Divergent Short Stories (Eric & Tris Fanfics)

Chapter Eight-Tris

After church on Sunday, I spend some time talking with Eric as he drives us home.  He invites me over to his apartment.  I think about it... and I honestly would like to get to know him more.  So, I agree.  He leads me up and his place is nice—very clean and organized.  It appears to be just a little bigger than mine but he seems to have similar tastes.  He takes off his jacket and sets it on a chair offering me a drink.  I accept a cup of water.  He insists that I make myself at home while he goes to the kitchen.  I step in further and have a seat on his leather couch.  I look around and immediately notice his massive collection of pristine books.  The library's stockpile in Erudite and even the used bookstore don't have near the quality of what he has.  I'm in awe.  He joins my side and hands me a glass. 
"Thank you," I say softly and take a sip. 
"Noticed my collection, I see," he mentions. 
"Yeah," I smile. 
We talk about books—classical stories we like, mysteries, fantasy, romance...  I'm surprised by the latter but I have read a few and enjoyed them.  He gets out a deck of cards and asks me what games I know.  I list off my repertoire and he's seriously impressed. 
"Well, I spent a lot of time in Erudite," I mention.  "Oftentimes, we'd have some down time between patients in the middle of the night and not much to do.  So, the staff taught me."
He grins at that and plays me in several games.  He breaks out a chessboard and I agree to that as well.  My only rival was his friend, Eugene.  He nods and mentions that they'd compete together often in their childhood.  We play a match. When it's close near the end of the game, he does beat me.  I smile at him even though I lost. 
"That was fun," I tell him.  "Definitely the most exciting match I've played."
He smirks in replay. 
"It's getting late.  You want to stay for dinner?" Eric suggests. 
I remember our meals together in the infirmary and it was different having his company.  "Alright.  What are your plans?" I inquire. 
"It's definitely too late to order groceries and cook.  Do you want to order in or we could go out?" he offers. 
I smile at the thought but remember Four is out there and I don't want to cause any trouble.  "Would it be alright if we order in?" I ask. 
"Sure," he nods easily.  "What do you want?" he questions laying out several menus from his end table nearby.  I see a taco place that grabs my attention. 
"I haven't had that since the hospital in Erudite," I mention reaching out for it. 
"Yeah, there are few here and it's rarely served in the cafeteria.  That's like a weekly meal in Erudite," he responds. 
"Right?  Every Tuesday in the hospital, though the takeout was always better," I nod. 
"Alright," he grins.
He lets me choose whatever I want and calls in an order for both of us. We continue to talk easily while we wait. When it arrives, we sit up at his island and continue our conversation over an incredible meal.
"This is the best I've ever had," I tell him.
"Me, too. There's this place in Erudite that's my favorite take out restaurant, though. I haven't had it in years," he mentions.
"Oh? What kind of food does it serve?" I inquire.
"Stir fry, rice balls, fried meat and fish... but it's only take out, not a sit down restaurant," he explains.
"Oh, I've had that before," I tell him excitedly. "I think Eugene ordered it once and everyone else got something. They were nice enough to deliver to the hospital."
"Maybe we should go next Sunday. We'll be there anyway. You mentioned that the lunch isn't typical, right?" he suggests.
"Okay," I agree.
I love that he's making plans to join me at church on Sundays. I really enjoy this. I've never experienced this type of companionship before. It's definitely enticing.
"So... you mentioned you can cook?" I inquire.
"I'm alright. Nothing like this," he mentions about dinner.
"Oh, neither is mine," I shake my head. "I can follow a recipe since I have a few cookbooks but I grew up on plain potatoes and oatmeal so seasoning is still tricky for me."
"How about we plan on making dinner together next week?" he offers.
I grin at the suggestion.
"Alright, you've got yourself a date," I agree excitedly.
He smiles at me and caresses my cheek. I know I flush at the contact but I honestly don't mind. I welcome it. We stare into each other's eyes for a moment and he sighs. He breaks the contact first. We finish our meal and I help him clean up. We sit around on his sofa and talk about friends. He tells me stories of him playing baseball with Eugene growing up. I tell him about his silly pranks in the hospital, like how he coaxed his girlfriend who's a nurse into getting me to help her in the morgue. We walked into the facility and pulled back a sheet to see Eugene there grinning. I screamed and jumped in fear—probably adding to my fear landscape. We're both laughing and joking around after that. After a while, I yawn.
"Tired?" Eric asks pushing a stray hair out of my face.
"Yeah," I admit even though I don't want to leave. "I should probably head home. We both have work in the morning."
"I'll walk you home," Eric offers.
I grin and accept the kind gesture.
We leisurely stroll toward my apartment together. I glance at him and he seems happy. I'll admit, I'm happy too. I really do enjoy his company. He's very kind, easygoing, and a joy to be around. He has a great sense of humor and he's rather playful when it's just the two of us.
We continue to walk through the Pit together and it's surprisingly not too crowded. We separate from the Pit at the intersection to my building and several others. I take the elevator since I'm fairly tired and not up for the stairs right now. We stand side by side in the elevator as it rises. I consider doing something bold and reaching out for his hand but the door opens on my floor and I missed my chance.
"After you," he offers putting his hand in front of the door so it won't close.
I force a smile and step out first. We walk down the hall together and I'm kicking myself metaphorically for not doing anything earlier. We arrive at my apartment. I dig out my keys opening my door before I turn to face him.
"Thanks for spending the day with me," he says softly. "I'm looking forward to next Sunday."
'Forget it,' I tell myself mentally and reach out for his hand lacing our fingers together. He looks surprised at the gesture. I reach up on my toes and kiss his cheek.
"Goodnight," I tell him softly separating from him and rushing into my apartment. I shut the door quickly and I feel like a fool. What if he doesn't like me?
"Goodnight," he replies gently from the other side of my door.
I look through my peephole to see he's grinning and biting his lip. My smile is resplendent. He does like me. I watch as he turns and leaves. I sigh and rest my head on the door. 
I have a date with Eric next week...