The Way I Loved You | Tobias Eaton

twenty-three

I laid on my back, staring up at what would've been the ceiling of the room wasn't plagued in darkness.

The sound of snoring and the occasional soft rustle of sheets as my bunk mates shifted in their sleep hit my ears.

As desperate for sleep as I was, it never claimed me, the lingering paranoia from the note that I had found still lingering at the back of my mind no matter how hard I try to not think about it.

The temptation of going straight to Tobias was stark, but I forced myself to stay put, not wanting to be the kind of person to go running to her boyfriend at the slightest sign of trouble.

As much as I hate to admit it, I may be a little out of my depth here.

For most of my life, I had been sheltered by two doting parents, a guy who would do anything for me and a mundane, but safe life in Abnegation. But now, it was time for me to get used to my newfound independence.

Time ticks by at what feels like a snail's pace. And the later it gets, the more my anxiety seems to fester.

Even though I promised myself I wouldn't go running to Tobias at every inconvenience, the uneasiness eventually gets too much and I throw my thin blanket off of myself and slip my feet into my socks and boots.

Pulling a long-sleeved shirt over my tank top, I shiver as the late-night air hits my skin the moment I step out of the dorms and cross my arms over my chest to shield away the cold.

The hallways are dark and silent, reminding me of something right out of a horror movie. I just hoped I wouldn't stumble across a pair of twin girls holding hands and asking me to play with them.

I take a tentative step forward before deciding that it might be best to just get this over with. If I moved quickly enough, I'd be at Tobias's apartment before I even knew it.

My footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. It's so quiet that I can hear laughter sifting from the Pit, where Dauntless members like to sit and crack a bottle sometimes.

The sound is comforting tonight, though. It reminded me that I wasn't alone...but then again, maybe that wasn't always such a good thing.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, a black sack falls over my head, cutting off my vision, and as the opening tightens around my neck, my vision is soon not the only thing it was depriving me of.

My lungs burned for air as I struggled against my attacker, lashing out wildly with my hands and feet.

A groan- male, by the sound of it- sounds from beside my ear when my fist connects with my assailant's jaw with a loud crack. The distraction causes him to loosen his hold on the sack just enough for me to stick my smarting hand through the gap, preventing him from using it to suffocate me with it again.

"Fucking bitch." I tried to identify the voice, but it was too breathless from exertion and marred by anger for me to recognise it.

Shoving my other hand through into the opening of the bag, I use my arms to pull the whole wider until light starts to filter through and I let my body fall to the ground.

My head slips free of the sack and I don't even bother to look back, immediately pushing to my feet and taking off down the hallway.

I know it would've been more useful to try and catch a glimpse of my attacker's face, but I didn't want to risk being caught again.

The nightly runs and training with Tobias must've been paying off because soon, I find myself in front of his door.

I lift my fist to pound on the closed door, but it swings open before I even get the chance. And the moment my eyes landed on Tobias's face, I was flinging myself into his arms.

"Fal? What wrong? Did something happen?" He asks in a rush of concern.

The adrenaline rushing through me must've been quickly fading, and I find myself in a sobbing heap in Tobias's arm.

Tobias carries me into his apartment, kicking the door close behind him and settles us into the plush armchair I've grown to love with me in his lap.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here now," He whispers, combing his fingers through my hair soothingly. "Fal, please talk to me." His breath tickles my face and he lets lot an almost tortured grunt as he tightens his arms around me and pleads, "Baby, at least let me look at you. Please."

Slowly, I pull back from where my face had been buried in the crook of his shoulder and Tobias's eyes immediately fall to my neck.

I'm not sure how it looks, but it must've at least been red from the trauma.

His eyes darkened in anger and he held my face in his hands, making me meet his eyes. "Tell me what happened," He demands, "Now, Fal."

Taking a deep breath, words started pouring out of me so quickly that I wasn't even sure if they made any sense. But judging by the way Tobias' shoulders stiffened with every word I uttered, I would say he understood me just fine.

The moment I finished recounting the incident to him, Tobias pulled me to his chest in a crushing hug and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Then, rising to his feet, he hoists me up in his arms and sets me down on his bed.

"Stay here, okay?" He gently smoothes my hair out of my face and I grab onto his large hand desperately.

"W-where are you going? Please don't leave me."

His jaw tightens at my words like it pains him to hear them. "I'm just going to get Zeke, and I'll be back before you know it," Tobias explains, "I'm never leaving you again, Fal," He mutters before he swoops down to claim my lips, the gesture feeling like a seal to a promise.