After 2

Chapter 108.

I get into his car and try not to notice the familiar scent of Hardin that fills the small space. He climbs in the drivers seat beside me and starts the car.

"Are you cold?" He asks.

"Yea." I answer and he turns up the heat.

"You have no right coming here." I tell him, reminding myself that I shouldn't be in the car with him.

"You weren't going to talk to me any other way." He says like his reasoning isn't completely insane. I keep my eyes focused out of window.

"Like I said, I am avoiding you for a reason Hardin."

"I know baby, I miss you so much."

My heart flutters at the word "baby" but I ignore it.

"You just saw me yesterday, and stop calling me that. Turn here, the hotel is right on the corner."

"I can't believe you are staying at a hotel." He runs his hand over his hair.

"Yea.. neither can I."

"You can stay at the apartment, I will stay back at the frat house or something."

"No." As much as I would love to stay there, I am not backtracking. I have been so strong, well stronger than I knew I could be and I am not ruining it now.

"Stop being so difficult."

"Difficult? You aren't serious! I shouldn't even be talking to you right now! I shouldn't be anywhere near you!" I raise my voice.

"Would you just calm down? Now, what's wrong with your car? And why was he staying here?"

"I don't know what's wrong with my car." I groan. I am not answering him about Trevor, it's none of his business.

"I will take a look at it." He states and parks his car next to mine.

"No, I will call someone. Just go." I climb out of the car. I am sure that he could detect the problem and fix it easily but I don't want him to. He is acting like nothing happened and it's infuriating.

"No, I said I am going to look at it." He rudely replies and I roll my eyes. I am trying to focus on one emotion with him, anger. If I am not angry then I will be sad and I don't want to be a sobbing mess in front of him. Not again.

He gets out of the car and I walk to the office to book the room for another night. Of course I hear Hardin's boot slushing through the remainder of snow on the ground. When I pull the door open a bell rings, clearly startling the small man behind the desk.

"Another night?" He asks as Hardin walks in behind me.

"Tessa, you don't need to stay here again. I wont stay at the apartment, just stay there and I will stay somewhere else." Hardin says.

I ignore Hardin and the clerk looks back and forth between the two of us.

"Yes, another night." I answer and hand him my bank card.

Hardin grabs it from my hand but I snatch it back before he can do anything with it. I can tell the clerk is uncomfortable watching our exchange, he tries to look anywhere except us.

"Would you just stop." I growl and Hardin rolls his eyes.

"Is this some sort of game to you, to see how miserable you can make me?" I ask him and he takes a step back as if I pushed him. I don't want to cause a scene in a hotel lobby but I will if I have to.

"No, that's not what I am doing, how could you even think that after everything I have done?"

"Exactly, I do think that because of everything you have done." I say almost laughing at his choice of words.