Herophine: In the Beginning

Chapter 1

"Welcome everyone! I'm so excited to have you all in the same room finally. I know the casting process is always stressful and long but we made it. I never imagined my ideas I decided to start writing down one day not so long ago would be turned into bestselling books and eventually a movie. I'm so excited to share this experience with each and every one of you and thank you so so much for putting your faith into me as well. Now eat, drink, visit. Get to know one another because we all will be spending lots of time together!" Anna smiles as the room erupts with loud clapping and the occasional whistle from here and there. She holds up her champagne glass as do the rest of us followed by a drink to solidify the words of her toast.

I look around the room after placing my glass on the white table cloth in front of me and notice Anna working her way through the crowd towards me, smile from ear to ear. I push my chair back, standing now and work my way around the table towards her as well. "There you are! My Tessa in the flesh!" We embrace and I can smell a hint of vanilla on her blonde hair. "Here I am! The speech was amazing by the way. Everyone seems so excited to be here together." My Australian accent commands the conversation and it sounds so much different than her soft voice.

"Okay, so now that I have you here there is no excuse for you not to meet Hero. He should be around here somewhere, it's not like you can miss him..." Anna's voice trails off as she looks in both directions almost on her tiptoes in her red heels to gain a few more inches to her fairly short height already.

"Hero? Who's that?" I begin to ask but am interrupted by Anna again waving to someone quite vigorously behind me. "Oh there he is! Hero, come here please!" After watching her beckon this 'Hero' over to the table, I myself turn around to face the rest of the room behind me. A crowd of people have gathered at the bar near the back of the room, one however emerging towards Anna and I. A tall, slim, brunette boy in a black suit jacket and slacks. I pause for a moment, wondering why the room filled with hundreds of people from the cast and crew has suddenly gone still. However, that is not the case. It's only in my head and I'm quickly snapped back into reality when I feel Anna take my arm by her hand.

"Josephine, this is Hero. Hero.. Josephine. I have waited for this introduction since I cast the both of you weeks ago. Now, my Hardin and Tessa have finally met!" Anna gushes as I stare into my costars piercing green eyes. I have never seen eyes so green. So intense and full of mystery.

"Hello Ms. it's nice to finally meet you." Hero holds his hand out to me and I return the gesture by shaking it. His hand consumes mine, he is so much bigger than me. Every part of him. I'm a mere five foot five inches, not much taller even in heels like I am

Now. He seems well over six foot. And his voice, an accent? British I think. Anna wasn't messing around when she said she wanted the cast to resemble her book's characters as closely as possible.

"It's so nice to meet you." I say bearing a smile. I hope I don't look as dumb as I feel right now. I probably look like I've just seen a ghost but in fact I've seen the most handsome young man I've quite possibly ever laid eyes on and he happens to be my costar in this wild journey I'm about to go on. 

AUTHORS NOTE:

Hey everyone! Thank you to all who read chapter 1! As a fan of the After books/movies and pretty much all things Hero and Jo, i decided i needed to make my own fan fiction. I'm almost done with the first part of what i hope to be a 2 or 3 part series taking you along their growing relationship outside of working together. Thank you so much again and please let me know what you think!