"The older you get the more you realize the value of privacy. Of cultivating your circle and only letting certain people in. You can be open, honest, and real while still understanding that not everyone deserves a seat at the table of your life."
When Roxy, Luke, and I, reached the pit ten minutes after the agreed time, we arrived simultaneously with Tadeo. The twins were seated on a large rock in the middle of the pit. Their expression said it all, they were annoyed with us all but never said anything. "Sorry, Ly. My mother wouldn't let me go." Tadeo chuckled nervously with a small shrug.
I watched him dry something away from his cheek before he raked both hands through his curly hair, pushing it away from his face. I smiled at the image of Tadeo getting smothered by his mother, loaded with motherly affection and all that. "Be careful Octavia." Tadeo warned and Poona finger at me when seeing my grin.
Everyone laughed even harder. The twins soon got down from the rock and urged us all to follow them. They took us through hallways that was semi unfamiliar. This party was definitely not Zeke's. I felt a twinge of relief because then just maybe I wouldn't have to face Gabriel. I hadn't seen him since I was in the infirmary for Luke.
When we arrived, the door was already open. The twins didn't hesitate to enter and everyone else followed. The apartment was much bigger than Zeke's. It allowed more people to gather. I recognized a few of them but there were many I didn't. It didn't take long before I realized my fear had come true. Gabriel was in the middle of the room, speaking with two other dauntless I didn't know.
And as if he knew I was looking at him, his eyes snapped my way. They hardened the second they caught mine. There was something in them that made me shiver. This was not good. I was in so much trouble. The twins didn't hesitate to approach their brother, he smiled to them, seeming a bit different from the last time.
It wasn't hard to see Gabriel was still impaired from the beating he had received from Eric. Gabriel's movements were slow and strained. Somehow his pain made me feel good, it was a strange feeling but not unwelcomed. A small smirk emerged on my lips as I quickly followed Roxy and Luke. They had approached some of the other dauntless born initiates alongside Tadeo.
Keeping an eye on Gabriel the entire time, I claimed the arm rest of the chair Luke and Roxy had sat down in. Roxy sat on Luke's lap as we just listened to the conversation of some of the other dauntless born. When I saw Gabriel take a step in my direction, every fiber in my body pulled taught. I was ready to act if he tried anything.
"Octavia?" Gabriel spoke carefully as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I resisted the urge to recoil, knowing very well I had to put up a mask around the others. "Can I talk with you?" Gabriel asked as the twins joined the other dauntless born initiates on the couch in front of me. They looked very hopeful, and I decided I would give him one chance. But only one, and it was this chance.
Gabriel guided me away from the others, towards one of the walls of the apartment. It provided us some privacy but not much. I raised an eyebrow at Gabriel and made sure there were at least two meters between us as I leant against the wall. "What do you want?" I asked without hesitation, and without hiding my discontent for him.
Gabriel chuckled, his own 'playing victim' mask faded away, to reveal his true hide. Being this close to Gabriel allowed me to really notice the faint scars still lingering from Eric's attack. Each and every one of them provided me with a little more happiness.
"So, I've heard the rumors." Gabriel laughed and inched closer. I stood my ground, watching him with narrowed eyes. "Are you really sleeping with him?" Gabriel whispered after he had lowered his head further to me. Gabriel was one of those people that was annoyingly taller than everyone else.
"I don't see why it's any of your business." I snapped at him, keeping my voice low enough to remain in a whisper. "What do you want?" I asked again, raising my arms up to wrap them around my chest. It was a way of protecting myself from him, from his gaze that kept traveling down. Making me aware of the necklace I was wearing. It had become much heavier under his gaze.
Gabriel smiled even wider and straightened up just as someone stepped out from the kitchen opposite of us. "Welcome, Welcome all to my humble abode." Ezekiel said when he stepped out. It was the guard I had met on the fence stepped out. So, it was his party.
My attention had shifted to him when he spoke, but I should never have done that because Gabriel took that moment to close the distance between us. When his hand was securely on the back of my head, my head snapped back to him, in time for him to place his lips on mine again.
This time I was ready for it and bit hard into his bottom lip. Gabriel growled and retracted just as something black flashed before my eyes, pushing Gabriel up against the wall. My eyes widened, this time it was Eric. With hands securely wrapped around Gabriel's shirt, he shoved the taller man against the wall, raising him a few inches from the floor.
"Eric!" His name left my lips simultaneously with someone else. I quickly grabbed onto Eric's forearm and tried pulling him away from Gabriel, but my strength alone wouldn't be enough. I took in the furious Eric as he held Gabriel against the wall, chest heaving, nostrils flaring, looking absolutely feral. Even his eyes were extremely narrow and filled with hate towards this one person.
Then another pair of arms reached around Eric's torso. Someone else was strong enough to pull Eric away. Gabriel landed on his feet when Eric was torn away from him. It was Ezekiel that came into view as he forced Eric around behind him, making him stand between the two men. Ezekiel spread his arms out to keep them separated.
Eric only had eyes for Gabriel and didn't see Ly approach. None of us would have guessed what she did next. Her small fist collided with Eric's cheek, sending his head to the left. "What the fuck is wrong with you, you monster!" Ly screamed at Eric as her sister wrapped her arms around her, pulling her back. Tadeo soon joined to help hold Ly back. "You fucking coward, attacking without reason!" Ly continued to scream.
"Without reason?" Ezekiel scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think that was without reason." Then the older dauntless turned to me. His eyes shifted to my lips, and I raised a hand to them, feeling the blood from the wound I had inflicted on Gabriel. My eyes snapped to Gabriel's lips, fresh blood was still flowing from the bite wound on his lower lip. I had managed to get him quite good.
But I felt really disgusted. My hands worked ferociously to remove the blood, moving with erratic movements. Eric noticed and he lost all sense of calm, dashing to me as his hands cupped my cheeks. I felt him remove what remained of Gabriel on my lips. Tears swelled and I grabbed onto his sleeves. It brought him even closer to me, though it didn't seem humanly possible.
Ezekiel resumed a less alarmed stance but when Gabriel tried to take a step forwards, the older dauntless placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back against the wall with a raised eyebrow. "Stay right there." Ezekiel then turned to Eric and me. "Get her out of here. I will not have a fight in my apartment."
Eric looked at Ezekiel from the corner of his eyes and nodded once before straightening up. "Why are you taking his side! Get off my brother you coward!" Ly's voice boomed through the apartment. Eric's body tensed as his jaw clenched, a muscle feathering as he began grinding his teeth together to keep back what he had wanted to say.
Then Gabriel tried grabbing Ezekiel's hand. When those long fingers wrapped around the guard's wrist, he acted on instinct. Ezekiel's other hand grabbed Gabriel's before twisting it around, forcing Gabriel to spin around, his chest now against the wall. Ezekiel kept an iron grip on Gabriel as he pinned the dauntless up against the wall. "No touching." He scoffed.
"Maybe you should take your own advice, Zeek." Eric chuckled, though his laugher was forced I knew that Ezekiel was on Eric's side, on my side. The guard scowled at Eric before turning to the twins. Ly was still thrashing in her sisters hold as Eric dared raise a hand to my cheek, demanding my attention to shift to him again.
"Don't touch her!" Roxy's shaking voice emerged from within the chaos. I saw the red-head I considered my friend move through the crowd, quickly reaching me. Her small hands were on my arm as she protectively pulled me behind her, keeping her body in between Eric and me. "What you did was very gallant but—"
Roxy trailed off when I placed my hands on her arms. I shimmied out of her grasp and took a step away. "It's okay, he will not hurt me." I insured just as Eric closed the distance between us, pulling me closer to him. At that moment, he completely disregarded his own rules and placed a kiss on my forehead.
I could see Roxy's eyes go wide. I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before Eric wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "We need to leave." Eric grumbled as I felt him urge me to follow him. I didn't fight back. I had no need to remain here.
"You traitor!" Ly then screamed and thrashed even harder in her sister's arms. "Fuck you, Octavia! How can you—he's a fucking monster. He even threw you over the chasm once." Ly didn't finish her sentence at all. My chest had constricted when she cursed at me. Something switched and I could no longer remain quiet.
"Shut up, just shut up Ly!" I screamed back at her and took a step forward. Eric's hands wrapped around my elbow, keeping me back. "How can you curse at me, when your brother, your fucking brother was the one who started it all." Tears swelled in my eyes again when I yelled at her.
"I found Eric because your brother was being an asshole. This is the second time he's kissed me without consent. He stole from me. Was horrible to me. All because I look like freaking Georgiana!" I screamed the last part. "Eric only defended me. He's twice the man your brother is—He's a damn sociopath!" I pointed at Gabriel when the accusation left me.
The entire room fell silent at my accusation and Eric's hold on me tightened before he pulled me back. "Come on, we need to leave." Eric muttered again when a hand found mine, fingers intertwining before he took me with him. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Zeek." Eric acknowledged and pulled me out of the apartment. The silence of the hallway was only disturbed by our steps and my sniffling. I couldn't keep my tears at bay any longer.
Eric took me to the dining hall where he moved towards the leader table. "Sit." He commanded. I complied and threw myself down onto the bench before Eric left through a door on my right. He emerged seconds after with a bag of ice and a dishtowel. I watched him place it against his cheek, apparently Ly had hit him pretty well.
When Eric leaned against the table I was seated at, he crossed one leg over the other and wrapped one arm around his chest, letting the elbow of the other rest against his hand while keeping the bag of ice to his cheek. I rose slowly to my feet, throwing one leg over his feet, so I had one on each side of him before reaching for the bag of ice.
Eric reluctantly allowed me to remove it, to take in the small bruise already forming. "She hit you pretty well." I smiled at him when I returned to ice to his cheek. Eric groaned in reply before I lent forwards, letting my body slump against his. The satisfied thrill that escaped him warmed my cheeks and his unoccupied arm moved around my waist.
I rested my head on his chest, in the crock of his neck, listening to him breathe while feeling his heartbeat. We remained like this for a while until voices reached my ears. Roxy and Luke entered the dining hall not long after. They both halted in the door when noticing Eric and I leaned up against the leader table.
I didn't make any move to stand up, not even when they approached us. I followed Roxy with my eyes as she came to stand not far from Eric and me. "O?" Roxy spoke quietly and reached a hand out to me. It was one I took, giving it a gentle squeeze before straightening up. I pushed away from Eric, and he also straightened up.
"Will you sleep at my place tonight?" Eric's voice sounded tight in the presence of the others. I knew his words were more than just a question, it was a plea. He was quite reluctant to let me out of his sight.
"No, it's the last night in the accommodating." I smiled wryly, feeling a little sentimental. Eric only gave me a careful smile before he raised a hand to cup my cheek. I was forced to look at him again as he didn't hesitate to kiss me. "I will be fine." I insured when he looked warily at Roxy and Luke. With a discontented sound, Eric grabbed the ice from the table behind him and turned away from us.
He had placed it there when he forced me to look at him. "Come find me if anything happens." What Eric said, was meant just as much to Roxy and Luke, as it was for me. I nodded and Eric retreated, leaving the dining hall through the open door Roxy and Luke had entered through earlier.
"O, you need to talk to me. Tell me what the hell is going on." Roxy had regained some of her strength and returned to her usually bossy self. "And especially what the hell is going on between you and Eric—I thought you didn't like him. And after all he's done—" Roxy trailed of when she saw me smile.
"I will tell you everything. Bear with me, it might be a long tale." I smiled to her. Roxy relaxed in front of me before she pulled me into a tight hug. I embraced this small woman, holding her as tightly as I could. Even Luke joined in, and I felt safe in their presence, not as safe as with Eric, but safe enough to spill everything.
Before long I broke down in Roxy's embrace, spilling everything. Telling her about all that had happened, and especially all that had happened between Eric and me. I didn't hate the man, no, I loved that stupid man with every fiber of my body. He had done nothing but protect me.