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Chapter 13

Complications

Tobias' POV

I rub the cold from my hands. Laughing at how much Uriah has seemed to have gotten covered in the snow. The little munchkins laugh at his suffering. Typical. Even when we were kids, Uriah always knew how to liven up a party, whether it was through his own humiliation, or his struggle to feed his bottomless pit of a stomach.

I walk over to the hot cocoa table that Andrew and Natalie both have set up for the guests outside. The table is simple with a gas burner keeping the large pot of the delicious, hot chocolatey goodness nice and hot. Next to the pot is a stack of disposable cups and lids. There is a ladle hanging off the pot. I eagerly open the pot and spoon two large ladles of chocolatey goodness into a cup. I hurry, covering the cup with a lid, hoping the faster I get the lid on the more it will stay warm.

I take a sip, enjoying the heat from the liquid in my mouth. I watch Zeke and Shauna both happy, enjoying their family. Their kids.

Kids. Zeke did good. Shauna is a catch in a million. Those kids… are his everything. I knew long ago when we were kids that Zeke would make a great family man someday. Nothing like my father. It's good to see I was right all along. Zeke is everything he was and more. The love and adoration you can clearly see in his eyes when he looks at them…. It's something that I wish I could have but know I don't deserve.

I sigh, glancing over at Tris who is slowly walking towards the hot cocoa table. She looks frozen, with her slightly blue lips and stiff body. I feel worried for her petite body, not a lot of meat on her to keep her warm.

"She's an amazing woman…" Zeke mutters next to me. I turn, surprised at his presence. I glance at Shauna who is smiling, waving at Tris before she turns her attention back on the kids.

"What?" I ask.

"Tris. She's an amazing woman. She gets people… never judges and is easy to talk to. She helped me a lot the first year Dad died. It was one of the hardest times." He continues, staring off into space like the memory is the most painful thing to think about. Who could blame him? His father was nothing like mine. "Tris, she listened, even when I was talking. She was there. She didn't pity me and never judged. She's everything you deserve, Four, even if you don't know it yet." Zeke says, spooning cocoa into a cup. He pours three more, before placing a lid on each one of them.

"Please tell me one of those is for me." Tris pleads, her voice shaking from the cold. I turn, immediately spooning some hot liquid into a cup, not bothering to wait for Zeke to answer. He eyes my every movement, knowing damn well something is up with me and Tris.

"Thanks." Tris says, taking the cup from me. She takes a long sip, moaning as the hot liquid makes its way down her throat. Fucking hot chocolate.

"Of course. I replied... She smiles, before walking back to the kids, Shauna and a desperate Uriah. He is laying on the ground, with a sheer layer of snow on top of him. The kids are busy as they laugh at his expense.

"It's complicated," I mutter back to Zeke, answering his unspoken question.

"Love is always complicated, Four. If love was easy, then it wouldn't be worth fighting for." Zeke says, plain and simple.

I haven't been able to get the conversation that Zeke and I had out of my head. That and I swear Tris is following me. She's everywhere, her presence has been tainting me all day. The urge to be near her, to touch her, to even smell her is strong. Would one date really be that bad? I mean what's the worst that can happen?

Zeke was right about one thing… She is an amazing woman alright. I think that's why I am having such conflicted emotions about all of this. What would an amazing woman like her want with a mess like me? It's clear, I wouldn't be doing her any favors in the long run. Add that to the millions of other reasons why it would be a disaster and I just can't do it.

"Can I help you with that?" I ask, I gesture towards what used to be the hot cocoa stand. Tris has been struggling to break it down for the past few minutes as the temperature out here seems to have dropped drastically in the past hour. Everyone else has made their way back into the resort for hot soup that Natalie has conjured up.

"If you don't mind." Tris says, smiling shyly at me. Her eyes are so beautiful.

"Of course not," I say, lifting the few cups that are unused off the table and onto the cart that Tris has sitting beside the table. We continue to move everything along with the table cloth onto the cart. I tell Tris to wheel it in, while I fold up the legs of the table and be right in after her.

"Meet you in the kitchen." Tris says, appreciatively.

I feel the instant relief of the warm bubble when I walk into the doors. I sigh, relieved of the cold. I stomp my feet, shaking the snow off my boots before removing them. I lift the table, heading towards the kitchen.

"Here you go. Where should I put it?" I ask, when I step into the double doors.

"Why, thank you Tobias. Over there… Tris is in the storage closet." Natalie says, gesturing towards the open closet door. I stroll over, amazed at how large the closet is.

"Thanks." Tris says, taking the table from me and leaning it against the wall.

"This place has a lot of surprises…" I say, looking around the rows and rows of shelves that are filled with all sorts of plates, cups, catering things and so much more.

"You have no idea." She says giggling. I can't help but smile down at her, admiring the person that she is.

"So are you," I say without thinking. My right hand moves without so much as a second thought, my fingers moving a strand of her silky blonde hair out of the way. The chemistry between us is so strong, I find it harder to resist it in this space. Tris is smiling up at me, glancing between my eyes and lips. I bend down slowly, giving her all the time in the world to stop me.

"Tris. Oh, Tris… Sweetheart, I could really use a hand." Natalie calls out. Our sudden bubble we found ourselves in suddenly bursts as we are struck back to reality.

"I better go see what she needs help with." Tris says, whispering. Her eyes filled with the same hunger I am feeling.

"Yeah," I say, clearing my voice hoping to shield the growing need I feel for her.

"Yeah." She says, taking a step back from me. She turns slowly to leave, but I can't take it any longer. Maybe it's the conversation that I had with Zeke earlier, or perhaps it's this burning desire I feel growing between us… but those millions of other reasons not to do this be damned.

"Tris," I say, gently getting her attention.

"Yes." She turns back towards me, bewildered by my sudden need for her attention.

"Will you go out with me… Like dinner, maybe?" Way to go Tobias.

"Like a date?" She asks.

"Yeah. If that's okay?" I suddenly regret asking. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"I would love to, Tobias. Seven o'clock, okay?" She asks.

"Seven o'clock is perfect," I say, sighing in relief as I lean against the shelf behind me. That wasn't so bad. Now where the hell do I take her?