Love, Lies, Secrets and Manipulation (Divergent/Eric OC)

34. Where Have You Been Lately?

(Natalie's POV)

Digging into the bacon that's on my breakfast plate, Jesse gives me an odd look as he's sitting next to me.

"Don't judge me, okay?" I say as I take another bite. "I'm hungry."

Jesse just chuckles and shakes his head. "I didn't even say anything."

"You didn't have to," I retort as I fork into some scrambled eggs. "That look on your face said it all. You gave me that you're-eating-like-a-fatass look."

He laughs aloud. "I've just never seen you tear into a piece of bacon like that before."

"Yeah, well, I didn't eat much last night for dinner," I remind him.

Mia and Tris continue chatting on the other side of him, but the two of us continue eating in silence until he speaks again.

"So..." he says, quiet enough so that the girls can't hear, "Where have you been lately?"

I swallow my food and nervously wash it down with some of my drink. "What do you mean?" I ask innocently.

Of course Jesse would be the one to notice my recurring absence.

"I mean," he continues quietly, "You haven't been around much lately."

"Awww, are you trying to say that you miss me," I tease him.

"Oh," he replies, stretching out the word. "Okay, I see what you're doing."

I look at him bemused and can't help but chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

"You always change the subject when you want to get out of discussing a certain topic."

I do? Well then, I guess I'll have to work on that little tell of mine.

"I've just been making some new friends, that's all," I say convincingly. "I don't always want to interrupt your time with Mia."

"Well, you do know that Tris is also our friend, don't you? I mean, do you honestly think she always wants to be the third wheel when she's with us and you're not?"

Before I bite into another slice of bacon, I shoot him a semi-dirty look. "Um, Tris is also friends with Uriah and some of the other Dauntless-borns. It's not like she has nobody to hang out with when I'm not around, Jesse."

"No, I know that. I'm just saying, usually it's always the four of us. But lately, you've either been MIA, or you'll sneak off somewhere after you're with us for a short time."

"I do not sneak off."

Jesse shoots be a let's-be-real-here look, and I'm not entirely sure if I feel comfortable by it.

"Okay, then," he says quietly as he sets his cup down. "Tell me. Where were you last night? I woke up after midnight and you weren't in your bed."

Quizzing me on my whereabouts, now?

I sigh, now borderline irritated. "I was out late hanging out with some friends, okay? I didn't crawl back into my bed til after one in the morning."

Technically, I'm not lying. I said after one o'clock in the morning. Six o'clock comes after one o'clock.

"One in the morning?" he repeats, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"Yes. It's not a crime to stay up late, Jesse."