Behind the Time - Herophine

29

JOSEPHINE

The day of goodbye has arrived, we will meet the entire cast of After at the party, it will be at a club in Los Angeles, and bring together the actors from all the movies. Selma Blair, who played my mother in the first movie, was the first to hug me tightly and not let go for minutes when she saw me. I met Pia Mia, Khadija, Sam, Inanna, Dylan Arnold who played the teenagers in the first movie... I've never cried so much in my entire life.

I was wearing a short, shiny blue dress, my black makeup was already smudged but I didn't care... I just wanted to enjoy every second of that night. Anna runs to hug me as soon as she arrives.

"Now I cry!" We stay in that same position for minutes and when we move away Anna despairs.

"Jô! For the love of God, come with me, your makeup is all smeared, you even look like a panda!"

I laughed, I had only drunk half a glass of my drink, I already felt much happier than I normally am, I was excited... Anna closes the bathroom door and a silence reverberates in the air.

"He arrived?"

Anna finishes passing the paper under my eyes and looks at me with a smile on the corner of her mouth. She knew who I was talking about.

"Not yet... The last message he sent to the party group said he was already at the airport with Louise and Stephen."

Louise played Trish and Stephen played Vance, Hardin's mother and father in the last movies. They came together because they all live in London and I think they were on the same flight.

"And Jen, Castille, Roger... Are any directors coming?"

Anna rolls her eyes.

"I know they destroyed your story but..."

"From the bottom of my heart, I hope none of them come... And I'll say more, I hope no one from the last movie comes either, we didn't know any of them, and... What they did in that movie... I know it's not their fault, they were just doing their job, but do you understand that it's difficult to see something I made with so much love being represented so coldly in the way the last movie was made?"

"I understand Anna..."

"It's so sad to read the fans' comments... Talking so badly about the story... Laughing..."

"I hope this passes quickly..."

"Me too..."

"Hero! Hero!" We heard a lot of shouting behind the door and knew what was happening. I walk past Anna and open the bathroom door, bringing the sound of the club straight into my ears.

I look for him everywhere, I only find Mira Sorvino, who played Tessa's mother and the two Karens, Landon's mother, all acted in the last movies.

"Jô, I miss you!"

"My God, it's been a long time since I've seen you! I've missed you!" I hug all three. "I'll be right back girls, I'm just going to... Do a little something..."

And I'm still looking for the Brit. All I saw was a sea of people jumping and shouting his name. I was about to give up when I felt two hands hug me from behind, his heat and his scent were already on me. I turn around and it was him. I grab his neck and he lifts me up so we are at the same height.

"You!"

"I missed you, Jô!"

We hugged so tightly that we didn't even think about everyone in the club finding out about us... I see his clear eyes in mine again... I realized that he was tired from the trip, but at the same time very happy, we stared at each other for a long time, wondering if we would kiss or not, and we walked away, without taking our eyes off each other.

So, I knew I needed to talk to him, I needed to show him that everything wasn't okay. I held his hand and said, in the middle of all that noise.

"We need to talk!"

He understands and shows concern, but within moments, everyone at the party decides to say "hi" to us. And we walked away again.


I found the rest of the gang: Rob, who played Ken, also Hardin's father, talking to the two Landons, Tessa's friends, Shane and Chance, my best friends throughout this crazy experience. Hugs everyone.

"You owe me a rhyme, huh, little girl?"

"Oh, don't even give me that, Chance!"

"Yeah! She prefers to sing, come sing with me Jô!"

"No way Shane! Today I'm like a little plant in the garden, standing still and doing photosynthesis." They both laugh.

I get another drink at the bar and find Carter and Kiana talking, they both played Robert and Nora in the last movies with me.

"Hey! I miss you!"

"There she is!"

I hug them but I avoid having a deep conversation, just like I'm doing with everyone tonight, I didn't want to make anyone sad, I didn't want to say anything about what I was feeling to anyone... Except for Hero, because I need him to know that... Everything It's going to change... I decide to tell Anna too, and head towards her.

But Anna was talking to Charlie Weber who played Vance, Hardin's father in the second movie and with the vampire girls Candice and Arielle, both played Kimberly, the two are friends of Anna because she loves the serie The Vampire Diaries, that the two acted. They always talk to each other. It's funny that they would be together again!


I looked in the direction where Hero was, he was talking to everyone and laughing. Oh, how can I love a person so much... How can I leave him? I need to leave him, and not just him, but I won't continue being an actress, at least not in best sellers or famous programs... I'm going to put myself first, from now on.

After was beautiful, a dream that I lived, but when I woke up, I received a lot of hate, a lot of comparisons... I had anxiety, I had to show up to people when I didn't want to, smile and say yes, when in reality I wanted to disappear and just say no.

I loved meeting people, knowing what it's like to have fans, cultures, other countries, making art and experiencing a bit of the madness of fame, but it's over, now I'm going to close the curtains.

I was already on my fourth drink when Hero pulled me onto the dance floor and played some upbeat music, I remembered when I was in London with him at the M-Boys parties, and I just enjoyed the moment, I turned my back to him, I fit in him, I place my head on his chest and close my eyes, without stopping dancing, with those muscles holding me tightly from behind, his scent permeates my nose, unique and totally his. I feel his breathing with mine in great synchronization.

"I know what you're going to do..."

I open my eyes... My heart races.

"Don't leave me Jô, please."

I come back to reality, somehow, I get sober again... 50% sober... I turn to him, his eyes are teary, he's scared, he doesn't understand...

"Don't do that..."

"No... You don't do that!"

"Hero, I love you, know this, I am the happiest person in this world to have you with me."

At that time we were both crying and not paying attention to anything around us. I could only see him and him me.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I... I'm going to put my acting career aside for a bit... Maybe I'll go back to Australia with my family..."

"What? Like this? Since when have you been thinking about this?"

"I... I've been thinking about this for a while... Ever since I went to London for the first time, remember..."

"Too long... And you only let me know now..."

"What would that change for you? You are flying! Your career is beautiful! There's nothing to worry about..."

"I don't know... Maybe the simple fact that you are going back to Australia and leaving me!"

"Hero, I'm sorry, fame and all this madness might be good for you... But it's bad for me, and I know you know!"

"I know, but... What about us?" He approaches, placing his forehead against my head.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about... I think it's better if we... Break up..." I had holes all over my body, a big hole in my throat, another in my stomach and an even bigger one in my heart. Everything hurt.

"No..."

"Think we're finally going to finish something real."

"Our long-awaited relationship... Our first relationship..."

"From both!" We both smiled. Hero lifts his head and we look at each other, eyes full of tears.

"But what if we try?"

"Tell me how? Living in Los Angeles is already difficult, but you still come here for work, and we manage to see each other, the probability of you going to Australia is much less!"

"We take turns, you go to London and I go to Australia..."

"You know it will be almost impossible... The tickets are very expensive and we will be a huge distance away..."

"I know... I'm just..."

"Trying... I know!"

We still look each other in the eye, he knows it will be better for both of us.

"It will hurt."

"Yes... But we will take this for the rest of our lives... Everything we experience..."

"Yeah!"

"And if nothing goes right..."

"We get married at the end..."

"That!" And we laughed again. We looked to the side and everyone at the party was staring at us without understanding anything. I pull Hero into a hidden corner of the club. I see if there was anyone else, and all I found were stacked tables and chairs. I leaned his back against the wall, I could barely see him, I held his face and kissing him.

Hero kisses me back, slowly, feeling everything, the heat of our bodies, our tongues, our breathing, a passionate kiss, his arms are around me, my hands pull his hair, his mouth is warm with mine, and I shiver when he kisses go down to my neck. We ended in an eternal hug, an embrace that I want to remember forever.

"I'll never take this bracelet off. I'll remember you forever!"

"This ring won't come off my finger until my wedding day."

That hurts. We calm down, our breathing returns to normal, the lights come on where we are.

Hero wipes my face, I do the same to him.

"I'm going to the bathroom to fix my makeup because I must look like a heavy metal singer..."

He smiled. We walk hand in hand to the nearest bathroom, he leaves me at the door. "Jô!" I turn to him, and hug him tightly again, now, in front of everyone.

We let go, I walk forward without turning back and Hero returns to the party.


The After farewell party ended without the presence of any director from the After movies, without the new actors from the last movie. And Jen, one of the producers, who was present on all the movies, showed up quickly, and then left.

We all said goodbye, as soon as the club closed, we took the final photo with the entire cast present, we hugged and thanked each other for every moment.