~DIVERGENT~ Paradise

Day 3

"Tris, I'm so sorry. I should have known and I shouldn't have left you and-"
"Christina," I say, cutting her off. "It's fine. I'm fine. We both should have figured he would act like that, and we both knew that we would run into him eventually. We are on a ship after all. Besides, you need to have fun too. You're not my babysitter."
"I know, Tris. I just feel bad."
"Well, don't."
"Okay. I won't if you tell me more about your knight in shining armor."
She grins at me and I roll my eyes. As I laid in bed last night waiting for Christina to come back, I had realized why his eyes looked so familiar to me; they're the ones I saw on deck in the crowd just before we departed.
"He's not a knight," I say.
"If he saved you, he's a knight in my book. So just how hot was he?" she pries. I just blush. "Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you like this. He must be a god."
"Chris. I'm probably never going to see him again, so it really doesn't matter. Now get dressed. You owe me after last night."
"Oh no. What are you going to make me do?"
I smile. "We're going bowling."
Turns out, there's no actual bowling alley on the ship. There is however a massive game room, complete with a Wii bowling tournament.
"Ugh," Christina complains as I check us in. "Why are we in here? We could be outside and in a pool."
"We both agreed that we were going to try everything we could. We can't do that if we're in a pool every day."
"Fine. You're right. Let's get our bowl on!" she yells out as she runs off towards our assigned screen.
"Is that your bodyguard?" I hear a deep voice say behind me. I reel around and am face to face with those blue eyes. "Other than yelling loudly, I'm not sure she could do much," he says, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Well, don't underestimate her just yet. You haven't seen her on a mission to the mall. God help you if you get in her way," I say, and he grins.
"Hey, it's Tris!" Zeke says as he comes up to us. "Well, I see you've finally met Four."
"You know each other?" I say, sounding more dumbfounded than I intended.
"We do. Four, this is Tris. Tris, Four. This is the other girl I told you about that we met yesterday. You were supposed to meet her last night."
"Yeah, about that. What happened?" I ask, smiling ever so slightly.
"I needed a moment alone, and then I got a little sidetracked with a plant," he says as he stares at me, and my heart gives an extra hard thump.
"Did I miss something here? What the hell are you two talking about?" Zeke says as he looks back and forth between the two of us.
"Don't worry about it," Four says, breaking our eye contact. "Let's bowl."
"Yes! I hope you're prepared to lose your ass, Four," Zeke says as he makes his way in front of me to register them.
"See you later?" Four asks me quietly.
"Maybe."
"That's Four? Holy shit he's hot," Christina says as she cranes her neck to get a better look.
"Shh. Knock it off," I say as I swat at her. "I have something else to tell you, but you have to promise not to make a scene."
"Me? Make a scene?" she says, scoffing. I just look at her. "Yeah okay, fine. Tell me."
"Four is, well, he's the knight." Her eyes get wider than I have ever seen them as she brings a hand up to her mouth. "You promised!" I say quickly.
She squeals quietly into her hand before removing it from her mouth. She also jumps up and down a couple of times and shakes both hands out before saying, "Okay. I'm over it. I'm cool. Let's do this."
It's an elimination style tournament, and the winner gets a little first place trophy and a giant blue ribbon with a 1 on it. Since they hold one every day, there aren't that many people here, and it doesn't take long before it's just myself and Four left.
"You're going down," he says to me with a smirk on his face.
"Oh you think so? Would you like to make a bet?"
"Fine," he says. "Loser buys dinner."
"Well that's lame, but if that's what you want."
"Well, we could always spice it up a little, if you like," he says as he takes a step towards me; I can feel the heat radiating off my ears.
"No, uhh, dinner's fine," I say a little more flustered than I meant to let on.
He smiles, but I notice the faint pink in his ears too. "It's a bet then."
I've managed to work up a sweat, both from nerves, and the concentration and effort I'm putting into winning this thing. Only one frame left, and if I want to win this thing, I have to get eight pins knocked down. My nerves manage to get the better of me though, and I only knock down three pins on my first roll. It doesn't help that everyone has found us, and is rooting for me to either win or lose.
"Hey batter, batter!" Zeke yells as I try to concentrate.
"This isn't baseball you dork," Shauna says as she punches his arm.
"Ow! I know that! I was just trying to help Four out!"
"You can do it Tris! Win this one for the girls!" Marlene shouts.
I take a deep breath and count to three, trying my best to block them all out. One flick of the wrist, and I turn and give Four a smile, because I know exactly where my ball is going to end up. They all cheer for me when the remaining pins fall down.
"And that, is how you win a bet," I say, raising my arms in the air triumphantly. The crew member running the tournament hands me my trophy and ribbon, and I pose in a victory yell for a photo for them to hang on the wall.
"Care to give me a chance at redeeming myself?" Four asks me as I watch them tack the polaroid on the wall.
"You really want to get beat that badly? You know, you don't have to actually bet me. You can just ask me to play a game, and I'll gladly win," I say as I hold my head up high.
"Fine," he says. "Pool, or darts then?"
We play both, and while he completely annihilates me at darts, I leave him in the dust at pool.
"How did you get so good at this?" he asks me afterwards.
"We had a pool table in our house growing up."
"Ahh. So you're a cheater, then?" he says, grinning.
"I am not. You just assumed that because I'm small, or a girl, I wouldn't be any good at these things."
"I would never assume that about you," he says seriously. He gives me a small smile; his statement feels genuine, so I smile back.
"I guess you should be thankful you didn't make it double or nothing, because you would have lost no matter what, and then, you would owe me dinner twice."
"Actually, I wouldn't have minded paying up more than once on this bet." I feel myself flush and stand there for a minute, unsure of what to say. "Well, it seems like I owe you dinner, fair and square," he says to break the silence.
"It seems that way, yes."
"So, tonight then? 7 o'clock?"
I nod. "Sure. See you then."
As he turns to go, it dawns on me I have no idea where I'm supposed to meet him. "Hey!" I yell out after him. "Where are we meeting?"
He just winks at me and leaves the room.
"What was that all about?" Christina runs up and asks me.
"We made a bet, and he owes me dinner."
Her mouth drops open. "You're going to dinner? With the knight?"
"Shh. Stop calling him that. He didn't literally save me. And yes."
"Oh my god, who knew we were on a fairytale cruise. Come on, Cinderella, we have to get you ready for the ball." I roll my eyes, but can't fight the smile that's creeping onto my face as she drags me out by the arm.
"Now, aren't you glad I made you pack some extra outfits just in case?" Christina asks me as she lays out a dress.
"You didn't make me do anything. You did it all yourself."
"Exactly. Now come here and put this on. I can't decide which one makes your eyes look better." I sigh loudly, but oblige her. She isn't taking fashion design classes for nothing.
Just before seven, there is a knock at the door. I've been nervously waiting for a little while, and trying my best to not bite my nails. Christina answers the door, and pulls it open wide to reveal Will.
"M'ladies," he says, and bows enthusiastically. We laugh and curtsey back, and when he rights himself, he holds out a piece of paper towards me. "If you don't mind, Christina and I are going to hang out tonight."
"No, I don't mind," I say, unfolding the paper. In neat print it says, The White Room. "I can stay out late, if you need me to."
"No, that's okay, Tris. Have fun and don't wait up for me," Christina says with a wink.
"Yes, M'am," I say with a salute as I make my way out the door.
After wandering for a while, I finally cave and asked a crew member for directions. When I arrive, I see that the name is very literal. Every last item in the restaurant is white, which doesn't seem very practical for a place where spills can occur.
"Name?" the man at the podium asks me.
"Oh. Umm...Four?" I say, realizing I don't even know his real name. "Or Tris, maybe."
He looks at his computer for a moment before smiling. "Follow me, please."
We walk through the restaurant and end up out on the balcony. There are only six tables here, mostly empty, and Four is waiting at one of them. He stands and smiles as I am led to him, and sits only after the host pulls my chair and I sit. "Thank you," I say to him before he leaves.
"Well, this is pretty fancy, Four. You didn't owe me this. I would have been just as happy at one of the bars or the buffet."
"I know. I just thought it would be nice. Besides, I heard the food here is excellent, and I didn't have an excuse to come here until now."
"Oh, so I'm an excuse then?" I ask with a smirk.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," he says sternly, but still with a small smile.
"I know."
We make small talk as we share an appetizer, but mostly we sit in silence together, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the early evening sky. "It really is beautiful, isn't it?" I ask as I point to the pinks and purples and oranges of the last fading light.
"Yeah, it is."
I look at him to find he is not looking at the sky, but at me instead, and I blush just a little. "I think this is my favorite part of the day," I say.
"Why?"
"Well, I know that the only thing left after this is the night sky. There's nothing like looking out and seeing thousands upon thousands of stars and the Milky Way and the planets themselves. Even though it makes me realize just how insignificant I am compared to the larger picture, I still feel this overwhelming sense of belonging in my chest. I know that I am a part of those stars, and they are a part of me, and it makes me feel connected to everything and everyone. It makes me feel like I have a purpose."
He looks at me for just a moment, and I think I see a flash of something in his eyes, and when he finally smiles, it's one of the most genuine acts I think I have ever seen.
"That was very poetic," he says.
"Oh, no. That was just a little bit of nerding out. And maybe a little bit of daydreaming."
"There's nothing wrong with either one of those things."
We both ordered the filet mignon; mine with loaded mashed potatoes and a side salad, his with steamed broccoli and a side of crispy fried straws in truffle oil. When it arrives, it is easily the fanciest plate of food I have ever seen.
"So, they call their french fries 'crispy fried straws'. Interesting. I wonder if they taste any different," I say as I peek at his plate. "They're awfully thin."
"Have one," he says as he pushes his plate towards me. I smile and take one.
"Oh my god," I say in an exaggerated tone. "I have tasted heaven, and it is these fries."
Truthfully, the entire meal was like heaven. I have no idea how they managed to make something as simple as mashed potatoes so amazing, but if I had to eat here every day for the rest of my life, I would not complain. We share a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, and it too is probably the best cake I have ever had. Four excuses himself afterwards, and while he's gone the bill comes. It never even crossed my mind that a place this fancy wouldn't be on our comp list, so I take a quick peek at it, and my jaw nearly hits the floor when I see it's just over two hundred dollars. I try my best to remain as neutral as possible when he comes back, and tosses a credit card in there like it's nothing.
"I have a confession to make," I say, biting my lip to stall for a moment. "I looked at the bill. Four, I can't let you pay for me. This was absolutely amazing, but it's too much." He waves his hand at me and opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "No, I mean it. At least let me pay you back."
"Don't worry about it. But if it makes you feel better, how about next time, you pick up the check?"
"Next time?" I ask, and he smiles. "Okay then. Next time."
We spend a little more time together, walking the deck of the ship, and have to control our laughter when we catch a glimpse of Christina and Will making out near one of the club entrances we pass.
"Is she always like that?" he asks.
"Yeah. She doesn't really have a filter, of any kind. But it's her, you know? I wouldn't have her any other way."
He nods. "Yeah, Will's a little shy, but clearly she has no problem breaking him of that. They look cute together. I mean, when their faces aren't melded into one." I laugh but I agree. Christina isn't exactly known for picking the best guys, so it's about time she found someone who is good.
"So, about last night. Care to share that story with me?" he asks.
"If you're referring to me hiding behind a palm tree, then no. Not yet, anyways. And I'm assuming that Four is a nickname. Care to share that with me?"
he shakes his head. "Another time then?"
He smiles. "Another time."
"Deal," I say.
His hand brushes against mine, and I instinctively pull away and cross my arms. I can't tell if it was intentional or not, because he doesn't acknowledge any of it. I sneak glances here and there as we walk, and think I like him, possibly a little more than I want to admit. But I've been burned in the past by guys I thought I could trust, and I don't know if I'm ready to venture down that road just yet.
"It's getting late. I should probably head back," I say.
"Okay. I'll walk you to your room."
We don't say anything as we walk. I hesitate for just a moment when we reach my room; I'm not really sure how I want this night to end. "Thank you, again. I actually had a great time."
"Me too," he says. "See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'm sure you will."
Without a second thought, I reach out and take his hand, giving it a small squeeze before quickly slipping into my room. My heart races as I lean against the door, and it's quiet enough that I can tell Four stood there for a moment before walking away.

Ah! FOURTRIS 😆
Thanks for reading!
Be brave,

Christina🔥