Rekindling

Chapter 18: Tris - Moving Pains

A/N: Thank you for all the wishes for my health. I STILL have this flu, but it's not quite as bad as it was, so hopefully there's an end in sight. In the meantime, thank you for the reviews, and thanks to my wonderful beta reader, BarbaraK2U!

Special Note to Wattpad readers: This site's editor is (once again) having problems.  It's losing my italics, bold, and other formatting and isn't consistently taking them even if I re-add them here.  For this reason, I suggest you read this chapter on the fanfiction net site or the Archive of Our Own site, so you can see the proper formatting.

Chapter 18: Tris – Moving Pains

"Toss me the tape," Tris calls across her room to where Christina is currently folding her clothing.

Her roommate gives a playful grin before launching the packing tape at her at full speed. Tris ducks instinctively, letting it smash into the wall behind her.

"Hey, you won't get your damage deposit back if you do that," Christina complains.

Tris just rolls her eyes. "Ha ha." But then she runs her fingers along the wall, double-checking that there's no mark or indentation. Fortunately, there isn't.

"So, what did Will say?" she asks after another moment. Christina has been waffling for the last month about whether or not to ask her boyfriend to move in instead of looking for a new female roommate.

In all the years that Tris has known her best friend, she can count on one hand the number of times she's seen an evasive expression on her face, but this is one of them. "I haven't asked him yet," Christina admits grudgingly, staring at the dress she's currently packing.

Tris sighs. "And you still haven't advertised the room, have you?" She's answered by silence. "Christina, you can't afford this place by yourself, and I really am leaving, you know. You have to do something."

"I know. I know." Christina drops onto the bed, the dress in her lap, groaning. "But what if he's not ready? I mean, we've only been dating for six months. What if he thinks it's too soon, and I turn him off by bringing it up?"

Tris nods in understanding, walking over to sit beside her friend. "But if you rent out this room, it'll be at least a year before you get another chance. And I don't think you want to wait that long, do you?"

"No...." She lies back, looking up at Tris. "Why did you and Tobias have to get all cute and work out and everything?" At Tris' chuckle, she adds, "Seriously, that was the one thing I thought I could count on – the two of you would never end up together."

Tris lies down next to Christina, turning her head to look at her friend. "Surprise?" The word draws a slow smile from her roommate. But it doesn't distract her from the subject.

"Do you think Will wants to move in?" Christina whispers, rare vulnerability in her voice.

For a second, the shorter woman bites her lip, not wanting to make Christina's decision for her. But then she nods. "Yeah, I do."

"Maybe you could ask him. Surreptitiously or something."

Tris laughs at that. "Are we reverting to middle school now?" In a high-pitched, singsong voice, she continues, "Janie said that John told her that Adam might kind of like you."

Christina nudges her with her shoulder, smiling. "I asked about Will, not Adam." She turns to look at the ceiling, shaking her head with mock sadness. "You never listen."

The sound of their apartment door opening interrupts them, and Tris pulls herself to her feet, knowing that her boyfriend has returned to take more boxes to the truck. "Do you want me to ask Tobias for his opinion?" she teases her roommate, walking backwards toward the exit and grinning mischievously.