Lost

24

Tobias POV
I stare down at Tris.
I feel a bit stalker-ish watching her while she sleeps, but I suppose it doesn't count since Christina asked me to watch her.
Her head tosses to the side and she grunts, thorwing her bare arms above her head. I notice redness covering those arms. I peer closer- and then I realize what they are. Burns. I know because Zeke had one come in from a mission with a stove burn-and that is a stove burn. With my ghost-like fingertips, I let my fingers explore her arm, fell in the roughness the burns had inflicted on her skin. She turns, causing me to withdraw my hand, and instead, I fall into the chair nearby. Al- or her brother- had burned her.
Her soft beautiful skin has a scar on it-were there others? Like I have? What other pain had they inflicted on her?
I just want to wrap my hands around Al's neck and squeeze hard enough so that-
And then her eyes flick open.
She turns her head, and spots me in her vision. She smiles, and then frowns, bringing her arms into the covers. She feared I would see them. Which I did.
"Hey" I say.
She smiles once again, "Hello"
There's a few seconds of awkward silence, and ten we both open our mouth to say something.
"Can you-"
"How'd you-"
Then we both, at the same time, say, "You first"
She giggles, "You first"'
I nod, "I was just going to ask how you slept"
"Pretty good. I feel a lot better. But now, I'm cold, can you pass me that sweater?"
I hold up the sweater she points to.
"Yeah, that one"
I smile- it's the sweater I just took off minutes ago. I give it to her, and she places the sweater on.
Once it is, I chuckle.
"What?" she asks.
"Nothing. It looks better on you than me" I smile.
"Oh. Sorry. Do you want it-"
"No" I say, as se tries to take it off, "It looks beautiful on you"
Blush creeps up on her cheeks, and she smiles.
"Is there any soup?"
"I don't know, I'll check" I say.
"Let me come" she says, hopping onto her feet.
"To the kitchen.....?"
"Yeah"
"Okay" I say, searching through the small cabinet pantry, and then, "Nope" I say.
"No soup"
I place my hands on the counter, and look to my right. Her purse. Tris' purse.
I shake my head.
I can't take it.
Not when we've had so much trust in one another. She would never ever forgive me.
"Okay. Can you get me something?" she asks, "Actually, hand me the phone. I'll order room service"
I internally sigh, because I didn't want to buy her things with her money. Money I could so easily grasp.
Suddenly, her phone rings. She picks it up, and presses it to her ear.
"Hello?....Oh, hi Al"
Just his name wants me to smash my fist into his face.
"Yeah.....Oh, no I forgot....you want me to do it now?......I'm a little busy.....you know, I got my heatstroke again......Can I do it later? Why can't you do it?....."
You can hear yelling through the phone, and she winces, and walks to the bathroom, to carry out the conversation.
I can still hear portions of it.
Tris POV
"Why can't I do it, Tris? Are you really asking me this question?" Al taunts, his voice infuriated on the other side.
"You have money, use it"
"Tris, I care for you, I give you all my love" he assures me, "I provide for you, you have to give back. That's how a relationship works, Tris"
"I don't think so" I say, resting my palm on the bathroom wall, "Drugs aren't good for you anyways, Al"
"You better not be in a public place" he mutters.
"I'm in our hotel room" I lie, "And I'm not getting your stupid drugs"
"I need them"
"No you don't. Stop lying. Our relationship can be better if you stop being my brother and start being the man I fell in love with"
"I am the man you fell in love with! Are you telling me you don't love me anymore?"
"I ....." I sigh, "Al, This isn't love. It can't be"
"I don't know what you're talking about! I love you"
"You neglect me, and tell me I'm horrible"
"Why are you accusing me of such things? I would never do that, Tris"
Tears spill out of my eyes, and I bang on the wall, "God damn it, Al! Don't you even understand? I don't love you"
After a beat of silence, he mutters, "Is it that boy?"
"No" I say immediately, wondering if it's a lie or not, "Al. You've done some things-"
"I can make you love me"
"That sounds horrible"
He shouts, "Don't you understand-"
"No, Al. You don't understand. I have burns on my arm, bruises on my legs, and cuts on my back. I think we need a break"
He is quiet after that. I know that this will definitely earn me pain, but I can't help but have the adrenaline pulsing through my veins. Christina was right. I did need to stand up to him.
"You don't want to do this"
"I think I do"
And then I hang up. I sigh and lean against the wall, pressing the phone to my chest. I did it.
I broke up with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I walk out Tobias is sitting in the bed, hunched over, with his elbows on his knees.
"You know your knuckles are bleeding, right?"
I look down at my clenched fists, noticing the blood trickling down from it.
"Oh. I just-you know, punched the sink?"
"What did the sink ever do to you?"
I chuckle a bit, and go for the paper towels, but he cuts me off and gets them for me.
"Just sit down. I'll get 'em for you"
I do.
When he squats in front of me, he takes my hand in his. It feels like the old times. The things I missed. Smiling. Giggling. That feeling in my stomach when he would kiss my cheek or temple or forehead.
He dabs my bleeding knuckles gently with his wet cloth.
"So, I'm going to assume something bad happened"
"Yeah"
"Sometimes it helps to talk about it"
"Well. I just....don't want you to judge me"
I won't tell him about how Al hurt me, but I'll tell him other things.
"You? Tris. I would never judge you"
"Well....Al is on drugs" I say truthfully.
"Oh. That's....not good"
"Yeah. He just goes insane sometimes and it's dangerous to be around him when he does"
"Has he ever....,hurt you?"
I can't lie....I mean, I can, but I won't.
I just nod.
"Well, you're better off without him, in my opinion"
I smile, "I haven't been really feeling the love in our relationship for a while"
"When did you two get together?"
"I was twenty-one" I say.
"Wow. That's a long relationship"
"Well, it hasn't been good for at least three years"
"Oh"
"Yeah"
There's a brief silence between us.
"Well, your knuckles are all better" he says.
I smile, "Thank you"
"Well, I have to-"
"Go?"
"Yeah"
"Do you have to?"
"Not really"
"Can you....help me move my stuff?"
TOBIAS POV
I smiled sadly at her before answering, "Of course"
"Let me call the hotel, first. For a new hotel room. Christina doesn't want me here" she says, pulling out her phone. We start to exit the room. We stand outside the hotel room. I lean against me wall, my back to it. Tris does the same. I just want....wrap my arm around her. Her perfect shoulders. Play with her perfect hair.
I do. I wrap my arm around her, touching her again. She doesn't flinch or back away, and I smile.
Suddenly, the elevator dings and opens.
And Uriah, Zeke's brother stands there, and when he spots us, his jaw drops.
Oh dear.
This is going to take some explaining.