Tessa's POV:
One week later...
"Do you want to come with us? We're going next door for a drink." Robert asks and point out at the other servers.
"No. I've to buy some grocery for the apartment as Landon's step brother is coming tomorrow..." I say and look down at the ground.
Landon's step brother?
Really Tessa. I smack myself for that.
"He is coming." His eyes widen. "Okay, so have fun with that." He says and go with the other servers.
I go to the deli just below my building is never crowded, and sometimes I feel bad for Ellen, the young Russian girl who works behind the counter. It worries me that she sits in there alone at night. The bell above the door rings as I enter, and Ellen pops her head up from a thick textbook and gives me a polite smile. Her short, wavy hair is tucked behind a thin headband that matches her red sweater with small white dots.
I buy heavy cream, tomato sauce, spaghetti noodles, cheese and Frosted flakes. I check the dates because I've left here with expired products more than once. I pay for the items and go to my appartment.
Next morning...
Oh God. He is coming today. I get up, brushes my teeth, take a shower, wash my hair and run the razor all over my body. Go to my room wear my work clothes and dry my hair. And put some makeup on, after four months long.
It's nothing, really.
I'm just getting out from my four month zombie-zone, so that he can see that I also moved on too.
"Did you really do another load of laundry?" I ask Landon when I get out from my room. He set the stack of towels down on the
ground and turn to me.
"Yes. It's time I start helping more around the house. Well, apartment." he open the closet, and I lean against the wall.
"You help just fine. I like to clean, you know that."
"Sure," he agrees. He shoves the towels in, hoping they won't fall before he can close the
door. But fall out they do, and he reach down and pick them up.
"Is it weird that I'm nervous?" I ask softly. "I shouldn't be nervous, right?" he shakes his head.
"No, not weird at all. I'm nervous, too," he says to comfort me. "You're sure you're okay,
right? Remember, Sophia said you can stay with her for the weekend if you aren't comfortable." I nod, ignoring he calls her 'Sophia' instead of Nora.
"It's okay, really. I have to work most of the weekend anyway."
"He's taking a cab from Newark, so he'll be here in about an hour, given the traffic." he closes the door and look at me. He rubs the stubble budding across his chin, before burying his face in his hands.
"I feel like this isn't going to go well. I shouldn't have agreed to it." I pull his hands away from his face.
"It's fine." I look into his eyes. "I'm a big girl; I can handle a little Hardin Scott." He follows me out into the living room to finish putting away the rest of the clean laundry.
"Will you-know-who be around this weekend? I don't know how that will go over..." obviously talking about Robert. Landon looks panicked, like he is
going to cry or scream at any moment.
"No, he works all weekend, too." I grab my black apron from the top of the pile.
"Do you guys have any plans for the weekend?" I ask. I struggle to tie my apron but at last I got it.
"Not that I know of. I think he's just sleeping here and
leaving Monday afternoon." I does my best to maintain a neutral expression on this.
"Okay. I'm working a double shift today, so don't wait up for me. I won't be home until at least two."
"I really wish you wouldn't work so much. You don't have to help pay anything. I got enough money from grants, and you know Ken refuses to let me pay for much anyway," He reminds me for the tenth time since I moved in with him.
I give Landon my sweetest smile and pull my hair back
into a low ponytail, resting just above the collar of my black
button-up shirt. "I won't go over this with you again," I say, shaking my head and tuck in my shirt into my work pants.
"Text me when you're off, then?" he grabs my keys from the hook and drop them into my palm.
"I'm fine," I say. And look at him again saying that Hardin's arrival will not affect me. And head out of the apartment.
Two blocks from Lookout, I look down at my phone to
check the time and nearly walk straight into Robert. His
hands reach out and stop me before I collide with him.
"Lookout!" he says lamely, and chuckles while I groan.
"See, it's hilarious, because we work at Lookout and, and..."
He smiles and adjusts his own lime-green tie comically.
I debate whether to remind him about Hardin, but stay silent
while we cross the street with a group of teenage girls, all
giggling and smiling at him. I don't blame them-he's
handsome.
"Just a little distracted," I finally admit as we turn the corner.
"He's coming today, right?" Robert holds the door open for
me, and I step into the darkly lit restaurant. I follow him back to the break room, where I store my purse in a small locker and he slides his cell phone onto the top shelf.
"Yes." I close the door to the locker and lean my back
against it.
Robert reaches his hand out to touch my elbow. "You know
I'm okay with you talking about him to me. I don't exactly love
the guy, but you can talk to me about anything."
"I know." I sigh. "I appreciate that so much. I just don't
think it's a good idea to open that drawer. I've had it closed
too long." I laugh and hope that it comes out more authentic than it feels. I lead the way out of the break room, and Robert follows close behind. He smiles and looks up at the clock on the wall.
My shift begins normally, and the hours tick by quickly as the lunch crowd leaves and the dinner crowd begins to pour
in. Robert walks over with a worried look on his face.
"They're here. Landon and Hardin." Robert's hands grab
the hem of his apron, and he wipes the cloth across his
forehead. "They're requesting your section."
I don't panic the way I had assumed that I would. Instead,
I simply nod and work my way toward the entrance and
search for Landon. I force my eyes to only search for Landon
and his plaid shirt, not Hardin. Nervously, I glance around the
area, looking over face after face, none of them Landon's.
"Tess." A hand touches my arm and I jump back.
It's that voice, that deep, beautiful, accented voice that I
have played in my head for months and months.
YOU ARE READING
After 4 | ✓
Fanfic"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...
