After 3

Chapter 267.

Songs for this chapter are:

 Drop in the ocean- Ron Pope

Hundred- The Fray

Fix You- Coldplay

Hardin's POV.

"Where should I go?" Tessa quietly asks. Her voice soft and raspy over my harsh breathing.

"I don't know." I answer truthfully. Part of me wants to tell her to get on the next plane out of London, alone, but the selfish and much stronger part of me knows that if she did that, I wouldn't make it through the night without drinking myself sick. Again. My mouth tastes like vomit and my throat burns from expelling the liquor from my system in such a brute way.

Tessa opens the center console between us, pulls a napkin from the compartment and begins to wipe the corners of my mouth with the rough paper.

Her fingers barely touch my skin and I flinch away at the icy temperature. "You're freezing. Turn the car on."

I don't wait for her to oblige, instead I lean across and turn the key myself, blasting the heat from the vents. The air is cold at first but this expensive ass car has some power and warmth quickly  spreads through the small space.

"We need to get gas in the car. I don't know how long I was driving but the gas light is on and that screen says so too," she tells me, pointing to the lavish navigation screen in front of us. The sound of her voice is killing me.

"You've lost your voice." I say, even though it's incredibly obvious. She nods and turns her head away from me. My fingers wrap around her chin and I turn her face back to me. "If you want to leave, I won't blame you. I'll take you to the airport right now."

She gives me a puzzled look before opening her mouth, "you're staying here? In London? Our flight is tonight, I thought?" She asks. Her voice comes out as more of a squeak than actual words and she breaks into a coughing fit.

I check the cup holders for a sign of something to aide her with but they are empty. I change the subject, "Trade me places, I'll drive over there." I nod toward the filling station across the road. "You need water and something for your throat." I wait for her to move out of the driver's seat, but she rakes her eyes over my face before shifting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking lot.

"You're still over the legal limit," she finally whispers, careful not to strain her nonexistent voice. I can't exactly argue with that. There is no way that a few hours of dozing in this car has sobered me completely. I drank enough liquor to black out most of the night and I have a massive headache. I'll probably be drunk for the entire fucking day, or half of it. I can't tell. I can't even remember how many drinks I had..

My jumbled counting is cut short when Tessa parks in front of a gas pump and reaches for the door handle. "I'll go in," I tell her and climb out of the car before she can argue against it.

There aren't many people inside, only men dressed for work at this early hour. My hands are filled with aspirin, water bottles, and bags of snacks when Tessa walks into the small store. I watch as every head turns to look at the disheveled beauty in her dirty white dress.

"Why didn't you stay in the car?" I ask her as she approaches.

"Your wallet," she waves the black leather in front of my face.

"Oh." I don't know how she got it but I'm glad she brought it in before I made it to the front of the line. She disappears for a moment but takes her place next to me just as I reach the counter.  Both of her hands are filled with large steaming cups of coffee.