The Iron Soldier: A FourTris Divergent Story

Chapter 4

Christina isn't home yet when I rush through the door. She's lucky. Even though everything turned out ok, I still wanted to kill her. I can only imagine what a great time she's having with Will. If they had reservations for dinner, assuming they stayed local, that meant they went to one of two places. Both of which are exquisite.

I'm reminded of my drive thru meal. It makes me smile. It may not have been as fancy as Christina's dinner, but I very much enjoyed it. Especially with the company I kept. I'm not entirely sure what it is about this guy, but I can't get him out of my mind. Specifically his smile.

I shake me head to pull myself out of the self inflicted trance I'd put myself in. Don't think like that. I can't afford any distractions this close to graduation.

I'm dripping wet again, and a shower and some dry clothes become my first priority. Then I can sit and figure out what to write my article about. That's right, think about the article.

The warm water of the shower is just what I need. I let the water rinse away and stray thoughts, before drying off and slipping on a pair of blue lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt. I tie my hair back into a sloppy bun and settle onto my bed with a notebook.

Several ideas pop into my head, just to be scribbled out moments later. By the time Christina gets home, I have three pages of scribbles that are so horrific, they look more like a two year old's doodles than a college student's brainstorm. I sigh loudly, and decide to go give Christina a piece of my mind.

In the small kitchenette, we have a small stove and fridge, set in between a long counter top. Across from that is a two person breakfast bar that separates the main living area. A tin foil Swan, full of Christina's leftovers, sits staring at me from the far side of the room, but my friend is no where to be found.

The water in the bathroom turns on and I know she's in the shower. I swipe her duck off the counter and put it in the fridge. I'll give her a few minutes to get dried off before I kill her. I decide to return to my room to wait.

About ten minutes later, Christina barges into my room and plops herself down beside me on the bed. Her eyes are wide with excitement. "So, how was your evening with Al?"

I look at her laying there, so damned enthusiastic. Does she really have no idea how angry I am? "I swear, if you ever do that to me again, I'll find myself a new roommate."

She's taken aback. "Was it really that bad?"

"You know I hate being the center of attention. I didn't want to go in the first place, and then you ditch me with a dead phone and an empty wallet."

Christina's mouth pulls back on one side. "Oh, I forgot about the bill. But Al is loaded. I'm sure he didn't mind paying for a few drinks."

I roll my eyes at her. "You know I don't let guys pay my bills. I don't even like it on official dates."

"I know. I'm sorry." She looks defeated. "Other than that did you have a good time? Al is pretty great isn't he?"

"I'm not sure. We didn't spend much time together. About a half hour after you and Will abandoned me, he got a phone call and had to leave."

"What?"

"I don't know what happened, but he was all flustered. So I was left alone at the bar. With a dead phone, an unpaid check, no ride and a bouquet of roses the size of one of the seven dwarfs."

Christina burst out laughing, but abruptly stopped when she notices my serious face. "I told you before you should get a credit card in case of emergencies."

"Yeah, but the emergencies you were talking about are known by everyone else on this planet as shopping sprees."

"I am so sorry Tris. What did you do?"

"I got lucky. The bartender took pity on me. He paid the tab and gave me a ride home." Christina was lucky enough I hadn't strangled her. I wasn't about to reward her with details.

Her face scrunched up. "Which bartender?"

"The tall one." With the dreamy eyes. I smiled.

Christina jumped to a sitting position. "You mean the really hot one with the huge arms?"

"I guess." I am really bad at this. Trying to pretend I didn't notice him was a waste of time.

She sat up strait. "Really? He helped you out?" Her voice changed to one of doubt.

"Yeah, why are you so surprised?" I may not be as pretty or as curvy as she is, but it stung hearing my best friend surprised a hot guy would go out of his way to help me out.

"Only because the guy is an ass."

"Why do you say that?"

Christina frowned. "Okay, so he's a bartender. A hot bartender. Even bartenders with only half his looks get hit on constantly."

"Do you have a point to make?"

"Yeah. I've been around women who have asked him out. He always tells them he's not interested."

"So."

"He's not exactly nice about it. Do you remember Lauren from our Biology class?"

"Yeah."

"I went out with her one night when you were too busy studying to go out. We went to the Pitt and she was mesmerized by him. So she asked him if he wanted to go out sometime. He told her he doesn't go out on dates. So, of course she felt stupid and rejected, so to save face she told him she didn't want it to be a date. She just wanted to be friends. He said, and I quote, I don't need any more friends."

I wasn't sure what to say. This didn't sound like the same person who'd bailed me out, bought me dinner and drove me home. "Maybe he just didn't like her."

"No, I've heard other girls say similar things." Christina thought for a second. "Maybe he's gay."

"I don't think so. He had a playboy in his gym bag."

Christina's face perked up. "What were you doing in his gym bag?"

"I was caught in the rain. He offered me a towel. That's all."

A wicked smile crossed her face. "Hmm, maybe he's just waiting for the right girl to ask him out."

I roll my eyes at her. "I'm not asking him out. You know I need to focus on this assignment. This internship is everything to me. I don't want any distractions."

"Tris, men are not distractions, just friends with added benefits. Will and I have been together for almost a year, and my grades haven't suffered at all."

I tilt my head and give her the eyes.

"Ok, so maybe they have a little, but I don't regret it for a second. He makes me so happy, and the sex..."

I put my hands up. "I don't want to hear about the sex."

She laughs at me. "You don't know what you're missing Tris."

"And for now, I'm okay with that."

"So what, are you going to completely ignore the fact that you are the only girl Mr. Hot bartender has ever been nice to?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm going to do." I'm glowing on the inside knowing this, but I can't let Christina know or she will do something crazy, like try to get us together or something. Who am I kidding. This is Christina I'm talking about. There is no doubt she will try something, no matter what I say. "Promise me you will stay out of this."

"Do you know me at all? I can't promise that."

"I know." I sigh. "I had to at least ask. I really need to focus on this article for the next few weeks, so please just let me get through that."

She presses her lips together. "Okay, but after that, it's open season."