"How can a piece of metal be this stupid?"
This was one of the many insults that Chloe had been directing at her earrings for the past ten minutes. Apparently, her piercing was not cooperating and she couldn't get the earring on.
"I know right. The nerve of that earring!" I said, pretending to sound offended.
"Iris, this is not funny. We'll be late" Chloe said desperately.
"Let me help" I said after I putting on my shoes.
Earrings on and outfits worn, we started heading to the Pit, where tonight's party was being held. Apparently, it's a tradition to celebrate the end of the first stage of initiation. At least if we get cut, we'll have that to remember. I had finally recovered from that last fight and the attack that followed, so I was ready to have some fun.
I must admit, Chloe and I looked hot. We decided to dress up and go through the entire process of getting ready, to get rid of all the stress and anxiety of the last few weeks. Chloe was wearing a little black dress that hugged her figure perfectly and made her fiery hair stand out while I was wearing black leather shorts and a tight black top that exposed a bit of skin.
We met up with Sean and some of the other transfers before going to the Pit. The sight that greeted us when we got there was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Even though everyone was dressed mainly in black, the whole room was bursting with an incredibly colorful energy.
Bright blue and green lights were illuminating the Pit and the music was so loud that you could feel it pulsing through you, inviting you to let loose. People were everywhere; dancing in the middle of the room, getting drinks or huddled together in groups on the side. The whole atmosphere was more than enough to lift our spirits and allow us to forget the hardships of the last few weeks.
"Let's have some fun, party people!" shouted Jace, an Erudite transfer. I guess a few weeks in Dauntless can change you quite a lot.
Slinging his arms around my and Chloe's shoulders, Kevin led us to the bar, where a girl with blue highlights in her hair was serving drinks. The blue and green lights distorted her face a little, so it took me a second to recognize her. Recognition flashed in her eyes the moment she lifted her head to take our order.
"Amity! I haven't seen you since your Aptitude test" she said, grinning widely and I was immediately transported back to that life-changing day. It felt like that was ages ago.
"Hi Leia, it's good to see you under different circumstances" I said giving her a smile.
"You definitely don't look like an Amity anymore" she remarked, giving me a once over. "Dauntless suits you and don't think I haven't heard about you" she said with a wink.
"Great" I said, playfully rolling my eyes but smiling at her nonetheless.
"So, what are you guys having?" she asked our group.
Drinks in our hands, we made our way to one of the vacant tables towards the left side of the huge space.
"This is so cool" I said excitedly looking around.
"I know right! I didn't think it would be my scene, but I could get used to this" Chloe said. I noticed she was throwing shy glances at a tall guy with black hair who was sitting a few tables away from us and was checking her out subtly.
Everyone in our group had noticed their exchange and we burst out laughing. I felt carefree and less guilty about leaving Amity. Maybe Eric was right after all, Dauntless isn't so bad.
A few minutes later, Chloe had convinced us all to get on the dance floor and mingle with the rest of the initiates and a group of Dauntless members. Needless to say, we were having fun; laughing and dancing like no one was watching.
The problem was that I felt watched; as if a pair of eyes was leaving scorching tracks on my back. I was dancing with Chloe, swaying slightly to the beat of the song that was playing. At some point she spun us around and my eyes instantly locked on Eric's blue, stormy gaze. There were about fifty people around and between us but it was as if his eyes exerted a magnetic pull on mine.
The blue lights cast a mysterious hue on his face and accentuated the color of his eyes. I hadn't drunk a lot, barely anything, but he was undeniably captivating.
I don't know what made me do it; maybe I was feeling good that I had caught his attention or maybe it was the fact that I was rid of my usual worries. Whatever it was, it made me bold enough to maintain eye contact as I continued dancing with Chloe. He seemed determined to do the same though, because his eyes slowly trailed down my body as he took a sip of his drink. If he expected me to look away, he had another thing coming.
I kept my eyes on his and slightly tilted my head to the right, letting my hair fall down my right shoulder and expose my neck. Still looking at me, he gave me a knowing smirk which I returned.
Our little stare down was getting intense; so much so that I almost forgot about the people around us. I nearly jumped when Chloe giggled in my ear and led me back to the bar. Eric seemed to be in a similar trance because I saw the startled look in his eyes when Max, one of the other leaders, bumped his arm and probably asked him a question.
I followed the group to the bar but I didn't want to overdo it for my first time drinking so I just stepped aside while they ordered. I was still shaken up by my interaction with Eric and I desperately needed to clear my head. While his eyes previously caused the temperature to drop in any room, this time I felt heat rising in the Pit and suddenly the loud music and mass of dancing bodies were suffocating me.
Excusing myself from the group I moved towards the exit. I wasn't really looking where I was going, shaking my head to clear it from any lingering heat. I should have been paying attention especially since I was walking so close to the wall. As I was turning a corner, I collided with something hard and solid. That something turned out to be a person, because two warm hands landed on my forearm and waist to steady me.
The impact must have been more severe than any of the two of us had predicted because we both stumbled to the right and I found my self against the wall with the other person in front of me, his hands on either side of my body.
"Shit, I didn't see you th-" the mystery man started saying but then cut himself off. His voice was too familiar and when I looked up after my impact with the wall, I was met with the same eyes I came out here to forget.
"Shit, Eric I'm sorry" I started saying but the rest of the words died in my throat when I noticed how close his body was to mine. This realization was probably what had rendered him speechless too, because for a few moments, all we could do was stare at each other.
Given that we were so close, I expected to smell alcohol on him, but the only noticeable scent was his cologne. I guess he's not a big drinker either.
Eric was all I could sense; I could feel one of his hands next to my ear while the other one slowly slid down the wall to rest close to my waist. His scent was more intoxicating than any drink they served at the Pit and his eyes were more entrancing than ever. I was speechless.
Eric seemed to be in a similar situation though because I noticed how his eyes became a darker blue and followed the movement of my bottom lip as I unconsciously brought it between my teeth, a nervous habit of mine.
Looking unwaveringly in my eyes, Eric gulped slightly and moved imperceptibly closer. I could feel myself breathing harder and a strand of my hair had escaped from behind my ear. I felt Eric's hand move away from the wall but before anything else could happen, loud footsteps echoing in the hallway made us spring away from eachother.
I looked down as the two men passed us, laughing and joking but paying no attention to us.
I heard Eric clear his throat and saw him shake his head slightly.
"I should get back" I said, nearly stuttering. I didn't know what to do with myself. Did I sound too awkward? I sure as hell felt awkward.
"Yeah I should head upstairs anyway." Eric said, his voice husky and deeper than usual.
With that, we both nodded, turned and went our separate ways.
What just happened?
And most importantly, what did it mean?