A Tale Of Two Halves

Chapter 10

"Ok," I breathe, accepting my fate.
"Ok?" Hardin smiles, and turns around to give me some privacy.
My hands quiver slightly as I remove my jeans and jumper and slip the T-shirt over my head. I fold my clothes and place the pile on one of the chairs from around the chess table.
"Ok," I repeat and he spins around to face me. His eyes widen and a smile spreads across his face.
"Tess..." he breathes. "You look... beautiful."
My heart swells at hearing the words. No-one had ever called me beautiful before, let alone a Rich, and I can't help but return his grin. I blush and look down at my body. Seeing the colour black on my skin feels alien and I thumb the material gently, barely believing what I am seeing.

"Come and look at yourself," Hardin says, walking towards the large floor length mirror that is propped up against a wall. I take a breath and walk over to stand in front of the mirror. The dark colour is a stark contrast to my dirty blonde hair that falls down over my shoulders, and my pale skin looks even paler than usual. Taking in my appearance for the first time, I feel a mixture of emotions. The material stops just short of my knees, and I'm thankful that Hardin is quite a lot taller than I am. He comes to stand behind me. "How do you feel?" he asks gently.

Tears sting my eyes and I sniff and shake out my hands, feeling silly at getting emotional. "Sorry," I say, averting my eyes from Hardin's in the reflection.
"Don't be sorry Tess," he says. He lifts his hand and wipes away a tear that has trickled down my cheek.
"Thank you...for everything," I say, and I hope he understood the weight of my appreciation. My life had changed so much in such a short space of time, and it was all because of him. I turn around to face him. "You have done so much for me and I...I just...." I can't find the words and tears threaten to fill my eyes again.
"I know Tess," he replies, saving me from having to explain. "I feel the same. I...I've felt so lost for so long but you...you feel like..." his voice trails off and I realise he is struggling too.

He reaches both of his hands out and cups my cheeks. His thumbs rub my face gently as we stare into each other's eyes. Then, he sighs gently as if resigning himself to something, and leans down to press his lips to my forehead. My eyes close and my body shudders slightly at his touch. My heart pounds in my chest and I suddenly feel the weight of the events of the day. Overwhelmed, my eyes begin to sting again and I mentally scold myself for being so emotional. I reach up to wipe away a tear and Hardin pulls back.

"Sorry," he says, looking annoyed at himself. "I shouldn't have done that...I should have asked...That wasn't fair..." He drops his hands to his sides.
"No, it's not that, I promise," I say, already missing the contact. "It's just been a long, confusing day." As I scan his face, my eyes catch sight of something sitting on a shelf on the wall behind him. My heart leaps as I see my little paper swan that I had given him the previous day.
"You kept it!" I say, walking past him and over to the shelf. He turns around and smiles sheepishly.
"I did," he says, and he paces over to the double bed that fills the center of the room, dropping himself down onto the end of it. "It's quite a talent you've got there," he teases playfully. "Are your skills limited to swans or is there a whole zoo of paper animals you can fold?"
I laugh. "Just swans for now, but you never know!" I say as I walk over and join him on the edge of the bed.
"How did you learn?" he asks, and my heart squeezes painfully at the memory.
"Ermm...I...it..." I stumble, trying to find the words to explain without having to go into too many details.
"Forget I asked," he says kindly. "I think it's your turn to ask a question anyway."

Relieved at being able to steer the conversation away from my past, my eyes fall upon the picture that sits upon his desk.
"That photo," I say, gesturing to the frame. "Is that your family?"
Hardin turns and sighs. "Yeah. It was taken when I was 15."
"Where are they now? Why didn't they come here with you?" I ask tentatively, not wanting to pry if he wasn't ready to share.
"My brother, Benson...he..." he trails off.
"You don't have to talk about it," I say, ready to change the subject.
"No it's fine I just..." He takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes. "Ok. But once I tell you this, you might think differently of me. Please know that if you want to leave and not see me again, I'll understand and I'll leave you alone. I promise."
I try not to feel scared by his words but I feel my throat tighten slightly. 'Relax Tessa,' I tell myself, 'everything he's done so far has shown that he's a good person'. Besides, I had demons in my past too, stories that I was embarrassed and scared to tell.
"It's ok. You can trust me. I won't run," I say, reaching out and squeezing his hand gently. His eyes look at our hands and he runs his free hand through his hair before looking at my eyes again.