After 2

Chapter 116.

Hardin's POV.

"Hey." I say as Landon opens the door for me to come inside.

"Hey?" He questions.

I dig my hands into my pockets, unsure what to say or do.

"Tessa isn't here." He tells me and walks towards the living room.

"Yea.. I know. She is in Seattle." I say, following a few feet behind him.

"So.." I know he wants to know why the hell I am here.

"I.. uhm.. well I came to talk to you.. or my dad, I mean Ken. Or your mum." I ramble on.

"Talk? About what?" He takes the bookmark from his book and begins to read. I want to snatch the book from his hands and toss it into the fire but that won't get me anywhere.

"Tessa." I say quietly. My fingers fiddle with my lip ring as I wait for him to burst into laughter.

He looks at me and closes his book.

"Let me get this straight.. Tessa doesn't want anything to do with you so you're here to talk to me? Or your father or even my mother?" He says.

"Yea.. I guess that is what I am doing." He is irritating me.

"Okay.. and what exactly do you think I can do for you? I don't think she should ever speak to you again and I honestly can't believe you are still trying, I figured you would have moved on by now."

"It's only been a week." I snap.

"Yea, a week of her moving out of that apartment and hiding from you in a hotel room."

"She wasn't hiding from me." I say through my teeth.

"Well she sure wasn't running to you." He scoffs.

"Stop being a dick. I know I fucked up but I love her Landon. And I know she loves me, she is just hurt right now."

He takes a deep breath and rubs his chin with his fingers.

"I don't know Hardin, what you did is pretty unforgivable. You humiliated her and she trusted you."

"I know.. I know. Fuck, don't you think I know that?"

"Well seeing as you showed up here to ask for help I'd say you get how messed up this whole situation is." He sighs.

"So what do you think I should do? Not as her friend, but as my.. you know, my father's stepson?"

"You mean step-brother? Your step-brother." He smiles.

I roll my eyes and he laughs.

"Well, has she talked to you at all?" He asks.

"Yea.. I actually went to Seattle last night and she let me stay with her." I tell him.

"She what?" He is clearly surprised.

"Yea, she was drunk. I mean really drunk and she practically made me fuck her." I notice his sour expression at my choice of words.

"Sorry.. she made me sleep with her. Well she didn't really make me because I wanted to, I mean how could I say no.. she is just.."

"Okay!! Okay! I get it geez." He waves his hands in the air.

"So anyway, then this morning I said some shit that I shouldn't have said because she told me she kissed someone else."

"Tessa kissed someone?" Disbelief is clear in his voice.

"Yea.. some guy at a fucking nightclub."  I groan. I don't want to think about that again.