Treat You Better [A Divergent story]

CHAPTER 38

New Year's Eve

TRIS

Zeke and Shauna's place is not as full as it is on most occasions, but it's favourable for our little group to get together after the major bumps in life.

It was decided that only us close knit friends will be celebrating new years eve and maybe plus ones.

Christina and Zack have taken to a corner, and everyone else is spread on the couch and the soft rug. Lynn's with Lauren today. Uriah and Marlene are here. I choose to ignore Tobias and the tall, dark haired gorgeous girl attached to him.

I situate myself on the rug and take the bowl of popcorn in my hands. A horror movie is playing on screen and  the brunette keeps clutching Tobias's arm and moves closer to him by inches.

I watch Tobias from the corner of my eye, who tries to subtly brush her off and at one point gets up to get some more beer.

The girl, who is sitting beside me, turns to me. "I'm Nita." We shake hands awkwardly from our seated positions and I try to not give her a sickly sweet smile. But I end up almost glaring as I see her smug face.

My eyes snap up at Tobias's partial silhouette appearing at the kitchen entrance and I stare shamelessly; everyone is invested in the movie and the lights are already turned off.

The kitchen lights are the only thing illuminating him. His black button down shirt fits him well and his sleeves are rolled up just above his elbows. His jeans fit him so well that I'm almost drooling.

What I wouldn't give for him to take me to the bedroom and make me scream like -

"Tris? Tris," Tobias's hand moves in front of my eyes and my head snaps up. He's sitting beside me now and is holding out a beer mug for me.

"Um- thank," shit, "I mean, thanks." I clear my throat and accept his offering while he gives me a tilted smile.

I look away so it isn't obvious that I was staring. Fortunately, it is dark so he can't see my reddened cheeks. But I am too aware of him beside me.

I feel Tobias's finger nudging my pinky, which I write of as an accident. Then I feel his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand and I bite my lip.

It's dark and I subtly grasp his hand, feeling up his calloused fingers and he squeezes back. I feel like a teenage moron, shy and giggly with only hand holding. I'm not one to complain however. A soft smile is etched on Tobias's lips and I realise our faces are only centimetres apart.

"Ouch!" I grunt as Uriah who's sitting on the couch behind me knees me in the back because of being startled by the movie. My head swivels to face him and I glare, rubbing at the spot where he kicked me with the hand that was connected moments ago to Tobias's.

He gives me a sheepish apologetic look and I sigh, my eyes scanning the others. Marlene has fallen asleep already on the culprit's shoulder, Christina and Zack & Lynn and Lauren are chatting in two different groups.

On my right, Zeke looks light-headed and is resting his head in Shauna's lap beside me as she skims her hand through his hair. That doesn't deter him from passing out more liquor to us.

Nita occasionally tenses and clutches at Tobias's arm. I watch Tobias look down at her when she buries her face in his neck but moves away when she meets his eyes.

I purse my lips. So much for the hand holding we just did. I feel like a fool that I fell for it. He's moving on, I will have to accept that I was only temporary as I always am.

Maybe I don't deserve all of these people, still sticking with me.

My mind goes to the time Uriah and I recently crossed paths. I had half a mind to discretely avoid him but he stopped me. We talked for an hour and more; we were friends before we got into a mess.