After We Fell by Anna Todd Read Free Book Online Page B

long . . .”
    â€œIs that a problem for you? We’ve been seeing each other too long?” I finally meet his green eyes.
    â€œNo, Tessa, it’s just odd to think about, I guess. I’ve never been in an actual relationship, so six months is a long time.”
    â€œWell, we haven’t been dating the entire time. Most of it was spent fighting or avoiding one another,” I remind him.
    â€œHow long, exactly, were you with Noah?”
    His question surprises me. We’ve had a few talks regarding my relationship with Noah, but they usually last less than five minutes, ending abruptly because of Hardin’s jealousy.
    â€œWe were best friends since I can remember, but only started dating halfway through high school. I think we’d basically been dating before then but we just didn’t realize it.” I watch Hardin with careful eyes, waiting for a reaction.
    Talking about Noah makes me miss him—not in a romantic way, but in that way you miss your family after not seeing them for an extended period.
    â€œOh.” He rests his hands in his lap, making me want to reach across and hold them. “Did you fight?”
    â€œSometimes. Our fights were over things like what movie to watch, or him being late to pick me up.”
    He doesn’t look up from his hands. “Not like we fight, then?”
    â€œI don’t think anyone fights like we do.” I smile in an attempt to reassure him.
    â€œWhat else did you do? With him, I mean,” he says, and I swear that sitting in Hardin’s place on the bed there is now a small child, green eyes bright, hands nearly shaking.
    I give a gentle shrug. “We didn’t do much, really, outside of studying and watching hundreds of movies. We were more like best friends, I guess.”
    â€œYou loved him,” the child reminds me.
    â€œNot the way that I love you,” I tell him, just like I have countless times before.
    â€œWould you have given up Seattle for him?” He picks at the rough skin around his fingernails. When he looks at me, his insecurity shines through his eyes.
    So this is why we’re talking about Noah: Hardin’s low self-esteem has once again taken his thoughts there, to that place where he compares himself to whatever or whomever he thinks that I need.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy not?” I reach for his hand to comfort the childlike worry inside of him.
    â€œBecause I shouldn’t have to choose at all, and he always knew about my plans and dreams, so I wouldn’t have had to choose.”
    â€œI don’t have anything in Seattle.” He sighs.
    â€œMe . . . you’d have me.”
    â€œThat’s not enough.”
    Oh . . . I turn away from him.
    â€œI know that’s fucked up, but it’s true. I have nothing there, and you’ll have this new job, and you’ll make new friends—”
    â€œYou’d have a new job, too. Christian said he’d give you a job—and we would make new friends together.”
    â€œI don’t want to work for him—and the people you’d choose as friends are more than likely not going to be the same people I would choose. It would just be so different out there.”
    â€œYou don’t know that. I’m friends with Steph.”
    â€œOnly because you were roommates. I don’t want to move there, Tessa, especially now that I’ve been expelled. It makes more sense for me to just go back to England and finish university there.”
    â€œThis shouldn’t only be about what makes sense for you.”
    â€œConsidering that you went behind my back and saw Zed yet again, you aren’t exactly in any position to be calling the shots.”
    â€œReally? Because you and I haven’t even established that we’re together again. I agreed to move back in, and you agreed to treat me better.” I stand up from the bed and begin to pace across the concrete