nevertheless~

part 10

TESSA's POV

"I fucked up Nora, I truly colossally fucked up and I don't know what to do!", I hold my head in my hands as I pace the lunch hall of our voice. It's time for people to go home but I have to stay back because of overtime and guess who I have to overtime, Hardin and Ichor. One of whom, I just kissed an hour ago and ran away from.

"Girl, I am not even denying you didn't fuck over, because you did. you kissed him and then fucking what ran away thinking that it meant nothing? I thought I was the dumb one between the two of us".

"Nora! I am serious, joking won't help. How do I face him for the paid overtime?", I ask and look across to find her not dropping a single glance to me and thinking.

"Don't go?", she suggests. That's what she wants me to do? Not go and run away like a coward to stroke Hardin's ego all the more and give him the power to hold this above me again. He already knows too much!

"I can't do that. I have work! And I won't be able to do anything if this thing is between us and there's no option of not going"

"Face it then. It's the least you could do after making such a big mess of yourself. You made a fool of yourself by pulling him to kiss him. What were you thinking?"

"That's the thing right, I wasn't thinking. I just knew that I wanted to kiss him and I did and it felt good, so good, but why am I regretting it now?"

"I can't answer that for you, love. But you know who can, Hardin. Talk to him".

"Yeah, what do I say or ask?"

"Let him do the speaking? At times, you should just listen. Maybe he likes you and wants to take this further somewhere with you."

"Yeah, I know I like him, but when I kissed him, he got so angry with me, Nor. He just told me to my face, that he doesn't go around kissing bosses and he isn't a toy. What if he just doesn't want to talk at all with me?"

"Only he can answer that also, Tess. Look, I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but you need to own up to what you did and ask him. He is the answer to your doubts"

"FUCK ME!", my voices echo in the quiet lunch hall.

"I know he wants to", he teases me.

"Please, don't go. Stay for the overtime with me. I can't face him without some support", I hook my hands with her as I walk her to the elevator.

"Bestie, I am about to have sex today after a long time. Landon and I are going on a 'special' date but you have me on speed dial, one tap and I will grab Hardin by the balls if I need to", I throw my head back and sigh the second she gets in the elevator.

"Look, Tess. Just don't deny something you want because of things that don't matter. If you want to kiss him, do it. Get together with him, do that too. Life is very small.".

"I'll speak to him first", I answer her and wave a small bye with a grateful smile on my face as the elevator shuts between us.

I get back in my cabin to find Hardin and Ichor already sitting in the chair waiting for me to assign them works for France.

"It's to be done this way, all the work for the publishing house that concerns our American Franchises, we handle in the morning. In the night as we work overtime, we look at the things we need for the presentation for the investors to make them want to invest in our publishing, is that understood?", I ask and I get genuine nods from the two men.

"So, Ichor for you to catch up on some stuff, we are going to be in a 6-hour long meeting with the investors of France, and all departments have been given a time slot of 45 minutes to 1 hour each. We are slot no. 4"