Page 157
Story: After We Collided (After 2)
“If only trees were as pretty as flowers,” I remark.
He moves to stand in front of me. “They could be, if someone made them that way. Just the way we took ordinary flowers and turned them into this, the same could be done with a tree. If it was given the right type of attention and care, it could glow like these flowers, but be much stronger.” I stay silent as he brings his thumb to my cheek. “You deserve that type of attention. You deserve to be with someone who makes you glow, not who burns out your light.”
Then Zed leans in to kiss me.
I take a step back and smack into a row of flowers; thankfully none fall as I steady myself. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“You can’t what?” He raises his voice slightly. “Let me be the one to show you how happy you could be?”
“No . . . I can’t kiss you, not right now. I can’t go back and forth between the two of you. I was in your bed last night, then I kissed Hardin this morning, and now . . .”
“You kissed him?” He gapes, and I’m grateful for the room being dark except for the glow from the flowers.
“Well, he kissed me, but I let him before I pulled away,” I explain. “I’m confused, and until I know what I’m going to do, I can’t go around kissing everyone. It’s not right.”
He doesn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry if I’m leading you on or making you think—”
“It’s fine,” Zed says.
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have brought you into the middle of this until I could think straight.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who keeps coming around. I don’t mind being led on, as long as you’ll have me around. I know we could be good together, and I have all the time in the world to wait for you to see it, too,” he says and walks over to turn the light on.
How can he always be so understanding?
“I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me, you know?” I tell him and sling my bag over my shoulder.
“I would never hate you,” he says, and I smile.
“Thank you for showing me this—it’s incredible.”
“Thanks for coming. Let me at least walk you to class, though?” he offers with a smile.
BY THE TIME I get to the locker room to change and grab my mat, I arrive at yoga class only five minutes early. A tall brunette has taken my spot in the front, and I’m forced to sit in the back row closest to the door. I had planned on telling Zed that I’d never be able to feel the same way about him that I do about Hardin, that I was sorry for kissing him, and that we could only be friends, but he just kept saying all the right things. When he told me about Hardin being at Jace’s last night, it totally caught me off guard.
I always think I know what to do until Zed starts talking. The smoothness of his voice and the kindness behind his eyes always flusters me and messes with my thoughts.
I need to call Hardin when I get back to Landon’s and tell him about my lunch with Zed, and ask him why he was at Jace’s . . . I wonder what Hardin’s doing now? Did he go to classes at all today?
Yoga class was exactly what I needed to clear my head. When the class is dismissed, I feel much better. I roll up my mat and head out of the room, then suddenly hear “Tessa!” as I reach the locker room.
When I turn around, Hardin jogs up to meet me and runs his hands over his hair. “I, um . . . I wanted to talk to you about something . . .”
He sounds off, like he’s . . . nervous?
“Right now? I don’t think this is the place . . .” I don’t want to hash out all of our problems in the middle of the athletic building.
“No . . . it’s not that.” His voice is high-pitched. He’s nervous; this can’t be good. He’s never nervous.
“I was wondering . . . I don’t know . . . Never mind.” He flushes and turns around to walk away. I sigh and turn to go inside to change.
“Would you go out with me!” he yells . . . practically screams, really.
I can’t hide my surprise as I turn around. “What?”
“Like a date . . . you know, like, I could take you on a date? Only if you want to, of course, but it could be fun, maybe? I’m not sure, really, but I would . . .” He trails off, and I decide to end his humiliation as his cheeks flush a deep crimson.
“Sure,” I answer, and he looks down at me.
“Really?” His lips turn to a smile. A nervous smile.
“Yeah.” I don’t know how this will go, but he’s never asked me on a date before. The closest thing to a date was when he took me to the stream and then to eat afterward. But that was all a lie and it wasn’t an actual date. It was Hardin’s way of getting into my pants.
“Okay . . . When do you want to? I mean, we could go right now? Or tomorrow or later in the week?”
I don’t remember ever seeing him this nervous before; it’s adorable, and I try not to laugh. “Tomorrow?” I suggest.
“Yeah, tomorrow’s good.” He smiles and captures his bottom lip between his teeth. The air between us is awkward, but in a good way.
“Okay . . .”
I find myself feeling flustered, like I used to get the first few times I was around him.
“Okay,” he repeats.
He turns on his heel and walks away quickly, nearly tripping over a rolled-up wrestling mat. As I walk into the locker room, I burst into laughter.
Chapter one hundred
HARDIN
Landon startles, then huffs, “What are you doing here?” as I burst into my father’s office.
He moves to stand in front of me. “They could be, if someone made them that way. Just the way we took ordinary flowers and turned them into this, the same could be done with a tree. If it was given the right type of attention and care, it could glow like these flowers, but be much stronger.” I stay silent as he brings his thumb to my cheek. “You deserve that type of attention. You deserve to be with someone who makes you glow, not who burns out your light.”
Then Zed leans in to kiss me.
I take a step back and smack into a row of flowers; thankfully none fall as I steady myself. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“You can’t what?” He raises his voice slightly. “Let me be the one to show you how happy you could be?”
“No . . . I can’t kiss you, not right now. I can’t go back and forth between the two of you. I was in your bed last night, then I kissed Hardin this morning, and now . . .”
“You kissed him?” He gapes, and I’m grateful for the room being dark except for the glow from the flowers.
“Well, he kissed me, but I let him before I pulled away,” I explain. “I’m confused, and until I know what I’m going to do, I can’t go around kissing everyone. It’s not right.”
He doesn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry if I’m leading you on or making you think—”
“It’s fine,” Zed says.
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have brought you into the middle of this until I could think straight.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m the one who keeps coming around. I don’t mind being led on, as long as you’ll have me around. I know we could be good together, and I have all the time in the world to wait for you to see it, too,” he says and walks over to turn the light on.
How can he always be so understanding?
“I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me, you know?” I tell him and sling my bag over my shoulder.
“I would never hate you,” he says, and I smile.
“Thank you for showing me this—it’s incredible.”
“Thanks for coming. Let me at least walk you to class, though?” he offers with a smile.
BY THE TIME I get to the locker room to change and grab my mat, I arrive at yoga class only five minutes early. A tall brunette has taken my spot in the front, and I’m forced to sit in the back row closest to the door. I had planned on telling Zed that I’d never be able to feel the same way about him that I do about Hardin, that I was sorry for kissing him, and that we could only be friends, but he just kept saying all the right things. When he told me about Hardin being at Jace’s last night, it totally caught me off guard.
I always think I know what to do until Zed starts talking. The smoothness of his voice and the kindness behind his eyes always flusters me and messes with my thoughts.
I need to call Hardin when I get back to Landon’s and tell him about my lunch with Zed, and ask him why he was at Jace’s . . . I wonder what Hardin’s doing now? Did he go to classes at all today?
Yoga class was exactly what I needed to clear my head. When the class is dismissed, I feel much better. I roll up my mat and head out of the room, then suddenly hear “Tessa!” as I reach the locker room.
When I turn around, Hardin jogs up to meet me and runs his hands over his hair. “I, um . . . I wanted to talk to you about something . . .”
He sounds off, like he’s . . . nervous?
“Right now? I don’t think this is the place . . .” I don’t want to hash out all of our problems in the middle of the athletic building.
“No . . . it’s not that.” His voice is high-pitched. He’s nervous; this can’t be good. He’s never nervous.
“I was wondering . . . I don’t know . . . Never mind.” He flushes and turns around to walk away. I sigh and turn to go inside to change.
“Would you go out with me!” he yells . . . practically screams, really.
I can’t hide my surprise as I turn around. “What?”
“Like a date . . . you know, like, I could take you on a date? Only if you want to, of course, but it could be fun, maybe? I’m not sure, really, but I would . . .” He trails off, and I decide to end his humiliation as his cheeks flush a deep crimson.
“Sure,” I answer, and he looks down at me.
“Really?” His lips turn to a smile. A nervous smile.
“Yeah.” I don’t know how this will go, but he’s never asked me on a date before. The closest thing to a date was when he took me to the stream and then to eat afterward. But that was all a lie and it wasn’t an actual date. It was Hardin’s way of getting into my pants.
“Okay . . . When do you want to? I mean, we could go right now? Or tomorrow or later in the week?”
I don’t remember ever seeing him this nervous before; it’s adorable, and I try not to laugh. “Tomorrow?” I suggest.
“Yeah, tomorrow’s good.” He smiles and captures his bottom lip between his teeth. The air between us is awkward, but in a good way.
“Okay . . .”
I find myself feeling flustered, like I used to get the first few times I was around him.
“Okay,” he repeats.
He turns on his heel and walks away quickly, nearly tripping over a rolled-up wrestling mat. As I walk into the locker room, I burst into laughter.
Chapter one hundred
HARDIN
Landon startles, then huffs, “What are you doing here?” as I burst into my father’s office.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188