After 2

Chapter 178.

Hardin's POV.

"Just hear me out okay?" I beg.

"Why now?" She asks, staring out the window.

I still can't believe she's in the car with me, not that I gave her much of a choice.

"Because... because I miss you." I admit.

"You miss me? You mean you are jealous that I was with Zed. You didn't miss me until he picked me up tonight. You are fueled by jealousy, not love."

"That's not true, that doesn't have anything to do with it." It does have a lot to do with it but I do miss her regardless.

"You didn't talk me to me all evening, then you came outside and told me you were too busy to talk to me. That's not what you do when you miss someone." She points out.

"I was lying."

"You? Lying? No way, that never happens." She is feisty tonight.

I take a deep breath to make sure that I don't say something that will make this worse.

"I don't have a phone for starters, and I went home to England."

Her head snaps to look at me.

"You what?"

"I went to England to clear my head. I didn't know what else to do." I explain.

"You didn't answer my calls."

"I know. I ignored them and I'm so sorry for that. I wanted to call you back but I couldn't bring myself to and then I got drunk and broke my phone."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No..but the reasoning made sense to me at the time, and still does. I want you to be happy Tessa."

She doesn't say anything, she looks out the window again and I reach for her hand but she pulls away.

"Don't." She says.

"Tess.."

"No Hardin! You can't just show up eleven days later and hold my hand. I'm sick of going in circles with you. I am finally to a point where I can go an hour without crying then you pop up and try to pull me back under. You've always done this to me since the say I met you and I'm sick of giving into it. If you cared about me you would have explained yourself." She is trying her hardest not to cry, I can tell.

"I'm trying to explain myself now." I remind her, my annoyance growing as I pull into my father's driveway.

She tried to open the door but I hit the locks.

"You aren't seriously trying to lock me in the car with you. You already basically forced me to leave Zed's house! What is wrong with you!" She begins to shout.

"I'm not trying to lock you in the car." I am though.

However, in my defense she is stubborn and doesn't like to listen to anything I have to say.

She presses the unlock button and climbs out of the car.

"Tessa! God damn it Tessa, just listen to me!" I shout into the wind.

"You keep telling me to listen but you haven't been saying anything!"

"Because you won't shut up long enough for me to!"

We always end up in a screaming match. I need to let her yell at me and just take it, otherwise I will say something I regret. I want to bring up Zed and the fact that she is in his fucking clothes but I have to keep my temper under control.