Ordinary Acts of Bravery [A Divergent Fanfic]

Chapter 34 - I made you a promise

"I love you—that means I'm not just here for the pretty parts, I'm here no matter what."

Eric grabbed my hand openly, dragging me out of the dining hall once everyone had decided on which job they wanted to move into. They had even decided who would share the double apartments. Roxy and Luke, the twins and two other dauntless initiates, Solomon and Hunter, had taken the double apartments.

I understood that he didn't care about who saw us anymore. I wasn't an initiate any longer, but I still feared what Max would say, though him finding out would be unavoidable but I still wanted to delay for as long as possible. "Eric, what if—" But I wasn't allowed to finish the question before I was pushed up against the wall.

We hadn't gotten that far from the dining hall, and there were people passing but Eric didn't care at all. He cupped my face, bringing it up to his before claiming my lips. I melted against him and moved my arms over his before up and around his neck. Eric laughed and pressed his body harder against me.

"Stop it you!" I groaned when he began trailing kisses down my neck. There were clear desire and Eric groaned when he relented. It made me laugh. Eric frowned when he leveled his head with mine. "Not here—we're exposed here." I tried not to snap at him, but it came out a little snappy.

Eric retracted with a loud groan as his hand grasped mine, fingers entwining before he pulled me with him down the hall. He guided me through the hallways, taking turns somewhat familiar to me. It took a while before I realized where we were heading. When we turned down the hallway to the leader's apartments, my stomach tightened with anticipation.

It wasn't exactly what I had meant by after graduation, but the desire for me he had showed in the hallway had only turned me on. But Eric pulled me past his apartment to the door after it. "This will be yours from now on." Eric reached into his pocket and drew out a set of keys that wasn't his own.

"Mine?" My brows furrowed and I pointed to my chest. Eric laughed and nodded. "Some perks huh, not bad being a trainee leader." I laughed when he opened the door. Eric stepped aside, allowing me to enter first. There was a thick layer of dust on everything, and the air was addled with it.

"There haven't been anyone living here since I replaced Sol last year." Eric coughed and went directly for the windows. It was a complete match to his. The dust crunched beneath his feet when he stepped over the floor. The uprooted dust burned my nose and I had to cover it to breathe.

Eric pushed a window open to let in fresh air. It helped a little. "What happens to the elders that retire?" I asked because I had realized there wasn't any old people here at Dauntless. I had wondered about it ever since m
Max had said that Grayson would be retiring. Eric tensed, slowly turning back to me. There was a pained expression on his face.

"When you reach a certain age here, you will no longer be able to perform as you should and therefore the old people leave Dauntless." Eric explained. There was a hint of sorrow in his eyes, it flashed briefly before they hardened. They had locked on another figure behind me. I spun around, but only found Abby leaned against the doorframe.