Bite Me || Eric Coulter Fanfic - Divergent

20. Aftermath - Eric's POV

Stupid
Stupid
Stupid

I was so incredibly stupid. What happened on the night of the party was completely inappropriate. Iris and I had just agreed on a truce and that night complicates things.

Why didn't I move away from her immediately?

Then again, why did I step closer?

And most importantly, why didn't she push me away?

It was fairly obvious that neither of us had drunk enough for the alcohol to cloud our judgement, so blaming our actions on intoxication wasn't an option. But then why did I feel intoxicated? It didn't make any sense.

Iris and I aren't together; there are no romantic feelings between us. If anything, we are acquaintances, companions even.

But acquaintances don't lock eyes and forget about the rest of the world or stand so close to one another.

It must have been the fact that the first stage of training is over. Yes, that's it; the consequences of releasing all the pent up stress and frustration of the past few weeks. It certainly had nothing to do with how insanely good she looked or how mesmerizing she was on the dance floor. Definitely not.

While such thoughts had been plaguing my mind all morning, Iris didn't seem bothered. Not in the slightest. She was eating breakfast with the rest of the initiates; smiling and laughing and joking. It was as if last night hadn't happened. I'm not sure why, but it frustrated me that I was the only one affected.

I should get more friends. Maybe the lack of social interactions is taking its toll on me and even the briefest of moments seem to unsettle me.

I was contemplating how unfair it was that Iris seemed uninterested, when her eyes met mine. Both of us froze and I was prepared for her to give me a polite or even friendly smile and drive the knife further into me by emphasizing how platonic our relationship truly was. But then the unexpected happened.

Was she...blushing?

Sarcastic, composed and always-cool Iris was blushing. I couldn't believe my eyes. Throughout the first stage of training, she had shown everyone that it would be a mistake to mess with her. She could be cold and detached when she wanted to and as friendly as any other Amity the next second. But flustered is a word I never thought I would associate with her.

But the blush on her cheeks proved otherwise. I was still staring at her when she quickly averted her gaze and tucked a strand of her behind her ear nervously. I couldn't contain the grin that threatened to form on my face. For some reason it felt good to know that I wasn't alone in this. It seems that last night changed something for both of us and as scary a thought as that was, it was comforting to know that she felt something as well.

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Remember how I said Iris looked as flustered as I felt? Yeah, I take it back.

This evening marked the end of the first stage and we had agreed to organize some "friendly" fights. While everyone looked excited or even nervous for their fight, Iris looked as if she had switched off all her previous blushing and nervous hair-tucking. She looked as calm and composed as ever.

I was determined to bring back flustered Iris.

"Alright everyone, we've reached the end of the first stage" Four announces when all the fights are done. "Go get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be tough."

At his command, all the initiates start to make their way towards the exit. Most of them are drenched in sweat, limping or supporting themselves on their friends. Of course, regardless of how terrible they feel, the people they had to fight and send to the infirmary are bound to look worse.

I look at Iris, who won her fight, casually making her way to the door. No limping. No ragged breaths. Nothing.

I look around to make sure Four won't throw a fit this time and say:

"Not so fast initiate"

I see her shoulders tense and when she turns around, a playful smirk is on her lips.

"I didn't think you'd be back for round two so soon" she says smugly and my own smirk deepens.

"I'm down for as many rounds as you want" I say, leisurely walking towards her.

I'm perfectly aware of the hidden innuendo in my words but if I want to rattle her, I need to play to my strengths. Usually, women tend to react to my suggestive comments but Iris just smirks, her eyes shining brightly.

"What are you waiting for then?" she asks, walking towards the fighting ring. She turns to look over her shoulder as she speaks, giving me a teasing smile.

So far, my plan is failing. Not only is Iris cool as ever, but I catch myself following her like a lost puppy.

Focus, you idiot.

I walk into the ring and instead of keeping some distance between us, like I would have in any other fight, I take long strides towards her. To my utter satisfaction, this surprises her. Caught off guard, she takes a few steps back but I won't let the space between us increase. In a few purposeful steps, I've backed her against one of the corners of the ring.

"Well, this is cozy" she says teasingly, but I catch the almost imperceptible breathlessness in her voice.

Now we're getting somewhere.

"And quite familiar, don't you think?" I say, lowering my voice to a playful whisper, trying to take her back to last night.

Her eyes lock on mine and are brighter than I've ever seen them; mischief clear in her gaze.

"I seem to remember it was more like this" she says, her voice more entrancing than a Siren's

In an agonizingly slow pace, she takes a few steps forward, effectively shrinking the distance between us.

I don't dare say anything, too afraid that I might break the trance we seem to be in.

Everything is still around us.

We both seem to be contemplating our next move. Should there even be a next move?

A strand of her hair escapes from behind her ear and her smile mirrors mine. This is how our encounter ended last night.

Her eyes were challenging me to do something and I'm not one to easily back down.

My fingers twitch as I start to raise my hand to touch her face.

"Yo Iris, what's the hold up? Are we getting drinks or not?" a guy I recognize as a Dauntless born initiate says, his voice painfully disrupting the silence in the room.

And just like that, the enchantment is lifted.

I quickly step away from Iris, as she clears her throat and turns to look at the boy.

"Yeah, let's go" she says, but her voice has lost the teasing tone it previously held.

Her eyes are intense when they meet mine one last time and I can't help but lean a bit closer when she whispers.

"Have a good night, Eric"

And just like that, she's walking out of the training room.

Damn, if only stage one hadn't just ended, I would have made that guy run laps until his legs fell off.