FOUR YEARS AGO
Tris is 20, Tobias is 22
TOBIAS'S POV:
This has been the shittiest day ever. Not that I haven't had my fair share of miserable days. But today is something else. I got a letter from my mother, asking me to meet her. After all this time, after everything she put me through, she wants to reconnect? I'm so mad at her.
How does she even know where I live? The letter was slid through the door of my apartment this morning. When I opened the door, there was no one on the other side. I looked outside, too, but didn't find anyone. And now I'm on my way to work. My head is pounding, going into overdrive thinking about why she contacted me. Why now? When I'm trying to live my life in peace, after cutting off my piece of shit father? Maybe that's why, because Marcus is no longer in my life.
I try taking a few deep breaths, but nothing works, and I feel dizzy. I did skip breakfast. I should probably eat something. Seeing a sign ahead of a bakery, I decide to go in.
A small bell rings when I enter, and I'm hit with the aroma of freshly baked bread. I sit at a table by the window, trying to calm down my mind. But it doesn't seem to stay still, thinking about all the possible ways it could go if I went to meet her. She needs something from me, I know that much. But what could it be?
I'm lost in my thoughts, looking out the window, when I notice a girl place a slice of chocolate cake in front of me.
"Uh, I didn't order anything." I say to her, she must've been mistaken.
"I know. But you look like you could really use it. It's on me, don't worry." She smiles, and I notice how strikingly beautiful she is. And in a completely natural way. She has soft blonde hair that falls down her back and below her shoulders, her eyes are a stunning blue-grey colour, her nose small and cute, and her lips look soft. She's wearing a black dress which reaches just above her knees, and has a small white apron tied around her waist.
"Thanks?" I look at her, not knowing what else to say.
"You're absolutely welcome." She smiles again, her whole face lighting up. She walks away, going to the counter and taking other people's orders. I'm still a little confused, but my mind has definitely been distracted from my parents.
I look at the cake in front of me, it has thick chocolate frosting, which looks delicious. I pick up the fork and take a small bite, and the flavour hits me immediately. It's so rich and sweet, the texture is perfect. I'm not a huge dessert person, especially this early in the morning, but I think I've found my favourite one.
I look up at the girl, across the room, who's talking to someone else. She laughs lightly, shaking her head as she brushes some of her hair away from her face. Then her eyes move to mine, catching me staring at her. But I can't look away, even if I try. Those beautiful eyes demand my attention. Her cheeks flush a little and she diverts her gaze.
I realise how creepy I must have looked. God, what is going on with me? I never stare at girls, I know nobody likes it, I certainly hate it when someone stares at me. But there's just something about her. It draws me in. I find myself standing up and walking towards her.
"Hey." I say.
"Hey." She turns to me.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Tris." She replies.
"Tris. I like it. It suits you." I smile. "I'm Tobias." I offer her my hand, which I never do, and she shakes it firmly.
"Hi, Tobias." She smiles. I don't like my name, never have, it's because my parents gave it to me. But when she says it, in that soft voice, I want to hear it again. It somehow sounds sweet on her lips.
"Thank you so much for the cake. I really did need it. And it was delicious." I smile a little.
"Yeah, I could tell. You looked like something was bothering you very badly." Tris nods. She seems very perceptive.
"Uh, yeah. I have some stuff to figure out." I sigh.
"I'm not one to go around giving people advice, I know nobody likes to hear it. But what works for me is to just take a few deep breaths, think about what I really want to do, and focus just on myself. Not anybody else, or what they might think, what they might want. And then it's easier to make decisions. Because other people's judgement often ruins things. And it's okay to be selfish sometimes." Tris says, a small smile on her face.
I am taken aback by her insightful words, she really is perceptive, and smart. And the way she spoke, without being mean, or sounding like a know-it-all, she's very wise.
"Wow, that helps a lot, Tris. Thank you so much." I whisper.
"It's no problem." She brushes it off. I have a feeling she's very awkward with receiving compliments, and I'm the exact same way.
"Will you be here tomorrow? I'll come back, I wanna try all the things." I ask her.
"Yes, I'm here everyday." She smiles.
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Tris." I say.
"Bye, Tobias." She says, and I grin. God, no one has ever said my name like that.
What started out as a terrible day has quickly turned into one of the best. And it's all because of Tris. I've never felt this way before. And I barely know her. But the thought of getting to know her and spending time with her really excites me.
I take in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Tonight is my first date with Tris. It's my first date ever. I have no idea how to go about this stuff. But I want to make it good for her. Straightening the collar of my blue shirt, I let out a sigh. It'll be okay. It's Tris. I always have a good time when I'm with her.
I grab my jacket and walk out the door. I drive to her place to pick her up, reaching it right on time. I take the bouquet of small flowers I got for her, and knock on her door. She opens it quickly, looking absolutely stunning in a dark blue dress.
"Hey." I smile at her.
"Hey." She bites her lip.
"You look beautiful, Tris." I say. "These are for you."
She takes the flowers from me, looking over them. "Thank you, Tobias. I'll just put them in some water."
She walks out after grabbing her coat, and I lead her to my car, opening up the door for her. Zeke mentioned that girls prefer a gentleman, and I'm sure Tris does, too. Sometimes I'm embarrassed at my lack of experience with women, especially at my age. But it's always better to be with the one you truly want, rather than someone you tolerate, right? And I've never really wanted to be with anyone till I met Tris.
We start driving, talking about ourselves. I still don't understand why such a special girl like her would be interested in me, but I'm grateful. I wasn't sure if she'd accept, with the nervous and awkward voice I used when asking her out.
I pull into a parking spot, and we climb out of the car, walking into the restaurant. I've never been here before, I just hope it's good. I wouldn't want her to feel uncomfortable. The host leads us to a table, and we settle on the chairs, facing each other.
"Tobias?" Tris whispers my name, and I look up at her from staring at my hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just, I'm a little nervous." I admit.
"Hey, it's just us. You don't have to worry. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the place, I'd be happy anywhere with you." She smiles.
"Really?" She nods. "I wanted our first date to be special. But I'm so inexperienced, I don't wanna ruin it for you."
"You won't. Now just breathe." She laughs.
I take her hand in mine, holding it on the table. We look into each other's eyes and I finally calm down. She's right. It's all gonna be okay. It's her, after all. The waiter comes to take our orders and we decide to each get a risotto. We laugh, and I notice that our tastes are very similar.
The rest of the evening goes by smoothly. I can't seem to take my eyes off of Tris. The way she talks, the way she smiles, the way she laughs, it's absolutely adorable. My own smile mirrors hers, and I can't stop. God, what is happening to me?
After dinner, I take her to the lake I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. I never thought I'd bring anyone here, this place is my own sanctuary. But how could I not bring her? She has changed me completely, and she needs to know the real me. So I tell her everything, all about my horrible childhood, my terrible parents, my miserable past.
Tris listens carefully, and the look on her face tells me everything I need to know. She doesn't judge me. She sees me for who I am. And I can't stop myself anymore, I lean in and kiss her. I kiss those lips I've been dreaming about for two weeks. And it is beyond what I could ever imagine. I've finally found my person, and I don't need to hide anymore. The feeling is exhilarating.
"Tobias, where are we?" Tris giggles, trying to pry my hands off, which are covering her eyes.
"Be patient, we're almost there." I chuckle and lead her further down the unfamiliar path.
Reaching the spot, I stop us, leaning in close to her ear and whispering, "This is for you." She opens her eyes to see that we're at the lakeside. But it's not the same, tonight, there's a small table with two chairs set up. The table is covered with a white cloth, fresh red tulips in the middle in a vase, two candles lit that flicker with the light wind, and my awful attempt at making us food hiding under covered plates.
"Tobias, what's all this?" She asks.
"This is for being the most amazing girlfriend a guy could ask for." I turn to her, taking her in my arms. "This is for dragging me out through my worst days. This is for being by my side, always. This is for making me believe again. This is just a little something for someone who deserves the world." I whisper, then take in a deep breath, speaking the words I've been thinking of for months now. "This is to say that I'm in love with you, Tris." I lean my forehead on hers.
"Tobias, I'm in love with you, too." Tris smiles, her eyes glistening with happy tears.
I stop breathing, looking into her stunning blue-grey eyes. "Say it again." I whisper, my heart beating fast.
"I love you, Tobias." She says, looking up at me.
"I love you, too, Tris." The biggest smile forms on my face, no sign of ever leaving it. And I lean in, kissing her deeply. This is one of the best moments of my life.
"So, are you going to feed me?" She asks me, laughing.
"Uh, yes. But don't blame me if it's bad. This is the only thing I can cook." I chuckle, leading her to the table and pulling out her chair, helping her sit. After taking my seat across from her, I take the lid off the plate, revealing a sandwich.
"Seriously, Tobias? You made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" She bursts out laughing.
"Hey! You know I can't cook. This is the best I could come up with that was edible." I laugh with her. "But that's not all." I smirk and pull out two juice boxes, making her laugh even harder.
"Oh my god, you made a kiddie meal for me?" She wipes away a tear that came out from laughing too hard.
"Of course. You know you love it." I wink at her.
"I do." She says, looking at me with a big grin. "And I love you." I can't possibly describe the overwhelming amount of joy that goes through me at that moment.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright. I'm sure they'll love you, Tobias." Tris tries to reassure me, but nothing stops the anxiety. I'm meeting her parents for the first time today. The thought makes my hands shake against the steering wheel.
"God, what if they hate me? What if they forbid you from seeing me anymore?" I gulp. Tris laughs, and I narrow my eyes, turning my head to look at her.
"Okay, first of all, they can't tell me what to do. And they certainly can't 'forbid' me from being with whoever I want. Secondly, you need to give yourself some credit, Tobias. You're a good guy. In fact, you're the best person I know. And whatever happens, it won't change my feelings for you. I love you."
"I love you, too, Tris." I take her hand in mine and kiss it gently. She really has the miraculous ability to calm my nerves.
Soon, we reach her parents' house, and I try to control my breathing. Climbing out of the car, Tris takes the box of vanilla cheesecake she made in one hand, and grabs mine with the other.
"Do I look okay?" I ask her, looking down at my black dress pants that I paired with a white shirt.
"You look perfect." She smiles.
"So do you. Sorry I've been so caught up in my own head that I forgot to tell you. You look absolutely gorgeous." Tris chose to wear a knee length dress with thin straps, white and yellow flowers on it.
"Thank you." She kisses my cheek. And finally, taking in a deep breath, I knock on the door, bracing myself.
"Hello! Oh my god, Tobias, it's so good to finally meet you." Mrs. Prior answers the door, sounding cheerful.
"Hello, Mrs. Prior. It's good to meet you, too." I smile at her.
"Please call me Natalie, dear. Come on in." She says, then hugs Tris, squeezing her tightly. "I've missed you so much, Beatrice. You have to visit us more often, sweetheart."
"I missed you, too, Mom. I promise I'll try to visit more." She says.
"There's my girl." Mr. Prior walks in from the kitchen, greeting us and hugging his daughter. "Tobias, I've heard a lot about you, it's good to meet you." He shakes my hand.
"Mr. Prior, it's a pleasure to meet you, too. Thank you for inviting me today." I say.
"Of course. Come on, who's hungry? Your mother made quite a spread, Beatrice." He chuckles.
"Well, I wasn't sure what Tobias would like." Natalie says, looking at me.
"I'm not picky, Mrs. Pr- uh, Natalie. I'd enjoy anything you have to offer." I smile.
"Well, that's good to know. Beatrice here is quite the opposite." Mr. Prior teases.
"Hey!" Tris protests, and we all laugh.
Sitting down at the table, we all talk and enjoy the food. And I forget all about my nervousness and anxiety. Tris's parents are so welcoming, and they almost make me feel like I'm part of their family. I never thought I'd feel this way.
"Tobias, how about some more chicken, son?" I look up from my plate, almost choking on a bite. Is this what a normal family feels like? A caring father? A loving mother?
"I think he's full, Dad." Tris tries to say on my behalf. "Also, he needs to save room for my cheesecake." She laughs.
"That's true." I smile, a genuine one.
Tris grabs my hand under the table and squeezes it, looking at me carefully to check if I'm okay. I nod my head slightly at her, and she relaxes. The rest of the evening goes by fast, and we move to the living room, talking about Tris and her brother Caleb. It's mostly me asking them questions about her, and how she was as a kid, getting glaring looks from her. She acts like she's embarrassed, but I know how much she loves that I'm getting along with her parents.
"Beatrice, I found some stuff of yours that you left behind. You were looking for a book, right?" Natalie asks her when there's a lull in our conversation.
"Yeah, you found it?" Her mother nods, and they go upstairs to retrieve the book.
I'm tense, sitting alone with her father in the living room. Then he starts talking. "Tobias, you know how this goes, right? I hope your intentions with my daughter are good."
"I assure you, Mr. Prior. I love Tris very much. I would never hurt her." I say.
"She loves you, too. I can see it on her face. The way she smiles when she's around you. I think it's just hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that she's all grown up, you know." He sighs. "You'll understand when you have kids."
"I hope so. If I'm lucky enough, it'll be with Tris." I whisper.
He looks at me, studying my face, and then smiles, patting me on my shoulder. "You'd have to be really special for her to choose you. And something tells me that she will."
"That would make me the happiest man ever, Mr. Prior." I grin.
"Yes, it would. And call me Andrew, son." He smiles.
A/N: To be continued...