Call Me Six

42: 'Midnight' -Tris

TRIS-

Once again, the comforting warmth surrounded me as light broke through the thin blinds. He's here; and I love it.

If you told me this time last year that I'd be waking up next to Tobias Eaton, I'd have probably slapped you around the face. When he first left, not once did I think of chasing after him, trying to fix the mess he created. But apparently the universe had different plans when Caleb and Cara married - moving us to a new town; a new school; to Tobias.

We were at his house. I liked it... Being alone with him. It felt right, it felt like it did back when I first fell in love.

He's snoring softly, his breath tickling my ear.

All too suddenly my peace was disturbed. "Tobias!" A voice called from downstairs and two sets of feet came charging up.

He doesn't stir. The boy beside me just continues to snore.

"Come on lazy ass we're going out!" The second voice shouted and I knew they were near.

The footsteps grew louder as they neared the door. They were accompanied by mixed laughter and cries off, "You stood on my toe!"

Tobias still slept.

And the door swung open. Emitting a loud bang as it bounced off the wall and cheers of, "Wake the hell up!" were cackled by the intruders. Zeke and Uriah.

I shot up, out of bed, in the process accidentally kicking Tobias awake.

"Tris?" The Pedrads muttered in tune.

"What the fuck are you two doing here?!"

It was Zeke who spoke first. "I was just about to ask you the same question, but judging by your current state of nudity, I'm gonna assume you were doing the dirty with our good old friend, Tobster, here." He smirked and Uriah snickered.

Immature, idiots.

"Tobster?" It was by far one of the most peculiar nicknames they'd given him.

"Tobster," Zeke repeated with a nod of his head. "Like lobster, but with a 'T'."

A muffled grunt could be heard from Tobias' direction. He was ever so slowly rejoining us in reality.

I dropped the sheet, and both of them looked like their eyes were about to pop out their skulls. "I'll have you know I'm wearing underwear, thank you very much," I said and continued to stand there as they gawped. How rude.

And then suddenly I was falling, or being crushed more to the point. For the boy who was sleeping mere seconds ago has leapt up from the bed, gathered the remainder of the sheets, and was trying desperately to drown me in the white cotton. "Stop staring, assholes," the words came tumbling out of his mouth as we tumbled to the floor. "Zeke you have a girlfriend and Uriah just... Back off!"

"Tobias," I huffed, finally freeing my head from the fabric as we sat on the wooden floor in tangles. "What's your problem?"

"I- I just don't want them to see you like that..." He mumbled, barely loud enough to hear even when we were face to face. His hands were still messing with the sheets, pulling them up and over my shoulders, covering every bare patch of skin bellow my neck. "I don't want them to see you like this."

"Like this?" I questioned. "You don't want them to see me in my underwear?" He nodded slightly as an answer. "Tobias, they've both seen me in a lot less than a bra and knickers-"

"I know, and that's why it's weird," he cut me off and held the sheet in place, my arms unable to move. "My best friends have seen my girlfriend naked... It's odd."

There something about that one words that sets my nerves on fire. A love, hate relationship with that one word.

"Tobias," I said, looking him dead in the eyes, "I'm not your girlfriend."

Slowly, I got up, still keeping the sheets around me as I gathered my clothes and left the room. Shouting could be heard as I left. I threw on the pair of leggings and a hoodie in the downstairs bathroom before leaving as the shouting continued.

~

There's three minutes. Three minutes until midnight.

And here I am, home alone, tenderly nursing a half-empty beer can when there's a tapping at my widow. I pull the curtain back but nothing's there. Or at least I think there's nothing until a snowball explodes against the glass.

Out of annoyance, I throw the window open. "Stupid kids!" I scream into the night sky. "Go terrorise another... House." It isn't the street kids, it's him, in his full and wonderfully glorious form.

"Miss Prior," he shouts up from the garden. "It's almost midnight. And I intend to start the new year as I wish to continue." I can see his breath forming in the cold night air as he speaks. "I love you, Tris. I really do. And I know one should never merely assume that they can put a claim on such beauty as yourself so I see it only fit to ask: will you be my girlfriend? Please?

"And anyway, You know I'm a sucker for traditions and midnight is upon us so how about a kiss whilst we're on the relationships topic?"

I couldn't move... I couldn't even breathe. He just continued to stand there though, staring up at me with those beautiful eyes in the dark.

His face fell and he turned away, kicking at the snow with each miserable step.

It's like an urge takes over. I run through the house and out into the cold in nothing but a thin t-shirt, shorts and fuzzy socks. I don't even close the door as I leap out into the back yard. The instincts take charge and I run to him, not giving a damn that I most likely look insane.

I could feel the icy tears streaming down my cheeks, the goose bumps crawling up my legs. But they vanished when he held me. I was consumed by the warmth and lust as our lips met and fireworks roared in the night sky.

"I love you, Tobias. Please don't ever think otherwise."

"So is that a yes?"

"It's a yes."

At some point, he wrapped his coat around me, shielding me from the cold.

"So if I asked you to marry me?" he said, emitting a soft laugh.

"Baby steps, Tobias. Baby steps." I hummed and continued to bathe in the warmth as we kissed, moulding together perfectly with every touch.

"We really should get you inside, Tris. Before you freeze," he said, resting his forehead on my own. A soft laugh escaped him as he looked down at my feet. "Your socks are all soggy." Apparently he wasn't bother to wait for a reply because within a few heartbeats he had scooped me up off the floor and was carrying me bridal style into the house.

"I love you," I murmured between kisses as I grazed my lips up and down his neck. "More than you know."

Carelessly, he kicked his shoes off at the door and proceeded upstairs.

"I love you, Tobias... Like plants love the sun."

"You need to work on your smiles, Tris," his voice was raspy, he gulped as I pressed another kiss to his jaw. "They're rather dreadfull... Especially that one."

He put me down on me bed and placed a kiss to my forehead. Slowly, he took each soggy sock off and spread them out on my heater to dry before wrapping me up in the blanket that lay by the window. "You're freezing," he commented and went to shut the window and draw the curtains once more. "I'll run you a bath to warm you up."

"Or... I have a better idea."