Hey readers, here is the next chapter as promised. Thank you to everyone who continues to support this story through your various ways. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I don't own Divergent. I only own the plot, any military-related mistakes are mine. Just a friendly reminder, I have taken some liberties in regards to the military to make some things more interesting for this story. Happy Reading!

Chapter 33: Integration Troubles

Tobias's eyes lock with mine while I jump into the story about how Sam helped figure out Will is in the Special Forces. Tobias silently sits while I speak, not interrupting nor asking any questions, only staring. His eyes look lost in thought while I talk. He isn't paying attention to anything I'm saying. I'm not used to his silence, and it makes me uncomfortable. The house has been quiet for months, other than my sporadic visits from Will, Chris, Shauna, and Sam.

Now that he's home, I can't stand the quiet any longer, but his eyes look a million miles away even though he is physically sitting next to me. I long to hear the voice I wanted to listen to daily, and I want to know what he is thinking. Tobias continues to sit next to me on the couch, still as stone. I stare at him after I have finished my story. I don't know what to say next.

My fingers play with my shirt nervously. Tobias yawns and moves off the couch. He slowly and quietly walks around the living room. His eyes study everything. He murmurs, "I like how you decorated this place. It looks exactly like you. I wish . . . I was here, and we could have decorated this place together to make it ours." He stops, staring at a wedding photo hanging on the wall. Tobias stares at the photograph but doesn't say a word. I want to say something, but the words are stuck in my throat. My mouth feels sticky and dry. My eyes follow him while he walks into the bedroom, shuts the door, and doesn't return. What the hell happened to my playful, fun, and loving husband?

Running water draws me from my thoughts. Sighing, I decide to make something for us to eat. Since the water turned off twenty minutes ago and Tobias still hasn't reappeared, I gather my courage to walk into the bedroom to confront Tobias about his odd behavior. Pushing open the bedroom door, I mutter, "Tobias, I. . ." My sentence is cut short when my eyes land on him asleep on the bed in a pair of sweatpants, shirtless with the window open. My eyes skate over his muscle-clad chest. He looks leaner, skinnier than when he left nine months ago. He looks like he needs a good meal. Under my breath, I whisper, "Oh, Tobias," picking up a blanket and placing it over him. My fingertips run through his unruly hair. I continue, "I missed you so much. I love you." I press my lips lightly against his cheek, feeling his facial scruff rub against my smooth lips. Exiting the room, I find a piece of paper and write a note for him. I leave the letter on the counter, letting him know I will be back shortly. I head to the mailbox only to find there's no mail today and call Chris, wanting to go for a run like we have been doing daily.

On the run, Christina can tell something is wrong. I vent to her about the way Tobias was acting before he fell asleep. She pulls me to a stop, sighing, "He might have been tired or might need some time to be alone to decompress from everything. I know, normally, Will needs time alone when he gets back from a long deployment like Four was on. I would give him a week to decompress, and, if things aren't better, confront him about it. Don't let him keep acting like he is. Make him take you to dinner or lunch and work out your problems head-on, together." A smile tugs at her lips, continuing, "It's what has worked for Will and me in the past. Also, he might not realize he is acting like he is. I'll race you to the lake."

I smirk, "Okay, the loser has to buy coffee or tea," needing the caffeine to wake me up more before my interview with a local hospital later. Christina smiles, "You are on." Christina takes off running while I follow her to the nearest coffee house. We walk in laughing. Over tea, we discuss interview strategies to help me land my new job.

Over the course of the next week, I attempt to fall back into old patterns with Tobias, but it's hard. We are like two ships passing in the night even though I'm home most days of the week. On some days, I leave the house to interview for a new job, trying to re-establish myself as a nurse. Tobias is gone from our residence the majority of days, but he isn't at work. He is still on leave from work since coming home from deployment this past week. Over the phone, Zeke and he can be heard planning to go to the gym or doing whatever they do together. I feel left out of whatever fun they have together.

One night, before Tobias leaves, he offers to bring the trash out while I'm doing the dishes, and I find myself wanting to fly off the handle at him, feeling like he is overstepping his boundaries. Tobias was always taking the trash out and helping with the dishes long before he left. I feel like I don't remember how to communicate with him anymore, and I feel more disconnected from him with each passing day. I felt more connected to Tobias when he was thousands of miles away across an ocean. It's such an odd feeling: to feel more connected to your deployed husband than your husband who is home.

Daily, I continue to meet Chris for our runs, attempting to get my mind off Tobias and our current relationship problems. I'm giving him space and time, but I don't want to. I hope he will come to me as Chris suggested.

While Christina and I stretch on an open field near the house, I glance at her, announcing, "I don't know, Chris! I don't know how you do this with Will!" She asks, "Do what with Will?" Pulling her leg up to her chest. I continue, "Tobias seems different since he came home. He is so quiet. I mean, he was always quiet, but this time the atmosphere around him seems different, more charged since he came home. He hardly talks to me anymore, and I hate all this space I'm giving him." Christina stares at me, lifting an eyebrow, asking, "How many days has he been home?" Standing, I sigh, "Over a week."

Rolling her eyes, Christina grins, "I told you to give him space for a week, no more, no less. You have given him a week to deal with whatever he has going on in his head. Now, it's time to demand Four speak to you. Occasionally, Will does the same thing when he comes home. I think it has to do with coming down from a heightened sense of making sure shit doesn't hit the fan. Maybe, I don't know. Will isn't a pilot, and he won't tell me what he does in the Army."

Bending, touching my toes, I ask, "Do you ever want to know what Will does in the Army?" Chris answers, "No, I have a hunch it's something dangerous, and actually knowing he is in danger every time he steps out the door would cause me more stress than I already have when he takes off in the middle of the night for weeks on end with only a note telling me not to worry." Staring at Christina, I ask, "How do you know Will does something dangerous in the Army?" Christina shrugs her shoulders, smiling, "Please, Tris, the man hardly ever wears his Army uniform anymore. I can't remember the last time I saw him in one. Who belongs to the Army but never wears an Army uniform? Anyways, we aren't here to gossip about my relationship with Will. Four is most likely experiencing the same thing. You have given him slack. Now, take the bull by the horns. Has he gone back to work?"

I sigh, "Yeah, he went back two days ago. He goes to the shop early before the sun is up and comes home long after the sun has set. His commander calls nightly, and he spends more time on the phone talking about crap I can't make out. I feel like he is avoiding me. Most nights, I give up waiting on him and go to bed alone." Feelings of hurt and sadness explode in my chest while I inform Christina about Tobias's behavior since he has returned to work. Where is the Tobias I sent to Syria? Why has he been avoiding me?

Christina prompts, "Didn't you say when he came home, he was in the process of being promoted?" Her voice breaks my inner turmoil. I quip an eyebrow at her, and she holds her finger in the air at me. She replies, "Maybe he has to put more time in at the shop because of his upcoming promotion. I know when Will is attempting to get promoted, he is gone doing volunteer opportunities on base. It's just an idea." I shrug my shoulders, whispering, "I hate whining about my relationship with him. I don't know. This feels so immature to say, but I miss my husband! All we have done since he returned home is kiss, and he has been gone for nine months." Christina wiggles her eyebrows, giggling, knowing exactly where my mind is. I return her giggle, meeting her eyes. Christina stands, glancing at her watch, smirking, "We need to get moving if we are going to run today. I have a lunch date with a certain, William Kennedy, and I have a wager for you."

Rolling my eyes, I answer, "You always have a wager. The loser buys tea or coffee." She laughs, "No. If you lose, you need to talk to Four and ask him what is going on." I moan at her statement. Christina continues, "Tris, I have known you since high school, and you have never acted this way about a guy. You have always taken what you wanted. You have never been scared to speak your mind. Why are you scared of Four? I know Peter hurt you, but Peter was an ass. Four isn't Peter, and he won't hurt you. Please talk to him for me."

I whisper, "What if he leaves? What if Tobias is acting this way because he doesn't love me anymore? What if he doesn't like me questioning him? What if he is regretting our marriage?" I give voice to the nagging questions lingering in my mind since Tobias went quiet on the couch, the real reason I'm hesitant to confront him. Chris cocks her head, smiling, "He won't leave you! That man loves you more than anything in the world, even life itself. Do you not remember his wedding vows to you? If not, I recorded them for you on my cell, and I'll send them to you in a text. Four isn't going anywhere!"

"Are you sure?" I ask. Christina nods her head, and her fingers slide over the glass on her cellphone. Soon, I feel my cell vibrate against my stomach. I smile, "Fine, but if I win, you will ask Will what he does in the Army." Chris will never agree to this wager. This agreement gets me off the hook of having to speak to Tobias today.

Christina stands silently before me. Suddenly, a smirk tugs at her lips. She thrusts her hand out, "Deal, but I must warn you, I have been running with Will in between when I'm not running with you, and that boy can run. He runs at least two miles a day for fun, as he calls it. Secretly, I think he wants to kill me. He can run two miles under twelve minutes. He loves to compete against me when we run. I'm dead by the end, but it's exhilarating."

A giggle escapes my lips, "You are on!" I eye Christina and take off running. Christina quickly outruns me during our race. At the end of our race, I laugh, "I guess running with Will has paid off," holding my sides, panting in pain from lack of oxygen. I continue, "You win. I give up. Maybe I should start training with Will too." Chris giggles, "Nope, he's all mine! Now, find Four before I locate him myself and miss my lunch date with Will. If I discover Four before you, I will tell him to get his head out of his ass since you are too much of a coward to do so." I roll my eyes toward the sky. Christina laughs, "Bye, Tris! Go talk to your husband!" I wave her away while I begin my walk home.

Walking through the door, I find the house empty once again. Tobias is already gone for the day. I sigh aloud, "No big surprise!" A note on the counter catches my eyes. Opening the folded piece of yellow paper, I read: Went to group PT. I will be back in a little while -T. At the end of his note, a smile creeps across my lips. I could find him on base and surprise him. I wonder what his face would look like if I showed up unannounced and we walked home together? He would have to talk to me, wouldn't he? I decide to throw caution to the wind, walk out the door, and hope my plan to surprise him in public doesn't backfire.

Thoughts and opinions on this chapter. I can't wait to hear them. How do you think Tobias will react when he see Tris? Now before you all come at me with pitch forks for this chapter, remeber things have to get bad before they get better. Please review. The next chapter will be up on Sunday May 9, 2021.