Before

Chapter 18.

Home- Gabrielle Aplin

I Found- Amber Run

Fix You- Coldplay

Hardin's POV.

The way she looked at me as she walked by is burning through my memory, playing on repeat over and over. I pull out my phone and scroll through a few pictures I have taken of her. One while walking to the stream, her hair was so blond under the sun and her skin was glowing. She was quiet, nervous maybe, but she looks peaceful in the photo. She really is beautiful. Why would she want to help me? What all did Landon tell her about my drinking?

After a few minutes, I can't help but go inside. My eyes are burning, my head is pounding as I open the door.

"Tessa, can I talk to you, please?" I immediately ask. Landon is crouched over, dropping broken pieces into a plastic bin. Tessa nods and I stare at her face and my eyes move further down her body, stopping at her bloody finger running under the sink faucet.

I cross the kitchen in only a few steps. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's nothing, just a little glass," she says. The cut looks small but I can't get a good look at it. I reach for her hand and pull it from the water. The cut is about half an inch long and a centimeter deep. She'll be okay, she just needs a bandage. Her hand feels so light in mine, so warm and I feel my breathing slow as I hold her. I drop her hand and she lets out a deep breath.

"Where are the Band-Aids?" I ask Landon. 

"Bathroom," he's annoyed with me. I can tell by his tone. I find the small box of bandages easily in the cabinet. I grab the antibacterial gel from the bottom shelf and return to the kitchen.

I take Tessa's hand in mine for the second time and squeeze the gel on the tip of her finger. She's watching me carefully, unsure what to think, maybe? Band-Aids remind me of my mum and that fucked up night a long time ago and I blink away the memory as I wrap the bandage around Tessa's finger.

"Can I talk to you, please?" I ask Tessa for the second time. She nods and I wrap my fingers around her wrist, leading her to the back patio again. We have more privacy there, Landon wouldn't be listening in.

When we reach the table, I let go of Tessa's wrist and pull the chair out for her. It's the least I can do, I suppose. My hand feels cold and the blood is no longer pumping behind my ears. I feel calm and cool.

I grab another chair and drag it across the concrete side of the patio. When I sit down across from her, my knees almost touch hers.

"What could you possibly want to talk about, Hardin?" Tessa asks, sounding completely uninterested.

I pull the hat from my head and toss it on the table between us. My fingers find my hair. I feel like a complete bastard for being such an asshole a few minutes ago. I want her to know that I'm not her charity case, her broken little doll but now that I'm coming down from my adrenaline high, I'm starting to see what a complete dick I am.

"I am sorry," I say quietly. The words settle in the static between us and she stays silent. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you," she barks at me. Her chin is lifted in the most defying way. She's pissed.

She's pissed? I'm fucking pissed. She came here, meddled in my family drama and then doesn't accept my apology?

"You're so damned difficult to deal with," she says. I reach down for the bottle and open the top. She glares at me as the liquor slides down my throat.