TGIFRIDAY THROWOUT!

Happy Friday all,

I finally got the second half of the Divergent fan fiction short story completed. I don't think it is as good as the version before, but I for the life of me, could not recover that document. !

I have made a few writing resolutions this year,
1. Try to do a weekly throwout, not holding myself to the dreaded Thursday.
2. work on my cover art, maybe that will bolster sales
3.Get as much writing done as possible to gain exposure.
4. Splurge on promotion at least once.

I hope these don't falter like most resolutions.

ON TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHORT STORY

                We approach our high-rise and Tobias stiffens next to me. I see a dark form shove away from the building. The hooded form approaches us slowly, and my hand finds my knife still safely in my coat pocket. 

                “Thalia.” The person says, from under the dark shroud.

                I feel myself relax, and I rush into the outstretched arms of my brother. It has been ten months since I have seen his face. Fringe rebels took him, for helping the government workers locate people who wanted to leave the fringe. I let out a silent sob as his strong arms wrap around me. I feel him cringe from my touch and I pull away.

                “Are you hurt?” I inspect his face. His eyes, train over my shoulder. I turn to see a stern, almost pained look on Tobias’s face. He nods toward me and continues inside the building, never looking back.

                “Who is that?” Jake says, nodding toward the door.

                “A coworker.” I reply as I take his hand and lead him into the building.

                We reach my apartment and I help him with his coat. His arm hangs weak at his side and I see a bloody bandage wrapped around the length of his bicep. I tend to his wound, which looks like the cut of a dagger. Once he is cleaned up, I offer him a shower. When I hear the water turn on, a knock sounds at my door.

                “Are you okay?” Tobias looks uncomfortable standing in the hallway.

                “Yes, that is my brother.” I motion toward the bathroom door.

                Tobias visibly relaxes, and finally makes eye contact. “Oh, that’s good. Is he all right? I saw him cringe when you hugged him.”

                “He has a deep gouge in his arm, but it looks clean, it should heal fine. I think I may have to burn his cloths though.” I let out a small chuckle.

                “I may have something that will fit him I will be back shortly.” Tobias says, and then abruptly turns toward the stairs.

                “Tobias, how did you know which apartment was mine?”

                He stops mid step and glances at me. I can see the hint of white teeth as he smiles and continues up the stairs.

                An hour later, Tobias has Jake’s arm stitched closed, and is gone. He leaves a pile of clean cloths and a heavy coat for him to wear. He says little during his entire visit, save for instructions on how to care for the wound. I watch him leave, and he glances at me, before pressing out a small smile, and closing the door in his wake. I shake my head, unsure of how to read him, still.

                “He isn’t very friendly is he?” Jake asks.

                “He is definitely different.” I reply, before going into a barrage of questions about where he has been for the past ten months. 

                The next morning I meet Tobias in the stairwell as he heads toward the lobby. He stops and waits for me to lock up before continuing down the stairs. The first block of our walk is the same as before, agonizingly silent. However, after we cross the first intersection, Tobias’s eyes flick to mine.

                “Will your brother be staying long?”

                I am taken aback by his sudden question. The subject of Jake’s stay never came up while we spoke the night before. I must have been giving him a vacant look, because he raises an eyebrow at me.

                “Thalia.” He whispers. My insides melt at the sound of him saying my name. Shaking myself from his trance, I smile and try to regain my composure.

                “He didn’t say, but I can’t imagine he would want to go back there.” My response is cut short, when I twist my ankle and stumble. Before I hit the ground face first, strong arms wrap around me and right me.

                “Careful,” He mutters, and quickly releases me.

                Tobias holds my elbow the remainder of the walk to the office. It is as if he expects me to fall. I don’t know what to make of the contact, save that every time he tightens his grip my body clenches in ways it has not in a very long time. We exit the elevator, and instead of Tobias going directly to his office, he walks me to my desk. He stands there awkwardly, as I take off my coat and getting situated.

                "Have a good day, Thalia." He says with hooded eyes, before abruptly turning and walking away. The tone of his voice rumbles trough my whole body and I stare in shock as he walks away. I hiss out the breath I am holding, and then notice Johanna, who must have been watching the entire strange exchange. She gives a sly smile as she proceeds into Tobias's office.

                Christina decides to take me to lunch, and we proceed to the communal dining hall at the hub. I feel a little uncomfortable, as she stares at me with a wide grin, not speaking. After several minutes, I can no longer take it.

                "What?" I say annoyed, because there seems to be a joke I am not privy too.

                "So why is Tobias calling me and grilling me about you? Is there something you are not telling me?"

                My jaw drops at the question. There is nothing going on. I have barely gotten the man to string more than three sentences together since I met him. Although, he is easy on the eyes, I have to say he is an odd duck.

                "I. What? Nothing." I stammer but i can feel my cheeks pink. Is there something there? I know how my body reacts to him, but that could be because I have not had a man touch me in too long to mention.

                Christina's body rumbles with a silent giggle. "I don’t think Tobias would bother asking if he wasn’t interested. He is not the curious type. You must have made an impression."

                I spend the rest of the day pondering this, as I try to function normally. Everything goes fine as long as I do not have to deal with Tobias. Every time he addresses me, I tense up, as if he is watching me unawares. I have a hard time analyzing this reaction.

                At six, Jake strides from the elevator and surprises me at work. He looks stronger than he did when he went to bed last night, and I want to thank Tobias or his help, as well as the clean cloths. Tobias walks ahead of us as we all make our way to the bar we visited a few nights earlier. I introduce my brother to Cristina, who strikes up a conversation with him. I see a boy that was not here the other night. He introduces himself a Caleb, and grills me with questions about the fringe.

 I catch Tobias watching me a few times, only this time, he does not look away every time our eyes meet. Jake decides to stay and walk Christina home, so I take my leave. Caleb offers to walk me, but Tobias just stands next to me like a sentinel, staring down Caleb. I sense a history with the two of them, but it is not my place to ask.

                Christina and Jake exit the bar at the same time as Tobias and I do. They head off toward the Hancock building, as we turn toward the river. We get about a block before my curiosity gets the best of me.

                "Tobias, is there something you want to know, that Christina could not answer for you?" I back him into a corner. I figure the best way to get an answer out of him is to ask him straightforward.

                Tobias pales and stares at his feet. He knows I have found him out, and is not sure how to react. I lightly touch his arm, and he unexpectedly leans into me. “I am sorry for the intrusion, but I cannot seem to stop thinking about you.” He confesses, “I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind accompanying me to a charity function? Johanna suggested I bring you along, so you could get to know the other politicians.”

He finally meets my eyes but only momentarily. Even in the dark, I can see his cheeks pink. Switching from foot to foot, with his hands deep in his pockets, he looks as if he is preparing for a rejection.

“Of course.” I blurt out, a little too eagerly.

His smile meets mine almost instantly and I see him deflate. He grabs my elbow once more, only this time his hand trails down to mine, and I let him hold it. I am starting to understand that Tobias’s words mean volumes. He leads me around a corner to a small shop, and we look at the beautifully tailored dresses that hang in the window.

“I will ask Christina to bring you here tomorrow. You will need a nice dress for the occasion.” He muses and then tugs me further down the street. A storefront with beautiful deserts and the potent smell of coffee greets us. He escorts me inside setting me down at a table. My mouth waters when he brings a tray with coffee and two pastries and sets it in front of me.

“I have not had chocolate cake this good since I lived in Dauntless. The lady who owns this shop used to be a cook for the faction.” Tobias groans with approval as he digs in to the mound of black cake in front of him.  I watch him intently, my eyes trained on his lips. He glances at me and I hurriedly take a drink of my coffee, burning my mouth in the process. I fight back the tears welling in my eyes and take a bite of the cheesecake he placed in front of me, relishing in its cool creaminess. The sting from the coffee subsides and I find I am the one moaning with delight.

I bite back my curiosity about the Chicago experiments. Tobias finally seems to be relaxing, and I do not want to upset the moment. Christina has filled me in about the events leading up to the end of the experiments. The details were hard for her to get in to, and I can see that there is great pain involved in the memories attached to this place.

We finished our coffees and cake and are walking  back to the apartments. Tobias is holding my hand again only this time it does not seem so awkward. Tobias walks me to my door and I invite him in. I can see hesitation on his eyes as he take a few tentative steps inside. I go into my kitchen and  open two beers from the icebox.

“It’s ok I don’t bite.” Much, I think as he closes the door behind him. I walk over and take his hand,  placing the beer I brought in his free one. I turn on the antique record player in the corner and sit next to him on the couch. Tobias sheds his jacket and his suit coat and I marvel at his body. He has a soft cotton sweater on that clings to his defined chest. His white t-shirt is visible through the thin black material. Black seems to be his favorite color. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Tobias turns to me.

“May I have another?” He nods toward the beer he has placed on the coffee table.

“Of course.” I say and motion toward the kitchen. He gets up and walks to the ice box and I marvel at the view I am graced with as he bends to grab another bottle. I once again see a tattoo peeking out from his underarm and my curiosity piques.

“Tobais…” I trail off losing my nerve.

“Yes?” He cocks his head to the side as he returns to the couch.

“May I see your tattoo?” I say almost in a whisper.

His face flushes almost snow white and he bites his lip. His eyebrows knit together and his eyes burn a hole in his lap. I watch him give a slight nod, and then he meets my eyes, abruptly standing. In one swift motion, he pulls his sweater and undershirt off, tossing them on to his seat. Tobias slowly turns and I can see his dark ink lines blossom over his side, down his arms, and covering his whole back. I gasp as the muscles in his back flex, and he glances over his shoulder.

A force within me pushes me to my feet. I approach cautiously, reaching for the beautiful art that decorates his skin. Pulling my hand back just before contact, I let out a soft sigh. Tobias’s beauty is beyond that of any man I have seen. I am unsure what comes over me, but I can no longer hold myself back from touching him. Tracing the symbol, expertly etched between his shoulder blades with the pads of my fingers.

                The muscles in his back ripple against my touch, and I suck in a sharp breath when I catch his scent. I had not realized that I was so close to him until my other hand finds its way to his side of its own volition. Stepping into him, my hand snakes around to his abdomen and I draw in a deep breath, relishing the clean woodsy scent his skin emanates. Without thinking my body melts into his and my lips find the back of his neck. He tenses, and I finally come back to myself. I step back quickly and drop my hands to my side, apologizing for my misstep.

                “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” I whisper, smashing my eyes shut. I can feel my cheeks start to pink and I cover my face with my misbehaving hands. My mind flashes back to the man who once took me in the fringe. He was several years older than I was, and I was just a naive child. He worshiped my body, and I was too young to understand that it was wrong of him to do so. I feel a pit form in my stomach, as if this time, I am the one taking advantage of the unsuspecting victim. I fight back tears as I listen, waiting for Tobias to leave. I am sure I crossed a line with him.

                Hands clasp around my arms and gently draw them from my face. I keep my eyes trained toward my feet. I do not want him to see the embarrassment, plainly written across my face. Tobias gently places his hand on my cheek and lifts it to meet his. His thumb strokes my cheekbone and I lean into it, relishing his touch. I finally open my eyes and take in the glory that is a half-naked Tobias standing before me. Lifting my trembling hand, I place it on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his ragged breaths. Tobias studies my face closely, and I watch as his eyes flick to my lips.

                Tobias draws me in and my head swims with the heady mixture of Tobias’s woodsy scent and the effects from the alcohol. The proximity of his body warms me to my core. His lips part and mine follow suit. I take in a sharp breath as he pulls me against him, his face edging toward mine.

                Finally, he kisses me. His lips are soft but demanding, sweet but rough, all at one time. My arms wrap around him, fingers knitting through his hair. Tobias picks me up and sets me on the couch, hovering over me as he gently lays me back. I whimper as he breaks our kiss and meets my eyes with his, burning with need.

                “Can I make you mine?” He asks, huskily. All I can do is nod, before he returns his bubblegum tongue to my mouth once more. In turn, takes me into oblivion.

 

One year later

                “Thalia, its time.” Christina bobs on her toes in the doorway to the dressing room.

                I did not want any of this commotion, but Johanna insisted. I look down at my flowing dress. A beautiful light pink floor length satin, that goes well with my olive tone skin. Checking myself in the mirror once more, I make my way into the great room that used to be the meeting area for the Amity compound. The tree that grows from its center is in full bloom, and they have decorated all of the benches with apple blossoms and flowers from the fields.

                Tobias stands in the center of the room, amongst the roots of the tree, with his mother and Johanna.  My brother and Christina walk in step with me to meet them. The entire room, filled with our family and friends, stands and smiles as I walk to meet Tobias, taking his hand. We turn toward Johanna, and the crowd becomes silent.

                Four hours later Tobias and I fall into bed together. Our bodies intertwined in the most intimate way possible. Our first night as a married couple, every aspect of this day is perfection.

                I lay my head on his heaving chest, as he places a soft kiss on the crown of my head. When I walked into Johanna Reyes’s office a year ago, I never thought that I would find the love of my life.  By the grace of god, we found each other.

                “Can I keep you?” He whispers into my hair. I reach up and pull his face toward mine once more. I answer his question with my body, heart, and soul.

Forever…