After (The After Series)

wear your dirty shirt because it smells good? That sounds strange and crazy. He
chuckles and picks the shirt off the floor and walks over to me.
“Here, babe,” he says and hands it to me. I am glad he didn’t embarrass me
further, but I still feel a little silly.
“Thanks,” I chirp and pull my own shirt off and remove my bra, then slip his
shirt on. I inhale and find it smells just as amazing as I knew it would.
Catching this, his eyes soften as he looks at me. “You are beautiful,” he says
and looks away. I get the feeling he didn’t mean to say the words out loud, which
makes my heart swell even more. I smile at him and take a step toward him.
“So are you.”
“Enough of that,” he says with a laugh as his cheeks flush. “What time do you
need to be up in the morning?” he asks and sits on the bed, browsing through the
channels.
“Five, but I will set my own alarm.”
“Five? Five in the morning? Your first class is at what, nine? Why do you get
up so early?”
“I don’t know, just to be prepared, I guess?” I rake the hairbrush through my
hair.
“Well, let’s get up at seven; my body doesn’t function before seven,” he tells
me and I groan. Hardin and I are so different.
“Six thirty?” I try to compromise.
“Fine, six thirty,” he agrees.
We spend the rest of the evening watching random television shows before
Hardin falls asleep with his head on my lap, my fingers running through his hair.
I slide down and lie next to him, trying not to wake him.

---

“Tess?” He groans and his hands move in front of him as if he is reaching for
me.
“Here,” I whisper from behind him. He turns to his other side and wraps his
arm around me before falling back to sleep. He says that he sleeps better when I
am around, and I think that’s true for me as well.
THE NEXT MORNING,
my alarm goes off at six thirty and I rush around to try
to put yesterday’s clothes on and get Hardin up and dressed. He’s so hard to
wake up. I feel flustered and unprepared, but we make it to my room by seven
fifteen, giving me plenty of time to change and brush my hair and teeth again.
Steph sleeps through it all, and I prevent Hardin from pouring a glass of water on
her head to wake her. I’m also really happy that Hardin doesn’t make any rude
comments as I pull on one of my long skirts and a plain blue shirt.
“See, it’s only eight; we have twenty minutes before we have to leave to walk
to the coffeehouse,” Hardin brags.
“We?”
“Yeah, I thought I would walk with you? If not, that’s cool, too,” he says and
looks away.
“Yeah, of course it’s fine.” I am just not used to whatever this is that has
changed between Hardin and me. It will be nice not to have to avoid him, or
worry about running into him. What will Landon think? Will we even tell
Landon?
“What should we do with our twenty minutes?” I smile.
“I have a few ideas.” His lips turn to a smirk and he pulls me onto him.
“Steph is here,” I remind him as he sucks the skin under my ear.
“I know, we are only kissing,” he says, laughing, and he presses his lips to
mine.
We leave before Steph wakes, and Hardin offers to carry my bag, which is a
nice but unexpected gesture.
“Where are your books?” I ask him.
“I don’t bring them. I just borrow one every day, in every class. Keeps me
from having to carry one of these,” he says and gestures to my bag on his
shoulder. I roll my eyes and laugh at him.
When we reach the coffeehouse Landon is leaning against the brick and seems
surprised to see Hardin and me together. I give him an “I will explain everything
later” look and he smiles.
“Well, I better get going, I have classes to sleep through,” Hardin says and I
nod. What should I do, hug him?

---

But before I can decide, he drops my bag and hooks his arm around my waist,
pulling me to his chest before kissing me. I didn’t see this coming. I kiss him
back and he releases me.
“See you later,” he says with a grin and looks at Landon. This couldn’t be
more awkward. Landon’s jaw is practically on the floor and I find myself
embarrassed by Hardin’s bold move.
“Um . . . sorry about that.” I don’t really care for public displays of affection.
Noah and I have never done anything like that, except when I tried to kiss him at
the mall to get Hardin off my mind.
“I have a lot to tell you,” I tell Landon, who picks up my bag.

---

chapter fifty-five
L
andon stays quiet during most of my explanation of my breakup with Noah
and my question about what to call my relationship with Hardin, since I think
we’re dating but we haven’t exactly discussed it with technical terms.
“I know I have already warned you, so I won’t do it again. But please just be
careful with him. Though I will admit he seems as infatuated with you as
someone like him can be,” Landon says as we take our seats.
It means a lot to me that despite his dislike of Hardin he is doing his best to be
understanding and supportive.
As I walk into my third class, my Sociology professor waves me over to his
podium.
“I just got a call that you should report to the chancellor’s office,” he tells me.