A/N: Wow - thank you all so much for the reviews and follows and favorites! This is the best reception I've gotten for a new story, and that makes me excited to keep writing it as quickly as possible. So, your reward is another chapter. :-) Thank you also to the wonderful BK2U, who edited this chapter in record time when my regular beta reader was stuck with a ton of work.
Chapter 2: Tris – Friendly Advice
It proves to be impossible for Tris to concentrate the rest of the day at work. She stares at the document that she's supposed to be writing, her eyes glazed and unseeing, as a thousand memories flit through her mind.
She had finally reached the point where she rarely thought about Tobias. Where the pain of his abandonment had diminished enough for her to move on. But all it took was one morning together to bring everything flooding back.
A lot of the problem is that she really did enjoy talking to him. It's why she let the conversation last so long, and why she accepted his dinner invitation despite all the warnings that were flaring through her nervous system.
Which means that now she's left with figuring out exactly what he meant by the offer in the first place. She sighs, shaking her head as she sits back in her chair, still watching the blinking cursor on her monitor.
The safest bet is that it's not a date – just a chance to finish catching up when neither of them has to run off to work. It's the most logical conclusion, given that he never looked back after leaving. It would be foolish to think that he wants to reevaluate that decision after so long.
Yet there was something in those deep blue eyes that made it seem like more. He looked at her the way he always used to, and despite all of her efforts at self-control, it roused hopes that she thought had long since died.
She moves her mouse to keep the screen saver from kicking in as she ruthlessly cuts off that train of thought. It's not like she was ever a good judge of Tobias' feelings. Hell, she actually believed him all those times he said he loved her, only to have everything inside her crash and burn when he was suddenly done. He didn't even have the grace to admit it was because of someone else.
So, no, it's not a date. That's the only assumption she lets herself make, and she repeats it over and over throughout the rest of the day.
If only she actually believed it.
Her roommate, Christina, has always had an uncanny ability to tell what she's thinking, so Tris knows the moment she steps into their apartment that there's no point in hiding the day's events.
Sure enough, she barely finishes unpacking her lunch bag before Christina stops in front of her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "What's wrong?" she asks sharply.
"Um, nothing really." The comment only elicits a raised eyebrow, and she sighs. "I mean, it's not bad or anything. But…it turns out that Tobias has moved back here." She clears her throat awkwardly. "I ran into him this morning."
It's the first time that Tris has ever seen her roommate at a loss for words. Christina's mouth opens and closes a few times before she finally rests a comforting hand on Tris' shoulder.
"Oh, Tris…." The sadness in her tone makes the blonde wince. "Is he married?"
"What?" Tris almost snarls at the assumption. "No." Her glare threatens to burn a hole through her best friend. "And even if he were, that would be fine. I got over him a long time ago." It's the lie she always repeats, even though no one who knows her believes it.
"He…um, actually asked me to dinner."
Christina's eyes widen to almost comical proportions. "Oh, no no no no no." Her tone carries a strange mix of panic and urgent warning. "You turned him down, right? Please tell me you turned him down. That man does not get to waltz back in here and start over after what he did."
"No, he doesn't." Tris' voice is flat. "Trust me, I know better than that." She meets her friend's gaze firmly, making sure that her expression shows her honesty. "It's just a chance to catch up. We started to this morning, but we ran out of time, so we're going to finish our conversation. That's all."
For another long moment, the two evaluate each other. "Does he know that?" Christina finally asks.
"I…. Um…." Tris' shoulders slump in defeat. "I think so."
Christina nods slowly, wrapping a gentle arm around her best friend and guiding her toward the couch. "Okay, here's what you're going to do." She presses Tris into a sitting position, dropping down beside her. "You're going to say that you forgot you had plans, and that you're going out with friends, but that he can join you if he wants. That way, he'll know that he's in the 'friend zone' – at best."
Tris bites her lip, thinking about that. "And if he wants to come?"
Christina shrugs. "Then we'll call Shauna and Marlene and have a girls' night out." She gives a wicked grin. "We'll talk about our periods and painting our fingernails and all kinds of other stupid shit and make sure he feels really uncomfortable."
Tris can't help laughing at that, imagining her former boyfriend's likely reaction to that type of conversation. But then the problems with the plan begin filtering through her mind.
"Christina, we can't. He's friends with Zeke, so he'll find out if I invite Shauna last-minute. And probably Marlene, too, through Uriah. And then I'll just look desperate."
"Mm." Christina purses her lips, acknowledging the truth of that. "Fine, then it'll just be me and Darrien."
This time, it's Tris' turn to arch a skeptical eyebrow. "Like a double date?" She gives a derisive snort. "Yeah, that'll help."
Another few seconds pass while Christina tries to come up with options, but then Tris pulls herself away from her friend a little. "You know what – it's fine. I'm not mooning over the guy anymore, and I have no illusions about what this is. I don't need to be rescued from it." She meets her roommate's gaze. "You're going to go on your date like you had planned, and I'll have a boring dinner with Tobias and will probably never see him again. It will be fine."
Christina chews on her lip uncertainly before a long, slow sigh comes out of her. "Okay," she agrees reluctantly. "But you still want to look amazing, right? To show him what he lost?"
The side of Tris' mouth twitches as she contemplates that. "Absolutely," she admits as she lets the smile form. She's waited a long time to be able to do that….
Her nerves skyrocket again when the text arrives. She's not sure how long she stares at Tobias' name on her phone, trying to decide if she wants to read it. He's probably canceling, and she doesn't know how she feels about that.
But finally she clicks on the notification, letting her gaze take in the words. "Do you have anything against Samuel's on the Lake? I hear they're good."
Swallowing, she squeaks out something that manages to call Christina to her side. Her friend stares at the screen for several long seconds.
"Tris, this is a date." The finality in her tone brooks no argument. "Seriously, if you look up 'most romantic restaurants in Chicago,' this is like at the top of the list. Candlelit tables for two, view of the lake, champagne, music, slow dancing, you name it…." She shakes her head, clearly appalled by the thought. "You need to tell him you've changed your mind."
But Tris can't seem to get herself to agree. She knows she should. Huge parts of her brain are reminding her of how hard it was to deal with their last break-up. It's something that she never wants to go through again. And even if she wasn't afraid of that, she's not at all sure that she's ready to forgive Tobias enough to give him a second chance.
Despite all of that, though, there's a small part of her that can't help dwelling on how he acted this morning. On how it felt to have his arms around her again. On the way he looked at her with so much hope and regret. And on the depth of emotion that kept slipping into his voice. What if he genuinely wants to try again? Is she sure she wants to say no to rekindling the best relationship she's ever had?
"He hasn't been back here long," she murmurs. "Maybe he doesn't know what type of restaurant it is."
Christina cocks an unconvinced eyebrow, shaking her head. "He knows, Tris. He's trying to make his intentions clear."
Tris gives her a mutinous look. "It's easy enough to find out," she adds as she begins typing a response.
"That's really expensive, and I'm trying to stay on a budget. A diner would work better."
She doesn't miss Christina's snort as she presses send. Their eyes meet for a second, and then they're both giggling. "That's one way to ground his expectations," Christina coughs out through her amusement.
It takes a minute for a reply to come. "Definitely my treat, Tris. Should I pick you up at six?"
Their laughter dies as they stare at the small screen. Tris can't help but think that he one-upped her quite successfully there. He didn't admit that it's a date, so she can't use that to turn him down, but he also refused to downgrade it to a casual dinner between friends.
She wouldn't have thought it was possible ten minutes ago, but now she's more nervous than ever.
Christina places a gentle hand on her arm. "Tris, if you go, be honest with him. Talk about the hard things. All of them. And make him give you answers, too. If he's not serious, you need to know that up front."
"Yeah." Tris swallows uncomfortably, doubting very much that she'll be able to get herself to really do any of that. But Christina is right. It's the only way to decide if she wants to go forward with this.
A/N: Please take a moment to let me know what you thought of this chapter. I know it's a bit short, but the next one will be long, so they balance out, right? ;-)