GQ SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR MICHAEL TAHN CHARGED WITH COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND BATTERY
LA TIMES | By Claire Bershkowitz
April 8th, 2019
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Yesterday afternoon, former GQ Senior Associate Editor and Teaching Assistant at the University of California - Los Angeles Michael Tahn was charged with counts of aggravated assault and battery of former student and girlfriend, Harper Adler.
The Los Angeles County Court ruled that Mr. Tahn was guilty of physical violence, along with threatening Ms. Adler with the act of making physical contact. Ms. Adler recounted her experience with Mr.Tahn, which was followed by witness statements by fellow student Frances Cohen and actor Sebastian Stan. Ms. Adler's boyfriend, Spider-Man star Tom Holland was also in attendance.
Mr. Tahn will serve 5 years at the California State Penitentiary. After three years, he will be up for parole.
We wish Ms. Adler the best of luck with future endeavors.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
A week had passed since the hearing. Michael Tahn had been transferred to the California State Penitentiary, 340 miles away from Harper's apartment.
And yet she still felt his deep gaze boring into her everytime she closed her eyes.
The trial came a week after Tom had told her what he had done. At work, Harper had stayed as far away from Tom and Sebastian as possible. At home, she ignored the multiple visits from Tom, who would knock on the door, ask for her to hear him out, and then leave when no answer came. Frankie texted her about every two hours, asking her to FaceTime or talk on the phone.
But she didn't want to talk.
Instead, between drafting her thesis and work, she had resorted to an old journal; one filled with ideas, miscellaneous notes, and now her personal grievances.
As she wrote in the journal after her second to last day of work, she heard banging on her door. She knew it was Tom; she couldn't bring herself to answer. Grabbing a pencil, she began to write down her first sentence when the banging began again. Harper gripped her pencil, pushing it against the paper as she tried to ignore the sound.
When a lull appeared, she resumed, her hand beginning to cramp with the intensity of which she held the utensil. The banging suddenly began, and Harper slammed her pencil down as she stomped towards her door. As she swung her door open, she spat,
"Tom, I fucking told you that I do not want to discuss —"
Harper stopped her rant to see a solemn-faced Sebastian, holding what looked like a basket full of arranged flowers.
"Listen," Sebastian spoke softly, "I know you don't want to talk to me, or him, I'm just here to deliver this," he held out the basket, "and to see you. You're a mastermind at avoiding people, it's been almost two weeks since Tom, Frankie or I have had a conversation with you."
Harper remained silent, ringing fading in and out of her ears as a result of the anger. Against her own restraint, she let the door open a bit more, and gestured for Sebastian to come inside. He quickly slipped through, as if he was afraid she would change her mind at the last moment.
Sebastian placed the basket atop the kitchen table, and sank into a chair as Harper plopped down across from him. The silence was weirdly deafening, the pair never having been this quiet and careful around one another.
"What he did, what I supported, it was never to hurt you," Sebastian mumbled as his head dropped. "It was stupid, so stupid, and he knows that. I know that. Tom wants to know what he can do to prove that he can earn your trust back."
Harper let out a laugh, and Sebastian looked back up at her with an incredulous look on his face.
"Seb, you —and I understand you're trying to, but — you don't understand."
Sebastian adjusted himself in the chair, visibly uncomfortable.
"Help me to understand."
Harper sat for a moment, her mouth opening and closing, trying to form her thoughts in any sort of cohesive sentence — but nothing came. As she placed her head in her hands, she saw the journal, sitting open. She quickly grabbed it, and slid it straight into Sebastian's hands. He gazed at you for a moment, before beginning to read;
"Trust is fucking stupid. Trusting people, trusting the process, where has it gotten me? When I couldn't get out of my own head, Sebastian tells me to take a second and trust the universe. In return, I end up putting my faith and love in a guy who destroyed that trust the second he decided to not tell me about his plan to "protect" me. I don't need protection, or a savior, I need someone who will understand that I can't let events of my past consume me anymore. Tom didn't get that, or doesn't get that. And I can't even begin to explain how much that hurts."
Sebastian slowly looked back up at Harper, who's lips were turned downward and eyes were blazing.
"That's how I fucking feel, Seb."
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
pain only if you have any guesses to what will happen... be my guest and lmk them :)
