After - 3 (FANFICTION)

Part 16.

Hardin's POV

Landon went to work nearly 5 hours ago but I've been sitting here waiting for over 6 hours and she still hasn't returned, I'm going to lose it! I started getting bored so I went wondering around their apartment, It was easy to figure out which one was Tessa's room, it's so simple, white bedding on her double bed pressed up against the wall. I drop down on her bed and her sheets smell like her, vanilla. I've missed that smell so much.

I start looking around her room. I see she has a small little jewellery box on the top of her dresser but it's empty. I hope she's still wearing my charm bracelet.

I decided to have a nap on her bed until she comes back, since I've been manic the last couple of days I need to catch up on some much needed shut eye and smelling her scent is making me sleepy.

When I wake I check my phone, It's the morning holy shit I slept all night. I walk out of Tessas room toward the kitchen area where Landon is already sitting drinking a coffee.

"Morning" He sighs at me, "Hardin you can't stay here, I spoke with her yesterday and she's pretty adamant that she won't be coming back until you leave."

"She'll come back eventually, and when she does, I will be here. She's just being stubborn, she'll get over this, She'll forgive me cause she knows we belong together." I say "got frosted flakes?" I ask

"Top cupboard" He replies "Look, I get it. I believe you two are meant to be together, I still believe you two will end up together in the end  but you won't be together if you push this on to her. She's not the same girl, if you keep demanding this, she won't return to you. She will run further away and close you off fully." 

"I haven't seen her in fucking two months, I think we've had enough time apart." I snap at him

"You don't get it do you? These two months she walked around thinking you didn't love her enough, you chose that life over her! that wasn't just some time apart, That was heart break, but now suddenly you come back uninvited tell her you miss her but you're the one who left her." He's raises from his chair "if you stay here she won't come back to this apartment and she'll be god knows where! you can't stay here Hardin. Once she's ready to talk to you, she'll reach out but you need to wait for her, you can't keep suffocating her, like you always do. She needs to want to be with you because she chooses too not because you promise her a million lies. You need to go back to Washington finish your papers graduate next month and start bettering yourself for her so when she does decide to forgive you, you both can move forward." He says leaning against the small table.

"You think I can survive without her? I just slept in her vanilla scent and I don't think I can ever leave again" I say "what will happen if I leave and she moves on? What if she doesn't realise how much I love her and doesn't ever talk to me again?"

"Hardin, she still loves you, you can see it in her eyes. she doesn't know this but I can hear her crying herself to sleep every night, she's needs to heal herself first before you can get back into her life full time because if anything happens she won't survive the next time she'll resent you and herself the most. So you just have to trust that her love for you will bring her back, show her that you're going to change for her, no matter how long you wait, just start changing for the better. See a therapist, take anger management just start taking steps toward being the man Tessa deserves." He rinses out his mug and puts it in the dishwasher.

I don't say anything cause I'm actually thinking about everything he just said.

"I start work at 11 today so I'll be leaving shortly, I won't be home until five there's a spare key in that little draw beside the front door, if you leave here take it with you. I hope you consider what I just said about giving her time and space".