Hello readers! Here is the next chapter in the story. I hope you all enjoy it and have a great Christmas and New Years. I will see you all in 2019 with an update! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone who continues to read, support, and review this story. You all are truly the best! Once again, I don't own Divergent and all military-related mistakes are mine. Happy Reading!
Jojoboo90- I couldn't respond privately to you, but thank you so much for your support! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter.
Chapter 17: Google A Girl's Best Friend
As soon as I enter Four, Tobias Eaton, Air Force, into google. My heart begins to beat quickly as I hit the search button on the computer, wondering what I am going to find about Four. I hope it isn't anything bad. When the screen loads, there are two pages of results. The first page is mainly articles of his career in the military so far. On the second page, there are some articles written from his time in high school with his achievements, and with mentions of him. I scroll back to the first page and click on the first link to read an article dated from just over a year ago when he was the recipient of a medal.
This article is clearly written about Four. It says that he was commissioned from officer training school as a first lieutenant instead of a second lieutenant like normal, due to all the hard work that he displayed during training. He was top of his commissioning class as well, and because of the excellence that he displayed, he was chosen to attend pilot training school to learn to fly an F-22. In the article, it mentions that Tobias upon graduation from pilot school was promoted to captain. The article says that the last time a person was made Captain as young as Four was during World War I, and that Tobias Eaton, is the fourth youngest person ever in the history of the Air Force to earn this rank at such a young age. The article then goes on to mention that he was the recipient of the silver star last year. Following the article, I open a link which lists all the freaking awards and ribbons that he has been awarded and received ever in his career in the military like, the Air Medal, the Air Force Cross Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, Marksmanship Ribbon, Air Force Training Ribbon, National Defense Ribbon, Honor Graduate Ribbon, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon, and most recently the silver star medal. It makes my head spin, looking up all these medals, the criteria to be awarded them, and then to see all of the awards that he received for his heroic acts of bravery. I wonder if he will tell me why he was awarded each of these if I asked. My eyes float to the bags containing his dress uniforms, sitting in the closet. I take a deep breathe as I walk over to the closet, and unzip the bag, looking at all the medals. My head continues to spin, wondering what kind of hell he endured during his years of duty as a pilot, that earned him these types of awards especially now that I know the criteria behind each of them.
My mind begins to question why someone like Four would possibly want to be with someone so ordinary like me when I have nothing to give him in return. My mind echoing Peter's words: of being good for nothing, as I curl into a ball on the couch, crying as I think that Four will soon come to his senses and kick me out, then I will have nowhere to live. Then I will have to go back to Peter, his abusive ways, or find a way to get to Caleb in Washington D.C.
Headlights come into the living room, signaling that a car is in the driveway, and I hear the ignition die as heavy boots come up the porch steps. A fumbling handle sends me flying into the kitchen searching for a knife to protect myself, thinking that Peter has finally found me, that he is here to kill me like he promised to do or drag me back to live with him. The door opens with a shadow standing there as I scream "Don't move!"
The shadow, a tall male figure holds his hands up as he says, "It's just me."
When the light is flipped on, light floods the living room revealing Four standing there in the doorway, as I stand in the middle of the living room with a knife in hand ready to attack, not believing it is really him. He walks over to me and plucks the knife from my shaking hands, my eyes begin to tear again. "A butter knife? Really, what were you going to do with that? Butter me to death? The least you could have done is grabbed a steak knife. I would have grabbed the gun though, if it were me here alone, afraid." He winks at me, jokingly.
"There is a gun here?" I ask, not believing him.
"Of course, above the bed." He says, shrugging his shoulders like it is the simplest thing in the world. "It's above the headboard, on the shelf."
I shake my head, "Nice of you to tell me."
"You never asked." He pulls me to him, kissing my forehead, "You are safe, Tris." He whispers into my hair as he catches the tear that manages to escape my eyes, as he hugs me as I breathe in his scent, I whisper, "I'm so glad you are home safe." He touches my chin, drawing my eyes to meet his as he whispers, "I told you, I would come home safe to you, and I don't intend to break that promise ever for as long as I live." His lips gently meet mine in a quick kiss, the kiss is too quick in my opinion as he pulls away, pulling me into the bedroom to show me where the gun is hiding.
The next morning, Four wakes me at the crack of dawn to be his lucky charm, and to watch him compete against Zeke. I get dressed in a pair of running shorts, and a tank top, as I am putting on my sneakers, Tobias leaves the bathroom in a pair of black shorts, a light blue tank top, with sneakers on. "No Air Force stuff today?" I ask.
He raises an eyebrow at me and says "Nope. That's for PT only. This is just me putting Zeke in his place. Don't worry baby, I won't let him win."
"I'm sure you will win, Four," I say teasing him "Because I don't want to have to go out with Zeke."
"Don't call me Four, anymore. Call me, Tobias. Please."
"Okay, Tobias," I say, testing his name on my tongue, liking, the way it sounds when it comes from my lips. He smiles as he hears his name leave my lips. He holds out his hand. I take it, loving the way his hand feels in mine as we walk to the flagpole, but I'm not going to tell him anytime soon how much I love his hand in mine. We get there early, and he begins to stretch after ten minutes, Tobias begins to grumble about Zeke being late like always. "There he is," I say, pointing down the road to a slow-moving Zeke, who looks like he just woke up.
"You look awful awake this morning," Zeke says, poking fun at Tobias as he groans rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm ready to kick your butt, and Tris is going to join us." I turn sharply toward Tobias, raising my eyebrow at him, and ask, "I am?"
They both have evil grins on their faces, as they both say in unison, "Yes, I like that idea. Besides you are already dressed."
"I hate you both." I sigh as they both yell, "Let's go, Tris. Loser has to make breakfast."
Tobias and Zeke run too fast for me to keep up with, especially in my condition, and I quickly fall behind. Seconds later, I see both of them fall to the ground, start doing push-ups, and then take off, running again. I run at a nice steady pace, enjoying the sunrise when I hear, "You lose Zeke!" being yelled down the block.
I smile knowing that Tobias won the race or whatever they were doing, but groan knowing that I have to make both of them breakfast. Zeke's pouting with his hands across his chest, looking distraught. "Let's go poor sport. I'll buy you and Tris breakfast. We'll meet you at the usual spot that way we can all change from these sweaty clothes." Tobias says, a grin appearing on his face as he sees me finally reach the area that they are standing at. "I know you said that you weren't a distance runner, but you do realize you just ran two miles in less than ten minutes right?"
"Perhaps, but I'm still not going to come running with you or do your crazy PT stuff with you. I'm not much of a push-up, pull-up, or sit-up girl" I say, smiling at him.
"That's okay. I'll do enough of all that for the both of us." He grins at me, his smile reaching his eyes.
"I'll think about it," I say, a smile lighting up my face as my eyes catch his.
At breakfast, Zeke talks about the mission last night, which I find out was resupplying an airline with fuel that was running low mid-flight. Zeke asks me about everything under the sun about myself, wanting to learn everything there is to know about the new lady in Four's life, or so he says. I turn the conversation back to him. He talks about how his wife, Shauna. He complains about how she is making him do a color run this weekend and asks Four and I if we want to join them. I look at Tobias who just shrugs his shoulders not having an opinion.
"Sure," I say as I think of a question to ask Zeke, "So Zeke, are you a captain like Tobias and a pilot too?"
"I'm a pilot, but I'm not a captain. We can't all be military prodigies like Four here. I'm a first lieutenant."
Tobias smirks at him saying, "Yup, so he has to salute me when we are in uniform."
I glance at Zeke who rolls his eyes. "Yeah, the jerk. I know he enjoys calling me out when I don't salute him too. Even though we have known each other since we were what, 16?"
Tobias winks at me as he says laughing, "It serves him right for starting all those rumors about me, my junior year in high school, about how I was gay. Also saying that Stacy was a cover story."
Zeke looks at me then asks "You want to vouch for him? Or do you want to really tell me the truth, and tell me, he is gay. I know he is. He has never kissed a woman in public, and I have a bet going with my brother, Uriah, he's in the military too."
I giggle thinking about Tobias's lips on mine last night before he left, and the tingles that his lips bring to my body as I say, "I can neither confirm nor deny that fact."
"You wound me," Tobias says grinning at me as he eyes my lips with a small smile playing on his lips as his eyes snap to mine.
I whisper into his ear, feeling a burst of courage, "Maybe you should show Zeke how un-gay you are."
He whispers back, "Maybe I will, with your help."
"What are you two going on about over there?"
"Nothing." We both say at the same time as Tobias grabs my hand, pulling me into his side, he leans down until our foreheads touch. His eyes are sincere, silently asking permission to kiss me in front of Zeke. A silent conversation passes between us, between our eyes as his eyes move, bouncing between my lips and my eyes. His head bends slightly more, his lips slightly brush mine. I can tell he has every intention of giving me a small kiss, but after the emotions of last night, of thinking Peter was coming to kill me, of thinking I was never going to see him again, my body overreacts. I want everything that Tobias is willing to give me in that kiss. I slide closer to him in our seat, throw my arms around his neck not caring that we are out in public, and pull him closer to me as he attempts to pull away, breaking the kiss. I don't let him lose contact with me as my fingers slide up the back of his neck into his hair. Tobias's fingers run through my hair stopping to rest on the back of my neck as he presses his lips against mine again this time, increasing the pressure on my lips.
"Okay, I get it. I lost my bet with Uriah. I owe him the ten dollars. Enough! Enough!" Zeke groans, covering his eyes, grinning at the both of us, as he tosses a straw wrapper at Tobias's head.
I hide my head in Tobias's shirt realizing at that moment that we have an audience. I had forgotten while his lips were on mine all about Zeke. "Wait, Uriah? Is he in the Air Force too?" I ask, suddenly remembering a crazy boy from the club that danced with me to make his wife jealous.
"No. Uriah isn't smart enough to get into the Air Force," Zeke says laughing. "My idiot brother is in the Army. He is stationed at Fort Hamilton in New York. His wife Marlene, is there with him, the poor girl. I don't know how she deals with him."
I smile saying, "I think, I know him, or at least, I met him once."
I tell Tobias and Zeke about my first encounter with a boy named Uriah, who I met when I was visiting Will and Christina at Fort Hamilton. Zeke can't keep a straight face as he hears my story, grinning saying, how that sounds just like his brother and Marlene. As we leave the diner, Tobias holds my hand, and on the way back to the house, we talk, getting to know each other better. He groans when I express my interest in wanting to do the color run on the way home.
"But, why?" He groans at me, rolling his eyes as he looks at me from the corner of his eye.
"Because it will be fun to do together, and I have never done one before. I have always wanted to do one before." I say, a slight smile on my lips.
"Okay, it's a date." He smirks at me.
"A date?" I ask, giggling, "Yes a date. You and me, alone together, off base. What could go wrong? He laughs as he pulls me to him, kissing me lightly on the lips in front of the house.
Next update will be on the weekend of January 5, 2019. I will see you all then. Until then, please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. What do you think will happen when Tris and Tobias go to the color run? Do you think anything bad is going to happen especially since Tobias made the comment about what could go wrong with them leaving base?