This is the second story in a trilogy:
Change Of Heart (Book One)-complete
To Save A City (Book Two)-complete
To Change A City (Book Three)-in progress
Hosanna Eaton, Four's sister, came to Dauntless. She and Eric fell in love. He was a Diverge...
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We step in the apartment after Capture the Flag and Hosanna immediately yawns. I frown. She's already tired. "I'm really sorry. I couldn't sleep earlier when you napped," she responds. I must be making a disappointed face. "What'd you do then?" I ask. She was there when I laid down and again when my alarm went off to go down and collect supplies. "I painted the bathroom," she says shrugging. Oh, I guess I won't have to do that then. "It's okay. Go jump in the shower, I'll be there in a minute," I tell her. She turns and walks straight to the bathroom. I can't believe she got that done. It was a weekend project we've been planning on for a while but never got around to it. We'd been so busy lately, even working on the weekends. I hear the shower turn on and I'm reminded of last year. I smile. I may have fantasized about her that night but it was romantic—how the entire evening actually unfolded. That kiss was a highlight in my life. I think she felt that way too by her disappointment in the train earlier from my comments. Maybe my fantasy wasn't was she had in mind for tonight. Although, last year was incredibly memorable. Even though we never neared making love, I spent the night with her and that was just as good. She fills my heart with such a tenderness that I've never had before her. I decide to recreate as much as possible, maybe with a little love making if she's up for it. If not, I can live with that. I grab some chamomile tea bags out of the cupboard and the teapot. I place the bags in two mugs on the countertop before I start some water on the stove. I set it with a lower temperature so it'll take a while to boil. I decide to walk back to the bedroom and grab two pairs of my sweats, one of my t-shirts, and a pair of her undergarments. I step into the steamy bathroom surprised at the striking blue color on the walls. It's beautiful. I hadn't even realized she chose this shade. It's the same hue as the tile in my old bathroom—my favorite color. I set our clothes down on the counter and grab her paint-covered clothing. I toss her things into the washer before I strip down and start mine in there as well. I walk back into the bathroom and open the shower door. I'm facing her back and she doesn't even notice me. She's trying to remove clusters of multicolored paint from her hair. "Maybe I should just cut it out," she mumbles to herself. I frown at that. I hadn't realized it was so difficult to get out before. That's probably why she used so much shampoo last year. I step in and quietly close the door. I grab her bottle of shampoo, squeezing a small gob onto my palm. I kiss her shoulder before I begin to massage it into her hair. I see what she means, I practically have to pull the dried clumps off of each strand. I wash the rest of her body—getting the paint off of her hands and face since it peels off much easier there—before going back to her hair. "I think the swamp water made it so it didn't dry as much and cleaned off easier last year," she informs me as I continue to help her. "Maybe next year we'll go for a swim if he does it again," I joke. I hear her lighthearted chuckle. Perhaps I should let her cut it out, but her hair is so beautiful and it's finally getting longer again. I really like it like this. I peruse over what's remaining and notice that it's almost gone. Good, I can do this. I continue to assist her in washing it out. We finish up as the water is turning cold. I grab my towel and wrap one around her, too. She squeezes some water out of her hair and I'm reminded of how much I enjoy the openness between us now compared to before. I massage her shoulders with the towel as she shivers, teeth chattering. I smile at how adorable she is. This night does remind me so much of last year. I pull her to my chest and hold her until she warms, rubbing her back. She looks so sleepy too as she leans her head on me. When she stops shaking, I seat her on the countertop. I dress quickly and toss my towel aside. She clears her throat. Alright... I turn around, pick my towel up off of the floor, and hang it nicely on the towel bar. She grins sleepily at me. I grab her undergarment and slowly pull it up on her before my pants. "Hmm, this seems familiar," she laughs. I smirk grabbing my shirt and pulling it over her head. Standing her up, I pull the rest of her clothes up, rolling the waist on the pants for her. I seat her back on the counter while I put her discarded towel beside mine. Our eyes meet as I slide my arms under her legs and behind her back. I carry her to the sofa and set her down. She grabs my arm smiling and kisses my cheek before I walk into the kitchen to stop the kettle from whistling. I turn the element off and pour us each a mug full. I stride over carefully with the two hot cups in hand, taking a seat beside her. She smiles at me again, grasping a mug from my hand. I put an arm around her shoulder and she leans her head against my chest. We sit together in silence, slowly sipping our tea. When I finish mine, I look down at her to see she's nodded off against my chest. Carefully removing the cup from her fingers, I set it aside on the coffee table. I pick her up gently and carry her off to bed. Pulling the sheets aside, I lay her down before covering her up. I look her over and remember how I didn't want to leave her alone in my bedroom, how I wanted to share the bed with her and hold her in my arms. Maybe I should tell her that. I'll admit the fantasy of her last year and tonight was a flash in my mind but this, a meaningful relationship with her was my heart's true desire. I can have my fantasies from time to time, but at the end of the day, this is what I truly want: to lay beside her, have her in my arms, and hold her for the rest of our lives. I close the curtains and turn off the light. I cross the bedroom to my side of the bed, climbing in beside her, settling in closely. I don't have to ask her permission anymore, she said yes... to anything I want from her since our wedding day on. I know whatever I want is mine, that all I have to do is ask. If I still wanted to stay up all night long, she would've said yes—but this, me letting her rest is what I want now. I snuggle close to her and wrap my arms around her lovely sleeping form. She sighs and moves closer to me. Her breath evens out quickly. I watch her chest rise and fall with each breath and I know the heart beating inside that beautiful body belongs to me for the rest of our lives. I admire her for a moment longer before I kiss her temple softly and whisper, "Goodnight, darling."
