To Save a City (Divergent/Eric) 2 of 3 COH Series

Chapter 38 (Eric's POV)

We end up spending more time at the campsite than we intended. Hosanna loved waking up to some rabbits outside the tent first thing in the morning. I offered to catch her one for breakfast but she declined. We swam and enjoyed the sights. Afterward, we ate an early lunch and headed back to the cottage.
I'm seated in a chair in the living room with my head thrown back, resting. I'll shower when Hosanna is done. I wanted to join her but she didn't think there was enough room in the tub since she said she needed to shave her legs. I didn't notice but if it bothers her, I'll wait my turn.
I hear some strange rustling outside of the cottage. I sit up and listen for a few minutes but don't hear anything again. I sit back and dismiss it as an animal or bird, returning my head to its previous position waiting for my wife to finish.
I'm woken by Hosanna descending the creaky stairs. I apparently nodded off for a while. "I'm finished. It's all yours," she announces.
She's wearing a pair of shorts. I pull her closer and run my fingers across her smooth legs. She rubs the stubble on my face. "Have you ever thought of growing a beard?" she asks me.
I laugh. I wasn't expecting that question. "I hadn't. Why? Would you like me with a beard?" I inquire.
"Maybe," she responds with a shy smile.
"I don't think it's full enough. Maybe when I'm older," I say.
She smiles wider and kisses my lips gently. "I'd like that," she tells me quietly.
I stand and ascend the stairs to get cleaned up. I don't know how my wife can kiss me when I smell this bad. I wash quickly and wrap a towel around my waist. I wipe the steam from the mirror and notice that my facial hair has filled in substantially since last year. I haven't waited this long to shave since the previous time I was here and I probably could grow a decent beard now. It does make me look much older than I am though. Maybe in a few years...
I shave and style my hair before dressing. I walk down the stairs to Hosanna resting on the love seat. I hear her phone start to buzz. She sits up and answers it.
"Hello?" she says surprised. She looks up to me and puts the call on speaker.
"Hey there love birds," Amar shouts on the line. Jeez he's loud. "Sorry to interrupt your mash-fest," he chuckles. "Congratulations, by the way." We both smile at that. "Just so you know, Erudite has cameras there watching everything you're doing. We're scrambling the transmissions though, so they can't hear this or anything you're saying. The picture is fuzzy now for them too and will be for a while. We've been messing with it since they installed it the other day. We're hoping they chalk it up to being outside the fence. So... any-who, you have a gift on your doorstep and you're both invited to the Bureau. David wants to talk to Eric and since you're outside of the fence, it should be easy to get here."
Okay, I'm officially freaked out. This guy that threatened to wipe my mind wants to meet with me. Hosanna looks to me, unsure of what to say. "Do you want to go?" she asks hesitantly.
I shrug. I really don't know how I feel about this. "I've got to admit, I have mixed feelings about that," I say.
Amar responds, "From what I've seen, he seems to have taken an interest in you. He's been looking through your records and it seems like he genuinely wants to speak with you and not in a negative sort of way."
I glance to my wife—the look on her face is hopeful.
"Alright, when do we leave?" I ask.
"Tomorrow night. I'll call when the Dauntless patrol is out of the area and the cameras are taken care of. Oh, by the way, after you enjoy your wedding present, burn anything leftover," Amar says. "I'll see you tomorrow." He hangs up and there is silence in the cottage.
"I guess that's why he didn't respond to me when I sent him a message," Hosanna says softly. "They must've been listening in..."
I hear that same rustling that I heard earlier. Hosanna puts her phone in her pocket and walks to the front door. I follow her over. She opens the door and we see a large stockpot sitting on the porch. I hear that scratching noise again but louder now.
"What did they give us? I've got to say, I'm weirded out," I voice my apprehension.
"I think it's my favorite food," she says picking up the pot. It looks pretty heavy. She carries it to the kitchen and sets it on the table.
There's a box on top of the pot. Hosanna's phone buzzes. She shows me the message: