A few days later...
For a few days now, Hardin is not my Hardin anymore and I don't know what's happening. Why he changes all of a sudden? He comes home late, smelling like smoke, he doesn't text or call, he doesn't sleep with me in the same bed. I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm hurt. He promised me that if he will ever get bored of me, he will tell me directly. But it looks like he lied to me.
I will try my luck this night and I will make him talk and look at me. I hope I will have some good results. I miss him and I hope this will work. I'm wearing his favorite set of red lingerie and over it, I have just a transparent nightgown. So, finger crossed.
"Hardin?" I walk out of our room and he's ready to leave somewhere. "Where are you going?"
"I don't think you should care about this." He looks at me, but he doesn't even see what I'm wearing. What is wrong with him?
"Hardin... tell me what happened. Why are you treating me like this? What I did? Tell me, so I can fix my mistake!" I almost yell.
"What you did? Hmm, think better about this, Tessa."
"Are you cheating on me?" I hear myself talking before thinking. I look at him, but I can't see what he's thinking.
"Me? I would never cheat, Tessa! Maybe you are the one cheating."
"Excuse me?" I spit these words and I can't believe something like this.
"You're coming home tired from work and I wanted to do something with you, you were always tired! And this is a sign that you have someone. And I saw this, Tessa. Why you didn't tell me?"
"Tell you what?!" I yell. "I was tired. Working in a publishing is not that easy! And what did you saw, huh?!"
"You changed Tessa and we can't work like this!"
"I changed?! You are the one who changed. You're not home just at night, you don't talk with me. Tell me what do you want from me, now?!"
"I want to fuck you, then I want to leave!"
"Then you can just leave."
"Now, you're kicking me out off my apartment?" he laughs angrily.
"Now it's just your apartment?! What the fuck is wrong with you, Hardin?! Look at me!" I say and he doesn't look at me, so I walk to him. I put my hand under his chin and in this way, I make him to look at me. "What's happening with us, babe?"
"What's happening with us? You're falling for someone else and I'm not okay with that! Are you happy, now?"
"What?! What are you talking about?"
"I thought you stopped seeing him, Tess... Why you're going out with him!" Oh... I think I know what is he talking about...
"Hardin..." I sigh. "I told you for million times that Trevor is just a workmate. We're going out for lunch, nothing more! It's my only friend from the publishing. What do you want me to do? You want me to go every day to San Diego and have lunch with Nora? Or better, what if I should ask Candy to have lunch with me?!"
"I don't like him!"
"As you don't like him, I don't like Candy. So, we're even! He is just a fucking friend, Hardin! He knows very well that I have a relationship and that I'm in love with you. And for fuck sake's, I only want you!"
"You didn't show me this in the last weeks..."
"Because I was tired, you know I'm working my ass, so I can have longer holiday in July... Travelling in Europe. I promise to split my time and to be more careful with you."
"Promise?" he looks into my eyes.
"I promise." I smile and he puts his hands on my hips.
"You are wearing this on a purpose?" He points to my lingerie.
"If course. It's sad because it didn't catch your attention."
"Oh, it did." He takes my hand and he takes it to the front of his jeans. "Will you take care of it?"
"If you will let me, yes." I smirk. "Don't go..." I look at him, beginning him with my eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere."
And look how we move from hate to love in just a second.
One hour later...
"I'm sorry because we fight." I say while I play with my hand on his chest.
"Me too. You should take it easy with your work. You will wear yourself out if you continue in this way. I'm sure you don't want to be sick again."
"We have a lot of work, Hardin. I don't know why all the authors want to publish their books in this period."
"If you want, I can talk with Christian and he can give you less work."
"Firstly, I don't want you to talk with my boss. I'm a big girl and if I want, I can do this by myself. And secondly, I like what I'm doing."
"But you should pay attention to what happened a few months ago, when you over worked and you stayed at home. You don't like to stay home, but I won't complain."
"You also have work to do, Hardin..."
"Yeah, three performances until I start my job at Dolby Theater."
"Let's end this conversation."
"Okay. What time is it?"
"Why?"
"I have to give Landon something and he told me to meet him around 8pm."
"Let me look." I lean over him to take my phone and I see it's 7pm. "It's 7pm."
"Will you be mad at me if I will leave for one hour?"
"No. But promise me you will be home quickly. I want to spend time with you as much as I can."
"I promise." He kisses my nose and he gets up. "Go to my mother, Lexie will come to show her some pictures with the baby."
"Okay." I smile and I also get up. "Be careful, okay?"
"You are saying this like I'm going to drive my bike for the first time." He laughs.
"Just be careful, babe." I hug him and I kiss him.
"Okay, I will."
We get dressed and we go outside. I kiss him again when he leaves, then I go to his parents' house. I knock at the door and Trish opens the door for me.
"Hi Trish!"
"Hi honey! Come in!"
"Lexie's not here yet?"
"No, but she should be soon. Where's Hardin?"
"He left a few moments ago. He as to meet Landon, but he won't stay in town for too long."
"Okay, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a bit."
"Let's go to the kitchen, I made some lasagna."
We walk to the kitchen and she puts some lasagna on a plate. I start to eat and when I'm done, Lexie comes in.
Lexie: "Hi mom, Tessa!" She has a big smile plastered on her face. "I have news about the baby!"
Trish: "News, huh?"
Lexie: "I know the gender!"
Tessa: "And? What are you having?"
Lexie: "It's a little boy!"
Trish: "Oh my God! A boy! What a nice surprise! It's great, honey!" She hugs Lexie, then I go to hug her.
Tessa: "Congrats, Lexie!"
Lexie: "Thank you! Eric is on cloud nine! He's so happy because we're having a boy!"
Trish: "I bet he is. Where is he now?"
Lexie: "He's packing our bags because we're going to see his parents this weekend."
Trish: "That's great! I hope we will meet soon to talk about a wedding."
Lexie: "We're good in this way, mom. Maybe in a few years we can talk about a wedding."
Trish: "As you say..."
Lexie: "Where's Hardin? I'm sure he would love to know that he's having a nephew..."
Tessa: "He went to meet Landon, but he said that he won't be gone for too long."
Lexie: "Oh, okay. Mom, I'm hungry."
Trish: "I bet you are." She laughs and she puts some food for Lexie.
We talk for an hour and I decided to text Hardin to see where he is.
It's been 30 minutes since I texted him, but he didn't answer. What's happening?
"Tessa? Did you talk with Hardin?"
"No. I texted him a while ago and he didn't answer. Maybe he's on his way home. But I will try to call him."
I dial Hardin's number, but it went to his voicemail and I start to panic. I had a bad feeling when he left. What if something bad happened?
We stay in the living room, Trish and Lexie trying to calm me about Hardin, but it's not working, In the last 15 minutes, I called him 30 times and he didn't pick up
Lexie: "Maybe his phone dies and he's on his way home."
Trish: "Or he lost his phone, Hardin lost it before."
Tessa: "I'm going to call Landon, to see if Hardin left, and then, we will be calm if we know he left or he's still with Landon."
Lexie: "That's a good idea!"
I get up and I walk to the kitchen here I dial Landon's number. He picks up after a few calls.
Phone call
"Hi, Landon! I'm sorry for bothering you."
"Hi, Tessa. It's okay. What's up?"
"Uhm... Hardin is still there? He's not home yet and he's not answering my calls."
"Tessa, I'm sorry. But Hardin left more than an hour ago. We meet and he left immediately."
"Oh..." I manage to say. "T... thank you." I end the call and I look at nothing. I have all the worst scenarios in my head.
One. He changed his mind and he went to fuck Candy.
Two. He got drunk and he got in a crash.
Three. He just got in a bike crash.
I look at nothing until Lexie takes my attention.
"Hey? What Landon told you?"
"He saw him more than an hour ago... I have a bad feeling and I know something happened, Lexie..."
"No, don't think about the worst. Maybe he has a surprise for you!"
"No, Lexie... I feel something is wrong." I say and Ken comes in with a panicked face.
Trish: "What's wrong, Ken?"
Lexie: "Dad? Are you alright?"
Tessa: "Ken? Is something wrong with my Hardin?" I say panicked.
Ken: "Hardin had a bike crash on his way home and... he... he's not okay." He manages to say and I instantly fall on the ground, starting to yell and cry loudly. No! This can't happen!