After

Chapter 49.

"Hurt me?" He sounds incredulous.

"Yes, if it will bother you that much to be there I won't try to make you come. I just thought it was a good idea but I see now that you don't agree," I meet his eyes and he quickly looks away. I know that I could never make Hardin do anything he doesn't want to do and he has no history of ever being cooperative so why bother?

"Why would you care if it hurt me?" He brings his green eyes back to mine and I try to look away but once again I am under his spell.

"Of course I would care, why wouldn't I?"

"Why would you is the question," he runs a hand over his hair and the look in his eyes gives me the idea he is pleading with me, like he wants me to say the words, but I can't. He will use them against me and he probably won't ever want to hang out with me again. I'll become the annoying girl who likes him, just like the girls Steph told me about. I refuse to be one of them, I want to be more but I know that won't happen either, so I'd like to keep a little dignity.

"I care about how you feel." I hope this answer is good enough for him, it's all that I'm ready to say.

Interrupting my embarrassing confession, my phone rings and I reach down and pull it out of my purse. Noah's name and photo flashes on the screen and without thinking, I hit ignore before I realize what I'm doing.

"Who is it?" Hardin asks, he is so nosy.

"Noah,"

"You're not going to answer?" He looks surprised, he should be. I should be.

"No, we are talking," And I would rather talk to you, my subconscious adds.

"Oh," he shortly responds, his smile evident.

"So are you going to come with me? It's been a while since I have had a home cooked meal, so I am not passing it up." I smile, the mood in the car is lighter but tense all the same.

"No, I am not. I have plans anyway." he mutters. I don't want to know if those plans involve Molly. I try not to dwell on them but I can't seem to help it.

"Oh, okay. Are you going to be mad at me if I go?" It's strange for me to go to Hardin's father's house without him but Landon is my friend too, and I was invited.

"I'm always mad at you, Tess." he says and I laugh.

"I'm always mad at you too," I agree with him, it sure does seem that way.

"Can we go back now? If  a cop comes along we will get a ticket." I remind him and he nods, putting the car into drive and pulling back onto the road. I'm relieved that our fight ended before it got too out of hand.

"What are your.. uhm.. plans today?" I ask, I promised myself that I wouldn't ask but I have to know.

"Why are you asking?" I can feel his eyes on me but I focus on staring out of the window.

"I'm just wondering, you said you had plans anyway so I was just wondering."

"We have a party again. That is basically what I do every Friday and Saturday, except last night and last Saturday.."

"Doesn't it get old? Just doing the same thing every weekend with the same drunk people?" I hope that doesn't offend him but I'm genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I guess it does but we're in college and I am in a fraternity, what else is there to do?" He raises a brow at me. I still can't connect Hardin Scott and fraternity in my mind.

"I don't know..it just seems tedious, to clean up everyone's mess, every weekend especially when you don't even drink"

"It is, but I haven't found anything better to do with my time so.." he trails off. I know he's still looking at me, but I keep my eyes away from him.