From Here On Out

thirty three

"You've been singing by my side, Every time that I forget the words."

Present Day

The sound of sweet strums on his acoustic guitar brought a smile to Tris's face, as she could hear him playing from the bedroom.

Walking out, in a long shirt she borrowed from his side of the closet, she walks down the hall. His voice and the sounds of the strings he picks becoming louder and clearer.

Pushing the door open more quietly, he sits on the couch in the room where their record player sits. A place where he keeps the two guitars he owns, and the place he goes to when he needs just a few moments to himself. His own music room.

Smiling in the doorway, Tris waits in silence just listening to him sing softly the words he had written sloppily onto a sheet of paper.

"So here I am, And I just pray, That you will listen long enough, To hear me when I say,"

He pauses, writing something down. His pick held with his teeth, Tris is amazed with how devoted he is to music. She hadn't ever heard him before today, and never got the chance to see with her own eyes the way he loved playing. So she was grateful she walked in the room today.

"It's sounding good babe." Tris tells Tobias, and sees the way he jumps. Not realizing anyone was standing in the doorway.

Letting out a light laugh, Tobias turns to look at his girlfriend lurking in the doorway.

"You weren't supposed to hear it yet," He explains, setting his guitar down and taking the small black pick out of his mouth. "Isn't finished."

"Well what you have so far is good." Tris smiles walking up to him and kissing his forehead slowly.

"Thought you were heading to bed?" Tobias asks her, as she sits on the arm of the couch.

"I was," Tris sighs, running a hand through her hair that had begun to reach farther past her shoulder blades. "but then I heard you playing and I wanted to hear a little bit of it."

Tobias can't help but smile warmly at that reason, "Is that the only thing?"

Tris leans into his shoulder, "I also didn't want to go to bed without you."

Even with the scent of him swirling around her as she wears his clothes, she still prefers having him beside her in bed. 

"Then lets go to bed huh?" He suggests, scooping up his papers, before Tris can get a good glance. Putting away his guitar up on the shelf, they soon are walking back to their bedroom.

The room is lit dimly by the lamp sitting on the bedside table, a warm yellow glow in the room. Tobias changes in to clothes he normally wears to bed, as Tris does her nightly routine of getting the bed ready and putting a small portion of lotion on her hands.

Tobias walks up behind her as she's rubbing in the last bit into her skin, resting his chin in the crook of her neck.

"You really did sound great, I had no idea you could play like that." Tris whispers, feeling his lips quickly touch her neck.

"You'll get to hear the full thing when it's finished." Tobias assures her, kissing her lips softly.

Turning back, they both end up looking in the mirror in front of them at the same time. And it was like in that moment, they felt the instant emotion of knowing everything was playing out the way its supposed to.

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A Year Ago

As his fingers pressed down on the steel strings of his new acoustic guitar, the sound that escaped the instrument was that of great melody as his pick strums them all together. Instantly as he continues to play, he feels calm for the first time in months. Ever since she left-- ever since she never came back-- he'd been empty, numb and anxious. This was the first moment in such a long time that he felt better.

As the chords are played one after another, the house is filled with the tune of an old country song. One not about broken hearts or aching breakups, nor pickups or beer. But one of lasting hope and joy in the little things.

It was in that moment, that Tobias realized that he didn't need to drown himself in alcohol to cope, music was his new saving grace.

The thing that was keeping him from slipping, the thing keeping him holding on. His coping mechanism.

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Present Day

Tris leans on her elbow facing Tobias in bed, as he sleeps peacefully next to her in the new morning hours. The sun streaming lightly in through the blinds, and lending rays of bright yellow to the dim room.

She aches to run her fingers through his tussled curls, but fears that she'll wake him up.

Years younger as he sleeps, Tris watches lovingly as a smile spreads softly across his lips. Pulling a look of happiness onto his face, and she can't help but wonder what on earth he's dreaming about.

A/N: I was having some trouble writing, and still kind of am but hopefully this isn't as bad as I think it may be. Kind of a filler chapter I guess.