After 4 | ✓

Chapter 26

Tessa's POV:

Me and Landon are watching Cupcake War. It's really became a habit for me to watch this.
And suddenly Landon's phone buzzes on the couch and I made a mistake by looking who's calling.
It's him.

His name flashes on the screen and I turn my head to look at the television screen again. I pull my bottom lips between my teeth for me to not to scream. And I know that Landon can see my slightly shaking body.

He reach to get his phone but the ringing stop and I close my eyes for that. Landon call him back because he says "Hey." Not to me obviously.

"I'm about to book my flight...." the voice says loud enough for me to heard. I didn't hear the last part of sentence but the first part was enough for me to stand up from the couch and go to my room. I slam the door and lean my back against it.

He's booking a flight to come here. Here. In my space. Oh God I can't breathe. I breathe in and out, in and out, clamming myself.

A knock on my door pull me out of my shaking, distress state. I open almost immediately.
"You okay?" my friend asks me.

"Yeah," I look down at my feet, then back up at him.

"You're a terrible liar," he calls me out. He knows me too well to know that. Yes, Landon I'm not okay, I want to scream and tell my bestfriend.

I step back into my room and leave the door open, gesturing for him to come inside. He sits on the edge of my bed and he look around my room. I lie back on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. "I really am okay with him coming to visit. He's your family and I won't keep you from seeing him." I say.

"You're my family, too," he reminds me.

"I'm just waiting and waiting, and I don't know how to stop..."

"Waiting for what?" He asks.

"For him to stop being able to hurt me. Even hearing his voice..." I pause to catch a breathe, then continue, "It will take a while, I assume."
It'd needed a whole life for him to stop his cruel acts. And constantly breaking my heart.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask softly, looking at the fan blades now.

"Of course."

"How did you get over Dakota? It makes me feel like shit that you were feeling this way and I barely comforted you. I was so consumed by my own problems that I never thought about you feeling the way I feel now. I'm sorry I'm such a shitty friend." He laugh softly.

"You aren't a shitty friend. My
situation was a lot different than yours."

"That's so Landon to say that. I knew you would tell me I'm not a shitty friend," I smile and I can't remember the last time I smile, genuinely.

"But really, how did you get over her? Does it still eat at you when you see her?" I add.

"It was so different for me. Dakota and I had barely seen each other in the last two years, so I wasn't always around her the way you were with Hardin. We never lived together, and I think
I was used to feeling alone anyway." I roll over and rest my chin on my elbow, to see his face.

"You felt alone when you were dating?" I ask and he nods.

"She lived across the country, remember?" I nod.

"Yes, but you still shouldn't have felt alone." I never felt alone when I was with him, never.
"Do you feel alone now?" I ask focus on his eyes.

"Yeah," he answer honestly. I roll back over and look up at the ceiling again.

"Me, too." I say and close my eyes.