Star-gazing: Eric Coulter

Chapter 8

TW: swearing, violence, intoxication

Song: Earned it
Artist: The weeknd

Layla's pov:

"You ready to see the initiates batter each other today?" I asked Eric with a huge grin on my face, as I held my mug of straight, black coffee in my ice-cold hands. Our apartment was freezing due to Eric putting the air conditioning on and essentially breaking it earlier; after a phone call with Jeanine about coming to Dauntless and not having all the equipment she asked for. He gave me a look that made me instantly start to laugh. "See, you are too!" I giggled, setting the mug on the kitchen table and grabbing my crutches, then helping myself up. He just rolled his eyes, unsatisfied that he'd been woken up by Max in the middle of the night regarding Jeanine.

Eric held the door open for me (just outside our apartment) as we made our way down to the training room. "You don't have to come to work, you know that right? You don't have to face Four today." My husband told me, gritting his teeth as he said his (sworn) enemies' name. I just rolled my eyes. Eric knew that I had to get back to work soon- I couldn't just stay at home all day, it would be looked down upon by the rest of the faction. I would also hate myself for becoming a stay-at-home wife —although there is nothing wrong with it— I just prefer to be out there leading the faction.
"I'll have to do it eventually. Just have my back if I try to kill him." I said, half joking.
I smiled bleakly at Eric as we reached the stair case. "Help me down?" I asked, motioning to my leg. He nodded and picked me up (his grip on my ribs) and threw me over his shoulder. I felt like a child. I felt the blood rush to my head as he turned me upside down.
"Zeke will be forcing you to go to that party of his tonight." Eric started grumbling again, I playfully rolled my eyes as he put me back down on the floor, "Do you really think that will be a good idea? You're still recovering."

I knew Eric had a good intention, but sometimes he was just too overprotective. "Eric, I've been stuck in the apartment since forever! I need some freedom." I pouted.
He crossed his arms and stopped walking. I was confused: what was he doing? Was he thinking?
"Yes, because you're obviously Rapunzel. Who has been trapped in our apartment her entire life by me, the evil mother." I burst out laughing at his random outburst; I start laughing even more when he pretends to flip his hair back.
"Didn't think you'd know so much about an ancient princess tale." I shoot back, amused by this.
"Don't tell anyone about that." He quickly mutters, pointing his finger at me as we start to pass people in the hallway again.
I chuckle, following my Mr Coulter into the training room where Four had just entered with Zeke. I sighed, leaning most of my body weight onto my crutches. "I'll kill him... both of them. All of them." Eric mumbled, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
"I think Max might have something to say about that, sweetheart." I follow on. He gives me another one of his famous eye-rolls at my nickname (one of many that I use on the daily basis) for him and then shifts over to the fight-boards. I watch him choose the pairs for the final part of stage one that has been prolonged for so long. I wonder which initiate we are going to loose today?

After a little while of tension between the four of us in the open, empty, vast space of the training room, Zeke approaches Eric and I.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Eric protectively reach for his gun but I stop him. "Zeke's okay, remember?" I remind him, "He's neutral. He's not on any side." I lied, he was probably on Fours' side, because they had been best friends for the longest time ever.
Zeke scoffed at Eric's action, "Aren't we all on the same side? Dauntless." He questioned, glaring at Eric.
I rolled my eyes, "Of course, but it got a bit hard to trust someone after they sabotaged my mission and lost over half of my team!" I accidentally snapped at Zeke- it wasn't his fault any of this had happened. "I'm sorry, it's just hard. I've known most of my team since initiation and some before that." I told him, he nodded and looked down.
"We will find them, Layla. I promise. Someone will at least. You know damn well that we have undercover dauntless members in all of the known factionless bases." He says, placing a hand on my shoulder before Eric sends him a look to take it off— which he reluctantly does. "Anyway, some positive news for once: Are you two going to my party in the pit tonight?" He asks, a toothy-smirk replacing the sorrowful look on his face.
"Maybe Zeke." I answer but then Eric interrupts our conversation with a directed 'cough'. I roll my eyes, "I'll see you tonight." He nods as the initiates wander in, all nervous to whether they'll pass or not.
I glance over to Eric, he's stood with his arms crossed against his chest. "What's got you in such a grumpy mood since what...? Five fucking minutes ago?" I asked Eric, nudging my elbow into his rib cage making him let out a small grunt.
"Fucking Zeke." He mumbled in my ear.