Soil & Coal (Divergent Eric fanfiction)

Chapter 10

Chapter ten

"A man who is truly interested
In a woman will find an endless number of
Reasons why he must see her. A man who is just
Playing around-or confused about his feelings-will find an endless number of excuses
Why he didn't show up."

-Charles J. Orlando

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A/N: Don't you think Aaron is devilishly handsome? Too bad his personality doesn't match his handsomeness ;)

By the time Karina was done with the shower, she dried herself off with a clean towel that hung and looked through the clothes that Eric had given to her.

It was one of Eric's gray long sleeve shirt, sweatpants and his boxers. Karina's face grew hotter than before as she held the underwear in hand.

"Eric!"

"Just wear them, I haven't used them anyway."

"Like bloody heck I'm gonna wear your underwear,"

"Well, I just can't run to the clothing store and buy some panties now, can I?" He snorts back.

Karina groaned and dropped the the piece of clothing in her hands, she used both of her hands to cover and face and and shook her head.

"This is just... Ridiculous, I really need to buy my own clothes."

Men really don't understand women.

Karina sighed, dropping her hands and began to dress.

"Well that took you long enough," Eric says, sitting on the couch whilst drinking. He looked over his shoulder and almost choked on his drink to see Karina glowering at him.

She stood by the bathroom door, her hair wasn't tied to her usual braid, it reaches just above her waste, still wet from the shower

She looked so small in his clothes, her arms clutching the old clothes she wore. Her hands look so tiny with the sleeves almost covering her hands including her feet.

"Holy shít," Eric laughs, placing the cup on his coffee table.

"You look so tiny." He doubles over, standing up and stood in front of her small frame. He has to crane his neck in order to look at her properly.

Karina avoided his gaze, still pissed. She grumbles a few words under her breath and made her way towards the couch, Eric has already prepared a blanket and two pillows for her comfort.

She placed her clothes at the bottom side of leather couch and grabs the blanket, spreading it on the couch.

"If you don't mind, I'm hitting off to sleep." She murmurs, arranging the pillows before sliding herself into the covers whilst facing the inside back of the couch.

Her blanket only covered up to the base of her neck, shutting her eyes close and forced herself to doze off into her sleep.

Eric stood there for awhile, staring at the sleeping form, he debated in his mind if he's gonna carry her into his room and let her sleep in his bed whilst he sleeps on the couch or even the floor.

And at that moment he decided that he should wait an hour for her to finally be consumed by a deep sleep.

———————

Karina didn't sleep at all, ever since Eric turned off the lights, her eyes suddenly shot open. Blinking into the darkness, it was pretty cold with the AC even under the thick blankets, she could feel her feet getting colder. She had to rub them against each other in order to make heat, she shifted the covers until she was laying on her back.

Whenever she tries to force herself to sleep, her mind would start to replay the things that she has done, making it more and more harder to fall asleep.

She shifted all over again until she laid on her stomach with her face planted on the pillow. She let out a frustrated groan, shaking her head as another wave of the cold temperature hit her.

For over an hour, she kept on shifting, going into the kitchen and finally sitting on the couch, legs cross and a book in hand. She managed to find a small lamp in a small study table and carried it back to the couch.

She felt contended when she finally held a book in hand, how many days it has been ever since she held one from the school's library.

She inhaled the scent from the pages and let out a sigh before turning in to chapter one.

There were forty chapters on the book and for over an hour, Karina managed to reach Chapter twenty-eight, fast reader she was.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she turns over to another page, she was disturbed when someone cleared their throat.

Karina looked up to see Eric standing behind the couch opposite to her, wearing on this black shirt and sweatpants.

"Can't sleep?," he asks. Karina shook her head in reply.

Eric nodded, making his way towards her and sat down at the other side of couch where she was sitting at.

Karina turned her faced the book in her lap as she resumed on reading, whilst Eric only stayed quiet, stealing glances at the corner of his eye from time to time as Karina turns over another page. His right hand rests on his lap with his index finger tapping.

"You're not going back to sleep?" Karina says, not looking up.

"No." He simply answers.

Tense silence quickly coated, The heel of Eric'a foot kept on tapping against the floor, staring at the darkness in front of him. He did say that he's not gonna offer anymore help which he forgot when he suddenly opened his mouth by the time he saw Karina and four talking.

Now, he regretted it.

A very intimidating guy- filled with tattoos and piercings is sitting next to a small amity who was reading a book, in his place on the middle of the night.

Karina was the first person to have ever visited his apartment or even staying the night in. He wasn't a very good host to entertain guests, all he ever do to other people is shout, orders, and gives them pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

And as he gives them one, he stands back and feels amuse to himself.

Ever since he left erudite, he felt a huge weight was lifted off from his shoulders. His mom and dad giving him looks of disappointment and sadness was washed out by the time he ran towards the train tracks and climbing over the running train.

Never he felt something so dangerous in his life, but there was this one thing he missed a lot when he chose dauntless an leaving...

A girl that he grew to fall in love with.