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

Chapter 12

(Hosanna's POV)

We arrive back to the main compound and everyone's face is flushed from the excitement of the jump. Eric excuses us and pulls me aside.
"Where are we going?" I ask him.
"It's a surprise," he says running his thumb over my palm as he leads me back to the hotel. I grin. All that adrenaline probably is making him want some private time together and I'm sure he's taking me to our room. I'm a little confused when we veer off from the lobby, away from the elevators. He takes me down an unfamiliar hallway and through a door leading us outside. I smile in excitement when I realize where we are.
"It's beautiful out here," I whisper in awe of our surroundings. But beautiful doesn't begin to describe it. The garden out here is so majestic and different from those in the city. The willow tree is even more grand than I expected. It's trunk is massive—twisting into itself—the roots exposed and clutching through the ground below like a hand digging through the dirt. It's branches cover the majority of the area in shade, waving and swaying with the gentle breeze. I move closer to it and touch the rough bark of the trunk. I look back to Eric, grinning. He's peeking through the vine-like branches, pulling them out of his sight to observe me as if they're a curtain.
I step closer to the nearby pond. It sounds like a waterfall but it must have a pump or filter moving the water around. There are some stacked boulders nearby where the water trickles down to the pond below. I step closer to the water's edge to see a school of fish on the far side of the small pond. The water is filled with koi—a type of fish we only have in pictures within the fence.  They vary in colors of orange and white and black and yellow. The school approaches me as I near the water. I notice the black metal bridge nearby and cross over to the center to get a closer look. The fish follow me as I move and I giggle. Eric grabs my hand to hold it but I'm surprised when he opens my fingers and starts to place something in my palm. I cup my hand and look to him in question. There are minuscule pebbles he's giving me. They look too big to be grains of sand but they somewhat resemble that. He takes a pinch and tosses it to the fish below. They swarm around it, opening their mouths above the water's surface to eat. I grin and watch as they feed—mouths drawn widely, opening and closing over and over. "They kind of look like catfish but prettier," I tell him.
"They do," he nods at me before I turn back continuing to observe them. I drop small amounts of the food down at a time, dragging out the experience of feeding the fish.
I feel him slide his arm around my back and I lean closer into him. His head is above mine. I can feel him kiss my head and I sigh in contentment. We don't get many quiet, peaceful moments together anymore but he does try to fit them into our hectic lives whenever he can. I appreciate that.
When my fingers are empty of food, he takes my hand and leads me back beneath the willow tree. I realize there's a blanket spread out underneath the far side of the massive tree. I notice a basket in the corner and I look to him. He planned this out.
He shrugs. "I thought we could do with some time alone," he explains.
I step closer to him, running my hand along his jaw and kiss his lips gently. "Thank you," I whisper. He smiles at me before leading me to the blanket. We sit down to enjoy a quiet dinner together.  He opens the basket to reveal some fried chicken, potato salad, fresh fruit, and vegetables.  There's some sort of dessert in there, too. 
"How did you do all of this?" I ask as he hands me a plate. 
He shrugs, "I asked the kitchen staff if we could have dinner out here.  They, of course, agreed.  Apparently they're big fans of ours, at least that's what they told me."
"They make it sound like we're movie stars or something," I giggle. 
"That's what I thought, too," he says.  "I'm sure they'll watch us later."  He motions to an area and I see a camera in the distance.  I chuckle thinking that there are probably several for their entertainment. 
"I never thought that my life would be that interesting," I tell him taking a bite of chicken.  "This is good," I say after chewing. 
"Yours is better," he replies. 
I laugh, "You think everything about me is better."
He shrugs.  "It is."
I grin just thinking of how he holds me on such a high pedestal.  We continue our meal making small talk.  I finish and he hands me some sort of wet napkin to wipe my hands.  Eric opens the basket and pulls out a plate with what looks to be two slices of cake or pie—I'm not sure. 
"Is that chocolate?" I ask. 
"No," he grins.  "Blueberry and peach I think."
I get excited at the prospects of what that delicious looking cake tastes like.  He lays down on his stomach with a fork and I snuggle up beside him.  He cuts a piece and holds it out for me.  I open my mouth awaiting the bite.  "Mmm," I say chewing the delectable morsel.  "I think it has yogurt or sour cream in it."
He takes a bite from the same piece.  "It is good," he nods. 
We lay on our stomachs while he feeds me and himself the remainder of the cake.  He sets the plate aside and we roll over staring up at the swaying branches and small visible bits of the blue sky.  He takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it.  After a moment, I can feel him wiggling my wedding ring on my finger—something he often does.  I'm not sure if it's just a habit of his or he likes the reassurance that it's on my finger but I actually love it when he does that.  I sigh contently and lean my head on his shoulder.  The sound of the water rushing down the rocks nearby is soothing. 
"Can't every day be like this?" I ask. 
"Maybe our weekends when we get them and retirement," he responds. 
"I thought Dauntless don't get a real retirement," I reply. 
"I already told you I'd run away with you," he says.  I can hear the grin in his voice.  I sit up slightly and meet his eyes.  He's already got his beautiful ice blue eyes fixed on mine.  I get lost staring at them so deeply.  He reaches out and cups my face with his hand.  His eyes search mine for something before he pulls me to his chest.  "Maybe someday we'll have peace but for now, we'll have to sneak it in whenever we can," he tells me gently. 
He begins to stroke my hair and I sigh again.  I feel almost like I'm about to drift off to sleep when he speaks.  "You know, if there weren't cameras and windows here..." he says.  I can almost hear the smirk in his voice. 
"Oh?" I question.  "What would you do?"  I set both of my hands on his chest and rest my chin there staring up at him.  He is smirking. 
"You know what I'd do," he grins. 
"Never stopped you before," I tease. 
"Yeah, well at least our living room isn't projected on a daily basis.  Elliot said he's always asking to see what I'm up to and the control room tells him I'm busy," he responds. 
I chuckle.  "Well it's good to know that only adults have access.  It's a shame we never really have privacy," I frown. 
"Yeah, I don't like every second of our lives being recorded—even our private time," he admits.  "Maybe someday our lives won't be a form of entertainment or study."
He reaches out and pokes my cheek making me smile.  "Did I ever tell you that I love your dimples?" he asks. 
"Maybe once or twice," I say grinning widely.