Before He Lied

Hardin Chapter 22

She looks at the shopping bags before she looks at my face.

"Ok." She says quietly.

She's mad, she has everything right to be mad after how I acted today. I just don't like to show affection like Kim and Gavin in public, I didn't mean to push her away.

"I remember you said you needed more, I bought 10 bottles."

She looks up at me and gives me a surprised expression.

"Why so much?" She questions.

"I.........I don't know, we use a lot. I think I bought the right one."

She looks back at the bags before she lets out a helpless quiet sigh.

"You can just put one in the shower and put the rest under the sink in the cabinet."

She pulls out her laptop and starts typing something. I walk into the bathroom and put the shampoo away before I walk back out into the room. I awkwardly pace back and forth, she looks back up at me before she looks down at her computer.

"Tessa look..................I'm sor."

"I don't wanna hear it Hardin, you were awful to me today.................I didn't deserve that and you know it."

"I know."

"So why? Why did you treat me like that, do you know how it felt? Today in class I was freaking out with Kim about how much I...........I care for you, then you treat me like that in front of her and Gavin." She says with betrayal.

"You were talking about me with Kim?"

"Yes, of course I was. She's my best friend, she's the only person I can speak freely with."

"You can speak freely with me." He says quietly.

"No..........I can't." She says with honesty.

"Kim is the one person I can talk to, I was excited to tell her about..............you...........about us...........I told her how happy you make me and how you've changed, then you treated me horrible in front of her.........are you embarrassed to be with me."

The vulnerability in her voice shatters my heart .

"No, of course I'm not embarrassed by you."

"Then why? Why wouldn't you hold my hand? They weren't sweaty."

She looks down at her hands.

"Well maybe they were a bit sweaty."

Her innocence kills me, I slowly sit down next to her. I reach over and take her hands in mine, she looks up at me and eyes full of wonder.

"I'm not embarrassed of you............I just..........I don't like public displays of affection. I'm not Gavin, I don't like kissing and stuff in public."

"Oh..........but you were so cruel........what happened today? Please.........all I want is your honesty."

I should have told her about the bet, I should have been honest. But then again my pride that seems to control me won the sword fight against my honesty.

"Sam came by today."

Tessa let's go if my hands.

"What did you.........guys do?"

I hate that she still thinks of me this way, I mean she's right to but I wish that she could see how she consumes me.

"Nothing, I know because of my past you won't believe me but you have to. Nothing happened between us."