My eyes sink quickly to his chest. Tobias' face is painful to look at. I can't help but gurgle,"I—"

"We're playing Candor or Dauntless," Christina says swiftly with a laugh. "You should join us."

"Yeah," joins Lynn. She gestures at Uriah with her thumb. "Lover boy here already kissed me." A resentful scowl occupies her face.

He shakes his head, gazing tiredly between Uriah and I. "No thanks." Then he pokes my head and says, "Come on, Eric wants us."

I glance back at the group before strolling away with him. Tobias' footsteps, once graceful, are now lethargic and uneven. He doesn't look at me. His eyes are distant, his mouth pinched tightly in thought as we travel in the darkness. Once we pass the Chasm however, he rests his hand on my shoulder and stops me next to a wide, but shallow crevice in the wall. I look around. We're alone.

"What were you doing with Uriah?" he asks quietly.

"Eating whipped-cream off his stomach," I answer, trying to sound as indifferently as I can. The tone of my voice doesn't help. It was just as uncomfortable as it sounds.

"Oh." The light of nearby candles flickers behind him, making his face completely shaded. Even so, the iciness in his eyes pierces through it. I don't like it. It reminds me of Eric. "Uriah would make a great Amity," he says, slight bitterness coating his voice.

What? I bite my lip, unsure how to respond. Did he see Uriah give me a hug?

…Is he jealous?

I begin to ask, but stop when he reaches to push me with his fingertips so that my body falls gently against the wall. He steps forward towards me, trapping me between him and the rocky surface. His forearm, less deflated than three days ago, rests next to my head on the wall as he leans in and dunks his chin so that his forehead touches mine.

"I hate being injured," he murmurs into my ear, his breath short and weary from walking. "If I could…" His voice trails off. He closes his eyes and gives a weak smile. "I don't know what I would do."

An exasperated sigh slips from his lips. He wraps his arms around me briefly and kisses my nose before releasing his grip. "Let's go," he mumbles, turning away from me.

I nod, shaking. I'm not satisfied with this. I know he's not either.

"Are you jealous?" I ask, following behind him.

"Maybe," he says softly, not bothering to look at me.

I swallow my heart. I reach for his wrist and pull him back. I'm not scared. I don't want him to be jealous anymore. As soon he faces me, I stand onto my toes and force my lips against his, clutching his collar to secure our bodies together. He doesn't protest. Instead I feel his hand on the back of my head, locking me against him while his other hand entangles itself in my hair. His hands slide down my sides and grasp my waist.

Then he pulls away, panting lightly.

"I'm yours," I say, my chest beating rapidly.

The blue in his eyes slide over me before he gives a short relieved laugh. He leans his head forward and breathes against my cheek.

"And I'm yours."

Then, he gives me one last kiss before slipping his hand into mine. We walk together like that for the rest of the time.

Before we enter Eric's office, Tobias lets his fingers slide away from mine and uses that hand to knock on the door.

Eric shifts his eyes at us suspiciously as we enter. "About time." His voice is rough and jagged. Sounds like he's in a bad mood.

He strides around his desk and stands in front of us, crossing his arms. I peer around him. The picture frame on the filing cabinet now lays shattered on the floor.

"So, the initiates?" Tobias asks, returning Eric's glare with an apathetic gaze.

"We're going to execute it the same way as last year," says Eric. "Except this time, I won't there to assist you." Assist. Right. Because Tobias throwing knives at me or Christina almost plummeting into the Chasm really contributed to the benefit of the faction. "So I'm trusting you…" his eyes are locked on Tobias, "to make sure we don't have any issues with our new instructor."

"I'm doubting it," he replies with a smirk. "She was ranked first for initiates last year, after all."

I want to laugh. His reference to Eric's second rank at their initiation clearly upsets him, however, the fury in his eyes melts my giggles into dismissive silence. It's the same way he reacted when he lost Capture the Flag at my initiation, and now a cold chill runs up my spine. That probably means someone's going to get hurt soon.

They lock each other's stares for what seems like hours before Tobias asks, "Is that it?"

"One last thing." Eric turns away from us and returns to his chair, averting his attention to his computer. "Keep your hands to yourself, or else there will be consequences."

As Tobias closes the door behind him, he mutters quietly, "As if I couldn't rip him apart."

I shrug my shoulders. "At least we get to work together," I say, smiling. I wrap my hand around his and kiss it.

He kisses mine back. "Yeah."

There's a week and a half before initiation starts again. It's time to get ready.

Sorry for the short update! ): I have a major essay due on Friday at school, but I'll get back into the routine after that's turned in.