Tris never minded staying late at work. She loved her job, even though it was just the generic office kind, but liked it better when the phones weren't ringing off the hook and the people weren't constantly shuffling by, bumping into her as if she were invisible. The glow of the city lights through the large windows and the quiet sounds of the clicking keyboard were a comfort to her, even if it was Christmas Eve.

She should be home, she knew, or at least over at her best friend's house. But she was feeling a little down, and didn't want to be surrounded by people who were so full of Christmas spirit.

Sometimes it was hard to pretend like you were happy.

She wasn't depressed. It was just that the holidays and the memories they evoked sometimes got to her, and she always preferred to be alone when that happened. She didn't like the sympathetic looks that eventually led to unhappy conversations about her past and how she felt about it. Sometimes she just didn't want to talk about it.

Her eyes drifted to the only personal item she kept on her desk, and she smiled as she stared at a version of herself that was ten years younger, wearing Mickey Mouse ears and grinning like a maniac in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. It was their family's first trip to Disneyland; one of the best memories she has.

She turned her focus to her brother, who looked like he was too cool to be there. She missed him, but the job in Washington was too good for him to pass up. At least she would hear his voice, bright and early when he called tomorrow to wish her a Merry Christmas while they opened their presents together.

She wouldn't get that from her parents.

She pressed on her eyes, trying her best not to cry. She took a deep breath, shook her head and her hands, and got back to work.

Time passed and her progress slowed as she kept thinking about them; she missed them terribly. Tris sometimes wondered if they would still be proud of her, even though she dropped out of college after their deaths. She always felt like a bit of a disappointment when it came to that, but she couldn't have dealt with school at the time. How was she supposed to go on with her life when theirs had ended so abruptly?

She did her best to keep them at bay all evening, but the tears began with no sign of letting up. It was just her here, though, so she let them fall. Tris allowed herself to fill up with every emotion and then let them all out in the ugliest of ways.

Snot-covered and tear-stained, she blindly wove her way through the cubicles and down the hall towards the bathroom, running right into someone.
"Shit! Sorry!" a deep voice cried out. "I didn't know anyone else was…are you okay?" Through her tears, Tris could only make out a dark figure that looked like a giant compared to her. She nodded and pushed past him, thankful to be alone again.

She took a minute to squeeze the last of her tears out then blew her nose and wiped her eyes, doing her best to fix her waterproof mascara that wasn't turning out to be so waterproof. I'm a mess, she thought as she looked at herself. Her eyes were puffy and red, and a little smudgy from her makeup; her nose made her feel like Rudolph, and even clearing her throat she could still hear that she sounded like a sick animal. It went along with the wailing she was doing, she supposed.

She snagged some more toilet paper, in case she started crying again, and opened the door to see someone leaning against the wall. She had never seen this man before, but her very first thought was damn. Tall, tan skin, great body, full lips, blue eyes. Deep, deep blue eyes… One side of his mouth lifted, and she realized she was staring. She looked down at her feet.

"I just wanted to apologize again," he said. She recognized the voice, mortified that she ran into him all snot-nosed and weepy. "I really had no idea anyone else was here, and I had my nose in this." He held up a folder and she looked back up, nodding.
"It's okay, really," she said with a wave of her hand. "And same. I thought that everyone else would be gone, too." He gave her a nod, that lopsided smile still on his face. She stood there, unsure of what to do next. What do you do next, in a situation like this?

"I'm Tris," she said, finally remembering basic social etiquette.
"Tobias," he said. He stuck his hand out. She looked at it for a second before taking it; it completely dwarfed hers. She wasn't sure why, but she loved the contrast.

"Well, I should let you get back," he said. Again she nodded, watching as he pulled his hand away from hers. "Have a good night. And, umm, Merry Christmas."
"Oh, yeah. Right. Uhh, Merry Christmas to you, too. Unless you don't celebrate it, of course. In which case...Happy Holidays, I guess."

What the hell was that?

She could feel the heat creeping up the back of her neck as she stood there, fiddling with a button on her cardigan. Tobias hadn't moved, so she decided to end the horrifically awkward moment and walked away quickly. She wanted to turn around to see what part of the office he was heading to, but the thought of seeing his face, and the odd look that was surely on it, stopped her.

She busied herself with work. Or rather, tried to. She kept looking over to the doorway, hoping to see him walking past or maybe even just leaning in it like he was when she first saw him. How the hell does someone make leaning look that attractive? She shook her head and looked at the clock. It was almost ten.

She let out a loud sigh and started gathering her things while her computer saved all her work and shut down. Just as she was about to pull her coat on, she heard someone clear their throat. Her head snapped to the door to see him standing there.

"I didn't want to scare you," he said. He took a few steps towards her, then stopped. "I, umm, well, you see…" He stalled out, and she found herself smiling at his flustered state. "I don't have anyone to spend the holidays with, and I'm going out on a huge limb here assuming it might be the same for you." He paused, and she nodded in confirmation. "There's an all night diner down the street. Rocky's? I don't know if you've seen it. Well, they're open, and that's how I spend my time when everyone else is doing the family thing. So, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to…join me?"

She watched him look at his feet for a moment before shifting his gaze to her. She couldn't help but stare back. His eyes were so blue and thoughtful and captivating…

She realized she was staring again when that smile appeared.

"Sure," she said, standing up so fast she swore she heard a sonic boom. She bit her lip, embarrassed by her show of enthusiasm. Her embarrassment promptly turned into curiosity when she caught him staring at her lips; she should be the one staring.

They walked out of the office together into the frigid Chicago air. They kept their space, but she noted that he stood a little closer than she would have thought, and it made her smile. The forecast called for snow, but nothing had happened yet. The clouds were there, though; dark and billowy, illuminated by the city lights.

"Maybe we'll have a white Christmas," she said as they walked down the street. She could see her breath as she spoke; she huffed out again, watching the large puff, and caught Tobias smiling. "What?" He breathed out, making a large cloud of his own. "Yeah, okay. It's childish, but I like doing it," she said, and he did it again. They chuckled as they walked, huffing and puffing until they reached the diner.

It was only a couple blocks away, but she had never been here before. It looked like a typical 50's diner inside, complete with a retro jukebox. There were only two other people inside, and the waitress looked relieved to have something to do.

They looked over the menus after they were seated, and both ordered the standard burger and fries. He added on a chocolate milkshake at the last minute, and she decided to order one, too.

"So, what do you do in the office?" he asked.
"Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that. I'm the girl who gets to make sure everything makes its way from paper to computer, so everything has a back-up and nothing gets lost."
"Oooh, fun," he said, smiling.

"So what do you do?" she asked, hoping for the chance to poke fun back.
"Well, umm…" She watched him as he shifted a bit. "I just manage the different departments on the floor. So, I guess that would make me one of your bosses. You know, technically."
"Technically," she repeated.
"Yeah." He eased into a soft smile that she couldn't help but return.

They continued to make small talk, occasionally bringing up work. She offered up a few ideas to streamline some things, and he smiled so wide she blushed again.

"The music stopped," he said while they picked at the last of their food.
"Oh. It did," she said. She looked up to see they were alone. She hadn't even noticed that the other people had left. She fished in her purse and pulled out a few quarters, offering them up.
"Nah, you pick."

She flipped through the selections. At first she was going to play something Christmas-y, since they were coming closer to the actual hour, but changed her mind at the last minute when she saw it. As she slid into the booth, it started to play.

"This?" he said after just a few words, and she smiled that he recognized it.
"It was my mom's favorite. She used to sing it all the time. Said it gave her hope. Reminded her to not let the bad things in, and that if you wanted something, you just had to go after it." She bit her lip. Just talking about her mother was making her want to cry again. Tobias put down the fry in his hand and closed his eyes. She liked that he was paying it special attention, and did the same.

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

She silently sang along. Tris thought it was such a beautiful song, and even without her mother's influence it was something that she would have fallen in love with. She felt a tear slip out, and wiped it away quickly; Tobias had already seen enough of that.

"Nah, nah nah, nah nah nah nah," she heard, and opened her eyes. Tobias was smiling across from her, singing out loud. "Nah nah nah nah, hey Jude." She let out a bit of a wet laugh, and joined in.

When the song ended, they sat there in silence again, stealing glances at each other as they tried to not get caught staring. Eventually, the waitress came over and handed them the bill; Tobias snatched it up before she could even move her arm.

"How much is mine?" she asked, but he just shook his head. "Tobias, please."
"Nope. Consider it a Christmas bonus." He smiled as he shoved a credit card in the little folder and handed it back to the waitress.

She rifled through her wallet while they waited for her to come back. "Well, at least let me add to the tip. She deserves a lot for being here tonight."
"She does," Tobias said. He smiled when she came back, and Tris watched as he scribbled his name down. She couldn't see any numbers, so she tossed a ten down, hoping it was enough. They thanked the waitress again as they gathered their things and bundled back up.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention. She looked up to see him motion to the window; a light snow had started to fall. "Looks like we'll get that white Christmas after all. Merry Christmas, Tris." She looked over to the clock on wall, and saw that it was, in fact, after midnight. She had no idea that much time had passed.
"Oh, wow. Yeah, Merry Christmas," she said, smiling. As far as holidays with strangers go this one topped every list, she thought. They stood in the doorway for a second, making sure they were bundled up tight when the waitress cleared her throat. Tris worried that she forgot something or that maybe she didn't leave a large enough tip, but when she looked over at her she was smiling. She pointed, and Tris looked up.

They were standing underneath mistletoe.

"Oh," she said, feeling herself get warm. Tobias finished fixing his scarf and looked up, too, finally catching on.
"Oh," he said, mimicking Tris. She didn't look at him―choosing to stare at his chest instead― but she could definitely feel when he looked back down at her. It was an intense few moments before she couldn't take it anymore and looked up. He had that crooked grin on his face and she felt her stomach flutter.

"Oh, what the hell," Tris muttered, and that grin turned into a full-on smile. He leaned down as she leaned up, and their lips met. It was quick and chaste, but holy hell was it nice.

He opened the door for her and they walked out, shivering at the first blast of icy air.

"Shit," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I forgot for a second that we lived in a polar bear's asshole."
"What?" she said, laughing. "Wouldn't that be warm?"
"Ha! Okay, maybe." He laughed. It was light and carefree. She loved the way it sounded. "Colder than a witch's tit?" he offered up, and she laughed again.
"Alright, stop laughing. It's too fucking cold to think."
"There you go," she said, grinning. They were back in front of the office building before she knew it. It might have been freezing cold and snowing, but she didn't really want to say goodbye.

"Do you have a ride?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. My car's just down there." She pointed, and he started walking, leaving her no choice but to follow. He slowed his strides until she caught up to him.

"This one," she said, coming to a stop. "Thank you again. I had a really great evening."
"Me, too," he said. He smiled and she was drawn to his lips, thinking about their quick kiss. He must have been, too; he leaned down slowly and she gave him a slight nod, closing the gap between them. This time it was not just a sweet peck. His lips were full and warm, despite the cold, and he tasted like chocolate. When he pulled away, she had to take a second to catch her breath.

He pulled his phone out, and so did she. They laughed as they tried to type in each other's numbers with frozen fingers.

"Got it," he said, handing her phone back. "When you get in the car and get all warmed up, just text me so I have your number, okay?"
"Okay." He gave her another quick kiss on the lips, and waited on the sidewalk until she got in her car and started it up.

Tris rubbed her hands together while she waited for her car to warm up, and found Tobias's number in her phone.

- Thank you again for the wonderful evening. It's going to be hard to top that Christmas Eve.

She sat for a few minutes until those three little dots appeared, and smiled.

- I agree. I'd like to try, though

A/N:

Song: Hey Jude - The Beatles

You guys are amazing. :D