Prior Rings

Chapter 23: Tris - Reconciliation

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! As I mentioned in my last author's note, this update is Chapter 46 from "Determinant," but from Tris' POV. I'm not going to repeat all of the chapters from "Determinant" like this, but I felt this particular one was needed to transition to the rest of this story. It proved to be a lot of fun to write, though it was a bear to edit because it's so long. If I missed any typos, please let me know. I made a bunch of little changes after Rosalie reviewed it, so I might have introduced some mistakes.

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Chapter 23: Tris – Reconciliation

I'm still in the gathering room, standing near the door, when Tobias comes back from his walk. His gaze catches mine, and abruptly I know that I'm ready to talk to him. I've spent months simultaneously dreading and hoping for this conversation – and imagining all the possible ways it could go. But in this moment I know that regardless of how it turns out, I need to have it now.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk?" I ask him.

His eyes shift briefly to Christina with a curious expression, before he answers. "Yeah." His voice is deep.

He hesitates for just a second before taking my arm, the brush of his fingers sending a tingling feeling all through me. It's the same sensation that I've always felt with him, and I can't help but wonder if he feels it too. He used to, I think.

I'm a little surprised when he leads me to his apartment. Given what happened the last time we were there, I didn't expect him to pick that particular spot, but maybe it's just as well. We can't ignore our history.

He smiles faintly as he gestures for me to enter first, and I do, looking around curiously. It's very different than the last time I was here, when it was packed with items to help Tobias survive after he planned to go factionless.

One thing is still the same, though. The mattress that we slept on that night is still in exactly the same place. He never even got a bedframe for it. I let my eyes linger on it, smiling a little at the memory. Realistically, I'm not sure I would have changed it, either, if this had been my room.

The thought makes me feel a little warmer inside, and I turn back to face him. "How are you, Tobias?" I know it's a loaded question, but we have to start somewhere.

"Okay," he answers in a carefully neutral voice. "Busy."

The words remind me of what Cara said earlier, and I feel that same clenching in my stomach at how well she seems to know him now. Better than I do.

"Cara indicated that," I say, nodding as if it's just a statement of fact. But I watch his reaction, looking for any sign that he feels more than friendship for her despite what Christina thinks. There's nothing there.

Clearing my throat, I add, "She said they had to take you out of the cooking rotation because you were always busy."

He shrugs, contemplating that. "It's getting better. Amar doesn't need as much therapy as he used to." He gives an awkward half-smile. "And I don't, either. It's now just a session a week for each of us."

He hesitates, looking at me, before he adds, "I've been in a support group for people like me... People who were abused as kids, and who have a…temper…now."

There's another pause before he admits, "It's been helpful…. A lot more than I expected."

I nod, watching him. I wasn't sure if he'd talk about his support program yet, since he may or may not know that Christina told me about it. But it's good that he did. We need to be honest with each other if we're going to find a way to live in the same faction again.