My heels click against the hardwood as I concentrate on making it to the back door of the restaurant. If we were closer to home I would leave right now, pack my bags for Seattle, and stay in a hotel until I found an apartment. I am so sick of Hardin doing this time of shit to me, it's painful and embarrassing and it's breaking me down. He's breaking me down, and he knows it. That's exactly why he's doing it.
I finally reach the door and push it open, hoping not to set off an alarm. I should have made sure it wasn't an emergency exit first but I can't think straight. The chilly night air envelops me the moment I step outside. It's calming, blanketing me in something other than stale air and awkward tension.
I rest my elbows on the ledge and look out into the woods. It's dark, nearly pitch black out there. The restaurant is nuzzled right in the middle of a wooded area to create more a secluded atmosphere. It works but it's not ideal for me right now when I already feel trapped.
"Are you alright?" A voice sounds from behind me. When I turn around the server, Robert is standing in the doorway, a stack of plates in one hand.
"Uhm, yeah, I just needed to breath." I answer honestly.
"Oh, it's a little cold out here," he smiles. His smile is polite and actually very endearing.
"Yeah, a little." I respond. Compared to the suffocating air inside the restaurant it feels great out on the deck.
Both of us stand in silence, it's slightly awkward but I don't mind. Nothing is as awkward as sitting at that table.
A few seconds later he speaks up, "I haven't seen you around here before," he gently places the plates on an empty table beside the door and walks closer to me. He leans his elbows on the ledge only a few feet away.
"I'm visiting, I've never been here before."
"You should visit in the summer, February is the worst time to come, well except November and December, maybe even January," his cheeks flush as he stammers, "You get what I mean," he laughs. I can tell he's embarrassed.
"I bet it's beautiful in the summer," I try not to giggle at him and his red cheeks.
"Yeah, you are," his eyes widen, "I mean it is." he corrects himself, "I swear I'm not usually this awkward,," he runs his hand over his face and I bring my lips together in an attempt not to laugh at him but I can't help it. A small giggle escapes and he looks even more horrified than before.
"Do you live here?" I ask, trying to end his embarrassment by changing the subject. His company is refreshing, it's nice to be around someone who's not so intimidating. Hardin owns every room he's in, his presence is overwhelming half the time.
"Yeah, born and raised, where are you from?"
"I go to WSU, I'll be starting at the Seattle campus next week," I feel like I have been waiting so long to say those words.
"Wow, Seattle. Impressive," he smiles and I laugh again.
"Wine makes me laugh a lot," I blurt and he chuckles, looking over at me.
"Well I'm glad it's not me that you're laughing at," his eyes roam my face and I look away, "you should get inside before your boyfriend comes looking for you," he says.
I turn around to look through the glass windows, Hardin's head is turned toward Lillian. "Trust me, no one is coming to look for me," I sigh, my bottom lips quivers as my heart betrays me, sinking lower and lower.
"He looks pretty lost without you," Robert chimes in. I watch his eyes as they find Landon, looking around the room.
"Oh! That's not my boyfriend, the one across the table is, the one with the tattoos," I watch as Robert looks at Hardin and Lillian, confused sweeps over his soft features. Swirls of black ink peek out from the top of Hardin's collared dress shirt. I love the way white looks on him, I love and being able to see the hint of ink under the transparent fabric.
"Uhm, does he know he's your boyfriend?" He asks, raising his eyebrow.
"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing," I tear my eyes away from Hardin as he smirks, a deep smirk, the kind of smirk that shows his dimples, the kind of smirk that is usually given to me. I bring my hands to my face and shake my head, "It's complicated," I groan.
Hold yourself together, don't fall into his game. Not this time.
"Well who better to talk about your problems with than a stranger?" he shrugs his shoulders, looking back at the table that I'm missing from. No one except Landon seems to even notice.
"Don't you have to work?" I ask him, hoping that he doesn't. Robert is young, older than me but he can't be any older than twenty-three at the most.
"Yeah, but I have it in good with the owner," he smiles, seeming to be telling himself a joke that I'm not a part of.
"Oh,"
"So, if that's your boyfriend who's the girl with him?"
"Her name is Lillian," I can hear the venom in my own voice. "I don't know her, neither does he.. well he didn't, apparently now he does."
"So he brought her here to make you jealous?" His eyes meet mine.
"I don't know, it's not working. Well I am jealous, I mean look at her. She's even wearing the same dress as I am and she looks way better in it,"
"No, no she doesn't," he interrupts quietly and I smile, thanking him.
"We were getting along fine until yesterday, well fine for us, and then we got in a fight this morning but we always fight, I mean we fight all the time so I don't know what it is about this fight that's so different but it is. It's different, it doesn't feel like the rest of our fights and now he's ignoring me the way he used to when we first met," I say more to myself than to this stranger with curious blue eyes.
"I sound insane, I know I do. It's the wine," I try to laugh. The corner of his lips turn into a smile and he shakes his head.
"No, not insane at all." He teases and I laugh along with him. "He's looking at you," my head snaps up to look inside the building. Sure enough Hardin's eyes are on me and my new shrink, his eyes are burning into me and I literally flinch at the intensity.
"You should probably go inside," I warn him. I'm expecting Hardin to get up from the table at any time, to rush out here and throw Robert over the deck and into the wood. He doesn't though, he sits still, his fingers wrapped around the stem of a wine glass as he looks at me one last time before lifting his free hand and resting it across the back of Lillian's chair. Oh god, my chest tightens at his callous action.
"I'm sorry," Robert says, I almost forgot he was next to me.
"It's fine, really. I should be used to it. I've been playing these games with him for six months now," I cringe at the truth, mentally cursing at myself for not learning my lesson after one month, or two, or three, yet here I am on the deck with a stranger watching as Hardin shamelessly flirts with someone else. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, I'm sorry,"
"Hey, I'm the one who asked," he kindly reminds me. "We've got plenty more wine if you want some," his smile is kind and playful.
"I certainly will need more." I smile, "do you get this a lot? Half drunk girls whining about their boyfriends?"
"No, actually it's usually rich old men complaining that their steak isn't medium rare," he chuckles.
"Like the guy at my table, the one in the red tie. He's a jerk," I gesture to Max.
"Yeah he is, no offense but anyone who sends a salad back because it has too many olives is a jerk by principle," we both laugh and I cover my mouth with the back of my hand.
"Right! He is so serious too, like he gave us this massive speech about his reasoning and olives after that," I deepen my voice to try to mimic the rude man's, "If there are too many olives, the sour taste takes away from the iceberg lettuce," I mock and Robert bursts into hysterics.
He doubles over in laughter, his hands on his knees as he looks up, "Could I have four? Three just will not do and five is far too many, it doesn't compliment the flavor," he says, his voice sounding much closer to Max's than my impression.
My stomach is aching from laughter when the door opens, Robert and I both stop our laughter and look towards Hardin standing in the doorway. I stand up straight, smoothing my dress. I can't help but feel like I was doing something wrong, even though I know that I wasn't.
"Am I interrupting something?" He barks, commanding all attention.
"Yes," I respond, my voice comes out as clear as I had hoped. My breath is still staggered from laughing so hard over Max and those damn olives, my head is swimming from the wine, and my heart is aching over Hardin.
"Apparently," Hardin looks to Robert. Robert's face still holds a smile, his eyes are alight with humor as Hardin tries his best to intimidate him but he doesn't falter, he doesn't even blink.
"What do you want?" I ask him, when he turns to me his mouth is pressed in a hard line.
"Get inside," he demands and I shake my head. "Tessa, don't play these games with me, let's go," he reaches for my arm but I yank it away.
"I said no," I stand my ground and his annoyance grows. "You go back inside, I'm sure your friend misses you," I hiss and his eyes narrow.
"You," Hardin looks back to Robert, "you should really be the one to go inside, our drinks are in need of refilling," he snaps his fingers in the most insulting way possible.
"I'm off actually, but I'm sure you can charm someone else into doing it," the blonde shrugs. I watch Hardin's stance falter momentarily, he's not used to anyone talking back to him, especially not strangers.
"Okay, let me rephrase this.." Hardin steps toward him, "Get the fuck away from her, get inside and find something to fucking do before I grab you by that fucking ridiculous collar and bash your head against that ledge," he threatens.
"Hardin!' I scold him, stepping between the two of them.
"Go ahead, but you should know that this is a very small town," Robert says to Hardin, "My dad's the sheriff, grandpa's the judge, so if you want to take your chances bashing my head in, go for it," Robert shrugs, unaffected by Hardin's murderous glare. My mouth is wide open and I can't seem to close it.
Hardin seems to be mentally weighing his options as he looks back and forth between Robert, me, and the inside of the restaurant.
"Let's go," he says again to me.
"I'm not going," I tell him, backing away as he strides toward me. "Can you give us a minute, please?" I turn to Robert and he nods slowly, gives Hardin one last glare, and walks back inside.
"So what you're going to fuck the waiter now?" He grimaces and I step back even further, willing myself not to break under his stare.
"Would you just stop already? We both know how this will go, you will keep insulting me, I'll walk away, you'll come after me and tell me you won't be rude anymore, we will go back to the cabin and sleep together." I roll my eyes and he looks absolutely lost.
In his usual Hardin-way, he collects himself rapidly and throws his head back in laughter. "Wrong," he steps toward the door. "I won't be doing that, it seems you have forgotten how it really goes, you throw a fit over something I say, you walk away and I only come after you so I can fuck you, you always let me," my mouth falls open in horror and my hands move to my stomach to hold my body together after his splintering words.
"Why?" I gasp, the cold air is no where to be found as I try to catch my breath.
"I don't know, because you can't stay away. Probably because I fuck you better than anyone else ever would," his tone is clipped and I still struggle to breath.
"Why now?" I correct my earlier question. "What I meant was why are you doing this now? Is it because I won't go to England with you?"
"Yes and no,"
"I won't give up Seattle for you so you turn on me?" My eyes are burning but I will not cry. "You show up with her," I gesture toward Lillian inside at the table. "And say all these hateful things to me, I thought we were past this. What happened to you not being able to live without me? What happened to you trying your best to treat me the way you should?"
He looks away from me and for a moment, a barely recognizable moment, I see emotion behind his hateful glare. "There is a big difference in not being able to live without someone and loving them," he says and walks away, taking what was left of my respect for him with him.
(Hey guys! I picture Robert as Max Irons and Max as Adrian Pastar.I tweeted pictures of them today if you want to check my twitter, imaginator1dx don't forget the x! I love reading through everyone's comments, even though some of you are mad at me hah. It just lets me know you're still emotionally invested, if you aren't mad at the characters then I'm doing something wrong:) I know this chapter is short, but I'll be updating again tomorrow. Just remember I love you! and be nice hah. What are your plans for the weekend? )
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