A/N: For those of you who are totally team Fourtris, I'm sorry about the breakup. The good news is that there is a lot more to this story than Tris' love life. I have three pet peeves about non-Fourtris stories. First, I dislike when people have Tobias snap and become abusive, cheating, or even murderous. I know it's hard to imagine the OTP breaking up, but it doesn't have to be ugly. Two good people can grow apart. Second, I don't like when authors have Fourtris breakup and then she immediately jumps into bed, or even just a relationship, with the next man. After a breakup it takes a little time to get to know yourself again, especially if you were together for a long time. The character of Tris was big on proving herself, and I think that needs to be honored. Third, there are just some ships that don't sail with me. For example, Tris plus either Pedrad brother feels like incest to me. Some people like that relationship and have done some well-written stories along that line, but it's just not for me. Well, on with the story!

XOXO, Libby

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xxxx

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For the next week I train and work on learning leadership responsibilities. Zeke and Tobias are on second shift and Shauna and Marlene are on duty at the wall, so our friend group is pretty quiet. I appreciate the space as I get used to not being in a relationship with Tobias. I see Eric and Uriah in the office and have lunch with Christina and Will most days.

On my next day off I purchase a television and basic entertainment equipment. Will and Christina help me get it back to my apartment, and Will sets it up for me.

"When are you going to host a party?" Christina asks, "You have the biggest apartment of any of us, yet we always end up at Zeke and Uriah's little place."

"I don't know," I reply, "Pedrad parties get pretty wild. I'm not sure how the other leaders would like having Uriah streaking down the hall on a dare."

Christina and Will laugh. "With this new system set up, you could do a movie night," Will suggests.

"Yes!" Christina shrieks. "Even if it's just a girls night! That would be fun!"

"I get this all set up and you want to party without me," Will teases, sticking out his bottom lip in a mock pout.

"Oh, my poor honey," says Christina. "Okay, you can come."

"Now you're inviting people to a party I haven't agreed to have!" I say.

"You know," suggests Christina, "we could plan a tame little movie night when Four and Zeke are on third shift. That keeps the awkward, the crazy, and the size of the crowd down."

I consider that for a minute. Leave it to an ex-Candor to find a loophole. "Okay, let's do it," I agree.

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xxxx

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Surprisingly, Christina manages to keep her mouth shut about my movie night "party." As the designated evening approaches, I learn that not only will Tobias and Zeke be working, but Shauna has taken an extra week at the wall. Wall guards earn more per hour when they take extra shifts, so I can't blame her for taking the bump in pay when Zeke is going to be working overnights anyway.

Lynn also has plans that night, so the movie night is going to be just Uriah and Marlene, Will and Christina, and me. Being the third wheel sounds like torture. That's how I find myself knocking timidly on Eric's office door on the day of the party.

"Come in," he barks gruffly.

I inch into his office, causing Eric to look up from his work.

"What's up, Stiff?" he asks.

"Um, hey, Eric," I begin, suddenly nervous. "So I'm kind of having a party tonight at my place. Actually it's just a movie night with my friends. But people keep backing out, and now it's going to be just me and two happy couples. Since you're my friend too I was kind of hoping you would come over, at least for a little while. You know…" I trailed off.

Eric looks up, studying my face. "Do you want me to come because we're friends and you want to hang out, or do you want me there to make things less awkward?"

"Um, both?" I respond, though it sounds more like a question than an answer. "Come on, it'll be fun. I have junk food and beer, and we're going to watch an action movie. No Candor or Dauntless this time, I promise."

"Will Number Boy be there?" asks Eric.

"No," I assure him. "He's on late shift this week. That's kind of why we planned it for tonight. Less awkward and all that."

I bite my lip and wait for Eric's reply. I find myself really hoping that my friend will come, and not just because it will keep me from being the odd man out. During my time in leadership training and my breakup with Tobias, Eric has proven to be a good friend, and I'm sincerely hoping he can become part of our social circle.

"I'll come on one condition," Eric agrees, "I'm bringing something better than your cheap beer, and you're going to have a drink with me."

"You agree to come and you're bringing better booze?" I ask. "Are you sure you don't have an aptitude for Abnegation?"

Eric chuckles, "maybe you're rubbing off on me, Stiff. Besides, you don't know what I'm bringing. Could be more of that moonshine that Zeke had."

"That stuff wasn't bad," I defend. "I don't know why everyone kept saying it was so terrible."

"I'm starting to rethink sharing my good scotch with you," teases Eric, "since you obviously have no taste buds."

"I've never had scotch," I say, "but I'm willing to give it a try."

"I'll see you tonight, then," says Eric.

I nod and leave his office. Immediately after walking out of Eric's office, I run smack into a solid wall of muscular chest.

"Oof," I grunt, looking up into the face of Uriah. "Dude. You're like a boulder."

Uriah laughs. "What's with the shit-eating grin, Prior?"

"Can't I be happy to see you?" I ask evasively.

Uriah raises an eyebrow at me. "I'm not Candor, but even I know that's crap. First I see you coming out of Eric's office grinning like the cat that got the canary, then you try to lie about it. What's really going on?"

"Ugh, fine," I say, "Eric just agreed to come to our movie night tonight, and he's bringing some scotch that he wants me to try."

"Like a date?" prods Uriah.

"What!" I exclaim. "No, not like a date. Like a friend. Geez, Uri, I just broke up with Four last week, and a big part of that was because I need to prove to myself and everyone else that I can do this on my own. I'm not looking for a relationship. Besides, do you remember how much crap I got when people found out that I was dating Four right after initiation? If people think I'm hooking up with Eric they'll start accusing me of sleeping my way to the top again, and you and I both know that isn't true."

Uriah raises his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, you're just friends. Don't bite my head off."

"Sorry," I mumble.

"I gotta get back to work," he says, patting my shoulder. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay, bye Uri."

Uriah waves as he heads down the hall. I stand for a minute and rehash everything I said to Eric. He doesn't think I was asking him on a date, does he? Of course not. Eric is just a friend. Besides, he's a Dauntless leader, the hero who took down Jeanine Matthews, and, I have to admit, seriously good looking. I'm lucky that he even wants to be my friend. Of course he doesn't have the wrong idea, right?

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xxxx

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After dinner in the cafeteria, Uriah, Marlene, Christina, and Will walk back to my apartment with me. I show them around a little, then begin preparing snacks. I hear a knock at the door, and open it to find Eric waiting in the hall, a glass bottle of amber liquid in his hand.

"Did someone order a devilishly handsome leader and a bottle of scotch?" he asks.

I lean out the door, pretending to look up and down the hall. "Where?" I tease.

"You wound me," says Eric. "For that I'll keep my scotch to myself and you can go back to drinking that cinnamon poison."

I shrug. "That's not much of a threat since I'm not that one that hated it."

Eric laughs and leans close to my ear.

"I'm going to give you something so good you'll forget all about the past and what you thought was good," he says in a low, seductive voice.

I shiver involuntarily at the rumble of his deep voice in my ear. "That's a pretty big claim," I say in the same low voice. "Are you sure you can follow through?"

Eric grins wolfishly. "Trust me. I know what I bring to the table."

I turn to go further into my apartment and catch Uriah watching me. He waggles his eyebrows at me and I blush. Eric is a hopeless tease, and he loves getting a rise out of me because I'm a former Abnegation and I embarrass so easily.

In the kitchen, Eric grabs two glasses off the island and pours a little bit of the scotch into each of them.

"Anyone else want a little scotch?" he offers. "Tris shamed herself with that cinnamon crap at Zeke's and the cheap beer she buys, so I brought over a fifteen-year aged single malt."

"I'm in," yells Uriah, jumping out of his chair. Eric pours another glass.

"Me too," says Will. "I've only had scotch once before."

"Ladies?" offers Eric as he pours a glass for Will.

"None for me, thanks," says Marlene.

"Me either," says Christina, making a grossed-out face.

"Now I'm worried," I say, "their reaction isn't exactly encouraging."

Eric hands me a glass. "Trust me," he says quietly.

The guys and I bump glasses and Uriah pounds his scotch in one gulp.

"Dude!" says Will. "It's not tequila shots. This stuff is expensive. You're supposed to savor it."

Eric raises his glass to Will before taking a sip. Setting his glass down, he glances at me.

"I like the cinnamon better," I say, struggling to keep a straight face.

Eric's mouth falls open and he's struck speechless for a minute.

"I don't think we can be friends anymore," he says in mock outrage as he reaches to take my glass away.

"No, no, no!" I defend my glass. "I'm teasing you. It's good!"

"Good?" he asks.

"I don't know how to explain it," I say. "It's kind of like caramel but not sweet. It's smooth and a little smoky."

"Complex," offers Will.

I nod, "definitely complex. It looks like it's going to be harsh, but then you take a sip and there is a warmth and unexpected depth to it."

Eric grins as he pours a little more into my glass and offers Will the same. "Now that's a worthy description. You can drink scotch with me anytime. Unless, of course, you'd rather have that cinnamon stuff."

"Cinnamon who?" I ask. "See, I've forgotten it already. Let's start a movie."

My friends take their snacks and drinks into the living room and settle in. I end up in the center seat of my sofa, with Eric on one side and Christina on the other. Will takes a chair at Chris' side of the couch and the two hold hands on the armrest between them. Uriah takes the chair on the other side of the couch, Marlene perched on his lap.

The movie is a spy-themed action thriller that I've seen before. Relaxed by the scotch and the dark room, I doze off.

When the movie ends, Will begins cleaning up while Uriah and Marlene get ready to leave. I blink and sit up, roused by the crescendo in conversation. I notice that Eric is already gone. Apparently I fell asleep on Christina's shoulder.

"Sorry, Chris," I mumble.

"Don't worry about it," Christina laughs. "Besides, you fell asleep on Eric first. We just moved you to my shoulder a few minutes ago when he had to leave."

I blush deep red. "First we drink up his scotch, then I make him uncomfortable drooling on his shoulder," I lament. "I doubt he'll be hanging out with us again."

"He didn't seem to mind," says Uriah with a knowing look that makes me blush even more.

I refuse to let my friends help with the dishes and bid them goodnight at the door.

What must Eric think of this mess? He teases me to make me uncomfortable and I end up being the one making him uncomfortable. No wonder he took off before I woke up.