Chapter 26:
Tris POV:
I fidget with my purple dress as I critique my small but pregnant body in the mirror. Why would anyone want to go on a date with a pregnant woman? I push the thought out of my head. Tonight is for you, Tris. You need this.
I hear a knock at the door. Drew. I put in the last earring and make my way to the door.
"You look lovely" he says after a bright smile. I giggle.
"Thanks. You look wonderful too."
"Well, I try."
He really does look good. His hair is combed back and his collared shirt made him look all the better.
"Let me just grab my purse and I'll be ready."
"Sure thing." He walks inside and takes a seat on the couch in the living room while I run back to my bedroom.
There lying on my dresser next to my purse is a picture of Tobias. I took it of him a few days after our wedding. I loved it but he hated it. I snapped the picture mid laugh and he always said laughing made him look "weak", but really it was my heart that became weak when he laughed.
I felt a tear fall down my cheek. Tris, what are you doing? Pull yourself together. I wiped it away and powdered my face one more time and made my way to the living room.
"Ready?"
I nodded and smiled.
As we walked out of our apartment building, we were silent. He didn't speak a word and I didn't either. Our minds seemed to be lingering somewhere else. Mine with Tobias, and his? I have no idea. Breaking the silence, he finally spoke.
"So I thought we could go eat at Fizzle's."
Fizzle's is this "hip" restaurant where everything is salad based and the temperature stays a warm eighty degrees to "create an outside feel". I hated it. If I wanted to eat outside, I would have grabbed a blanket, a sandwich and made my way to a park.
"Okay." I might as well be polite.
We entered the restaurant and the warm air rushed immediately made a glisten of sweat appear across my forehead. That's what you get when you're four months pregnant with twins, I guess.
We sit down and Drew immediately starts talking. Something about the menu and how he always gets the same thing. Blah, blah, blah. I see his mouth move but all the words go in one ear and out the other so I just nod and smile.
The evening goes on and we talk about simple things; work, food; the weather. I'm bored half to death if I'm being honest. Every time the door to the restruanunt opens I look for him. For Tobias. I get the urge to leave. I want to be anywhere but here.
"This is so nice and I really appreciate you taking me out to dinner but I need to go. I feel so ill. It's probably something to do with the babies."
He looks a bit shocked.
"Oh…okay. Can I walk you home?"
"Oh no! I'll be fine. Thank you." Then I practically bolted for the door. The cool outside air danced across my skin but tears fell from eyes. I wanted Tobias. He is all I will ever want. I need him. Our children need him. Tris, how could you be so stupid?
My thoughts were pushed away when rain started to pour over my head. Of course. Perfect timing. I started to run, then stopped myself. I'm going to enjoy this. I focus on the cool drops racing down my skin and take slow, steady steps. I don't know if more drops are coming from my eyes or the sky.
Tobias POV:
I lied and told Stella I had to go into work tonight. She new I was lying but I guess I don't really care. I don't care about her. I care about someone else. Maybe she sensed that too. The longer I sit on this couch, the more time I have to think. Thinking is bad when your only thoughts are that of heartbreak. I tie my running shoes and go.
The air is cool and it feels good rushing in my lungs. I pass by one of Tris' favorite coffee shops and pick up the pace. Focus on the run, not her. Rain starts to fall but I push through. Sweat and rain pour down my face. Then in the distance, through pouring rain, I see Tris. My legs stop running and I come to a halt. She's looking down at her black ballet flats. I remember when she bought those. She's been crying. I can tell because the tip of her nose is red. It always turns red when she cries.
Then her eyes meet mine. I feel my knees weaken beneath me at the sight of the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.
She stops and we stare at each other. We're both trying to convince ourselves that this is real, not just our imagination.
"Tobias."
It rolls off her tongue and I swear my heart stops beating. She runs over to be and wraps her arms around me. I sweep her off her feet and carry her home without another word escaping our lips.
Yikes. Its been awhile. I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had writers block then just kind of fell off the grid. I'm so sorry for the long wait. Really long wait. Thanks for all the support. -Rebecca