After 3

Chapter 291.

Songs for this chapter are:

 Nothing left to lose- Mat Kearney

Move together- James Bay

Sweetheart what have you done to us- Keaton Henson

Treacherous- Taylor Swift

SEPTEMBER.

Tessa's POV.

"You're sure you're okay, right? Remember Sophia said you could stay with her for the weekend if you aren't comfortable." Landon says to me, placing a stack of clean, folded towels into the closet. His apartment is small and the closet space is hardly existent, but it works for him. Well, us. Every time I remind Landon that this is his apartment, not mine, he In turn, reminds me that I am living here now, in this apartment, in New York City.

"It's okay, really. I have to work most of the weekend anyway." I nod at him, disguising the burning anxiety at the weekend ahead. It's the second Friday in September and Hardin's flight will be landing any minute. I didn't ask why he was coming, I couldn't bring myself to, and when Landon awkwardly brought up him wanting to stay here, I just nodded and forced a smile.

"He's taking a cab from Newark, so he will be here in about an hour. I feel like this isn't going to go well, I shouldn't have agreed to it." Landon runs his hand over his chin, before burying his face in his hands. 

I reach up and pull them away form his face, "It's fine. I'm a big girl, I can handle a little Hardin Scott." I tease, knowing that I'm nervous as heck but the comfort of work and knowing that Sophia is just down the block, will get me through the weekend.

"Will you-know-who be around this weekend? I don't know how that will go over with Hardin.." Landon looks panicked, like he is going to cry or scream at any moment. 

"No, he works all weekend too," I walk over to the couch and lift my apron from the pile of clean clothes. Living with Landon is easy, despite his recent relationship problems, and he loves to clean so we get along well that way.

Our friendship bounced back quickly and we haven't had an awkward moment since I arrived four weeks ago. I spent the summer with my mother, her boyfriend David, and his daughter Heather. I text and even learned to Skype, with Landon and spent my days planning for the move.

It was one of those summers where you fall asleep on a June night and wake up to an August morning. It went too quickly, and a lot of my time was spent being reminded of Hardin. David rented a cabin for a week during July and we ended up less than five miles away from the Scott' cabin where I went with Hardin and his family.

I walked down the same streets, this time with David's daughter, and she stopped at every block to pick a flower for me. We ate at the same restaurant that I had one of the most tense nights of my life and we even had the same server, Robert. I was surprised when he told me that he was also moving to New York for medical school. He was offered a significantly larger grant to attend New York University than his previous choice in Seattle, so he took it.

We exchanged phone numbers and text messaged during the summer and we both moved to the city around the same time. He arrived a week before me and now he works at the same place that I do. He also works almost as much me, for now the next two weeks until he starts school full-time. I would be doing the same but unfortunately, I was too late to get into the fall semester at NYU.

Ken advised me to wait it out, at least until the Spring semester to attend another college. He said that I shouldn't bounce back and forth again, it will only muddy my transcripts and New York University is picky as it is. I'm okay with taking a break, despite the fact that I will have to work harder to catch up, because I am going to use the time working and attempt to learn my way around the city.