Tris
A small sliver of light tickles my cheek, and despite my eyes remaining closed, I'm awake. I groan, turning my head into the pillow, desperate for just one more hour of sleep.
I know I only have a few minutes before my mother comes into the room and pulls my curtains open.
"Beatrice," she'll say, "it's a beautiful day. Why would you want to spend the whole thing sleeping?"
She's not a fan of lazy Saturdays and normally, neither am I.
Today, however, my bed is unbelievably comfortable and cloud-like, and I want to take full advantage of it.
Slowly, I start to drift back to sleep, my head sinking into the soft pillow. I roll my body just slightly to the edge of the bed, being careful not to roll too far.
I've fallen off my bed one too many times not to know better.
I push myself to the very edge and somehow, miraculously, I don't run out of space.
My bed grew, quite literally overnight.
The realization jolts me awake.
I sit bolt upright, gasping.
My eyes quickly scan the room as I try to calm my instant panic.
This is not my room.
This is NOT my house.
I take a deep breath, my hand pressed to my chest to regulate my breathing.
Think, Beatrice, where are you?
My first instinct is a hotel.
Everything is incredibly clean and it smells fresh, like someone has just been through with cleaning supplies.
It's a wide space, expertly decorated, modern and clean.
The bed is huge, a lot bigger than my full size mattress at home, and it's covered in fluffy white pillows and a puffy blue comforter.
There are tall windows surrounding the room, with large and heavy black curtains covering them.
The only light is coming from the small sliver of a break between the curtains, the original thing that had woken me.
There's a lamp on the bedside table and I reach over, turning the knob to fill the room with light.
The room looks even larger now that it's bathed in yellow.
There's a couch against the wall across from me, angled slightly, and it too is bright white and so clean it almost makes my eyes hurt.
I search for a hotel insignia, but come up empty.
There's a desk pushed into the right corner, topped by a stack of neatly piled pamphlets and brochures and a silver laptop.
The walls are painted a light blue color, giving the entire room the feeling of falling into the sky.
On the left wall there's a painting; it's not of anything specific, just splashed with colors including reds, oranges, blues, and greens.
Caleb would call it abstract art and obsess over it for hours.
It's not the only piece of art in the room, but it is the only painting. There's a clear blue sculpture sitting on the bedside table and a string of what look like painted moons and stars hanging above the couch.
A buzzing sound distracts me from my inventory of the room, and I notice my phone on the bedside table.
I breathe a little sigh of relief as I pick it up and read the name blinking up at me.
Tobias Eaton
I open the text message and read:
Out getting breakfast. The bathroom is on your left and I stocked it for you if you need or want to shower. I'll see you soon.
Slowly, the events from the night before start to trickle into my brain.
A half-speed film reel in my head of red cups filled with beer and lots of shot glasses, all culminating with my head in the toilet.
Suddenly, the heavy feeling in my body, the headache, and the nausea make perfect sense.
All at once, I remember where I am.
This is Tobias' house.
This is Tobias' room.
I take a closer look at my surroundings and notice a few personal items that are a dead giveaway.
The bookcase to my left, covered in soccer trophies. A walk-in closet door, left slightly ajar, on which a soccer uniform hangs.
I jump when my phone starts ringing in my hands. Christina's name and picture flash up at me and I instantly answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey! I'm just checking in, you okay?"
"Um...I think so. Exactly how did I end up at Tobias' house?"
"Well, he couldn't take you to your house. I saved you from like a year of grounding, trust me. You were wasted."
"Well, that would explain the pounding headache. How embarrassing was I?"
"On a scale from one to ten? Probably about a seven."
"Oh God," I groan.
"It wasn't that bad. I would've rated you lower, but you did vomit in front of Tobias. And you wanted to go skinny dipping."
"Ugh, okay, stop. I don't want to know any more."
"Okay, I'll stop. I just wanted to tell you that your mom thinks you're at my place and you have to be home by noon."
I pull my phone away from my face to check the time.
It flashes a giant '9:03' at me.
"Got it. Noon."
"Where's Tobias?"
"Um...getting breakfast, according to his text."
"So what's his place like?"
I look up, taking in the room again.
"Well, his room is huge," I say softly. "I don't know if I saw anything else. If I did, I don't remember it." I push the comforter away, and am surprised when I find myself in just a grey t-shirt that doesn't belong to me and underwear.
I have no idea what happened to my shorts.
Internally, I'm panicking a little.
I have a very small recollection of the previous night, and none of it included losing my clothes.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, my feet touching the plush carpet. It's incredibly soft, bright white, and looks brand new.
I'm relieved when I find my shorts on the floor next to the bed. It's entirely possible I kicked them off in the night.
A little voice inside my head says maybe something else happened, but I'm not willing to think about it just now.
I move over to the window, phone held to my ear with my shoulder and push open the heavy black curtain.
A gasp leaves my lips involuntarily.
"What?" Christina says in my ear.
The curtains were hiding much more than windows.
They were concealing two large glass doors and an expansive terrace.
I'm looking at the most beautiful view I have ever seen: the Chicago skyline in the morning.
It absolutely takes my breath away.
I stand there, clutching the phone at a complete loss for words.
"Chris?" I manage finally, still slightly out of breath, "...it's a penthouse."
She's silent for a moment and then I hear her let out a gasp that rivals my own.
"Shut up! I knew it! I knew he was rich! He drives a Mercedes!"
"What?"
"Tobias drove us home last night and he drives a freakin' Mercedes. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Are those expensive or something?"
"Oh my God, Tris." I can practically hear her rolling her eyes.
"I...didn't know. I mean, I didn't realize. I don't know anything about cars."
"Wow. How are you this unobservant?"
"Chris, I've got to go," I say quickly, not willing to talk about all the things I haven't picked up on.
"I'll call you later, okay?" I hang up the phone before getting a response, my eyes still on the incredible skyline.
My phone buzzes in my hand and it's another text message from Tobias.
See you in ten minutes
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror above his dresser and cringe. My hair is reminiscent of a bird's nest, and there is red lipstick all over my face that had, at one point in time, been the number four.
I do not want him to come home to this version of me.
I pull myself away from the insane view and find the bathroom door just left of his bed.
When I flip the light on, I'm temporarily stunned by the gorgeous marble surfaces and the completely clear, glass shower sitting on a platform of marble.
"Holy crap," I whisper to myself, shaking my head in disbelief at the large oval basin masquerading as a sink.
His bathroom is the size of my entire bedroom.
I'm almost afraid to use anything lest I break it.
The shower ends up being easy enough to figure out, and it takes less than a second for the water to run at the perfect temperature.
When I step inside, I'm not surprised that the water pressure is perfect.
As the water spray engulfs me, I realize just how badly I need a shower. My skin feels normal again after most likely sweating booze all night.
Tobias has about fifteen different body washes, shampoos, and conditioners set up for me on his multi-level shower shelf.
I use the most neutral scents I can find and take a five minute shower.
When I finish and take my first steps on the marble floor, I'm expecting it to be cold, but surprisingly it is warm.
The floor is heated.
I close my eyes tightly and count to three.
When I open them, I'm still there in the insane bathroom.
Definitely not a dream.
I dry off with one of the warm, fluffy white towels on the large towel rack in the corner and then try desperately to comb through my hair with my fingers.
The towel rack is also home to my freshly washed tank top and a pair of jean shorts I've never seen before.
I put them on, wondering if Christina left them for me.
There's a brand new toothbrush sitting on the edge of the sink for me, still in its original packaging.
I'm grateful that he was thoughtful enough to think of that after the night I had.
As I start to brush my teeth, I hear the bedroom door open.
I do the quickest brush I can manage, rinse my mouth and take a look at myself in the mirror.
I decide that it's the best I can do with limited resources.
When I exit the bathroom, Tobias is sitting on the right side of his bed, waiting for me. I notice that he's pulled the curtains closed again.
"Good morning," he says with a smile. He's wearing a white t-shirt with a grey over shirt and light-colored jeans. He looks a million times better than me, and he's definitely not hung over.
"Hi…" I say, trying not to show how awkward and shy I'm really feeling.
"So, I got coffee and donuts…" he says, gesturing to the bedside table where two coffee cups sit with a white paper bag.
"That sounds...perfect, actually," I say, biting down on my lip.
"Oh, and I have Ibuprofen, too. I figured you might need that."
"Yes, possibly even more than the donuts."
He laughs, reaching for the bottle of pills in his nightstand drawer. He unscrews the bottle cap and shakes out two pills.
He hands them to me, along with a coffee cup.
I take them easily, throwing my head back as I swallow.
The coffee is delicious, and I'm relieved it isn't black the way my dad drinks it or completely doused in sugar the way Christina likes it.
"What is this?" I ask him curiously.
"Caramel latte. Do you like it?"
"Very much. Thank you." I pause for a moment. "Actually, thank you for everything. I'm sorry about last night."
He shakes his head.
"You're welcome, and don't worry about it. Everyone starts somewhere, right?"
We're both quiet for a moment, sipping coffee and avoiding heavy conversation.
Eventually, I break the silence.
"So, you lied," I say finally.
He looks at me, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Zeke does not have the best party house."
"Oh." He frowns a little. "Yeah, maybe not."
I watch him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he doesn't.
"So, is there a story here...or…?"
He lets out a long sigh.
"Uh...not really. My father is a city council member, he's also a pretty successful lawyer. Some of it was inheritance money. My grandfather was a tycoon of some kind..." He shrugs his shoulders slightly.
"So, you have money?" I say, taking in the room again. "Like, a lot of money?"
He shrugs again.
"Kind of. I mean, it's not mine. Not really."
He looks frustrated and annoyed, and I suddenly feel guilty for asking.
"Does it matter?" His tone is dripping with irritation.
"No," I say quickly.
"I'm sorry. I just...I was curious, that's all."
The room is thick with silence after that, and I'm angry with myself for even bringing it up.
I can feel him shutting down and I don't want that.
"I...I didn't mean to make you upset."
"It's okay. You didn't."
"Then why do I feel like I just screwed something up?"
"You didn't," he says again, his voice sounding tired now, and his eyes on his coffee cup.
"My father is just not my favorite subject."
I nod slowly.
"Okay. So, let's talk about something else."
"Okay," he says slowly.
Another long beat of silence and I ask the only thing reverberating around in my brain.
"Are you mad at me?" I hate how vulnerable I sound but I can't help it, it's exactly how I feel.
Day one of being someone's girlfriend and I've somehow already screwed it up.
He looks up at me in confusion.
"No, Tris. I'm not mad at you."
He blows out a breath before continuing.
"Look, in the past, I haven't had great experiences with people knowing my…." He pauses, searching for the right words.
"..Situation," he finally finishes. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just…" He shrugs his shoulders lightly. "I'm nervous. I get mean when I'm nervous, but you already know that."
I nod slowly.
"I do know that. But why are you nervous?"
He looks at me for a moment, and I can tell he's having an inner debate with himself over whether or not to tell me the truth.
"I'm nervous because I can't tell what you're really thinking about all of this." He gestures to the room.
"I've never brought a girl home before."
I feel like I've skipped a step going down the stairs at his words.
"You want to know what I'm thinking?" I say softly.
He looks up at me, watching me for a moment, and then nods slowly.
I can tell it's a hard admit for him.
"I'm thinking that I like being with you. I like spending time with you, I like talking to you, I like kissing you…" My cheeks flush with heat as I speak, but I ignore it, pushing forward.
"I like you, Tobias. And it has nothing to do with you having money or not. I promise. I liked you before I knew about any of this, and it doesn't change anything."
I pause for a moment.
"And for the record, we don't ever have to talk about your father if you don't want to."
His lips twitch, but he's not quite at a full blown smile just yet.
"Thank you," he says quietly.
"But…"
"There's always a 'but,'" he says, watching me expectantly.
"I just...I want you to know that what you said to me last night goes both ways. You can tell me anything."
He reaches out, motioning for me to sit on the bed with him. I follow his instructions, sitting so close to him that our thighs are pressed together.
"I guess we both have to get better at the whole trust thing, huh?"
"We'll get there," I say, leaning my head against his shoulder.
He wraps an arm around me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
We sit like that for a long while until I pull away, a question on my lips. If I'm being honest, it's a question that has been in my head since I woke up.
"So, can I ask you something else?"
He nods, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Did we…" I start, trying desperately to find the right way to ask.
"Did something happen last night?"
"What do you mean?"
"Um…" I squeeze my coffee cup tightly, looking down into the little open hole on the lid. It's easier than looking directly at him.
"We didn't...we didn't...like...hook up or anything, did we?"
When I finally risk a glance at him, he's wearing an amused expression.
"No."
Relief flows through me and I close my eyes, thanking my lucky stars that my first time wasn't when I was too drunk to see straight or remember.
"Why did you think that?"
"I woke up in your t-shirt and couldn't remember how that happened."
"Oh," he says, laughing as he remembers.
"You asked me for something else to wear. You said something about being uncomfortable. You put it on yourself, I swear. Then you passed out."
"...And my shorts?" I ask tentatively, eyes on the carpet.
"Your shorts?" he asks, confusion in his tone.
"I wasn't wearing them this morning."
He raises his eyebrows at me.
"That's news to me. They were definitely on when I put you to bed."
I look at him then, head tilted.
"When you put me to bed? You mean...you didn't sleep in here with me?"
He looks at me for a moment, shaking his head slowly.
"No. Of course not. I put you to bed, stocked the bathroom with supplies from the guest closet, and then I slept in the guest room."
I breathe a small sigh of relief.
"Tris, I would never do anything with you if I thought you wouldn't remember."
His voice sounds so serious when he speaks.
"Well, good," I say, cheeks burning.
"Because I would want to make sure I remember it if and when it happens."
He reaches out, his thumb circling my lips.
"You will. I'd prefer both of us to be sober, I think. You know, if and when."
He leans in then, kissing me softly.
When he pulls away I let out a huff of breath.
"Don't worry. I think I'm going to be sober for the rest of my life."
Tobias throws his head back, laughing at me.
"You say that now, but wait 'til the next party."
I shake my head hard from side to side.
"No, thank you. I'm embarrassed enough for a lifetime."
"It's alright. We've all had a crash and burn night."
"Really?"
He nods slowly.
"Oh, yeah. Cara's was last year. She vomited on Fernando's shoes."
I laugh, shaking my head.
"Okay, that actually makes me feel better."
"I thought it might."
"Those are her shorts you're wearing, by the way. She left a bag of clothes in my car after a practice. I borrowed them for you."
I am in awe of the fact that he truly thought of everything.
"Thank her for me."
"I will."
He passes the bag of donuts to me, and I take one of the tiny glazed ones and pop it into my mouth.
"Eat, drink," he says. "I want to show you something before I have to take you home."
Tobias covers my eyes as he leads me through the house, promising me a surprise that I'll like.
"If you're kidnapping me, I want you to know my parents will come looking for me," I tease him.
"That's fine, I plan on leaving the country anyway," he replies, laughter in his voice.
He steers me expertly, careful to tell me when to move slightly to my right or my left.
A light electric, whirring sound fills my ears but it doesn't last longer than a second.
"Take one big step, Tris."
I follow his instructions, my nose picking up a familiar scent.
I breathe it in, just to be positive I'm not mistaken.
"Am I smelling chlorine?" I ask, a warm breeze rustling my hair.
"Wait, are we outside?"
He gently removes his hands from my eyes and I breathe in sharply.
I'm standing on the edge of a terrace, fenced in with clear glass.
A gorgeous pool is glistening, casting crystals and light everywhere. The pool seems to lead to nowhere, the edges just tapering off into the city below.
The view of the city is all around us, making it feel like flying through the air while somehow remaining still.
"Wow…" The word leaves my lips involuntarily as my eyes drink everything in.
Another soft whirring noise penetrates the air, and the terrace becomes fully enclosed, surrounded by privacy glass.
I turn around quickly, facing Tobias.
"Do you like it?"
I look at him for a moment, slowly nodding my head.
"Yes." I let out a disbelieving huff of air. "I mean, who wouldn't like this?"
"I figured you would, and then I could fulfill one of your requests from last night."
"One of my…?" Before I can even finish the sentence, Tobias is pulling his shirt up and over his head.
I forget absolutely everything I was planning to say.
I forget my own name.
I don't know how to explain it other than he reminds me of a sunset.
Golden and perfect.
My eyes drink him in, starting at his unbelievably strong shoulders and then across his perfectly sculpted chest.
He looks exactly like a talented soccer player should look, and the temporary paralysis I'm under is proof of that.
My eyes finally get their fill when I reach the button on his jeans.
I direct my eyes back to his face, blinking a little from the struggle.
"...Right, Tris?"
He's been talking to me but I haven't heard a single word.
"What?"
He grins at me.
"Skinny dipping," he says. "That's what you wanted to do, right?"
So Christina wasn't joking about me suggesting skinny dipping at the party last night. I'm mentally kicking myself.
"Tobias, I…"
He reaches down, popping the button on his jeans.
"Oh my God." I close my eyes, immediately covering my eyes with my hands.
I am not prepared for this.
"Okay, Tobias…" I start slowly.
"...I was really drunk last night and I didn't really know what I was saying—"
"Tris, open your eyes."
"I can't."
"I promise you that you can."
I risk a glance in between my fingers.
He's wearing swim trunks.
I lower my hands slowly.
He's grinning at me, truly enjoying the panic he just incited.
"I figured we could go for a swim. Swimwear included."
"You're messing with me," I say, nodding while taking in my own realization.
He continues to smirk, watching me.
"Yes, I am," he confirms.
"Why are you torturing me?"
"Because I like the way your cheeks flush."
My stomach flips at his words.
I shake my head a little, gesturing towards his swim trunks.
"I didn't bring a suit."
"Not really a problem," he says, taking my hand.
He leads me back inside, through a sliding glass door.
I catch a glimpse of a wide spacious living room, leading into a kitchen bar straight out of one of those interior magazines my mother likes to read.
Before I can fully appreciate it, he pulls me into a room, just to the left of the hall leading out to the pool.
It's a large shower room with several large chests of drawers placed around. He leads me around until he finds the exact one he's looking for, then pauses.
He pulls one of the drawers open, and at first I'm not sure what I'm looking at except maybe fabric.
Fabric of all shapes, colors and sizes.
Slowly, I realize that I'm looking at a collection of swimsuits.
Each one has the price tag still on it.
"You can take your pick."
I run my hands over the suits, picking up price tags out of curiosity.
Confusion mixes with astonishment as I contemplate the reasoning behind this particular drawer. Some of the price tags have numbers on them that I couldn't imagine being possible for just a swimsuit.
"Why do you have all of these?"
Tobias shrugs.
"My father hosts parties and events sometimes. They're guest suits."
"Guest suits...okay," I say in disbelief.
"What happens when you run out?"
"My father probably sends Alyssa out for more."
"Alyssa?"
"His assistant," he says offhandedly.
Tobias watches me as I sift through the pile, trying to find something mildly decent that I could actually feel comfortable in.
Eventually, I land on one. It's grey with white polka dots, the top resembles a tank top rather than a bra and the bottoms are more like shorts than underwear.
"So, I'll let you change and then you can meet me out there, okay?"
He doesn't wait for my response before disappearing out the side door.
I stand there for a moment, shaking my head in disbelief.
I'm still waiting to wake up from this dream.
I change quickly and pull my hair up and out of my face with the ribbon from the night before, still wound around my wrist.
I follow Tobias' path through the same door and back out to the pool.
For a moment, the pool area looks deserted, and my instincts kick into high alert. "Tobias?" I call, trying to keep my eyes and ears open. I'd been around too many
adolescent boys at pool and beach parties not to be suspicious of what Tobias might be planning.
I walk along the edge of the pool, trying not to feel self conscious in what I'm wearing. I'm jealous of Tobias' confidence in himself, like his ability to take his shirt off in front of me for a joke.
I don't think I have the confidence to disrobe in front of him anytime soon.
"Tobi—ahhh!" Wet hands reach out, grabbing my ankles and pulling me towards the edge of the pool.
"No, Tobias, don't!" But he doesn't listen. A second later, I am submerged in water.
When I break the surface, it is to Tobias' laughter.
"You're living to torture me today!"
"That's my last joke, I promise."
I push my hair back, sputtering slightly as water enters my eyes and nose.
He pulls me close to him, still laughing.
"I'm sorry," he says. "Does it help if I tell you that you look even better covered in water?"
I roll my eyes.
"Don't try to butter me up, Eaton. You're on thin ice."
"Oh, yeah?" He reaches around, his hand fitted to the small of my back as he pulls me against him.
"Yes," I say a little breathlessly.
His lips capture mine then, and there's an added layer of slippery perfection due to the water accumulated on both of our lips.
He breathes into me and I wrap my arms around his neck, holding onto him.
When he pulls away, he keeps his arms around me; he's still so close to me that I can feel his breath on my lips.
"You look good in that suit, Tris."
I let out a shaky breath, halfway between a laugh and a gasp.
"You don't look bad, either."
He grins and then pulls away, pushing himself backward slightly.
"Come on," he says, "I'll race you to the other end."
He takes off, swimming almost as excellently as he plays soccer, and I follow.