What About Us

EUPHORIA | EIGHT

I glance at myself in the mirror, placing another coat of nude lipstick on my lips. I have on a pair of baby blue, jeans, a tan t-shirt, and a cardigan going over top of it. I ran back to the house quickly to fix my hair that was a curly mess, I straightened it. My stomach was never filled with butterflies like this before. Eric wasn't even home and the scent of perfume on his skin last night told me what he does in his free time, how could we get so far to stop so abruptly?

I open the door and step out, I see a tall figure sitting at a picnic table while fumbling with his hands, "Hi!" His head perches up and gives me an award-winning smile, "Thanks for getting me away from the loud house." I chuckle slightly at him, sitting beside him.

"Sorry about that, I know you just love the scent of diapers and chasing after a beautiful 2-year-old." I laugh at him. We both stand and he takes me on a walk around Douglas Park, D.P isn't really a children's type of park. Some days they will hold movie night where they bring up the big screen, a lot of adults come here to run or having romantic picnic's, so I wasn't surprised. . . more relieved when Four told me that we were to meet up here, no kids to hear screaming.

"Yeah, I really appreciate it." I tell him with a smile, walking up the hill together. Four and I talk about many things, I found out that he's single after a bad proposal.

"She really, obviously, didn't care about me and wanted to chase after unrealistic dreams that she swore were held for her in California. I refused to leave with her and broke off the wedding, I honestly thought that she was going to giving me my future I longed for." Trees encase us as I realize that we are on a trail that many people get on to run or ride bikes, but it seems as if no one wants to take up on it at this cloudy, September day.

"Well, things happen for a reason." I give him a smile as we take a route I've never taken, it's like we're letting our feet carry ourselves, "Maybe someone better is coming to fulfill her place that she couldn't hold." We both take a break on a tree stump that looks like someone cut from a while back, I look around and see that we aren't close to any trail and I'm quite scared until I look into Four's royal blue eyes.

"Four, you seem to always bring me to a happy place." I smile at him, twiddling with my thumbs before I take a cleansing deep breath, "I think Eric's cheating on me." Anger flashes across Four's face as I see his fist clench before they loosen up.

"That name sounds familiar." Four ponders for a second, "Why would you think that?"

I straighten my back and untie my fingers, "Well, things haven't been the best between us. A week or two ago, Eric told me that he wasn't ready for marriage, the kids, and responsibility. It's like he lied to me this whole time because he wanted to live the reckless lifestyle and date women and not be worried about being tied down. He doesn't love me or the girls, so this whole time I was living with a liar. And now that it comes to me, the times he told me that he was staying back at the office for business, means he was cheating on me. Now, he comes home even later and barely spends time with us."

Four pulls me to his chest and presses a kiss to my forehead, I sigh and relax against his arms, the smell of his cologne fill my nose leaving me in a state of tranquility. It feels so normal to be in his arms and I don't feel disgusted with myself, "I think you should get out of there. I'm not saying that because I want to get you away from your husband" Four spits, "But, because it's not safe. With him going back to that reckless lifestyle or at least going to it, he will come home drunk and I don't want him laying his hands on you or the girls. Tris, I barely know you but I know that you are different. Those girls are too valuable to you for you to get hurt, and I don't know much about those girls but it's something that pulls me to them. . . something that keep me thinking about them."

This deep moment for Four and I is really needed between the two of us so that we can get to know each other, Four relax in my arms and we slide down to the floor, not caring about the dirt getting on our pants. After a few minutes of relaxing, I finally find my voice and turn to him, not noticing that tears are on my face, "Four? What's your name?"

"Tobias." Four―Tobias, tells me without thinking, "I'm called Four because I'm only afraid of Four things; confinement, killing someone, height, and my father. Or by some people know me as, the son of the abuser, Marcus Eaton. My mother died when I was young from a heart-attack, she was terrified of Marcus, and I guess the anticipation of him coming home killed her. I was nine when it happened, and I was left for Marcus to hit me. He did terrible things to me; locking me in closets, beating me until I bled, and verbally hurting me. When I turned 18, I got the hell out of there and stayed with Zeke. We're really close, but I hate pity. . . so, after college, people knew me by Four. The guy who was practically fearless and who could touch the ceilings." Tobias sighs as I wipe my eyes.

Before I could think properly, my mouth presses against his lips and I'm in a pure state of euphoria. His mouth moves against mines slowly as if he's coming down from shock, I pull away from his warm lips and look down to my lap, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you." I sigh, Tobias locks his finger under my chin and kisses me again. This time, our mouths move together confidently. Excitement bubbles up in my chest as our hands roam up and down our backs, his hand going under my cardigan and shirt to feel my skin.

"I've thought about doing this many times, there's nothing to be sorry for." Four whispers against my lips before his start to work wonders again. His warm, inviting, mouth slowly moves from my lips, to my jaw, to my neck and I can't help but to release a breathy moan. Four stands up with our mouths still attached and places my back against a tree. I pull away briefly for him to take both top layers of my outfit off and our lips lock again.

"Tobias, make me forget all my worries. . . please."