I deleted social media off my phone for a while… and now I find that I have endless time to write over this break. Who knew? Thanks for all the support, I love you guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

July 20th

Two weeks after we landed in Charlottesville, we've sort of gotten the hang of a routine in Evelyn's home. No, it hasn't been easy, all of us pent up in this tiny home. I do suppose that Tobias and I have it better than most, though, considering we get his room to ourselves. Everyone else is split between the guest room or the living room.

We've created a shower schedule now, and conserve water by couples showering together. There is also a strict rule that states that no sex of any kind (including oral) is allowed in the shower between couples. Tobias and I may have broken that rule… 1 or 5 times… but we're quick about it!

There's also a chore schedule, and we rotate between who picks up the mail, who does the dishes, who makes breakfast, etc. Evelyn is rather impressed with all of us, and she seems to be relieved as well.

I could tell our first few days here she was overwhelmed. She wanted to make a good impression on Tobias's friends and be helpful to him by allowing everyone to stay here… but 9 people is a lot. But I guess we're so awesome that we worked it out.

Even though it's crammed, stressful, and fighting breaks out at least once a day, I know I'm gonna miss this place in two weeks when we have to go. Tobias and I will say our painful goodbyes and he will head to Blacksburg and I will go back to Chicago, and then to Portland shortly after.

During our time here we've had a lot of discussions about what the future will look like, and each one ends with us insinuating that we want to try. I do have full faith in us, I can't imagine my love for him dying off so easily… I mean, it hadn't for 7 years… and we didn't even talk for 3 of them. But I'm also scared that he'll meet someone who's better for him, that we'll break up again and I'll be left heartbroken once more. "There's no one better for me than you," he insisted to me after I admitted my worries to him one night.

It's the insecure side of myself- even though the more logical part of my brain insists that it is very different this time. We have a new, mutual respect for one another and he's proven how much he loves me. I suppose the fear never really goes away, but I'll need my trust in him to subside that. I owe him that much.

I roll over on my side, and glance at my handsome boyfriend who is still fast asleep. The clock reads 8:30, and we have to start our day soon, but I don't wake him. He looks so peaceful and unguarded when he's asleep, his deep set eyelashes scooping low and touching the skin on his cheekbones. The morning sun filtering through the window gives him an effervescent glow as well. I take a mental snapshot of him like this, so… gorgeous.

The door to the bathroom slams loudly across the hallway, interrupting the moment of peace and Tobias jumps awake. I already knew it was one of the Pedrad brother's but Uriah's bellow of, "Zeke, you used up all the hot water!" confirmed it.

"Fucking hell," Tobias mumbles, sagging deeper into his sheets.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," I murmur, dragging my hand through his hair and massaging the top of his scalp gently.

He groans to let me know that he likes it, and pulls me closer to him, my naked body pressing against his.

"You could give me a proper good morning," he insists, kneading my breast.

I take his hand gently and pull it away, "And as much as I would love that… we got that thing we need to do, and it's already 8:30."

He grunts something about not wanting to go and I sigh. "You've put it off for long enough. We should just go and get it over with today so it doesn't hang low over our heads and ruin the rest of our time together."

"Fine," he huffs, sitting up. "But you're showering with me."

"Well, I've always been a fan of multitasking."

Zeke did use up all the hot water, but Tobias and I kept each other warm. We got out quickly and headed downstairs to grab breakfast to go.

Evelyn, as thoughtful as she is, had already made us sandwiches and even packed us each a juice box to go along with it. She kissed us each on the cheek and sent us on our way.

Now, we prepare to make the two hour drive down to Blacksburg. We went to Blacksburg twice, 2 weeks ago, for Tobias's job interviews. I drove both of those times since he was incredibly nervous, but after all of them he claimed that they went as well as they possibly could. We still haven't heard anything back, though, which is nerve wracking. He'll get one of them, I know he will.

Tobias drives us this time, even though he's still nervous about what we have to go do. It's something he should've done as soon as he got in; pick up his things from his old office… aka Nita's dad's company. It's obvious why he put that off, but he needs shit from there… I made him call yesterday to let them know he was coming in. There's no avoiding it now.

We play music on the way, chatting and joking around. We stay on one subject in particular, his planned visit in October. Tobias already bought his plane ticket to Portland for the first weekend of October, so that will be the next time we see each other after saying goodbye soon. Hell, it's gonna be hard to go over a month without any physical contact… but this just has me obsessively planning for what I'm gonna show him in my city.

Yeah, Oregon weather depresses me, but Portland really is a great place. If I was going to be stuck anywhere for college, it's not horrible. I can't wait to watch him try his first scoop from Salt & Straw, to show him Pioneer Courthouse square, and take him to the food carts and the waterfront. And the Reed College campus is always so pretty in the fall time, too, the golden leaves and chilly air. Yeah, it's going to be loads of fun, especially because my housing request just went through and I snagged a single dorm for senior year. Finally. No roommates to worry about.

Eventually, he pulls into a fancy looking office complex. There are several floors on it, and I can already tell that lots of important companies probably have their business here. "You scared?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "No. I'm good. It'll… be fine. Just get the shit then leave. Thanks for coming with me, by the way."

"Of course."

We make our way inside, and he directs me to the office. It's on the first floor, which honestly was probably good for Tobias, given his distaste for elevators. Taking the stairs is probably a huge hassle in this place, too.

The inside of the office is spacious, very modern looking with professionally dressed men and women milling about. Hell, there's a fish tank, too. This is what I made him lose? I tell myself that this is all Nita's fault, and that he was unhappy anyway, but guilt still gnaws at me. Cut it out, Tris. This isn't about you.

All conversation ceases and everyone looks to us -to Tobias- when we enter. He nods his head in acknowledgement, and I follow him across the room, swallowing nervously. Whispers have started to circulate around employees as we pass them, indicating that they definitely are aware of the circumstances which Tobias was fired under. This probably sucks for him, walking through his old office, where his reputation was built on respect, after being fired for something he shouldn't have been fired for. He should honestly file a wrongful termination lawsuit against these people, but it would probably just lead to more of a hassle anyway. From what I've heard, Nita's father is a powerful man. It makes me so angry, though. Tobias deserves better than this.

I grab Tobias's hand, hoping to squeeze some strength into it, and he shoots me a grateful look. All we have to do is pack up his shit and then leave. Then he never has to see these people again. He leads me into a back room with a mid sized desk, away from everyone else thankfully. There's some clutter stacked on it, so he grabs a cardboard box from underneath and begins shoving items hastily into it.

"Can I help?" I ask carefully.

"Uh, you can bring that trash can over here. There's some stuff I wanna toss."

I nod and pick it up, carrying it over to him. He thrusts a pile of things into it, and I swallow when I see what one of the items is. A photograph of himself and Nita. They're both wearing very fancy attire, this was probably a dinner date. Though I guess he wants to get rid of the entire memory, picture frame and all. I can't help the smirk that crosses my face.

He tosses some more documents into the trash bin, and stuffs several files into his cardboard box. When he's finished, he double checks each drawer to make sure he left nothing behind and nods to himself. Relief floods through me. Time to get the fuck out of here.

Too soon, though, because a sickly sweet voice I never hoped to hear again has now made its way into my ears. "Well, well, well… look who's here."

Tobias and I turn slowly at once and come face to face with Nita. She looks more gorgeous than ever, in a white mini dress and tall pumps. And oh God, where did she get her hair done? It looks fantastic. I'm about to ask her, but then I remember that I technically hate her, so I clamp my mouth shut and look to Tobias. He is standing stiffly and has his jaw clenched.

"Nita," he says coolly, "We were just about to leave."

"If you wanted to see me, Tobias, you could have just called like a normal person instead of showing up here under the guise of retrieving your things."

"I am here to retrieve my things," Tobias shakes the box, and Nita just laughs, waving her hand.

"Everything that happened a few weeks ago was so foolish now that I think about it, baby. I'm sorry for behaving like that. Even daddy says this place is falling apart without you… why don't you come back? And we can talk about it?" She puts on some innocent doe eyes.

Tobias scoffs, "Not in a million years. I'm with Tris now, and we're very happy together," he laces his fingers through mine. "But even if I wasn't… the answer would still be no. I'm done being held on a leash by you, Nita, and I deserve better than that."

I beam at him proudly, so happy that he's come so far from the angry and insecure boy he was a few weeks ago. He told me if it wasn't for me, he would have suffered through Nita. I didn't want him to make that decision for me, I wanted him to make that decision because he had enough self respect to realize that what he was being put through was unfair.

Nita furrows her eyebrows and crosses her arms, pushing her breasts farther up her neck. "You're acting like I was abusive, baby. I just loved you- so much that I would do anything to keep you."

I roll my eyes, "Nita, you were abusive, and if you can't see past your own delusions to realize that then-"

"This doesn't concern you, Trixie," she puts a hand up in front of my face.

Uh, yeah. I will not be spoken to that way. "It's Tris," Tobias and I say in unison.

Nita huffs, stomping her foot like a child who isn't getting their way. "What are you doing, following him around like a dog, anyway?" She snaps.

My cheeks enflame, "I am not following him around like a dog," I state hotly. "We're two people putting mutual respect into a relationship… We make sacrifices for one another, which hardly feel like sacrifices because we love one another. We certainly don't blackmail one another either. You should try it sometime."

Yeah, there was a time when Tobias and I could be really toxic. But even back then, I would never hold something important over his head to make him stay with me. We fought because we loved one another so much, not because we wanted to own one another. And now that we've grown up and matured, it's better than it could possibly be.

Nita looks genuinely speechless, glancing between Tobias and I like she's finally getting it into her thick head that he chose me. And not really me, that he chose himself. The boy who's been taken advantage of and made to feel small and unloved, has finally realized that he's enough. And whatever happens between us, I hope he keeps choosing himself.

"Goodbye, Nita," Tobias says softly, spinning on his heel to go.

I give her one last glance, and set the trash can that has their picture in it at her feet, before following him as well.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asks behind us. "You walk out of this door… and-and it's over for good!"

He turns around, holding his hands up and giving her a cold look, "So you keep saying."

He exits the office with his head held high, not glancing at anyone. I trail behind him proudly.

I go to open the passenger door of the car, opening my mouth to ask Tobias what he wants to grab to eat when I'm cut off with his lips crashing to mine.

I tense up in surprise, but soon relax and place my hands gently on his shoulders, breathing into the kiss. He pushes me up against the side of the car, and groans into my mouth, his hands migrating to my waist to squeeze my ass.

When he finally pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine and stares into my eyes intensely. I open my mouth to say something, but he places a finger on my lips, shushing me. "Let me say something. You…" he shakes his head, "You've never doubted me… Always looked at me like I was strong, and always treated me like it too. When I had no one else, when I was at my most vulnerable, I had your support. I just want to say, thank you for treating me like I am whole. Like I'm this… person worth loving. You didn't try to control my life or take advantage of me- and I love you for that. The fact that someone as… amazing as you, looks at me the way that you do… it makes me feel like I can be something. It's what gives me the strength to know that I… am worth it." His hands are shaking now, and I grab them to calm him down a little.

"Even now, with Evelyn, she's just started to come around. But you, you stuck by me. And even in those years apart, what got me through the tough times was remembering that despite all of our petty fights and arguments, you have never insinuated that I was damaged or unloveable. In fact, most of our fights were because of how much you loved me and how much potential you saw in me. So thanks. For being my first real believer."

He gazes down at me with such emotion, and I swallow, shaking my head. He's giving me… all this credit… he's been amazing this entire time, and it's heartbreaking that he needed me to see it. At least I did something, though. I did something for him, and with it he has become the strong man that I love today. His thumb moves up to wipe a stray tear from my eye, and I inhale. "You don't need to thank me for any of that. If… what I did was show you that you're a person… who deserves love and respect like anyone else… then it's the best thing I ever did. You deserve amazing things, Tobias, and I shouldn't be thanked for helping you realize. You're whole, you always have been… and I love you, so much."

He laughs, choking up a little bit, "I love you, too. More than you could ever know." We kiss again.

Well, after that emotional conversation, we ended up getting McDonald's for our drive home. We sang cheesy 2000s love songs the entire ride and he kept one hand off the steering wheel and linked with mine when he could.

We got home to an intense Wii Tennis match happening amongst our friends, but they instantly dropped what they were doing and wanted to know every detail of our task. We sighed and relented some of what happened with Nita to them, and they were hanging off the edge of their seats the entire time.

"Everything's okay?" Christina asked with wide eyes once we're finished.

Tobias slung an arm around my shoulders and answered, "Never better."

We decided to head out for drinks to celebrate the official end of Nita… though I wish I had asked her where she gets her hair done before we walked out of her life forever. God damn it.

To spice it up, Christina announced that we would head over there in separate Ubers by splitting up boys and girls. I guess it makes sense… She is the only single one out of all of us now that Zeke and Shauna are pretty much a thing. Though I think she prefers it that way. Nevertheless, 9th wheeling your friends isn't fun, so we complied for her.

Even if it's only about an hour without Tobias to get ready and head over to the bar, I still miss him the entire time. Geez, what's gotten into me? Fucking Lynn and Lauren don't have to be separated, so how about that?

I arrive at the bar, in a needy mood, excited to attach myself to my boyfriend for the rest of the night and never leave his side. The boys got ready much faster than us girls did, so they arrived 30 minutes earlier. I'll bet you they're pretty tipsy already. Unfair.

I see Tobias, lounging on a barstool, laughing at something Uriah is saying. He makes eye contact with me and his smile widens. I break apart from the girls to bound over to him, hopping into his lap and placing a sloppy kiss on his mouth.

The guys all whistle at us, but I don't care. When he pulls back to look at me, he wears that insane grin on his face still, but his eyes aren't glazed over like they are when he's drunk. "Hi, beautiful. I missed you."

I kiss the tip of his nose, "I missed you more. Have you ordered yet?"

"Well, no. I was waiting for-"

I call out both of our drinks to the bartender who nods, and then I turn back to Tobias, "Hmm?"

He bites his lip, looking down shyly. "Tris," he says seriously, which catches my attention.

"Yeah?" I ask cautiously.

"I just got a call, about 20 minutes ago," he says slowly.

"Uh, okay…?" My worry grows, could it be Nita harassing him? Or worse, her father? Holy hell, what if it's his father; Marcus?

"It was a job offer… from Dauntless Tech."

My mouth just hangs open slightly, processing that information and then pure elation bounces through my chest. "Tobias! That's amazing!"

His face breaks out into a wide grin, "We did it!"

"No, you did it."

"I couldn't have done it without you," he tells me seriously.

He totally could have, but I don't press on semantics right now. "Why are you guys… all not celebrating like hardcore then?"

"I wanted you to be the first person to know."

I crush his lips fiercely to mine, wanting to savor this moment of bliss forever. I truly, truly have no regrets now. Everything that has happened has led me back to Tobias, the love of my life. We belong together.

"Hey everyone!" I call out to our friends once I pull back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Tobias got a fucking job!"

Everybody around us cheers, even strangers, and the bartenders. "On the house!" One of them announces, sliding our drinks over to us.

We thank him, and down them instantly. The rest of the night is filled with drinks, friends, laughs, and lots and lots of making out. As it should be. Yeah, I truly can't complain.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sad to see Tris and Tobias's journey come to a close, but excited that once this ends I will have the time to share some of my new work with you guys.

Happy New Year to all.

-Kiki