A Tale Of Two Halves

Chapter 12

"Tessa," I hear Hardin whisper, and I feel a hand shaking me gently awake.
I groan loudly and pull the covers over my head. It's far too warm and cozy in here to even think about moving. I hear him laugh slightly.
"If I'm going to have you home before Elsie wakes up, we need to make a move," he says and I sigh. I know he's right and I do need to get home.

The events of the previous evening surge back into my head and I'm equal parts terrified and elated. My relationship with the Richs seems to be getting worse and worse and I know I've been pushing my luck. It's bound to run out soon and everything will come crashing down on me. But then I think of Hardin, and everything that happened between us last night, and my heart leaps in my chest. I flop the cover down from my head and gaze up at him. He is dressed in the usual Rich all-black attire and I swallow at how bloody hot he looks. I must look a right mess in comparison.

"Good morning," he smiles and I climb out of the bed reluctantly. I return his greeting and grab my clothes from the chair where I left them. Hardin turns around and I quickly change. When I am dressed, I run the black T-shirt I have removed between my fingers again. I lift the shirt to my nose and inhale deeply. It still smells like him, all clean and fresh, made stronger by the fact I've slept on his sheets. I look up and almost die right on the spot with embarrassment as I see him looking at me. He smiles coyly and my cheeks turn redder than I thought humanly possible. I hold the T-shirt out to him. "Thank you," I say, unable to make myself look at him.
"Keep it," he says, pushing it back towards me. "It looked better on you anyway." My eyes shoot up to meet his, my humiliation replaced with shock.

"Hardin, I-I can't," I stutter, despite desperately wanting something to remind me of last night and everything that happened.
"It's just a T-shirt Tess. No matter what this stupid zone says, it's just a T-shirt. I'd give you the world if I could," he says, gently grabbing my wrists as my hands still hold the shirt. "But for right now, please just let me give you my shirt."
"Ok," I breathe, taking in the weight of his words. We spend the next few moments in a comfortable silence, staring into each other's eyes while his thumbs gently rub my wrists.

After a few moments, the intensity of his stare grows and it sends a rush of heat down in-between my legs. My head spins at the unusual sensation. My heart begins to pound in my chest and my breath grows slightly quicker and shallower.
I find myself desperate to close the space between us, to feel his hands on me. I have never felt a feeling like this before, and I feel dizzy as his eyes bore into mine. Holy shit I think I'm turned on. The feeling is alien to me. Elsie has talked to me before about this kind of stuff, but I never thought I'd feel it myself. Is he feeling this too? My heart is pounding so loudly that surely he can hear it? Surely he can see my chest rising and falling quicker than it was a few minutes ago?

I can't take the distance between us anymore, and I move towards him. His hand moves up to hold the back of my neck, and the other slides down to gently grip my hip. Our foreheads touch and my eyes hone in on his mouth. His lips part slightly and I feel his breath on mine; the speed of them matching mine.
"Tessa," he breathes and the huskiness of his voice makes my legs quiver. I'm practically panting and I don't think I'll be able to take much more.
"Please, Hardin," I say, lifting my hand and placing my thumb in the centre of his lips. "Kiss me," I beg, desperate to feel his mouth on mine. He takes my words as permission and presses his lips to mine. Fireworks explode in my chest and my hands, still clutching his t-shirt, lift to rest on his heart. His arm snakes around my waist and he pulls me flush to him. Our lips move together in a perfect synchronisation and this feels like the most natural thing I've ever done. I feel a wetness pool between my legs and gasp slightly against his mouth. Fucking hell. I'm glad he is holding me to him as my legs have all but given away. The hand that is around my neck drifts up into my hair and he moans gently. He breaks the kiss and nudges his nose against mine before returning back to kiss me again. I swear I'm about to pass out from the excruciating tenderness and heat of it all.

All too soon, he pulls back before returning to my lips to place a final, lingering, gentle kiss on them. He exhales deeply and fixes his eyes to mine.
"I've wanted to do that since the moment I met you," he smiles, pressing his forehead against mine.
"I think I've wanted you to too," I say, already missing the contact of his lips on mine. I've never kissed a boy before, and my brain is already working to solidify the memory. I never, ever want to forget that. I tuck my head under his chin and he presses a kiss onto the top of my head.
"Now let's get you home before I decide to keep you here forever," he says and I smile at the thought.

The icy morning air hits me as we leave Hardin's house and I shiver. He tries to give me one of his coats, but I can't risk being seen in public wearing black. His T-shirt is tucked safely into my jeans pocket, and we laugh at how ridiculous the bulge looks protruding out of my butt.
"What's the plan for today?" he asks as we head towards my house. The sun is just beginning to peak up from behind the houses and I know that Elsie and everyone else will be waking up soon. It feels surreal to be walking the streets when they are this empty, and even more surreal to be walking them with a Rich. This time last week I would have shuddered at the thought of being alone with a Rich when no-one else was around, but right now I revel in the privacy.
"I'm on cleaning duty at school this morning, then lunch serving and then booked jobs this afternoon and evening. What about you?"
"Oh you know, I've got a very busy day of thinking about this girl that slept in my bed last night and then begged me to kiss her this morning," he smiles and my stomach flutters at the memory.
"She sounds desperate. I'd find someone with a little more subtlety and restraint," I say, returning his grin. My house appears into view and he frowns.
He sighs, all traces of humour gone from his face. "Please be careful today Tess. Try and stay out of Jared's way." He pulls me gently to a stop. "The thought of anyone hurting you kills me."
I lift my hand up to his cheek and he places a tender whisper of a kiss on my palm.
"I'll be ok Hardin. I've survived this far," I say, unsuccessfully trying to lighten the mood. He smiles sadly and leans down to kiss my forehead. It feels strange that him touching and kissing me feels so natural and right, yet this time yesterday he'd barely even touched me before.
"Stay safe for me Tessa," he says as I reach for the door handle. I nod, give him a small wave and push the door open as gently as possible.

I'm lucky. The house is still silent. I tiptoe up to my bedroom and glance at the clock on the wall. It reads 4:30. 30 minutes until everyone will be waking up. Despite it being too dark to see them, I can hear Elsie and Jennifer breathing softly. I wiggle the T-shirt out from my pocket, fold it up neatly and tuck it under my pillow, making sure none of the fabric peeks out of the sides. I feel my booker buzz in my pocket and pull it out. I smile and my heart somersaults as I see Hardin's name appear on the screen for 7:30 this evening. I set it down on the bedside table and yawn. Deciding I may as well get a few more minutes of sleep, I pull back the bed covers and climb under them. My back silently whinges at me, missing the luxury of Hardin's mattress. I roll onto my side and reach under my pillow to tuck my hand in between the folds of Hardin's T-shirt. With the image of his blue eyes staring into mine, and the feeling of his mouth pressed to my lips, I drift off into a contented sleep...