Hardin Scott has been madly in love with Tessa Young since the moment he first laid eyes on her, but there's no way she could ever see him as anything more than a friend. After all, he's a bad boy with a promiscuous past and she's a sweet and innoce...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I reheat dinner and Tessa and I sit down at the table.
"So, what do you think?" I ask her.
"Mmm! This is delicious!" she moans, slightly turning me on. This girl doesn't even need to try to be sexy, she just is.
"Glad to hear it." I smile.
"So, about my interview... I could only get it after lunch, so I'm going to have to miss my class. Are you sure you still want to drive me?"
"You know I do."
"Thank you." She smiles in between bites.
"No problem! And I know you'll get it."
"I hope so! That way I can start saving enough money so I can move out and get my own place to live."
"Wait... what?" I gasp.
"What? You didn't think I was going to continue to live here, did you? It was only supposed to be temporary because of Zed bothering me."
"I guess... but now we're together, so you can stay." I pout.
"Hardin... Don't you think that would be moving too fast? We only started dating a few days ago and now we're going to live together? It's too fast!"
"No, it's not! I mean... sure, we did only get together a few days ago, but that didn't stop you from telling me you love me. Besides, we've already been through so much together, so no, it's not too fast!" I desperately try to make my case.
"I don't know..."
"Please, just tell me you'll at least consider it?" I plead.
"Ok, Hardin."
"Tess, does that mean you don't want to continue to sleep in my room with me, either?" I frown.
"I do. I love being close to you that way, but moving in together just feels like a bigger step I'm not sure we're ready for."
Her words hurt my feelings, so we finish the rest of dinner in awkward silence.
Tessa insists on cleaning up, since I did the cooking. After washing, drying and putting away the dishes, she walks over to me. "Hardin... please say something." She frowns.
"There's nothing to say."
"There's lots to say. Tell me why this is so important to you. You know, it's possible to still have what we have without living together. Nothing has to change," she tries to reassure me.
"Tess, I don't think you understand. I've never been in love before. I've never had a girl sleep in my bed before, especially after anything sexual. I've never wanted to live with a girl before. I've never wanted to spend twenty four hours a day around another human being. You are everything to me. What we have right now is everything to me. It might seem fast to you, but I've been waiting my whole life to find someone like you... Someone who is the other half of my soul."
"Oh, Hardin..." she tries to interrupt.
"You can put off moving in with me, but it's a waste of time. We're going to end up together, so we might as well just do it sooner rather than later."
My speech must do the trick because when I go to look up at Tessa, she's tearing up.
"I didn't know any of that. Hearing you say that... Hardin, that's the most romantic and heartfelt thing anyone has ever said to me. I'm really the luckiest girl in the world. Whatever has had to happen to bring us together like this was worth it, no matter how heart breaking it felt at the time," she says between sniffling. Her words are so equally heartfelt and needed that I decide not to give her shit about calling me romantic again.
"Come here." I pat the couch cushion beside me. She sits beside me, leaning against my shoulder as I wrap my arm around her. "Tess, I think there is something else I need to be honest about."
"Okay..."
"I want you to know I've never told this to anyone else before," I begin. "You know when I asked if you still wanted to sleep in my bed with me and you said you enjoy being close to me that way?"
"Yes..."
"Well, I do, too, but to me it's more than that. Since we've been spending the nights together I've had some of the most peaceful sleeps of my life, but it hasn't always been that way for me. I have nightmares. I don't have them as often now that I'm an adult, but I still do sometimes. Since you started sleeping with me I haven't had any. You bring me peace, Tess."
"What kind of nightmares, Hardin?" She turns to look up at me.
"When I was young I witnessed my mum being attacked in our own home. Physically... and sexually." I start to tear up.
"Hardin, I had no idea," Tessa says as she brings her thumb to wipe away the tears that have escaped my eyes.
"There's something about being with you that makes it all better."
"Hardin, is that why you said what you did about the possibility of Zed attacking me?"
"I think so... That night has fucked up my life. I never want to live through anything like that again."
"I know. You won't have to," she says as she hugs me.
I pull her back from the hug and say, "I don't want to scare you, but I would kill anyone who ever laid a finger on you."
"I know," she says quietly as she hugs me again. "I love you so much, Hardin."
"I love you, Tess," I say as I kiss the top of her head.
"I'll stay," she says.
"What?"
"I want to live with you."
"Tess... I don't want you to live with me because you pity me."
"That's not why."
"Then why did you change your mind?"
"Because of everything you said to me tonight. The way you feel about me, the trust you put in me by telling me about your past... I realize you are right. We have been through so much together and we are closer than most people who have been together longer. Living together feels right to me now. I want to wake up in your arms and I want you to hold me tightly while we sleep. I just want you. Only you," she says before pulling me into our most passionate kiss yet.
"Let's go to bed. I want to hold you... I need to hold you close to me. I've never felt such a need to be close to someone in my life. I love you so much, baby," I say before pulling her into another kiss and dragging her to my bedroom.
I cannot wait for the day when I finally get to make love to this beautiful, flawless girl, but for now, holding her in my arms all night feels more amazing than anything else in the whole world.
