Memories of You

Chapter Fourteen - First Date

Thank you for everyone that is reading, voting, following me, and commenting. I can't tell you how much it means to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Depecher thank you again for being an amazing beta. You are so much more girl.

Tobias' POV

"So, you're finally going to take me on a date?" Tris asks. Her tone is joking as she turns her body toward me.

I laugh, looking quickly over at her as we pull up to the small diner. The options around here are pretty limited, but it doesn't matter to me. I'm happy just being with her. "I guess I am," I reply, trying to keep up with her playful banter.

I get out, going around to her side so I can take her hand. She smiles, looking up at me. "Took you long enough," she teases.

I smile at her playfulness, but a deep ache is present in my chest, my eyes sliding to the ground. Where would we be right now if my father and her parents hadn't kept us apart in the worst way possible? If I hadn't joined the Marines, would we be married now? Would she still be as incredible as she is?

She touches my face, forcing my eyes back to hers. Her smile is gone, replaced by an expression of pain. "Tobias, what happened isn't your fault. Don't let it be your burden." She smiles, but I can still see some of the hurt in her eyes. "Let's just enjoy our time together, ok? Before we have to go back to reality."

I sigh, smiling that this woman still knows me so well. "You're right. Come on." Squeezing her hand, I lead her into the tiny diner.

**********

"What were you thinking when some woman defied your orders?" Tris asks, running her finger over the rim of her coffee cup.

I chuckle, thinking back to when George asked me what to do about the pilot who had radioed with a potential cabin fire. Then, what felt like only moments later, he came to tell me she was going to try and land. Thinking back, I remember the anger that pulsed through me that someone could be so reckless and put the entire base at risk. "I was going to make sure you never flew again," I say with a chuckle.

She looks at me, her eyes searching my face, but she doesn't laugh. Her fingers begin playing with the last few fries on her plate. She takes a deep breath, looking down. "If it hadn't been me, would you have had them stripped of their job?"

I think about it for a few moments, realizing that, unfortunately, I probably wouldn't have listened to a thing they said. Being in the military for even the short amount of time I have has hardened me. It's made me into someone who follows the rules without a fault, but now I'm starting to regret that. I sigh, looking down at the table. "Probably," I mumble.

I feel her eyes on me, and I lift my head to look into them. Her eyes hold a fury I've never seen, and I swallow, afraid she's going to start yelling about my answer while we're in the small diner. "Do you want to know why I didn't bail when you ordered me to?" Her voice is low.

I wait, unsure if I really want to know. She has always been one to think things through. She was that way when I met her, and through her letters she proved that she's still that way. If she didn't follow my orders, then she had a damned good reason.

She holds my gaze and says, "Because the parachutes are designed for men, not women. We lost two girls last year because they slipped out of their harnesses."

I feel as if ice water has replaced my blood. I almost sent her to her death. If she weren't so hardheaded and brave, I really would have lost her. I swallow past the lump that has formed in my throat, and ask, "Why haven't they made parachutes for you?"