New Beginnings: A Hessa Story (2)

Chapter 11: Hardin

I see Tessa brushing her hair while staring out the window. She is wearing a short, white beach dress and sandals. Her skin has a tan glow, and her hair is a lighter shade of blonde. I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist.

She turns around and jumps back. "Hardin!"

"Hey baby."

I move in to kiss her, but she leans away and steps out of my grip. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" I respond, confused on why she's acting this way.

"Hardin, we agreed..." She begins walking away from me.

"What are you talking about? We agreed on what?"

"Don't act stupid. It's already painful enough, so I don't need you showing up here. You have to stop."

"Stop what? What the fuck is going on?"

"Why are you here, Hardin? Did you forget something and remembered all these years later that it was here?" I still don't understand what she's talking about.

"Tessa, what..." I move closer to her, but she walks further away from me, and out the front door.

"Tess!" I yell after her.

"Why are you doing this? Huh? Rubbing it in my face?"

"Tell me what the hell is going on!" I raise my voice.

"We agreed to no longer see each other since I lost the baby, Hardin. You agreed you would move on and find someone else, while I agreed to sit here in my sorrow and pain for the rest of my life!"

"What the fuck? I never... when did I? I would never..." I try to form a sentence, but I cannot believe what Tessa is spewing out of her mouth.

"You already found someone, Hardin! My best friend! My best fucking friend!" She yells, tears pouring from her eyes. The glow that Tessa possessed only moments ago has now vanished.

"I don't know what you're saying, but I never agreed to any of this, nor would I ever!"

"Why are you denying it? It's okay. I've seen the photos Josie posts of you two." She pulls out her phone, and shows me a picture of Josie and me, and it looks like our wedding. I'm kissing her at the altar.

"Josie? You think I am married to Josie?"

"Obviously you are." She shakes her phone in my face. "You two have a child together..." She shows me another photo of me with Josie, but in my arms is a little boy. "He looks just like you."

"I don't have a wife that's not you. I don't have a child that isn't ours..."

I see Tessa look past me at something behind me. I turn around to find Josie holding the little boy from the photo.

"There you are! We have been looking for you everywhere!" She runs up to me, and kisses me on the cheek.

"Daddy!" The little boy screams as Josie puts him into my arms.

"Where have you been?" She rubs my arm, but I shuffle out of her embrace. I don't feel comfortable with people touching me, only Tessa.

I look in-between Tessa and Josie, who I am supposedly married too with children. "Oh, Tessa. hi..." She awkwardly waves, and I sense tension between them. "Is that where you were? With her?"

"What?" I say as Josie storms past me towards Tessa.

"I can't believe it, Tessa! You told me things were done and that you would never see him again!" She is screaming in her face.