The songs for this chapter are:
Red-Taylor Swift
Kisses- Daughter
Bastille- Flaws
Tessa's POV.
"It dropped at least ten degrees out here." Robert says to me as he opens the door to the restaurant. The cold air gushes around me and I wrap my arms around myself trying to stay warm. "I don't have a jacket to offer you, I didn't know it would get this cold. I would offer to drive you back but I've been drinking, I'm not very gentleman-like tonight."
"It's okay, really." I smile. "I'm pretty drunk so I'm warm, that makes no sense." I giggle and follow him down the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "Although, I should have worn different shoes."
"We could trade?" He jokes. I gently push against his shoulder and he flushes for what has to be the hundredth time tonight.
"Your shoes look more comfortable than Hardin's, his boots are so heavy and he always leaves them by the door so I...never mind." I shake my head back and forth to stop myself from talking about Hardin and his shoes.
"I'm more of a sneaker guy,"
"Me too, well not a guy." I laugh. My head is swimming from the wine and my mouth seems to let out every single thought I am having, nonsensical and all. "Do you know which way the cabins are?"
"Which cabins? This whole town is full of them." He reaches over to steady me as I almost walk into a parking block.
"Uhm, well there is a street with a small sign and then like three or four more cabins, then another street?" I try to remember the drive to the restaurant from the cabin but none of it makes sense.
"That doesn't give me much to go on," he chuckles, "but we can walk until we find it?"
"Okay but if we don't find it within twenty minutes, I'm going to a hotel." I groan, dreading the walk and the eminent discussion Hardin and I are sure to have when I arrive. By discussion I mean full-on, knock-down, drag-out verbal brawl. Especially when he finds out that I've been drinking with Robert.
"Do you ever get sick of people telling you what to do all the time?" I turn to look at him as we walk through the dark.
"No one really does, but if they did I would."
"You are lucky. I feel like someone is always telling me what to do, where to go, who to talk to, where to live, it's getting on my nerves."
"I'm sure it is."
"I want to do something about it I just don't know what that is."
"Maybe Seattle will help you."
"Maybe.. I want to do something now though, like runaway or cuss someone out."
"Cuss someone out?" He laughs and halts to bend down to lace his shoe. I stop walking a few feet ahead of him and look around at my surroundings. Now that my mind is racing with all the possibilities of potential reckless behaviors, I can't stop it.
"Yeah, cuss someone in particular out." Hardin's face comes to mind.
"You probably should take it slow, I know cussing someone out is pretty wild and all but maybe start with something a little lighter." He says. It takes a moment to comprehend that he is teasing me but once I do, I see the humor in it.
"I mean it though, right now I just feel like doing something.. crazy?" I bring my top lip between my teeth, pawning over the idea.
"It's the wine, it's pretty strong and you drank a load in a short amount of time." We both laugh again and I can't seem to stop. The only thing that brings me back to normalcy is the small canteen style lanterns hanging from a small building.
"That's our bar," Robert informs me. "It's the only one in the town."
"It's so small!"
"It is, it's a load of fun though. The bartenders dance on the bar and everything."
"Like coyote ugly?"
"Yes, only these women are all over forty and have a bit more clothing on." His smile brightens.
"We should go inside and see!" I grab the sleeve of his shirt and practically pull him into the bar.
Hardin's POV.
"No, I told you one drink. I meant one drink." I roll my eyes and push the ice around the empty glass with my finger.
"Whatever." She waves down the bartender and orders two more drinks.
"I said I didn't.."
"No one said it's for you." She interrupts me.
"Well you have fun, I'm going to get Tessa now." I stand from the bar stool and she grabs ahold of my shirt. Again. "Stop touching me."
"Stop being a dick, I said I would come, just let me finish these drinks. Do you even know what you're going to say to her or are you planning to go all caveman style?"
"No." I sit back down. I really haven't thought about what it is I'm going to say, I don't need to say anything except, let's fucking go. "What would you say?" I dare to ask.
"Well first of all Lillian wouldn't be down at some restaurant with another girl..or guy, without me. I would have burned that shit to the ground already."
"Yet you tell me to come and have a drink before I go?"
"I didn't say my way was right, I'm just saying." She shrugs.
"This is bullshit, you are bullshit. I'm going."
The headache inducing country music playing in the small bar gradually begins to play louder and louder as I walk toward the door and I know what's coming. I shouldn't have even come to this shitty bar in the first place, I should have went straight to find Tessa instead. The patrons inside all start cheering as two of the middle aged bartenders climb onto the bar top. This is so damn awkward, entertaining but still fucking weird.
"You're going to miss the show!" Riley cackles from the bar.
"I've already seen it twice since I've been here, trust me I'm not missing.." my mouth dries and my blood begins to boil instantly as Tessa clambers through the door of the small bar. With him.
I pace back to the bar and step by Riley's side. "She's here, with him. That's her." I hiss.
"Holy shit, she's hot." Riley gapes and I glare at her.
"Stop. Don't look at her like that."
"Lillian said she was pretty but fuck, look at her big ti.."
"Don't finish that." I stare at Tessa. She is fucking hot, I know this, but more importantly she's drunk and she's laughing as she navigates through the high top tables. She chooses an empty one close to the bathroom and takes a seat. "I'm going over there." I tell Riley.
I don't have a fucking clue why I'm telling her anything but part of me sort of wants to know what she would do if she were in my shoes. I know Tessa is pissed at me for a whole list of shit and I don't exactly want to add anything else to it. She doesn't have any right to be mad at me anyway, she's the one hanging out with a random ass guy from dinner and now she comes stumbling in here drunk and laughing. With him.
"Why don't you just wait.. you know watch her for a little bit." She suggests.
"What a stupid idea, why would I watch her hang all over that douchebag? She's mine and.."
"Does she throw a fit when you call her yours?" Riley's eyes are curious.
"No. She likes it, I think." She told me she did once while she was moaning underneath me.
"Yours Hardin, yours." She moaned into my neck as I shifted my hips, burying myself deeper inside of her.
"Lill gets so pissed off when I say that, she thinks I'm claiming her as property or something." Riley says next to me but all I can focus on is Tessa. The way she gathers her long hair in one hand and moves it to one shoulder. My anger is rising, my annoyance is growing, and my focus is blurring. How does she not know that I'm here? I can always tell when she enters a room, it's like the air changes or some shit. She's too busy paying attention to him, he's probably telling her how to pour water into a damn glass.
"Well Tess is mine so I don't care what she thinks about being claimed."
"Spoken like a true asshole." She says, looking over at Tessa. "You have to compromise though, if she's anything like Lillian, she will get sick of it and you'll end up with an ultimatum."
"What?" I tear my eyes away from her for a moment and it's torture.
"Lillian got sick of my shit and left me. She," she lifts her glass toward Tessa, "will do the same thing if you don't listen to what she wants sometimes."
"You don't even know anything about our relationship so you don't know what you're talking about." I look back at Tessa who is now sitting alone at the table fiddling with a stray lock of hair. I glance around to find the waiter standing at the end of the bar. My nerves slightly calm from their distance and I watch as she moves her shoulders to the music.
"I don't have to know the details, I've spent the last.. almost hour with you. I know that you're a dumbass and she's a needy..." She continues when I open my mouth to cuss her out, "Lillian is too so don't get all pissy over it. She's needy and you know it. But you know what the best part about having a needy girlfriend? Besides the frequent sex of course," her smile is wicked.
"Get to the point." I roll my eyes and look back to Tessa. Her cheeks are red and her eyes are wide in amusement as the women begin to dance on the bar in front of us. She will see me any second.
"The best part is that they need us, just not in the way you expect her to need you though. They need us to be there for them sometimes too, Lillian was always so caught up in trying to save me or whatever the hell she was doing, that her needs weren't being met. I mean I didn't even acknowledge her birthday, I didn't do shit for her. I thought I was though, because I was around her and telling her that I love her sometimes but it wasn't enough."
"But she's with you now?" An unwelcomed chill travels down my spine.
"Yeah but only because I showed her that she can depend on me and that I'm not the same bitch I was when she met me." She looks over at Tessa then back to me. "You know that saying all the stupid girls are always posting online? I think it's like , while you're making... if you don't.. fuck. I can't remember, but basically it says, treat your girl well or someone else will."
"I don't treat her bad." All the time at least.
"Dude, just own it. Look, I'm no saint. I still don't treat Lillian the way I should but I own that shit. You are in some hardcore denial if you're sitting here thinking you don't treat her like shit, if you didn't she wouldn't be sitting over there with that douche, who happens to be exact opposite of you and pretty damn hot."
I can't even argue with her, she's right for the most part. I don't treat Tessa like shit all the time, only when she does something to piss me off. Like right now. And earlier.
"She's looking," Riley tells me and my blood runs cold. I turn my head as slowly as possible to look at her.
Her eyes are focused on mine, blazing, and I swear I see a hint of red in them as she looks at Riley and back to me. She doesn't move, she doesn't even blink. Her stare turns from surprised to primal in an instant and I'm taken back by the murderous glare directed towards myself and Riley.
"She's so pissed." Riley laughs next to me and it takes everything in me not to pour her drink over her head.
"Shut up." I grab the spare drink in front of Riley and walk toward Tessa.
The waiter is still at the end of the bar by the time I reach her. "Whoa, I never thought I would find you here, in a bar, drinking with another girl. Surprise, surprise." She quips with a sarcastic smile.
What the hell?
"Why are you here?" I ask her, stepping closer to her. She leans away.
"Why are you?"
"Tessa," I warn and she rolls her eyes.
"Not tonight Hardin, not happening." She climbs off of the tall chair and pulls her dress down.
"Don't walk away from me," my voice comes out as a command but it's really a plea.
I reach for her arm but she pulls away. "Why not? That's what you always do to me. We are both here with other people." She glares at Riley again.
"What?" I follow her eyes to Riley, "Fuck, no that's Lillian's girlfriend." Her shoulders instantly relax.
"Oh." She looks into my eyes and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth.
"We need to leave now."
"So go."
"You and I." I clarify.
"I'm not going anywhere except somewhere fun, more fun than this place since you are here and you're always stopping my fun, you're like the fun police." She smiles and continues, "That's exactly what you are! You're the fun police, I should really get you a badge made and you can wear it all around, you know to stop everyone's fun." She rambles and bursts into full on giggles. Christ, she's fucking wasted.
"How much did you drink?" I yell over the ascending music.
"I don't know." She shrugs. "Give me that one." She takes the cup from my hand before I can respond and places it on the table before lifting herself back onto the chair.
"You shouldn't drink another. You're obviously smashed."
"Am not." She pouts like a child then laughs. "Go away if you're going to be a fun-sucker." Tessa lifts the glass to her mouth and takes large gulps of the liquid. The cup is half empty in less than a minute.
"You're going to get sick."
"Blah, blah. blah." She mocks, titling her head back and forth with each word. "You know Robert right?" A small smirk plays on her lips.
The asshole is now standing next to me with a drink in both hands. "Nice to see you again." He half smiles, his eyes are bloodshot. He's drunk too. Did he take advantage of her? Did he kiss her?
His father is the sheriff.
His father is the sheriff.
His father is the sheriff.
Just one..
His father is the fucking sheriff of this shit-hole of a town.
"Go away." I look back at Tessa and she rolls her eyes. I forgot how ballsy she becomes with liquor in her veins.
"Don't go." She says, challenging me and he sits down at the table. "Don't you have company to entertain?" She taunts me.
"No, I don't. Let's go home." My temper is barely controlled, if this were any other night his head would be imprinted on the table by now.
"That cabin isn't home, we are hours from home." She finishes off the drink she stole from me. "Actually, as of Monday I don't have a home anyway, thanks to you." She reminds me.
Tessa's POV.
"We can talk about that later, let's go." He insists. His nostrils flare as he tries to control his temper.
"Not going, I'm having fun." I look over at Robert, he looks slightly uncomfortable but not in the least bit intimidated by Hardin.
"If you're purposely trying to piss me off, it's working."
"I'm not, I just don't want to go. I want to drink and be young and have fun!" I say as soon as the music cuts off. Everyone turns to me, I'm not sure what to do with all the attention so I awkwardly wave my hand in the air. Robert laughs and Hardin glowers.
"You've obviously had enough to drink." He says, eyeing the now half empty glass that Robert brought to me.
"News flash Hardin, I'm an adult." I remark in a childish tone.
"Damn it Tessa,"
"Maybe I should go.." Robert stands from his chair.
"Obviously." Hardin replies at the same time that I say, "No."
As much as I was enjoying my time with Robert I know that Hardin will stand here the entire time making rude remarks, threats, whatever he has to do to make him leave. It's better if he does go.
"I'm sorry, I will go and you can stay." I tell Robert.
He shakes his head, "No, don't worry about it. I had a long day anyway." Robert is so calm and easy going about everything. It's refreshing.
"I will walk you out." I tell him. I'm not sure if I will ever see him again and he has been so kind to me tonight.
"No you won't." Hardin chimes in but I ignore him and follow Robert toward the door of the small bar. When I look back at the table Hardin is leaning against it with his eyes closed. I hope he's taking deep breaths in and out because I'm in no mood for his crap tonight.
"I really am sorry, I didn't know he was here. I was just trying to have a fun night." I speak once we get outside.
"Remember when I said to stop to apologizing for everything?" Robert smiles. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small pad and pen. "I'm not expecting anything but if some day you are bored and alone in Seattle, give me a call. Or not, it's up to you if you want to or not." He kicks at a rock on the pavement.
"Okay." I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep so I just smile and tuck the small paper into the top of my dress. "Sorry!" I squeak when I realize that I basically just fondled myself in front of him.
"Stop saying sorry! And especially not for that." He laughs. "Well I better go, it was nice to meet you, maybe we will see one another again?"
I nod and smile as he walks down the sidewalk.
"It's cold out here." Hardin's voice surprises me.
I huff and walk past him back into the bar. The table that I was sitting at is now taken by a bald man and his super sized mug of beer.
"Let's just go, please." Hardin is behind me. Again.
"Can I have two feet of space? I don't even want to be around you right now. You said some pretty hateful things to me." I remind him.
"You know I didn't mean them." He defends, trying to make eye contact with me. I'm not falling for it.
"That doesn't mean you can say them." I look over at the girl at the bar who is watching Hardin and I. "I don't want to talk about it right now, I was having a nice night and you aren't ruining it."
"So you don't want me here?" His eyes flash with hurt and I backtrack.
"I'm not saying that but if you are going to tell me that you don't love me or how you use me for sex again, then you need to go. Or I will." I'm trying my hardest to keep my bubbly, giggly attitude instead of sinking down and letting the pain and frustration take over.
"You are the one who started all this shit when you came here with him, drunk might I add.." He begins.
"Here we go." I sigh. Hardin is the king of double standards. His latest one is walking toward us now.
"Jesus, would you two shut up. We are in a public place." The beautiful girl that Hardin was sitting with interrupts us.
"Not now." Hardin snaps at her.
"Come on, let's take a seat at the bar." She says, ignoring him.
"I'm not old enough," I inform her. Drinking at a table towards the back of the bar and having a drink brought to me is one thing, sitting at the bar top and ordering my own is another.
"So what? With that dress on you'll get a drink." She stares at my chest and I pull the front up slightly.
"If I get kicked out, it's your fault." I tell her and she tips her head back in laughter.
"I'll bail you out of jail." She winks and Hardin stiffens next to me. He watches her, warning her with his eyes and I can't help but laugh. He tried to make me jealous with Lillian all night and now he's jealous of Lillian's girlfriend winking at me.
All of this juvenile back and forth, he's jealous, I'm jealous, the old lady at the bar is jealous, everyone is jealous, is annoying. Slightly entertaining, especially now, but still annoying.
"My name is Riley by the way, I'm sure your rude ass boyfriend isn't planning on introducing us." She takes a seat at the end of the bar. I glance back at Hardin expecting him to cuss her out but he only rolls his eyes. How odd..
Hardin tries to sit at the stool between us but I grab the back of it before he can. I place my hand on his arm to help me step up onto the bar stool. I know I shouldn't be touching him or sitting next to him at a bar but I don't have it in me to fight it out with him right now. Instead, I will sit here and enjoy my last night of this mini-vacation that turned into a disaster.
Hardin has scared away my new friend and Landon is probably already asleep right now. I don't have any other options except sitting alone in the room back at the cabin. This seems better than that.
"What can I get you?" The copper haired bartender in a jean jacket asks me.
"We will have three shots of jack, chill them first." Riley answers for me. The woman scans my face for a few seconds and my heart begins to race.
"Coming up," she finally says and pulls three shot glasses from under the bar to place in front of us.
"I wasn't going to drink, I only had one before you came." Hardin leans over and says into my ear.
"Drink what you want, I am." I silently pray that he doesn't get too drunk. I never know how he will act when he's intoxicated.
"I can see that." I stare at his mouth while he tries to scold me. Sometimes I just sit and stare at the slow movements of his lips when he talks, it's one of my favorite things to do. "Are you upset with me still?" He asks.
"Yes, very."
"Then why are you acting like you aren't?" His lips move even slower. I really need to find out the name of that wine.
"I already told you, I want to have fun." I repeat. "Are you mad at me?"
"I always am." He replies.
"Isn't that the truth." I laugh to myself.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." I smile innocently and he rubs the back of his neck with his hand, pinching the top of his shoulders between his thumb and forefinger.
A shot of brown liquor is placed in front of me seconds later and Riley raises her shot glass to Hardin and I. "Here's to dysfunctional, borderline psychotic relationships." She smirks and tilts her head back to take her shot.
"She's talking about her own." Hardin lies and repeats the action.
I take a deep breath before welcoming the cool burn of whiskey down my throat.
..
"One more," Riley cheers, sliding another shot in front of me.
"I don't know if I can," I slur. "I've officially never been this drunk, never."
The whiskey has officially taken over my mind, set up camp, and doesn't appear to be leaving any time soon. Hardin is up to five shots, I lost count of mine after three and Riley should be heaving on the floor from alcohol poisoning by now.
"I feel like this whiskey tastes good." I remark, dipping my tongue into the chilled shot.
Hardin laughs next to me and I lean into his shoulder and put my hand on his thigh. His eyes immediately follow my hand and I quickly pull it away. I shouldn't be acting like nothing happened earlier, I know I shouldn't but it's easier said than done. Especially when I can barely think straight and Hardin looks so good in a white button down shirt. I will deal with our problems tomorrow.
"See all you needed was a little whiskey to loosen up," Riley slams her empty shot glass on the bar top and I giggle.
"What?" She barks.
"You and Hardin are the same." I cover my mouth to conceal my obnoxious giggles.
"No we aren't." Hardin speaks at an even slower pace when he's intoxicated. So does Riley.
"Yes, you are! It's like a mirror," I laugh, "Does Lillian know you're here?" I ask her.
"She's asleep for now, but I fully intend on waking her up when I return." She licks her lips and I know exactly what she's referring to.
The music starts to increase in volume again and I watch as the copper haired woman climbs onto the bar again.
"Again?" Hardin scrunches his nose and I laugh.
"I think it's funny." I think everything is funny right now.
"I think it's lame and it interrupts me every thirty minutes." He harps.
"You should go up there." Riley nudges me.
"Up where?"
"The bar, you should dance on the bar."
"No way!" I shake my head.
"Come on, you have been whining about being young and having fun or whatever the hell you were going on and on about, now's your chance. Dance on the bar."
"I can't dance." It's true. I've only danced, excluding slow dancing, once and that was at the nightclub in Seattle.
"No one will notice, they are all even more wasted than you." She raises her brow, challenging me.
"No fucking way." Hardin says.
Through my drunken haze I remember one thing, I'm sure as hell done letting him tell me what I can and can't do.
Without a word, I reach down and unfasten the horribly uncomfortable straps around my ankles and let my high heels drop to the floor.
"What are you doing?" Hardin's eyes are wide as I climb on top of the stool then onto the bar.
"Tess," Hardin stands and looks behind us as the few patrons throughout the bar begin to cheer.
The song gets louder and the woman who has been serving us drinks smiles wickedly at me and takes my hand.
"Do you know any line dances honey?" She yells
.
"No!"
"I'll teach you!" She seems pleasant enough and I'm already on the bar now. What the hell was I thinking? I just wanted to prove a point to Hardin and look where that got me, on top of a bar getting ready to attempt a line dance, I'm not even sure what that is exactly. I had been paying a little attention to the women while they danced each time but I surely would have paid more attention if I would have known that I would be joining them.
(Hey guys! Thank you for all the amazing song suggestions, I'm still going through them and listening to them, so thank you for those and thank you for commenting. I love to talk to all of you as much as I can. I was wondering how old everyone is? Just a random thought , I'm almost afraid to ask lol! Ily all xo)