No Rules- Fourtris

Chapter 37

The night drags on for Tris. She can not sleep, and all she does is trace Tobias's tattoos with her fingers as he breathes steadily in his sleep. Light from the moon and a streetlight streamed through a crack in his shades, illuminating the door and the surrounding area. A few times she thought she had woken him up, but he had only been stirring in his sleep. He usually did not toss and turn as much as he was, so she assumed he was dreaming.

Tris sits up in the bed and pulls her hair out of her face. She was unable to swallow her guilt and sleep. All Tobias wanted was to trust her not to work with his mother, but she could not go on in fear any longer.

Tobias jumps slightly, then shoots up. He looks over at her, his eyes momentarily filled with panic, "Did I wake you up?"

"No," Tris smiles, "I can't sleep."

Ignoring his own issue, Tobias opens his arms to her, and she falls back into his embrace. They felt no need to talk; She was at a loss for words, and he did not want to discuss what had awoken him. Tris knew better than to ask, though. Some would find this ironic, seeing it as him hiding a secret, but the two knew that they had boundaries. Not everything was meant to be shared, but Tris knew this did not apply in her case.

"What time are we meeting Zeke and Uriah?" Tris asks as she picks up her phone. She had no idea what time it was.

"Two," Tobias says quietly. His mouth was next to her ear, and his words gave her chills.

It was almost three in the morning, but she was restless, "Why do you think I can't handle Evelyn?"

"I don't," He frowns, "I just don't want you to get involved with something that can hurt you."

"I don't need you to protect me," Tris responds.

"I know I don't. You think my first instinct protect you because you're small, or I think you're weak," He scoffs, "My first instinct is to push you until you break, to see how hard I have to press. I fight with you because I know you can handle it. I can't handle Evelyn, no one can, so I want you to avoid it."

Tris frowns at his words. He never truly was the overbearing boyfriend, and his words always tested her. The two knew each others' breaking points, and for Tobias especially, it was fun to push her to the edge. This was not as bad as it sounded; He was showing her how life truly was.

"I stop before I do damage, I resist my instincts," He continues, "You are different, Tris. I've hurt so many people with the way I treat you, and I've never meant to. You are as tough as nails."

He ends the sentence with a smile, which Tris can sense even though she was not facing him.

Tobias was already annoyed a few minutes after he awoke. Matthew, Marcus, and Jeanine's presence in the house made him miserable, and he wanted nothing to do with them on his last day in the state. He barely wanted to leave his room. He was happy at the same time, though, because he finally was going to escape his father.

Tris and Tobias were up early; They began to pack the rest of his things, occasionally distracting each other. She had to force him to help her, as he was complaining he was too tired to do so. He had found a baseball in a box under his bed, and he distracted himself by throwing it up and catching it.

"I'm not your slave," Tris frowns. She throws one of Tobias's sweatshirts at him just as he was about to catch the ball, and it falls and hits him in the stomach, "We have like, I don't know, not even one box left. It isn't even like you have to drive!"

Zeke's mother offered to take the boys, most likely because she was scared to let her son go.

"That hurt," Tobias frowns and throws the sweatshirt back at her. He sits up from where he was laying and glares at Tris.