❝Truth is truth
and time can never leap it
This I know
we will always keep it❞

Chapter Seven:
In The Strictest Confidence

I rocked back and forth on the bed with my feet tucked underneath me and arms wrapped around my stomach. On first glance, someone would think I was suffering from the monthly lava party down south. But that someone wasn't Hans and he knew exactly why I was hyper-ventilating atop the bed we had originally planned to have sex in.

"Do you want me to order room service?" he asked, seated on a lounge chair a good ten feet away from me. Hans was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his elbow resting on his knee, hunched over as he cupped his face in boredom and watched me. Strands of his silky black hair fell over the side of his face as he had his head tipped to the left, half asleep already.

I shook my head at him, continuing to rock on the balls of my feet.

"What about some alcohol?"

I looked down at my right hand that had swollen quite a lot upon our return to the hotel. It would help some with the pain, but the fucking stampede of nerves in my stomach would have me hurling later tonight for sure.

"Want my dick?"

I stopped my rocking. "Are you fucking with me?"

A smile tickled his lips as his eyes fully opened to peer at me, his prime source of entertainment. "I knew that would get you talking."

I remained quiet as he stood up and crossed the length of the room in two, powerful strides. All the while, his eyes never left mine and my breath hitched in my throat when he neared the foot of the bed. I half-expected Hans to push me back and claim me with his mouth and body like he had so many times before. It came as a total surprise when all he did was reach out with his hand, and touch the side of my face ever so lightly.

The tenderness of his hand was reflected in his eyes, although his voice managed to stay tight and commanding as he ordered, "Stop panicking." When the heat rushed to my cheeks, no doubt turning my face an embarrassing shade of red, he smirked and added, "There. That's more attractive on you."

Hans' hand fell to his side as he sat down next to me on the edge of the bed. I scooted behind to give him space, staring at his back a little in arousal but mostly in curiosity, wondering what was on the sex fiend's mind.

"What do you think of me?"

He fell back on the bed, the impact of his body against the mattress causing me to shift in my seat a little. Hans' lustrous black hair splayed against the sheets as his eyes fixed on the pure white ceiling above us.

Tentative, I crawled forward till I was close enough to be in his line of vision but his gaze didn't move an inch in my direction. "What do you mean?"

Hans stretched his arms and folded them behind his head, his toned arms straining against his long sleeved white shirt as he settled back on the bed a little more comfortably with his legs still hanging loosely off the end. He closed his eyes as he spoke again and I wondered if it was done with the purpose of blocking me out.

"I'm sure you've done a background run on me, Henderson. And I know what you found must have made you feel..." he paused with the sentence hanging, his lips pressing together into a thin line. "What is the impression you have of me?"

It was one of those questions that you had to be careful with. I knew that my answer would have a certain impact on Hans, and on the dynamics of our...relationship. But I guessed with questions like these, honesty was the best way to go.

"I think you're a dick."

My words hung in the air, clouding the space between us and Hans didn't immediately react to it through words. A small smile spread across his face. He peeked an eye open at me. "Yeah? Is that before or after you found out about the ugly family history?"

"Before but I still stand by my impression of you although the sex made it a lot easier to accept your dick-ish ways."

Both his eyes were open now and concentrating on me with an intensity that told me the last traces of humor were fast dissipating. He opened his mouth to say something but refrained, his pink tongue swiping across his lower lip in nervousness. I watched his every move, somewhat in adoration. Hans' voice was a low, almost inaudible, whisper as he asked quietly, "What about after?"

I shrugged, casual. "It hasn't changed. Why should it?"

"It should. You should hate me. For sabotaging your life. For blackmailing you into taking this job when I had no authority, in any way, to do so." He turned onto his stomach, staring up at me as those words tumbled out of his mouth in an angered flow. I didn't like the way he sounded almost ashamed of himself. It wasn't the Hans I had come to know.

Our eyes locked together and I made sure to hold onto his gaze as I said softly, "No. I don't hate you." I sat back on my bum and crossed my legs in front of me, ignoring the soreness of the legs that had supported my body weight all this while. "I don't judge you on the basis of what I've read about you, Hans." I folded my hands in my lap and played with my thumbs, eyebrows knotting together.

It had been hard to forget what I had dug up about Hans the day I'd gone back to Seattle to get ready for the move. It was a little more difficult than I had thought it would be. After all, Googling the name of the heir of a future IT leader in the industry should have gotten me a million results...but it was minimal. With help from Helena, whose journalistic background was a blessing, I found out exactly why. But there was something more important to remember.

"The media shows what it wants to show and the world hears what it wants to hear. I don't believe any of them." I lifted my eyes and met the growing hope in his blue and green orbs. " I believe in you." Propping my elbows on my legs, I leaned forward with my face in my hands. "So, why don't you tell me? What's your story?"

_____

Song: Eyes by Kaskade (feat. Mindy Gledhill)

Vote goal: 25

Excited to hear Hans' backstory? I'm excited to reveal it in the next chapter. I know, I'm super evil with my cliffhangers muahahah.

I feel like the song choice for this chapter is particularly fitting, especially as Hans and Tris are starting to get closer. *coughs* They're starting to get closer. [Yeah, okay, I'll stop]

I'll be tweeting about my writing progress for the story so y'all can be up to date on what's coming. Plus, juicy sneak peeks for whatever's in store for Tris and Hans so if you want to catch 'em, you can follow me! My Twitter handle is: BeatheVagabond

Please do vote and comment if you liked the chapter! Feel free to tweet me if you've got any questions about the story or the soundtrack, or just want to chat really. I would love it either way. :P