Follow Me Back Alternative Ending

Chapter 5

Tessa and Dr. Regan were immediately taken to the hospital. The force of the metal bat had fractured Tessa's clavicle, but the doctors said that there was no need for surgery, but Tessa would need a sling. Dr. Regan, however, was diagnosed with a concussion and needed stitches on the back of her head.
After the trip to the hospital, Tessa and Dr. Regan were brought to the police department to give their statements.
The police had gotten her statement, and Dr. Regan finished her statement a few minutes after. Now, they were waiting for Eric to come out. Well, more like Dr. Regan is forcing Tessa to wait for Eric to come out because Dr. Regan's car was still at the pub and hitching a ride with Eric was necessary for Tessa to "work things out with Taylor."
Eventually, Eric came out. He looked incredibly relieved to see Tessa again. Dr. Regan stood up and walked over to Eric. They talked for a few seconds before they came back over to Tessa. Dr. Regan wordlessly motionned for Tessa to get up and they all walked to Eric's car.
The ride back to Tessa's house was relatively silent besides when Tessa gave Eric directions every few seconds. There was fatigue and tension in the air, and nobody wanted to break the silence. Too much had happened today.
When they arrived at Tessa's house, Dr. Regan immediately got out and made a beeline to the front door. She unlocked it with the keys Tessa's mom gave to her and went inside.
Tessa and Eric sat in silence for a few moments. Eric was struggling to say something, and Tessa didn't feel like talking.
"Tessa, I'm sorry-" Eric started.
"Don't." She states flatly. She's had too many shocks and surprises today, and she wanted to talk about none of them.
Eric looked at her in the mirror, silently begging her to talk, to say anything. After a while, she gave in.
"You managed to ruin my life in the span of one night." She stated. She sounded so tired and emotionless that it even surprised her. Eric seemed like he wanted to prove her wrong, but he kept his mouth shut.
"I know. That's why I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to see you for once. I wanted to see who I've been texting to all this time. Is that too much to ask?" Eric started raising his voice. He noticed this and took a deep breath. "You're the first person to care about my personal life since I signed that stupid contract, and you mean so much to me." He vented, staring down at the steering wheel.
Tessa stared at the back of his head for a moment before she crawled out of the back seat and into the passenger's seat. She turned towards him. He looked so emotionally exhausted. She wouldn't blame him. His worst nightmare just came true on the night his biggest dream was supposed to come true.
"So, it was really you texting me, not some media expert or whatever?" She softly asked.
"I swear." He chuckled.
"So, everything you told me about was true, then? The terrible deal, the sleepless night after MET jumped on you during your performance, how miserable you are because of your job?" Eric clenched the steering wheel tighter.
"All of it."
"Why me? Why not literally any other fangirl?" Tessa demanded, unable to hold back the slight bite in her tone. Eric stayed silent for a few moments.
"I guess it was an accident." Eric shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
"I was originally just trying to spread hate about myself, to get more haters. When you liked that picture I took-" Tessa interrupted him.
"Wait, you actually took that picture? Like, posed and everything?" Tessa gawked, slightly blushing.
"Yes. Anyways, I messaged you to try and get you to stop following me. You are a prominent fan, and you leaving would have a huge impact. Instead, you got me to open up about my life. You helped me release all of my pent up anger against the millions of crazy fans that followed me." Eric continued, running his hand through his brown hair. He finally turned to look at Tessa.
Tessa's breath hitched. This was all purely by accident? He wasn't targeting her for any reason besides making her hate him? That certainly would explain why Taylor hated Eric.
"So, this was all a coincidence?" She asked, breathless. Eric looked at her with a small smile.
"Yeah, but it was the best coincidence that has ever happened to me." There was no hint of deception on his face. He was telling the truth.
Tessa turned to look outside, and she nearly did a double take. "Look!" She pointed. A little snowflake had landed on the windshield.
Slowly, more snow started falling until it was a winter wonderland outside. In all of her life, Tessa hadn't seen much snow, especially here in Texas. This was a rare sight.
Eric looked outside with a hint of fondness on his face. He clearly enjoyed snow. They watched the snow fall in silence for a few moments, enjoying the moment of peace.
Soon, Tessa turned back to Eric. Something was bugging her. "So," She started, drawing his attention, "So, do you really love me?" Tessa felt really nervous. Taylor had said he loved her, but did he really mean it?
Eric grabbed her hands gently and pulled Tessa close. He had the same expression that he'd had when he was singing "Snowflake." "I do, Tessa. I love you very much" He murmured.
He leaned in and kissed her. Tessa felt the shock of his cold lips meeting hers, but it felt so wonderful.
He pulled away after a second, and looked at Tessa with a childlike glee. "Man, I've wanted to do that for a long time." He chuckled, still smiling wide.
Tessa smiled back at him. She didn't need to make peace with Taylor and Eric if she loved them both and they were the same person. This could work out, and she would be getting more than she could possibly hope for.
They still had their hands intertwined, but they didn't care. They just watched the snow as it continued falling, coating the world in a thick white blanket.
They didn't need to worry about anything right now. It was just them and the snow, and that was all that mattered.