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This chapter is about the size of two, but there was no good way to stop it in the middle. Plus, after me taking so long to update recently you guys deserve a nice long chapter lol.

Unfortunately, I had to head down to the training room after stopping at my apartment for a quick shower. I was in my typical black tank top and pants, hair up in a messy ponytail. I took my time getting to the training room, knowing there was a good chance he would be there. If I could, I would avoid him for as long as possible, but seeing that it was my job, that wasn't going to happen.

To my surprise, Eric was nowhere in sight when I stepped through the doors. I felt a small stab of disappointment, but that feeling was outweighed by my feeling of relief. I started with some stretching and jumped right into training, trying to focus on the exercises at hand instead of what happened last night and this morning. I'm sure the thing was just a drunk action on Jake's part. We were all pretty wasted so there was no point in bringing it up to Eric and making shit worse than it already was.

I was nearly ready to head out after about an hour when I heard the doors open. My heart nearly stopped. I knew exactly who it without even affording him a glance in his direction. "In the ring."

"Have you calmed down yet?" I asked, turning towards him, making my way to the ring.

He didn't grace me with an answer, just an expression. My chest tightened at the look on his face. This was Eric. My instructor that knocked me unconscious and stabbed me with an airborne knife. This was not going to end well. It never ended well when he was in a mood like this.

"I'll take that a no," I signed as I squared up to his broad frame. "So this is how we're gonna settle our disagreements, then?"

"If we can't solve them with words, then yes," his tone was flat and reflected his facial expression.

"We'd be able to solve them if you didn't shut out everything I said and made assumptions," it was true. He didn't even give me a chance explain this morning.

"Assumptions? I know what I saw," I could hear him start to get agitated.

"You saw me passed out on a couch after drinking way to many beers," I informed him. "Four was there last night, you really think he would let anything happen?"

"He wasn't there this morning," he countered.

"Are you calling me a lair?" I asked, offended.

"No, I'm just saying that he wasn't there when I was," It was nice to see that we were getting somewhere now, even if he still seemed pissed. I mean damn, I'd probably be pissed too if it was reversed, but I would at least give him a chance to explain himself, or I hoped I would.

"He probably had an early shift in the control room," I reasoned. I didn't know exactly why Tobias wasn't there, but it was a pretty good guess as to where he went.

"Okay, we'll go with that," he grumbled.

Tired of arguing, I took a swing at him, which he easily dodged. "How do you expect me to tell you shit if you're going to overreact to it?"

He dodged another punch, grabbing my fist and twisting it behind my back. He pressed himself up against me. "Well is there anything you'd like me to not 'overreact' too?" he said, his breath on my neck.

I didn't answer. I twisted out of his hold and kicked the back of his knee, making this leg buckle. He landed on one knee, looking up at me.

"Is there something else you want to share?" He questioned, knowing I was hiding something.

"I just want to say it was a stupid game, we were drunk," I tried to fluff it and not make it seem as bad as he would probably take it.

He swept his arms at my legs, causing me to land hard on my back. "What happened?" he growled.

Before he got the chance to capitalize on my fall I quickly got to my feet. "Jake, he kissed me, okay? But I swear it didn't mean jack shit. Zeke dared him too."

"I'm gonna kill that little punk," he huffed. I wasn't really sure if he was talking about Zeke or Jake but either way being a target of Eric's was a dangerous thing.

"I swear to god, Eric, if you touch him," I snapped. I swung again, but this time he deflected it, jabbing me in the side. I came back and struck him with an elbow to the jaw.

"Why are you defending him if it meant nothing?" he barked.

"Because he's my best friend!" He swiftly placed his heel behind my leg and shoved me backwards.

"I don't care who or what his is, he puts his hands on you again and we're gonna have a problem."

Once again, I landed hard on my back. Eric's hands were around my throat in no time.

"I could kill you right now," he said, lightly squeezing my neck.

"Bullshit," I spat.

"Oh yeah? This was the same shit Marcus was doing and you didn't do a damn thing to stop him," he countered. When did this become about him?

"That was different," I looked away from him, still shameful of my lack of action.

"It shouldn't be, you know I wouldn't do it, but he sure as hell just might. Instead of getting wasted and passing out with some guy on a couch, you should make sure your ass is in here bright and early every morning so maybe we can make sure shit like that doesn't happen again."

"It won't happen again," I snarled.

"You froze once," he locked eyes with me. "You'll do it again. Dauntless don't freeze."

I felt my blood begin to boil. I was tired of hearing all the shit he was throwing my way. Throwing the Marcus thing in my face was a low blow. With everything I had, I brought my fist to his face, knocking him off of me.

"Fuck you," I spat as I rolled to my knees and then onto my feet. Not looking back, I made my way out of the training room, my face hot with anger and my eyes watering from frustration.

I wiped my eyes as I headed to the infirmary. His blows weren't infirmary worth, but I didn't know where else to go. I looked around for a familiar face. I instantly found Lizzy pulling off a pair of latex gloves and tossing them in the trash. She looked up, seeing me as I walked in her direction.

She beckoned me forward, telling me to follow her to one of the back rooms. I did just that, taking a seat on the familiar metal table. Lizzy closed the door before turning to face me. "What happened?"

"Hurricane Eric, that's what fucking happened," I wiped my eyes once again.

"Care to elaborate?" And with that I did. I told her about our argument this morning and then our most recent one just a few minutes. She handed me an icepack for my side as I finished.

"Can you blame him for being upset?" Lizzy crossed her arms as she leaned against the counter.

"I guess not, but that doesn't give him the right to throw the Marcus thing in my face," I said as I placed the pack of ice on my side where Eric jabbed me.

"I think he was just trying to make a point," I would accuse her of defending him, but she probably knew him a little better than I did seeing that she grew up with him.

"Still," I grumbled.

Lizzy smirked and shook her head. "Just think of it this way, if you guys don't argue then that means you don't care. It's better to care too much than not enough. You shouldn't be upset that he got pissed and jealous about Jake, you should be upset if he didn't get pissed and jealous about Jake."

She had a point. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Just give him some space," she suggested. "He'll come around eventually."

"If you say so."

XXX

After a good vent session with Lizzy, I headed to the tattoo parlor, in the mood for some new ink. I assumed Jake would be there, but I wasn't looking for him, it was Tori I wanted. I came up behind her as she sketched a tattoo on a sheet of paper.

"Up for giving me a new tat?" I smiled.

"Always," she turned and smiled back. She lead me to an empty chair and sat me down.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Jake is, would you?" I asked, looking around the shop for him.

"Called in sick today," she informed me. I chuckled. Sick my ass, more like hungover.

"Oh okay."

"Know what you want?" She sat down next to me on a stool.

I thought for a second, but knew exactly what I wanted. "As a matter of fact, I do."

It only took an hour and a half or so for this piece. It was a quote that was located on my ribs, opposite of my tribal tattoo that crawled up my other side and hid my scar. It read: 'Learn from the past. Live for the present. Dream for the future.' each sentence having its own line on my side.

The past was yesterday. Abnegation and Marcus are my past, and that's where they belong. I've learned from my past, but that's all it's good for. Today is my present. Dauntless, my brother, my friends, they're what I live for now. My future is tomorrow. I don't know where it'll lead me or what it'll look like, but I can work hard and make it what I want.

XXX

The rest of the day was a little of a blur. I spent my afternoon with Leo, trying to soak up as much knowledge from him as possible. After our afternoon lessons, it was time for dinner. I wasn't really hungry and I wasn't in a sociable mood so I grabbed a piece of chocolate cake and went to make my exit. I felt someone's eyes on me and wasn't surprise when I turned to find Eric watching my every move. I frowned. Not because I was still upset at him, but because I felt this gap between us that I could only met him halfway to close. I saw his expression soften before he turned back to his conversation with Jenn and Jason.

I made my way up to my apartment, sitting in piece and quiet as I ate my cake. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the silence. I don't think I've ever had a moment of silence since I joined Dauntless.

Once I finished my cake, I placed the dish in the sink and reached for a glass to get some water. As my finger wrapped around the glass, there was a knock at the door. I placed the glass down on the counter and padded over to the door. I opened the door, only to me met with Eric's pricing blue eyes.

I sighed, my moment of silence had come to an end. I left the door opened as I walked away from him and back to the kitchen. I heard him close the door as he walked into my apartment. I grabbed my glass and filled it water from the faucet. I heard his boot follow me into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about the Jake thing," I finally spoke as took a sip of water.

"I'm sorry about the Marcus thing, it was out of line," he admitted.

"I understand why you were upset, but you didn't need to explode like that. If I tell you it meant nothing, it did. I need you to trust me," I placed my glass on the counter, crossing my arms. I was glad to see that we were finally being civil about this.

"I do trust you, it's just that..." he paused, stepping closer to me. "Sometimes you just make me so upset that I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I chuckled.

"I don't know yet," he smirked. "I swear, sometimes I just want to get in the ring with you and duke it out."

"Been there, done that," I shook my head as I smiled.

"And then," he closed the space between us, placing a hand on either side of me, trapping me between him and the counter. "sometimes I just want to have my way with you."

"Oh really?" I smirked. "Which one of those applies at the moment?"

"You tell me," his lips brushed against mine, soft, hesitant. I pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. It was like a switch flipped. The next thing I knew the gentle kiss turned into something so full of desperation and passion- hard and fast. I found myself following him move for move. My hands trailed up his neck to his hair. As he bit my lip ring I couldn't help pull tighter at his hair, earning a moan from him. He pressed against me as he pushed me against the counter.

Suddenly his shirt was in the way. In no time it was on the floor, whether by his doing or mine, I didn't know, but I wasn't complaining as I trailing my hands down his torso. I felt his hands find my hips and then I was on the countertop, his body between my separated legs. I heard glass shatter as the glass was knocked off the counter. I involuntary giggled into the kiss.

His mouth left mine, trailing hot kisses down my neck down to where my shoulder began. I made a noise that I was sure that I'd be mortified by in the morning, but right now that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was pressed up against me and traveling down lower to the neckline of my shirt.

His lips moved back up to mine as I played with the hairs on the back of his neck. But then he stopped.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him, confused as to why he stopped.

"Do you want this?" he asked me. His eyes seemed to have turned to a darker shade of blue as they bore into mine.

"Why wouldn't I?" It was a legitimate question.

"Because you can do so much better than me."

I moved to the crook of his neck. "And vice versa," I said before I began leave wandering kisses across his skin.

I could feel his breath hitch. "I'm serious, Alex," he got out. My hands left his hair and trailed down his back.

"And so am I," I took one of his hands in mine and intertwined our fingers, kissing his hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you? You say I can do so much better, but you're all I need and all I want, Eric. You and only you." I reassured him.

He smiled. "I think I can live with that."

"Then why'd you stop?"

And just like that his lips crashed into mine, his hands moving everywhere and nowhere at once. My brain could barely keep up with him. His hands roamed up from my hips and to the hem of my shirt. Seconds later it was on the floor. He broke the kiss only to let his eyes travel up my torso to explore my tattoos. His eyes caught in the lower part of my abdomen. I looked down to see the scar that had been caused by his knife skills.

"That was from me, wasn't it?" his fingers brushed along the scar.

"You and and one of your dick moves, yeah," I commented.

He chuckled and leaned down, kissing the scar and continuing to kiss up my torso. He wrapped my legs around his waist. I took that as a cue to wrap my arms around his neck as he picked me up from the counter and carried me towards the bedroom.

XXX

I smiled the next morning as I felt someone's eyes on me. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," I said, using one of his lines against him.

I felt the bed bounce silently as he chuckled. "I just might."

I opened my eyes to be met my Eric's soft blue eyes. "We should argue more often," I yawned as I stretched, feeling sore.

"Agreed," he kissed me, making it deeper than necessary. He shifted so he was over top of me.

"What happened to the arguing part?" I chuckled as I pushed him off of me.

"Right," he smirked as he played with my hair. A knocked echoed through the apartment and I sent a confused look Eric's way. "I'll get it."

"No," I grabbed his arm as he sat up. "We don't know who it is."

"Its probably Jenn," he said looking at the clock that read 11. I would be meeting her around this time for my training. No one else would make sense.

"Ugh, fine. But only because I don't feel like getting up," I sighed in defeat.

He pulled on his black jeans, but went shirtless due to the fact that it was somewhere in the kitchen. As he made his way out of the bedroom, my curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed a pair of gym shorts off the floor and a hoodie off the dresser. I made it out just in time to watch as Eric twisted the door knob to open the door.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Oh shit.

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