Emergent (Divergent 4)

Tris

Chapter 33

When my eyes open, I see Tobias crying into his hands. How did I get here? Alex and Liv are next to me, fast asleep, unaware of all the dangers in the world. Sometimes, I wish my life could be like that.

"Tobias?" I croak. Even a word makes my chest burn, making me feel like I can breathe. He lifts his head, tears streaked down his face, eyes filled with sorrow. "Tr-Tris?" Looking relieved, he cradles my head into his hands. "How are you feeling?" I laugh. "Not very well. What happened, anyways?" Sighing, he replies,"When I rescued you from Erudite, we ran into a guard, and my gun ran out of bullets. Before he shot me, you pushed me out of the way, and got shot in your chest. I got you onto a train, but hit my head and got this." He points to his forehead, and I see a long chain of stitches that runs above his eyebrows. "I got you back here, and later found out you went into a coma. That's why I was crying, but then you woke up." I smile, making my face hurt. "Sounds like me." He smiles back.

I stare into his eyes for a long time, so long it feels like time has frozen. I could have died, leaving Tobias with nobody. That thought scares me for many reasons: I couldn't raise Alex and Liv, I wouldn't see Tobias again, and I wouldn't see Christina, Uriah, and Zeke either.

"What's wrong?" Tobias says, putting his hand lightly on my shoulder, comforting me. He can read my like I'm an open book. "I was just thinking about what would happen if I didn't make it," I say, voice cracking and shaking, in a weak whisper. Cupping my face in his hands, he says,"Don't think about that. Think about the good things in life." Smiling, or at least trying to, I say,"Like you?" He grins, lighting up the whole room. "Fair enough."

I try to sit up, but my chest burns, so I defeatedly lie back down. Tobias kneels down, getting closer to my face, and whispers into my ear, tickling my neck with every breath. "I love you. You know that right?" While looking into his stormy blue eyes, I croak,"Of course. I love you too, but you probably already know that." I say this with an obvious tone. "I would never forget."

His fingers, nimble, but graceful, move along my jaw bone. Carefully, he traces all the cuts on my face. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him hungrily on the lips. Immediately, he kisses back, just as hungrily. I don't care about the pain, I don't care about the war. All I care about is us.

Finally, we stop, both of us panting. "You okay?" he asks, concern in his expression. Nodding, I say,"Yeah, just tired."

He climbs into my bed, then kisses my forehead. "Then sleep. I'm right here, it's okay." I put my head onto his chest, and hear his soothing heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump. His hands glide smoothly through my hair, making me feel relaxed.

Maybe, just for a second, I am safe. Safe to have a family, safe to have a life with the ones I love. Possibly even safe to settle down and have a home.

And while I drift off into sleep, my thoughts are sure of one thing; that in the middle of this war, I can have a perfect moment once in a while. A moment where I'm with the ones I love, with no danger for a few minutes. A moment in a place so peaceful, that maybe I can be free from all threats to me. And this is one of those moments.

THE END!

Thanks for reading! I'm writing a sequel called Convergent (Posted), so please read that as well. If you enjoyed this, please vote and comment! Thanks!