Afterwards: An "After" Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Medicine

Tessa and Hardin slipped quietly from the party and into the street. The music faded away with each step against the sidewalk, and their silence grew increasingly awkward by the second. After a few paces, the only sounds were the soft clicking of Tessa's heels against the concrete, accompanied by Hardin's nervous breathing.

Eventually, the wordless walk took a toll on the girl, and she cleared her throat to speak. "Why are you losing your shit?" She asked, noting his sudden jitters.

Hardin took a moment to reply, first shifting his eyes towards the intersection to ensure there were no cars coming before they crossed. "I...nothing. It's just, I can't say I've ever done this before."

Shock registered on Tessa's face as she stopped in the middle of the street. "Wait. You've never gotten a girl the morning after pill before?" She looked as if she were about to laugh.

On the other hand, Hardin looked as if he were about to throw up. "Shut up."

She was in disbelief. Though the other seemed to have a tough exterior and came off as mature beyond his years, Tessa was quickly learning that he wasn't as experienced as he made himself seem. Still, it didn't put her off. Instead, she wrapped her hand around his as they walked across the empty street together. "Can't believe you're getting all bothered over a little white pill. You know what you just did to me, right? I figure that would have thrown you through a bigger loop than this."

Usually the confident one, it was now Hardin's turn to flush. "It's different, okay?"

"How so?" Tessa only let the other's hand fall to adjust the halo on her head. "If you're old enough to fuck, you're old enough to know how to prevent a pregnancy."

"It's not that!" Hardin countered. Though no one was around, he lowered his voice and looked around him. "It's just that--"

"Oh wait, we're here. Come on, get your wallet out." Tessa interrupted, hurrying into the convenience store.

He followed after her, biting his tongue and feeling a great sense of relief that he didn't have to reveal the thoughts that were truly tearing him apart.

The angel scanned the aisles, pushing past shelves of candies, makeup, and innocent things to make a beeline straight for the condom aisle. Hardin had just walked in after her when she turned around with a little pink and blue box in her hands. "Here. Take this. You can pick out some condoms too, then meet me at checkout. I'm getting a slushie."

He took the box from her, watching her turn in the aisles and head towards the back. After grabbing the largest cup in the stack, Tessa pulled the lever on every single flavor, mixing them all together into one large, slush-colored concoction. "You're supposed to pay for that first," Hardin called, but Tessa paid him no mind.

Instead, she popped a lid on and started slurping. The whole scene turned him on again for some strange reason, and he had to remember that it was his dick that got him into this problem in the first place.

After shaking the thoughts away, he grabbed a random pack of contraceptives and headed for the counter. "Just these two, please." He dug his wallet out of his tight pants pocket, only to be met with a disapproving stare from the older man behind the counter.

"Wait!" Tessa called, hurrying towards him with the slushie in tow. "Pay for this too." Drops of blue and pink icy splashed all over the floor as she ran, but she didn't notice.

Instead of being annoyed, Hardin was highly entertained. "Oh, and this too."

Again, the man behind the counter frowned. "How old are you kids?" He asked, leaning over the counter to take a look at the selection of items before itching his mustache.

"Just ring us up." Tessa stared back at the man, her sparkling eyes stern. "My body, my choice."

The store employee leaned back once more, putting both of his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright. Just making sure you young people are making responsible choices."

"You heard the lady," Hardin asserted with a sideways grin as he playfully slapped Tessa on the ass. "Her body, her choice. Are you gonna scan the damn birth control and condoms, or should we take our business elsewhere...Carl?" He read the man's name tag, holding some cash out expectantly.

Finally, Carl scanned the items, keyed in the slushie, and handed Hardin a tiny paper bag without another word.

"Thanks!" Tessa turned on her heels, walking back out the same way she came.

Hardin was completely mesmerized with Tessa's sudden confidence. He wondered if alcohol had something to do with it, or possibly the sex, but he wanted to see her like this all the time. As thoughts floated around in his head, she caught his attention.

"Hey Hardin?" Tessa asked, grabbing the tiny cardboard box out of the bag as they walked back. "So what was it that you were going to say earlier, before we walked into the store?"

"Huh?"

Without looking directly at him, she drank her drink and popped one of the round pills into her mouth. "You were saying something like, how you've never gotten the pill for a girl before and how that made you nervous."

Hardin's cheeks burned red. "I've gotten the pill for a girl before." He desperately hoped that his companion would drop the subject. Revealing his train of thought to her really wasn't high on his list of things he ever wanted to do.

Unaware, she pressed him further. "Then what is it?!"

While he admired her confidence, he wished she would realize that he wasn't as open as she was. Still, he realized that hiding it wasn't worth it. After taking a breath, he spoke softly. "I...I was just thinking. I've never gotten the pill for a girl I actually liked. And I was thinking how it's kind of a shame...because we would've made some beautiful babies together."

Tessa was caught so far off guard, she dropped her slushie in the middle of the street. Colored liquid splashed all over the road, covering her white dress in residual juice. "...what?"

Just then, her phone rang, saving both of them from an awkward conversation. "Fuck. It's Carol."

"Who?" Hardin picked the cup up off of the ground, shoving it into one of the neighbor's trash cans.

"My mother." Tessa fished her cellphone out of her purse, walking ahead of Hardin back towards the party. "Hi. Yea, I'm fine mom. What else would I be doing on Halloween night?"

The conversation went on for a while, seemingly normal enough. However, as they reached the house where the party was, Tessa lingered out front.

"You mean this Thanksgiving?" Tessa's brows shot up before furrowing above her narrowed eyes. "Are you sure...? Anyone?" The girl brought a thumb nail to her lips, chewing slightly as her eyes flicked towards Hardin. "Hmmm. Okay. Maybe. See you then."

Now, it was Hardin's turn to ask the questions. "What was that about?"

Seemingly surprised that she would now have to reveal something before she was ready, Tessa's eyes went wide for a second. He cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms and holding out the paper bag as to remind her what had just transpired. With a sigh, she relented. "Fine. My mom is hosting Thanksgiving in California this year. I wanted to know if you'd come with me."

Hardin was beside himself. Of all the things he had expected, this was surely not one of them. "Like...fly out there? On a trip with you? To your mother's house?" With each pause, he felt even more confused by the words coming out of his mouth. "For Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, silly! Don't worry, she'll pay for the flights and everything. Vance is giving us a couple days off around then, anyways. So...what do you say?" Tessa asked as they both walked into the party, hand in hand.

"We'll see." Hardin replied calmly. But inside, his heart was beating a million miles per hour. Things with Tessa were quickly becoming more serious than he had originally anticipated, and that was frightening. Was it all too much, or was it just beginning?