Red

37

TRIS'S POV

Van carries me all the way to the waterfall. It was about a ten minute walk. He walks up on the rocks and then sets me down on the edge before sitting next to me.

I hang my feet over the edge, letting them soak in the pool of water. It was cold, the outside temperature didn't help either, but I didn't mind it. It was almost like a distraction from tonight, but I still couldn't get Mike out of my mind. I can't stop feeling his hands gripping my wrists and pinning them above my head as he did whatever he wanted to me. I can't stop thinking about how helpless I felt.

Somehow, I start crying again. I hadn't realized I still had tears left in me to cry. Van grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly. He doesn't say anything, just lets me be vulnerable. And that was just what I needed.

I slowly move my feet up and down in the water, listening to the soft splashes they would make. "Van?" I finally say something, ruining the quietness of the nature around us with my raspy voice.

"Yeah?" He asks, looking down at me.

I turn to face him and notice some blood on his face. "What... what happened to your face?" I ask, a little shocked. I don't tell him what I was originally going to say. I needed to make sure he was okay first. How did I not notice earlier?

"It's nothing, darlin. It's gonna be healed in a couple days. Don't worry about it, okay?" He says.

I sigh, feeling bad. Van spent his night searching for me and dealing with my problem. The least I could do is be concerned for him. I knew it was probably from Mike, or someone Mike knew, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt too badly.

"Don't be upset, love," Van says. "You worry about others too often, when you should be worrying about what you need. I can promise you I'll be okay." His reassurance doesn't help much.

"Why do you...care about me so much?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper. I look down at my bare legs to avoid eye contact with him. My shirt was just long enough to cover my underwear, but at this point I didn't even care. Van already saw me when he found me.

"Why wouldn't I care about you?" He questions me back. "I just want you to be safe. I know I told you that before."

"I know," I say. It's true, he tells me nearly every time we talk that he's doing it because he needs to keep me safe. "But... why? Why do you need to keep me safe and not the other girls?"

"I do keep them safe," he says.

"But you-" I start again before being cut off.

"Tris, listen to me. I care about you, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. That's all you need to know," he tells me. His voice suddenly became stern.

I still wanted answers though, I deserved to know. "But-" I squeak, my nerves automatically kicking in at his tone shift.

"Tris, please, just drop it for now. Can you do that for me?" He cuts me off again.

I made him even more mad. Maybe he was beginning to regret finding me. I'm only annoying him, after all. Tears tempt to spill from my eyes and I blink in a failed attempt to keep them back. I sniffle and wipe my eyes with my hand that Van wasn't holding.

"It's okay, baby. What's wrong?" Van asks, his voice returning to the soft, quiet voice. The one that I liked.

"I made you mad," I say, sniffling again.

"No," he says. The hair that I was using to shield myself from Van was pushed away behind my ear with his hand. "No, you didn't. I'm not mad. I shouldn't have spoken so sternly to you, I'm sorry," he apologizes. "This stuffs new to me. I'm still getting used to it. Sometimes it stresses me out a little, and I think sometimes I come off as more aggressive than I mean to be."

"Used to what?" I question. Maybe I did ask too many questions, but I couldn't help my curiosity.

Van sighs. "Everything, I guess. Being stranded on an island, for one. I'm sure that's new for all of us, hm?" He says.

I nod my head.

"And taking charge, dealing with some bad people," he continues. "Most importantly, though, protecting you."

I nod my head. "Well, your doing a good job for it being your first time," I say.

Van chuckles. "Thank you, love," he says. He has a smile on his face, I can tell from his voice, and it makes me smile too. I bite my lip, trying to make my smile less obvious, I knew Van was watching me and didn't want him to see me.

"Can I tell you something?" Van says, he grabs my hand again which was on my lap and leaves his hand resting on my thigh.

I turn and look at him. "Yeah," I say. It was weird. He has never asked if he could tell me something before. That wasn't like Van. He usually just said what he wanted, when he wanted.

Van smirks. "Are you gonna think I'm crazy?" He asks me.

"I don't know, you have to tell me first," I say, biting back anther smile.

"Aw man, maybe I shouldn't tell ya, then. I don't want you to think I'm weird," he teases me.

I pout. "You have to tell me now. Please, Van. I won't think you're crazy," I say, letting out a giggle. I cover my mouth with my free hand, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"See, you're already laughing at me," he says, the smile on his face growing bigger.

I take my hand off of my mouth. "Nuh uh," I say shaking my head, looking at him with sad eyes.

He brings his hand to my face and puts his thumb on my bottom lip. "Fine," he says. "Only because of those puppy dog eyes, though." He winks at me, making my cheeks warm again. I'd have to remember to use puppy dog eyes more often when I wanted something.

"I'm kind of glad we got stuck on this island," he whispers, even though no one else was around to hear.

"Why?" I whisper back, his thumb still on my lip.

"Because I met you," he says, again in a whisper. I try to look down, knowing I was turning red, but Van doesn't let me. He moves his hand under my chin and holds me still. "Don't try to hide from me," he says lightly. "I knew you'd think I was crazy, didn't I?"

"No," I say. "I like it, too. Like that I met you." I meant it. Of course, I wish I met him anywhere except an unknown island, but I would rather meet him here than nowhere at all. Even if Van could be harsh at times, I loved the moments when we could just talk, like right now.

"Really?" Van says, a big smile on his face. "Good to know we're on the same page." He kisses the tip of my nose.

He takes his hand off my face and wraps one arm around my waist and the other under my legs before lifting me up and putting me on his lap. We were both facing toward the waterfall. His arms snake around me and I rest my head on his chest.

"Van?" I say quietly.

"Tris?" He says back, almost a tease.

"Please don't let me go," I say.

"I wouldn't dream of it."