AFTER THERE'S YOU // ZESSA

Epilogue

Hardin

I finish my beer in one large gulp and promptly throw it off the balcony's edge. I smile as I hear it crash and shatter against the pavement below before I feel a hard punch to my upper arm.

"Knock it off Scott, my landlord is going to be right pissed if he finds glass in the lot," Mark says, clearly annoyed at my lack of care for his landlord's rules.

"Oh piss off and hand me another beer," I demand, as I hear the blonde next to me laugh. I don't even remember her name, just that she helps me clear my mind of her when I feel myself going off the edge.

I've been trying to avoid thoughts of Tessa since the day I left The States. Dan and Jace said they'd fuck with her for what I did to them, and I said if they did, I would fucking kill them.

That is until I got a picture a few days back of Tessa and Dan fucking each other in the frat house. She was smiling like Dan was the best thing she had ever had. I was furious. I nearly drank myself to death and haven't been home to my mom's since. Instead, I have decided to crash at my mate's flat in London.

I immediately deleted all their numbers from my phone when I got the photo, disgusted by the thoughts of what they were doing together.

Ever since then I had sworn never to think of her again, though that is proving harder than I thought.

"Give me the fucking blunt," I demand the half-naked blonde.

"Relax Hardin baby, here ya go," she smiles, placing the blunt in my mouth and her hand on my thigh.

I brush her off, deciding to go to the kitchen and get my own beer since Mark is too busy making out with some red head to get me one.

I am just about to grab a beer from the fridge when I hear my phone go off.

Looking down, I see Landon's name appear on the screen.

Feeling drunk and high, and slightly curious, I decide to see what the little shit wants this time.

"I thought I told you not to call me," I say into the phone.

"Hardin, it's about Tessa," he replies, his voice strained.

"I told you I don't want to talk about her," I yell, pulling the phone away from my ear to hang up.

"Wait! You need to hear this," he shouts before I am able to end the call.

I debate hanging up anyway but decide against it.

"What is it then," I demand.

"Ken just told me she was in court today. For a rape trial. Against Dan," he says reluctantly.

"What?" I whisper, as my mind goes blank.

"Tessa accused Dan of raping her. But Dan was found not guilty – about 5 minutes ago," Landon admits, as I nearly crush the phone in my hand, before throwing it at the wall.

"What the fuck Scott?" James says from the living room, the phone nearly missing his head.

I will kill Dan. I will kill him for this.

I need to get back to the US and fucking murder that bastard. I know he did it, Tessa would never falsely accuse someone of something like that.

Tessa. Is she okay? How could I have been so negligent. How could I believe the photo Dan sent me? I need to talk to her.

Pacing through the living room, I find my phone on the hardwood floor. The screen is cracked thanks to my piss poor attitude, but is otherwise working, and I dial her number immediately.

The phone rings several times before going to voicemail. Damn. I quickly hang up and dial again, only to be sent to voicemail a second time.

On the third try however, I hear her voice. The voice I have so missed since the day I left.

"What!" she screams.

"Tessa? Are you alright?" I frantically say into the speaker, desperate to help her though I am so far away.

"Hardin?" she says back softly, and I feel my heart piecing back together as I grab my jacket and run out of the apartment to get to the airport.

A/N: And that's the end of After There's You in my series! Thank you to everyone who has read, voted, commented, saved it to their reading list, DM'd me and all the above! Writing this book gotten me through quarantine and kept me sane. 

Find out what happens next in the series by reading After You Saved Me, which is currently in progress on my page. =]