The Iron Soldier: A FourTris Divergent Story

Chapter 20

"For this. For caring. For sacrificing your time to be with me."

I blushed. "It's not much of a sacrifice. I like spending time with you."

His smile widened but he suddenly pulled away. "So, what do we do now?"

"You like ice cream?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

I chuckled, grabbing his hand as I pulled him with me. We ran hand in hand across the field until we reached the edge where the ground plummeted down a grassy hill. "You ready?"

He looked at me quizzically. I released his hand, sat down and rolled down the hill like a burrito. He looked worried until I reached the bottom and sat up, coaxing him to follow. He shook his head, as if to say, I can't believe I'm doing this, but he rolled down after me just the same.

The bottom of the hill turned into a parking lot a few yards beyond the grassy valley. We joined hands again, crossing the parking lot into the center of town. The ice cream shop was just ahead, and a brightly colored flag welcomed us.

I ordered a small mint chocolate chip, and he asked for cookies and cream. As soon as the ice cream was given to us, we retreated to a nearby picnic table to enjoy the icy treat.

We didn't talk much. The ice cream kept us busy, as we had to eat it quickly before it melted. At one point, Four pushed my cone into my face as I was taking a lick, resulting in a green smudge covering my nose. He laughed at me, when I threatened revenge when he least expected it.

"I don't know what you're upset about. You look adorable with a green nose."

"Adorable? Really? That makes me sound like a little kid."

"Ok, so maybe adorable wasn't the right word. How about... beautiful."

I pulled my attention away from my cone to find his deep blue eyes watching me intently. "That's just a blatant lie."

His smile lit up his face as he wiped the ice cream off my nose. "There. Happy now?"

"Yes, thank you."

When we both finished our ice cream, we decided to go back to the dorm. The late afternoon breeze was starting to get cool and neither of us were dressed in warm enough clothes. We didn't stop anywhere this time. We walked strait through the parking lot, up the hill, across the field then into the wooded path leading back toward the student housing. Once in the woods we played a moving version of hide and seek until the sun had had gone down enough to make it hard to see.

"We need to get inside before it gets too dark. I hear there are werewolves in these woods." Four joked.

I bust out laughing as soon as he said it. "Yes, I've heard that to. And look," I pointed to the sky. "Tonight is a full moon."

"It is?" He continued to play. "Oh no, this isn't good." His voice was suddenly serious.

I stopped walking, looking over to see what the problem was.

Four suddenly let out a fantastic howl. "No, not now. Tris, it's me. I'm the werewolf. Run!"

I started to laugh again when he suddenly leapt for me. "Oh no. I better get out of here." I started running for the dorm since it was now visible up ahead, laughing the whole time as Four chased me in the dark. I circled around to the front, pushing open the front door. The whole time he was only about ten feet behind me.

I ran through the lobby, ignoring the warning look the RA gave me. There was no time to wait for the elevator. I headed directly for the stair well, taking two steps at a time. He never missed a step, running after me with a smile on his face.

My body slammed through the door of the third floor and I ran to my door. I pulled my keys from my pocket as Four emerged from the stair well.

"There you are. I have you now. You can't escape."

By now I was laughing so hard, my eyes were blurred with tears. I couldn't see the keys, let alone find the right one to open the door. He was running toward me, as he howled again. I got the door open just as he reached me. I tried to close it but he pushed it open, following me into the main living area. With his foot, he pushed the door closed behind him.

I kept my eyes locked on his face. His were opened wide, his teeth showing like a rabid dog and his fingers were curled to look like claws. I backed up slowly, my hands up in a surrender pose.

"You have nowhere else to run." He turned around and slid the deadbolt into place before continuing forward.

My heart began to pound in my chest. What was he going to do when he caught me? I didn't have to wait long to find out. With an evil twinkle in his eye he continued closer until there was less than a foot between us. His perfect blue eyes held me in a trance as he closed the small gap between us. Before I could react, his lips were on mine, kissing me with more passion than I'd ever felt before.

With every passing second, he pulled me deeper into his arms. I don't know if I was supposed to resist as part of the game. Not a single cell in my body had any desire to push him away. I returned the kiss with every ounce of life in me.

We were both breathing heavy now. Four put his hands on my hips, lifting me into his arms, before wrapping my legs around his waist.

My fingers weaved into his hair as our tongues danced. I pulled away for a moment, to catch my breath when his lips found the soft skin below my ear. His lips never backing down, sent goosebumps down my arms.

I was lost in his arms, in his kiss. He carried me in the direction of my bedroom. I was pinned between his warm body and the door as we continued wrapped in each others' embrace.

He pulled away for a half second, searching my expression for an answer. "Tris, if you want to stop, you need to tell me now."

My heart beat faster with every passing second. I knew what this was. I've taken enough psychology classes to know that everyone deals with grief differently. This type of comfort was something he needed right now, and I wanted nothing more than to give him that comfort. It was not what I imagined my second sexual experience would be. I'd imagined being in love, possibly engaged before I did this again. I knew it meant nothing. No relationship. No expectations for a future together. I didn't care. In this moment, we needed each other more than anything else in the world.

I reached down, behind my back, twisting the bedroom doorknob. I gave him the answer he was looking for without saying a word. He carried me inside, depositing me on the bed. His eyes flashed a primal hunger as he pulled his t-shirt over his head before crawling over me in the bed to continue to kiss my neck.