nevertheless~

part 75

HARDIN'S POV

"I've been waiting for 40 fucking minutes for your motherfucking cab guy, do you have answer to as to when he's coming or is my ride canceled?", I yell at the customer service guy at Uber who's taking his sweet ass time trying to answer me as to why my Uber hasn't picked me up from the airport.

"Right. Uh-Huh! Yes, I better see him", I say to the man who tells me that my guy will be here in 5 more minutes.

I landed nearly at 9 in the morning and it's almost 10.30 now. I've got to get to Tessa's house as well and I don't want it to be at an awkward hour. As soon as the story of all of this unfolded in front of me, I knew I had to take the first plane and come here because there wasn't a way in hell, I was letting that insufferable woman get away with this. If she thinks she has to go to these levels to get me 'dream come true, life changing promotion' then she's fucking wrong.

I don't give a fuck about Corporate America! Yes, it's my work home, Yes it's where I earn my bread butter from, but if my work is gonna cost me my near future then I might as well be jobless.

"We're so sorry sir.", My Uber driver gets out of the car and says. I personally hate being rude to service workers and care givers but I think I should get to have a pass when they really fuck up.
How come the app doesn't show that my ride has been canceled or not?

Turns out all this time I was living and sleeping with a super smart sneaky little birdie who knew just when to fly given the chance.
In order to get me the dream position because of the competition with Ichor, this woman of mine decided to take matters into her own hand and flew away with Jonathan so she could get an easy out of the competition. Well, she's not the only one with a fancy degree and a smart brain, if she thought she could pull that off from under my nose, she's got her boyfriend coming.

The drive to her place feels like an hour long even though it's comparatively shorter. Only 20-30 minutes, feel like hours as I sit in the backseat and ponder over what I would do with her when I see her? When I shut my eyes and try to remember her face, I can see that familiar smile, those eyes I've grown to love the hair the clouds them, I see it and then I think about how heartbroken she left me in Paris, and I say screw it man, I'll just grab her face and kiss her for the fuck of it.

However then I'm reminded of what she threw away for me and then I remember that I can't do that. Even though I've missed her like hell. That every night without her beside me in my bed to warm it for the both of us, I couldn't sleep. That every time I ate without the sound of her giggle or her little hiccups when she chokes on a big bite and has to physically pause eating, it felt like I was being forced to eat. I didn't feel like doing anything because it never made sense.

Some may call this being dependent, and it is. I am dependent on her to make my day better even though I've had the worst of it. I'm relying on her to take my hand and lead me out of the darkness of my mind and the ghosts of my past or the problems of the future and tell me that it's all gonna be alright as long as I have her. Because, who have I ever had to rely this way on in my life, if not her?

And my father who may come off as a man with low character and due to his drinking habits, but he's taught me one of the many lessons that, 'When you get someone special in your life you must never let go of them. If they especially want an out, then that's fine but you don't let such relationships get destroyed'.

A man like Ichor could clearly get that promotion even without doing any fucking thing for it because he's got friends and family in higher places and he's got privileges and connections, so really what is the valuation of such a promotion?

The car stops in front of Tessa's apartment and I pay the driver and get off. I mentally calm myself as I board the elevator and press for her floor. I know as soon as I see her my heart is going to tear into pieces and also soar into life at the same time. I make a checklist of things I have to say to hear, questions I need to ask to her that have been driving me crazy and when the elevator stops at her floor, I see who I didn't expect.

"Nash what the fuck are you doing here?", I ask as I step out. There's no way she came back for her ex instead of me?

"I was dropping off my girlfriend", he says as I get out.

"Your girlfriend lives here?", I ask.

"Yes, on the 18th floor. I took the stairs halfway and thought I could take the elevator for the rest.", he says nervously.

"Right well…see ya", I try to cut the awkwardness in any slight bit.

"What're you doing here?", he asks me.

"I'm here for Tessa."

"Well she's not here. She's gone to her mum. I called het today morning, said she had gone.", he tells me holding the elevator for me.

FUCK! I NEED TO HURRY AND LEAVE!

"Did she tell you why she's with her mum?", I ask. I don't suppose he knows the kind of relationship Tessa and her mother had.

"No. I too only called her to see if she's doing good, you know with us breaking up and all, I figured since she lives here too, It would be nice to…yeah", he says making this more awkward than has to be frankly. It's not like I am going to break open his jaw for dating Tessa. However, with the way he treated her, I could do that. And it was my initial instinct to do that when I thought she came here for him.

"Right. Thanks buddy, and she's been doing wonderful, you don't have to worry. Whoever she's dating is a real nice man and they both love each other a lot.", I say getting out of the elevator and running towards the exit.

Why the fuck would she go to her mother of everyone? And why wouldn't she tell me any of this! Goodness, this whole thing just keeps getting worse and worse and at this rate I honestly don't understand if I can take it, but I push myself as I sit in yet another Uber. I don't like to be a guy who crunches numbers in such situations, but…I've nearly spent about $700 to get to this woman, flight charges included without conversion of Euros to Dollars.

I wonder to myself as I sit here and enter her neighbourhood, if when I see her, should I kill her for lying to me and running away like some kind of runaway bride or marry her for being this fucking strategic and calculative. Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure what seems better.

"Thank you sir", the driver says as I get down in front of a random house, I guess I'll have to ask my way around. This seems like the kind of neighborhood where the neighbors can point out the houses to the others, which frightens me.

I move around a couple of blocks and see a rental parked very awkwardly in front of a house

I rush outside to the door of this house which looks completely fine. White picket fence, the American dream, backyard and a front lawn with a barbecue and what not, the ideal house but also the source of nights and nights of sorrows of Tessa's life.

"MOM!", I hear a male voice scream as I reach up to ring the doorbell and I am caught off guard, I wait for a heartbeat and don't dare to ring it but what I hear next toppels my heart to the cinderblocks of this house.

"LET GO OF ME ADAM, I AM GOING TO KILL THIS BITCH TODAY", A voice elderly says and I thrash the door open, breaking it from it's chained lock to see the scene in front of my eyes and what I see is my nightmare but when my eyes find the girl I flew from Paris for, I shove all thoughts aside and make a run to her side.

"Say that one more fucking time".

Tessa's mother stands opposite to us in the living room, with a fucking knife in her hand as she is being pushed to the wall by her son and Tessa stands frightened in the hallway with a raggedy looking guy sitting in the fucking couch, like he owns it. Her father nowhere in sight.

"Hardin!", I hear a voice somewhere between a gasp and sigh come out of her as she calls my name and stands in the hallway with tears streaming down her face. God, this house is cursed. Truly.

"Get behind me", I say as I push her behind my back, and her fingers for the flash of a second meet mine and I live in that moment, the fact that nothing has changed between us that just one touch of our hands can ignite my whole being with confidence for her.

"Hardinnn", The crazy looking woman says as Adam lets her go when she sobers up after seeing me.

“You’re the Hardin”, she says, walking out of her sons grip on her, coming towards me and Tessa reaches for my wrist to stop me from walking towards her, but I am quick to move and meet her mother in the middle of the room.