A lot can change in only one night. One night was all it took to tear Hardin and Tessa apart. When fate intervenes and they meet up again for the first time in four years, will one night be enough to bring them back together? Follow along as the pow...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You feel amazing," Hardin moans as he makes love to me for the first time. "Are you okay, baby?"
I nod as I look into the piercing green eyes of the only man I've ever loved.
"Fuck, Tess, I-I love you, so much," he says as he continues to move in and out of me at a gentle pace.
"I love you, Hardin," I whisper.
"Oh, baby, I'm going to come. Okay?" he groans.
I nod and gently place my hands on his neck as he comes while never breaking eye contact. After he comes down from his high, he presses his forehead to mine while his breathing slows. I gently kiss his lips before he rolls off me and disposes of the condom. He quickly gathers me up in his arms and I lay my head on his chest as it rises and falls. I listen to the steady beating of his heart before he breaks the silence.
"Tess, ar-are you okay? Was that okay? I tried to be gentle. How do you feel, baby?"
"I feel... happy."
"And you're sure you're alright?"
"Yes. Stop worrying. It was perfect. I just wish I could have made it perfect for you, too."
"Tessa, don't say that. I just made love for the first time and it was with the most beautiful girl in the world. A girl who I am determined to spend my life with. It doesn't get any more perfect than that."
"Oh, Hardin... I—" Before I finish my thought, the door to my dorm bursts open. I must have forgotten to lock it because of everything going on between Hardin and me.
"Theresa? Theresa?" my mother calls out before finally entering my room and catching Hardin and me naked in bed together.
"Mother, wh-what are you doing here?" I gasp as I pull the sheets up to my neck.
"What am I doing? What the hell did you just do?" she asks in shock.
"I-I..." I stutter, unsure of how to answer her.
"Did you just have sex with this... this hoodlum?" she asks as she waves her hand in the air, growing angrier by the second.
I hate how controlling my mother is. It's one of the reasons I was so happy to finally go to college and move into a dorm. She has no right to ruin this moment for me, so I decide to finally stand up to her. "Mother, you need to leave."
"No. You need to get dressed. You're coming with me."
"No, I'm not. I'm staying here with Hardin."
"Theresa, you're coming with me. Tell that boy to leave, then get dressed. You're coming home where I can make sure you don't make any more stupid mistakes."
"No!"
"If you don't get out of that damn bed that you're lying in next to that tattooed hooligan like a little slut, then I'm done with you."
"You can't talk to her like that," Hardin says angrily.
"She's my daughter. I'll talk to her however I like," my mother fires back.
"Call me whatever you want. I'm still not leaving with you," I say angrily.
"This is your last chance, Theresa. If I walk out that door without you, I'm done with you. You're cut off!"
"I love Hardin and I'm not letting you control me anymore."
Without another word, my mother storms out of my room and slams the door behind her.
"Tess, are you okay?" Hardin asks as he tries to console me.
"No," I cry. "Why can't she just love me for who I want to be, instead of who she tries to make me into?"
"I don't know. You deserve nothing but love, Tessa. I will love you for the rest of my life. I promise you that I'm going to make sure you always feel loved."
PRESENT DAY
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
That night was the first and last night that I ever spent lying naked in Hardin's arms. After my mother left my dorm that night, she kept her word. She completely disowned me and cut me off. I couldn't pay for my tuition or my dorm room. I had to leave WCU and I had no where else to go, except back home to her. Hardin tried his hardest to help, but he had his own bills to pay and I could never except help from him knowing I might never be able to pay him back. My mother got her way and I went back home to her.
Before I left, I told him how much he meant to me and that he had changed my life in ways he'd never even know. He swore he'd find a way to help me. He told me he wasn't ready to let me go. He promised he'd never love anyone but me. I was his everything and he'd stop at nothing to bring me back to him.
I believed him. And I know it wasn't his fault that he wasn't able to keep his promise and help me find my way back to him. He had his own problems to deal with. The last time I spoke to him, four years ago, he was on his way back to England to help take care of his sick mom. I lost track of him after that.
After applying to NYU, I was able to get a full scholarship and move away from my mother. I wasn't interested in a career in publishing anymore. Books reminded me too much of Hardin and thinking of Hardin only brought me sadness. Instead, I got a degree in business and started my own wedding planning business. Somehow, helping others vow to spend the rest of their lives with the one they love helped ease the pain of missing Hardin.
