Chapter 78

Tessa’s POV

In just seconds, my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Joseph stared at me like I was nothing more than a bug.

“Move out?” I managed to ask, my voice becoming way softer than I wanted it to.

“Now that the city is cleared from new vampires, I don’t see a point in you staying here any longer,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “Plus, considering I’m your professor, it’s probably better if you didn’t live with me for much longer.”

My entire body was numb, and I couldn’t find the words to say.

He sighed.

“We knew this wasn’t permanent,” he said, his tone a little softer. “I took the liberty of searching for some apartments close to the school. A real estate agent was also contacted and will be arriving in a few hours to take you to these locations so you can see them in person. But I left the pictures and important documents you’ll need for the agent on the kitchen counter.”

I managed a head nod.

He looked at me for a moment longer before turning away and leaving.

This time, I let him.

I was holding back the tears, but as soon as he left my room, tears began to evenly spread across my features. I bit onto my bottom lip to keep from sobbing, but a few sobs escaped my lips.

I sat on my bed and buried my face in my hands.

What the hell just happened?

Was he seriously kicking me out?

Was the kiss yesterday just an accident? Something he wanted to forget right now?

My heart hurt so much that I thought it was going to explode. I just wanted to escape from this reality. Maybe if we didn’t kiss then things wouldn’t be so weird between us now.

I was embarrassed and stood up so I could take a shower.

I just wanted to wash the memories and this feeling out of my mind and heart.

The shower felt nice, but it didn’t numb the pain I felt.

I dressed in a simple pair of jeans that Ruby liked, saying it shows off my butt nicely. I put on a loose-fitted blouse and brushed my wet hair into a ponytail.

I quietly made my way downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Miss Tessa,” the grocery shopper said with a pleasant smile.

She had a notebook and pen in hand, so I knew she was making her grocery list.

“Good morning,” I said, forcing a smile, though it pained me.

“I’m just making a grocery list. Any special requests?”

Her questions broke my heart because I wasn’t going to be here to enjoy any of her groceries. Making a request would be pointless.

“No, that’s okay,” I said to her, going toward the counter where I saw a folder, I was assuming was the apartment stuff that Joseph had mentioned.

“I can add pop-tarts if you’d like,” she said with a wink.

I smiled at her kindness.

“It’s honestly fine,” I told her. “I think I’m going to be moving soon anyway.”

She frowned.

“Did you and Mr. Evergreen have a fight?” She asked.

I didn’t really tell her much about my relationship with Joseph and like the cleaner and the gardener, the grocery shopper only came during the day when Joseph was asleep. She’s only met him a couple of times, so I doubt he told her anything about my stay here.

I wasn’t really sure what to say.

“No,” I told her. “But he’s my professor and staying here wouldn’t be appropriate. He was just helping me while I was in between homes. But I think my search is over,” I told her, waving the envelope in my hand.

She nodded with understanding in her eyes.

“I’m going to miss having someone to talk to here,” she said.

“You are only here for like 20 minutes,” I laughed.

She smiled.

“Yes, but that 20 minutes in this big house gets lonely. Not to mention a little awkward.”

We both chuckled.

We were interrupted by someone knocking on the front door and a tight knot formed in my stomach. I knew it had to be the realtor. It was around the time Joseph mentioned they would be arriving.

I said goodbye to the shopper as I made my way through the living room and to the front door. A petite woman stood at the doorway with long brown hair and brown eyes. She looked about middle-aged, and she wore a dark pantsuit and blazer with a golden tag that read the name: Claire.

Her bright smile put my mind at ease, at least for now. She had a kind aura, and I somehow knew right away that she was easy to get along with.

“Are you Tessa?” The woman asked.

I managed to nod my head and she held out her hand for me to shake.

“I’m Claire, the realtor that Mr. Evergreen called. It’s so very nice to meet you,” she said, her smile widening.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said, trying to remain as calm as I could, but was still so hurt that Joseph wanted me gone.

“Mr. Evergreen mentioned that he printed some photos of the apartments I’m about to show you. Did you get a chance to look at them?” She asked, stepping into the house.

“Not yet. I just found the folder,” I told her, holding the folder firmly in my hands.

“That’s quite all right,” she said, taking the folder from me. “You can look at them in the car. We will get going in a moment, I just need to make sure I have all the paperwork needed.”

She flipped through the folder for a moment, taking a pen out of her bag and she signed a few of them. Then she flipped the papers over to face me.

“I’m just going to have you sign this contract,” she said, handing me the pen. “It’s basic stuff that I already went over with Mr. Evergreen. It’s required before I’m able to take a commission for any sales made. It also gives me permission to take you around the city to look at apartments.”

I nodded and signed the contract before handing it back to her. She folded it neatly and placed it in her bag before handing me the folder back.

“Like I said, you can take a look at the apartments while we drive to the first location. It’s about 30 minutes from here, but right near the college you attend,” she said with a fond smile, motioning for me to follow her.

I knew I’d be returning here later, but I couldn’t help but stare around the living room I had once come to know and love. I was going to truly miss it here.

I was going to truly miss Joseph, but I didn’t think he was going to miss me and that broke my heart even more.

Did I really mean this little to him?

I got into Claire’s car, and we drove for about 30 minutes before we got to the first apartment.

It had a modern look and was quite spacious. It had a washer and dryer in the unit, a large bathroom, and two bedrooms. There is a full kitchen with granite countertops and large windows that overlook the city.

It was quite pretty and perfectly in my price range.

I wanted to see some other options though.

The other apartment we went to was only a couple minutes away from that one. It also had a washer and dryer in the unit with a large bathroom and only one bedroom. It had a smaller living room than the other apartment and the kitchen was also a little smaller. But it had a kitchen island to make up for the lack of counter space. The floors were wooden which matched the brown wallpaper. It also had large windows that overlooked the city. Also, perfectly in my price range.

The third apartment we went to was even closer to the school and about 5 minutes away from the last apartment. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bathrooms were connected to a bedroom, so each room had Its own bathroom. Though the bedrooms were on the smaller side, it made up for it with the large living space and the big kitchen, which also had an island for additional counter space.

This apartment also had a decent-sized balcony with large windows that overlooked the city. I realized quickly that it also overlooked the school, and I was amazed at how close I was to the school.

I’ll definitely be able to walk to school without a problem.

Upon further look, I realized that I had the perfect view of the teacher offices on the top floor of the school and almost directly across from a window, I could see the window that belonged to Joseph’s office.

My heart skipped a beat.

“This apartment is beautiful,” I breathed, turning to Claire. “I think I made up my mind.”

She smiled, pleased.

“That’s great news,” she exclaimed. “It’s a great choice. Mr. Evergreen already convinced the sellers to sell it at a lower price than listed. He spent a lot of time last night calling each seller of all these locations.”

My eyes widened.

“He did?”

She nodded.

“Yes. Your boyfriend must love you a lot.”