After 4 | ✓

Chapter 36

Hardin's POV:

I don't feel that much safer in here now and Tess's safety more importantly so I head out to buy some extra lock for the apartment.

When I get to the store just below this building, the girl, I suppose who works here, is closing the shop. "Stop" I say before she lock the door. "I want to buy a lock, real fucking quick, I will pay you extra if required."

She looks the urgency in my face, cause she said,"O...okay." And opens the door to the store and switch on the lights. I push past her and look for what I want.

I wouldn't have let go a single hour without getting a new lock in that apartment for Tess to live.
Good for the girl that she allows, if not, then I'd have break in and leave a sorry note and money on top of it. I'm not a thief and steal shits, not anymore. That was a bad thing to do, so kids don't do that shit.

After thirty minutes or so, I get a secure and strong chain lock to put it and pay for it. The girl remains silent the whole time when I was searching for the lock, maybe she was afraid of me you know how I look and all that.

I don't know, but good that she did or I'd have let out my anger at her. Because of the Nadia chick's reasoning that the Cliff guy wasn't a lier. His fucking voice was telling me that he was telling a lie and he did lies right at the chick's face. That chick is a real dumbass.

I get inside the apartment and call for Landon. Hope he's done with the chick and a fucking valid reason for the creep to creeping around.
Landon walks out. Alone. Did that chick leaves? Good.

"Do you have a toolbox? If yes, then give it. I want to install a new lock to the door." I demand.
I didn't fucking think to buy some tools to install. Now the shop is closed, hope he have it. Or I've to really give a thought about break in the store.

He thinks for a few seconds. What the hell he's thinking about? Does he wants someone to break in his apartment. At last he nods and walks in and out from his room with a red toolbox in his hand.

He goes to the living room as he handed the box to me and sit down on the couch, watching television. Not giving me much of a help, fucking great. I did it by myself and hand him his box back. He puts it on the side of the coffee table.

I sit down at the other end and ask him, "So you're now back to fucking Nadia."

"Nora! It was a luck by chance." He rub his hand over his jaw.
Luck? By chance? Hmm.

"What about Delilah? Does she knows about yours and Sarah's relationship?" Are they even in relationship?

He think about a minute and tell, "I think she knows because they're roommates. I don't know. I just know that Dakota doesn't like her and Sophia doesn't like her too."

"What? They are roommates! Your ex and current fucking partner of yours are roommates?" He hides his face with his hand.

Holy hell. This is a whole daily soap opera shit is going on. Poor him, I feel really bad for him. He just get over with his long term relationship and move to next, only to find out that his ex is a roommate of his current one.

"Does Tessa knows?" Of course she knows, why even I bother to ask him that. She knows everything about his relationship life then hers one.

"Yes, she knows." He said and stand up from the couch and take his took toolbox, goes to his room.

......

There is a wall with the fake Banksy graffiti, at the side of restaurant where Tessa works. I lean against it and wait for her shift to ends. After spending almost two hours in that apartment reading book, I come here to pick her up, like the last night. Hope she don't mind it.

She leaves this morning without telling me anything. So......
There she comes through the door. Alone. That son of a sheriff didn't came with her.

I'm grinning like a idiot from ear to ‌ear. I step forward and say, "You didn't tell me that Delilah and Sarah are roommates." Still smiling.

"Yeah, it's a mess." She shakes her head, rolls her eyes. "Especially since those aren't their names, and you know it." I laugh.

"That is some good shit, though. What are the fucking odds of that?" I lift my hand to the chest, and laugh louder. "This is some straight-up soap-opera shit."

"Who are you telling? I have to deal with it. Poor Landon, though, you should have seen his face when we met Sophia and her friends for drinks the night he found out. He almost fell out of the chair."

"This is too much." I chuckle.

"Don't laugh about it in front of Landon; he's having a hard time dealing with the two of them."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I roll my eyes. I just witnessed that in that apartment, Tess. In almost only two days of staying.

The wind picks up, and my long hair start to blowing around my head. And she points out and laughs.
"My hair looks better like this and gives women more to
pull," I tease. But then I realize what the fuck did I just said.

"Oh," she says, but laughs along, fake one that I know of. Then she turns to look at other side of her, hiding her sour reaction. Fuck.

"Hey." I reach for her, turn her around to look at me. "I was joking, a shitty, stupid, really fucking dumb joke."
I would never, ever touches other women in my life. Even though I have to spend without fucking my whole life.

"It's okay, I'm okay." She lies and smile up at me, not genuinely that I know of.

"You may be all independent and fearless enough to hang out with homeless men, but you're still a shit liar," I call her out.

She changes the subject and says, "Hey, don't go talking about
Joe. He's my friend." she sticks her tongue out at me. Cute, really fucking adorable.

As we pass a couple making out on a bench. I say loud enough for them to hear, "Five bucks says he has his hand up her skirt in less than two minutes."

Tess playfully shoves my shoulder, and I wrap an arm
around her waist. "Don't get too touchy-Joe will ask questions!" She wiggles her brows at me, and I burst into laughter.

"What is it with you and homeless men?" I ask. The thought of her died father goes through my mind, and she stop laughing for a beat. Fucking hell.

"Shit, I didn't mean it like that."
She hold her hand up and smile. I've no idea what's this smile tells. Stupid, Idiot, I tell myself.

"No, it's okay. Really, let's just hope Joe doesn't turn out to be my uncle." What? I stare at her. Did she really said that?

And she laughs at me.
"I'm fine! I can take a joke now. I have learned not to take myself so seriously." She says.

I'm pleased with that she didn't take this at another sad path life of hers, and take it as light-heartedly.

As she gave the bag of food to Joe, I smile up at her kindness. She think about others like she always did. This quality of her is the one I really loves it.