I wake to the sound of a bird. A Sea Gull, to be more specific. I am at the beach. A gush of thick, salty air breezes by me. I take a deep breath before opening my eyes. A man stands over me, looking at me with concerned, deep blue eyes. "Tobias," I try to say, but my voice cracks. He smiles a little. "How do you feel, Tris?" I sit up, slowly. I think about his question for a moment. How DO I feel? I look down at my body. Tobias has covered me up in his t-shirt and I am on a towel, shaded by a rainbow umbrella. I cough a little. "I don't know." I finally say. Tobias's smile disappears and he nods. Then he slowly wraps his arm around me, pulling me to him. I stiffen, uncomfortable with any physical contact. I watch the waves hit the shore and erode the beach slowly. Waves have always fascinated me. They seem to be so free and careless. They can choose be small and weak, or big and mighty. And when they are big and mighty, only the idiotic stand in their way. But both types produce good, and damage. I like to think that I am a wave. Sometimes, I choose to be small and weak, and others to be big and mighty. I cause some good things to happen, and I cause some damage.

Tobias clears his throat. "I wanted to tell you something." He says, looking down at the beach towel. I turn to him and raise my eyebrows.

"Is that so?" He nods, slowly. "I think I might be in love with you." His cheeks turn a light pink. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though."

I feel heat rise to my cheeks. "I think that would be wise." I lean on him a little more, because it is a sign of affection, but mostly because I still feel light headed. "I think I'm in love with you, too."

I can feel a huge grin spread across his face. It is strange to see Tobias so happy. Right now, he is definitely not the same intimidating combat instructor. He is showing a softer, lighter side. This is Tobias. And I am in love with him. Tobias turns toward me and looks down at me, his eyes taking on a lighter shade of blue. He looks handsome. I walk my hand to the edge of the beach towel and begin to trace random patterns in the sand. I stare out at the beach scene before me. The sun is starting to set, creating an ombre of pink and orange across the sky. The colors smear together like a watercolor painting.

Tobias remains quiet. Silence usually bothers me. It is filled with words that remain unspoken, or lack of knowing what to say. But with Tobias, it's different. It's as if my presence is enough. As if his presence is enough.

I don' know how much time has passed when Tobias decides to speak again. He lifts my cups my face in his hands, and uses his thumbs to caress my cheek slowly. A small, shy smile spreads across his face. A smile I would never expect to see on Tobias.

"I love you, Tris."

Author's Note:

Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I love reading them. You guys are awesome. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really appreciate the reviews, keep them coming!

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-Beatrice