Divergent One Shots (Eric & Tris)

Twenty-Six-I'm Sorry 7.2

Tris

Tori walks through the front section of the tattoo parlor toward us and waves to me.  "Did you do one for Eric?" she asks me in shock as she approaches the desk.
"She did," he nods.
"Can I see it?" she questions intrigued.
He shows it to her and she whistles in awe. "That's some good work," she nods in disbelief.
"I think so, too," Eric agrees smirking.
I beam at their flattering remarks.
"I'll see you later," I tell Tori.
"Thanks for all your hard work," she calls out, waving to me again as we step out the parlor.
"It looks like you got blue ink all over your shirt," Eric motions to what I'm wearing.
"Yeah. I should probably change this," I admit.
"Where are you now?" he asks.
"Oh, um... this way," I say motioning to my place. I don't want him to see it. It's kind of a dump and embarrassing. We arrive to my home quickly. It's just around the corner from Tori's shop, next door to her place.
"When did you move here?" Eric asks confused.
"After Will and Christina got married," I shrug.
"Did they take the apartment? I thought I heard that he got a new build," he mentions. He works in the leadership offices so I'm sure they all talk.
"No, they got their own place," I admit. "Do you want to wait out here?" I ask him.
"No," he easily responds.
I sigh and open the door to my meager box of an apartment that I can barely afford. I step in and hold the door open for him. I walk in fully and stride straight to my dresser grabbing a clean shirt and go to my bathroom to change. I step in and attempt to shut the door that doesn't close all the way. I barely have enough room to stand in here since it's so small. I'd replace some things in the apartment if I had the spare points for repairs but as of now, food is a priority. I take my soiled shirt off and put the clean one on. I exit out of the bathroom and toss the dirty shirt in the hamper just outside the door.
I see Eric sitting on my sofa with his back to me. I survey my apartment in an instant—all that he can see. I have a blanket as a slipcover on the couch since it was secondhand and covered in stains that won't come clean—I've tried. I have one other chair and an end table. My kitchen shares the same space. The refrigerator is rusty and the handle held on with duct tape since I can't afford a new one. I'd replace the handle but it's the metal cover to the refrigerator that needs replacing. Also, the fridge works well—it's just cosmetic. The stove is small but functional. The sink is adequate but not attractive. The kitchen area is surrounded by tons of plants that I grow because money being tight is common for me and seeds are cheap. The grow lights were expensive but significantly less than a month worth of meals in the cafeteria and I get more food than that from them for a year. Also, I have no windows.
"Why are you living like an Amity?" Eric asks me.
I shrug. "I like to grow things."
He furrows his brows in response.
"Where's your bedroom? I only see the bathroom and front doors," he questions pointing to both.
"You're sitting in it," I wince.
"You sleep on the sofa?" he asks surprised.
I shake my head and pull the Murphy bed down slightly.
"Why didn't you stay at the other apartment, Tris? We don't even give these to initiates. These are like punishment apartments for those likely to get thrown out," he says confused.
I sigh and shrug.
"I don't make that much and I couldn't afford the double after Christina moved out," I admit playing with the hem of my shirt.
He insists I sit down beside him so I do.
"With your job and skill level you should be making plenty. What's the problem?" he questions.
"I refuse work," I wince.
"Why?" he asks confused.
"I didn't realize the kind of work I'd have to do when I started," I admit.
"What kind of work won't you do?" he says baffled. "You're a hard worker."
I sigh and list off the things I've been asked to do that I'm not comfortable with—the genital piercings, the vulgar tattoos, the demonic ones.
"I don't get it," Eric says shaking his head. "Is it a Stiff thing?" he questions.
"I'm a Christian, Eric. I'm not going to fondle another woman's breasts as I put a tattoo of a tongue on them," I defend.
"That's weird," he admits nodding.
"That's an everyday request," I admit. "Not that exactly, but like half of my requests are nasty. I tell them to come back later for someone else or schedule them with someone willing."
"So, you're making half pay?" he confirms.
I nod guiltily.
"That tip meant a lot to you, didn't it?" he whispers.
"I'll be able to eat more than just lunch in the cafeteria once a day for the next two months," I divulge.
"Why did you choose this job? You were offered leadership," he says bewildered.
"I don't know. It's a long story—definitely not one I could tell while tattooing you," I reply.
"It was Four, wasn't it?" he deduces.
I nod. "I listened to his bad advice. Now, I'm kind of stuck."
"Why didn't you get a different job?" he asks.
"I can do that?" I question.
He closes his eyes and sighs.
"You can switch after your first six months. Did nobody ever tell you this?" he demands.
I shake my head.
"Why didn't you accept leadership?" he questions. "Four's bad advice?"
I nod at that.
"The position is still available," he tells me. "There's nobody in the initiate group we'll even consider except for maybe my sister but I know she's not interested," he tells me.
"Okay," I whisper.
"What was that?" he laughs disbelievingly.
"I'll take the job, though I'm honestly malnourished," I admit.
"I know," he nods sadly. "You've lost a lot of weight."
"I'm having trouble thinking clearly," I tell him.
"Let's get you something to eat," he says.
He rises and pulls me up with him. We walk out in the Pit.
"How long has it been like this?" he asks quietly.
"Just the last couple months have been hard," I tell him.
"None of your friends ever noticed?" he questions.
"They're all married now. Christina and Will have a baby. Uriah and Marlene are expecting. Lynn and Gabe just got married," I tell him.
"Zeke and Shauna are planning their wedding now," he nods. "Everyone's busy."
There's a moment of silence between us.
"What about Four?" he asks.
"He is a long story," I sigh.
We arrive at a cafe in the Pit. I motion to the tables outside but Eric insists we go in. He has us sit in a corner booth and lets me select anything I want. It's kind of private here and it's nice. The soup and half sandwich I ordered arrives along with two cups of coffee and some sort of toasted sandwich for him.
"I didn't order that," I tell him motioning to the coffee.
"But I did," he smiles. A smile looks good on him.
"So... lately has been tight. Why?" he asks.
"Christina had me as her maid of honor with the others as bridesmaids," I explain. "I bought the dress for hers. It was expensive and made things hard at first when she moved out. Then, Marlene had me in her wedding—another expensive dress. I decided just to buy a sewing machine and supplies since it was cheaper. After that, Lynn of all people wanted an extravagant wedding. Her dresses were so expensive and I copied the style but it still was more than I could afford."
"So, you spent your money for meals on a dress for a one-time wear?" he asks. I nod.
"I sold all of them at the secondhand store but didn't get near what I spent on the fabric for them—let alone the time it took me to make them," I elaborate.
"Your pay will be fine now. I'll have to discuss with leadership about getting you up to where you ought to be physically. We may have to do that before we introduce you," he admits.
I nod in understanding.
"We'll bump you up to three meals a day in the cafeteria. I don't want you having to worry about food," he says.
I smile sadly at him unable to meet his eyes.
I feel a gentle caress to my cheek and he turns my face to meet his eyes. I feel him wipe a tear away.
"You'll be alright. I'll make sure of it. You're my responsibility now," he tells me.
"Okay," I whisper softly.
"Eat. I want you better as soon as possible," he insists with a smile.
I start on my food and it's so delicious. I'm not used to eating so well outside of lunch and this is so much better than the cafeteria food. I'm also not used to eating this much. I reach for the cup of coffee and sip it. It's incredible—one of those that are definitely more than five points.
"So... Four?" he questions.
I meet his eyes again and I tell him all about how we just didn't get along—we always bickered and argued. I hated that. He was always telling me what to do, commenting about my weaknesses. He never let me make my own choices... I look up to meet his eyes to see he's watching me intently. "After Jeanine's arrest, we had an argument about you and we broke up."
"What about me?" he questions.
I sigh irritatedly—not at Eric but having to admit some nasty things Four said about him. "He believed you were one of her conspirators. He kept insisting that you were the reason for his trainer's death in your initiation," I divulge. "I told him I didn't believe that. I said you were the one to capture her. If you had anything to do with her, then Candor would've known," I divulge.
He nods in understanding.
"That's weird that he thinks I'm responsible for Amar's death. He committed suicide during our initiation," he tells me.
"What about the rest?" I ask.
"I worked with her undercover to get information for her arrest," he says. "Technically, I stood by while Divergent were getting hurt so I could save them later. I did so."
"What do you think about Divergence now?" I ask.
"They're the reason for us being here," he tells me. "We've partnered with Abnegation. I've seen the recordings from the founding fathers. They're the purpose, the intended plan for the city."
"Do you know any?" I ask softly.
He sighs, "A few but not many here."
I nod not ready to admit it to him. It's my entire purpose for the suffering I've endured the last three years—to be in hiding. I'm not quite ready to part with that secret just yet.
"If you and Four aren't together, why haven't you dated anyone else?" he asks me. 
"Who says I haven't?" I ask raising my eyebrow skeptically. 
"I do.  I've never seen you with anyone else," he replies. 
"Fair enough," I nod.  "No, I haven't.  I don't know.  A few guys have asked me out.  I just was never interested in them."
"Like who?" he questions nonchalantly but I can tell by the way he firmly grasps his cup this somehow bothers him. 
"Peter Hayes," I admit. 
"What's wrong with Hayes?" he questions feigning disinterest. 
"Um... everything," I say deadpan. 
He motions for me to elaborate. 
"He made my initiation miserable," I tell him.  He wants details so I list off ones from the top of my head—constantly mocking me, shoving me off the train, ripping my towel off of me, reading the article about my parents in front of everyone, and groping me under my shirt as he kidnapped me and had Drew and Al hold me down.  "Oh, and holding me by the throat over the Chasm," I tell him. 
He looks horrified.  "Why didn't you tell me any of this at the time?"
"I don't know.  I had Four whispering in my ear that you were the bad guy.  I guess I didn't trust you," I shrug. 
"Was Four aware of this?" he asks. 
"He saved me from falling into the Chasm," I shrug.  "The rest, I don't know."
"Maybe he shouldn't be handling my initiates," he responds. 
"He's constantly all about conspiracy theories.  I try to generally stay away from him but he's always bothering me—sitting with me at lunch and visiting me at work," I explain. "I guess I talk to him sometimes because he's the only friend that makes time for me."
"I thought you two were together," he admits.
"He is kind of clingy. He still asks me out all the time," I admit.
"So... nobody else?" he asks.
I look up to see his eyes on me.
"Nope. Some guys I don't even know asked me out at the weddings. I turned them down because they never approached me any other times and I wasn't interested. Before that... I can't remember. Nobody ever wanted to get to know me and take the time," I say sipping my coffee.
"What about me?" Eric asks.
"What about you?" I question.
"Do I get a chance?" he inquires.
I laugh disbelievingly at him. He's looking at me as if he's serious.
"I'm not like one of your girls, Eric," I say rolling my eyes.
"Oh, you mean the rumors?" he asks nodding.
"Yes," I respond.
"Have you ever seen me with any of those girls?" he questions.
"I don't know. I never paid attention," I shrug.
He purses his lips and nods.
"Alright then," he replies. "Come up to my office with me."
"Okay," I say dragging out my response.
I was finished anyway. We rise and I follow him upstairs. He puts his hand at my waist the way Four used to... well, and still tries. It's actually pretty nice but I'm nothing like the girls he dates. I can't believe he's actually interested in me. That doesn't make this awkward at all...