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

Chapter 50

Rivers & Robots-'Home'

(Hosanna's POV)

Our early dinner in Amity was delicious.  We joined Johanna for our meal and conversation was pleasant.  She informed us of how the Dauntless had been patrolling around the livestock areas.  She said that there haven't been any loss of animal life since they started patrolling but they have come across a few predators.  I thought that was impressive but I was more interested in the meal tonight because I was so incredibly hungry.
Eating here when I volunteered was the only seasoned food I received while in Abnegation for the most part. It's been so long since I'd eaten here that I forgot how heavenly their food is.  We ate some herb seasoned chicken breast with asparagus, red peppers, and quinoa. I got one of the glasses of juice. They're supposed to give you lots of energy and they're made fresh for every meal. Mine was a thick green one with fruit and vegetables while Eric selected the purple one. We both avoided the bread though.
We left quickly after the meal, thanking Johanna for her hospitality. I was glad that Eric wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought he'd be, but I didn't want to keep him there any longer than was necessary. I know he's not very comfortable around the Amity.
We head back to the cottage for the evening. After a while, I get changed into my swimsuit.  Eric decided to go rooting through the attic earlier and he's been up there ever since. He said that his mother told him about some things she left behind up there and I thought he could use some time alone to discover what she has for him. I figured there would be something special in the attic for him to find and I'm glad he'll be the one to discover it. 
I tread water near the end of the dock, listening to the gentle sounds of the birds and bugs. I close my eyes and find it so quiet and soothing. I take a deep breath and exhale. I really do love it here. It's so peaceful and relaxing, but I'm starting to miss my husband. I smile when I hear the familiar thump of his sandals on the dock nearby. I open my eyes to him above me slipping his sandals off and tossing a couple of towels next to them.
Eric has the biggest grin on his face as he dives into the water beside me. When he surfaces, he grabs me and kisses me pulling me down into the water.  We hold onto each other kissing underwater. After we come up for air,  I splash him in the face.  He laughs and pulls me closely.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" I ask.  I push his wet hair out of his eyes. 
"Yeah, I'll show you when we go back in," he says. 
"Your hair is getting long," I comment as I continue to play with it.
"Yeah, I'll probably cut it sometime this week," he shrugs.
"I can do it for you if you want," I offer. He kisses me in response.  I smile when he pulls back and stares at me for a moment as we hold each other in the water. 
"I'm sad our two weeks are almost up," he says. 
"We can take off more time if you want," I reply quietly.  "We didn't get that much time to ourselves."
"No, it's fine.  We've got so much to get done.  I already sent Max a message saying that we're coming back on Monday morning.  He said the party he's throwing for us with the faction will be Monday night," Eric explains.
I nod in understanding.  We do have so much to work on.  "I need to get a dress for that," I remember. 
"How about you work in the morning and take the afternoon off to look for a dress?  We'll skip our workout just for Monday.  Besides, I'm sure dancing with you that night among other things will more than makeup for it.  I'll finish whatever you don't if you get my suit cleaned for me," he offers with a little smirk. 
I smile and kiss him again.  "You're so good to me," I whisper against his lips. 
"I want most of our summer to be here though," he says quietly.  "Just the two of us on the weekends... well Friday nights and Saturdays.  We can go back on Sundays if you want."
I bite my lip.  "You don't like that?" he frowns at me. 
"It's just that I was thinking we could maybe invite people..." I say trailing off. 
"Oh," he replies. 
"You're such a loner," I respond playfully shoving him.
"Is there something wrong with me wanting to be alone with my beautiful wife?" he jokes.
"No," I laugh.  "But I bet you'll have a good time with our friends here."
He groans but agrees. We swim for a bit but end up laying out in the sand kissing for a while until the sun starts to set. We make our way into the cottage, playfully climbing up the stairs and share a bath together. 
Afterward, I slip on a nightgown Mia gave me and sit on the bed while Eric throws some sweatpants on.  He shows me the gift his parents planned to give him for his eleventh birthday.  It's a baseball glove and still in perfect condition.  It does look a little small for him now though but I don't tell him that.  I hold him while he shows me a package wrapped in pink paper.  He says it's a doll for Lizzy.  He wants to bring it back with him to Dauntless and give it to her by the next Visiting Day at the latest.  I think that's a wonderful idea.  Maybe we can bring her to our apartment. 
He also shows me a few photo albums he found. There are all sorts of pictures of his family when he was growing up. As I flip through them, some of the places I recognize, others not so much. Their home in Erudite was absolutely gorgeous, nothing like our drab house in Abnegation. He turns to a page with me on it. I see a group picture of everyone from that meeting, including my aunt and cousin. I think another person in the lab took it. There's a picture of just Mama and me, one of me and Liz and she was so little... maybe three, and one with our mothers and us. Just the feeling behind these pictures makes me think that she already knew somehow that we would be a family someday.
"My mom said that when she first met you, she thought they needed to introduce us," Eric says pulling me onto his lap. He grazes my neck with his nose. "She implied that we'd be perfect for each other," he pauses, gently kissing me. "...that if we met, everything would fall into place." He kisses my cheek and I lean my head back as he does so.  I sigh sadly when he stops and takes me off of his lap. 
Eric climbs up from the bed and walks over to the dresser.  He picks up something and turns around to show me a beautiful metal box.  It's silver, rectangular in shape with rounded corners but has feet, and cast with an intricate swirling pattern.  It has several roses covering it and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. 
"This is for you.  Mom said you could have this one.  There should be one just like it at the old house.  That one is for Lizzy," Eric says. 
I turn to him surprised.  "Are you serious?" I question, my voice barely a whisper.
He nods looking me in the eyes and taking a seat beside me again.  "She said she wanted you to have this and the jewelry inside," he explains.
I frown even though I'm trying not to.  It took her no time at all to accept me as her daughter.  She's so kind and thoughtful and giving.  I try to hold back the tears as I take the metal box in my hands.  I set it on my lap and I'm shocked at the weight of it.  What Mama gave me was like a toy compared to this, even though it still means so much to me.  This is the most expensive-looking thing I've ever seen.  I lift the lid slightly to reveal all sorts of jewelry.  When it's fully opened, I hear a song begin to play, similar to that of the carousel but not the same.  There's a mirror on the opposite side of the lid. The jewelry box is filled with necklaces, bracelets, pins, and earrings inside.  I pick up one earring noticing that it matches my wedding ring but it's for pierced ears.  I feel Eric slip his arm around my waist and nuzzle up to my neck. 
"I told you I thought I remembered it here and at the house.  I guess there were two of them," he says while I survey the contents in the jewelry box. 
"She's really giving all of this to me?" I still question, surprised that she did that. 
He chuckles a little.  "Mom always did wear a lot of jewelry.  I'm sure she has a ton elsewhere," he explains.  "All of these were gifts from my father."
I nod wiping a tear from my cheek.  "Maybe I should get my ears pierced," I comment. 
"It doesn't really hurt," Eric says.  "I had Tori do mine." He nips at my ear.  I giggle moving away as he tickles me. 
"I thought you had gauges done though," I question.
"No, these are just earrings," Eric says removing one.  There's just the tiniest little hole there. 
"Oh," I respond surprised.  I'm actually glad they're just earrings.  I don't particularly care for gauges—especially the larger ones—but if Eric had them done, I'd be supportive if it's something he really wanted. 
"Maybe I'll go to Tori's shop this week sometime and get them done. I wanted an excuse to see her anyway. I also want to find out if Ava is ready to do my tattoo," I tell him.
Eric holds the earring up to my ears. "You'll look lovely," he whispers. "So... are you going to tell me what tattoo you want?"
I smile. "You'll have to wait and see," I say.
He groans before standing up. He crosses the room putting the jewelry box back on the dresser and gets the tube of medication I set aside for my feet. He pulls the turquoise chair over to the end of the bed in front of me and places my feet on his lap.  He begins to rub the medicine all over them and finishes off the tube. 
Eric gets up and leaves the bedroom.  I hear the water running in the nearby bathroom and climb onto my side of the bed.  When he returns, I watch him pull the chair back to where it was originally and lay down next to me.  He turns off the light on the nightstand and slips his arm around my waist.  He pulls me close to him and buries his head in my hair.  He kisses behind my ear.  "I love you," he whispers before I drift off.