A Different Divergent Tale (Eric and Tris)

Chapter 30

He loves me. My heart soars at the thought. I told him the same... because I know... that's what I truly feel. I know it's only been a short time but we've been together so much the last few days that it almost feels like a lifetime. I don't think the time frame matters. I think it's the connection, the longing, the hope, and the heart. It's as if I don't want to part from him—even for necessities like rest and bathing. It's not that I'm wanting him to join me, it's that I just don't even want to do them because I'd rather be in his company. But I know life must go on and I don't want to worry him more if I collapse from lack of sleep. Plus, I doubt my body would allow me to miss any needed rest. It shuts down when it needs to—even without my permission.
I take my vitamin with a glass of water and also my pain pills as I eye the door waiting for Eric—the man I love. I know he wanted to exercise this morning if I'm up for it. I am, just a little achy as well and I want to make it through the day. He said we'll rotate our days so today's plan should be just like Monday's workout. I finish the glass and set it aside. I'm giving him about one more minute or I'm knocking on his door.
I hear a key being inserted into my lock and I lean back against my island waiting for him to walk in. The door opens and his eyes meet mine. He strides over to me in two steps and kisses me as the door closes. He deepens the kiss and sets me on the countertop. His forehead rests on mine. He breathes shakily with his eyes closed.
"I missed you," he whispers.
I smile brightly. "I missed you, too," I tell him. I kiss his lips softly.
He backs away from me grinning. He notices the bottles on the counter and the empty glass. "Did you take your vitamin?" he asks. I nod.
"Are you up for working out?" he inquires even though I'm dressed for the training room.
"Yeah," I tell him.
"Okay," he whispers pecking my lips. He helps me down and we leave. He locks my door for me and places his hand on my waist. We descend in the elevator and step out in the Pit.
I notice a few people in front of us talking. "Did you see Eric with her?" one whispers.
"Could you imagine if they got together? That would be like a first, right?" another says.
"Yeah, but isn't he a total player," a third mentions.
"I don't believe that," the first says.
"Why not?" the third questions.
"Have you ever actually seen him with any of those girls?" the first responds.
"I haven't," the second adds.
"You're right," the other nods. "He's different with her."
"Excuse us, ladies," Eric says walking between them when they stop. They gawk at us in surprise—and probably embarrassment, too.
I look over my shoulder and wave at them. They smile in response.
"They like you," I whisper.
"I think they like you," he disagrees.
I let it go and we enter the cafeteria. I see someone walk by with an interesting assortment of food on their tray for breakfast.
Eric looks at my expression and chuckles. He leads me up to the line and I watch as he gets a huge portion of scrambled eggs, biscuits, and something called sausage gravy which he pours all over everything. He grabs several pieces of sausage, a fruit cup and some potatoes. I decide to get the same—in smaller portions and a little cup of that gravy on the side. I follow him to the drink section.
"Do you want something over here?" he asks gesturing to the cold drinks.
"What are you getting?" I ask.
"I was thinking a cup of coffee," he says.
I did enjoy the cup Will got me before. "Maybe I'll have one, too," I decide.
He smirks at me and leads me over there. He pours a cup for himself, mixing cream and sugar in. He passes it to me though. "Do you want it sweeter?" he asks.
I take a sip and nod. He adds another packet of sugar and stirs having me sip again. "That's good," I tell him. He puts a lid on the cup and sets it on my tray. He makes another for himself. I lean forward and I'm tempted to kiss him but I don't. I realize we ought to wait a few more days. I think about how he said it won't be a problem when we decide to become more public. This is like second nature to me. I'm so comfortable with him that it's actually more difficult to show restraint than to show affection. I realize our relationship isn't awkward and confusing. I know exactly where I stand with him and I love that.
We go to sit down and I take a seat beside Max. I bend over and kiss his cheek.
"Morning," he chuckles bashfully.
"Good morning," I respond.
"So how are things today?" he asks.
"I'm good," I say reaching for the salt. I shake it on my eggs and start on those. I notice Eric eating his and I decide to try a taste of the gravy. It's really good. Maybe I'll pour it on my food like he did. I try the eggs again and they're even better.
"Good morning, Max," Lydia says taking the seat opposite from me. She hugs him as she sits.
He chuckles. "I've got my two girls with me today," he says happily. I smile and hug his side.
I realize that he's smiling more. I never really noticed him so happy. During initiation, everyone up here always seemed so serious. I know we ought to have an authoritative disposition for the most part but we're still just people. A smile every once in a while is okay and he's definitely getting his in now. I cut into my biscuit as he and Lydia talk in hushed voices. I lean over to Eric to see what's going on.
He's talking with Jude.
"So, how's she doing?" Jude asks.
"Good. She completed her weapons training in close to an hour yesterday. We were working on weights. She's lifting quite a bit for her size. We're sparring and working on endurance again today. She's flying through her paperwork in record time. I'm just in awe at her progress..." Eric responds.
"So, soon, then?" Jude questions.
"I'm sorry to say, yes," he tells him apologetically.
"It's fine. I knew the day would come quickly," Jude replies.
"You don't seem upset," Eric says surprised.
"I have a plan. Not to worry, things will work out as it should," he replies.
Eric nods but seems concerned, distraught almost.
"Is everything alright?" I whisper to him.
"Yeah," he says forcing a smile. He touches my hand to try and convince me. But I know him and something is wrong.
"Are you sure?" I question concerned.
"Jude's right. Everything will work out as it should," he says rubbing my back.
"Okay," I nod. I smile as well but I'm sure it's forced.
Ryan walks over with his tray in one hand and a cup of coffee he's sipping in the other. "Hey there, old man," Ryan says sitting down beside Jude.
Jude grins and pats his back. "Good morning to you, too," he replies.
"Are you feeling okay?" Eric asks. "You've barely touched your food."
"I'm fine," I say cutting a piece of sausage.
"Good," he says rubbing my back again. He puts his arm around my chair and I can feel his arm graze my shoulders. I close my eyes and sigh.
I continue my meal with that little bit of extra comfort he's giving me. I actually finish most everything and I ate all of my eggs before they got cold. We leave and I realize I didn't even bother to see if Four was here, if he was looking at me... and a thought occurs to me—I don't care. I smile as I set my tray down and walk out of the cafeteria.
Eric escorts me as usual except this time, I feel his hand shift, rubbing my side in comfort. It's nice—just one small change in gesture. I love you, his words ring in my mind. I sigh happily as we enter the training room to that thought.
"You want to jog again?" he asks.
"Outside?" I inquire.
"Sure," he shrugs.
We start out from where we're standing and Eric heads off first, going faster than me and pausing to hold the door open as I exit. He follows me out the doors. I try to go a bit faster today and realize I actually have a ton of energy. He keeps pace with me and he leads me around the whole of Dauntless property. We jog around the outskirts, him actually giving me a tour of the area. I see where Candor touches, then the empty fields leading to the dirt road towards the fence on the way to Amity. Next is Factionless, which is quite extensive.
I see some dark clouds quickly roll into our view of the sky. Rain is within sight and he pulls me aside through an open door to a crumbling building in Factionless just as it starts to pour on our path. The sound of the rain is almost deafening as it bombards everything in its wake. We're both panting but he looks to me. Before I know it, his lips are on mine and I run my fingers through his hair. He kisses and kisses me as lightning brightens our surroundings and thunder crashes, rattling the building. I hear water dripping nearby, a gushing onslaught elsewhere. He slows and kisses me gently, backing away enough to meet my eyes. The sky lights up around us as we stare at each other panting gently before the thunder crashes once more. I feel my chest full with my love for him like the downpour we just experienced. He caresses my cheek and I lean into the touch with my eyes closed. I hear the rain slow and he peers out the doorway.
"I think we can make it back if we hurry," he tells me. "Are you up for it?"
"Yeah," I nod confidently. He kisses me once more before grabbing my hand and pulling me out. There's a slight mist in a few spots but nothing like before. I notice a light behind us and a crash a moment later shaking the half-Dauntless, half-Factionless street. I run as fast as I can and realize that Eric has been holding back again. He actually has to catch up with me. We turn down a familiar street and I see the training room doors coming into view. It's beautiful. I notice a rainbow over the compound and I stare in awe of the incredible sign from God—symbolizing the covenant with Noah and mankind. We run toward the open doors as another crash sounds behind us. I can hear the sound of rain following us on our path but we make it in time to miss the bombardment the outside street receives. We're panting and laughing. I see a few people just watching the rain coming in are surprised at us making it back—unscathed at that.
"Man, you're fast," Eric says in surprise still panting.
I chuckle, "Yeah, I'm sure you were holding back."
"Not this time," he insists.
A laugh bubbles out of my chest disbelievingly. We watch the downpour until my breathing evens out. "Come on," I insist tugging on his shirt. "I'm ready for the bags."
"If you say so, sweetheart," he responds. I notice a few people surrounding us watch our interaction but I just grin as he escorts me over to the heavy bags. He grabs two water bottles on the way and passes one to me as I remove my guns. I realize that it probably is best that we're required to wear them since who knows what could happen. We could've been stuck in Factionless for who knows how long. If a mob of people that got kicked out of Dauntless came across us, who knows what kind of trouble we could get in.
I take a sip from the water as I watch him remove his holster, then his shirt. He sets them aside.  He smirks when he realizes I'm watching him. I try to break out of my gawking by setting my bottle down. I realize there's heat behind me as I straighten up. He takes my hands in his and positions me in an unfamiliar stance. He has me punch the bag and I do so. The bag sways and he chuckles in my ear. "Very good," he whispers.
He teaches me an entirely new series of punches—nothing like the beginner fighting techniques in initiation.  As I grasp the motions easily, I make quick progress.  He practices beside me and I get into my rhythm again with these new punching techniques. 
We move onto kicks later and I'm shocked as he shows me in slow motion what I ought to do.  He demonstrates rapidly and I'm in awe of him. 
"Your turn," he gestures to me.  I face my bag and attempt to do the same.  I struggle a little at first but he corrects my stance, tells me where and when to shift my weight and I've got it on the second try. 
I laugh in surprise.  "You're going to be a leader in no time," he whispers.  "You catch on so fast."
I smile and practice a few more times.  He shows me some other kicks and we spend quite a bit of time practicing everything in a rotation. 
When it's time to move on to sparring, I follow him to the mat as if we've been doing this all along.  I know he's not trying to hurt me, that this is a learning experience.  He instructs me a bit more and I come at him with the moves I've learned.  He blocks each one and then teaches me how to block these.  I pick up the motions speedily as he punches and kicks at me.  I block every one.  He begins to quicken his attack and I keep in pace with him.  He increases the speed again and I shock myself that I can block them all. 
"Okay.  Now come at me.  Don't hold back," he insists grinning. 
I sigh and decide on doing a roundhouse kick to start.  He blocks chuckling.  "Good," he nods. 
I come at him again with a series of punches.  He blocks them all but I feel my momentum increasing, my strength and skill improving drastically since initiation.  I attempt to trip him but misjudge and get my own foot caught on his sweatpants.  I begin to fall and take him with me.  We both chuckle as we're laying on the floor.  
"That was an epic fail," I giggle.
"Hey, at least you got me off my feet," he points out still laughing. 
"Yeah, there's that," I roll my eyes attempting to calm down. 
We're laying side by side on the mat. His eyes meet mine and we're fortunate to be interrupted.
"You guys okay?" I hear Lynn ask. She's standing above me in uniform.
"Yeah, although I think my ego is a little hurt," I joke.
She chuckles biting her lip.
"You saw the whole thing, didn't you?" I say.
"I did," she nods. "I was pretty impressed up until the end." She's smiling. "How about you, Eric?" she asks him reaching for my hand.
"Same, although I'd rather have been tripped than de-pantsed," he laughs.
"What?" I say shocked. I know my face must be glowing in embarrassment.
Lynn is beside me cracking up. Her team joins her and she helps Eric to standing. He's still laughing with her and I'm covering my face.
"Awe, it's not that bad," he teases me.
"I didn't really do that, did I?" I ask him.
"I picked the better of the two in public. Imagine my shame if I would've kept on my feet," he chuckles.
I slap at him playfully. The guards are smiling but I don't know if they know what's going on.
"Come on," Eric says pulling me a little and handing me my holster. "Let's go get cleaned up for lunch. It's close enough."
"Oh, hey Tris?" Lynn calls out coming after us.
"Yeah?" I question.
"We were all getting together again tomorrow if you want to hang out," she tells me.
"Sure," I say excitedly. "Where and when?"
"We were skipping dinner in the cafeteria and ordering out. We're planning on staying at Uriah's and Will's place," she tells me.
"Four's not coming, is he?" Eric asks.
"No, just us newbies," she responds a little confused.
"Alright," I nod. "I'll be there about dinner time. See you," I wave.
She smiles and waves at us before joining her team to finish their patrol.
I look up to Eric. "Everything okay?" I ask.
"Yeah," he nods. He looks a little disappointed, though.
"Are you sad you weren't invited?" I whisper nudging him.
He laughs bashfully. "No, have your fun. I'll probably do something with Ryan," he tells me.
"Just make sure he doesn't drink too much. It's a Thursday night," I point out.
"Nah, I figured we'd do something else together," he shrugs.
"So mysterious," I tease. "Alright, you have your fun and I'll have mine."
"I'll miss you, though," he whispers.
I smile in response. I know he'll probably be on my mind, too.
We get cleaned up and make our way back to the cafeteria. I smell something amazing and I think I am feeling those hunger pains as we enter the double doors. I decide not to ask, though. I don't want to be a pest, but I don't think he minds.
We get to the front of the line and I see something labeled as grilled cheese. I wonder what that is. It's clearly a sandwich but it looks incredible. Eric grabs two and I decide to get a whole sandwich. I can feel my stomach rumbling in anticipation. He gets a big bowl of soup. I see a couple options in smaller cups. There's chicken noodle, beef vegetable, and tomato. I'm not sure what he grabbed.
"Which one should I try?" I ask.
"I got the beef one," he tells me.
"Maybe I'll try the chicken one," I say getting a cup.
He puts a package of crackers on my tray. I notice him get a large plate of raw vegetables. I decide to get a small portion, too. They were good before. I see that blackberry lemonade available and I grab a small cup. I notice Eric getting the strawberry one. I giggle that we're switching our choices from last time.
We take our seats together and I set my tray down. I hear a chime from my pocket and pull my phone out. It's a message from Christina.