Free Rein

|Chapter Twenty-Nine|

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-Paris, France-
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Tris and Tobias were on their way to Christina's house for the festival. They left Dublin and found a flight at the perfect time. They, surprisingly enough, got some sleep after they left Fernando's. Fernando's was extremely fun too. They drank, talked, and Tris even ended up with Fernando's number on a piece of paper in her bag. She hoped to maybe contact him when she moved to KCL. She knew that, even though she couldn't talk to Tobias while she was in college, she could make something possibly work with Fernando. She knew it'd be a better choice for her to choose Fernando over Tobias. Even though Fernando was farther away, she knew her parents would like him more than Tobias. Rich, taking over the family business... her parents would take someone like that any day over someone who was a freelance photographer.

Someone who was just like her.

Sure, they'd prefer a politician, but Fernando was the best Tris would do. She felt like if she was with Fernando, though, she wouldn't feel right. Tobias was and always will be her first love. And nothing can change that. She would always love him. No changing that undeniable fact.

"What do you think the saddest word in the English language?" Tobias asked randomly.

"I don't know," she chuckled. "I've never really thought about it. I guess suicide. I'm really against all that. People have so much to live for, and they just can't see that. And it's sad."

"I think the same thing," he said.

"What about you? I mean that can't just be some random question that popped into your head."

"That's very true. Almost is the saddest word to me."

"Almost?"

"Yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nah."

"Four," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Please?"

He gave a small smile. "We were almost there. We were almost something. We could've almost made it. I almost could've started being able to love someone in a way that I didn't even know existed."

Tris looked at him sadly. "Tobias—"

"I didn't want to fall in love. Not at all. But at some point you smiled, and, holy shit, I blew it. And before you say something about how much you wish you could be with me, why don't you, instead of wishing, make it happen?"

"Tobias, I want to be with you; I do. But with my parents, college, who you are... My parents would freak out of I was with a freelance photographer from England."

"So it's because of your parents?" he asked with some shock. "As long as you love me as I am then nothing else matters."

Tris sighed, looking away. "I do love you. But I... Four years. That's what we promised, right? We meet in four years, and this is the last time we see each other. Okay? Okay."

"You can't just run away from you problems, Tris."

She stepped closer to him, and she then kissed him on the lips shortly. "July 14th, eight P.M., 2020," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered back.

And then Tris walked away, tears present in her eyes, and didn't look back. The only thing she could do was walk. She couldn't process what just happened, she couldn't understand... The only thing she was thinking was that four years was a very, very, long time.

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This story takes place in 2016. That's why it's 2020. Also, to those of you who read Snow Crush, story for not updating. I didn't have any ideas for the next chapter. Not much. Anyway, thanks for reading.