Tessa's POV:
I pull my car at the parking space of university. I take a few deep breathe, check my face in the rear-view mirror, there's no smudge, my makeup is perfectly intact. I take my phone, get out of my car and stand near the exit of the university.
Everyone's coming out. I'm debating I should go inside or not. I think it's not a good idea coming here I should just go before anyone sees me. I turn around to go, but my feet stop when I hear the accent voice calling my name. "Tessa."
I turn around and look up where he is. He walks in my direction but a boy get in in his path, so he shove the boy out of the way. I laugh, watching the scene.
He look so handsome, his hair is unruly and messy but perfect. His eyes has a glow and face has a radiant, even more before when I last saw him. And his smile making me foresee that he was happy, and he's glad, pleased to see me here. I can tell all of this just by looking at him.
"Hey." I smile and tuck my hair behind my ear. I'm so nervous to say anything else.
"Hey," he repeats my word. I look up and down on him, admiring his beauty. He's even more handsome than in my memory. Even with this simple cloak thing wraps around his body.
I speak first. "Your hair is so long." I don't know what else to say.
He laugh softly. He just kill me, when he pushes his fingers through his messy long hair.
"Yeah, yours is, too," he says mistakenly, I think. I laugh and bring my hand to my mouth. "I mean, your hair is long. It's
always been long though," he try to recover, but it only makes me laugh again. He's also nervous too.
"So, was the ceremony as bad as you expected?" I ask. He's standing less than four feet away from me.
"Worse. Did you see how long it was? The man reading off
the names was ancient." I smile at his grouch and he smiles back at me, pushing his hair away from his face. I just want to reach there and tuck his hair behind his ear, the way he did mine.
"I'm really proud of you for walking. I'm sure Ken is so happy." I say to him.
"Are you happy?" He asks me looking into my eyes, like his answer is in my eyes.
I crinkle my brow. "For you? Yes, of course. I'm very happy that you walked. It's okay that I came, isn't it?" I look down at my feet for only a second before focusing my eyes on him. I'm paranoid that he wouldn't like that I'm here.
"Of course it is. I would have been quite pissed if I walked
for nothing." He smile at me. The two of us seem to be doing nothing but smiling and fidgeting with our hands. "How are you? I'm sorry that I haven't called much. I've been really busy . . ."
I shake my head at him. "It's okay, I know you have a lot
going on with graduation and preparing your future, all of
that." I smile at his frowned face.
"I've been well. I applied to every college within a fifty-mile radius of New York City." I tell him what I was doing too.
"You're still wanting to go there? Landon said you weren't sure yesterday." I think he doesn't want me go there.
"I'm not yet." I said and give him a big explanation about what my plans would be, if NYU accepts me. I take a deep breath after finishing that. "Wow, that was a long explanation to a short question." I laugh and step out of the way of a sobbing mother walking hand in-hand with her daughter.
"Did you decide what you
want to do next?" I ask not to get too nosy. But I know I'm doing it anyway.
"Well, I have some interviews set up over the next few weeks."
"That's good. I'm really happy for you." I smile again.
"None of them are here, though." He watches my face closely
as I take in his words.
"Here, as in this town?"
"No, as in Washington."
"Where are they? If you don't mind me asking?" I say so softly and in a low voice that he have to take a step closer to me.
"One in Chicago, three in London."
"London?" I tried to hide the surprise in my voice, and he
nods. Why he wants to go London after what happened there?
"I wasn't sure what was going to happen, you know, with us," he try to explain himself. But he doesn't have to.
"No, I understand. I'm just surprised, that's all." Very very much.
"I've been talking to my mum a little lately." I think I heard him wrong. But taking his expression it's tell me that I didn't.
"You have? Hardin, that is so great to hear."
"Yeah, a little." He shrug his shoulders. I know it's weird for him.
"I'm so happy that everything is working out for you. You deserve everything good in your life." He really do.
He reaches for my arm and pulls me into a hug. My arms move to his shoulders, and my head drop down to his chest. I sigh, loudly, that he may heard it. It's feels like coming home, he is my home.
"Hardin!" someone calls his name, and I pull away to stand
next to him. My cheeks are probably flushed, and I'm nervous again. Two peoples, one man and another women approaches with a bouquet of flowers in that mans hand.
"I know you didn't bring me fucking flowers," Hardin groan, who are they? I stand at his side, staring at the man and woman.
"You know it. And I know how much you love lilies," the man
says to him, while the woman waves to me. I turn to Hardin, confused, but with a smile.
"It's so nice to finally meet you." the woman wraps her arms
around me, and the man tries to shove bouquet into Hardin's chest. But he let the flowers fall to the floor, and the man curses at him as we watch the peoples trample over it.
"I'm Kaci and this is my boyfriend Luke, we're Hardin's friends. I've heard so much about you, Tessa." Kaci withdraws a little to tuck one arm into mine, I smiles back and we jumps into a conversation about wasted flowers.
"Hardin seems like a flower type of guy, right?" Kaci says,
laughing, and I giggle. "That's why he got those ridiculous leaves tattooed on him."
"Leaves?" I raise my brows at him.
"They aren't exactly leaves; she's just giving me shit, but I
did get a few new tattoos since I've seen you." he explain.
"Oh." I smile."That's good." He got new tattoos, I want see them.
Luke tells me about the new tattoos across the bottom of
Hardin's stomach. "I told him not to get them. The four of us were out, and Kaci got curious about
Hardin's tattoos and decided she wanted one."
"Four?" I regret when I blurt the word. Hardin glare at Luke at the same time Kaci digs her elbow into Luke's side.
"Kaci's sister," Luke tells me.
"Oh." I give Luke a fake smile and stare off into the crowd. Who's is that girl?
Ken approaches and says, "Hardin, I have someone I would like you to meet." Luke and Kaci excuse themselves, and I step to the side. Hardin reaches for me, but I brushes him off, kindly.
"I need to find a restroom anyway." I smile and walk
away after a quick hello to Ken.
YOU ARE READING
After 4 | ✓
Fanfiction"Put your heels on the headboard." Hardin instructs, grabbing by my calves and pulling up my legs and spreading them wide in front of his naked crotch, then he puts my heel behind him on the edge of my tall headboard. The height of my headboard keep...
