Fuck everything about this day Tobias thinks as he seeks out a table as far away from everyone as he can get. The little coffee shop is busy, as usual, but since it's close to campus it's larger than most shops like it, and there are tables that are set further apart from the others so students can study with a little privacy. He's pleased to see there's one near the window available.

He tosses his bag in one chair and flops down in the other, watching the people pass on the sidewalk as he stares off. He knows he should be studying ―it's not often that a professor grants a second chance at a big test― but he just can't find the willpower. Besides, what is he going to learn that he doesn't already know? It's not like he didn't study his ass off the first time around. Failing miserably just seems to be his forte. A man with glasses holding a stack of books catches his eye; Tobias takes a deep breath and lets it out in a loud sigh before reaching over and snagging his book and notes out of his bag.

He alternates between his book and the notes he wrote, willing them to stick in his brain. He needs to pass this class, and he needs at least a C to do so. He knows it's not completely impossible, but at this point it feels that way. He's been staring for so long it feels like his eyes are going to turn into jelly if he doesn't look away. He rubs his eyes ―a little too hard― and stares out the window while he waits for his vision to correct itself. He blinks a few times, noticing a blonde girl talking on the phone right outside the window.

She paces back and forth, running a hand through her hair, and he instantly feels like he can relate: this time of year is nothing but stress for most students. He blinks a few more times, watching as she shakes her head and holds a hand up over her eyes. He knows he shouldn't intrude on what is probably a very intimate moment, but he can't help himself; he needs the distraction to save his sanity.

She puts the phone in her pocket and turns, resting against the window right in front of him. He stares, only now noticing that she's crying. He definitely should look away. But the light is just right behind her and her hair looks like a beautiful golden halo, like she's been blessed by God himself. He takes in her other features: the pink tint on her cheeks, the slight pout of her lower lip, her button nose that's just a little red…

She looks up, directly at him, and he scrambles; picking up papers and flipping through his book, frantically trying to look like he wasn't just watching her for the past five minutes. When he finally gets the courage to look back out the window, she's nowhere to be seen. He feels a little guilty for intruding, but he also feels the desire to learn her name, find out what made her so sad.

He sighs and stands, stretching his long limbs before walking up to the counter and ordering an extra large black coffee with two shots of espresso. He knows he's going to need it if he plans on doing this any longer.

Hours pass, and Tobias feels like he hasn't learned a damned thing since he walked in here; he's even more antsy about it thanks to the coffee. He tosses his pen down and rubs his face before letting his head hit his textbook with a loud thunk. Maybe I can learn by osmosis, he thinks. He doesn't know how long he stays like that, but when a small pair of feet come into his line of sight he finally lifts his head. His eyes go wide when he sees her standing there. Her hair is pulled back and she's wearing an apron now, but it's definitely the same girl, and she has a piece of cake in her hand.

"You look like you could use this," she says, setting it down. His eyes move to the obnoxiously large piece of chocolate cake she set down before making their way back to the girl standing next to him. She gives him a soft smile, and he realizes he's being a weirdo by just staring.

"Oh. Umm, thanks. How much do I owe you?"
"Absolutely nothing. It's on the house."
"Thanks," he mutters. She gives him a slight nod and turns to go. For the same reasons as before, he doesn't want her to.

"Hey, wait," he says. She turns back around, her cheeks a little pinker than they were a few seconds ago. "I...umm…I didn't mean to…" he trails off as he gestures to the window, not quite knowing how to apologize for staring earlier.
"I know," she says, and he smiles. Even though they haven't said more than a few words, he feels oddly comfortable in her presence. She jerks her thumb towards the counter. "I gotta get back."
"Oh, yeah. Right. Thanks again." She smiles, and Tobias can't help but feel a little twinge of something stirring inside him.

"Do you have a break coming up?" he blurts out, feeling a little embarrassed as all six people at the table closest to him turn to watch their exchange.
"I…umm…why?" she asks, a little laugh escaping.
"You just look like you could use some cake, too."

Her smile is wide as she ducks her head for a moment. Tobias can see one of the guys from the other table ―a dark-skinned boy with wild hair and an infectious grin― give him a thumbs up. He shakes his head a little, stifling a laugh. He definitely wasn't expecting to do anything like this today, let alone with the approval of total strangers. He looks back at her, and notices the look of confusion on her face.

"I'm sorry," he says. "It's just…well…you know I saw you earlier, and I thought that maybe we could share this since we both seem to be having one of those days." He's not quite sure where this confidence is coming from, but he's sure that he'll have to thank the boy at the next table who's silently cheering him on. She smiles again and checks her watch.
"Ten minutes," she says.
"Okay," he says. She turns and he watches her walk away, a slight skip in her step. He looks over at the boy, who gives him an approving nod, and smiles.

"That was smooth," he says, getting up and moving the bag, sitting in the chair across from him. "Name's Zeke."
"Tobias. And, uhh, thanks, I guess, for giving me a little extra confidence."
"Nah, man. That was all you." Zeke flashes him a wide grin. "Been coming here for a long time, and Tris? She's a great girl. Nice, cute, friendly. The whole package. My little brother even hit on her a few times, but nothing ever came of it. They're friends now, which by default makes her my friend. So if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you."

Tobias felt his mouth fall open. Zeke was smiling, as if he didn't just threaten him with death. A quick glance at the counter made Tobias believe him: she was staring, eyes narrowed at the two of them.

"Noted," Tobias says.
"Perfect! Nice to meet you, Tobias," he says as he stands, holding his hand out.
"Same." Tobias gives Zeke a firm handshake, suddenly wondering just what he has gotten himself into.

He spends the next few minutes gathering his things into a neat pile, doing anything to make the time go by faster. If he was being honest with himself, he really wasn't going to learn anything else today; his brain was half mush at this point. He glanced over at the counter to see her take off her apron, smooth her shirt down, and start walking towards him.

"Hi," she said, taking the seat across from him. "I'm sorry. About that." She tipped her head back to the table Zeke was sitting at. "Surrogate big brother."
"No need. I totally get it. I'm Tobias, by the way."
"Tris." She smiled, and Tobias was certain the entire store lit up.
"It's nice to meet you, Tris."

She held up a fork and gave a small chuckle, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. He picked up the fork from the plate, scooping a large piece onto it and shoving it in his mouth. He regretted it instantly, the situation made a hundred times more awkward by him smacking his lips as he tried to choke it down.

"It's good," he said, swallowing the thick paste in a large lump. He felt it get stuck half-way down. "I didn't expect it to be so thick. What is it?"
"It's called dauntless cake. It's sort of this flourless concoction someone came up with. Makes it hard to eat big bites."
"So I noticed."

Tris gave a laugh and stood, disappearing behind the counter. He let out a sigh of relief when she reappeared with two glasses of milk. He nodded gratefully, taking a glass and downing a large gulp.

"Better?" She gave him a smile as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
"Much."
"So what are you studying?" She pulled his textbook towards her, flipping through a few pages.
"This is for physics with calculus. I'm studying to be an engineer."
"Ooh, nice."

Tobias felt himself get warm as he watched her. She wasn't playing any games or telling him what he wanted to hear. She seemed genuinely interested, which was refreshing. He had been on many dates that ended with him wishing he had never spoken to the girl in the first place.

"Ouch. A fifty-two?" She held his test up, scrunching her nose.
"Yep. Hence the all day studying. I need to get at least a seventy to pass the class."
"I can help." It was his turn to give her a look. She only smiled in response.

"Okay, I'll ask. How?"
"My brother is something of a genius. He'll probably own MIT at some point. Anyway, I was an adoring little sister, always wanting to hang around my big brother. He's such a nerd; he would teach me songs and mnemonics about math and English and everything else under the sun. I probably know as much about this stuff as he does."

She waves her hand as if to dismiss it as no big deal, but Tobias can't stop staring. One side of his mouth lifts in total awe of this surprising girl sitting across from him.

"What?" Her voice is a little quieter as she looks at him through her eyelashes.
"Nothing," he breathes out.

"Hey, I have an idea," she says, her face breaking into a wide grin. "Why don't I tutor you?"
"Yeah, okay," he says a little too quickly. She giggles at his enthusiastic response. "Like tonight, or tomorrow?" He waves his hand, trying his best to play it off. In reality, his heart is beating harder than it ever has.

"Either works for me. Or both," she adds, smiling just a little.
"Okay."
"Okay. It's a date then."