Oh hi, hopefully y'all still care about these updates! I have been suffering from SEVERE writer's block for this chapter specifically. I needed to write this chapter to actually get things rolling in the next chapter. It took a lot longer than I wanted, but at least now I can get to the good part, and that will be easier!

Speaking of, just a reminder that this story is rated M for sexual reasons and that maaay or may not start in this chapter, so if that's something you're not comfortable with, this is probably not the story for you!

Otherwise, I hope y'all enjoy, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Here's to a much quicker update this time! xx

"Well, Miss Prior," Tobias said with a grin, "you've had a pretty great first month, if I do say so myself."

Tris giggled at his comment, as she watched him walk around the barrier in their office and perch himself in the chair next to her desk. She tried not to focus on his smile- or the way his smile made her feel- too much. Unfortunately, she still had not been able to get rid of her silly crush on her boss after a full month on the job. She ignored it mostly by burying herself in her work, and clearly it was paying off, but she was still working on holding in her stupid giggles any time he gave her positive feedback.

"Well, I aim to please," she replied, immediately kicking herself for the questionable word choice.

If Tobias thought anything of it, he didn't show it.

"Well, I do remember your interview when you told me that you intended to be the best assistant I've ever had," he chuckled.

"And I remember you saying you'd never had an assistant before."

"Well, you've set the bar very high."

Tris laughed lightly again, as they smiled back at each other. She glanced at the time on her computer, mostly to break eye contact with him before it made her too nervous. The clock read "4:35pm."

"Why don't you head out early?" Tobias suggested, getting her attention again. "Get a jump start on your weekend."

"Are you sure?"

"Why not?" he shrugged. "There's nothing pressing going on here. With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I'm pretty sure everyone has mentally checked out."

Tris smiled in thanks, as Tobias stood up and walked around the barrier to get back to his desk.

"Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?" Tris asked, as she began to pack her things up.

There was a beat of silence, and Tris swore that she could feel some sort of tension. Her movements slowed, as she waited for his answer, and she began to regret even asking.

"Uh, no, probably not," he replied finally, his voice a bit deeper now.

Tris nodded shortly, though he couldn't see her. She picked up a file on her desk and walked around the barrier to place it on Tobias's desk, but she stopped short when she saw the troubled expression on his face. He composed himself very quickly, but he knew that she had already seen it.

"Sorry, I just wanted to give this to you before I head out," she said carefully, as she placed it on his desk. He faked a smile and nodded before returning his attention to his laptop. "I'm sorry."

He looked up again, confusion on his face.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, I hope I wasn't prying. I didn't mean-"

'No, no. It's just... Please." She sat down slowly, as he gestured at the chair in front of his desk. He reached out to take the file that she had placed in front of him, but instead of picking it up, his fingers simply worried over the material. "I didn't mean to worry you. To be honest with you, Thanksgiving hasn't been a great time for me in the past, that's all."

"How so?" She watched him quirk an eyebrow, and she immediately kicked herself yet again. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's fine, Tris," he said, smiling a little. "I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone around here tends to keep it very surface level. It's nice to talk to a real person for a change. And to answer your question, Thanksgiving just has a lot of bad memories tied to it for me. Family issues, mainly. My mother actually passed away on Thanksgiving years ago."

"Oh," Tris breathed out quietly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he replied, nodding a bit as if to reassure her. "It was a long time ago. But, all that oversharing to say, I don't really celebrate it."

Tobias chuckled nervously. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to tell his assistant something like that, especially considering he barely even knew her yet, and he immediately began to feel silly for dropping that kind of information on her. She was easy to talk to, that was for sure. He wasn't sure exactly why, but there was something about her that made him want to share such personal thoughts, even though he knew that he shouldn't have as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"It's really okay," Tris said, as if she was reading his mind. "I mean, I don't think you're oversharing. It's like you said, we're both real people with real issues, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"And I get it, by the way," she continued. "When my mom was sick, holidays started to feel so different than they did growing up. All of a sudden, instead of being happy and celebrating like everyone else, we were worrying that it might be our last time all celebrating together. I know that we're lucky because we don't have to worry about that anymore, but I still remember what it was like. It's not something that everybody understands. But if treating it like any other day is what you need to do, I think that makes perfect sense, you know?"

Tris looked up to meet Tobias' eyes, as silence engulfed them for just a moment. There was a look in his eyes that somehow felt both cautious and comfortable, and for a moment, she almost had the casual feeling of talking to an old friend rather than her new boss.

"That means a lot, Tris," Tobias said, snapping her from her thoughts. "Really, thank you. And I'm glad that your mother is doing better."

"Thank you."

He smiled a bit, and she felt her lips mimic the movement unintentionally.

"Well, anyway, I believe I told you to get a head start on your weekend."

She laughed lightly and nodded, as she stood up from her chair.

"Goodnight, Mr. Eaton," she said, as she started to walk away.

"Tris?" She stopped and looked back at him. "We've gone over this. Please just call me Tobias."

"Goodnight, Tobias."

They exchanged one more smile before she walked away. As she packed her things and left, Tobias couldn't shake the thought that he had been smiling a lot more than usual lately.

The small bowl of fruit on the table and the sound of windchimes in the backyard brought up a lot more memories than Tris cared to admit. She remembered sitting here as a child waiting for meals, as a teenager working on homework, as a recent college graduate staring blankly at the wall and wondering what her future would hold. In between caring for her mother, of course, this kitchen table became her one small solace. The one room in the house where she could sit quietly in the sunlight that streamed in through the back door, and it was just far enough from the bedrooms that she wouldn't have to listen to her mother coughing or getting sick in her bedroom. For a few minutes, she could escape here.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Tris looked up, as her mother, Natalie, sat down at the table across from her, a soft smile on her face. She placed a cup of tea in front of Tris before taking a sip of her own. Tris smiled back at her mother. It was a relief to see her mother regaining her energy, to see the life and light returning to her face. She had always been the kind of person that could fix a bad day just by smiling at you, and she never stopped smiling throughout her sickness, but it felt so much more meaningful now considering what she had gotten through.

"Just reminiscing," Tris replied vaguely.

"Hm," Natalie hummed. "Well, anyway, tell me all about it."

"About what?"

"About your new life," Natalie said with a grin. "Your new apartment, your new job. Anything, tell me anything!"

"Well, the job is going really well. The apartment is great."

"And Christina?"

"Is still obsessed with my love life, as always," Tris sighed.

"Your love life?" Natalie said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Or lack thereof. Don't get so excited."

Natalie chuckled and took another sip of her tea.

"What is it that she's obsessed with, then?"

"Well, you know her," Tris continued with a shrug. "She likes to get involved. She basically wants to be my dating coach at this point."

"Well, it has been awhile since you've dated."

"Mom!"

"Am I wrong?"

Tris rolled her eyes and looked down at her own cup of tea, though she could still feel her mother looking and smiling at her.

"Maybe it's been awhile, but so what? I just haven't found the right person, that's all."

"Where exactly have you been looking?"

"Mom," Tris groaned.

"I'm sorry, honey," Natalie chuckled, making look up at her again. "You know I don't want to be that pushy mom, but sometimes... I guess, I just worry."

"About what?" Tris asked.

"About you," Natalie sighed, as she reached for Tris' hand and held it lightly. "More than anything, I just want you to be happy, Tris."

"I am happy, Mom. I don't need a boyfriend to be happy."

"No, you don't need one. You are fiercely independent and so strong on your own, I know that. But you deserve to find that person that makes you even happier."

Tris felt herself soften at this. She knew that her mother was right. She never admitted it to anyone, but there was a part of her that wanted to find love.

"It just never felt like a priority," she admitted quietly. "There were so many other things going on, you know?"

Natalie nodded in understanding, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I know that, honey. And I know that while you were taking care of me, you had to put a lot of things on the backburner."

"No, Mom-"

"And I appreciate it." Natalie smiled softly, as Tris closed her mouth and stared back at her. "I appreciate everything that you did for me, honey, and I am so lucky to have a daughter like you. But now, it's time to focus on what you want. You got an apartment, you got a job, you've got a new life. Now's your chance to have fun and meet new people. That's what your twenties are all about!"

"Are you encouraging me to become a partier?" Tris chuckled.

"Why not?" Natalie grinned, as Tris laughed at her reply. "Tris, you have done so much for this family, and you've been doing the responsible thing your entire life. But you're finally on your own now. Live a little!"

"I live plenty, Mom!"

"I'm talking about risks, Tris," Natalie sighed.

"Risks?"

"I'm not saying go follow some guy into an alley or anything. But when's the last time you... I don't know, asked a guy out? Or stayed out late with your friends?"

Tris paused at this, as she actually considered her mother's question. Christina was constantly begging Tris to do both of those things- mainly the "going out" thing, of course- but Tris always came up with some kind of excuse of why she couldn't.

I have to be up early. I'm way too tired. I have to finish something for work.

At the time, she thought that she was saying no to Christina because she genuinely didn't want to go, not because she was stuck inside some sort of comfort zone. But now, she wasn't so sure.

"Take a risk here and there, honey," Natalie continued, as she smiled softly at her daughter. "Live your life and have fun. You deserve it more than anyone I know."

"She's right, you know," Christina said, as she guided the nail polish wand over her nails carefully. "You've never been a risk-taker."

Tris rolled her eyes, as she reached for the remote and started searching for something to watch on the television in front of them. As soon as Christina got back from work, the two sat on the couch together in the living room. Of course, Christina sat down next to the lamp that provided the only light in the otherwise dim apartment so that she could see what she was doing while she painted her nails. They had only been sitting for a couple of minutes when Tris decided to tell Christina about her conversation with her mother, as it had been plaguing her mind all day.

"That's not true," Tris muttered. She looked at Christina only to see her staring right back at her with a smirk on her face. "Okay, fine, maybe in a dating sense, I'm not a risk-taker, but so what?"

"Spoken like a true future spinster," Christina mumbled.

Tris extended her leg to lightly kick Christina's leg, making Christina mess up her nail polish.

"Fuck off!"

"Fuck you," Tris muttered.

Christina kicked her back, making them both laugh a little. She rolled her eyes, and started fixing her nail polish with her thumb.

"Tris, look, you know you're like the sister I've never had-"

"What about Rose?"

"Besides her," Christina said, waving her hand. "I just want you to be happy! And if that means begging you to come out with me relentlessly, then I'm willing to do that. Anything to get you laid."

"Christina!"

"I'm kidding! But not really." Tris rolled her eyes at this. "There's room for both. One night stands and actual dating. As the wise Ms. Prior said, that's what your twenties are all about!"

"I shouldn't have told you about this," Tris groaned.

"You absolutely should have!" Christina grinned. "Because now I know that your excuses are just that, and that'll make it that much easier to make you come out with me."

Tris groaned as Christina winked at her before returning her attention to her nails, but she knew that she couldn't argue with her. After all, she was beginning to think that her mother and Christina were right. Maybe it was time to take some risks.

Tobias finished cleaning up his kitchen and finally moved to sit down on the couch. It was just another night of turning down his friends' invitation to come out with them, as usual. Just another night on his own, he thought, as he sat back in front of the television.

Just as he began to wonder if he had made the right choice, he heard a knock at his door. He stood up, wondering who could possibly be at his door, as he sauntered across his apartment. He opened his door, and there stood a woman in a short, tight dress, and he felt his mouth go dry.

"Tris?" he breathed out. "What are you doing here?"

She smirked a little and walked around him to get into the apartment. Confused, he closed the door, as he couldn't find it within himself to protest.

"I heard you're kinda a shut-in," she said, as she turned back around to face him. "I thought maybe you could use some company."

He watched in shock, as she walked closer and closer to him, until she was directly in front of him.

"Tris, I don't-"

He was cut off, as she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his. Her hands landed on his muscular chest before slowly sliding up and around his neck, and his hands almost instinctually found her hips.

"Don't think so hard, Tobias," she whispered before kissing him again.

He groaned, as she pressed her body against his and deepened the kiss. He tightened his hold on her hips and turned them both around so that he could press her back against the wall, and she moaned at the impact.

Suddenly, it was as if all of his hesitation and restraint disappeared, replaced only by pure desire. He held her to the wall, as his hands roamed her body, and his lips trailed down her neck and chest. As he moved, he savored all of the sounds she made in response.

"Tobias," she gasped out, as she placed her hand on his cheek and urged him to come back to eye level with her. "I want you."

Without a second thought, Tobias tried to tear the dress off her body. But for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it off of her.

"What the fuck?" he breathed out.

"Tobias," she groaned. "What are you waiting for?"

"Goddammit," he muttered, as he pulled at the dress over and over again to no avail. "What the fuck?"

"Tobias, come on!"

Tobias gasped and opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the plain ceiling above his bed. He sat up quickly and looked around at his bedroom. It looked just as it had when he fell asleep last night. Just like every night, he was still alone.

And finally, he looked down at his lap. At the very area of his body that had caused him to have a sex dream about his own assistant, for gods sake, and he brought a hand to his forehead and groaned tiredly.

"What the fuck?"