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.
Hardin is standing there, just staring at us, with a tiny piece of paper in his hands. I watch as he crumples it in his hand and lets it fall to the ground. I can see his eyes getting glossy and I can't help but stand there frozen.
I finally manage to speak. "Hardin? Hardin! I can explain," I shout, but he turns away from me and starts walking. I run after him and grab his arm to try to twirl him around, but he just shakes me off.
"Leave me alone, Tessa."
"It's not what it looks like! He kissed me and I tried to push him off me," I desperately explain.
"Goodbye, Tessa," he says so coldly it sends chills down my spine.
"Hardin!" I call after him, but he just keeps walking.
I turn around to see Noah still standing there, so I walk back toward him. "How could you do that?" I shout as I slap him.
"Who are you?" he sneers as he rubs his cheek.
"What does that mean?"
"You aren't the same Tessa I knew."
"What?"
"The Tessa I knew wouldn't be running after some tattooed hoodlum while someone like me is declaring his feelings for her."
"Yeah, well, maybe you never really knew me."
"I guess not."
"I'm leaving to try and fix what you just did. You better tell Emma about this or I will!" I shout as I walk back to my car.
When I reach my car I find myself hoping Hardin is sitting in it waiting for me, but he's not. As soon as I get in my car I try to call and text Hardin, but he just ignores me. I drive home while tears stream down my cheeks.
When I get back to the apartment, I call out for Hardin, hoping he came back here after he left me. "Hardin? Are you here?" I call through the apartment. He's not here, though.
I grab my phone and try him again, but it goes straight to voicemail. I really didn't want to leave this in a message, but he's given me no choice. "Hardin... please come home!" I cry into the phone. "It's not what you think. He kissed me, but I tried to stop him. You have to believe me," I continue to cry. "Please... come home to me. I love you," I say as I end the call.
I spend the next several hours switching between pacing around the apartment, calling and texting Hardin and crying.
While I'm waiting for Hardin to come home, I curl up on the couch and spend the night holding one of his shirts, occasionally sniffing it because I miss his minty scent.
Eventually, I cry myself to sleep, just like when I was going through what Neil had done to me. The difference this time is I don't have Hardin to hold me while I wait for sleep to finally take over.
