Princess Divergent

Chapter 17

Tobias POV:

I don't fall asleep that night. I lay there, in Beatrice's bed, watching her sleep. The way her chest moves up and down and how long it takes her to inhale a single breath. The way she smiles when she thinks of something in her dream. She's beautiful.

Too beautiful to have her heartbroken by me stealing from her. I start fidgeting in the bed. I could just tell her the truth. 'My father is going to kill me if I don't get this money. He's going to kill me anyway. But he won't let me come home without it. Not that I want to go home anyway...'

Ugh. I can't ask her to steal from her family. I will just have to deal with the repercussions. I may never see her again.

"You're crying."

She must've noticed that I was fidgeting because now she's awake with a face full of concern. I didn't notice I was crying.

"I'm fine." I give her a smile, but she doesn't smile back. She furrows her eyebrows and has a very serious look on her face.

"You know it's a crime to lie to royalty. As a princess, it's my job to tell when someone is lying to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I can't really say, but please know that I don't ever intend to hurt you. And I might have to leave for a while."

Beatrice sits up and lays her hand on my chest.

"Tobias, if you're about to do something, tell me now. I don't want secrets between us."

I hold her hand that's placed on my chest.

"I bet you have secrets from me."

There's a long pause. "I don't have secrets. I'm just waiting until a time to tell you."

"Beatrice, please know that I don't ever intend to hurt you."

Beatrice gets up and puts on her robe.

"Where are you going ?"

"I'm going to sleep in the library. You don't want to tell me what's going on and I don't want to be with someone who keeps secrets from me. Until you learn to trust me, I don't want to see you again."

I get up and follow her to the door.

"Beatrice please! You don't understand!"

She shoots me a glare and crosses her arms. I have to find some was to tell her.

"What would you do if someone stole from you...but they had no choice. You don't know if you can trust the person to tell your secret so you steal in order to live?"

Her face softens. She uncrossed her arms and leans against the door.

"That person needs to know that the other person can be trusted. If not, then that person will be crimes with treason and the sentence would be grim..." She thinks for a moment. Her eyes widen.

"Tobias, are you trying to steal from me to save your life ?"

I stay quiet. I don't want to lie to her. She hates that and right now. She's the only one I can trust.

"Tobias. Who's threatening you?" Her voice is dark. I've never heard her talk like this and it's makes me a little shaky.

"My father won't let me come home without that money I got from your parents. I lost it when I was talking to Tris."

She looks off into the distance then looks back at me. She walks up to me and cups her hands on my face.

"You can stay here." She whispers so softly it's almost not there.

"I can't...your parents-"

"Don't worry about my parents. I will take care of them."

She likes me. She likes me enough to let me stay here with her even as poor as I am. She truly cares about me.

And that's enough for me to take her lips with mine. I kiss her hard and she kisses me back. Our lips move in synchronization. It feels like our lips were made for each other and each other only.

She wraps her arms around me and the whole world stops.

(To Be Continued)