Fate chapter eight
This'll be the last chapter of his story, other than an epilogue. I hope people liked reading it as much as I liked writing it :)
Tris Pov
Studying is harder than solving world hunger at this point. Trying to study for my junior year finals should be at the top of my priority list, but my mind seems to think differently.
I hear a knock on my door and Tobias' voice comes from outside. "Hey, I'm going into town, you wanna come out with me?"
I get up, glad to have an excuse to not be studying. I check my hair in the mirror, a habit that seems to have become routine since Tobias' arrival. When my dirty blonde locks are deemed presentable I throw on my good boots and run outside where Tobias is waiting for me. He's got the keys to my truck twirling around his finger, leaning against the peeling red door. The ever present smirk playing on his lips seem to do something to my intestines, and the way his gaze falls on me in a slightly protective, caring way...
I pull myself out of the trance and snatch the keys from his fingers.
"I don't remember you asking me permission to borrow these, mister." I say squinting my eyes accusingly but keeping my mouth upturned so he knows I'm not serious. After knowing his past it's no wonder he finds it difficult to distinguish sarcasm from verbal abuse.
"I don't remember you asking me permission to look so nice in those jeans, missy." He says in it such an off handed way, not changing stance or even shifting his gaze from my eyes, that I decide to not think much of it. I stick my tongue out and him and stick the keys into lock and open it but before I can hop in Tobias throws his body in the seat. "Let me drive." He says confidently, but I see something mischievous lurching behind those dark irises.
"If you get us lost I'm kicking put and driving home alone." I say, but slide into the passenger seat, obligingly.
"Ouch, that's pretty harsh I'd have to say."
"Oh, toughen up, and let's get going or we won't be home in time for nighttime feeding."
He steps on the gas, throwing me back and we both laugh. He seems a bit reckless but I'm not sure if he's just driving this way to amuse me or.. He runs a stop sign and my thoughts are confirmed.
"Tobias you don't have a drivers license do you?" I question, but It comes out like a statement.
He looks over at me far too long for some one with far too little experience on the road.
"How'd you figure it out?" He asks, the beginnings of a genuine grin playing on his face, lighting his eyes in a way that makes it hard for me to think.
"I could teach you if you'd like." I suggest.
He looks at me again, captivating me. "You would do that?" I nod in response and his grin spreads out fully, illuminating his face. "Well then get to teachin'" he says in a sorry excuse for a southern accent.
"Well for starters the speed limit on this road is 40 and your going 65, so slow down."
"I would love to Trissy, but I'm not sure where the break pedal is located" He see the look on my face and seems to sober down a bit and the car slows down to less breakneck speeds.
-•-•-•••-
I'm not sure how we make it to town but some how we do, and we even manage to successfully park in front of the local dinner, despite the fact that the truck manages to fill three parking spaces.
We get out grinning crazily, and whether it's Tobias' presence, or the adrenaline still pumping through my blood after the drive here, or a combination of both that is the reason for our crazed expressions I'm not sure, but the expression stays on my face and his throughout the night.
-—-•-
We make a habit of going out to town on Friday nights, mostly to that little dinner but sometimes adventuring farther off in the town to a little pub of sorts. To both Tobias and my pleasure this pub only serves nonalcoholic beverages.
Tobias has parked right outside the pub and to my surprise- and his pleasure- the truck is successfully within the lines of the parking space. After two months of practicing I had hoped this moment would arrive soon.
We take our regular spot on the bar and orders a piece of chocolate cake and two root beers, a drink Tobias took immediate interest in after the first stolen sip of my own drink during our first outing here.
"I got something for you." Tobias says, somewhat shyly. This in itself makes me look up only to see him in a position that looks like he's hiding behind his cup. He then holds out a small box with a silky black ribbon tied on top. I smile at him, and he meets my eyes and he seems to come out from behind his cup.
I take the box and open it to find a bronze ring with a turquoise stone secured with wire to the center. I put it on my index finger and it fits snugly. I look up at him smiling broadly now.
I jump from my seat, wrapping my arms around his neck securing my cheek right in the crook of his neck, where it seems to fit like a puzzle piece. His arms wrap around me securing me to him as he's done so many times now. I pull back and look into his dazzling eyes.
"Thank you so much, it's beautiful." I tell him and he looks extremely pleased with himself.
"Now let's get to dancing, or is that piece of cake too pretty to move away from?" I joke.
"Even a piece of cake that appealing couldn't stop me from dancing with my Trissy." He says smirking at me while I resist the urge to kick him for the use of the nick name.
•—•
Tobias POV
Tris is dancing I front of me, laughing and joking, and I'm pretty sure she said something sarcastic addressing me but my ears have stopped working, even the sound of the pounding music can't penetrate the layer of wax that seems to have clogged all my senses.
He is here. He found me.
My vision tunnels and all I can see is him, at the moment a seeming civil man, looking smart in slacks and a casual suit jacket. But I know that look. It's the look of a bomb with a very short fuse.
Only Tris' small, warm hand on my arms that have become toned with several months of farm work, can bring me swinging, disoriented, back into the pub.
"Tobias? Hey, what's wrong?" Her voice is laced with concern and she stands out within the crowd, standing still like that. She's sure to get me spotted.
"Keep dancing." I say in a demanding, emotionless voice I haven't used in quite a time. That, more than anything else alerts Tris to the wrongness of the situation. She follows my line of vision and sees him:. Marcus. She seems to connect the dots, judging solely on my reaction and all the memories of my life before finding this town that I've shared with her. She grabs my hand and pulls me away.
"I know a back exit." She says into my ear. Her hand falls on the door knob and I look back to make sure he hasn't spotted me yet.
That's when he sees us.
I unceremoniously shove Tris out the door way, taking her arm, and dragging her around the building in the direction of her car.
Tris fumbles for the keys, attempting to get them into the lock as quickly as possible but that only results in her dropping them. I stop myself from shouting at her and resign to tugging on my hair. That's when I feel it.
A sickly,
cold,
disgusting
hand falls onto my shoulder and immediately I tense up and shove the hand that is attached to Marcus off of me and back up, almost into Tris. My mind seems frozen but Tris speaks for me.
"Get the hell away from us, Marcus." She spits out his name like it's the most vile insult she could conjure up, "leave here and don't come back."
He laughs, and terrifying, guttural noise, a noise that haunts my worst nightmares and often comes hand in hand with blinding pain. "I see you've found your self a little hick girl to protect you, Tobias. I have to admit that's pathetic." I see a slight movement in Marcus' dreaded hands, and wait for a blow to come, cowering back. I hear the noise of impact but it's not in my face or stomach thAt pain comes, but in my heart when I hear the noise of pain Tris makes when Marcus' fist makes contact with her cheek. Im sure it was aimed for my chest, but Tris' small form only comes up to about my chest;some how she got in front of me, blocking me from my father. It's this that flips a switch inside me, a switch that turns off the instinct to flee. For my entire life this switch has never been an option: flight meant momentary reprieve while fight was a weapon used by Marcus and Marcus alone, and thus was discarded as an option, but now it's the only option, all fears, all ideas of flight dissipate.
I rush towards Marcus, slamming him into the car next the Tris'. My hand closes around his throat, squeezing. "Don't you ever touch Tris. Do you hear me?" But before he has any change to reply I'm ripped from him, thrown back, another pair of hands clenched around my biceps. A man, the owner of the bar I think has Marcus restrained. There's yelling and commotion but the bar owners voice manages to break through the fray, addressing Marcus, "What do you think you're doing, hitting a girl like that?" Marcus splutters something about being provoked but Tris interrupts him, discust evident in her strong voice. "Oh provoked my ass. He needs to be locked up-" I believe Tris may Segway into Marcus' abusive nature and I don't want that to be public knowledge. I place my hand on her arm and pull her back slightly, cutting her off. She looks at me with a fire in her eyes and I'm almost swallowed up by her magnificent moon like orbs when I notice the small purple color rising from around her cheek bone.
I gently rub my thumb over it, taking her face in both hands. "Tris.." I say, because I'm lost for words, I'm drowning in a sea of thanks, of protectiveness, of- something else that I can't quite name,
"It's okay now, Tobias. We're okay." She replies, her hands resting on my face. And with her this close to me, Marcus in police custody, I can finally believe that. I'm finally okay.
-•-•
Well alrighty that's it. I'm done with this story now except for an epilogue but I don't know when or if that's going up. I got extremely minamle support from this story and I don't know if that's just the topic or my writing or whatever but I'm not too pleased with how this ended and I'm pretty sure my writing reflected that but I hope y'all enjoyed reading. Please tell me if I was even fun to read
Thanks for reading :))
Annades49800