Bite Me || Eric Coulter Fanfic - Divergent

25. Collision

PART 3/3 OF THE TRIPLE UPDATE - READ CHAPTERS 23 & 24 FIRST :))

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Eric thought I was afraid of him, because he was in my fear landscape. How do I begin to untangle this mess?

With my hand still on his arm, I try to set this right.

"Eric, it's not what you think" I regret the words the second I see the deadpan and incredulous look on his face. Okay, let's try this again.

"You're not what I'm afraid of; it's what you said that scares me." I say and watch as his hard expression softens to confusion rather than anger. "You were the first person at Dauntless to say those words, that's why I saw you in my landscape. It could have been anyone. Four or even Chloe."

Eric closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath.

"I'm afraid of being a failure, of being useless" I say. "You had nothing to do with this"

For a few beats we just look at each other; me trying to convince Eric, and Eric trying to convince himself.

Suddenly, he's right in front of me, invading my space and filling my senses with his warmth, his presence. As he leans slightly closer, I start feeling a bit dizzy.

"So, you're not afraid of me?" he says in a low, raspy voice.

"Of course not" I say when I manage to find my voice.

His bright blue eyes are the last thing I see before his lips crash onto mine, catching me by surprise and making my stomach erupt in butterflies. His large hand comes up to cup my cheek as his other wraps around my waist.

When I finally recover from the shock, I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer because, without consciously knowing it, I've wanted this for a while. Something about this man in front of me makes me throw caution to the wind and logic out the window. As my fingers tangle in his hair and his arms pull me closer, I realize how right this feels. Not unlike our physical fights, this kiss is intense and heated. Our constant battle for dominance is not absent either, but it makes this all the more enjoyable.

When we pull away, trying to catch out breath, the anger is finally gone from his eyes, which sparkle brighter than I've ever seen them. And then Eric does something that leaves me even more speechless than the kiss iteslef. He leans forward and rests his forehead against mine.

For a few minutes we just stand there, hands clasped together and gazes locked, taking in the silence of the night.

"Well this was certainly unexpected" I blurt out like an idiot after a few minutes. Nevertheless, Eric lets out one of his rare, genuine laughs and pulls away from me.

"It definitely was." he says as he sits down in our previous spot and I follow. "I didn't hear you complain though." he says with a cocky smile, causing me to laugh and push his shoulder lightly.

As the city lights dim, the air gets colder, but we just sit there, enjoying each other's company. Eric must feel me shiver slightly because he wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his body heat. The tension from the last few days seems to be relieved and my eyes grow heavy. For the first time since moving to Dauntless, I feel at peace.

The next time I open my eyes, I find myself in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by a very familiar and overpowering scent. I don't need to look around to know I'm in Eric's room. I should be apprehensive or at least slightly nervous, but the only thought running through my mind is that I want to bury myself further into this surprisingly comfortable bed. But my curiosity wins over my need for comfort. Still in last night's clothes, I get up and stretch slightly before walking out of what I'm assuming is Eric's bedroom.

I walk into a spacious kitchen which connects to an even larger living room. The delicious aroma of food leads me to the kitchen counter where I'm met with Eric's shirtless back. Come to think of it, the sight is more mouth-watering than the smell of food. He must hear my footsteps because he briefly turns away from the stove to give me a bright smile.

"Morning" he says, getting back to cooking.

"Good morning" I say, instantly feeling lighter. "How did you sleep?" my tone is more teasing this time, knowing that despite what happened last night, we can still poke some fun.

"Better than I have in a long time" he says honestly, but then a mischievous smile takes over. "Must have something to do with Four getting beat by that initiate yesterday"

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what did it" I say, trying to contain my laugter.

Eric turns around and places two plates of pancakes on the counter. I thank him and allow myslef to eat in silence as I'm still trying to process last night's events. I'd be lying if I said I regret it. It just felt right, and by the calmness in Eric's movements and facial expressions, he seems to feel the same.

"Have you chosen a role yet, by the way?" he suddenly asks. This had been pushed to the back of my mind after the final fear landscape. Not because it's not important, but all the tension between us had been at the forefront lately. The only person I'd actually informed of my decision is Chloe. After we received our results, I instantly knew what I was going to choose.

"Leadership" I say, proud of myself for my decision. This is something that I'd explored in Amity, and I knew I could contribute here in Dauntless.

"Good" Eric says, unable to control the brilliant smile on his face. "You choosing anything else would have been a crime."

"When do I start?" I say, eager to get into training and duties.

"Today" he says, surprising me. "There's a meeting with Erudite, some new project in the works"

I shrugged and carried our plates to the sink, thinking it was only fair for me to clean up since he'd cooked.

Looking at the time made me jolt into action though.

"I'm late for orientation" I said, scrambling to move towards the exit. As I passed next to Eric, I dropped a quick kiss on his shoulder and flashed him a smile.

"Do that anywhere outside these walls and I won't be responsible for what I do to you" he said, his voice full of mischief.

This time I couldn't control my laughter as I shut the door behind me.