The past couple of days had been a blur for Tessa. By day she was a waitress at the same place she bartended, but at night. At night she was always looking for a mysterious vampire that had captured her attention. The things she witnessed that night at Silver Moon kept playing in her head. She didn't know the girl that died that night, but she never heard about it in the local news either, which seemed strange to her. She came to Falls Hollow two years ago, the name intrigued her after seeing it written down on some paperwork Lucas had been working on. The name had stuck with her, and she just felt like she needed to go and explore, she took a little trip with Jax and never left. It had been the day after Cassie had been buried and it was the same night that she slept with Jax. She never meant for it to happen, she always knew that Jax had feelings for her, and she didn't want to hurt him. He was her
best friend, her confidant, he was a brother to her, and she regretted deeply having crossed that line with him. That day they walked the cobblestone streets in the town square, visited shops, and got something to eat at the place where she now works. They were walking, ready to call it a day and head back when she saw the for-rent sign on the window of the apartment she currently lives in. They toured the place, and Tessa instantly fell in love, she signed a contract and handed over a year's worth of rent to the landlord and never went back to her home with Lucas. Jax had tried to get to leave, to convince her that things could work out between Lucas and her. She didn't want to work it out, the pain of losing Cassie while she was with him hurt too much. She knew accidents happened, that's what the police had said, it was a horrible accident, Mrs. Monroe. Call it a mother's intuition or call it a woman's sixth sense, but she felt like something was being kept from her. That night at her new apartment she called Lucas and let him know that she wasn't coming home ever, she let him know that she was moving on and didn't love him anymore. She let him know that the loss of Cassie cemented the demise of an already broken relationship. Tessa let him know that she was grateful to have met him, that she meant everything she ever said to him, that their relationship had been beautiful and the most precious gift he ever gave her was Cassie. The only thing that Lucas said to her that night was that she could contact Mr. Duval, the family lawyer, if she ever needed anything. He would also be informing Mr. Duval to start divorce paperwork. He hung up the phone and Tessa felt her heart breaking all over again. She cried that night, well into the morning hours. She cried for the little girl that she once was, the foolish teenager that fell for the boy next door, for the young woman who walked down the aisle to the man of her dreams. She cried for Tessa that was a mom and now had to learn not to be, she cried for the baby girl with the blonde curls and cute smile that would never see another day. Jax was there to see her at her worst, he was there as a friend, as a confidant. He rubbed her back and let her cry, what were once comforting touches became touches of affection between them. She wasn't sure what came over her, but she knew that once this line was crossed, they could never turn back. Jax was an incredible lover, he made sure she was okay, he was thoughtful and caring, putting her needs before his. They kissed, they touched, they explored, they found new heights with each other and continued to push the boundaries. But once they had reached the pinnacle of all summits, when their breathing evened out, when she finally felt the magnitude of it all. She cried again, a new Tessa had been born and Jax was there to witness it. Jax, the kid that pulled her hair, that brought her soup when sick and her favorite chocolates and heating pad when she was going through her monthly woman things. Jax, who stepped aside and shoved his feelings down to the darkest part of him so that Lucas and she could not feel guilty about their feelings. Jax, the loyal friend, the one that never complained, got up the next morning and bought breakfast like nothing had happened between them. Jax, who started kissing the top of her head since that day and Tessa, who started kissing right over his heart. Let days and nights come and go, they never spoke of that day, but Tessa understood that Jax was giving her time. He was allowing her to process everything that had happened, regardless of whether they pursued things romantically. He was giving her the space she needed to heal, which was more than she could have ever asked of him. "You alright hon? You have been staring at nothing for the past 10 minutes now?" She turned to look at Nancy, her manager, and wasn't sure what to say. "I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." She smiled politely and checked the drink tickets. She rushed to get the drinks ready before patrons started getting upset by the delay, and as she scooped up some ice, she felt tension again. She broke out in goosebumps and slowly scanned the bar. She didn't see anything unusual, no one new customers had come into the restaurant. She continued making drinks and ringing the bell for servers to come get the drinks for customers at tables. She turned to look at the ticket counter and noticed a flash of movement coming from outside the window. She looked up and didn't see anyone standing there. The hours ticked by customers came and went, drinks were made and some were spilled. Closing time came, she grabbed her things, said bye to Nancy and headed out to walk home. The night was crisp, fall was nearing, which made some nights a little bit chillier than others. She was nearing her home when she saw a shadow near her building. She reached into her pocket and got the pepper spray ready; she always carried it just in case. She was cautious as she approached, from where she was, she could tell it was the shape of a man, but who, she wasn't sure. She started walking slowly towards her building, her senses were heightened, and she was starting to double think turning around when all a sudden she heard a cat screech out of nowhere, she turned around and saw a cat running out of a nearby business being chased by some neighborhood kids. They were laughing and taunting the cat as they chased it down the block, she took a moment to steady her breathing and turned back towards her apartment, but the shadow was gone.