Afterwards: An "After" Fanfiction

Chapter 1: You & I

(A/N: tag warning for depression and some self harm references)

They met on a Tuesday.

Christian Vance had just hired Tessa into a full-time position at his prestigious publishing firm, and her first day had gone uneventfully smooth until she saw him. Under the violet glow of fluorescent lights, after straightening the ballpoint pens in her new office for the fifth time, she lay eyes on a boy who inexplicably stole the breath from her lungs.

Across the hall, a small crowd gathered around a gorgeous young male with cropped brown hair and piercing green eyes. He held a cardboard box full of office supplies close to his chest, laughing as he extended his arm to shake hands with Mr. Vance. His boyish grin was captivating, and Tessa soon found herself perching behind a cubicle to catch a closer glimpse. A feeling of foolishness crept up on her as she strained to see beyond the swarm of smiling employees. The boy mirrored their enthusiasm as he shook more hands, revealing a host of tattoos along the alabaster skin of his forearm. Everyone erupted into a round of applause as Kim, Christian's secretary, emerged from the pantry with a white and blue square cake.

"Vance, you cheeky bugger, you got me a cake?" Was that a British accent? Tess discerned, her ears working overtime to decipher the speech patterns from far away. As her curiosity grew to fascination, she contemplated slipping silently to the back of the group unnoticed. However, her boss had other plans.

"Is that you I see hiding over there, Tessa?" Christian's friendly voice bellowed across the large office. "Why don't you come join us? We're celebrating Hardin's last day."

Even in a fit of embarrassment, with her face already beet red at being identified as a stalker, Tessa's mind latched on to the new bit of information. She scurried across the carpet with every eye on her, repeating his name in her head. Hardin. His name is Hardin.

"Theresa Young, meet Hardin Scott." The two locked eyes at last, Hardin's burning into Tessa's baby-blues as neither paid any attention to Christian's introduction. "Hardin is--well he was, one of our best workers. But apparently we're not good enough for him!" Christian took a playful jab at Hardin's shoulder, causing the other to crack a smile.

"You know I'd stay if I could. But who could pass up an offer to work from home? We all know you'd leave in an instant if someone offered you the opportunity to work in your underwear, Vance." His eyes stayed latched on Tessa's, the bright irises dancing as his joke made everyone laugh. "In all seriousness...I wanted to thank you all for the opportunity, it's been a pleasure working with all of you. And I hope to see every last one of you at my goodbye drinks after work." Once again, the employees applauded.

Kim placed the cake down on Hardin's near-empty desk, begging the boy to put his belongings down to have a slice. "Come on Tessa, have some cake too." She stepped closer to Tessa before putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know Hardin looks a bit scary but he's not that bad...all the time." Before Tessa could ask her what she meant, Kim had moved to Christian's side to cut the cake.

While the others were occupied with stuffing their faces, Tessa took the opportunity to properly introduce herself. Tucking a strand of her tightly curled blonde hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat and stepped up to Hardin, who was packing the last of his belongings into the cardboard box. "Hi, I'm--"

"Theresa Young," Hardin interjected, not looking up as he secured a copy of The Great Gatsby in his box. "You're my replacement."

Taken off guard, the blonde tried again. "Tessa, actually. And I'm sorry, Christian never mentioned anything about me being your replacement. From my understanding he simply hired me due to my 'superior editing skills' and ability to hide behind cubicles." The joke fell flat, unlike Hardin's earlier wisecrack, and Tessa's heart dropped under her high-collared dress. Her cheeks began to burn, warming to match the maroon fabric after Hardin rolled his eyes at her pompous statement. Changing the subject, she took note of the book in his hand. "Great Gatsby, I'm reading that now too. It's amazing how the green light symbolizes Jay's hopes and dreams...sort of depressing if you think about it."