pinned against the wall right? We're still clothed I want to take it farther. Asshole and his lawyer come in and serve me papers saying they're taking me to court for assault and physical and mental pain and suffering. I only hit the guy once if I really wanted to hurt him we both know I could have."
Harrison needed intently listening to the story. "So he takes me to court, he tells his bullshit version of the truth, I tell my side of what happens which is of course totally different. So the judge calls Tris up, that's the woman this whole thing centers around, she of course backs my story because it's the truth. My counter suit went through and he owes me a shit ton of money. I got the girl and I won the case. It all boils down to a happy ending."
Tossing the rest of his whiskey back Harrison chewed on the ice seeming to be lost in thought for a moment. "Kid that better not be the end of the story. You fought hard for her, you seem…dare I say in love. I think maybe you should stop wasting important time before you once again find that you've missed an opportunity. You've spent a long time focusing on your and this place but you tend to find in time that somethings are more important."
Harrison had always been like that wise father figure that always seemed to know what to say. Eric was silent for a moment as he thought on what Harrison had said. Eric had lost his chance at Tris for a time because he was too slow to action and too stupid to see what was in front of him and what he wanted. He thought of Tris' parents and how they had met here and he thought of how he didn't want to lose her again, he liked the person he was with her in his life. "Sometimes you're too smart for your own good old man. Enjoy what you want one the house, I've got an errand to run. Stick around though Tris should be here in another hour and I think you'll like her."
Harrison smirked and nodded in agreement, "Free food and booze, what's worth leaving over?" Patting the man on the back he left went back to the office and grabbed his keys and cell phone before heading out to his Jeep. Jumping in he headed to a small jewelry store, Tris didn't wear any visible jewelry but he figured if he was going to do this he was going to do it right.
Of course as he walked in the store he knew he wasn't going to be able to find anything that said Tris and that's when he got a different idea and turned right around and walked out. He swore he could hear the sales associate let out a sigh of relief at his departure. Getting back into the Jeep he headed to a funky little jewelry and dress shop. The owner was a frequent visitor to the bar and he was sure she could help him out. "What can I do for you Eric?" Lynn asked as he walked in.
"I need a ring, the engagement sort of ring." He watched the other woman's eye sparkle, "This is going to sound crazy and weird but do you have anything with birds? Ravens mainly."
A huge grin spread over her face which surprised Eric his steely eyes widening slightly in question, "I swear I've been waiting for you or something. Come with me." He followed her into the back area and she opened a draw on her work table. "I just finished this last night and I think it might be what you're looking for." Opening the small jewelry box she showed him a ring, the diamond setting being held by intertwined ravens, the gold either some he'd never seen or brushed over with something to make it appear a metallic black.
"How much do you want for it?" He asked as he carefully pulled it from the box, it looked like it would more than likely fit Tris and if it didn't he was sure Lynn could find a way to help with that.
"It's a nine hundred dollar ring." He opened his mouth and she held her hand up, "However I'll drop it down to seven hundred and fifty but only for you."
A huge grin spread across his face, "I need this ring Lynn." He pulled his wallet from his back pocket as they headed towards the front. Besides due to a very nice sized settlement from Tobias Eaton he wasn't too worried about the cost of the ring. Charging it to his charge she handed him the ring box.
"Good luck Eric." She said before he left.
Luck had nothing to do with tonight. It wasn't luck that would decide Tris' answer to him it was her heart and he felt a strange nervousness building in the pit of his stomach as he slid the box into his front pocket. Checking the time he knew Tris would be at the bar soon and be wondering where he was if he didn't get there first. But if he was going to do this right there was one more stop he needed to make.
Parking in front of the local food bank that Tris' father worked at he headed inside, "Andrew Prior?" He asked one of the first people he came across and they pointed back towards a hall of offices, "Thanks." Most kept a close eye on him as he made his way towards the offices, this was something he was used to. Large muscles, tattoos, piercings and a 'fuck off' attitude tended to have that affect on people.
Reaching the door with the name plate 'Andrew Prior' on the wall beside the door he tapped his knuckles against the doorframe. Andrew looked up and their grace met, the older man nodded in some form of understanding before motioning to the chair in front of him. "I guess this day came a little sooner than I expected. Though I'd like to hear it from you Eric."
Nervousness set in, regardless of what he father said he was going to ask Tris to marry him but he knew it would mean a lot to her if her father gave them his blessing. "Mr. Prior," His voice was steady and he looked the other man right in the eyes and was surprised when he didn't flinch as most seemed to do around Eric. "I love your daughter, you know that, you've seen it. I may not look the part of the successful husband type but I am successful and I've spent a lot of time to get myself to that point. However degrees, money, a business none of it means anything if I lose Tris. I lost her once to Tobias because I couldn't man up. I'm not willing to make that mistake again. Mr. Prior, I'd like to ask of your daughter's hand and if I had your blessing I know that would mean a lot to your daughter."
Mr. Prior sat there quietly for a moment before leaning his elbows forward on the desk as he looked Eric over. "Son, of all the men I could imagine Tris dating you would have never come to mind. She got over men like you in her teens. But she doesn't see you for what's outside but what's inside. You where there for here when she needed an out, she needed help and she was too afraid of admitting it but you saw and you stepped in. I will always be grateful to you for that and I respect you for it. If you had come to me before your birthday and asked this of me I would have told you no." Mr. Prior paused and Eric stiffened, "No father wants to think of their daughter with a man who looks like you Eric. And then I met you and I saw how she was around you, she was bright and vibrant, she's happy and that's all I will ever want for her. Eric, you can ask my little girl to marry you but she will always be my little girl and I can promise you that tattoos, piercings and muscle don't intimidate me and if you hurt her you won't have time to regret it."
Eric sat stunned for a moment having been sure that he was going to have to win the man over but it seemed that either Tris or her mother had gotten the man to see that Eric was more than his appearance. "Thank you very much Sir." Reaching out he shook the man's hand before he ran to his Jeep and looked at the time which was quickly ticking by.
Pulling into the lot he headed back into the building as if he had never left resuming his seat next to Harrison. "You get your errand done?" Chuckling Eric nodded he head.
"Not that you'll get to see it old man but yeah I did." The door opened and Tris came in with a bright smile on her lips which only seemed to grow as she spotted him.
"Go glad to be done with today." Leaning over she kissed him before smiling at Harrison, "Hi I'm Tris." She said offering the man her hand and Eric grinned in pride.
"My, you are lovely. So this is the face that launched a law suit huh?" Tris blushed and Eric groaned as he shoulder Harrison. "I'm Harrison, I used to own this place once upon a time when Eric was nothing more than a bar tender trying to make his way through college."
"Oh I'm sure you've got a lot of embarrassing stories then." Tris said with a grin as she hopped up on the bottom rung on the bar stool and sat herself on Eric's lap.
"That he does which is why he's no longer invited to eat dinner with us. Good bye old man." Eric joked as Harrison rolled his eyes and Tris shoved at his shoulder whispering for him to be nice. "If I were nice Harrison here might die of a heartattack from shock, can't have that can we?" They grabbed a table and pretty soon Harrison was telling every embarrassing story about Eric that he could think of. And Eric would be the first to admit there were a lot and luckily most who worked here now hadn't been around for them since they probably would have had a hard time taking him seriously.
A few hours later Harrison was excusing himself. "This old man has had more than enough excitement for one day. Tris it was lovely to meet you and I hope to be seeing more of you." His eyes moved over to Eric with a cryptic smirk, "And Eric it's always a pleasure to pass on an old man's advice, I'll be seeing you soon I'm sure."
Eric leaned back against the booth with Tris leaning against him, "You want to get out of here for a bit?" He asked her and she nodded with a soft smile on her lips. "River walk?" He asked watching that smile grow ten fold like an excited child.
"Yes! Now get your ass up I want to go!" Chuckling at his demanding girlfriend he moved out of the booth which gave her the freedom that she wanted. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder she wrapped hers around his waist and slide her hand into his left front pocket and he was glad the ring was in the right pocket.
Neither had particularly given much thought to the weather and part way through their walk to the river walk the sky gave out and fell. Tris squealed and Eric groaned annoyed as they ran for the closest cover which was that of some expensive hotel. "Well there goes that plan." Shaking his head water flew everywhere. They waited for a few minutes but the rain wasn't letting up so they kept to the side of buildings and tried to stay under cover. Reaching a convenient store they headed in and bought two umbrellas.
"Can we still at least walk by the river?" Tris asked as she looked up at him with those eyes that he couldn't say no to.
"Yeah we can do that." He wrapped an arm around her once more and held the umbrella with his other hand. The walk really wasn't that bad and neither was the rain, it was kind of nice actually. When they reached the river Tris leaned against the railing and Eric closed his umbrella but she was so focused on the view she didn't even notice. Dropping to one knee he could see others slow their stride to watch what was about to take place and he hated the audience since he would rather not have one.
Pulling the box from his pocket he opened it and cleared his throat. "Tris," He said gaining her attention, she immediately looked behind her and then frowned before glancing down and he watched her breath catch. "I'm made a lot of mistakes in my life and I've done a lot of good. The stupidest thing I did was waste time that we could have spent together. I can't change that now but I don't want to waste any more time, I don't want to regret the actions I didn't take. Tris Prior, I can't lose you again, will you marry me?" The rain was soaking him but he didn't care.
"Yes. God yes, Eric Coulter I marry you!" Eric grabbed her left hand and slide the ring onto her ring finger surprised at how well it fit. Standing he wrapped his arms around her waist and straightened his back lifting her off her feet and spinning her around in the rain causing her to laugh hysterically as she held tightly to him.
"I love you Tris Prior and I swear to you I will never stop fighting for you and being the man that you need."
The End