Tris meets the conflicted grey eyes of her boyfriend, "Eric… what are you doing here?" she asks. "I was expecting Max."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come…" Eric says quietly, turning towards the door.

"No, you shouldn't have. You're not vaccinated and shouldn't be out of your apartment." Tris scolds.

"My quarantine is over." He replies. She notices he's holding flowers and not moving away from the door. "Actually, fully over almost an hour ago. I, um, well, I did get the vaccine the same day as you. I've been trying to hide it from you, well not hide it that sounds bad. I wanted to surprise you, but I, um, I got really sick from the vaccine so I couldn't video chat with you, and I slept a lot, and um, well when I video chatted Christina earlier she said you seemed down and I didn't want to wait for tonight…" He trails off.

"What are you talking about?" Tris asks, completely dumbfounded by the sight in front of her. She's never once seen Eric so flustered or nervous.

"Christina has been helping me plan our first date. I'm not good at this, surprises, well even dating in general. So I had asked for her help, and I planned a surprise dinner for you tonight. I got everything to make chicken and penne a la vodka, because, um, when we were still talking on the dating app you had said you'd never had it and that it sounded good, and um, well she was going to get you over to my apartment tonight, but when she told me you were upset, I came here instead." Eric rambles.

Tris stands up, moving towards him. "You planned all of that for me?"

"Yeah. You're important to me. This relationship we've started means a lot to me, and I knew that I needed to find a way to show you." He says quietly as he hands the flowers to her. "Just calling you my girlfriend wasn't enough, I wanted to show you why I wanted to be in a committed relationship with you. I know we've defined our relationship already, but it's just different now that we can actually be together."

"These are beautiful." She replies.

"You are beautiful." He says. "I'm sorry, that sounded so weird. But I meant it. It's like I'm seeing you for the first time."

Tris sets the flowers down on her desk and she reaches her hands out to Eric. He closes the space between them, and when she wraps her arms around his waist he returns the gesture. His strong arms are around her shoulders, and her head is resting on his chest.

"You didn't have to plan anything special for me, just be you." Tris says and she feels him press a kiss to her head. "I had no idea you'd gotten the vaccine, or that you had gotten sick from it. I've been thinking you were having second thoughts about our relationship progressing into anything further since I had been pressing about you getting the vaccine so we could meet. I've been so selfish, are you ok?."

"That's not the case at all. When you volunteered to be in the first wave of vaccinations, I spoke to Max right after that meeting and asked to be added to the volunteer list as well. I just kept it quiet, because I knew I wanted to be able to surprise you with cooking dinner for our first date. I didn't expect to get so sick, as a result it was hard to actually video chat with you when I felt like shit. I'm ok now, and I tested negative the entire time I was sick, it was just an adverse reaction."

"Eric, I wish you had of told me." Tris says as she pulls away so she can look up at him.

Eric looks down at her and his nerves are suddenly calmed. He's known Tris Prior for over three years now, two of those years they were both in relationships with other people, which kept him from truly getting to know her. She's become someone he depends on, a simple conversation with her can completely turn his day around. When he had a reaction to the vaccine, the illness was awful but not being able to talk to her was the worst part.

Today is the first day he's seeing her in person since they began their relationship. She's always been noticed, but it was different when he was so focused on work and on his failing relationship with Lauren. She's beautiful, with her long honey colored hair, bright hazel eyes and freckled skin. He's kicked himself numerous times for not taking the time to know her before the app.

"I can't believe this entire time you were right in front of me…" He says lowly, startling both himself and Tris that he voiced his inner thoughts out loud.

"Neither can I…." Tris whispers back.

He drops his lips to hers, all of the nerves between them finally melting away. Their lips move together as if they've kissed each other hundreds of times before.

"I can't believe I'm kissing Eric Coulter." Tris says with a giggle when they break apart.

Eric laughs, "Please tell me you want to continue kissing me."

"Absolutely." She presses her lips against his.

"Tris, do you have…oh, my apologies for interrupting." Max says as he comes through her door without knocking. "I didn't realize you had a guest."

Tris and Eric spring apart, and a flustered Tris moves the flowers to get Max his paperwork. "I actually finished the manual edits, are you sure you don't want me to just retype it instead of giving it back to Uriah?"

"No, he needs to learn to make these edits on his own, just like you did before." Max takes the folder from her hand. "Thanks for the quick turnaround." He turns to face Eric, "I didn't realize you were back, Eric. A word in my office please."

Eric glances at Tris, smiling quickly before turning to follow Max out of her office.

"Have a seat." Max gestures to the seat in front of his desk. Eric does as he's asked, crossing an ankle on his opposite knee and sitting back in the chair. "I didn't realize that you and Tris were involved. How long has this been going on?"

"Excuse me?" Eric asks.

"You and Tris, how long?" Max asks.

Eric is caught off guard, "What's with the sudden invasion of our privacy?"

"Because it's against the rules." Max replies simply.

"Excuse me?" Eric barks.

"How long has it been going on, Eric?" Max presses.

"I need you to tell me what rules we are breaking." Eric replies.

"You are part of the senior level of leadership, you are not supposed to be fraternizing with other leaders, especially a junior leader." Max explains.

"You filled her spot on the apprenticeship team with Four!" Eric exclaims. "She sure as hell is doing a better job as a temporary leader than some of our permanent ones. I wasn't told… I never knew about these rules…" Eric sputters.

"How long?"

"We'd been talking online, through an anonymous dating app for months. I found out it was her, I wanted to keep talking to her. So we did, and we are together." Eric replies.

"Have you crossed professional lines? Have you gotten physical?" Max presses.

"We've done nothing inappropriate here…."

"I walk into her office and you're kissing her!" Max shouts.

"It was our first kiss. It's not like we were in there having sex. We've both just cleared the post vaccine quarantine…" Eric stops when Max waves his hands.

"The rules state there is no fraternization between superiors and their subordinates, and she is still yours. It ends now." Max states evenly.

"What if she becomes a full leader?" Eric asks. "You said yourself, Harrison wants to retire. Why not keep her in place and let her learn from him."

"Eric, you have been nothing but professional your entire time here. I can't believe this conversation is still going on, but I can assure you that I am giving you a lot more leeway than I would other people because of how you've always conducted yourself. You have a long and promising career here in Dauntless. Don't ruin it over some little months long fling." Max replies.

"This isn't a fling." Eric argues.

"Eric, I need to know if it's been physical, because if it has she can sue you for sexual harassment by a superior. If she has felt her job was in any way compromised…." Max begins.

"No, absolutely not! Tris and I barely worked together, outside of her turning in meeting minutes to me for review. We have not had any sexual contact at all, we've been following quarantine protocol. The kiss you saw today was our only physical contact since I've known her." Eric finally answers.

"Good, it sounds like you've not exposed us to any type of litigation." Max says with an air of relief in his voice.

"Are there rules in place that will prevent me pursuing a relationship with her once we are equals?" Eric interrupts.

"There is a no fraternization policy within leadership, Eric." Max states. "That applies to full senior leaders as well."

"There's no grey area here?" Eric asks angrily. "You're telling me you are going to dictate who I should or shouldn't date?"

"Eric, you are passing the extent of my patience. There is no reason for either of you to jeopardize your career for this. You both took an oath to uphold the laws of this faction. It ends now, do I make myself clear?" Max says sternly.

"I'll go talk to her." Eric begins to stand.

"No. I'll do it. The more professional this is, the better." Max replies. "We will not discuss what's been going on with you and Tris with anyone else, and the two of you will keep your distance while working until whatever this was is no longer in your system. I'll let her know the same."

Eric doesn't wait to be excused, he just walks out of the office and stalks down the hallway. He pulls out his phone and sends Tris a text, knowing that Max is going to go have the same conversation with her that he had with him.

Eric: None of this was what I wanted.