Hey friends! Hope everyone is well, healthy, and safe. I only did a quick edit and spell check, so don't hate if there are tons of errors. Just wanted to keep moving forward with the story!
It was only shortly after their conversation that Will had not so slyly let it slip that Tris had no lunch plans because he was going to meet Christina for a sponsored family lunch event. So, catching the hints, Lincoln grabbed two take out boxes from the lunch buffet and raced up to Tris's room hoping she didn't leave or have plans. He'd never managed to get her phone number and he didn't feel right getting it from Will or Christina, so she'd hopefully be ok with his impromptu visit.
He was nearly out of breath from his power walk to get to her room, knocking and resting one arm on the doorframe, his other hand balancing the take out boxes as he waits. And when Tris opened the door, he's overwhelmed with the sight of her. She's fresh out of the shower, her hair hanging in waves down to her shoulders. Her face is bright and clean, and the way her lose t-shirt hangs on her makes Lincoln wonder how she'd look in one of his shirts…with nothing underneath. Her lips part at the surprise of Lincoln's presence and then break into a wide grin.
"Hey, handsome," she says as she crossed her arms and leans against the same side of the doorway as him. "What brings you up here?"
The breath he was trying to catch escapes him and he struggles to swallow down some oxygen. "I thought you might want some lunch."
"Yeah? You're a smart man; I'd love some lunch." She moves backwards to make room for Lincoln to enter and he deposits the containers onto the small table in the room.
He suddenly becomes increasingly nervous that Tris won't like the options he'd selected. After all, he'd rushed through the line and dumped a little bit of everything into the boxes. "I hope you're ok with what I grabbed," he verbally fumbles.
Smiling as she fetches two bottles of water from the fridge, she reassures him. "I'm so hungry, I won't say no to anything right now." She sits down and Lincoln falls into the chair across from her. "Thanks for bringing this."
Relaxing, he lets a relieved smile out. "I was hoping you hadn't left or made other plans."
She shakes her head and grabs a fork, looking at the options in the containers. "Well, Christina was here, but she left to go meet Will for lunch. And honestly, I was kind of wishing I had your phone number to see what you were up to." Smiling up at him, Lincoln can tell she's a little shy about her confession.
Her slight hesitation puts him even more at ease. "I thought about that too, but I didn't want to get it from a friend.
Tris nods in agreement. "I appreciate that." Swiftly, she unlocks her phone with the thumb pad and hands it over to him.
After saving his number he calls himself, noticing the way Tris is sampling each food in the boxes. "Did I do good?" he asks as he observes her.
She smiles. "With the food? Yes, definitely. Everything is delicious."
"Looks like we're off to a good start," he says hopefully as he digs his own fork into the mac and cheese after her.
Tris smiles, secretly agreeing. It was respectful of Lincoln to not ask another person for her number, but also bold and thoughtful of him to show up with lunch, hoping she'd be free and agreeing to eat with him. She appreciated all of those traits and hadn't seen enough of them recently, that's for sure.
Unable to help herself, she turns the conversation to him, asking how the sessions went in the morning.
Lincoln studies the green bean his pierced with his fork for a minute. "They're different," he finally says. "I've never attended a family centered event before. I'm not used to seeing people here with their spouses or their parents."
"Do you like it?" she boldly asks.
"I like that you're here," he replies with a smug smile.
"Well, thank you," she says as her eyes dance. "I like that I'm here, too. But, you didn't answer the question."
Chuckling at her redirection, he scoops up a forkful of mashed potatoes before answering. "It's hard to explain." When she doesn't respond, Lincoln realizes she's waiting for him to elaborate. He tosses his fork onto the table and puts his hands up like walls. "When you're recovering, your safe space is about this small, right? At least for me. I wasn't open with many people. But then, my space grew because I saw a therapist, I started talking with the guys more. Even when I first came to a veteran's event, I still felt like I was stepping way out of my box, even though the people around me were dealing with the same shit. But eventually, I learned to be comfortable surrounded by them, even in large groups. And I learned how to help them open up, how to expand their safe space. But this is like…pushing my safe space much wider."
"Isn't that eventually your goal? To feel comfortable and confident everywhere?"
He shrugs. "In a way. I want to feel that way… but it doesn't mean I want to open up and share my private feelings with every person I come across. There are things that…they're still hard to talk about, think about. Or things I don't want to admit to just anyone." He thinks about his confession to Uriah in the bathroom before he'd asked Tris to breakfast and how he hadn't wanted to share his issues with female rejection to the group today.
"That's understandable. Sharing with a total stranger who's been through the same thing as you isn't the same thing as sharing with that stranger's mom." She puts it so simply, Lincoln wanders why it took him so much longer to explain it.
"Yeah…pretty much sums it up," he laughs.
"Well, how'd the group go today?" she asks, then shakes her head. "Sorry if I'm being nosy."
He shakes his head in assurance she's not. "It went well, but it wasn't families. So, you know…small safe space," he says as he puts his hands back up to mimic their initial small walls.
Tris laughs, and even though Lincoln sees the smile across her face, he can also read the care she's taking with this conversation in her eyes. She's thoughtful before she responds, not making rash assumptions or using the wrong words.
"So who is your safe space? Uriah and your friends, and obviously your therapist. Anyone else?" Her fork is still as she looks at him, awaiting a response. It's an intimate question, and one he hates to answer.
"My parents died right after I enlisted. In a car accident. So the Marine Corps became my family. These guys are my brothers." Lincoln tries not to think too deeply about his parents. They'd been a tight family, and his mom had been heartbroken when he'd left for boot camp. It was his safety she was worried about after he enlisted, but it should have been the other way around. He'd never seen them again after his boot camp graduation.
Tris's hand moves across the table to cover his, her fingers lightly rubbing on his knuckles. "I'm really sorry, Lincoln."
It had been a long time since anyone had consoled him over his parents' deaths. He mostly heard condolences or sympathy over his combat wounds in the recent years, but his therapist had been the one to uncover and work through his feelings about his parents.
"What about you? Who do you have?" he asks, his voice soft as he turns his hand over capture her fingers.
Tris shifts in her chair, and he immediately senses her nerves and discomfort. "It's just me," she says with a sad smile. "It has been for a long time."
"Family?"
"My mom and my stepdad weren't great," she vaguely answers. "I left town right after high school graduation and haven't seen them since."
Lincoln intertwines his fingers with hers. "So, Christina and Will? They're who you've got?"
She nods, her face lifting up a bit. "Yeah, they're great. Unfortunately not close, but I have some good friends in this area, too."
They're both quiet for a moment, the lunch leftovers going cold between them.
"You're coming to dinner with us tonight, right?" Lincoln asks. "I talked to Will about it earlier."
He thanks her as he makes his way to the door, Tris following behind him. "I had a good time, again," she says shyly, and Lincoln notices that even though she speaks her mind there's still a hint of fear or vulnerability behind her words.
"I did, too," he says as he takes a step toward her, his hand finding its way onto her hip. If Tris can be bold enough to broach conversations and tell her how she's feeling, he can sure find some fucking guts to kiss her. "Yeah, I'd love to. What's the plan?"
Lincoln's face breaks into a huge smile, changing the mood. "Shake Shack," he grins.
Tris throws her head back and laughs. "I love Shake Shack!"
"Me too!" He can't fake his excitement over taking his friends to one of his favorite restaurants in the city and listening to Tris's agreement of the restaurant.
"Well, it should be a good time then." Their eyes meet, and they sit in a comfortable, happy silence until Lincoln's phone beeps with a text from Zeke, another friend of his.
Reluctantly, he reads the text and realizes he has to head down to go to a group with Zeke. "Thank you for having lunch with me," he says as he stands, beginning to clean up his leftovers off the small table.
Tris waves him off. "Don't worry about it. I appreciate that you took the time to pick up and bring it up here, so I'll take care of clean up."
Accepting his touch, she brings her hands up towards him, resting one on his forearm and the other on his side. She looks up at him, her grey eyes waiting to see what he'll do with their bodies so close together and no one nearby to interrupt them.
Lincoln swallows his nerves, leans in, and with only a slight hesitation, his lips meet Tris's in a gentle, soft way. Tris almost seems surprised for a moment, but then she reciprocates. It's quick and sweet, but Lincoln can't wipe the smile off his face as he stands up, his hand giving her hip a light squeeze.
"I'll see you again tonight," he says, as he heads out the door.
"So, you're leaving tomorrow?" Lincoln asks as he slips a fresh drink in front of Tris and takes the seat next to her.
Smiling up at him, she moves her empty glass towards the middle of the table. "Thanks," she says as she takes a sip from the fresh one. She'd noticed all night how attentive Lincoln was to small details, but also how he was constantly observing their surroundings. They'd enter a room and she'd watch his eyes dart around all the walls, locking in on doors and exits. He'd glance at every person that approached them, even if just in passing.
"I'm not sure what time. I need to touch base with the employee I left in charge and see if she needs me back for anything." She didn't want to invite herself to dinner, but she was hoping that Susan was doing well enough on her own for Tris to stay for dinner again, and then hop on the train afterwards.
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then… I'll see what Will and Christina are doing for dinner, I guess." She tilted her head up to him, waiting for his response.
There were so many things he wanted to say at that moment. He thought about tracing a finger down her exposed neck, because ever since their kiss earlier, he'd thought of little except doing it again. He'd wondered how it would feel to be in this booth and feel comfortable enough to drape his arm across her lap or tuck her under his arm. The comfort was growing between them, but Lincoln couldn't quite push all of his doubts and insecurities out of his mind to make him take that leap, yet.
"I thought maybe we could get breakfast or lunch again?" he asks hopefully.
The instant smile that crossed her face almost made Lincoln think that she was just as nervous as he was, at times. "That sounds great," she says softly. "Either, or both."
The inner clench in his chest relaxes, and he lets out a breath he didn't know was tight inside his chest.
"Hey Linc!" Zeke yells from across the room, waving him over. "Get in on this game with us!" There were two men over at the shuffle board table with Zeke, indicating they were one man short.
Lincoln nods his head and plants a quick kiss on Tris's cheek. "We'll make plans later."
Tris tries to hide the satisfied smile as she watches Lincoln walk away from her, but she isn't surprised when Will breaks his conversation with Christina to pull her attention away from Lincoln's retreating form.
"A public kiss, huh?" Will poses, teasing Tris.
She shrugs shyly. "I was surprised also," she admits.
"I heard he kissed you earlier. I think you're breaking your track record of deadbeats here."
Rolling her eyes, she brushes him off. "I've known him for two days."
"And he's done more gentlemanly things for you in those two days than any other douche you've dated."
Tris sighs. It hadn't been her plan to go through life dating losers. She'd seemed to be just fine with it for a few years during college and a bit after. It wasn't until her therapist had helped her pick apart the reasons that she saw the problem with it and slowly began to undo her bad habits.
"I just want you to realize what you've got here," Will said, interrupting her reflection. "I know I just met him too, but I see a different side of him. I see the more vulnerable, open side."
"I don't want to know what he says in groups," she says quickly, not wanting to open that can of worms or put Will in the middle.
"And I'm not telling you. I've talked to the guys… and Lincoln is… they look up to him. They think of him as their leader, in a way. He's their role model, keeps them all together."
She feels the tug at her heart and looks over at Lincoln as he laughs with Zeke as they wait for the other team to take their turn. "I think that's great. I like that about him."
"Yeah, but can you open your heart up to someone like that?"
"I hope I can. I want to."
Will gives her a hopeful smile. "You've gotta figure out how, Tris. Cause this thing with Linc could be really great for you."
Lincoln was walking on a slippery slope, and he knew it. His attraction toward Tris, the natural draw he felt towards her was something foreign. He hadn't felt that way towards a woman in…a long time. Remaining single and alone had been easy and safe, and for the past few years Lincoln convinced himself he was happy enough. Sure, there'd been times he'd looked at his friends or watched a movie and felt that maybe he wanted more. But then he'd remember the rejected he'd felt, how hard it had been to overcome that, and he didn't think he could open up again.
And despite that he'd only known Tris a few days, she wasn't foreign to his world. Not completely. She never flinched at anyone and seamlessly interacted with Will despite his use of a wheelchair. Lincoln noticed how Tris could recognize the need for an accommodation for Will-and take care of it-so seamlessly you would think she did it every day. She wasn't hiding away from his brothers, flinching at their movements or words. Lincoln thought that already gave them a head start, as he wouldn't have to explain all of that.
His buddies teased him about the way he'd casually kissed Tris on the cheek. To be fair, he'd been just as surprised that he'd done it. But under their teasing he'd known that they were congratulating him, letting him know that they were proud of his attempt.
After dinner and a couple of drinks, they collectively made their way back to the hotel, settling into the lobby for a while. Anna curled up on Tris's lap, letting out a big yawn as Tris smoothed back he hair. Tris adored the girl and wished she had time with her more frequently, but she was grateful that despite their distance they were able to maintain a positive relationship. Tris wasn't very kid experienced, but she found herself pulling all the things she'd wished she'd had in her childhood and giving that to Anna.
The kids only lasted a bit longer, and as all the adults turned in, Tris and Lincoln found their way to the elevator together. He debated asking her to stay up longer, but the wall slipped back up in front of his emotions, and he knew he needed to slow it down, to guard himself a little bit more.
It didn't stop him from giving her a lingering kiss at her door, his hands settling on her hips as he pulled her against him. The sigh that slipped out of her gave him goosebumps, restarted his heart a little in the way she had seemed to do lately. In a way, he was grateful that she was leaving for a few days so he could process and decompress. But he also started letting his mind wander to what it would be like when they both returned home.
The next morning, Tris surprises Lincoln with a knock on his door and coffee and bagels in hand. He answers the door, sweats hanging low on his hips and a t-shirt hanging loosely across his chest. He rubs his eyes and for a moment Tris is worried she woke him, but he waves her concern off.
"I was just being lazy," he admits as he tosses his head in the direction of his messy bed.
She blushes, secretly thinking about how sexy he'd probably looked lying in that bed, shirt off, and muscles exposed. She takes a deep breath to clear her mind and strikes up conversation. "What have you got planned today?"
Lincoln spreads the napkins out for them to eat on, and pulls bagels from the bag for each of them. "I am leading a group today," he says timidly, his worries about it still evident.
"You're a natural leader, you know that right?" Tris says with a no nonsense shake of her head.
Shrugging, Lincoln gives her a grunt. It's one thing he doesn't like to hear about all of the time. He'd been a leader in the Marine Corps, in Afghanistan, and he'd ended up without a leg. He was past the stage of self-blame, and he didn't hold any anger towards the situation anymore. But when people talked about his leadership, he hated the way it undermined the guys below him. Those guys, his buddies, his Marines, stepped up when they needed to and saved his life. Risked theirs, got injured themselves. They didn't need any leadership to tell them what to do then. And so even though Lincoln technically was their 'leader' he hated the way it made his friends sound – like they needed to be led.
"Ok, if you don't like that term, let me try again," Tris says when she realizes Lincoln isn't fond of her words. "You naturally earn the respect of those around you."
Tris observes him while he thinks about it, and then she continues talking to fill the silence. "So, are you and your friends staying through the weekend? Or is everyone heading home Friday?"
Pulled from his thoughts, Lincoln is grateful for the distraction. "Both. Some Friday, some Saturday, some Sunday. A couple of the guys wanted to use the weekend as a little extended vacation, some tourist time." He pauses before he adds, "I'm booked until Saturday morning."
"Are you going to play tour guide until you check out?" she asks with a teasing smile.
"Of course. I think I've been a damn good tour guide so far. You agreed with me on both dinner spots."
Tris laughs. "I did! Keep it up and no one will want to leave!"
"Yeah, sometimes I wish that were the case," he says softly. "But hey, we all have to get back to our own lives sometime."
Sighing, Tris tries to lightheartedly acknowledge what Lincoln just let slip. "I feel the same way about Christina and Will, you know? I wish we weren't so far apart. But we both have separate lives, you know?"
Dodging getting deeper into the topic, Lincoln switches direction. "How'd you meet them anyways? I don't think you've ever really told me."
"College," she says simply. "Will was stationed at Lejeune, Christina and I were in some classes together."
"Was it instant friendship?" he teases, referring to the closeness she shared with Christina and how evident it was to those that surrounded them.
Letting out a light laugh, she nods. "Pretty much. We were two girls in a new place and we just clicked, I guess. Her and Will were already married, so I was a little worried she was going to be this boring chick who was just following her husband around…but she's so much more than that. We both had big dreams and thought we'd accomplish them all without even a hiccup."
Will realizes that Tris hasn't shared with him where she's from or how she ended up in North Carolina, but he pushes it aside for another time. There's no reason to ask someone so many questions when he wasn't ready to answer the same amount. "And your dream was the store?" he asks, since it's a topic they've already discussed.
"No, not right away. I majored in business management but had no clue what I wanted to do. When I was a sophomore I was taking a basic art history class and we had to go listen to this panel on art therapy – it was mandatory. I took my books and my laptop so I could study while I was there – I wasn't expecting anything. The beginning was about art therapy and the brain and whatever, I was zoned out. Until a couple of guys started showing their work and talking about. I was hooked." Awkwardly, she pauses, and then stops, looking at Lincoln as if her story is done.
"And then what?"
"You'll think – I don't know," she stumbles. "I mean I guess the rest is history."
"No, it's not. I want to hear it."
She shakes her head and looks down at her empty napkin, wrapping it up to do something to bide the time.
"Tris…" he prods. "I'm not going to laugh at you or judge you. I just want to hear about it."
"They were veterans," she says quietly. "From Vietnam. And they talked about the way they had struggled after the war and how art saved them."
Lincoln reached across the table, slipping his fingers in-between hers. "Why the hell would I laugh at that?"
"I don't want you think I'm trying to save you."
"Pretty girl," he says with a slight flirtation in his tone. "I don't need any saving. Everything now is just a bonus round."
His comment draws a laugh out of her, as it usually does, but Lincoln only sees it as the truth. There was a good chance he wasn't going to make it past that day if Afghanistan, and he wasn't going to spend time being anything but negative about the present from here on out. Sure, he was cautious and he was nervous, but he was always, always grateful.
"So, tell me the rest of it," he says after he cleans the table to give her a moment and sits back down across from her.
Releasing a breath, she slowly continues. "They just talked about how art changed their lives, how it saved them. And I just wondered if it could do the same for… everyone."
"Is that when you decided to open your store?"
Tris laughs again. "No! I really was moved by hearing them, so I took a few extra art classes and psychology courses just because I was interested. But I've only had the store for a few years. I thought I'd be a big time corporate gal by now."
"Wearing pantsuits and pearls?" Lincoln asks, surprised to hear Tris describe a roll that seems so far from her personality.
"Yeah," she says, slightly rolling her eyes. "I wanted to be powerful and rich. I thought that that would make me... happy."
Lincoln can't help but noticed how she hesitates on her words, almost as if she stops saying what she really wants to say to replace it with something less deep, less revealing.
"How'd you end up in sales?"
She seems eager to turn the tables away from her, so Lincoln lets her. "I'm a likable guy." He can't help but throw in a shrug and smug smile.
"Seriously," she deadpans.
"Seriously. I looked for jobs that would allow me to still travel regularly and not keep me tied to a desk. I was at a job fair at Bethesda and I just happened to meet this guy, we started talking…and he told me he'd love to interview me."
"And he gave you a job?"
"Yep."
"Do you have a marketing degree? A business degree?" she asks, her mouth open in surprise.
"No," Lincoln says, unable to hold back his smile at Tris's surprise. "But losing a leg for your country pulls some weight."
Shocked, she shakes her head. "I wasn't implying anything. I'm not saying it's wrong or – "
Lincoln cuts her off and threads his fingers through hers again. "I was never a books guy, Tris. I did ok in high school, but I was never going to sit through college and study and take exams. And this guy heard I didn't have a degree and didn't flinch. Later he told me that I had great references, a likeable personality, and if I learned to adapt to life with one leg, that I could learn the skills of sales and marketing."
"That's really great he saw that, Linc. Cause it's all true."
Lincoln smiles, then glances at his watch. "I've gotta get ready for the first group soon," he says as he stands.
"I've got plans with Christina and Anna for lunch, but maybe I'll see you at dinner if I can make it?"
"Of course," he says as he walks her to the door and gives her a lingering kiss good-bye.