The songs for this chapter are:

Beautiful Disaster (piano version)- Kelly Clarkson

Turning Tables - Adele

Why- Jason Aldean

Tessa's POV.

"So that's basically the story of my life," Robert grins. His smile is warm and honest, almost child-like but in the most endearing way.

"That was..interesting." I reach for the wine bottle on the table and lift it to fill my glass. Nothing comes out.

"Liar," he teases and I burst into wine induced giggles. His life story was short and sweet. Not plain really, not exciting, just normal. He grew up with both parents, his mother is a school teacher, his father is the sheriff. After graduating from the community college two towns away, he decided to go to medical school. He's only working here now because he's on the waitlist to get into the medical program at University of Washington, that and he makes pretty good money working at the most expensive restaurant around.

"You should have went to WSU instead," I tell him and he shakes his head. He stands up from the table and puts his index finger in the air to pause our conversation. I sit back in the chair while I wait for him to return, I rest my head against the wooden chair and look up at the ceiling. The ceiling in this small section is painted with clouds, castles, and cherubs. The image directly above me is sleeping, pink stained cheeks, blonde curly hair atop her head.  Her small white wings lay almost flat in slumber. Next to her, a boy, I assume at least, stares at her, watching her with his black wings spread behind him.

Hardin.

"No way, even if I wanted to they don't offer the program I need. Plus the medical program is part of the main campus in Seattle, at WSU your Seattle campus is much smaller." Robert returns with a new bottle of wine in his hands.

"Have you been there? To the campus?" I ask him, eager to learn more about my new location. I'm even more eager to stop staring at creepy images of baby angels on the ceiling.

"Yeah only once, it's small but it's nice."

"I'm supposed to be there on Monday and I have no where to live," I laugh. I know my poor planning shouldn't be funny but right now it feels that way.

"This Monday? As in today is Thursday and Monday is in a few days?"

"Yep," I nod.

"What about the dorms?" He recommends. Living in the dorms never crossed my mind, not even once. I had assumed, well hoped that Hardin would be accompanying me so living in the dorms wasn't on my radar.

"I don't want to live on campus, especially now that I know how it feels to live on my own,"

"True, once you get a taste of freedom you can't go back,"

"So true, if Hardin went to Seattle.." I stop myself. "Never mind,"

"So were you guys planning on trying the long distance thing?"

"No, it would never work. The short distance thing doesn't even work for us," my chest begins to ache. I need to change the subject before I end up a blubbering mess. Blubbering, what a strange word.

"Blubbering," I repeat while pinching my lips between my thumb and index finger. 

"Entertaining yourself?" Robert smiles and I nod, still laughing. "I have to say, this is the most fun I've had at work in a while,"

"Me too," I agree. "Well if I worked here," I'm making no sense at all. "I don't drink often, well more now than I ever did before but not enough to have built a tolerance so I get drunk pret-ty fast," I sing, lifting my cup in front of my face.

"I'm the same, I'm not much of a drinker but when a beautiful girl is having a bad night I make an exception," he compliments then flushes terribly. "I just meant.. ahh," he covers his face with his hands, "I don't seem to have a filter around you,"

I reach across the table and lower his hands from his face, he flinches slightly and when he looks up at me his blue eyes are so clear.

"It's like I can tell what you're thinking," I say aloud without a thought.

"Maybe you can," he whispers in response and his tongue darts out to wet his lips.

I know he wants to kiss me, I can read it on his face. I can see it in his honest eyes. Hardin's eyes are so guarded all the time, I have to fight to be able to read him and even then I've never been able to read him the way I want to, I need to. I lean closer to him, the small table still between us as he does the same.

"If I didn't love him so much I would kiss you," I quietly say, not pulling back but not moving any closer. As drunk as I am and as angry at Hardin I am, I can't do it. I can't kiss him. I want to, but I can't.

The left corner of his mouth lifts into a crooked smile and he says, "and if I didn't know how much you love him, I would let you."

"Okay," I'm not sure what to say and I'm drunk and awkward and I don't know how to act around anyone other than Hardin, and Zed, but in a way those two are similar. Robert isn't like anyone I've ever met. Except Landon. Landon is sweet and kind and my mind is racing from the almost-kiss with someone who is not Hardin.

"I'm sorry," I sit back down on the chair and he does the same.

"Don't be, I would much rather you not kiss me than kiss me and regret it,"

"You're strange," I tell him. I wish I would have chosen a different word but it's too late now. "In a good way," I correct myself.

"So are you," he chuckles. "I thought you were going to be some snobby rich girl with no personality at all,"

"Well I'm surely not rich," I laugh.

"Or snobby," he adds.

"My personality isn't too bad," I shrug.

"It will do," he teases with a smile.

"You're awfully nice,"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," we banter back and forth, "Sorry, I know I sound like an idiot,"

He looks puzzled for a moment before he speaks, "You don't sound like an idiot. You don't have to keep apologizing,"

"What do you mean?" I ask. I'm vaguely aware that I have now picked apart the rim of the Styrofoam cup, small pieces of white litter the table in front of me.

"You keep apologizing for everything you say, you've said sorry at least ten times in the last hour. You haven't done anything wrong so you don't have to anything to apologize for." I'm embarrassed by his words but his eyes are so kind and his voice doesn't hold even a sliver of annoyance or judgment.

"I'm sorry," I say again. "See! I don't know why I do that," I smooth a loose lock of hair behind my ear.

"I can guess, but I won't. Just know that you shouldn't have to." He simply states.

I take a deep breath and let it out. It's relaxing to have a conversation with someone without worrying about upsetting them the entire time.

"Anyway, tell me more about your new internship in Seattle." He says and I'm thankful for the subject change.

Hardin's POV.

"Where are you going? Karen calls after me as I retreat down the stairs and walk past her.

"Where do you think I am going?" I ask, tossing my hands in the air out of frustration.

"I don't mean to butt in Hardin but don't you think you should leave her be.. for once? I really don't want to upset you but I don't think anything good will come out of you going down there and causing a scene with Tessa. I know you want to see her but.."

"You don't know anything," I snap, silencing my father's wife.

"I'm sorry Hardin but I think you need to leave her be for tonight."

"Why? So she can fucking cheat on me? He's probably already putting the moves on her," frustrated fingers tug at the roots of my hair. She's already had two glasses, two and a half glasses to be exact, at dinner and lord knows she can't handle alcohol.

"If that's what you think of her.." Karen begins but stops herself. "Never mind, go on then." she looks at Max's wife once before they walk up the porch steps. "Be careful dear," Karen forces a smile to me and adjusts her knee-length dress.

"Yeah.." I continue my original plan on going to the restaurant. I will drag Tessa out of there, not literally of course but she will come with me. This whole thing is bullshit, all because I forgot to put on a fucking condom. That's what started this whole spiraling mess we're in. I could have called Sandra and backtracked on the apartment shit or I could have found Tessa another place to live.. that wouldn't work either. Seattle can't happen. It's taking longer to convince Tessa than I imagined it would and now it's all even more complicated.

I'm still pretty shocked that she didn't get out of the car with Karen and whatever Lillian's mum's name is. I was positive that she would be upset and ready to talk to me. It's the waiter's influence on her, why else would she stay there instead of coming with me?

I need to collect my thoughts for a minute so I stop and sit down on one of the large rocks decorating the yard. Maybe barging in there isn't the best idea. Maybe I should get Landon to go inside and get her. She listens to him much more than she does me. I curse at my stupid idea because I know he won't go for it. He will take his mum's side and tell me to leave her alone.

I can't though. Sitting on this cold ass rock for twenty minutes has made it worse, not better. All I can think about is the way she stepped back away from me on the deck and how she was laughing so carelessly with him.

What will I say to her? He seems like the kind of asshole who will try to stop me from making her leave. I won't have to hit him, if I yell enough she will come with me without a fight. I hope. She hasn't done what I predicted so far tonight.

This is all so juvenile, my behavior, my manipulation of her feelings. I know it, I just don't know what to do about it. I love her, fuck do I love that girl but I'm running out of ways to keep her close to me.

In reality it seems like you have her trapped and that's why she won't leave you, not because she loves you, because you have made her feel that she can't be without you.

Lillian's words play like a broken record through my mind as I reach the end of the driveway. It's cold as fuck outside now and this stupid shirt is too thin. Tessa didn't bring a jacket to dinner with her and that dress.. that dress, is small and she will be cold. I should probably grab her a jacket before I show up and force her to leave. What if he offers her his jacket? Jealousy courses through me and I ball my fists at the thought.

in reality it seems like you have her trapped and that's why she won't leave you, not because she loves you, because you have made her feel that she can't be without you.

Fucking Tessa number two and her bullshit psychotherapy. She doesn't even know what she's talking about. Tessa does love me. I see it in her gray eyes every time she looks at me, I feel it on her fingertips as she traces over the ink stained on my skin, I feel it when her lips touch mine. I know the difference between love and being trapped.

I swallow the slight panic that threatens again, she loves me. She does. Tessa loves me. If she didn't, I wouldn't know how to handle it. I couldn't. I couldn't live without her, not because I don't love her but because I need her. I  need her to love me and be there for me. I have never let anyone get as close to me as she has, she's the only person that I know will always love me unconditionally. Even my mum gets sick of my shit sometimes but Tessa always forgives me and no matter what I do she's always there for me when I need her. That stubborn, obnoxious, uncompromising girl is my entire world.

"What are you doing creep?"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I groan and turn around to find Riley walking down the driveway of Max's cabin. I need to be paying more attention, I didn't even notice her coming toward me.

"You're the one out here stalking the damn driveway." She fires back.

"Where is Lillian?"

"Not your concern, where is Tessa?" She smirks. Lillian must have told her about our fight. Lovely.

"Not your concern, why are you out here?" Riley clearly has an attitude problem.

"Why are you?"

"Do you have to be such a bitch?"

"Yeah I do actually." She nods. I figured she would chew my head off for calling her a bitch but she doesn't seem to mind, I'm sure she knows she is. "And I'm out here because Lillian just fell asleep and between her dad, your dad, and your dorky ass brother I'm ready to puke."

"So what, you're going to walk around in the dark in the middle of February?"

"Yeah, I'm wearing a coat." She tugs at the bottom of her coat to prove her point. "I'm going to find that bar I passed while driving up here."

"Why don't you drive then?"

"Do I look like someone who wants to spend their weekend in jail?" She scoffs, walking past me. "Where are you going?" She looks back but doesn't stop walking.

"To get Tessa, she's hanging out with.. never mind." I'm sick of telling people my fucking business.

"You're an asshole for not telling her that Lil is gay."

"Of course she told you." I scowl.

"She tells me everything. That was a major dick move."

"It's a long story."

"You won't move to Seattle with Tessa and now she's probably giving that blonde dude a blow job in the bathroom of.." She flips her hair over her shoulder.

"Shut the fuck up. Now." I step toward her, anger boiling in my veins. "Don't you fucking dare say shit like that to me." I have to remember that even though she has a mouth like mine, she's still a female and I can't take this too far.

"You don't like it do you? You will be best to remember that next time you make some snarky ass comment about fucking my girlfriend."

My breathing falters, deep and out of control. I can't stop thinking about Tessa's full lips touching him. I tug at my hair again and turn in a circle.

"It's driving you crazy isn't it? Her being with him?"

"You really need to stop taunting me." I warn her and she shrugs.

"I know it is. Look, I probably shouldn't have said that but you were a dick first remember?" I don't respond to her and she continues, "Let's call a truce here. I'll buy you a drink and you can cry over Tessa while I brag about how good Lillian is with her tongue," she tugs at my sleeve and tries to drag me across the street. I can see the cheesy multicolored lantern lights on top of the tin roof of the small bar from here.

"I need to get Tessa." I jerk my arm away from her.

"One drink and I'll come with you to drag her out." Riley's words mimic my thoughts from a few minutes ago.

"Why? Why do you want to hang out with me?" I make eye contact with her and she shrugs again.

"I don't really, but I'm bored and you're out here. Besides Lil seems to care about you for some reason that I don't get," she runs her eyes up and down my body. "I really don't get it, but she likes you, as a friend," the girl puts as much emphasis on the word friend as possible. "So yeah, I would like to impress her by pretending that I give  shit about your doomed relationship."

"Doomed?" I begin to follow her down the road.

"Out of all the shit that I just said you chose that to comment on?" She shakes her head. "You're worse than me." She laughs and I stay quiet. How can she think we are doomed when she doesn't even know me, know us?

We aren't doomed.

I know we aren't. I'm damned but she's not. She will save me, she always does. We can't be doomed.

"Are you coming?" Riley interjects.

"Yeah, one drink then we get Tessa." I shouldn't have any drinks but I have a feeling I have one hell of a night ahead of me. One drink won't hurt.

The obnoxious girl grabs ahold of my shirt again and leads me down the road. I'm too busy thinking of what I'm going to say to Tessa to push her off.

( Kylie Bunbury is Rylie for those of you asking. And I can't help but picture Karen as Laura Leighton, sometimes I picture her as the actual Karen Payne but most of the time it's Laura so you can do whichever is best for you! Thank you so much for 9 million now! And all your comments ,votes, inboxes. I have been getting a lot of inbox messages asking me about the wattys and if I'm entering. I can't enter After into them because it's rated R, I would love to but I just can't :/ Thanks for the support though and all of you telling me that I should, it means a lot to me! If you have your own story you should enter it! I wish you the best of luck! it's late so yet again I apologize for typos. I guess I should stop doing that because they are a norm hah. If you have any song suggestions for me leave them below! I'm going to stop now before this gets any longer :) ! I love you all! xo)