Free Rein

|Chapter Seven|

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-Florence, Italy-
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Tris spotted a blinking sign that blinked brightly, "OPEN 24 HOURS." It looked like a convenience store.

"Four, I bet they have gelato there."

"Let's check it out."

And they did. They ended up having gelato machines, which made them happy, because they both thought it'd be hard to find some at two in the morning. They found the Lungarno River and its pathway, and began walking.

They hadn't taken a bite of their Italian ice cream yet, so they clinked their cones together and said, "To gelato."

They both got stracciatella, which was chocolate chip, and they both loved it.

"This is better than America," Tris said.

"So gelato is better than ice cream now?"

She shook her head. "It's better than America as a whole."

Four laughed. "You look ridiculous."

"What? Did I get some on my face?"

Four reached over and shoved it in her face. "Yeah. Just a lot." He grinned at her.

"Four! You bastard!"

Tris wiped it off her face, then smeared it on Four's.

"You little..."

Tris started running down the rocky trail, laughing.

"Tris, get back here!"

She only laughed at him, then stopped running. "Truce," she said when he caught up.

"Truce," he agreed.

Tris led him over to a bench and they sat down, cones still in hand. "So," Tris said.

"So," he repeated.

Tris smirked and said chuckling, "I bet you gotta little thing for me, huh?" She then winked at him.

Four looked at over her, smiling, not even surprised at what she'd said. He only winked back at her.

She just chuckled. "Why did you really follow me onto the train? I can take care of myself, if you're, like, worried that I'm some damsel in distress."

"Well, according to you, I have a little thing for you, don't I?" He grinned.

"I was just teasing you," she chuckled.

"Oh, really?" he asked. "I bet you gotta little thing for me, eh?"

She shrugged and took the last bite of her cone. "Well you were the one who was leaning down to kiss me...."

"And you were the one to stand on your tiptoes."

Tris smiled, looking at river. "C'mon. Let's start walking." She stood up and waited for him.

He finally did, and they started walking.

Tris faintly heard music, but she couldn't place where it was coming from. Four must've heard it too, because he bowed and extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She just smiled and grabbed his hand. Four laid his hands on her lower back and hers went around his neck. They were about half of a foot away from each other, so Tris stepped closer and laid her cheek on his chest. He kissed the top of her head, and she pulled back completely.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm leading you on. I'm totally leading you on. I can't really...do this."

"Do what?"

"Romance isn't exactly a feasible option for me right now, Four."

He sighed. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Me too," she whispered.

When they got back to the train, Uriah was already asleep on her bench.

Tris sat down on Four's, and they sat next to each other awkwardly.

She kept thinking how she wished she wasn't the First Daughter, she wasn't American, she wasn't under 24/7 security, and she wasn't Beatrice Prior. She wished she was just some lost soul that traveled Europe searching for it. And she would've happened to run into Four, and he would've happened to follow her. And she wished she wasn't so naïve. She'd known this man for about all of three days, and she was already about to kiss him. She hardly knew anything about him. She wished she didn't care about him, and she wished she'd never met him. She wished she didn't care.

Because she knew she couldn't afford to care.

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