Love me harder

12

Tessa's POV

"Tessa, you what?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

I don't know what I said until Hardin came closer to me. Shit. I feel my cheeks burning. I get back and I run to the bathroom where I lock the door. I'I sit down and I lean against the door. Why I had to tell him this? Why now?

"Tess? Open the door, please. Let's talk like two adults. Don't hide, please. I really want to talk about this. Please... Don't be stubborn in this moment."

"Hardin, I don't want to talk about this and that's it. Leave me alone. That's all I'm asking."

"But you can't stay locked in there forever. Come out and let's talk. Don't feel guilty about what you told me. If that's what you're feeling, you shouldn't be embarrassed. You know that you can talk anything with me, Tess."

Why I have to be like this? I'm so stupid because I told him this... What if he doesn't want to continue being my friend? He was there for me in the last months and I can just throw away our friendship. I get up and I unlock the door. He comes to me and he hugs me.

"You're being silly sometimes... Why you are telling me this right now? And why did you give me tips for my date with Lillian? Why, Tess? It wasn't too hard to tell me this in the beginning."

"Because I realized that in the moment you left. I couldn't stay without thinking about you being at a date with another woman. I'm so ashamed of you, Hardin..."

"There's no reason to feel in this way, Tess. It's good that you did that, you feel better now that you told me this."

"I hope this doesn't affect our friendship." I walk away from him and I avoid his gaze.

"No, no way. I... I will think about this... Now, let's prepare that pasta! I'm hungry." He smiles.

"Ok, let's go." I smile back.

Hardin takes my hand and we go to the kitchen, where we start to prepare our lunch. After one hour, we are done and we sit at the table in front of each other and we eat. When Hardin wants to say something, I don't let him to talk. I just want to eat in silent. After we eat, I please Hardin to let me to wash the dishes and after a lot of prayers, he let me. When we are done, we go to the living room.

"The Christmas trip remains up?"

"I'm not sure if I want to come..."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not sure about this thing between us."

"Just think about it, Tess. I really want you to come."

The next days with Hardin passed away harder than I have thought, now that he knows that I have feelings for him, I tried to avoid him as much as possible. A lot has happened in my last days in Hardin's apartment. I crossed over the line, again, I couldn't resist and I ended again in Hardin's bed.

But now, I'm finally home and I'm not distracted anymore by a hot man. Shit. No, I didn't say that. After I unpack my clothes, I go to take a shower. When I'm done, I'm wrapping my body in a towel and I go back to my room where I have a guest: Hardin.

"Hardin? What are you doing here?" I keep my towel tight because I don't want to make anything wrong.

"I came to see you, you left while I was at the hospital, even if I told you that I will take you home."

"I sent you a message, Hardin. I told you that I have to go home."

"Yeah, but it's a message. You can't say 'goodbye' thorough a message. You could have waited until I arrived home and we could come here together."

"I'm a big girl and I can do everything by myself."

"Why are you avoiding me? As I remember, I proposed you something a few days ago..."

"You proposed it, not me."

"And what I said?"

"We should try..."

"And what's your answer?"

"I said I need time and I'm still thinking about your proposal, so don't stress me about this. Now can you leave?"

"Nope. I want to spent some time with my best friend."

"You are not tired after work?"

"No."

"If you want to spent some time with me, let me to get dressed. You know? A little bit of privacy?"

"Privacy, huh?" He smirks. Shit. "Don't you think you want a lot?"

"Hardin, don't be a jerk. Please, leave. And when I'm done, we can do anything you want."

"Everything I want?" He looks at me and his smirks is still on his face.

"Well, not exactly everything you want. So? You can leave so I can get dressed?"

"You can change in front of me, Tess. It's not like I haven't see you naked in the last weeks."

"Jerk." I groan.

I take my underwear out of the drawer, some leggings and a hoodie out of my closet. I manage to get my panties with the towel on, then I let the towel fall on the carpet and quickly take my bra and leggings. I feel Hardin's eyes on my body. I'm still shy if he sees me naked, but he is hurting himself. So, I don't care.

"Stop staring, Hardin." I say while I put on my hoodie.

"But I like what I saw or I could see under your clothes."

"You are too pervert, Hardin."

"And I know you like it."

"Anyway, what do you want us to do today, my friend?"

"I don't know. Do you want to go to see a movie?"

"No. What if we stay here and we will prepare dinner for my parents?"

"We can make your pasta recipe."

"Yeah, good. Then let's go."

I go in the kitchen and we take out the ingredients for pasta and we start cooking. While we were cooking our dinner, Hardin distracted me all the time with touches everywhere. What is wrong with this man?

"Hardin! You are distracting me and I can cut my fingers!"

"But I'm your personal doctor, so I can save you in case of anything."

"Yeah." I start to cut the garlic and because of Hardin, I cut myself. Shit. "Auch."

"Let me see." He comes closer to me and he takes my hand in his hand, looking at my cut. "It's not that bad. Do you have a bandage?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom, in the second drawer."

"Keep your finger under cold water while I came back." I turn on the cold water and I keep my finger under it while he goes to take a bandage. He goes to the bathroom and he comes back after a few moments with a pack of bandages. He turns off the water and he take a napkin. He wipes my finger and he puts the bandage on the cut. "If you were younger, I'd give you a lollipop, but now I can give you something else."

He comes closer to me and he rubs my cheek. I feel like he's getting closer and closer to me and I can feel his breath very close. I don't reject him, so I go closer to him and I glue my lips to his, living the moment.