He's Nothing To Me
HARDIN’S POV
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I felt like I could breathe again.
But only for a second.
Only until I looked at Ariana—and realized that my hands were still clenched into fists. My jaw was still locked. And the pounding in my head hadn’t let up once since that smug bastard walked in like he had any right to be here.
I turned back to her slowly, dragging in a breath through my nose.
She was standing now, arms crossed tight over her chest. Not in defiance. Not in defense.
In restraint.
She was holding herself together the same way I was.
Barely.
“I’m sorry,” I said, voice rough. “About that. I just... I didn’t like seeing him after what happened at the hospital.”
Ariana looked up at me, expression unreadable. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” I said instantly. “He shouldn’t have come. Not unannounced. Not after what happened today. And definitely not walking in here like he—”
“I said it’s okay,” she repeated, gentler this time.
But that didn’t settle the storm inside me.
It only made me more aware of it.
More aware of how close I’d come to losing it completely.
I stepped forward, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
She let out a breath, the kind that was equal parts tired and cautious. “Hardin, he’s an old friend. He doesn’t mean anything.”
“That’s not how he looked at you.”
“Well, that’s not my fault, is it?”
I froze.
She hadn’t meant it as a jab. I could hear that in her tone. But still, the words hit harder than they should’ve. Because she was right.
It wasn’t her fault.
It wasn’t her fault she had a past. It wasn’t her fault people cared about her. It wasn’t her fault some arrogant asshole still thought he had a claim on her.
But damn it—I felt like it was mine. Like it was my responsibility to keep that past from colliding with her present.
I exhaled through clenched teeth.
“I know,” I muttered. “I know it’s not. I just… I can’t stand the thought of anyone thinking they can just walk back into your life and act like you belong to them.”
Her lips parted slightly.
But she didn’t argue.
She just stepped forward and reached for my hand, lacing her fingers through mine like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And somehow—somehow—my pulse finally slowed.
“I’m with you,” she said quietly. “You know that, right?”
I looked down at our hands, at the way hers fit into mine like they were carved for each other.
“I know.”
But still, I wasn’t okay.
Not really.
Because the image of that bastard kneeling in front of her like she was still his to worry about was going to live in my head for a long damn time.
She touched my chest then, right over my heart.
“I didn’t ask him to come. I didn’t even know he’d see the news and come running. But I promise—he doesn’t matter. Not like that. He’s just a friend, Hardin. A distant friend.”
My voice was lower now. “He didn’t look distant.”
“Then that’s his problem, not mine.”
She held my gaze, her expression full of the kind of quiet strength that had always drawn me to her.
And God help me—I believed her.
I still hated that man.
But I believed her.
Before I could respond, a knock came at the door. Three sharp raps.
Ariana turned, a crease forming between her brows.
“It must be Ronny’s guys,” I said, already walking toward it.
When I opened the door, the hallway was lined with three men dressed in dark clothes and grim expressions—military, or close to it. Ronny didn’t mess around, and it showed.
The one in front gave a curt nod. “Hardin.”
“This is Ariana Miller,” I said, stepping aside so they could see her. “She’s the principal. You don’t leave her side unless she’s in a locked room. If someone even breathes suspiciously near her, I want to know about it.”
They nodded in sync.
“Yes, sir.”
Ariana looked at me from behind them, brows raised. “You make me sound like the president.”
“Not the president,” I said. “More important.”
That earned me a look.
But not a sarcastic one.
A soft one.
The kind that curled into your ribs and stayed there.
I turned back to the men. “You’ll stay outside the office until she leaves. Then two of you will accompany her wherever she’s headed. One remains behind to sweep any location she visits. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
I shut the door gently.
When I turned back around, Ariana was giving me a look I’d never seen before.
Something between amusement and awe.
“You really weren’t kidding about playing bodyguard,” she said.
I shrugged. “Told you. Fire me if you don’t like it.”
“I’d have to be insane to fire the one man in my life who actually takes my safety more seriously than I do.”
I paused.
Those words settled in my chest, slow and heavy.
Not just a man.
The man.
The one who had seen her break.
The one who refused to let her fall.
I took a step toward her and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I know I can’t make you bulletproof, Ariana. I know I can’t erase your past. But I swear to God—I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you breathing.”
She reached up and held my wrist gently. “I know.”
I let that settle between us. Told myself that she was still here—breathing.
And for the first time in hours, the tension in the room began to ebb.
The silence wasn’t heavy anymore.
It was grounding.
Safe.
But eventually—I had to move.
Eventually—I had to tear myself away from her.
“I have to go to the office,” I said reluctantly. “There’s a board call I can’t miss. But I’ll meet up with you as soon as I close from work.”
Her lips parted. “You don’t have to—”
I gave her a look.
She stopped.
Then nodded.
“You’ll call me if anything feels off?” I asked.
She nodded again. “Yes.”
“You’ll stay with Ronny’s guys at all times?”
“Hardin…”
“Promise me.”
She sighed, but it was soft. Familiar. “I promise.”
I stepped forward and kissed her forehead.
“Lock the doors behind me.”
She gave me a little salute, and I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my mouth.
But even as I turned and walked toward the door…
Even as I reached for the handle and glanced back at her one last time…
That unease in my chest didn’t go away.
Because something about today had shifted.
Something had cracked.
And I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever William had started when he tried to kill her—
Wasn’t over yet.
Not by a long shot.
I opened the door.
Stepped out into the hallway.
And closed it behind me.
But even as the latch clicked into place…
I knew this wasn’t the end of it.
Something else was coming.
Something darker.
Something messier.
Something I might not be able to control.
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