Bi-stressed

CHAPTER 76

I pretended to be asleep while he sat on the next sofa. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time until he finally left. Now, that he's probably in his room, sound asleep, I sit up on the sofa and dig in my bag for my phone. I haven't seen it since the time I left for the picnic. When I find it, it's battery is dead. I look for the charger and realize it's left, well all my belongings are left at ho- my no-longer-house. The thought of being homeless strikes me. Even though I miss my room already, I'm never stepping in that house ever again. I'll have to send Halsey and Louis to get all my stuff but till then I need a charger because I can't do without my phone.

Since I can't get sleep and besides that I have nothing to do, I walk up to the book shelf. The idea of this rustic floating cube shaped shelves built on the wooden textured wall is a splendid one. I love that the interior designing is vintage style. The cubby book shelves, the artificial fireplace, the guitar wall niches, the pastel brown walls. Wow. This place makes me comfortable and I don't like that this place belongs to Hardin.

My eyes read the names of every book and there are just a few unfamiliar ones.

Regretting You, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, Confess, It Ends with Us.
All of them written by the same author. Colleen Hoover.

I pick up the book Regretting You but put it down as soon as my eyes catch Before. I try finding the After Series but realize that he had given them to me to read. I read After and that entire book makes me hate Hardin Scott for the shit he said and did to Tessa.

"I'm just like him. Like Hardin Scott." Hardin's words play in the back of my head as I recall all the scenes in the After book. He really was just like him, like Hardin Scott. Insolent with me. Well, I wasn't his Tessa and will never even be.

I open Before which is the last book of the series and flip through the pages, most of them covered in yellow and orange highlighter. He highlighted almost every single word. He probably liked this book a lot. I begin to read the first page when suddenly music hits my ears, a relaxing melody is being playing from somewhere. I follow the sound to the room opposite, hesitant to knock because it'll interupt the one playing so I just walk in and stand frozen in the doorway.

He's shirtless and only in briefs as he sits at the piano. His body, holy shit. The well defined abs and muscles. His hair in a mess of curls and he looks super hot. His fingers move in a smooth and fluid manner as he plays a soothing melody. I stay quiet until he finally plays a glissando ending the song. He suddenly notices me in the doorway, catching me staring and smiling.

I bite my bottom lip saying, "Sorry. I-"

"It's fine." He gets up, walking over to the side and pulls the grey sweatpants up over his thighs.

Oof.

"Are you hungry?" He asks the same time I state, "Looks like you've been hitting the gym."

"Yup. I have." He smiles then repeats his question. He catches sight of Before in my hand, rushes towards me and instantly grabs it from my hand.

"I'm sorry. I hope you don't think I'm prying. I had nothing to do and when I saw the books, I couldn't stop myself from-"

"That's completely fine." He shrugs, then states. "Make yourself at home." "Wait, did you read anything?" He asks me, his body tensed up all of a sudden.

"Not really. I just flipped through the pages and-" "And?" He asks, interrupting me.

"And seems like you like this one a lot. You've not left a single page black and white." I laugh.

"So you didn't see or read anything?" He asks again.

"No Hardin, no." I sigh. "Was there something secretive written? Show me." I put my hand out, asking for the book.