Chapter 15

Next update should be Sunday, and that'll be the last chapter. If you guys want an epilogue though, I can do an epilogue.

-Paris, France-

Tris and Tobias were on their way to Christina's house for the festival. They left Dublin and found a flight at the perfect time. They, surprisingly enough, got some sleep after they left Kian's. Kian's was extremely fun too. They drank, talked, and Tris even ended up with Kian's number on a piece of paper in her bag. She hoped to maybe contact him when she moved to KCL. She knew that, even though she couldn't talk to Tobias while she was in college, she could make something possibly work with Kian. She knew it'd be a better choice for her to choose Kian over Tobias. Even though Kian was farther away, she knew her parents would like him more than Tobias. Rich, taking over the family business… her parents would take someone like that any day over someone who was a freelance photographer.

Someone who was just like her.

Sure, they'd prefer a politician, but Kian was the best Tris would do. She felt like if she was with Kian, though, she wouldn't feel right. Tobias was and always will be her first love. And nothing can change that. She would always love him. No changing that undeniable fact.

"What do you think the saddest word in the English language?" Tobias asked randomly.

"I don't know," she chuckled. "I've never really thought about it. I guess suicide. I'm really against all that. People have so much to live for, and they just can't see that. And it's sad."

"I think the same thing," he said.

"What about you? I mean that can't just be some random question that popped into your head."

"That's very true. Almost is the saddest word to me."

"Almost?"

"Yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nah."

"Four," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Please?"

He gave a small smile. "We were almost there. We were almost something. We could've almost made it. I almost could've started being able to love someone in a way that I didn't even know existed."

Tris looked at him sadly. "Tobias—"

"I didn't want to fall in love. Not at all. But at some point you smiled, and, holy shit, I blew it. And before you say something about how much you wish you could be with me, why don't you, instead of wishing, make it happen?"

"Tobias, I want to be with you; I do. But with my parents, college, who you are… My parents would freak out of I was with a freelance photographer from England."

"So it's because of your parents?" he asked with some shock. "As long as you love me as I am then nothing else matters."

Tris sighed, looking away. "I do love you. But I… Four years. That's what we promised, right? We meet in four years, and this is the last time we see each other. Okay? Okay."

"You can't just run away from you problems, Tris."

She stepped closer to him, and she then kissed him on the lips shortly. "July 14th, eight P.M., 2019," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered back.

And then Tris walked away, tears present in her eyes, and didn't look back. The only thing she could do was walk. She couldn't process what just happened, she couldn't understand… The only thing she was thinking was that four years was a very, very, long time.

So Chris and Tris went the festival, and Tris acted like everything was okay. She was used to it though. Always pretending like everything was okay was her specialty. Every day she had to do it.

"You seem a little off. Is everything okay?" Chris asked.

"Perfect," she replied with the fakes of smiled. "Let's keep going."

They saw bodies painted with colors Tris had never even seen before. It was beautiful. She took some pictures with the stupid disposable camera that reminded her all too much of Tobias. She'd give anything for her real camera she had back at home, hidden under everything in her nightstand.

"Ohhh, you got a camera!" Chris squealed. "Let me see pictures!"

"Ah, no, there's only a few."

"Girl. You love photography. There's no way there's only a few pictures on that camera." So she quickly snatched it out of Tris's hands.

Tris didn't fight back though.

"Oh my gosh. Who are you kissing? Why are you kissing?"

"His name is Four. He went on the trip with me. I thought he was just a random person, but it turned out that he was an agent and my mom assigned him to me. We were a thing before I knew who he was."

"Tris!"

"What?"

"That's what was wrong. You two will never see each other again," she said with a frown.

"We made a plan to meet at the place we met four years from now. July 23rd, 8 P.M., 2019."

"And where's this?"

"Here in Paris. He was the one you accidentally made me run into while we were on our way to the concert."

"That was him?" she exclaimed loudly.

She smiled. "Yeah."

"You really love him, don't you?"

Tris sadly smiled. "Yeah. I do. But… I can't. And we're done talking about this. So…" Tris snatched her camera out of Chris's hands and put it back in her bag. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"What for?"

"It's time for me to come home."

Tris was on a helicopter on her way back to America. She really wished she wasn't, but she knew it had to happen someday. She'd much rather be on a train with Tobias, snuggling on the uncomfortable green benches. Much rather have one hand in her pocket and one hand in Tobias's. Much rather be somewhere that wasn't there.

Tris arrived at her home at about seven o'clock at night. Bud and Tori were the only ones on the helicopter to apprehend her and take her home.

Her mother and father were standing in the foyer in front of the staircase when she walked in. While she'd stepped in, Caleb was making his way downstairs. Tris grinned, ran around her parents, and hugged her brother. While she was running toward Caleb, she saw that her parents thought she was going to run into their arms.

Boy, they really didn't have any idea.

"Go get your acceptance letter," Tris said to Caleb quietly when they split. "This is happening now."

She turned around, away from Caleb, and heard him go back up the stairs. She faced them, thinking she was quite brave.

"Beatrice," her mother began, "you've scared us half to dea—"

Tris cut her mother off while Caleb came back down the stairs and stood at her side. "I don't want to hear any of your bullshit, Mom. I know that I'm speaking to you with disrespect right now, but, in all honesty, I don't care. The first thing I want is all of them out."—She motioned the guards—"Now."

Natalie dismissed them with a wave.

"Thank you," Tris went on. "Now," she said as she descended the staircase to stand in front of them, "I want you to tell me what this is about." Tris turned to Caleb and held out her hand. He handed her the original acceptance letter to KCL. She smoothed it out and held it in front of their faces, Caleb doing the same.

"You want to tell me why I found these in my desk?" Caleb calmly asked their mother.

"Caleb Prior, you did not go through my desk," she said sternly.

"Do you, of all people, want to talk about what's right and what's wrong?" she retorted.

"Yes, I hid your acceptance letters. It was only for your protection though."

"Natalie," their father said, his expression unreadable. "You wouldn't."

"I'm afraid I have."

Tris and Caleb looked at each other, sad.

"I'm not allowing you two to go anyhow."

"My ass you aren't letting me go!" Tris exclaimed. "I've worked too hard to let this all go!"

"Beatrice Prior, watch your language," her mother warned.

"No! I'm done pretending to be perfect for you. I've done this my entire life. You're so involved with your job that you can't even see how much Caleb and I love what we do. Caleb wants to be a writer, if you didn't know. Which you probably didn't. And he is one hell of a writer, at that. His stuff is amazing and he deserves to go to Oberlin. And me. Oh, god, you're so oblivious to me. You're so oblivious that you don't even notice the freakin' camera I have hidden in my nightstand because I love photography so much. You two really have no idea. And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty damn good at what I'm doin'. And, by the way, I'm living in London once I graduate. I don't know what you're thoughts are on that, but, frankly, I don't give a damn."

"Well…," her mother began, "that's a lot to take in."

"I'm going to my room. Care to join me, Caleb?"

"I'd love to, lil sis."

So they marched up to Tris's bedroom, then sat on her bed.

"I have to tell you something," said Tris hesitantly.

"And that would be?"

She leaned against the headboard. "I fell in love with that agent," she said quickly, looking down.

He laughed. "I know that."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"I knew something was up. You seemed extremely happy on the phone and… I guess it all just clicked."

She smiled. "You're the best brother ever."

"So tell me about him."

"He loves photography. He's from England. He likes it when I say the word winklepickers," she said with a small chuckle. "He tells me I'm beautiful and amazing and perfect and… I don't know. Maybe I'm just a naïve, young girl, but I think he really loved me. We made a plan to meet back at the place we met in four years."

"How do you know he isn't taking advantage of you?"

"There were plenty of opportunities to do that and he never did. Even if I never see him again, he'll always be my first love."

A day later, Tris was packing for London. Dorms opened that day.

Caleb came in while she was packing and said, "How's your heart?"

She sighed. "A little bit broken," she said.

Her brother pulled her close and squeezed her tight. "I'm gonna miss you, lil sis."

"I'm gonna miss you too, big bro."