Inextricable: A Divergent FanFiction (Book Three) ©

Chapter 11

With her gaze locked on me, I watched as the girl's lower lip trembled, and a second later the tears she'd been holding in spilled down her cheeks. They were unending, but even so her eyes only continued to burn with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but found myself momentarily speechless. Of its own accord, my heart had begun to hammer in my chest, a frantic tempo, and adrenaline was running throughout my body like living electricity. More than anything, I wanted to move, to be by her side, to comfort her.

The girl dropped the bag she'd been carrying, quickly taking three steps forward before her body tensed. I could've almost sworn she'd been about to run to me, ready to leap into my arms before she'd stopped herself. But that couldn't be right; obviously it had to be a trick of the mind.

"Hey?" I said, suddenly wondering if maybe this wasn't actually my visitor, but a stranger who'd picked the wrong room. I couldn't even ask Iris or Felix since they'd quickly slipped out of the room. "I'm Sage."

Her eyes widened as if in disbelief, and she opened her mouth to respond, but then appeared to change her mind. When she finally did speak after what felt like an eternity, it was but two words.

"I know."

Then before I could even react, she'd rushed forward, throwing her arms around my neck. For a fraction of a second, I just sat there, letting my hands hang limply by my side. She'd caught me off guard. However, even before my surprise had worn off, I found myself hugging her back; instincts screaming at me to get rid of any distance between us. As her hair skimmed my nose, I caught her scent; clean, vaguely flowery, with undertones of earth.

After what had happened with Ally maybe I should've reacted differently, been wary or suspicious of this strange new girl, but I found that I couldn't muster up even the slightest hint of distrust. There weren't any words exchanged between us, all we could do was hold each other. She wrapped me in her arms so fiercely; her affection seemed to seep into my very bones, infusing me with a shot of bliss.

Our embrace was intimate, and not only in the physical sense, but because when our skin touched it felt as if our souls weren't just meeting, but reuniting. I tried not to hug her too hard, but I couldn't seem to help myself, and apparently neither could she. Wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world seemed to fade away, leaving me with only the sound of her breathing, and my own thundering heart.

"Who are you?" I found myself murmuring into her ear; my voice sounding strangely mournful. Not knowing who she was, it actually pained me. How is it that you make me feel this way?

She didn't respond, instead clinging harder to me, burrowing her face in my neck as if to hide from the world. I could feel her tears seeping through my hospital shirt, and in turn I found myself reaching a hand to gently brush her hair. In that moment, I guess I didn't care, I just wanted her close; needed her as simply and clearly as a heart needed blood to beat.

I don't know how long we stayed that way, but the moment she tried to pull away, I found my chest seizing with genuine dismay. I'd been holding onto her with all the afflictions of a man torn by new emotions he didn't know what to do with. I was unwilling to relinquish her.

Reluctantly, I did eventually let go when I realized I might be hurting her. She didn't move away though, only straightened and again wiped at her face. Her tears had ebbed, but I could still feel the damp spot they'd left on my shoulder.

"You're alive, you're really alive," she said breathlessly. "I-I'm so sorry. Sage, you don't know how sorry I am."

"It's fine, really," I answered, assuming she had to be referring to the reaction she'd had upon seeing me. Perhaps she even feared she'd caused further injury to my wound. "Cut's healing well, so no damage done. Plus, I love hugs."