A/N: Well, this one has got to be the fluffiest chapter I've ever written so far. At first I wasn't really sure where I was going with this and it frustrated me to no end, but then as I let go and let the characters take over the story, I ended up liking it. If I and my beta missed a couple of mistakes in this chapter, please forgive us. I wrote most of this on my phone using Google Docs since I've been sick for a week. I've only checked it on a computer today. As usual, thank you very much for your continued support - for the follows and favorites and, especially, the reviews. A couple of you gave me the idea of having Tobias be jealous. I think it was melC92 and mockingjay35. Hopefully, this chapter satisfies it. Also, big thank you to bankhead56. Your messages encouraged me a great deal.
Alright, that's it. Here's chapter 9.
The smell of garlic, oregano and basil fill the kitchen as both Tris and Christina busy themselves preparing dinner. The sauce and meatballs for the spaghetti dish are both ready. Chris' spiced pumpkin pie is in the oven. The rest can be done later once everyone's back. They still have a couple more hours anyway before Tobias and Maggie arrive with Uriah from the airport.
"Well, go to a drug store or something," Christina talks into the phone, one hand on her hip. She pauses for a while letting the other person on the line answer back, when she speaks again her voice is more irritated. "William, it's in the list. Check it, okay? I'll see you later. Bye."
"What's the matter?" Tris asks as she wraps the leftover cheese from the meatballs. She'll be using it again for the tricolore salad she'll make later.
"He forgot to get those mosquito bracelets," her best friend replies before opening the fridge to get the melon balls she prepared earlier. She starts wrapping them with prosciutto. "I've already listed down all the things he needed to get so he won't forget anything and yet he still he does. Kinda' makes me wish we had Tobias go pick up the groceries instead of Will," Christina finishes with a huff which makes Tris laugh.
"Be easy on him Chris. Besides, if Tobias went to the grocery instead of Will, Maggie will also want to go and that'll take a lot more time. You know how Maggie is. We'll end up with more snacks than real food." Leaning against the counter, Tris waits for Christina to say something. It's been almost four weeks since she introduced Tobias to Maggie as her father. Her best friend wasn't necessarily thrilled with that decision but she still supported her, something which meant a lot to her.
"Well, yeah, I guess," Christina shrugs then smiles. "He's spoiling Maggie even more, isn't he?"
"So much," Tris chuckles, "I think I'm the only one who doesn't give into her demands all the time. See those jars of cookie butter?" She points at the table where Tobias had left them. "Maggie told him we ran out of the stuff, and when he came in today, he had those and a tub of double chocolate ice cream." And a bouquet of flowers, she leaves out. Tris hopes Christina doesn't see them.
"Yeah, I've noticed," her best friend says with a smirk. "Three jars of cookie butter, red tulips and blue irises." Immediately, Tris feels heat rushing to her cheeks. She attempts to hide it but Christina's eyes are quicker than her hands. "Look at you, you're blushing. It's so cute," the other girl teases. "And you have been smiling a whole lot whenever you talk about him."
"I have been?" she asks becoming more conscious by the minute.
"Yes, you've been. It's adorable." Christina continues working on preparing their appetizer.
"I guess I'm just happy that things are working out fine with him and Maggie."
"Sure seems so, but I can't really add more to that because you haven't told me much. I'm hurt, Tris. I'm your best friend. I should know everything that's going on with you. I am the president of your fan club, you know? The Tris-Prior-will-love-again Club." Christina pouts, feigning betrayal.
"Oh, god," Tris rolls her eyes, "you come up with the silliest ideas just to make me talk." Christina just looks at her, lips curled up in a triumphant grin. She shakes her head and laughs lightly at her friend's expectant expression. Christina won't let her get out of this, especially now that she has finally cornered her. "Alright, what do you want to know?"
"Why not start by telling me 'bout how things are between you and Tobias?"
Tris hurls out a sigh. Even though she expected this from her best friend, it's still hard a hard question. She used to know her answer, but now she isn't so sure anymore.
She and Tobias have been spending a lot of time together the past few weeks. Maggie wanted to be with her father almost every single day, probably more than she wanted to be with her. Tris supposes it should make her jealous but she isn't and she can't. She understands that her child wants to know her other parent more, and she's only grateful that Tobias is more than willing to give their daughter all the time she wanted. She doesn't even have to make demands. He drops by often after he's through with work on weekdays and on weekends they either go out or stay in.
That time spent together could be tricky though, and as days go by, Tris finds the lines she carefully drew between them get blurrier. It would be easy to fall back into him. He's still her Tobias, and he could still make her smile and laugh without even trying too hard. But doing so will also put Margaret's happiness on the line, and when it comes down to it, Tris wouldn't risk it. She can't be that selfish.
"We're fine, I mean in terms of being parents to our child. We're both doing our best for Maggie. Tobias is very good with her, and I appreciate everything he does for our daughter."
"And?"
"I don't know what else you want to hear Christina. We're friends, I guess. There's really nothing much to tell."
"I think you meant two people with a whole lot of history," the other girl exhales loudly, clearly exasperated with her. "And I don't think it's so much as there is nothing to tell. I think you just don't want to tell me."
"Chris, please."
"C'mon Tris, I know you and I know when you're not telling me something. The last five years had been hard for you. I've been there, seen it. It's like a bulb has flickered out of you when Tobias left. Yeah, you've put up a pretty solid face, did what you had to do, but I know you've never moved on from him. You love him too much."
"I tried to, Chris. You must also know that."
"Yes, you did. But you only went out with a couple of guys and had one other boyfriend which doesn't really count as much because it's Robert. He knew right from the start that he's only a rebound. That didn't even last two months."
Tris knows that everything Christina said is true. Hell, she even feels guilty about Robert. Still, she doesn't need to hear this right now as confused as she already is. It's a tug-of-war, what she feels for Tobias, her logic and desires are the two opposing sides and she's the rope.
"It isn't that easy, Christina," Tris pinches her nose, a mannerism she has picked up from Tobias when they were still together. "The moment guys hear about me having a kid they either run as far as away as they can, or can't wait to get me to bed thinking that I'm an easy lay."
"Well, those guys are jerks. I'd gladly chase them away with a baseball bat for you. Not that you need me to. You're pretty much capable of doing that on your own," her best friend smirks probably remembering that guy who followed them home. Christina pepper sprayed him in the eyes before Tris kicked him in the shins for good measure. They called the police to the scene to make sure he doesn't bother them anymore. A short laugh escapes her at the memory.
"I could say the same thing about you," she tells Chris.
"Ugh," the other girl groans, "I don't want that to ever happen to either one of us again. Anyway, what was I trying to say is, Tris, there are thousands of jerks out there but there are still a few good ones. Some of the guys you went out with actually were nice. You just didn't give yourself enough chance with them." Her best friend pauses for a second, turning to look at her before she continues speaking. "Tris, you may not want to admit this to yourself but you always make comparisons. Whenever a guy tries to go out with you, you always compare them to Tobias, and no one has ever measured up. Frankly, I don't think anyone will, at least for you."
"What exactly are you getting at, Christina?" Tris shakes her head. "I can't understand you. How did you go from telling me that talking to Tobias is a bad idea to pushing me back to him?"
Christina furrows her brows at her before popping a melon ball into her mouth. "I didn't say talking to him is a bad idea period. I mean, come on, I've always bugged you 'bout how you'd eventually have to see him again with him being Maggie's dad and all. I only meant that at that time I thought it wasn't such a great idea for you to see him. You were stressing out, Tris, remember? You weren't really thinking clearly. And I'm not pushing you back to him," she ends with a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Tris bites her lips nervously. She just want this conversation to end, for Christina to stop being nosy and let her figure out how to deal with whatever she's feeling on her own in her own time and terms.
"Nothing," Chris smiles. "Well, actually, I've been rooting for you and Uriah since day one. Too bad his little crush on you has faded. Oh god, I still remember when we were in fifth grade he used to follow you around with this lost puppy dog eyes and he'd do anything you say." The two of them start laughing, and the uncomfortable feeling at the pit of Tris' stomach begins to dissolve.
"Uriah's like a brother," she says, swiping moisture away from her right eye. "And, hey, if I recall correctly, he also had a thing for you. The two of you even went out for a while."
"Shut up!" Christina widens her eyes at her. "It was only one date. That doesn't count as going out in my book." Tris laughs even more. "Stop it, Tris! It's Uriah. It's hard to take him seriously."
"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know."
"Anyway, going back to what we were talking about. Tris, I want to see you happy. I really don't care who it is with. If it's with Tobias again, I'll be fine with that. If it's with some other guy, then I'll also support you. Heck, I'll even stand behind you if ever you decide that you're good with just you and Maggie. You'll always have me around. But I wish you'd stop being too careful, and start living, really live. You've put up walls around you, Tris, and it's trapping you in."
"Chris, it's—"
"Not easy, I know." Christina playfully rolls her eyes. "I'm not telling you run and kiss your baby daddy the moment he steps inside your front door. I get it. Both of you still have a lot of issues you need to settle before you can move on with or from one another. Tris, what I'm saying is let yourself feel whatever your heart is telling you to feel, open up a little, that's all."
"Alright, point taken." Tris smiles and nods taking in her best friend's words. "Thank you for always being the best friend I need even during times when I'm being a difficult."
"Well, someone has to knock some sense into you," Christina laughs. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing for me. Anyway, there is something I need to tell you, too."
"What is it?"
"Well, I was cleaning our apartment the other day and…" her best friend pauses and bites her lower lip suddenly looking nervous. It's an unusual look on her. Christina rarely gets nervous. "I…I found a ring, like ring-inside-velvet-box kind of ring."
"Where'd you find it?" Tris works on keeping her expression as hard to read as she can. This she knew about already. Will has been planning to propose for months now and Tris helped him pick out Christina's ring. She thought it was sweet of him to loop her in on his plans, so naturally she doesn't want to blow up his surprise.
Christina stands up and gets a platter from the cupboard. "Inside one of his jackets." Tris doesn't miss the way the other girl wrings her hands. This, obviously, has been on her mind long enough to bother her. "I meant, inside the pocket of one of his jackets."
"I understood you the first time. No need for specificity." Tris laughs. Christina eventually joins in.
"Yeah, this is just making me nervous, you know?" The tall girl walks toward the table and sits back down on her chair. "Did he tell you anything 'bout it?"
"Nope," she lies. Tris keeps her arms firmly in place at her sides to make sure she doesn't do anything to make Christina suspicious. She swears, sometimes her best friend's better than a lie detector machine. "What did you do to it?"
"Put it back where I saw it," Chris answers with a sigh. "I guess I have no choice other than wait for him to say something about it. But, goddamn, Tris, it's making me anxious."
I'll push him into telling you, she wanted to tell her, she can't though so instead she says, "Yes, that's pretty much it I think. If it does, however, turn out to be what we think it is, will you say yes?"
Christina doesn't show any hesitation as she answers. "I will. Of course, I will say yes. We've been together long enough, known each other's good and bad sides. For me there's no one else but Will even if he does forget a lot of things I tell him to do."
"I don't see any reason for you to be worried then," Tris smiles. "Give him time, maybe he's just getting his wits together. You're, after all, very hard to please."
"No, I'm not," Christina objects smacking Tris' shoulder lightly. Both women laugh. "Am I?"
"You can be sometimes," she answers just as the doorbell rings.
"I'll get that, must be Will." The taller of the two women stands up. "Hey, Tris, please don't tell him anything I told you, okay?"
"I promise," she swears crossing a hand over her heart to show she means it. Christina gives her a small smile before walking off towards the living room. "Finally," Tris hears her say after a few seconds, her voice falling slightly at the last syllable. She decides to check what caused her friend's surprise.
From the hallway, she immediately sees the two. Will is cradling grocery bags with both his arms but Christina doesn't make any move to help him, her hands are set resolutely on her hips instead. She looks pissed.
"Where do I take these, Will?" A familiar voice asks. Tris quickens her steps.
"Hey Will," she says trying to break the tension between her two friends. She puts a hand on Christina's shoulder.
"Will?" The source of the voice emerges from the backseat carrying two more shopping bags in one hand. Al. Tris fights the urge to scowl at Will.
"Oh! Hi, Tris. Christina," Al greets with a too-friendly smile directed her way. He walks towards the three of them and stands behind Will.
"Tris," her best friend's boyfriend starts, voice showing a hint of uncertainty. "You remember Al, right? We came across each other at QFC. His roommate has his parents visiting him over at their dorm tonight, so I invited him to dinner. I hope that's okay."
A big part of her wants to do as Christina is doing – glare at Will and tell him it's not alright to invite people who are practically strangers to a gathering you only meant for your friends – but Tris has been taught to never be rude and doing what she wanted will be going against her parents' teachings. "Yeah, it's fine," she says reluctantly, forcing a smile on her lips, "Come inside." She takes one of the shopping bags from Will's arms with one hand then steers Christina back to the kitchen with the other. She doesn't wait to see if both men are following them as unwelcoming as it may seem.
"He is so going to get it from me," her best friend mumbles under her breath.
"Easy, Chris. Don't let this ruin your night."
"When did you become so calm?" A short, mirthless laugh leaves the other girl. "I'm just thinking about your ex-boyfriend and your daughter."
Tris comes to an abrupt stop. The first thing she thought of when she saw Al was how to explain his presence to Maggie. The little girl doesn't know about him. Actually, Tris has never introduced any of guys she went out with to her daughter; no one has stuck around long enough for her to even consider it. If anything, Al doesn't know about Maggie either. Tobias, however, is a different discussion all together.
"What will you tell them?" Christina brings her back to the reality of her kitchen and what looks to be a very awkward night. Tris isn't given the chance to answer though because as soon as her best friend sits back down on her chair, Will and Al enter the room and start setting down items on the counter.
"Will, can we talk outside?" Her best friend says. Tris turns to her and pleads with her eyes not wanting to be left alone with Al. She only gets a hand squeeze in response. Tris sighs out in defeat as they exit out into the hallway leading back into the living room.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asks Al, straightening her shoulders and walking towards the fridge in the corner of the room. She takes her phone from the counter where she left it. No text or call yet from Tobias. Tris decides to shoot him a message. "Where are you? Is Uri already with you guys?" she types.
"Just water. Thanks." Al smiles at her again. Tris pours a glass, sets it in front of him then, taking the appetizers Christina was preparing, turns her back to continue her best friend's work on the far end of the table. She could feel Al's eyes on her, but she ignores it not wanting to start any conversation.
"I hope it's really okay for me to be here," the other person in the room says. "I feel like I'm crashing a party or something. I'm sorry."
Tris lifts her head up for a second to see Al's face. No, you're not sorry. You're getting a kick out of this, she thinks to herself. She keeps her mouth shut though, giving the guy a clipped nod and a tight-lipped smile instead.
"So, what's up? Why are you guys having this dinner thing?"
"Our friend is visiting us from Chicago. He just finished his tour of duty."
From her periphery, she sees Al looking at her intently like he's waiting for her to say more. "Oh, I see," he breaks the lull after a few seconds. "Um…Tris?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you received any of my messages?" Al asks with a wary voice. "It's just that you haven't replied to them so…so I thought maybe I saved your number wrong."
"Oh," Tris bites her lower lips. She stares at her phone mentally wishing for Tobias, or anyone really, to call so she could get out of this room and escape Al's questions. It doesn't work. Her phone remains as silent as a dead man in his grave. "Um…I received them but I always forget to reply. I've been busy." You're not a great liar, Tris, she scolds herself.
"That's okay. I understand," Al smiles at her.
"Sorry," Tris responds though she doesn't mean it.
"Tris, I was wondering—" Al starts to say but she cuts him off when she sees her phone light up, Tobias' name and his photo with Maggie in the background.
"I have to take this call," she stands up and hurries for the backdoor. "Excuse me." Tris doesn't wait for Al to even acknowledge what she said, just steps out into the backyard and answers her ringing phone.
"Hey, sorry we were waiting for Uri to get his bags. We're on our way," Tobias skips over the usual greetings. There's a certain familiarity with it which makes her smile. "Is dinner ready because I have two hungry monsters with me."
"Don't you mean three?" she teases him. Tris laughs knowing who he is referring to. She can hear her daughter and Uriah in the background complaining with much exaggeration how hungry they are. "Don't worry, dinner's ready. All we are waiting for are you guys. Tell Maggie and Uriah that."
"We'll count on that," Tobias replies. "We'll see you later, alright?"
"Yeah. Drive carefully, okay?"
"I will, promise. See you soon, Tris. Bye."
"Bye."
The line goes silent after Tobias ends the call but instead of going back inside her house, Tris finds herself going through her recent call list and checking Tobias' profile on her phone. Her lips turn up when she sees the silly photo of him with their daughter – Tobias pouting while the little girl stamps stars all over his face. It was taken last week when he picked them up from school for, as Maggie calls it, their Friday ice cream date.
"Let me win you over," he said that same night before he went home. She didn't respond to it.
Tris can't deny the fact that she still feels something for him. It never really died out. But letting him back into her life that way is different from giving him a chance to be a father for their child. She isn't sure if she can bet her trust on him again. She isn't sure if they are both willing to forgive each other for the things they've done in the past.
It's a comfort to have him around though, and for Tris that's good enough for now.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's another half hour before Tobias arrives with Uriah and Maggie from the airport. Tris and Christina utilized the time to finish their dinner preparations. By the time the three come knocking on the front door, the women have the table ready and set for their small gathering.
"It smells so good here," Uriah booms from the living room. Christina and Tris laugh. "I'm so hungry I could eat all the food you girls cooked. Even the pots and plates." Their friend makes a show out of dropping the bag slung on his shoulder down to his feet. Hopefully, he didn't pack anything breakable inside.
Christina strides toward the olive-skinned man, their guest for the next two weeks, and draws him into a tight hug. "You're supposed to say 'Honey, I'm home,' silly," she tells him after pulling away. Tobias enters the door just then with Maggie in his arms holding a rag doll Tris hasn't seen before in one hand. He gives the room a prompt scan, and when his eyes finally spot her, he smiles a broad smile which makes him look boyish, a nice contrast to his usual seriousness. Tobias stands beside her.
Uriah clears his throat. "I'd love to, Chris," he says glancing at Tobias then at her, "but that's someone else's line."
"Shut up, Uri!" Tris bites her lips and brings her head down to hide her expression, but not before catching a glimpse of Tobias' face. He's blushing a faint pink color, the same tinge she knows is there on her own cheeks.
"Oh, come here, little girl." Uriah draws her to him. "You look like you've grown taller." He pushes himself away from her a little but keeps both hands on either of Tris' shoulders.
"She did. It's the hormones during the time she was pregnant," explains Christina.
"God, I missed you both. Where's Will?" Uriah embraces both girls again, but this time it only lasts a second or two.
"Will's grilling some pulled pork for later," the tall girl answers all the while leading their friend towards the kitchen. Tris watches them for a few seconds before turning to her daughter and Tobias.
"Hi," she smiles at the two. Tobias returns it.
"Hi, mommy," Maggie makes grabby hands at her. Tris takes the little girl from her father's arms and starts following Uriah and Christina.
"Was the traffic bad?" She and Tobias walk side by side, shoulders and arms occasionally touching.
"No, for a Friday it was light." Tobias tucks loose strands of Maggie's hair behind her ears. "You really like your new doll, huh?"
"Yeah," the girl raises the hand holding the toy to show it to Tris. "It's from Uncle Uri. He said his Mama made it for me."
Hana, the thoughtful and hardworking Pedrad matriarch, she hasn't seen and talked to her in years. "We should call her then to say thank you." Margaret grins and nods. Tris turns to Tobias, "How is she?"
"Doing great," his voice and expression exudes happiness. "She says 'hi' by the way. She made something for you, too. Uriah must have it along with the stuff your parents asked him to give to you."
"Mom and Dad sent me something?" Tobias nods. "I haven't talked to them in two days. Mom must have forgotten to tell me." It's highly possible, Tris thought. She and her mother spent close to an hour talking about random things, but more so about Tobias and how great he has been with Maggie.
"Sounds like he's enjoying making our little one happy," Natalie remarked when she told her about the new rituals they've started. She's the only one in her family who received the news about Tobias' return positively. Caleb voiced out his disapproval straightaway. Her father hasn't said anything about it until now.
"He sure is."
"He's a good boy, Tris. He's just," her mother paused in search for the right word, and for a while Tris thought she knew something she didn't. She did work with Evelyn before she ran away. Did her mom know about Marcus? "He's just misguided. He deserves a chance."
"Will, Uri's here. Come inside," Christina calls her boyfriend. It reminds Tris about Al's presence. With much nervousness, she sits Maggie down on a chair. What to do? What to do? she asks herself.
"Mommy, I'm thirsty," Maggie says but Tris doesn't hear it. Tobias walks toward the fridge and gets a pitcher of water. He fills Margaret's cup with it. "Tris, are you okay?" he asks afterwards, putting a hand over her right shoulder.
"Hey man, long time no see," Will claps Uriah's back in greeting. He enters the kitchen with Al close behind him. Uri's brows furrow when he sees their unexpected guest. Al says a tentative hello as he extends a hand out. "You must be the friend from Chicago," he says, "Tris said you just finished with the military." Al's eyes flit to where she's standing. Her ex doesn't miss it.
Tobias rolls his eyes. "We're all from Chicago," he snickers and it takes Uriah a lot of effort to stop himself from laughing as he takes Al's offered hand. He firmly shakes it once. "Yeah, we're all from Chicago, but I think I'm the friend they've been talking about. Name's Uriah, and you are?"
"I'm Al. I'm friends with Will, Christina and Tris," Al answers. Christina snorts and Will throws a pleading look her way.
"You're friends with my Mom?"
Al looks surprised for a moment at the revelation but he composes himself quickly. "Yes," he responds, looking from Maggie to Tris, probably searching for similarities in their features. Like he's putting two and two together, Al's eyes land on Tobias last. Her former flame stares the other man down from head to foot. Al is the first one to look away.
"Okay," the little girl chirps unaware of the tension in the room. "My name is Margaret but I like Maggie more. This is my daddy." Maggie tugs at Tobias' shirt making him stoop down to listen to what she's saying. "Daddy, you tell him your name, too, like what we did in school."
"Yeah, of course honey," Tobias says sweetly to their daughter before turning around to walk where Al is standing. He looks taller, more intimidating, even though the other man is considerably bigger than him. Tris starts to fidget with the hem of her shirt. "As my girl said," he stresses the word my¸"I should introduce myself. I'm Tobias." The two men shake hands to acknowledge each other, though it feels more like a warning from her ex-boyfriend's end if the way he gripped Al's hand is any indication.
Why? Is he jealous?
"Ah…I should go check the grill," a shaky-voiced Will breaks the sudden silence. "Al, help me?"
For a while, it looked as though Al would hang back as he again looks at Tobias but he follows his classmate out after a minute thankfully.
"Two guys going after you, this is going to be a joy to watch," Christina whispers to Tris before winking. She pinches her on her side hard. "What? I'm just stating facts," her best friend grins. "But you should have told Al weeks ago that he has no chance. From the looks of it, he's not the perceptive kind."
"Yeah, I should have. I just don't know how to." Tris glances at Maggie and Tobias who are now starting on the appetizers. Uriah sees her and stands up to talk to her and Christina. "Those melon balls and prosciutto things are really good," he tells them, popping another one into his mouth. "Where'd you meet that guy? Al? And what's his deal?"
"He's Will's classmate," answers Christina, "and Tris went out with him once, just once."
"Oh, I see," Uriah chuckles. "Explains the weird looks he has been giving you, Tris."
Tris raises an eyebrow. "You noticed that?"
"Yeah, us guys notice things, too. We just don't talk about them." Uri shrugs then points to Maggie and Tobias, "Like those two, I see them and if you don't tell them to stop eating our appetizers, they won't leave anything for us."
"I'll get Will and Al inside," Christina laughs. "Serve the spaghetti already, Tris" She walks off to the backdoor but not without telling both father and daughter to stop eating all the melon balls. She's rewarded with one of Maggie's big grins and a smile from Tobias.
"You heard her," Tris taps Tobias' shoulder. "I feel like I have two kids. You sure both of you still have space for some spaghetti and meatballs?"
"Yes!" Maggie exclaims putting a hand over her tummy. Tris lets out a short laugh. She asks Tobias to transfer the little girl to her chair while she arranges plates and utensils on the table. He starts filling everyone's glasses with iced tea after he makes sure that Maggie is settled. Christina comes back into the room with Will and Al in tow. "You should take the head seat, Uriah, since you're our guest," her best friend tells Uri and he does so. Tris slides into the seat next to Margaret.
"That's actually my seat," Tobias' voice is flat making Tris twist around to look at him. Al has a hand over the back of the chair beside her, the one Tobias vacated a few minutes ago.
"Sorry," Al mutters. He goes to sit beside Will. Tobias settles next to her. Tris nudges him with her knee; he looks at her, eyes bashful like he just didn't scare one of the guests away from her.
Her friends start talking about random things as they begin eating: work, school, family, life in general. Tris just listens to them jump from one topic to another, preferring to stay in the background. Tobias does the same.
"Are you okay?" she asks him.
"Yeah," Tobias manages to give her a small smile. From the corner of her eye, she could see Al watching their exchange. "Why'd you ask?"
"Just making sure."
Maggie leans on the table. "Daddy, you'll join our sleepover?"
"Sleepover?" Tobias' brows furrows in confusion.
"Yes. Uncle Will and Uncle Uriah and Auntie Chris are going to sleep here."
"Yes, honey, I'm going to join your sleepover," Tobias says with a nod and the little girl claps in delight.
"Can I have more spaghetti?" Maggie says the last word slowly finding it hard to pronounce.
"You're still hungry?" Tris raises an eyebrow questioning, the little girl just grins. "Okay, but only a little, alright? Then no more." She reaches out for the platter with the noddle dish but Al and Tobias get to it before her. Aware of the contest between the two men, Tris puts a hand on the plate and pulls it toward her. She'd best get through the night ignoring Al's attempts at impressing her and Tobias' territorial behavior. It's not something she needs right now.
Uriah starts talking about his time in the military, and how even if he would love to serve the country again, he would never go back to it.
"Seems really tough out there," Al remarks after her friend finishes his story.
"It is. Wouldn't wish it on anyone," Uriah agrees. "It's a good thing you and Zeke didn't go. I can't imagine being on the field knowing the two of you are also out there and I can't guarantee your safety."
"But you considered it, right?" Will turns to Tobias for an answer.
"Yeah, we did."
"What happened?" It's Al. Tris purses her lips, trying to see where his questions are going to lead.
"I got accepted in a good college."
"Where?"
"MIT," Uriah answers for Tobias sensing the other's discomfort at being asked personal questions. "He's a freaking genius but he doesn't want to admit it."
"Because I'm not. I just read a lot."
"Yeah, whatever, keep saying that," Christina laughs. "You're always too modest." Tobias touches the back of his head with one hand, lips turning up in a slight curl from the compliment he was given. The expression doesn't stay on for long though as Al fires another question.
"What do you do now?"
Tris watches Tobias' face, attempting to read his mind. His lips are pressed together in a tight line, probably considering whether or not to answer the question. "I started at Microsoft a month ago," he finally says. He goes back to twirling spaghetti around with his fork.
"What did you do before that?" Her best friend is right, Tris thought. Al's too slow to pick out even the most obvious hints. She runs a hand over her jeans all the while wishing Al would just stop with his intrusive questions and go home. It's a mean thought but he should know his place; he isn't part of their group.
"It's none of your business." Tobias gives Al a leveled look. Tris could see how hard he is controlling himself, but his grip on his fork gives him away. She puts a hand over his wanting to calm him down. He loosens his hold a bit.
"Please, stop. Both of you." The firmness in her voice gets everyone's attention, including her daughter's. "Al, I don't like what you're hinting at," she sighs out her frustration. "Let's just finish dinner, alright?" Al mumbles 'sorry' and lowers his head down. Tobias gulps his iced tea.
"C'mon people!" Uriah says, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "We have perfectly great food in front of us. If you don't start helping yourselves to it, I'm gonna put everything on my plate."
"Yeah," Christina seconds, "then we'll have drinks later." Her best friend dumps spaghetti on her plate then on Will's as if to prove her point. Will gives Tris a small apologetic smile. She returns the gesture and relaxes back into her seat. Tris didn't even notice how tensed she was.
"Why are you upset, Mommy?" Maggie, looking concerned, tries to straighten the crease between her brows with her small fingers.
"Mom's just tired, honey," she half lies. It's been a long, eventful day and exhaustion is starting to creep up on her.
"I'm sleepy, too." As if to emphasize what she said, Maggie yawns.
"You want to go to bed?" The child nods. Tris turns to Tobias. "Let's tuck Maggie in." She says it for the whole table to hear. Tobias picks up their daughter from her chair and she lets them go upstairs ahead of her. "We're gonna put Maggie to bed but you guys continue dinner. Christina, you take care of things, alright?"
"I got it. Don't worry, Tris," Christina responds, and with that she follows her daughter and Tobias, giving her best friend a squeeze on her shoulder and tapping Will's and Uriah's backs before leaving the room. She doesn't even spare Al a glance. Gone are her plans of telling him off. He should have gotten how she feels about him by now.
"Which one do you want to wear tonight?" She hears Tobias ask Maggie once she's close to her child's room. She peeks in and sees two pajama sets laid out in the small bed, Maggie looking thoughtful and Tobias standing behind her. It's the same thing she does, giving the little girl limited choices and letting her pick. Tris has to give it to Tobias, he learns fast.
"The one with the owl."
"The one with the owl then." Tobias folds the other set and puts it back inside the dresser. Maggie sees her but she puts up one finger to her lips telling her to keep quiet. Tris just wants a little more time to watch Tobias. "Let's wait for Mommy so you can wash up then change into your pajamas, okay? Do you have a book picked out already for story time?" His back is still to the door. He starts speaking again."Baby, you haven't met Al before? Your Uncle Will's friend?"
"Nope, I just met him today." Maggie starts giggling. "Mommy's at the door." Tobias turns around looking a little shocked and embarrassed at the same time. "How long have you been there?" he asks. Tris walks inside the room and sits beside Tobias. Maggie jumps down from her bed and goes to her bookshelf to choose a book for later.
"Long enough to hear you ask our daughter about Al," she smirks. "Really, Tobias?"
"Sorry?" he bites his lower lip.
"No, you're not. I think you had fun terrorizing Al," she laughs. "Christina certainly enjoyed the show."
"Me too," Uriah barges into their conversation. They both didn't even hear him come in. "Sorry to butt in. I just came up here to tell you that Al's going home. I think Will's driving him to his place."
Tris nods. "Alright. Where's Christina? Is she going with Will?"
"Are you kidding? We still have our drinks and a whole lot of catching up to do," Christina enters the room and settles herself on the floor. Uriah goes around looking at things. "Geez, a kid's room is the perfect place to catch up on each other," he says, amusement in his voice.
"I'm sorry if I ruined the -" Tobias starts but Christina cuts her off. "No, you didn't. Al was being a prick and we're sorry, I and Will. He brought Al here to our dinner party without any of your consent. I've talked to him already and told him about this. Will said he invited Al because his roommate has family over their place and he felt sorry for him. He doesn't have a lot of friends either in their class."
"I see," is all Tris could say. She won't deny having the word loser pop into her mind while listening to Christina's explanation, but she wouldn't say it. She looks at Tobias waiting for him to react. He just shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm gonna help Maggie pick her book," he gets up and points to where the little girl is sitting on the floor looking at a couple of picture books. Uriah promptly takes his place, plopping himself down on Maggie's small bed with a photo in his hand. Tris can't quite see who's in it because the white back part is facing her.
"There's more and you might want to strangle William later for this," Chris' voice is uncertain. Maggie in his arms, Tobias walks back to them to hear what her best friend has to say. "Will invited Al to our camping trip tomorrow."
"No shit," Uriah reacts and Tris swats him in the arm. "Uri, not around my daughter."
"What did Uncle Uri say?"
"He said 'no sheep,' " Tobias responds sending a glare Uriah's way, who just grins. Christina bursts out laughing.
"Alright, we're gonna get Maggie settled. Out both of you before my baby learns Uriah's language." Tris gets up and helps Christina stand up. "You're no longer surrounded by guys, Uri. We have a four-year old here. Remember that."
"Nice save, Tobias. Come on, Uri, before mama bear clobbers you," the tall girl starts toward the door. "You're helping me with the dishes, soldier."
Uriah stands up and raises the picture he has been holding. "I remember this. Was it your 18th birthday?" It's a photo of their group at her parents' home. She showed it to Maggie to point out her friends, Tobias and herself years back when they were younger.
"Yes. We all looked great there in dresses and suits."
"And Mommy said Daddy looked handsome and they danced together the whole night," her daughter says innocently. Uriah and Christina start laughing again making Tris blush a furious red.
"Maggie!"
"Did I say something bad? It's what you said."
"Tris, don't deny it. Kids always tell the truth," Uriah has an eyebrow raised at her, his lips turning up into a huge grin. Christina laughs even more.
"Out you two. Now!"
Her friends exit out of the room still laughing like idiots at her embarrassment. Tris turns to Tobias who has now put Maggie down to her bed. He has a goofy expression painted on his face.
"Don't even try."
He puts both of his hands in the air like he's surrendering to her. "I haven't even said a word yet."
"Get out. I'll just call you once Maggie's changed."
"Fine," Tobias chuckles, "fine, I'm going downstairs." He goes for the door. "But really, am I-"
"Shut up!" From her bed, Maggie stifles her laughter with both hands over her mouth. At least her daughter finds it funny, Tris thought.
Tobias smirks. "Maggie, I'll come up later for story time. I'll help Auntie Chris and Uncle Uri clean downstairs, alright?" The little girl nods.
Tris waits for Tobias to disappear into the stairs before going inside Maggie's room. She gathers her daughter's towel and robe in one arm. "You shouldn't have said that, honey."
"But you said Daddy's handsome, right?"
"Yes, but it's our secret. Mommy should be the one to tell him that."
"Okay."
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up so Daddy can read to you," Tris pauses and flips the book Maggie took from her shelves to check the title, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."
"Mom, do you love Daddy?"
Tris thinks for a moment if she'll answer Maggie's question or not. She could give her a vague answer. She could even not respond at all. In the end, she decides to tell her little girl the truth. "Yes," she says softly. Tris crouches in front of her daughter. Holding both of Maggie's small hands between hers, she continues, "But promise not to tell him, okay?"
"Will you tell Daddy?"
"I will," she promises.
"Okay," Maggie wriggles her pinkie out from under her hands. Tris loosens her hold allowing the little girl to lift it up between them. She links her own pinkie with her daughter's. "I won't tell him."
It's a promise she intends to keep, one which she knows will change things for her and Maggie and Tobias. Tris thinks back to last Friday. "Let me win you over," he said, and maybe that's all she needs to do, let him in again a little at a time. Maybe that's what she's already doing.