After

The next day, Tessa works on the greenhouse with Karen and convinces Hardin to hang out with his father in the meantime. Karen and Ken are surprised and excited when they hear Hardin will stay for the day.

Tessa can’t believe how drastically her and Hardin’s dynamic has changed in just a day. She enjoys time with Karen in the greenhouse, and Hardin sweetly tells her he missed her when they come inside. Before Tessa can stop him, he follows her as she heads to the bathroom for a shower.

Tessa is still reluctant to shower with Hardin, feeling that it’s too intimate, but he convinces her to join him. He asks her if she loves him in the same way she loved Noah, and she tries to explain that her love for Noah was more of a friendship that developed over time; he was like family to her. However, her love for Hardin is “raw and exciting” (389). Hardin is sweet and playful in the shower, and Tessa gives him a hand job, loving the way she can make him feel as good as he makes her feel.

Tessa is embarrassed when they both come downstairs with wet hair, but Karen and Ken don’t seem to mind, unlike the way Tessa knows her mother would react. At dinner, Hardin catches everyone off guard by asking what he should wear to the wedding, but later, he storms out of the room as his father brings up a memory from Hardin’s childhood that only reminds Hardin of his father’s alcoholism and cruelty. Even though his father has clearly changed from the man Hardin remembers, Hardin still hasn’t forgiven him.  

Tessa finds Hardin upstairs angrily breaking the things in his room. Instead of scolding him, she helps him further destroy an already broken keyboard and tells him he’s completely justified in his feelings. They kiss forcefully, and Tessa feels a surge of happiness that she is what Hardin needs, his “distraction” (395). Hardin’s anger abated, they settle on the bed and fall asleep watching a movie. In the morning, Hardin tells Tessa he has things he needs to do that day, and she feels worried when she senses the distance in his voice. Things between them have been going well all weekend, and she doesn’t want their dynamic to change. 

When it starts to get late and she hasn’t heard anything from Hardin, Tessa goes out to find something to eat. The only place open is more of a bar than a restaurant, and to her surprise, Tessa sees Zed and Nate there. Hardin, Molly, Steph, and Tristan soon walk in to join them, and Tessa is hurt when Hardin doesn’t acknowledge her in any special way. When Tessa starts to leave, Hardin surprises everyone by asking if she’s going to kiss him goodnight. He leaves the restaurant with Tessa, and when they get back to Tessa’s dorm, her mother is standing in front of the door. 

Tessa’s mother confronts her about her breakup with Noah, which she just learned about from Noah’s mom. She calls Hardin a “freak” (407) and yells at Tessa about endangering her future by being with him. Tessa screams at her mother, defending Hardin, and her mother threatens to stop helping Tessa pay for college, particularly living in the dorms. When she storms away, Hardin proposes they move in together, but Tessa knows that it’s way too soon for them to take that step.

Hardin spends the night with Tessa, and she gets up early to prepare for the first day of her Vance internship. Hardin fingers her before she leaves, and when Tessa sees herself in the mirror, she sees a “wild” and “sexy” side of herself she hasn’t recognized before (413). At Vance, Tessa can’t believe how much of a dream her internship is. She has her own office, gets to read manuscripts, and will earn $200 a week with the possibility of a raise after a few months. She learns from Mr. Vance that Hardin used to work there as an intern, but he went to work for a different publishing company when they offered higher pay and the flexibility to work from home. 

Vance lets her go early on her first day, and Tessa stops at the mall to buy a few more work outfits. She also buys some lingerie, wanting to have something different than her usual black or white underwear. When she gets back to campus, she asks Hardin why he never told her he used to work at Vance, or that he has a job now with Bolthouse, another publishing house. He doesn’t give a specific reason, only saying that he makes time to work when they aren’t together. When Tessa presses for more information, he snaps at her for asking too many questions. Trying to diffuse the tension, Tessa stays quiet, then leaves to take a shower. By the time she gets back, Hardin is gone. 

Tessa feels annoyed at Hardin but tries to trust that he’s not with Molly. She wakes up during the night when a drunk Hardin stumbles into her room. Tessa recognizes that Hardin doesn’t drink for fun; he drinks when has a reason to, such as when he’s upset or hurt. He says he left because she was being annoying and calls her a “control freak” (423), yet he also says he wants to move in together, so much so that he looked into an apartment off campus. Tessa goes from anger at him one moment to taking off her shirt for him the next. The sight of Tessa in her new underwear arouses Hardin, and things heat up physically. Tessa tells Hardin she wants to have sex; he repeatedly asks if she’s sure, saying, “I have to tell you something” (427), but she cuts him off, assuring him this is what she wants.

During sex, Tessa tries to suppress the pain and discomfort she feels and decides that feeling such closeness with Hardin is worth it. Hardin asks if she’s ok and assures her that they can stop if she wants to. Afterward, he tells her that even though he’s had sex before, this time was different because, “It is a completely different experience when you love the person” (432). Tessa pushes thoughts of the other girls he’s been with out of her mind and reminds herself that she is the only person he’s ever loved.

As Hardin strips the bloody sheets from the bed and leaves to dispose of them, Tessa looks in the mirror and sees the slightest of changes in her reflection; when Hardin comes back, she sees a small change in him, too. They are both altered by their intimacy. Hardin brings up the topic of living together again, and Tessa still hesitates; she had always planned to be married before living with a man. She had an entire plan for her life before she met Hardin, but being with him means her future is, “constantly changing and shifting” (436).