You Broke Me First

Chapter 12

Tessa

I end falling asleep again in the arms of the man I want. I know he lied me and I don't know the truth yet, but I want him to be with me, no matter what. I need Hardin as much as I need to breath.

Later that night...

"Tess? Your phone is ringing." I feel his hand on my shoulder and I quickly wake up scared.

"Don't touch me!"

"Hey, it's okay. It's only me." I wraps my arms around him and he kisses my forehead.

"What happened?"

"Your phone is ringing for a while. It's your mother."

"Okay." I take the phone from him.

"I'm going to let you talk with her."

"No, stay."

"Alright."

Phone call

"Tessa! Where are you?!"

"Hi mum. I... I am with a friend. I'm going to stay overnight."

"Again with a friend, Tessa? You have a boyfriend, right?"

"Mom, can you stop talking, please?"

"Tessa, come home, now!"

"You know what?! I don't fucking care about you, mom. You never asked me how I'm feeling and now I'm feeling so bad and I don' want to talk with anyone. So fuck off!"

"Theresa! Don't you dare to..."

"Too late for this, mom." I say after I hand up on her.

"Are you ok? Why you talked like this with her?"

"Because she doesn't care about me. She always wants to know where I am, with who I am, what I'm doing and I'm done with this."

"Tess? You still don't want to go to police? He..."

"No! No! Don't talk about it, I don't want to go anywhere." I yell at him.

"But, Tess... He can't be free when he did this to you."

"Stop! I stayed here because I thought you were ok with what I said to you. I don't want to go to the police because I want you alive, ok!?"

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry, baby." He hugs me tighter and I start to cry in his arms. "It's ok, I'm here. I'm with you. Sleep, now. We will see what we'll do tomorrow, ok?"

"Thank you for being here." I hug him back and I fall asleep.

"I love you, Tessa." He says quietly.

Hardin

It's 5 a.m. and I'm drinking my coffee. Suddenly I hear Tessa screaming and I'm running to my bedroom to see what happened. I'm sure she had a nightmare. I enter in the bedroom and I see the sheets down and she's crying in sleep and she's squirming.

"Tess, baby. Wake up, wake up, love." I take her hand and start to rub it. She wakes up with tears in her eyes and scared. "It's ok, it was just a bad dream, baby. Come here." She comes to me and I hug her. I feel a wet spot on my t-shirt and I know she's crying. My heart is breaking in million pieces when I see her like this. I hope I'll convince her to go to the police to report Trevor. I can't believe that he's my fucking brother! How is this possible?!

"Don't leave me, please."

"I'm not going anywhere, love."

A few minutes later Tessa is feeling better, but she said that she prefer to lay on the bed.

"Hardin?"

"Yes?"

"Where were you yesterday? Why you weren't here?"

"I..." I can't tell her what I did yesterday. "I had something to do."

"You are lying. You can tell me if you were with her... I'm not mad."

"Don't interpretate the things, babe. I can't tell you..."

"Ok, it's ok. I think I should leave.

"No, no. I will tell you. I was at Seattle Independence Press. I talked with Anastasia about an interview for you..."

"You did what?"

"I promised you to do this and after what happened between us..."

"You shouldn't do that, Hardin."

"I promised you and I know to keep my promises." I kiss her cheek.

"Can you tell me everything about... Jules?"

"Tess, please, don't start with this now. You are too sensible to hear about my past and I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you again and you will hate me more."

"I can't hate someone more then I hate him..."

"I promise I'll tell you all the story, but not now."

"Ok... But please, tell me something."

"What?"

"You have a child with her?"

"No, no, no. You will know every detail later, ok?"

"Ok..." She breaths relieved like I just took a rock from her heart. "Thank you."

A few hours later...

"I should leave. It's already late..."

"Let me take you home. I don't want to let you alone."

"I think you have something good to do than to take me home."

"No, I don't. You are my..." I stop because I have no idea what are we now.

"Why did you stop?"

"Because I don't want to say a bullshit."

"What you wanted to say?"

"Girlfriend? You still want to be mine?"

"Of course I want this, but... You want me after he did to me?" She looks down and I can't believe she's asking me something like this.

"Of course I want you. I only want you, Tess." I take her in my arms and I kiss the top of her head.

"Thank you for letting me to stay here."

"The next time when you are coming here, I'll change the lock."

"Thank you..."

We leave my apartment and we walk to my car.

"Can we go with my car, please? I don't want to let it here."

"Yeah, sure." She gives the keys of her car and I drive to her house.

"Thank you, Hardin."

"No problem baby..." She smiles. "What?"

"I like when you call me baby... It's new."

"See you tomorrow?"

"I can't. My mother's boyfriend is coming for dinner."

"Then I think we will see at school."

"Yeah..."

"I can't believe you wanted to change my class."

"I was really pissed at you."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok babe. See you soon." I kiss her and we get out off the car. I'm not leaving until I see her entering in the house and closing the door.