From Here On Out

sixteen

"If we could just stop resisting, And give in to what's supposed to be."

Present Day

"Sounds like your night was eventful huh..?" Zeke finally says, after Tobias finishes telling him about how Tris came to talk to him late last night.

Tobias let out a sigh while my lips curve into a smile, "Yeah."

"So did you," Zeke scratches the top of his head, as he leans back into the chair. "you know, tell her about--"

"No." Tobias answer, rather quickly.

Zeke furrows his eyebrows in confusion, "Why not?"

"She doesn't need to know."

Zeke shakes his head while scoffing at that comment. "You gotta tell her man, I mean how's it gonna look when--"

"Stop Zeke," Tobias stands up getting ready to walk away from the room. "I'm not going to tell her, not right now."

Walking into the kitchen, he turns back. "And neither are you."

Pointing at his friend, Zeke puts his hands up as if to surrender. "I won't."

/     /     /     /

A Year Ago

Tris shakes her head, "Why didn't you tell me he called you Tobias?"

She just found out that Tobias's father called him just a few days ago, and that's what's been causing the rising new bad mood, and his serious need of a drink.

Tobias shrugs, "Didn't want to drag you into it."

Tris lets out a sigh, walking closer to him till she's straddling his lap on the couch. "You see this?"

She says it  looking at him in his dark blue eyes while pointing to the ring on her finger, "Means we're in this together."

Tobias runs his tongue over his bottom lip, looking at her as she speaks to him.

"You tell me things, so I can help carry the weight. Just like I tell you things, and you help me with the load."

Tobias smiles at how he got such an amazing woman, still in awe of her love for him.

"No more secrets." He tells her, promising it to her.

Tris smiles, leaning into kiss him. "No more secrets."

Whispering the words against his lips, she leans in. Sealing the promise with a kiss.

/     /     /     /

Present Day

Sitting in the circle along with others like him, the turn to talk is passed over to Tobias. The eyes of his peers, the listening ears of people with similar problems, and the support of them all allow him the comfort to talk.

"I found something out about a week ago, and at the time I didn't really care. And I had already made up my mind about it," Tobias leans forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "but then two days ago... something happened that's making me start to rethink it."

Running his hand over his jaw line, Tobias breathes in a deep breath. "I have a new chance, at something I never thought I'd get the opportunity to have again in life. Whether it be because everyone thought I'd be dead by now, or because I screwed it up so bad the first time."

"Either way," Tobias shakes his head looking down at his hands. "this thing I know now... I know it's gonna rip my chance away from me again. Gonna take her away, make her leave."

"And I don't know what to do." He whispers.

Looking up, as he can feel his eyes begin to burn with tears. "I thought I could just keep it to myself, not have to tell her. But I think I'm gonna have to."

"And I'm scared, really scared."

Admitting makes it seem even more real, but makes him feel an inch of relief.

"We promised each other once," He can't help but smile at the sweet memory. "no more secrets."

Shaking his head, "I have one, and I can either tell her and risk it all... or keep it from her and be breaking my promise."

Laughing dryly, he clears his throat. "And I think breaking my promise to her fears me more than telling her the truth."

This was the first time he'd come upon the realization, and the first time saying it out loud.

"I want to do this right," He sighs. "with her."

Thinking back to that night in her kitchen, when he showed up professing his love for her. He thinks to the way he told her that he was a different man now, that he was ready to be all she needed.

"I told her that I was that man she always wanted me to be, that person who had finally gotten it all together," Tobias pauses, letting out a shaky breath. "and now I just want to be able to prove it to her."

"She told me something after I got out of rehab for the second time," Tobias shares. "I had apologized to her as we drove home for being such a mess, for being such a broken person to deal with."

"She pulled over on the road," Tobias laughs at the thought of that day. "and turned to me and without missing a beat said to me that everyone is broken. It's just about finding that one person who can put you back together."

A warm smile makes it's way to Tobias's lips, "and I found that in Tris."

A/N: Hey all, shorter chapter than I usually write for this story. Just a little filler one, and one that introduces us to something that's been going on in private with Tobias. More to come! Also I love seeing when you guys comment, helps the motivation to keep the chapters coming. So please feel free to comment, love reading them!