Here is chapter 10! A bit more of our favourite duo in this one.
I bet the title of this chapter excited you a bit ;) It did, didn't it?
Eric's hand hovers on the small of her back as they walk through the rocky corridors. It is eerily silent here. There is no muffled music or loud voices. Just the howling of the wind outside, Eric's heavy footsteps and Tris' quick ones to accompany him.
Tris heard about this place. This is where some of the apartments are within Dauntless. After her initiation, she should be moving here too. But maybe not anywhere near his place. There is not many doors here. He must have a very private room.
She looks around in an awe, glancing back down at her shoes when she catches Eric's gaze ravishing her.
What happened to keeping distance? Eric is extremely dangerous. For all she knows, he could be setting her a trap which she is walking straight into.
"Here," he murmurs, taking out a silver key and unlocking a door with it. His door. His apartment.
She takes a quick look around before stepping inside. Perhaps there is somebody watching them. Perhaps somebody wants her to be safe (oddly enough). Whether it is Four or even Peter, she would be pleased. She doesn't trust Eric with her life. Whatever he is up to, wherever he is leading her, she would be thankful if somebody is keeping an eye on her. Just in case.
Eric flicks a switch and the lights flicker to life. The room brightens, but not by much. There is still a hint of darkness.
The door slams behind them, causing Tris to jump slightly. When she turns around, Eric grabs her face in his hands and kisses her. Just like last time. He captures her bottom lip between his teeth just like last time. Same aggression. Same passion.
Abruptly, he pulls away. His eyes lock on hers as he starts speaking, "You should be preparing yourself for tomorrow's simulation… but I'd rather you stay here with me," his finger tucks a loose strand of hair behind Tris' ear. She smiles politely, not wanting to anger him.
"I'd rather prepare myself though," her voice is reluctant, straining to become loud enough for him to hear.
"I don't believe you," he purrs, nuzzling his nose against her face like a cat. She giggles and pushes him slightly, feeling delighted when he smiles back at her. All too soon, his face turns cryptic, jaw clenching. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
He finds himself near the kitchen counter, rummaging through one of the cupboards. Tris watches him from the distance, contemplating whether to run out while he isn't looking. She realizes that her feet are glued to the floor. Who is she kidding? She couldn't leave if she wanted to. Something is pulling her towards him.
She takes a deep breath and follows her instinct, walking up to a grey couch and sitting down. This place isn't too bad. There is a lot of space. The walls and furnishings are grey; not black. The lights above her remind her too much of a janitor's closet- flickering from time to time, appearing to glow dimmer and dimmer.
"What are you going to drink? Water?" Eric asks from the kitchen. She turns to see him pouring different liquids into two glasses.
"Err, yeah," Tris replies.
"Thought so," she hears a smirk in his reply. Is she really that predictable?
He returns to her side with two glasses: one with water, one with something else. Something brown.
She feels the seat beside her sag as he sits down. His leg skims hers slightly, making her shift away uncomfortably. Some sort of tension starts rising in the air, causing her to feel a little groggy. This is what you get when you're around him, she thinks.
She reaches for her water and takes a slow sip, pleased to find that it's numbingly cold. The water trickles down her throat, travelling all the way down to her stomach. It's freezing. The heat within her cools down slightly.
He is watching her again.
From her peripheral vision, she notices his eyes burning into the side of her face. His elbows rest on his knees as he leans forward, trying to get a better look. Alright then. That doesn't make her feel awkward at all (!)
Tris' eyes dart around the room, trying to find an object to create a conversation about. There must be something. There is always something. But in this room, the walls are grey. Dark grey. And everything is clean. There is nothing to pick upon. No pictures hanged up on walls. No dirty dishes left lying around from yesterday's dinner.
But then she sees it.
A stack of papers. On a table stand. In the corner of the room. Right next to his high-tech computer.
His eyes follow her gaze cautiously. When he sees what she is staring at, he tenses up, slamming his glass of whatever down onto the coffee table.
"Documents," he explains, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.
"They must be insignificant if they are left lying around like that," she sips her water again, hearing a dark chuckle bubble up from Eric.
"Precisely," he replies.
When he raises his glass to his lips, Tris realises that she knows nearly nothing about him. The brown liquid seeps out from the glass and into his mouth. He closes his eyes as he swallows. It must be pleasant if he is drinking it with so much enthusiasm.
There must be a reason for him being so tense and cruel. Was it his upbringing? Was it the impact Dauntless had on him? Did he even transfer? He looks like he has always lived within the warrior faction.
The clink of glass against the coffee table makes her jump. He has finished his drink and is staring at her again. Tris smiles slightly, bringing the lass to her mouth to conceal most of her face. Eric takes the glass away from her, placing it on the table, side by side with his.
"Do I smell bad?" he asks suddenly, draping an arm over the back of the couch. Tris stares at him for a second. When she looks down, she sees the distance between them. In her absent-mind, she shuffled to the other end of the couch. Far away from him.
She giggles nervously to fill the silence and moves back to him, knowing that he will only be satisfied when their legs touch.
"You are kind of intimidating," she answers honestly, watching his reaction. He smirks widely, puckering his lips afterwards.
"Good," he whispers to himself. Tris shakes her head and runs a hand through her now-tangled hair. The sweat has plastered her strands to the back of her neck. She hates that feeling. She had experienced it mostly in Abnegation when she had to help the elderly cross the road. Most of them were very hard to support. And the summer heat made matters worse.
All of a sudden, a flash of grey crosses her eyes. Then she feels his warm lips on hers. He kisses her passionately, allowing her the time to pull away. But she doesn't. She melts into him, wrapping her limbs around his muscular body. He groans with satisfaction, not wasting any time with her sweater. It lands on the floor with a thump, evicting a gasp from Tris.
She jumps in the spot where she is lying at the new feeling. Cold air hitting her skin, hot hands caressing her skinny body. Her heart begins thumping away, her palms start to sweat, her eyes widen at the sight of him. She finds that she cannot close them again. She can't even blink.
Eric brushes his lips across her collarbone, kissing each of the tattooed ravens softly. Tris keeps his head there, too afraid that he will move lower down. She doesn't know why she is afraid. She just is.
He pulls away to look at her, his eyes glistening with lust.
"You're all mine, Tris," he whispers, "Do you understand?"
She nods slowly, trying to catch her breath, not quite comprehending his words. Everything begins to spin. Her ears start to ring. Her breath hitches in her throat as Eric looks over her body. Tris brings her hands up to her bra, trying to hide the view. It's a Dauntless bra. It is much more revealing than an Abnegation one. She is still getting used to it.
She scratches the side of her neck casually, pretending that her hands are not there for a reason. But Eric knows. He can read her well.
He nudges his big palms towards her bra, cupping one of her breasts firmly. A nervous squeak causes him to raise an eyebrow. He releases her lump and trails his five fingers down the middle of her body, stopping at her bellybutton. Every nerve he passed- twitched, her body jolting upwards.
"Afraid?" this one word stops her heart, but she nods nevertheless. He mimics her nod, blinking slowly.
Tris wonders what he will do next. Is he going to be pissed off? Like he usually is? What did he expect to come out of this make out session? She knows for sure that nothing would have happened. It's all too soon. They are not together. She knows nothing about the guy. And of course, this is her biggest fear.
Something starts beeping loudly, giving Tris another jolt. Eric furrows his eyebrows for a second before bringing his wrist to his mouth and pressing something on his watch with his finger. She hadn't noticed it before. He was wearing a fat black watch.
It lights up, presenting some figures in blue. But Tris is too far away to see what any of it means.
"We need you down at the laboratory. She's here to analyse the results of the serum," Max's voice fills Eric's apartment. Tris tenses up on the couch. She feels stupid lying there without anything to cover her chest. Quite frankly, she was beginning to shiver.
Eric gives her a suspicious look as he replies into his watch, "On my way."
What is he suspicious about? Does he not have any idea how bad this makes him look? Dauntless has a laboratory? And what serum was Max talking about?
When the device whirls to a stop, Eric leans down to place a firm kiss on her lips. His eyes give nothing away.
"Sorry, leadership stuff," he murmurs, rolling off her. Tris sits up slowly, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. What just happened?
She gasps when her sweater hits her in the face. She puts it on quickly, watching as the leader extends his hand for her to take. He has grabbed his apartment keys. He bounces up and down impatiently, waiting for Tris.
She takes a deep breath, sliding her hand into his. He squeezes gently, noticing her disappointed look. But she is disappointed for a whole other reason. She is suspecting something. Eric is bad, but is that an understatement?
"What serum was Max talking about?"
It doesn't take a second for him to reply.
"Simulation serum," he wears a simple smile, shrugging one shoulder, "There was a hiccup. And we sent the serum to Erudite… so they could perfect it. That's all." Tris' wide eyes urge him to keep talking, "We don't want any of the initiates to get stuck in the simulation forever, do we?"
He pulls her up forcefully, ushering her out of his apartment. Once the door is locked behind them, he turns and leaves without looking back.
Either he is telling the truth about the simulation serum, or hiding something unthinkable.
Please review and tell me what you think :)