Me and four get ready and head over to Lauren's place, when we get to her door Four knocks. Lauren opens the door with a big smile, and greets us. She gives Four a little side hug before fully engulfing me, "Happy birthday, how does it feel to be eighteen?" she asks me. "It feels amazing." I answer and she yanks me inside her apartment. I first notice the colorful streamers and balloons scattered everywhere around Lauren's apartment. The balloons were mostly the colors red, blue, and black. Me and my brothers favorite colors.
And I also noticed a long table that had loads of presents on it and under it. I then notice my brothers and aunt, gathered around in the living room. They notice me and hop up from being seated, I hug my aunt first and then make sure to hug my brothers separately. They both wish me happy birthday, and I say the same back to the both of them. I also greet Benji, Will, Chris and Tris. I look around the room, "You guys, I love the decorations, all of our favorite colors." I say aloud.
"Well, you guys are our favorite set of triplets, and plus eighteen is the big transition age. You guys are adults now so, we gotta make this one count." Laurens says, and my aunt and friends nod their heads in agreement. "Speaking of which, shall we begin?" she adds, Four made me and my siblings sit together on the couch. Lauren walks over to the table full of presents and grabs one, my aunt and friends grab one present each as well. "Aunt calls dibs on first presents!" Our Aunt says, and hands each of us. She's hands Liam a small rectangular wrapped box, and hands Miles a flat square wrapped box.
Just before handing me a medium size square wrapped box. Each one color coordinating to our favorite colors. Miles is Blue, Liam's is Black, and mine is Red. I feel Four kiss my cheek from leaning over the back of the couch. "I'll be right back, I have to go get your present since Lauren here didn't want it in her apartment." Four says sassily towards our friend.
"Sorry number boy, but it was a no go and you knew it. And don't look at me like that Jade, I'm not spoiling anything." She says, and I stop squinting at her just as Four takes his leave. "Okay Liam, yours first." Our aunt says, and he happily rips of the wrapping paper and opens the little box. He pulls out a necklace, that had a flat oval shaped piece of metal hanging. My brother looks at it more carefully and puts a hand over his mouth. His face grows a little red and tears start to well up in his eyes.
I look at it more closely and realized there's a picture of Jane on one side, along with the words 'Family, before faction. In loving Memory of Jane Carter.' on the other. Liam sniffles, "I absolutely love it," He says, and looks to our aunt. "Thank you, so much for this." He adds putting it around his neck. She reaches over and wipes away one his tears with her thumb, "You're welcome, now you'll always have a piece of her with you. Just like I do." She responds, pulling her right sleeve up, showing two identical bracelets on her wrist. Friendship bracelets.
My aunt looks beside Liam, at our brother Miles, and he starts ripping off the paper to his present. He opens the box and pulls out a folded leather jacket. "Now that? That was your uncle's favorite jacket. Since his initials were embroidered onto the collar." She explains, and a smile finds its way on my older brother's face. He runs his thumb over the sewn letters 'C.H' before quickly putting it on. He straightened out the collar and looked around at all of us, but mostly at our aunt, "so? How do I look?" He asks.
And our aunt gazes at him as she puts her hands over her mouth, "you look just like him now." she says, "I think I'm gonna cry." she adds. And my older brother stands from being seated and sits on the coffee table next to our aunt, and embraces her. "thank you for this, I'll where it always. To always keep the memory of our uncle alive. " He says, and even I'm touched at his words. Our aunt smiles through her tears at him, before looking over to me. I quickly rip open my present, and I pull out something all too familiar.
"Your polaroid camera! but why? I can tell you love taking pictures." I ask, and she 'pfft's' me, "oh don't you worry, I have another one. Now you can make memories with your friends and family. Especially for today, get as many pictures for me." she says, and I furrow my brows at her, so do my brothers. "You're coming with us, you do know that right?" Liam says unhesitant. And my aunt lights up, " Really?" - "Yeah really." My brothers and I say in unison. Just then, a specific knock is heard from Lauren's front door. Lauren shoots up out of her seat, "Okay, you two," she says looking at my brothers, "Cover her eyes and ears, and don't ask why, just do it." She directs, and before I know it, I'm robbed of two of my senses.
I feel movement but, I don't know who's where until I could feel someone right in front of me. Something is set into my lap and my brothers finally give me my hearing and sight back. I look down into my lap and gasp sharply, ". . . a-a puppy?" I ask with a slight crack in my voice, my heart starts racing and I can't fight the tears. I pick my little guy up and I literally throw myself into my boyfriend's arms, making sure not to squish my new little friend. I found my self nearly ugly crying and repeating 'I love you' over and over into his neck.
He happily embraces me, laughing at my reaction. Ever since I was little, I wanted a puppy, but Amity wouldn't allow it for the sake of peace. I release Four and admire my puppy, noticing it was for sure a boy. He had a red ribbon loosely tied around his neck and his pointed ears stood tall, he also had a long snout. His coat was black and brown and he had the cutest puppy paws.
Four wipes my happy tears away and I look up at him with a smile, right before kissing him. He pulls away, "What're you gonna name him?" He asks, and I shake my head, "You mean, what're we gonna name him?" I say, and he smiles even wider. He thinks for a moment and I watch the lightbulb shine bright above his head. He looks behind him, at my aunt, who of which still sat on Lauren's coffee table. My aunt notices what I noticed, "What exactly are you thinking young man?" She asks curiously.
He looks at her a moment longer before opening his mouth, "What was your younger brother's middle name? If you don't mind me asking." Four asks. My aunt smiles, "Jasper. Cameron Jasper Harris." She answers, and I instantly fall in love. I sigh, "I love it. It fits him perfectly. You're genius babe." I say to him, and he kisses my cheek, and ends up getting a kiss on the cheek from our little Jasper. Four chuckles and takes a seat next to me and straightens his collar, "good luck topping me guys." he says boastfully, and all of my friends either scoff, 'pfft' or comment. "Oh don't get too cocky now. A puppy is quite a gift but, I think us girls can do you one better Four." Christina says, and I notice the rest of the females in the room held a certain look.
Chris pulls a dress from out behind her back, while Lauren lugged a sparkly bag from under her coffee table, and my aunt and Tris hold up two V-shaped objects that had wires. "Makeover time!" they yell, and thus dragged me away from Four and off the couch. "Wait a minute what are those?" I ask looking to my aunt and Tris, and they all just laugh. "You'll see." Chris says, as they pulled me in Lauren's bedroom and from there on out, I was pampered. Lauren and Christina did my makeup while my aunt and Tris did my hair.
The long process nearly put me straight to sleep in the chair I sat in. After they were done with that, they help me into the dress. It was dark red, a maroon shade even. It was an off the shoulder dress with short sleeves. In the front, it flowed all the way down right above my knees, yet flowed passed them in the back.
High-low effect, my aunt explained. They eventually pulled me over to Lauren's full body mirror, covering my eyes. They count down to three and reveal. And I'm purely blown away at my own reflection. "What'd you think Natalie?" Lauren asks, and I admire myself. I ran my hands through my straight hair, not used to the feeling but, certainly loving how it looks.
I see my makeup and I smile wide, "I love it, I love it all. Thank you guys." I say and we group hug. "Shall we show the boys?" Chris asks, and I nod. we begin towards her bedroom door but a, "Wait!" Is heard from Lauren. We freeze as she dives for her closet and pulls out a pair of heels. They were black and two strapped.
"You know how to walk in these?" she asks and I nod, remembering all the times I'd sneak and play dress up in my moms closet when I was little, I mastered my heel walk in months. They sit me down and put them on, and I give them a little strut. They whistle and cheer, "Fours gonna have a heart attack." My aunt says, and we laugh before I'm pulled out of Lauren's bedroom by Christina. "Hey fellas! Check her out." She calls their attention, and unfortunately, someone happened to be in the middle of taking a sip of his drink. Four spits all over Lauren's couch and puts a hand over his heart the moment he laid eyes on me.
He leaned onto the couch for support as I walked over to him, everyone laughed as he made a scene at my presence. He meets me halfway and instantly spins me around like a princess before embracing me. "You look absolutely stunning." he whispers in my ear, and I can't help but giggle. "And so does my leather couch Four, you really brought the shine out of it." she says sarcastically, wiping it down with a rag. Luckily no one was sitting there at the time.
My brother's approach me and give me separate hugs, "You look amazing sis," and I thank them. "So what about my makeover?" Miles asks, and we all laugh. Suddenly, I see a flash coming from where my aunt was. She took our picture with the camera she gave me, "Okay now just one of the beautiful couple, then a group photo." she says, and my brothers go stand next to her while Four wraps his arms around me. I smile at him and he kisses my cheek, making me laugh. She then snaps the picture and pulls it out, just like the first one she took.
Just then my brothers and friends jump in next to me and Four. And uh, I couldn't help but notice how Tris made sure her spot, was right next to my boyfriend. I fizzle with annoyance and thus get an idea, " Wait, how bout we do like a couples type picture. Where we're all lined up with our significant other." I nearly sneer. Four squeezes my side and gives me a look, and I know what he's thinking. I should keep my attitude under wraps so my older brother won't question.
I nod at him, and we all finally get lined up together. It goes Will and Christina at one end, my brother Miles and Tris next to Four and I, and lastly my brother Liam and Lauren at the other end. Ben approaches the group and frowns a bit, just before obviously getting an idea. He crouches down right in front of me and Four, and holds a shrug for the picture. We couples all laugh looking down at Ben, and my aunt snaps the last picture.
"Perfect! You all look amazing." My aunt says, and I watch Ben stand up with the same frown he had before the picture. I slip out of Four's arms, "Awe, Benji come here, lemme give you a hug." I say, opening my arms to him. He gladly embraces me but, I realize he hugs me the same way Four hugs me. I release him and Miles comes up behind me, "Don't worry Ben, we'll find you a lovely lady." He says, and Ben chuckles. "Good luck on that." He responds, and I watch my brother and friend converse as I get pulled away from everyone by a familiar grip.
Four pulls me close, "No more big hugs for Ben, his hands were a little too low for my liking." He whispers in my ear, and I realize he was right. But I defend my right to hug my childhood bestfriend, "Oh come on, it's Benji. We've been friends since I was like four." I say. "And I knew Tris back on Abnegation when I was sixteen, but you don't see me hugging her like that now do you?" He says, and my heart and smile sank. "touché but, you've never told me that." I say to him, "Well, I'm telling you now, since she apparently has a crush on me. I knew her family because of my dad, and her dad. They were still running the government at that time. Don't worry though, she was just a kid." He explains. "How do I know she wasn't the girl you were with before me hm?" I ask him, and he face palms.
"She was twelve Natalie, that's gross." He says, and we laugh. "And anyways, if she was, I'd tell you." He adds, and I kiss him. I not only fell in love with him, I fell in love with his honesty, his loyalty, and his mindset. And I'm never falling out of love with any of it. "Shall we get going you all?" My aunt asks looking over at everyone that's coming with.
We all agree but Ben stops Four, "Do you think I could go with you guys? I uh, haven't seen my family since visitation day." He asks, and regardless of our hug earlier, Four gladly lets him tag along. Me, My brother's, my aunt, Tris, Lauren, and Ben give hugs and say goodbye to Will and Christina. Four and I say goodbye to Jasper as well and we leave Lauren's apartment, and head out Dauntless Headquarters towards the train track exit. "When's the next one coming babe?" I ask him, and he shakes his head. "Who said anything about taking the train?" he says, and pulls out a pair of keys, Amity truck keys.
"I ran into Johanna a few days ago at loading hour. I told her how I knew you and your brother's and well, she gave me a truck for this exact day. It's one of her gifts to you three." He explains, and we're all shocked. He grabs my hand to pull me away from the train track, and off the flat concrete I stood on. I try to tip toe in my heels over the gravelly ground beneath me but I wobble regardless. Four notices and stops walking, and picks me up bridal style. I smile and kiss his cheek, "Why thank you my knight in shining armor." I say, and he kisses my cheek back.
"You're welcome, my princess." he responds, and before I know it, I'm being set down in the passenger seat. I watch my friends and family file into the backseats, and the couples are forced to lap up due to the lack of seats. Four hops in the driver's seat and puts the key in the ignition, "You know how to drive young man?" My aunt asks, and Four rev's up the engine. Getting louder with each press of the peddle, "I guess we can take that as a yes." Miles says from behind Tris, who sat on his lap. We all laugh and he takes off towards Amity.
My hair starts to thrash around in the wind as we fly through an open field. We cut pass a few trees and cut across some train tracks and he follows where they lead beside them. The train then rushes pass us, yet I feel Four speed up to keep up with the very front of it. I look behind me and I watch Tris stand and reach out the door-less truck to touch the side of the train, Miles wraps an arm around her waist and held her tight. She touches it and sits back down onto my brother's lap, and says something to him just before kissing him.
The love she shows him seems real, but I know for a fact it's not. And it hurts to withhold this secret from my brother, but I'd rather not ruin our birthday with the news. I turn around from looking at them and realize we're rolling through the field next to Amity, he slows down once we start passing houses. Four drives up next to the Main house of Amity, where Johanna stays. He parks and we all hop out the truck, and I lead the way into the barn-like house, and up the spiral stair way.
I see Johanna at her desk, and she sees me and smiles. She meets me halfway and engulfs me, and I gladly hug her back. She hugs my brothers and wishes us happy birthday, and we thank her. Me and my brother's introduce Tris and Lauren to her, and she gives them hugs, as well as Ben and Four. "It's nice to see you all. New faces are always welcomed." She says, and I smile wide.
"It's nice to see you too Johanna, do you know where our parents are?" I asks, and she points down. "Yes, they're down stairs in the dining hall. They're doing finishing touches and getting things together. I'll go see if they're ready for you." She says, and heads down stairs. I grab Four's hand and I feel how sweaty it is, I look up at him and notices the bead of sweat on his forehead. I wipe it away myself and stand in front of him, "Come here." I say and lay my head on his chest and wrap my arms around him. And his tense stance fades as he kisses my head and breathes in the scent of my hair.
I pull away, "Don't be nervous. Just remember what we talked about, and you'll be fine. And anyways, I'll intervene if my dad starts to get out of hand." I reassure, and he shakes his head. "I'm not leaving here until he likes me, and is happy with the fact I'm with you. And I have a strong feeling he's gonna hate me." He tells me, and its my turn to shake my head. "He's not gonna hate you, I won't let him." - "Alright then, he's gonna strongly dislike me." He jokes and I lightly smack him. "Keep thinking like that then yeah maybe." I say laughing. Just then, Johanna calls us down, and I grab Fours and hand lead him down the stairs.
My brothers, aunt, and friends follow behind us. We enter the dining hall and my beloved squeezes my hand, and I rub his hand with my thumb to comfort him. The first thing I notice is the decorations. Red, Blue and Black streamers hanging all around the large room. Balloons of all different colors were scattered everywhere, and the long dining table had a colorful cloth over it.
I then notice a woman with curly brown hair with her back turned to us, she was organizing things on the table. Me and my brothers run and surround her before squeezing her like a lemon. "My babies! oh you're all so strong! Don't break me now." She says, and we loosen our grip on her before releasing her completely. "It's so good to see you mom, we've missed you," my brother pauses, "Where's dad though?" Miles asks her, and she points behind them at the kitchen of the main house. "He's in the kitchen, and we of course, missed you three as well, look at my handsome boys." She says pinching my brothers cheeks, and just then, my father comes in-between my brothers.
"Handsome young men you mean?" He says and my brothers literally tackle him with hugs. My dad releases them and sets his sights on me, "And woulda look at my little girl." he says, and takes my hand and twirls me around before pulling me to him. I hug my dad tight as he kisses my head. "I've missed you daddy." I say, "I've missed you too birthday girl." he responds back releasing me, "So," he starts, and I already know what he's thinking, "Where's this young man I've been hearing about from your mother? You did bring him right?" He asks. And my brothers look at me with smiles and winks, and I roll my eyes at them.
I turn around and beckon for my beloved by putting out my hand, and he comes and entwines his hand with mine. "Dad, this is my boyfriend Tobias. Tobias, this is my father Anthony." I introduce, and my father and boyfriend shake hands. "It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Harris." Four says to him, and my father nods. "And you as well, since you've already met my wife here. Speaking of which, what is your impression of him dear?" He asks my mother, and she clings to my father's side and smiles wide. "In all honesty, I absolutely adore him. He's perfect for our baby honey. Well-mannered, appropriate, and mature." My mom says, and Four smiles.
"Hm. I'll be the judge of that." my dad says, "Dad." I say to him with warning, and he looks at me. "Whaat? I just want to know if my daughter's first boyfriend is fit for the position, not to mention worthy of it. What are your intentions young man?" he asks, and Four clears his throat and looks at me. "My intentions? Well, they're nothing but what you'd want to expect. Your daughter has a very special place in my heart, and I'll stop at nothing to protect her and keep her safe. Not to mention keep her happy, and by my side. So, my intentions would be, sooner or later, to be able to call her my wife and treat her just as you treat her mother. With nothing but respect, and an endless amount of love till the day I die." He says, and not for a second did he break eye contact with me. My heart melts and I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I look over to my father and he smiles back at me, "And I wouldn't lie about that either. I'm the first and only. She has my heart completely and I'm not going anywhere." He adds, pulling me close to him.
"I told you dear, absolutely perfect." My mom says, "And I just so happened to read the news today, He's Dauntless's upcoming leader." She adds. And for some reason, my dad's facial expression kinda hardens. "As you should know, I transferred from your faction many years ago. So, I know a lot when it comes to Dauntless ways. Which means I also know, you have to be over the age of nineteen to even qualify for such a position. How old are you Tobias?" My dad asks coldly, and my beloved pulls his collar as if it was choking him. "I'll be twenty-three two days from now." Four answers honestly, right before swallowing hard. My dad stands up straight and places a hand on Fours shoulder, "You do realize how old my only daughter is right? She's barely eighteen." He says to him aggressively, and I step forward and place a hand on my dad's chest, "Daddy don't-" - "Natalie don't worry, it's okay. I've got this." Four cuts me off, gently pulling me back.
He looks to my dad, "I realize I'm years older then her, trust me I do. But my age doesn't change the fact that I care about her. I understand you'd rather have met some boy her age but, I don't think a boy would have the same intentions as a man would. As I would. A boy would play with her emotions and would also care less, but that's not me. And trust me when I say, I don't intend to convert into such a childish mindset." Four explains, and my dad visibly loosens his grip on his shoulder. My brother Miles steps up, "I think you should listen to him dad, he has a point. And anyways, I've never seen Nat happier then when she's with him. And just to be completely honest, I think you should be thanking the man. He's saved her life, multiple times." Miles vouches, and my dad looks at me and then at Four with wide eyes. "Is this true Natalie?" My dad asks, and I eventually nod. "I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for him." I say, and my dad opens an arm to me, and I go in and wrap my arms around him. My dad looks at Four as he hugs me, and puts his hand out to shake.
Four shakes my father's hand again but, this time, my dad keeps his firm grip. "Thank you, for keeping my baby girl alive." He says, and my beloved smiles. "You're welcome, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it a hundred times again if I had too." Four responds as my father releases me. Suddenly, I hear the creek of a door open and glance to see who was entering. Or, apparently, who was leaving.
Long blonde locks was all I spotted exiting the dining hall. I look around in front of me, and notice all my friends and family, and even my boyfriend were all too busy talking amongst one another to notice Tris had left. I try to go after her but, I realize I wasn't the only one who noticed. Miles stops me by my arm, "Nat what's wrong, why did she leave?" - "I don't know but I'll go see, you watch Liam introduce Lauren so you can tell me what happens." I tell him, and surprisingly, he listens to me. I head out the door and the sound of a feminine cry fills my ears.
Before I approach her, I take the time to figure out what could've made her cry. I think back moments before I heard the door creek, 'You're welcome, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it a hundred times again if I had too.' is what Four had said before I noticed Tris leave, and I realize exactly why she's crying. Four and I are now very serious about our relationship, considering he just met my parents. And she's upset that Four will never like her the way he likes me. "Tris what's wrong?" I ask acting oblivious, even though my blood began to boil underneath my skin.
She gets startled at my presence and starts wiping away her tears, "N-nothing, I'm fine." She says, and I stand in front of her. "That's obviously a lie, you're crying. On me and my brother's birthday at that." I say, and I can tell she's holding back her emotions. "Trust me, I'm okay. Let's get back before anyone notices were gone." She says and she starts to walk away but, I stop her. I hold her wrist, "Tris," I start coldly, and she looks back at me with her big green-hazel eyes, "If you have something to tell me, I suggest you tell me now." I warn, and she widens her eyes at me. And it is then I know she knows that I know.
We lock eyes and her bottom lip starts quivering, and a tear wells up and falls from her right eye. My heart pounds in my ears, but not in the same way I know it does for her. "You already know what, I can see it in your face. You already hate me." She says, and her tears continue to fall. "I'll hate you a whole lot less if you just say it to my face. Use your words." I say bluntly, and she bites her lip, sniffles and wipes her tears. I pull her away from the dining room door, and turn with my arms crossed and my jaw clenched.
I stare at her for a while with squinted eyes, "I-I don't love Miles, I tell him I do b-but, I don't mean it." She finally says, and I shed a tear and quickly wipe it away. She started crying into her hands, and I can't tell if the tears are real or not. "And?" I ask, and she looks at me confused, "W-what? What're you talking about?" She asks, and I shake my head vigorously. "Don't start lying to me now! I want the whole truth. Play dumb with me again and I might just go get my brother myself." I sorta whisper-yell-ish, and I make her jump. "I-I," she says, running a hand through her hair. "Okay fine, I'm not in love with your brother because," She pauses crying, "Because I'm in love with him too! Okay?! I'm in love with Four." She confesses, and I laugh-scoff.
"For how long? How long have you been playing with my brothers feelings?" I begin to interrogate, and she avoids eye contact. When I don't get an answer I rush passed her towards the dining room door, with the intent to involve my brother. "Natalie wait! You can't tell Miles!" She grabs and stops me, I rip my arm out of her grip and look down at her in disgust. I think long and hard about how I wanna form my next words, "You know what?" I say with a pause, and I get into her face, "You're absolutely right. You're gonna tell him." I say, and she shakes her head saying no. I shake my head saying yes, "Well, I'm not gonna tell him anytime soon. It's your guy's birthday and I'm not gonna be the one to ruin it for him." She says and I roll my eyes, even though I agree now would not be the time. I think for a moment before opening my mouth again, "Alright fine, you have a week. If you don't tell him by the seventh of this month, I'll tell him myself. And trust me, you won't like how I'll tell him."