“It’s hard to know what’s right in this life,’ she said. ‘We do what we can, but what we really need is mercy. Do you know who taught me that?’ A grin. ‘You.”

“I didn’t know that idiocy caused people to just start spontaneously bleeding from the nose.”

“Can you be a girl for a few seconds?””I’m always a girl” I frown.”You know what I mean. Like a silly, annoying girl”I twirl my hair around my finger. “Kay.”

“Dead people can be our heroes because they cant disappoint us later; they only improve over time, as we forget more and more about them.”

“Yeah, well,” I say, “I left Abnegation because I wasn’t selfless enough, no matter how hard I tried to be.””That’s not entirely true.” He smiles at me. “That girl who let someone throw knives at her to spare a friend, who hit my dad with a belt to protect me-that selfless girl, that’s not you?”…”You’ve been paying close attention, haven’t you?””I like to observe people/””Maybe you were cut out for Candor, Four, because you’re a terrible liar.”

“Okay. Then…I can talk. Ask me something.””Okay.” He laughs shakily in my ear. “Why is your heart racing Tris?”I cringe and say, “Well, I…I barely know you. I barely know you and I’m crammed up against you in a box, Four, what do you think?”…”Maybe you were cut out for Candor,” he says, “because you’re a terrible liar.”

“I have something I need to tell you,” he says. I run my fingers along the tendons in his hands and look back at him. “I might be in love with you.” He smiles a little. “I’m waiting until I’m sure to tell you, though.””That’s sensible of you,” I say, smiling too. “We should find some paper so you can make a list or a chart or something.”I feel his laughter against my side, his nose sliding along my jaw, his lips pressing my ear.”Maybe I’m already sure,” he says, “and I just don’t want to frighten you.”I laugh a little. “Then you should know better.””Fine,” he says. “Then I love you.”