Tobias jolts at the sound of his phone buzzing in his pocket, praying to himself that the caller isn't who he thinks it is. Does he even want to check? Sighing, he reaches down, pulling it out, and rolls his eyes at the name on the screen. Marcus. Again. He's already called Tobias six times this week. What he wants, Tobias doesn't care. He's done with his father, for good, and nothing could change that. He just wishes he would leave him alone now.
"I'm ready," Evelyn announces, descending the stairs. Smiling at his mother, Tobias pockets his phone, and all thoughts of his father. Evelyn looks lovely, dressed in an elegant black blouse, paired off with brown flowy pants. Tobias is taking her out for lunch today.
This is his first time in Peoria, visiting Richard and Evelyn's home. Richard took the girls to the park, so Tobias and Evelyn are alone in the house currently, but they'll all meet up for an early dinner tonight before Tobias drives back up to Chicago.
"You look beautiful, mom," Tobias tells her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
She smiles, smoothing a hand over his hair. No, their relationship is not perfect, by any means. It is kind of hard to forget about cold abandonment. But Tobias is grateful to give her a try. To have one parent in his life who isn't a pathetic excuse for a human being. He's letting himself open up to more people, now. Zeke and Shauna know all of his true secret life, he and Tris are steadier than ever, and he's building a real connection with his mother. If somebody told him six months ago that his life would look like this today, he would have guffawed at the absurdity of it.
But it's all because of Tris, really. She brought him out of his shell, showed him that while the world does wound you, it can also give you the greatest gift known to mankind; love. And now he has so much of it. His heart aches with the feeling of missing her. It's been a few days since they've seen each other with Tris being swamped with school; this week is finals week for her, and she's graduating next week, so she has lots to do. Tobias has been occupied with work and the gallery, and then he drove down to Peoria yesterday. Part of the reason he's here is work, though. He's thinking of opening another space down here, and was looking at some places to lease.
Richard's sister in law, Maggie, owns a gallery down here, and she's looking for a partner. Her gallery is small, as she didn't anticipate a very large market in a town like Peoria, but that's expanding. When she heard how well Tobias is doing, she asked him if he'd be interested in a partnership. He instantly said yes. Not only is it a great opportunity, and a chance to continue doing what he loves, he'd also get to work closer to his mother and the first real family he's ever had.
He looked at new places with Maggie to lease for a space, and they both believe that they found a good one. If all works out, he would be splitting his time between Peoria and Chicago. Though, he may want to take residency in Peoria. His mother lives here, and things are changing for him. Chicago, while he does love it, has a great deal of painful memories for him. Maybe it's time for something new.
And, in a few months the one person who was keeping him there all along will be moving to California. He doesn't know if he could stomach permanently being in the city without Tris to share it with. And it's not like he can never visit. It's only a couple hour drive away. The lease that he, Zeke, and Shauna have on the apartment is almost up, so if there's a time for relocation, it's now. If they decided to renew, they'd be stuck there for another 12 months. It's just something for him to think about.
"We'd better head out to the car now, Tobias, or we'll miss our reservation," Evelyn reminds him.
Tobias finally sold his original expensive car, which was just a wounding reminder of his father, and purchased a tamer vehicle; a Ford Mustang GT. He loves it, it feels more like him. The first weekend he got it he took Tris out to the countryside, and just drove around in circles with her sitting next to him all night. Just recalling the memory of her radiant smile, her hair blowing from her face as the spring air drifted through the car windows, and her excited laughter when he would push down on the gas and go really fast is enough to bring a smile to Tobias's face.
He would have offered to let her drive… if she had any driving experience whatsoever. No, it's probably best that she kept to the passenger seat that night. Still, it was one of the greatest times Tobias has ever had. He hopes they can continue making more memories like that this summer, before she… He swallows the thought down, opening the passenger door to his car for his mother before sliding into his own side.
The restaurant is a nice little Italian place just up the road from Evelyn's house. She told him that she's been here a few times with Richard and the girls and they've always enjoyed it. Once they're seated, Evelyn surprises Tobias by ordering a nice bottle of wine for the both of them.
As they muse over their menus, deciding what to order to eat, his mother strikes up conversation. "So, how is Tris doing?"
"She's doing well. She's about to graduate soon."
"Yes, and then the two of you will have a splendid summer, I presume."
"That was something we were planning on," Tobias jokes, and his mother's eyes twinkle in response.
"You should most definitely bring her down here. Richard has a lovely lake house down south that the two of you are more than welcome to use. We were planning on going there as a family for a few days this summer, which the both of you are obviously already invited to, but if you wanted some time there alone as well…"
Tobias regards the woman sitting in front of him with wonder. "Thank you, mom. That's a very generous offer."
"It's the least we can do. I was also thinking of calling Natalie down here for some shopping one weekend."
Tobias nods, "That sounds like a good idea."
"How are she and Beatrice doing?" Evelyn feigns indifference as she asks the question, but Tobias can tell she's extremely curious.
"They are… reforging."
"Well, Natalie has always been a force to be reckoned with. She's very set in her ways."
"That she is, but you know, Tris believes that she is really trying."
"That's great to hear, then. Any word from Andrew recently?" Tobias detects a hint of nervousness in her mother's voice.
He sighs, wondering how Tris would feel about him spilling her personal family matters to his mother over lunch. Luckily, his knowledge on this subject is incredibly vague, so he has nothing to hide anyway. "Not that I know of. They haven't heard from him in quite some time."
"Mm," Evelyn's mouth is set in a terse line, staring down at her menu hard.
"Mom, if you're worried about Andrew coming back and… I don't know, allying himself with Marcus, I don't think you need to be." Andrew may be an asshole who abandons his children… but Tobias doesn't believe the man would sympathize with Marcus if he found out what he's done. That's even if Andrew ever makes his return.
His mother doesn't respond, or look up at him, so Tobias continues. "Look… I hate to say this, because I think Tris would get her heart broken if she ever heard it, but I don't think that Andrew Prior is coming back to town any time soon." But then again, his mother returned in the most unconventional way possible, with the risk of a ruthless multimillionaire standing to ruin her whole life.
Evelyn releases a shaky breath, looking back up at her son. "I just get scared, Tobias. This new life that we've started is teetering on the edge of a cliff. There is a very powerful man who could do very serious damage to us."
"Well… all we can pray is that he leaves us alone," Tobias mutters in return, hating the chill his mother's words send through his spine.
Their waiter drops some bread at their table and they both thank him with tight smiles. Tobias grabs a piece once he's gone, slouching back slightly in his chair.
"Are you prepared for Beatrice to be across the country so soon?" His mother asks, buttering her own slice of bread.
Tobias blinks at the sudden change of topic. He's not sure he's enjoying this table talk with his mother. He's trying to come up with some response to that, when the waiter returns, asking them if they're ready to order.
He feels grateful for more time to think, but after they've ordered and his savior has sped off again, he's faced with his mother's painful question, eating at him.
"Tobias, it is going to be very difficult. I hope you know that. I see how attached you are to her."
"I know it's going to be difficult. But there's not much that I can do. She's following her dreams and I have to let her do that. Above all else, that is the most important thing." Tobias speaks these words aloud as a reminder to himself more than anything.
His mother considers him for a few moments, an indiscernible expression on her face, before asking, "Does she know?"
"Know what?"
"That you're in love with her."
It's so transparent that even his own mother can see it. Why should he bother lying? "I haven't told her… I have no idea if she's figured it out on her own or not." He sets his bread down, his appetite fading.
Evelyn seems surprised that he didn't attempt to deny it. "And why have you not told her?"
"I fear that she does not feel the same way."
"You'll never know unless you admit it first."
"She just seems… so excited to get out of here, to start the next chapter of her life. I don't want to be a weight holding her down… but that doesn't necessarily mean that I want to just be a fun summer fling to occupy her time, either." Tobias doesn't know why he's being so honest. He's never been this open with anyone other than Tris before, yet here he is, spilling out some of his deepest insecurities to Evelyn. This might be normal with some people and their mother's, but a part of Tobias still feels like he barely knows the woman. Why is it becoming so easy for him to open up to her?
"Just because she's excited, doesn't mean she doesn't care about you, or won't think about you, Tobias. I'm almost certain she returns the sentiment, she's probably just too scared to tell you as well."
Tobias makes a noncommittal grunt, trying to ignore the fact that his heartbeat grew faster, more excited, at his mother's words. Is Tris in love with him too?
"Tobias," his mother says clearly to him just as the server is approaching with their wine, "Tell her the true extent of your feelings. Even if it seems fatalistic, if the two of you are meant to be, you will always find your way back to each other. Besides, I can't imagine why she wouldn't reciprocate."
Tobias is grateful for this- grateful for his mother, and her encouraging words. He knows what he has to do now. He takes a long sip of his wine before telling her, "Thank you."
By the time Tobias gets back to Chicago it's late. He and Evelyn finished lunch together, and when they arrived back at the house he was in such a food coma and tired from the anticipation of everything with Tris, that he fell into a deep slumber for a few hours. He woke in time for a nice home cooked meal with Richard, Evelyn, and the girls.
He hugged all of them goodbye, noticing Juliette's tearful eyes and promising her that he would be back soon. He should be more exhausted, but his nap gave him some extra fuel, just enough for Tris's building to be the first place he stops by on his way back. Hopefully she's awake. It's now or never.
Maria lets him in, greeting him warmly and taking his coat for him. "She's in her room," she says, smiling at Tobias as he ascends the penthouse staircase.
Tobias knocks twice on her door, feeling warmth rise in his chest, just at the sound of her voice when she answers, "Come in."
She's hunched over her desk, flipping through a hefty textbook, looking incredibly fatigued. Though when she sees Tobias, her expression completely changes, her face lights up and she bounds over to him. "Hi!"
He laughs as she throws her arms around his neck. "Hello!"
"I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow!" She pulls back, bouncing up and down on her toes slightly, her blue eyes glimmering with excitement.
"Thought I'd surprise you," he murmurs, looking down at her with endearment, his hand scooping low to graze the bend of her waist. "But, it seems like you might have been preoccupied," he nods his head over to her desk.
Tris waves a hand, "Nonsense. I'd much rather be talking to you," she pulls him over to her bed, plopping down next to him. "How was Peoria? Are you guys leasing the space?"
"Yes, we think so. And… Peoria was great. Spending time with my mom was really fun. I… missed you, though."
Tris presses her soft lips to his cheek. "I missed you too. Probably selfish of me to admit, but I'm glad you're back. Especially because we haven't been seeing a lot of each other this past week."
"Mm, well I guess you'll just have to come with me next time?" It's a sentence, but he says it like a question. At Tris's curious stare, he continues. "My mom and Richard offered up their lakehouse to us this summer. You know, if you ever want a private getaway."
"Oh, I would love that." She closes her eyes and tips her head back. "Just the promise of that is enough to get me through this hellish week of finals."
"Well, just know I have lots of faith in you. Besides, it's pretty low stakes. You've already been accepted to a great university."
"I know," Tris murmurs, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just really want to do well."
"And you will. No doubt about it."
She stares at her boyfriend thoughtfully for a few moments, before leaning in and gently pressing her lips to his. He sighs into her mouth, melting into the kiss as she straddles his waist and pushes him onto his back.
"Mm," he moans, his hand moving up to play with her hair. She squeezes her thighs tighter around him, and he can feel some blood rush to his pants as his hand roams down to play with the hem of her silk nightshirt.
She pulls back, just for a moment, to gasp his name. "Tobias." Then her lips are on his again. He loves this. He loves her. Then, he's rushing back to reality when he remembers why he really came here today. He slows down the kiss, cupping her face in his hands once they both pull back for air.
She stares down at him, her breathing labored, her pupils dilated so much that her eyes almost look black.
"Tris."
"Yes?" She breathes.
"I love you."
Her face blanks with surprise, and before she can say anything, or kill all of his dreams single handedly, Tobias continues. "I love you… so much. I have. For quite a while now. And, I wanted you to know that nothing will change that. I hope… I hope I get to love you for a long, long time."
Tears form at the edge of her eyes, and Tris lets out a sad laugh, wiping them away with the back of her hand. Tobias feels his heartbeat in his throat as he awaits her response.
"Oh, Tobias. I love you too. So much. I… I've been struggling to tell you… Gosh, it just feels like I'm leaving so soon, but this is everything that I've ever wanted, but you're all I want too."
Tobias circles his arms around her, pulling her in for a close hug. He feels relieved. Her words a few weeks ago about being so excited to get out of here made him incredibly nervous. But having this reassurance, and knowing that she reciprocates his feelings helps ease some of his nerves. "We can at least enjoy the time we have together, right? We don't have to decide anything straight away."
"Of course. I… I just know that it's gonna hurt like a motherfucker. No matter what. But… knowing that you feel the same way that I do is the greatest feeling I've ever known."
Tobias closes his eyes, inhaling the scent of the girl he loves, wishing he could stay in this moment forever. "Yeah, me too."
So the original plan was to have this update finished by Wednesday, but it is midterms week, so here is this chapter a day late. I'm going to try updating this story every Wednesday from now on, but there will be weeks where I fall a couple days behind. Thanks to everyone for bearing with me through my slow updates. I'm trying to be more frequent, really. Would love to know what you thought of this chapter, and I hope to see you all next Wednesday with chapter 22.
-Kiki