36
On Sunday Tobias and I locked ourselves in our apartment and texted our friends that we needed some time to ourselves. Tobias surprised me with breakfast in bed, we watched a romantic comedy, than we started cooking lunch together. After lunch we watched an action movie, but didn't pay much attention to it since we were otherwise occupied. We made love five times and by ten p.m. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
The next morning I wake up before Tobias. He holds me in his arms and I watch his handsome face still peacefully sleeping. I know it's still early, but somehow I'm really turned on right now. I lean forward and kiss his full lips gently. Before I can pull back he tightens his arms around me and starts kissing me passionately. He pushes his tongue inside my mouth exploring it like so many times before. We give into our physical urges and make love. Twice. I send him into the bathroom to take a shower while I go downstairs to make our breakfast. I decide on scrambled eggs and bacon, but also some fruit salad. By the time Tobias comes down all clean and dressed for work breakfast is ready and he sits down at the island. I pour him a mug of coffee and put a plate in front of him. I then do the same for me and sit down next to him.
"So, what is on your list today?" he asks smiling.
"I have a meeting with the girls, as well as Ms. Stone, Ms. Aubrey and Mr. Walsh regarding the Halloween party. Afterwards I would like to come to your office to continue reading the files. Unless you have meetings" I say before sipping from my coffee.
"I have no meetings. At least none in the morning. I have a meeting with Dwayne after lunch and then with Zeke. Do you want Tori to sit in your meeting?" he asks.
"No, it's not necessary" I say. "But she's more than welcome if she wants to" I add.
"We'll ask her. You can use my office after lunch to continue reading" he says.
"I have some things to prepare for the party myself. Besides I need to go to the Hub."
"Why? There's no meeting scheduled for today" he says furrowing his eyebrows.
"I know. I need to check something in the bylaws. It might take a while. But I'm confident I will be back before supper" I say.
"Take the car" he says.
"Alright" I reply.
"What? No argument? Who are you and what have you done to my Tris?" he asks all serious.
"Oh, shut up and eat your breakfast" I say smacking his arm lightly.
"It's not every day you agree with me" he says amused.
"That's so not true, Tobias. I agree with you a lot. Just this morning I agreed with you" I say grinning. "Twice actually."
"If you recall it correctly I agreed with you" he says smirking.
"Tomato, tomato" I say and he laughs. We finish eating and while Tobias cleans up I take a quick shower and hurry downstairs. He already waits for me at the bottom of the stairs and when there are two final stairs left I launch myself into his arms and giggle when he catches me. We kiss tenderly before he puts me down and we go to work. We kiss goodbye for the time being and I enter my office. I sit down at my desk and turn on my computer. A knock on my door announces the first person. I tell the person to enter and am a little surprised to see Tori.
"Good morning, Tris" she says.
"Good morning Tori. I see you decided to join me today" I say getting up and shaking her hand.
"Yes. Four told me you had a meeting at the Hub after lunch and asked me if I wanted to join him for his afternoon meetings with Zeke in the control room" she tells me.
"He also has a meeting with Dwayne, you know, our security mastermind" I say with a chuckle.
"What?" she asks shocked.
"What's wrong?" I ask her.
"I wasn't aware we would go there too" she says a little pale.
"Is there a problem? Don't you like Dwayne?" I ask not knowing what to think of her reaction.
"What? Uhm…" she starts mumbling, when a second knock is heard. I tell the other person to enter and my friends come in. I greet them all and offer them seats. By the time Ms. Aubrey, Ms. Stone and Mr. Walsh arrive the office is pretty crowded. I offer them beverages most of them accept coffee and we get down to business.
While we are talking about the final details for the party later this week I notice Tori being completely absent from the discussion. She's usually one to get involved and offer solutions or suggestions. But today she just remains quiet. I wonder if it had anything to do with Dwayne. I thought they were friends. I've seen them a couple of times now and they always seemed so friendly with each other. Maybe it's just my imagination. I return my attention to the matter at hand and realize that our meeting took far longer than I thought. We wrap it up and I write excuse notes for the girls to give to their bosses, since it was my fault they are late for their usual jobs. I thank everyone for coming and we decide that if anything else would come up regarding the party we should call each other. I say goodbye and they all start leaving my office. When Tori starts to get up I ask her to stay a little while longer.
"What's up, Tris?" she asks, trying to be more cheerful than she really is.
"I could ask you the same thing" I say serious.
"What do you mean?" she asks.
"I know it's none of my business, but if you have a problem and need someone to talk to my shoulder is available. And of course everything you say will remain between us. Since I got here I came to like you very much. I consider you a friend and I want you to feel comfortable around me. But if you chose not to share with me, maybe you would want to do it with a friend. I hate seeing you like this" I honestly say.
"It's not really a problem. I mean, I don't know" she starts saying. "I'm happy to hear that you consider me a friend. I see you as a friend as well."
"Does it have to do with Dwayne?" I ask bluntly.
"Why do you ask?" she asks blushing.
"I thought it had to with him since your mood changed when I told you that Four had a meeting with him as well" I say and watch her reaction.
"It's a little embarrassing and private" she says.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to" I say reassuring her.
"What I'm saying stays between us, right?" she asks.
"Of course. If you want I won't even tell Four" I promise her.
"Alright. It's not such a big deal, I just don't know how to say it. You see, you are right, it has something to do with Dwayne. He and I are… well… we are together" she says.
"Really?" I ask stunned. "Didn't seem like it. I thought you were friends, but not that kind of friends."
"We are together" she says again.
"I'm a little confused here. Why is this such a big deal? I mean why is it so important to keep it secret?" I ask. "He's not married, I know that for sure. Does he have another girlfriend?" I ask not really believing that he would do such a thing.
"No, no. It's just… it has been a while since either of us was in a real relationship and we wanted to take it slow before we go around announcing that we are dating" she explains.
"Makes sense. Since when are you a couple?"
"Five weeks" she says smiling brightly.
"Does he know of our proposal?"
"Yes, he was actually the one to encourage me to try it out. He looks all scary and big, but he is gentle and kind and very understanding" she says a lot more relaxed.
"Sounds like someone else I know" I say chuckling.
"Don't tell me…" she says smiling. I only nod and put my index finger over my lips indicating that it is a secret. "Don't worry" she says.
"If you want to make your relationship official I'm here for you to support you both. In fact, if the two of you decide to make it public I would like you two over for dinner sometime" I say.
"You sure Four wouldn't mind?" she asks wary.
"He would love it. He likes you very much. It was his idea to ask you to join us in leadership. And as for Dwayne Four considers him one of his most trustworthy men. He even asked Dwayne to watch me when he's not in the compound or just not around me" I say.
"Four told you that?" she asks in disbelief. "Dwayne told me about it, but I never thought that Four would tell you" she says.
"He didn't. But I'm neither blind nor stupid. He thinks I don't know, but I do. But please don't tell them, let them have their way. I don't mind. Besides I can shake a tale better than they think" I say.
"Alright. Thanks again. Could you do me a favor?" she asks and I nod for her to continue. "I'm not ready yet to tell even Four about Dwayne and me. Could you say that you asked me to help with the party?"
"Of course. Do you want to help? Or do you want to go home?" I ask.
"Is there anything I can still do so late in the planning and preparing phase?"
"Sure. How about you ask Lynn or Shauna if you can help them."
"Thank you, I will do that" she says and gets up to leave my office, when someone knocks on my door. I tell the person to come in and smile when I see Tobias.
"I thought to come and get you" he says.
"Is it lunchtime, already?" I ask. He nods smiling. "Alright. Thank you, Tori for doing this" I say and she nods. "Four, I know you wanted to take Tori with you to see Dwayne and Zeke, but we need some extra help" I say and see Tori smiling from the corner of my eye.
"That's fine. It would have been boring anyways" he says. "You ladies hungry?" he asks.
"Starving" I say.
"I'm going to go find Lynn to discuss the details" Tori says before practically running out of my office.
"What was that all about?" Tobias asks.
"Party business" I say. "Come on, let's get something to eat. These impromptu workouts you put me through are just too much for me" I say dramatically.
"I put you through?" he asks raising an eyebrow. "Do we need to review these workouts?" he asks grinning. I shake my head no and kiss his cheek.
"Let's go." We walk out and I lock my door behind me. We talk about little things on the way down to the cafeteria. When we get there Tobias opens the door and lets me enter first. We walk hand in hand toward our regular table where all our friends already wait for us. I excuse myself for a moment and Tobias looks suspiciously at me. I tell him I need to check something with Ms. Stone and his features soften a little bit. I walk through the many rows of tables in the cafeteria until I reach a metal staircase. I climb to the upper level and walk to the farthest office on the right and knock on the door when I reach it. I wait to be invited in and step inside.
"Hello, Ms. Stone" I say.
"Tris, please, call me Michaela" she says smiling.
"It's just so difficult for me" I say bashful.
"Because of your Abnegation background?" she asks, no trace of malice in her voice when she mentions my old faction. I nod slowly. "It's alright. I think you are very polite and some Dauntless could really have you as a role model when it comes to manners and good behavior" she praises and I blush slightly.
"Thank you, Michaela" I say trying out her given name. She smiles warmly at me.
"How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if I could have the recipe for the Dauntless cake?"
"You want to make one yourself?" she asks surprised.
"Yes. I want to surprise Four with one I've made myself" I say, withholding the fact that I'm going to share the recipe also with my mom.
"That's so sweet of you. He is a lucky guy to have you" she says.
"I'm the lucky one" I say quickly.
"You two are so cute together." I blush even more when she says that. "Do you have pen and paper?" I nod and she starts telling me the recipe. When I'm done I thank her several times and promise her to bring her a slice when I make my first cake. We say goodbye and I hurry back to the cafeteria. My friends have already started eating, but Tobias waited for me and I furrow my eyebrows at him.
"You should have started without me" I scold.
"I'm fine" he says kissing my cheek when I sit down next to me. He puts his left arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. I lean my head on his shoulder and enjoy his warmth for a moment before we both fill our plates. We eat our meal and before I leave he calls me to his office. We walk up to the Pire and he lets me enter first before he closes and locks the door behind us. I look at him curious but am unable to ask what he's up to when he crashes his lips over mine. He kisses me ferociously and I melt in his arms. He travels down my neck and sucks lightly on my pulse point. I wrap my arms around his neck and he picks me up, one arm under my legs and the other holding my back, carrying me to the couch where he lays me down and settles himself between my outstretched legs. We make out passionately when my phone buzzes. Tobias pulls back and growls loudly. I smile at him and cup his face before I answer my phone.
"Hello" I say, Tobias still laying between my legs and now nuzzling my neck.
"Hello, Beatrice" My mom says and I jump up, almost knocking Tobias off of me completely.
"Hi, mom" I say nervously.
"What is wrong?" she asks concerned.
"Nothing."
"You sound out of breath" she says.
"I was running up the stairs, that's why" I quickly say and Tobias finally gets up helping me too. "What can I do for you?" I ask.
"You didn't call me to say if you would come today" she says.
"I have something to do today. Mom, can I call you later?" I ask.
"Of course" she says. We say goodbye and I quickly hang up. I grab Tobias by his collar and pull him down to me kissing him again.
When we pull apart Tobias rests his forehead on mine and we both breathe heavily. We look into each other's eyes and smile brightly, both our cheeks flushed.
"What did your mom want?" he says leaning back on the couch and putting my legs over his rubbing a hand up and down their length.
"I promised I would bring her a special recipe" I say and beckon him with my finger to come closer so that I can whisper in his ear. "She wanted the recipe for Dauntless cake" I say and he chuckles.
"Did you get it?" he asks curiously.
"Of course I did" I say almost offended. He laughs lightly and kisses the back of my left hand. "I need to get going. I don't want to stay too long there."
"You want me to come pick you up?" he asks and I shake my head no.
"You have meetings to attend. Besides I'm taking the car. What could possibly happen?" I ask and he furrows his eyebrows. "Relax, baby. You taught me well" I say and lean forward to kiss him. I make sure not to ignite the flames of passion again, because I know that once ignited nothing can stop them. I get up, get the car keys from his desk drawer, kiss him on the lips and leave his office. I pull out my phone and once I'm in the car I dial mom's number. When she answers I put her on speaker to not have to hold the phone while driving.
"Hello, sweetheart" she says.
"Hi, mom. Sorry for hanging up on you like that but I was with Tobias in his office. We had to go over a few things before I had to leave."
"You left?" she asks surprised.
"Yeah, I need to check something at the Hub. Is it okay if we meet tomorrow? Maybe after lunch?" I ask her.
"Of course. I will get everything at the mart" she says.
"Mom, I told you. You don't have to."
"It's my pleasure. And I like to pick the ingredients out myself."
"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow when I leave the compound. Is that alright?"
"Of course. Drive safely, sweetheart" she says and we hang up.
I drive for another ten minutes before I reach the Hub. I park the car and get out of it, making sure to lock it. I enter the building and greet the guard in the lobby, who knows me well enough from all the council meetings I've attended in the last two months. I take the elevator to the fifth floor where the archives are and go to the front desk to check in. As council member I have unrestricted access to the files, but I'm not allowed to take originals with me. Thankfully I'm allowed to scan or copy them. I walk into the dusty old room and look for the section I'm most interested in – the city legislation since its inception. If I want to change something around here, for the better mind you, I need to understand the law, from the beginning of the system until this very day. Rows upon rows of thick old law books await me and I almost regret coming here. It can take me months to work through this. I start with the newest version, since it's the one in use. I read the section that I'm interested in and pick out every other law book the current one makes reference to. I walk to the computer at the end of the room and start scanning all the pages that interest me. The scanning alone takes me two hours. I wonder how long it will take me to read those pages. I shake the thought from my mind and return to the task at hand. I use a secure thumb drive to store the information and return to the front desk with all the books I've used to be properly stored again. I make sure to hide the thumb drive in my jeans and erase all data from the computer, so that no one knows what I was looking for. While I'm not doing anything illegal here, some people might not like what I'm doing. Even though I said I don't want to change the system, the more I think about it the more I realize that's exactly what I'm doing. I check out again and walk the short distance to where I've parked the car, when I feel someone approaching me. All those months in Dauntless and training to survive initiation made me much more aware of my surroundings than before. I turn around to face whoever is lurking behind me and I'm momentarily startled to see Myra.
"Myra?" I ask incredulous.
"Hi Tris" she says, trying to smile.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her.
"I need to talk to you, but not here. Could you meet me on the roof where we entered Dauntless that first day? At midnight?" she asks I think hopeful.
"Can you tell me what this is all about?" I inquire.
"Not here. It's not safe. Please" she says and I'm inclined to agree.
"Why can't you tell me now?"
"There are people watching us. There are people following me. For the past few weeks I pretended to lose my mind to keep them away from me" she says. "Do you have any food with you?"
"I think I have an energy bar in the glove compartment. Are you hungry?" I ask suddenly realizing that she must be.
"Not really, but I need to tell them that I approached you for it" she says fidgeting.
"Alright" I say and open the car to retrieve the bar. I give it to her and she makes a point to thank me loudly, but not enough to draw to much attention.
"Please, the entrance at midnight" she says again. "Come alone". She leaves before I can tell her anything.
I get in my car and drive away thinking of the strange encounter. I wonder if I should tell Tobias, when I'm pulling into the garage. I get out of the car, check my pockets for the thumb drive, lock the car and walk to my office. On my way there I see Tobias returning from one of his meetings with a concerned look on his face.
"What's wrong, honey?" I ask and startle him. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hasn't even noticed me.
"Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're back" he says hugging me close to him. "Come to my office. I need to tell you something."
A/N: I know - cliffhanger. I'm evil that way. But it's a good thing :P