Chapter 93 (1/2)

“It’s true, I do. I know you won’t believe me, but I do. I love you.” His eyes brim with tears. His lips press in a hard line and he covers his face with his hands. He takes a step back, then another forward, and when he takes his hands away, his green eyes appear sincere, full of panic.

Hardin . . . he’s a better actor than I thought. I can’t believe he is doing this in front of everyone.

I shove him backward and open the car door, locking it before Hardin regains his balance. As Landon drives off, Hardin bangs his hands against the window, and I put my hands over my face so he doesn’t see me cry.

Chapter sixty-one

After I finally stop sobbing, Landon quietly asks, “Did I hear him say that he loves you?”

“Yeah . . . I don’t know . . . He was just trying to cause a scene or something,” I say, and almost start crying again.

“Do you think . . . don’t get mad at me . . . but do you think that maybe he does? You know, love you?”

“What? Of course not. I am not even sure if he even likes me. I mean, when we’re alone he is so different, and I think maybe he does care about me. But I know he doesn’t love me. He isn’t capable of loving anyone other than himself,” I explain.

“I’m on your side, Tessa, I am,” Landon replies. “But the look on his face as we drove away, he looked heartbroken. And you can’t be heartbroken if you aren’t in love.”

That can’t be true. I felt my heart shatter when he kissed Molly, but I don’t love him.

“Do you love him?” he asks simply.

My voice comes out strained and my words too quick. “No. I don’t love him . . . he is . . . well . . . he’s a jerk. I have known him less than two months, and half of that . . . actually all of that time we have spent fighting. You can’t love someone you only met two months ago. Besides, he’s a jerk.”

“You already said that,” Landon says and I notice the hint of a smile on his lips as he tries to keep his expression neutral.

I don’t like the pressure that I feel in my chest as we talk about me loving Hardin. It makes me feel nauseous and the space in the car feels much smaller. I roll down the window a crack and lean my head against it, feeling the little stream of air slip across me.