Eric grudgingly leaves Khloe outside of Carter's office as he makes his way down the hall towards Vivica's assistant, Carmen.
As he approaches her, Carmen raises her eyebrows in surprise.
"Is she in?" Eric asks nodding in the direction of Vivica's door.
She shakes her head.
"Out for lunch. You can wait if you want."
Eric groans.
"How long do you think she'll be?" he asks, irritated.
He needs to be on his way to Tris as soon as possible if he's going to make it back to the initiates in time.
"Eric?" I voice rings out from behind him. "Is everything okay?"
Eric turns and is relieved to see Vivica.
"Can I talk to you in your office?" he asks.
"Of course," she says, concern in her voice.
Once they've made their way into her office, Eric waits impatiently for Vivica situates herself. When she is settled, he speaks.
"When Max called the vote to decide whether or not to allow Tris a chance at leadership, which way did you vote?" he asks, bluntly.
She tilts her head to the side and studies Eric intently. He shifts uncomfortably under her gaze. Vivica has this uncanny way of making him feel like she can see right through him, and he can't stand it.
"Sit," she says, motioning towards the chairs in front of her desk.
He wants to know what she has to say, but he's anxious to leave and sitting feels like it'll lead to a much longer conversation than he has time for. Nevertheless, he does as he's told.
"Why do you ask?"
"Can you just answer the question?" Eric counters, impatiently.
Vivica silently holds eye contact as she waits for him to answer her question.
He sighs.
"She doesn't think Leadership is the right fit for her and I'm trying to convince her it is," he says vaguely, not wanting to break anymore of Tris' trust than he already has.
Vivica squints at him before leaning back in her chair.
"She's only been here a week," she states. "She started by shadowing Carter?"
Eric nods affirmatively and Vivica sighs.
"The old man is in fine form, that may be the fastest he's ever managed to scare someone away," she says, shaking her head. "I wish he would learn to just keep his mouth shut. At this rate there will be no one to replace either of us when we go."
"He's not the only reason she's feeling this way. There's been a couple of other incidents that have made her feel…unwanted."
Vivica looks at him curiously.
"You asked about my vote. I assume you found out Khloe voted against her?"
"How did you know?"
She shrugs. "Just a hunch."
"You said a couple of other incidents," she continues, tapping her nails against her coffee cup. "Max's plan to figure out what's going on with the factionless wouldn't also have something to do with this, would it?"
Eric's eyes grow wide.
"Is there anything you don't know?"
"You'd be surprised by all that I know," she says, chuckling. "I have been part of Leadership for a considerable amount of time, Eric. I have known Max since his early career when he started in the tactical department. When our previous leader was forced to resign, it was initially assumed that I would take the position. However, it was decided to appoint someone with less connection to the former leader, which I understood. Since Max's appointment, I have consistently supported him. He frequently consults me to discuss ideas. I am happy to serve as his confidant in this capacity."
Eric had been part of leadership for a few years now, but he had no idea how close Max and Vivica were until this moment.
"What did you think then, when he came to you with his plan?"
Vivica raises her eyebrows.
"When he came to me with your plan, you mean," she counters, narrowing her eyes at him.
Eric recoils slightly and says nothing.
"I told him that it was far too much to ask of a brand-new hire. Should this plan have been formed with a more seasoned employee at the forefront I may have been swayed otherwise. But Tris is young, she's just a child, she's been a member of Dauntless for under a year and she grew up Abnegation. Even one of those things should have told Max that this was not an appropriate ask, but all of them combined? It shouldn't even have crossed either of your minds."
Eric looks down at his hands guiltily.
"Max only spoke to me of his plan after he had already hired her. I thought I had talked him out of it. But then the unpleasant incident at Amity happened and here we are. I am sorry that the poor girl has been disheartened by her leaders to the point of resignation. I do hope you are able to convince her that Max really is a good Leader who has his staff's best interests at heart and that she is simply seeing the worst side of him at the moment."
Eric scoffs.
"Sure," he replies, sarcastically.
Vivica purses her lips and looks at Eric sternly.
"He's scared, Eric. He may look and act calm on the outside but trust me when I say he is terrified. Not one, not two, but three attacks in his city where he's in charge of everyone's safety? Three attacks that he failed to prevent. One that resulted in someone's death. The intention behind all of which are still a mystery. He's scared and he feels like a failure. Four's probable involvement is the only shred of insight he has into all of this and it's causing him to be rash and impulsive. I don't agree with what he's asked of Tris, but I do understand it."
Eric hates that Max spoke to Tris so soon after she started, and he hates it even more that he suggested she use her body to get the information, but, like Vivica, he now realizes the pressure Max is under.
Vivica reaches for her coffee and takes a sip before placing it back on her desk.
"Now, as for my vote. I didn't take it lightly. We are in desperate need of staff, this is true. However, I believe that hiring the wrong member is worse than hiring no one at all. So, while the others may have spent a moment or two thinking about it before casting their vote, I did my due diligence. I looked through her file. I read your notes and Four's notes. I watched as much footage of her initiate training as I could find, and I reviewed her simulation footage including her fear landscape."
Eric is in awe. When she said she did her due diligence, she meant it.
"And what did you learn?" he asks.
"I learned that both you and Four developed a fondness for her early on," she remarks with a noticeable glint in her eye. "I also learned that she is not only a remarkably diligent worker she is determined, intelligent, and courageous. And although she is generally reserved, she does not hesitate to voice her concerns when she perceives an injustice. Would you concur?"
"I would," Eric replies with a nod thinking back on all the moments she stood up to him during initiation.
"We need people like her in leadership. People who…have a diverse skill set. People who aren't afraid to stand up and speak when they might disagree with Max or who simply have differing ideas because they are able to see things from multiple perspectives. Do you see where I'm going with this Eric."
He blinks a few times, thinking back quickly on everything Vivica has said about Tris. Was she implying that Tris was a good fit for leadership because of her divergence?
"I'm…not sure," he says, hesitant to say what he's thinking in fear that he may be misinterpreting what she's saying.
She tilts her head and regards him carefully.
"You posses many of the same qualities that Tris does. You are also brave and intelligent. You also see things from multiple perspectives and aren't afraid to share your thoughts and ideas."
She raises her eyebrows pointedly.
Does she also know that he is Divergent?
When he doesn't respond, Vivica lets out a deep sigh.
"Max needs people like that surrounding him. People like Tris. People like you. People like me. People who don't simply conform."
Eric's eyes grow wide, there's no way he's misinterpreting.
"You mean to say, you're D – "
"Yes," she replies, cutting him off. "Just like you. Just like Tris."
Eric blinks rapidly. His mind is racing. Not only was Vivica Divergent but she knows they are too, and she sees it as a positive.
"Now, if you haven't gathered the answer already, to respond to your question, I did indeed vote for Tris to join leadership and I stand by that decision. And for the record, I don't believe for one second that she has or is using you or Four in any capacity."
"I…don't know what to say. Thank you. I mean it. Thank you for taking the time to explain all of this to me."
"You are very welcome. I do hope you're able to convince Tris to stay. I know she will be an asset to this Faction."
"I'm going to go see her now. Hopefully between all that you've told me and Khloe's insane, but well meaning, reasoning I'll be able to convince her that she is wanted."
"Good luck."
Eric smiles gratefully and stands up.
"It was nice talking to you," Vivica calls after him as he steps out of her office.
As he makes his way out of the leadership offices, he pulls his com out of his pocket to check the time. One-twenty-eight it reads. Shit, he just barely has 30 minutes to get to Tris, have their conversation and make it back to the training gym. As he starts sprinting down the hall, his com begins to vibrate in his hand.
"What is it Khloe?" he asks between laboured breaths. "I don't have time to chat."
"You sound like you're in the middle of running a 5K. What's going on?"
"What part of I don't have time to chat did you not understand?"
"Fine. I just wanted to tell you that I talked to Carter and despite his pervy actions, he actually does think Tris is a good fit."
Eric slows down to a jog before responding.
"What exactly did he say?"
"He basically admitted that he gave her a project he assumed was way to hard for her and would result in her failing, but that she ended up doing an amazing job and he genuinely thinks she'll make a great assistant to whoever she ends up with."
"But why would he want her to f…" he starts. "Oh, that asshole is good."
"Wait what? Fill me in here," Khloe asks, confused.
"That bastard wanted her to fail so that he could trap her into some kind agreement to keep her job."
"That's an impressive level of diabolicalness."
Eric shakes his head.
"What did Vivica say?" Khloe asks as Eric approaches Tris' door.
"I can't talk right now. I'm finally at Tris' apartment."
"Wait, you're just getting there now? Don't you have to be back with the initiates in like twenty minutes?"
Eric rolls his eyes.
"Yes, which is why I can't talk right now."
"I'll go."
"What?"
"I'll go meet the initiates. It's my turn to train them starting tomorrow anyways. I'll go introduce myself and buy you some time."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Just tell me what they're supposed to be working on."
"Just get them to keep practicing their sparing and working with the heavy bags. Also, get Emma to help you set up some targets and take out the knives. She asked to work on her throwing skills."
"Got it. Easy."
"Thanks Khloe."
"Consider it my apology for messing up the vote?"
Eric chuckles.
"Sure, Khloe," he says, before hanging up and knocking on Tris' door.
Tris answers the door immediately.
"I wasn't sure if you were still coming," she says, opening the door further to let him in.
"Sorry, I wanted to be here sooner, but I got tied up at the office."
Eric closes the door and watches Tris walk over to her kitchen. She looks a bit better than when he saw her in the morning. Her face has been scrubbed clean of last nights makeup, and the colour has returned to her cheeks. Her hair is up in a wet bun, and she's changed into leggings and a long sleeve screw neck sweatshirt.
"Have you eaten?" she asks, holding up two plates, "I didn't have much to work with, but I made us some egg and cheese sandwiches. They're probably a bit cold now."
Eric's stomach grumbles audibly at the sight of the food and it dawns on him that he hasn't eaten anything all day. He'd given Tris his breakfast and when he dismissed the initiates, he was so eager to get to Tris that he hadn't even considered stopping at the dining hall before seeking out Khloe.
"Egg and cheese sounds good," he replies following her to the table. They sit down and he immediately starts in on the sandwich, finishing it in only a few bites. When he looks up at Tris, she's smiling. "Sorry, I'm just really hungry."
"Don't be sorry," she replies, sliding her plate over to him. "Here, you can have this one too."
"No, you should eat."
"I can make myself something else later, you're the one that has to go back to work. Besides, I had the bagel not long ago. I'm not that hungry."
He debates arguing with her more, but now that he's eaten the first sandwich his stomach seems to have woken up and realized how starved of food it is. He picks up the sandwich and nods at her gratefully.
He takes a bite before setting it back down and looking at Tris.
"So, um how are you feeling?"
Tris shrugs. "I bit better. I'm still a kind of nauseous and the painkiller I took when I woke up wore off, so my headache is back but its not as bad. I've been trying to hydrate, but it took a while before I could manage to keep anything down."
"How much did you drink?" he asks, picking up his sandwich and taking another bite.
"Too much. I'm not even sure. I know I had three drinks at the Pit but after that I lost track."
He pauses before swallowing his bite of sandwich. He had assumed she'd been drunk before going to Four's place, but is she saying they got drunk together?
"You kept drinking after you left the Pit?"
Tris looks away from him, nodding as she starts picking at the skin around her fingernails.
"What exactly happened last night?" he asks. "Earlier, you said you were upset and met up with your friends, but that you left but didn't want to be alone. Where did you end up?"
He hopes his question comes off as nonchalant, but he avoids eye contact as he asks, staring at his plate instead.
"I ended up at Four's," she responds bluntly.
His eyes dart towards her. He knew that's where she had gone, but his stomach still drops hearing her say it to him directly and his neck burns with jealousy.
"You ended up at Four's," he repeats back to her.
"I don't know what I was thinking," she says shaking her head. "I guess I wasn't really. But as soon as he opened the door, I knew it was a mistake. I should have just turned around and walked away. But once I'd followed him inside, he asked me why I was there and on impulse, I decided to try to get him to open up about his mom and the Factionless."
The rational part of Eric knows he should ask how the conversation about Evelyn went, but the emotional part of him needs to know if anything happened between her and Four.
"How did questioning him about his mom turn into getting drunk?" he asks.
She shrugs.
"I thought alcohol might help him open up. We had a couple of shots and then once he started talking it was all really emotional, and he kept drinking. At some point, stuff came up about our relationship, mine and Four's, and it kind of freaked me out so I had a bit more to drink. I didn't realize how drunk I was until I got up to leave and the room was spinning. I couldn't even walk in a straight line."
In a weak attempt to buy himself time to get his emotions in check, Eric focuses on finishing his sandwich before speaking.
"You stayed the night," he says plainly.
She nods. "I tried to leave, but I realized I didn't trust myself to get there so I slept at Four's," she says, emphasizing the word slept. "Nothing happened."
He scoffs before he can stop himself.
"I swear," she says.
He'd been trying to keep himself calm and hear her out, but he can't do it anymore.
"If you told me you went there to try to figure out this mess with the Factionless then I'd accept that. But that's not what happened. We got into a fight, and you didn't want to be alone, so you went to your ex-boyfriend's place, for what? Comfort? That's not nothing, Tris. Maybe nothing physical happened –"
"It didn't," she interjects.
"Fine, nothing physical happened, but you still went to him. I mean, I knew you still cared about him, and I know you've been worried about him…but fuck, Tris. This wasn't about him. This was about us. We have our first fight, and your first instinct is to go to him?"
"That's not fair," she says, shaking her head. "It wasn't like that."
"It sure sounds like it was, so please, enlighten me."
Her eyes start to well up and he feels a bit bad that he's making her cry, but he deserves answers.
"We got into a fight, yes, but I was upset about so much more than that. It wasn't like my brain went 'oh Eric pissed me off, let me get back at him by seeing Four.' I just couldn't handle being alone and I didn't have anywhere else to go. He's not who I wanted to be with, but I couldn't go to the person I wanted most because you were part of why I was so upset. Please believe me when I say I regretted going to see him immediately. He opened that door, and I looked at him and every part of me wished it was you."
Tears are running down her cheeks now and he's torn between his anger and the urge to pull her into his arms and make the tears stop.
He stands up and starts pacing.
"I'm sorry Eric," she says with a sniffle. "I wasn't trying to hurt you."
He scratches at the back of his neck and takes a few deep breaths.
"I know I broke your trust going to Max and putting you in the position you're in. Are we going to be able to move passed that? Do you still want to be with me?"
She shakes her head aggressively. "I'm still in this. I still want this. Do you?"
"I need to know if anything happened between you and Four. Anything at all. You might think something was innocent or insignificant, but if any little part of you thinks it might hurt me to know, tell me now."
As her tears subside, she runs her fingers across her cheeks wiping the last of them away.
"Okay," she says, biting her lip.
He sits back down and waits in silence for her to continue.
"Well…" he says, when she doesn't say anything.
"I…he was just so vulnerable and emotional. I just feel kind of like I'll be betraying his trust by telling you what happened."
He narrows his eyes at her.
"Make a choice Tris. Is it me or him?"
She nods in understanding biting the inside of her cheek.
"When he was telling me everything that happened, he started crying. I held his hand to help him get through it. By the time he finished the story, he was full on sobbing. I tried to give him a hug, but we were sitting on the couch next to each other, so it was kind of hard at that angle, he…" she pauses and takes a deep breath, "he pulled me onto his lap and clung to me until his tears subsided. I was uncomfortable but I didn't have it in me to move. When he stopped crying it seemed like he was going to try to kiss me, so I jumped off him."
She looks at Eric, expectantly. He does his best to hold his anger inside. If he blows up now, she's more likely to hold back to spare his feelings, and he needs to know everything.
Realizing he has no intention of speaking, she continues.
"I hadn't planned on staying there. I wish I had drunk less and was able to leave like I meant to. But after standing up there was just no way that was happening. So, I agreed to stay. When he led me to his bed, I should have protested and slept on the couch, but I was to far gone to argue so I just got in and passed out. At some point in the night his arms were around me but when I woke up, I was alone in the bed."
He stands back up and starts pacing again. They might not have had sex, but they sure seemed to have shared quite a few intimate moments over the course of the evening.
"Is that everything?" he asks through gritted teeth, trying to contain his hurt and jealousy.
"When I left, I think he wanted to kiss me, but I moved away from him before he could do anything. That's everything that happened. He did message me this morning asking if he could see me again, but I haven't answered him."
Eric wanders around her living room, trying to digest everything she's said. They may not have ever defined their relationship, and what she did may not be strictly speaking cheating, but he can't help but feel some level of betrayal.
"Eric?" she calls tentatively from her spot at the kitchen table.
"Just give me a minute," he says, refusing to look at her.
After a bit more pacing, he returns to the kitchen.
"Was it worth it?" he asks.
Her eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Were you successful? Did he confess?" he clarifies.
"Oh, I…if, I mean, if he did do it, how much trouble will he be in?"
He rolls his eyes.
"If he helped orchestrate a break-in that put our weapons in the hands of a rebel faction and resulted in the death of one of our members, don't you think he deserves to be punished?" Eric spits angrily. "Why do you insist on protecting him after everything he's done to you? Holding you back from leadership, scaring you about being Divergent, hurting your, berating you in front of Lauren, practically stalking you, trying to turn you against me and whatever else. I don't get it. He doesn't deserve your loyalty, Tris."
"Maybe you're right," she says, standing. "But you weren't there, Eric. You didn't see how torn up he was. You didn't see him crying. You don't understand why he did it. You didn't see and hear the regret. This broke him. He's not the Four I used to know. The guilt is tearing him up inside. He got manipulated by someone who is supposed to love him unconditionally and what he did for her got somebody killed. And for what? Nothing. Because in the end, the lies she fed him were just that, lies. When the 'mission' or whatever went south she blamed him, and they haven't spoken since."
Eric doesn't know how to feel. He can't stand Four for multiple reasons, but he also can't imagine what it must feel like to be betrayed by your own mother.
"So, he confessed."
Tris lets out a loud sigh and sits back down.
"Sort of."
Eric takes a deep breath and sits down across from her.
"Sort of?"
"He didn't go into detail about what he did. He just admitted that he knew his mom was alive and that he did something for her that he regrets and that someone got hurt. If I didn't already know what you and Max told me, I'd have no idea what he was talking about. I mean, it was clear that's what he was talking about, but he didn't fully confess to anything criminal."
Eric lets out a long deep groan and closes his eyes.
"I wish I had never suggested you talking to Four to Max. I can't believe how badly I fucked this up."
He lets his forehead fall to the table with an audible thump, growling somewhat at the pain but mainly at how frustrated he is with the whole situation.
"Are you in love with him?" he asks, head still down.
"No," she responds firmly. "I still care about him, and I don't think I'll be able to let go of that, but after last night, there's no doubt in my mind that I no longer love him in that way."
Eric lifts his head and looks at her.
"What do you mean 'after last night'?"
"There were things about our break-up that he mentioned during his confession last night that I didn't know. It made me wonder if, had I known at the time, it would have changed things."
"You mean if it would have stopped you from breaking up with him?"
"I've thought about it a lot today, and I'm glad I didn't know then what I know now. This happened the way that it did for a reason. Four and I were never meant to last, but if I had known, I may have stayed longer. We might even still be together to this day, but I know we would have broken up eventually and by ending things when I did, I've had time to move on and to be with you and nothing would make me want to change that."
Eric nods. The pair sit in silence before Eric speaks.
"I'm not ready for things to end between us. But I'm also not sure how to get passed this. I know I'm not blameless either."
He squeezes his eyes shut as he rubs his forehead.
"I think maybe we need to take a step back from us."
"What?" Tris asks surprised.
"It's just…there's other things that need to be focused on right now. Like this shit with Four's mom and your chance at Leadership."
"I already told you, Eric, I've talked to Four and I'm done with Leadership."
He shakes his head.
"It's not enough."
"What's not enough."
"The information that you got out of Four. It's not enough. I can tell you right now that Max is going to want you to get more information out of him. What is his mom planning? Why does she need the weapons? Who else is working with her? What was the purpose of the robberies? Should we be expecting anymore break-ins? Is anyone else at Dauntless working with her? Etc., etc., etc. What you found out is just the start. Max wanted confirmation of his involvement, and I think you've gotten enough for him to consider it confirmed, but that was the easy part."
Tris stares at him, mouth open.
"Easy? You think that was easy?"
He shakes his head.
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to…whatever. I'm sure it wasn't easy. I just mean even what he told you was vague. But we need specifics. The specifics are what will help us stop whatever she has planned. The specifics are going to be much harder for you to get out of him."
Her eyes widen.
"For me to get out of him?" she practically yells. "Are you serious? I'm not doing this again. I'm done. And I can't believe you would want me to go back to him. You can't even forgive me for what happened last night…you think I won't have to do more to get him to tell me the specifics? And never mind that, he's a mess. He's still reeling from his mom's manipulation. I'm not going to do the same thing to him that she did."
"You think I want this? You think I want you to spend more time with that asshole? I just know how Max is going to react."
She shakes her head.
"I gave you confirmation. Now I'm out. You and Max can find some other way to get more information out of him and this afternoon I'm going to see Max and I'm resigning."
God, he hates this. Hates the fighting. Hates the yelling. Hates that they are both hurting.
"I'm sorry," he says, sighing.
"For what exactly?"
"For all of it. This isn't how I wanted things to go. The waffles, the knife throwing, the library, explaining every last detail of Golden Girls to you…we should still be doing those things. We barely got to enjoy being together and now we're screaming at each other? How did this get so messed up so quickly?"
He paces the kitchen again before returning to her.
"I'll figure out another way to get Four to tell us what we need to know," he says thoughtfully. "You're going to have to tell Max yourself what you told me about his confession. But I'll go with you and when you tell him you're done I'll back you up. Okay?"
She nods. "Okay."
"That's settled?"
Another nod.
He let's out a sigh of relief.
"Okay. Now, I know you're set on resigning. But can you please hear me out before you go to Max? I just want you to have the facts before you make your decision. I'm not going to push you to stay if you don't want to. But I did some digging, and I want you to know the truth about the voting and how everyone really feels."
"Fine."
"Fine?"
"You took the time to figure things out for me, the least I can do is listen to what you have to say."
He takes a second to formulate his thoughts. This is his only chance to convince her. He doesn't want to screw it up.
"I'm going to start with Carter."
She looks at him incredulously.
"I know, I know. But just listen. Despite what he said to you about coming to an arrangement or whatever, he really does think you will be good at the job. He said he gave you a difficult project and that you far exceeded his expectations. What did he have you do?"
"He had me put together three different proposals for the Spring Equinox festival to pitch to Sam."
Eric's eyes widen in surprise.
"Are you serious? And you actually did it? In the three days you were with him?"
She shrugs.
"Yeah. I mean, I was a bit overwhelmed when he first told me what he wanted me to do but I don't know, I just read through old files and went over previous proposals and tried my best."
Eric laughs.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Tris, that's crazy. Do you know what I did my first week in leadership?"
She shakes her head.
"I got a tour of the offices. Met everyone. Filled out some paperwork and sat in on a few meetings where I was expected to do absolutely nothing but listen. I can't believe he asked you to do all of that. I hope he at least gives you credit when he takes it to Sam."
"We already took it to Sam. It's been approved."
Eric laughs again.
"Tris, Carter is a perfectionist. You might not see it on the surface, but he is meticulous. If he read through your proposals and thought they were good enough to bring to Sam then they must have been fucking amazing. I knew you'd be good in leadership because you worked your ass off during initiation, you love a challenge, you care about people, and you aren't afraid to speak your mind, but I didn't realize you'd also be a natural at the paperwork side of things. I'm impressed."
She blushes and he can't help but notice how cute she looks.
"As for Khloe, her vote had nothing to do with you," he says, moving on. "In her own messed up Khloe way, she thought by voting against you she was protecting me. She was worried that us working together would put stress on our relationship. Which, I hate to admit it, but she was right. Anyways, she was also worried that if we broke up, I'd have a hard time seeing you everyday. But she was very clear that she's perfectly happy to have you there and she apologized for meddling."
"I guess I can understand that," she concedes. "We both knew it was a risk."
"The last vote came from Vivica. I had a long talk with her earlier. It's why I was late getting here. She had a lot to say about everything. But the jist of it is that she thinks you will be an asset. She said you guys have some things in common and that Max will benefit from having you around. She also disagrees with Max asking you to be involved with this mess with the Factionless and she said she hopes you stay despite all of that. So, you see, everyone wants you there. And Max might have his head up his ass right now with this crap with Evelyn, but he's just scared and desperate. If you stay, he'll realize you're meant to be there for who you are not for your relationship with Four."
"What does Vivica think we have in common?" Tris asks, curiously.
"You're Divergence," he replies.
"You told her?"
He shakes his head.
"No, she figured it out. When she was deciding on her vote, she went through your initiate file and watched the footage we have stored. I guess being Divergent herself, it was easy for her to put it together. I had no idea she was Divergent. To be honest, that woman kind of scares me so I usually avoid her when possible."
"You? Scared?"
He chuckles.
"She's scary!" he says, playfully. "Anyways, what do you think? Will you reconsider?"
Tris looks around her apartment, picking at her fingernails again before settling her gaze back on Eric.
"I'd be lying if I said knowing all of that didn't make me feel better. But I don't know. At the end of the day, Max will be my boss. I just don't know if I'm comfortable with that."
Eric sighs.
"I'm sorry you've only gotten to see this shitty side of him. He really does just want what's best for the faction, for all the factions. Sometimes I think he gets stuck on the big picture and doesn't see how important everything else is. You've only done about a week of shadowing. Tomorrow you're meant to start shadowing Khloe. Maybe do that and keep thinking about it? I'm not telling you what to do. I just don't want you to regret anything. At the very least, take the rest of the day to think about it? If you still want to resign, then I'll go with you to Max tomorrow."
She nods.
"Okay. I'll think about it."
Eric sighs, relieved that he seems to have gotten through to her.
"Good."
The two sit in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say now.
"Oh my God!" Tris exclaims suddenly, noting the time on the clock across from her. "Shouldn't you be back with the initiates by now?"
Eric jumps, startled before turning and looking at the clock.
"Khloe is covering for me, but it is getting late," he says standing. "I should probably go relieve her."
Tris follows suit and they make their way to the door. He goes to open it but hesitates and turns towards Tris instead.
"I know I said we should take a step back from us. But maybe that doesn't have to mean a break. Maybe that means we take an actual step back. Back to when it was easy and fun between us. What if I pick up dinner after work today and we just push all this aside for one night and eat and watch something together? How does that sound?"
"That sounds like exactly what I need right now," she says looking relieved. "But are you sure? I mean, there's still the stuff that happened with Four. I don't know where you're at with that."
He shakes his head.
"I don't even want to think about it right now. You and me and some old ladies getting into ridiculous shit together, that's all I want to think about. Meet me at my place around six-thirty? I'll get dinner as soon as I let the initiates go."
"Six-thirty. I'll be there," she says with a smile.
He tries to remember the last time he'd kissed her but can't. Part of him wants to kiss her now but the other part of him can't shake the vision of her snuggled up with Four. So instead, he reaches out and gives her hand a light squeeze.
"See you then," he says before taking his leave.
Hello there! We're making a bit of progress with fixing some things. Next chapter will either be back in Tris' POV or it'll be split half and half. I can't decide if it's worth writing a bit about Eric's afternoon/him updating Khloe on everything or just skipping over to Tris getting ready for their "date". I'm sure we all need a break from the drama and the next chapter won't be entirely without drama but at least we'll get some good Eris content.
Anyways, this one took me ages to edit because it's stinking long and every time I read over it I kept changing things. It got to the point where I just told myself this was the last run through and I couldn't read it again after so hopefully it's okay.
As always, I appreciate your comments and thank you so much for reading!