Songs for this chapter are:

 The reason - Hoobastank

Demons- Imagine Dragons

..

When I wake, Hardin isn't draped over me and the room is too bright even through my eyelids. Keeping my eyes closed, I groan, "what time is it?"

My head is throbbing and even though I know I'm laying down, my body feels like it's swaying back and forth.

"Noon," Hardin's deep accented voice says from across the room.

"Noon! I missed my first two classes!" I try to sit up but my head spins. I fall back onto the mattress with a whimper.

"You're fine, go back to bed."

"No! I can't miss anymore classes Hardin, I just got to this campus and I can't begin a semester this way." I begin to panic. "I am going to be so behind,"

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Hardin shrugs, crossing the room to sit on the bed. "You probably already have the assignments completed anyway."

He knows me too well, "that's not the point. The point is that I missed the lecture and it makes me look bad."

"To whom?" Hardin asks, I know he is mocking me.

"To my professors, my classmates."

"Tessa, I love you but come on. Your classmates couldn't give less of a fuck if you are there or not. They probably didn't even notice. Your professors yeah, because you're a suck up, but your classmates don't care and if they do then so what? Their opinion doesn't fucking matter."  

"I guess," I close my eyes and try to see his point. I hate being late, missing classes, sleeping until noon.

"I'm not a suck up," I add.

"How are you feeling?" He ignores my defense. I feel the mattress shift and when I open my eyes he's laying next to me.

"Like I had too much to drink last night," I admit. My head is throbbing, ready to explode.

"You certainly did. How's your ass feeling?" His hand grips my behind and I wince.

"We didn't.." I wasn't that intoxicated.. was I?

"No," he chuckles, kneading the skin with his hand, "Not yet," his eyes meet mine, "soon though."

I gulp.

"Only if you want to. You've turned into a fucking vixen so I assumed that would be next on your list,"

Me, a vixen?

"Don't look so firghtened, it was only a suggestion," he smiles at me. I can't decide how I feel about doing that.. and I certainly can't keep up or process this type of conversation right now.

My curiosity gets the best of me, "have you..." I don't know how to ask the question, this is one of the few things we have never discussed apart from Hardin saying dirty things about doing it to me. "Have you done that before?" I search his face for the answer.

"No, actually I haven't."

"Oh," I am too aware of his fingers tapping along the bare skin where the line of my panties would be if I were wearing any.

The fact that Hardin has never experienced that before makes me want to do it, just to be his first of something.

"What are you thinking? I see those wheels turning." He nudges my nose with his and I smile under his stare.

"I like that you haven't done that before.."

"Why?" His brow raises and I hide my face.

"I don't know," I'm suddenly shy. I don't want to sound insecure or start a fight. I already have a hangover.

"Tell me," he softly demands.

"I don't know, it would just be nice to be your first for something."

He lifts himself up on his elbow and looks down at me. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean that you've done a lot of stuff.. you know, sexually.." I quietly explain, "and I haven't given you any new experiences."

He eyes me carefully, as if he's afraid to reply, "that's not true."

"It is though," I pout.

"Like hell it is. That's bullshit and you know it." His voice is practically a growl and he's scowling deeply.

"Don't snap at me, how do you think I feel that you haven't only be with me?" I snap back at him. The reminder doesn't come as often as it once did but when it does, it stings terribly.

He winces and gently tugs at both of my arms to pull me to sit up next to him, "come here," I'm lifted onto his lap, his half naked body is warm and welcoming underneath my completely bare skin.

"I didn't think of it that way," he says into my shoulder. I shudder. "If you had been with anyone else, I wouldn't be with you now." My head snaps back to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he kisses curve of my shoulder.

"That's not a very nice thing to say," I'm used to Hardin's unfiltered mouth but the words surprise me. He can't mean them.

"I never claimed to be nice."

I shift my body on his lap and ignore the groan deep in his throat. "You're being serious?"

"Very," he nods.

"So you're telling me if I wouldn't have been a virgin, you wouldn't have dated me?" This topic isn't one we typically discuss and I'm nervous to find out where this will lead.

His eyes narrow as he regards my expression before muttering, "That's exactly what I'm saying. If you recall I didn't really want to date you anyway," he grins and I scowl.

I press my feet to the floor to lift myself off of his lap but he holds me in place. "Don't pout," he attempts to press his lips against mine but I quickly turn my head.

"Maybe you shouldn't have dated me then," I glare at him. I feel overly sensitive and my feelings are hurt. "You should have just ended it after you won." I add gasoline to the fire and wait for the explosion.

I stare into his green eyes waiting for a reaction, still it doesn't come. He throws his back in laughter and my favorite sound fills the room.

"Don't be such a baby," Hardin hugs me tighter, taking both of my wrists in one hand to prevent me from wiggling off of his lap. "Just because I didn't want to date you in the beginning doesn't mean that I'm not glad I did."

"It's still not nice to say and you said you wouldn't be with me now if I had been with someone else. So if I had slept with Noah before I met you, you wouldn't have dated me?"

He flinches at the words, "No. I wouldn't have. We wouldn't have been in that.. situation, if you weren't a virgin." He's treading lightly now. Good.

"Situation." I repeat, still irritated. It comes out harsher than I intended.

"Yes situation," he abruptly turns me around and lays me back against the mattress. His body lays on top of mine, he pins my wrists up over my head using only one hand and his knees push my thighs open. "I wouldn't be able to stand it if you had been touched by another man. I know it's fucking crazy but that's the damn truth whether you want to hear it or not." His breath is warm against my face, coming out in hot puffs. Momentarily I forget why I'm annoyed with him. He's being honest, I'll give him that, but it's an obnoxious double standard.

"whatever,"

"Whatever?" he chuckles, tightening his hand around my wrists. He flexes his hips, pressing his boxer clad body between my thighs. "Stop being ridiculous, you know how I am," I feel so exposed right now and his domineering actions are turning me on more than they should.

 He continues, "and you know you've given me new experiences. I've never loved anyone, romantically, or even family really.." his eyes drift off to ponder over a painful memory but he quickly returns to me, "and I've never lived with anyone, I never gave a fuck about losing anyone before but when it comes to you, I wouldn't survive it. That's a new experience." his lips ghost over mine, "is that enough experience for you?"

I nod and he smiles. If I lift my head only a centimeters from the mattress, my lips will touch his. He seems to read my thoughts and lifts his head a few inches higher, "and don't throw that bet shit in my face again," he threatens, rubbing himself against me.

A treacherous moan escapes and his eyes darken, "got it?" he continues to chastise me.

"Sure," I defiantly roll my eyes at him and he frees my wrists, running his newly freed hand down my body, stopping on my hip and squeezing gently.

"You're being a brat today," he draws circles on my hip, putting more weight on my body. I feel like a brat today, I'm hung-over and hormonal.

"You're being an ass so we are even." I fire back. He bites the inside of his cheek then dips his head down to me.

Hardin's lips are warm as and kisses along my jawline, sending a direct line of electricity to my groin. I wrap my legs around his waist and close the small space that was left between our bodies.

"I've only loved you," he reminds me again, soothing the small ache from his earlier words. His lips reach the base of my neck and one of his hands cups my breast while the other is used to hold his body up. "I'll always only love you,"

I don't speak, I don't want to ruin this moment. I love when he is open with me about his feelings for me and for once I can see this all in a new light. Steph, Molly, and half of the dang campus of Washington State University may have fooled around with Hardin, but none of them, not one single girl has ever gotten to hear him say "I love you". They haven't, and will never, have the privilege of knowing him, the real him, the way that I do. They have no idea how wonderful and incredibly brilliant he is, they don't get to hear him laugh and watch his eyes screw shut and his dimples pop. They will never get to hear the snippets of his life or hear the conviction in his voice when he swears that he loves me more than breathing, and for that, I don't envy them, I pity them.

"I've only loved you," I promise him in return. The love I have for Noah isn't anything beyond family. I love Hardin in that all consuming, incredible way that I know deep down, I will never feel again. I feel Hardin's hand move down to his boxers, he tugs them down and I use my feet to help rid of them.

In a gentle motion, Hardin slides into me, crying out as he plunges through the slick opening. "Again," he begs.

"I've only loved you," I repeat.

"Fucking Christ Tess, I love you so much," it's a raw confession as it pushes through his gritted mouth.

"I will always only love you," I promise him. I send a silent prayer that we will work through all of our problems because I know this is true. It will always be him.

Hardin's thrusts are deep, filling and claiming me, biting and sucking at the skin on my neck with his warm, wet mouth.

"I can feel you, every single inch.. you're so fucking warm.." he groans, making it known that he hasn't put a condom on. Even through the euphoric trance, warning bells go off. My subconscious appears, drawing out a lengthy roll of condoms and taps her foot. I blink her away and revel in the feeling of Hardin's hard muscles straining under my hands as I run my hands over his broad shoulders and inked arms.

"You have to put one on," my actions are opposite of my words as I tighten my legs around his waist, drawing him deeper. My stomach begins to coil, tightening..

"I.. can't stop.." his pace quickens and I think I'll snap in two if he stops now.

"Don't then," we are both insane, not thinking clearly but I can't stop raking my nails down his back, encouraging him.

"Fuck, come Tessa," he instructs as if I have a choice. As my orgasm reaches the brink, I'm afraid I may pass out from the amount of pleasure I feel when his teeth graze across my chest, tugging, and marking me there.

With another groan of my name and declaration of his love for me, Hardin's movements halt and he pulls himself out of me, releasing onto the bare skin of my stomach. I watch in awe as he touches himself, marking me in the most possessive way while never breaking eye contact.

He collapses onto me, shaking and out of breathe. We lay in silence, neither of us needing to speak to know that the other is thinking.

..

 "Where do you want to go?" I ask him. I don't even want to leave the bed, but Hardin offering to take me out in Seattle, during the day, is something that hasn't happened in the past, and I'm not sure if or when it will happen again.

"I don't give a shit, really. Maybe like shopping?" His eyes roam my face, "do you need to go shopping? Or want to?"

"I don't really need anything.." I answer. When I look up at his nervous stance, I backtrack, "yeah, sure. Shopping is fine." He's making such an effort. Simple things that couples usually do are completely out of Hardin's comfort zone. I smile at him, remembering the night he took me ice skating to prove that he could in fact, be a regular boyfriend.

It was so much fun and he was so charming and playful, much like he has been the past week and a half. I don't want a "regular" boyfriend, I want Hardin with his crude humor and sour attitude to take me on simple dates every once in a while and make me feel secure enough in our relationship that the downs will be washed away by the ups.

"Cool," he shifts uncomfortably.

"I just need to brush my teeth and tie my hair back."

"And get dressed," he cups the overly sensitive area between my thighs. Hardin has already used one of his shirts to wipe me clean, something he used to do all the time.

"Right. Maybe I should rinse off in the shower," I gulp, wondering if Hardin and I will go another round before we leave. I don't know if either of us could handle it.

I stand from the bed and wince. I knew I was going to be starting my period any day now, why did it have to come right now out of all the days? I suppose it works in my favor, it will be gone by the time we leave for England.

Leave for England.. it doesn't seem real.

"What?"

"I'm.. it's that time.." I look away from him, knowing that he has had an entire month to store up his jokes.

"Hm.. what time is that?" He smirks, looking at his bare wrist as if there is a watch there.

"Don't.." I whine, pressing my thighs together so I can hurry and put enough clothes on to make it to the bathroom.

"Would you look at that? A hangover and a bloody attitude!" He taunts.

"Your jokes are terrible," I pull his t-shirt over my head. I catch the languid smile he shoots at me as he takes in the sight of me wearing his shirt again.

"Terrible huh?" His green eyes dance with amusement, "maybe so terrible that you want to pull the plug on them?"

I hurry and exit the room while he's still laughing to himself.

Hardin's POV.

"I didn't even know you two were here, I thought Tessa had classes today." Kimberly says to me when I enter the kitchen. Why is she even here?

"She wasn't feeling well. Aren't you supposed to be at work or is staying home another perk of fucking your boss?"

"Actually I don't feel well either, you ass." She tosses a wadded up piece of paper at me but misses.

"You and Tessa should really learn how to hold your champagne," I tell her. She flips me off.

"Where is she now?" The microwave sounds and she pulls out a plastic bowl filled with something that looks and smells like cat food and sits at the counter. She inhales fork full after fork full, I lift my fingers to plug my nose.

"That smells like pure shit." I remark.

"Where is Tessa? She'll shut you up."

"Wouldn't count on it," I grin. I have sort of come to like taunting Vance's fiancé. She has thick skin and she is obnoxious enough that I'm provided with plenty of ammunition.

"Wouldn't count on what?" Tessa joins us in the kitchen dressed in a sweatshirt, tight jeans, and those slipper things she swears are shoes. Really they are overpriced cloth wrapped around a piece of cardboard, using the pretenses of charity to sell the flimsy shoes.

"Nothing," I dig my hands into my pockets to fight the urge to nudge Kimberly's smug ass off of the stool.

"He's mouthing off, nothing new." Kim takes another bite of her cat food.

"Let's go, she's annoying." I say just loud enough for Kim to hear me.

"Be nice," Tessa scolds me. I take her hand in mine and lead her out of the house.

When we get into the car Tessa shoves a handful of plugs into my glove compartment. An idea strikes me. "You need to get on birth control," I have been so careless lately and now that I've felt her without a condom, there is no going back.

"I know. I keep meaning to make an appointment but it's hard to find a clinic without insurance."

"I keep forgetting you don't have insurance," I rub my fingers over the stubble on my chin. One thing my father has provided for me is health insurance. It's odd how much Tessa not having insurance bothers me. I will pay for however much this clinic visit and contraceptive will cost her, regardless of how hard she will try to fight me.

"You'll have to get insurance soon, you have no choice." I grin at her, knowing that American politics is something we will never agree on. Especially now that she's taken one Political course, she thinks she knows everything there is to know about the subject.

"Don't start with me." She rolls her eyes.

"Just saying, we've got in figured out in the UK.."

"Hardin, if you say one negative thing about my president, I will jump out of this car."

"Sure, sure."

"Maybe later this week I can find somewhere. I need to do it soon, you're careless lately." She says.

"Careless? Me?" I scoff, trying not to panic. "You're the one that keeps catching me off guard and I can't think straight."

"Oh please!" She giggles and rests her head against the headrest on her seat.

"Hey, if you want to ruin your life by having a child, go for it but you sure as hell aren't taking me down with you," I squeeze her thigh and she frowns. "What?"

"Nothing," she lies, faking a smile.

"Tell me, now." 

"Politics and children are something we shouldn't discuss, remember?" 

"Arguing with you over politics is always fun, but I agree about the child shit. So let's cut out the middle man and get your ass on birth control so we don't have to ever talk or worry about children again."

"I'll find a clinic to go to today so that your future isn't in jeopardy." She flatly remarks.

I've made her upset but there really isn't a nice way for me to tell her that she needs to get on birth control if she is going to be fucking me multiple times a day whenever we are near one another.

After making a few phone calls, she announces, "I have an appointment Monday,"

"Good," I run my hand over my hair before placing it back onto her thigh.

I turn the radio on and follow the directions on my phone to the nearest shopping mall.

By the time we walk around the mall, I'm bored out of my mind with Seattle. The only thing keeping me entertained is Tessa. Even when she's quiet, I can read her thoughts just by watching her expressions. I watch her, watch people as they rush through the mall. She frowns when an angry mother swats her child's ass in the middle of the store, and I guide her out before the scene gets out of hand. We have lunch at a quiet pizza parlor and Tessa fills the entire lunch with every detail about a new book series she has been thinking about reading. I know how judgmental of modern novels she can be, so this surprises and intrigues me.

"I will have to download them when I get my nook back from you," she says, swiping a napkin across her mouth. "I can't wait to have my bracelet back either, or the letter."

I force myself not to panic and shove almost an entire piece of pizza into my mouth so I'm unable to respond. I'm grateful when she moves to another subject.

The day ends with Tessa falling asleep in the car, she's made a habit of that lately and for some reason, I love it. I take the long way back to the house, just like the last time.

..

Tessa's alarm didn't wake me, nor did she. I'm less than pleased that I didn't get to see her this morning before she left, especially since she will be gone all day. When I glance at the clock on the wall, it shows almost noon, she will be taking lunch soon. I quickly dress and leave the house to see her at the new Vance branch. It's strange to think that I could be working there with her, driving to work together each morning, making the drive back home together.. we could actually live together again.

Space Hardin, she wants space. I laugh at the idea, we aren't giving one another any space really, only three days a week, tops.

The Seattle office is fucking outrageously lavish. It's much bigger than the shit office I worked at. I don't miss working in a stuffy office, that's for damned sure. Vance wouldn't allow me to work from home, it was Brent, my boss at Bolthouse that recommended I do my work for him from my living room in order to "keep the peace". It works  out perfectly for me, even more so now, so joke is on those sensitive fucks in the office.

I am surprised when I don't get lost in this maze of a fucking office building.

"How may I help you?" Kimberly beams at me from behind her desk, showing me her ability to remain professional.

"Where's Tessa?"

"In her office,"

"And that is.." I lean against the wall and wait for Kim to show me to Tessa.

"Down the hall, her name is on the plate outside." She glances back to her computer screen, dismissing me. Rude.

What exactly does he pay her to do? It must be worth it for him to be able to fuck her on a constant and keep him nearby during the day. I shake my head, ridding it of the images of the two of them.

"Thanks for your help." I gripe and head down the long narrow hallway.

When I reach Tessa's office, I open the door without knocking. The room is empty. I reach into my pocket and grab my phone to call her, seconds later I hear the vibration of her phone coming from the desk. Where the hell is she?

I walk down the hallway in search of her. I know Zed is in town and that pisses me off. I swear to fucking..

"Hardin Scott?" A woman's voice sounds from behind me. I turn around to find a familiar face.

"Uhm.. hey?" I can't remember where I've seen her before but I know that I have. Realization hits me when she's joined by another woman. You've got to be fucking kidding me. The universe is playing a sick fucking joke on me and it's pissing me the fuck off.

"Well.. well.. well.." Tabitha grins at me.

Tessa's story of the two bitchy office bullies makes so much sense now.

"You're the one giving Tessa shit aren't you?" If I had any idea that Tabitha transferred to Seattle, I would have known instantly it was her being a bitch. She was known for that back when I worked for Vance and I'm sure she hasn't changed.

"What? Me?" She flips her hair over her shoulder and smiles. She looks different.. unnatural really. Her little minion has the same orange shade to her skin.. they should stop bathing in whatever it is that makes them look this way, food coloring perhaps?

"Cut the shit. Don't mess with her, she is trying to adjust here and you won't ruin that for her by being a bitch to her for no reason."

"I haven't even done anything! I was joking anyway." Flashes of her sucking my dick in the bathroom flash through my mind and I swallow the uneasy feeling that comes with the unwelcomed memory.

"Don't do it anymore." I warn her, "I'm not fucking around. Don't even speak to her,"

"Jesus, you're still cheery I see. I won't mess with her anymore. I wouldn't want you telling Mr. Vance on me and getting me fired like you did Sam-"

"That wasn't my fault,"

"Yes it was!" She dramatically whispers, "as soon as her man found out what you two were doing.. what you did, she was mysteriously let go the very same week." Tabitha was easy, so damn easy, and so was Samantha. The moment that I found out who Samantha's boyfriend was, she appealed to me. Once I got between her legs, I wanted nothing to do with her. That little game of mine caused me a lot of shit and drama. I'd rather not be reminded and I sure as hell don't want Tessa mixed into this catty shit.

"You don't know half the story, so keep your mouth shut. Leave Tessa alone and your job will stay yours." Truthfully, I may have had a little something to do with Vance letting Samantha go but her working here was causing me too many problems. She was only a freshman in college, working part time, as a copy girl.

"Speak of the spoiled little devil," the short minion remarks and nods her head toward the door of the small break room.

Tessa is smiling and laughing as she enters the room, the person behind her hasn't appeared yet.. but when he does, my temper rises. Dressed in a suit and tie is fucking Trevor, laughing and smiling along with Tessa.

He spots me first and touches her arm to draw her attention toward me. It takes every ounce of self control not to snap his arm in two. When she sees me from across the room her face lights up, her smile widens, and she rushes over. Only when she reaches me does she notice Tabitha standing next to me.

"Hey," she's unsure now, nervous.

"Bye Tabitha." I wave the snobby woman off. She whispers something to her friend and the two of them leave the room. "Bye Trevor," I say quietly enough that only Tessa hears.

"Stop it!" She swats my arm in the pestering way that she always does.

"Hello Hardin," he politely smiles at me. His arm twitches at his side, he's trying to decide whether or not to extend his hand to shake mine. I hope for his sake that he doesn't, I won't accept it.

"Hi," I tiredly remark.

"What are you doing here?" Tessa asks me. She looks out into the hallway for the two women that just left. I know what she's really asking, "How do you know them and what did they say?"

"Tabitha won't be a problem anymore."

"What did you do?" She gapes, her eyes wide.

"Nothing, I just told her what you should have, to fuck off." I shrug. Tessa smiles at fucking Trevor and he sits down at one of the tables, trying not to look at the two of us and I find his discomfort pretty damn amusing.

"Did you have lunch already?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "Let's get you something to eat then." I give the eavesdropper a fuck-you glare and lead Tessa out of the room and down the hallway.

"The place next door has really good tacos," Tessa tells me.

She is wrong, the tacos are shit but she devours her plate and most of mine. She flushes, blaming her appetite on her hormones, and I laugh at her when she threatens to "shove a tampon down my throat" if I make one more joke about her period.

 "I still want to go to Pullman tomorrow to see everyone and get my stuff." She says, lifting her glass of water to her mouth to wash down the spicy salsa she just finished.

"Don't you think going to England next weekend is enough traveling?" I try to derail her plans.

"No, I want to see Landon. I miss him so much." An unwarranted pang of jealousy hits me but I brush it off. He is her only friend, except annoying ass Kimberly.

This is a bad idea. "He will still be there after England.."

"Hardin, please." She looks up at me, not asking for permission like she sometimes does. This time she's asking for my cooperation and I can tell by the gleam in her eye that she's going to Pullman whether I want her to or not.

"Fine. Fuck," I groan.

This can't possibly go well. I look across the table at her and she's smiling proudly, I don't know if she's proud of herself for winning this argument or proud of me for giving in but she looks so beautiful. So relaxed.

 "I like that you came here today," she takes my hand as we walk down the busy street. Why are there so many people in Seattle?

"You do?" I figured as much, but I had a little anxiety that she would be angry at me for showing up unannounced, not that I would have given a shit, but still.

"Yes," she blinks up at me, stopping in the middle of the swarm of rushed bodies. "I almost.." she trails off without finishing.

"You almost what?" I stop her attempt at walking further and pull her to the wall of a jewelry store. The sun reflects off of the enormous diamond rings on display in the window and I lead her a few feet down the brick wall to get away from the glare.

"It's silly," she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and stares at the cement. "but I feel like I can breathe for the first time in months."

"Is that a good thing or.." I ask, titling her chin so she has no choice but to look at my face.

"Yes, it's a good thing. I feel like for once everything is working out, I know it hasn't been long but this is the most functional we have ever been, we've only argued a handful of times and we communicated our way through them, I'm proud of us."

Her comment amuses me because we still argue and banter constantly. It's not only a handful of times but she's right, we have been talking our way through it. I love that we argue, I think she does too. We are totally different people, we really couldn't be more different really, and getting along with her all the time would be boring as hell. I couldn't live without her constant need to correct me or her nagging about my mess making. She's annoying as hell but I wouldn't change a fucking thing about her. Except her need to be in Seattle.

"Functional is highly overrated, baby," to prove my point, I lift her by the tops of her thighs, wrapping her legs around my waist, and kiss her against the wall right in the middle of one of the busiest streets in Seattle.

...

Tessa's POV.

"How much longer?" Hardin complains in the passenger seat.

"Less than five minutes, we just passed Conner's." I know he is well aware of the short distance to the apartment, he just can't help but complain. Hardin drove most of the way back to Pullman until I finally persuaded him to let me finish the drive. His eyes were nearly closing and I knew he needed a break. My point was proven when he stretched his arm across the center console, holding me the best he could while I was driving, and fell asleep almost instantly.

"Landon is still here right? You talked to him?" I ask. I am beyond excited to see my best friend. It's been far too long since the last time and I miss his kind words of wisdom and never faltering smile.

"Yes, for the tenth time." Hardin replies, clearly annoyed. He has been anxious this entire drive, even though he won't admit it. He plays it off like he's annoyed because of the distance but I get the feeling there is something else behind his frustration. I'm not entirely sure if I want to discover what that is.

When I pull into the parking lot of the apartment that I used to call home, my stomach turns and my nerves begin to creep to the surface.

"It will be fine," Hardin surprises me with his reassurance.

It feels so different in the small elevator as it rises up the building. It feels as if so much more time has passed than only three weeks. Hardin keeps his hand over mine until we reach the door, he slides the key in and pushes it open.

Landon jumps to his feet from the couch and strides across the room with the brightest smile I've seen him wear in the seven months since we became friends. His arms wrap around my back and he hugs me, welcoming me, and making me aware of just how much I have missed him. Before I know it, I'm sobbing into his chest and Hardin is pulling me away from him, wrapping his arms around me instead.

(I wanted to clarify (again) because I'm terrible at explaining things hah, After is a trilogy, so three books, and this one is more than halfway over. I have another after related thing I'm going to do after, after 3 but I'll let you know more about that book when I sort out all the details<3 Please vote! xo)