Afterwards: An "After" Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Steal My Girl (Part 1)

A/N: Sorry guys I think something glitched when I uploaded this chapter and it totally disappeared. Anyways, here it is again :)

A few weeks later, the two were on a plane to LAX. The airports were swarming with travelers, all attempting to visit family during the Thanksgiving holiday. When they finally arrived at Tessa's mother's house, Hardin could not believe his eyes.

Carol Young lived in a sprawling ranch style house adjacent from a private Malibu beach. It had to have cost at least a couple million. With floor to ceiling windows, an open concept layout, and modern touches that flowed throughout the house all the way to the bronze door handles, Carol's home was a sight to behold.

For Tessa, it was just another example of typical, opulent Carol. To her, all of the furnishings were garish, and the interior, cold. Tessa waltzed into the large marble foyer, depositing her shoes and bags by the staircase before calling out to her mother. "Mom, we're here!"

While Tessa seemed somewhat at home here, Hardin was afraid to move in case he accidentally broke something expensive. His eyes darted uncomfortably from a priceless painting to a masterful vase. Though he had understood that Tessa was well off, it never before occurred to him that she came from so much money. Not that it mattered, of course. But the fact still did surprise him.

The woman of the hour appeared at the top of the stairs in the next instant like a phantom. She was dressed in a blue silk robe, and her blonde tresses were woven tightly into a bun. As always, she donned a full face of makeup. Her thin lips barely curled upwards when she caught sight of her daughter, but when she saw Hardin, her eyes grew wide and her mouth molded into a frown. She was younger than Hardin had expected, but much more frigid. "Theresa, please tell me this is the cab driver."

As her mother waltzed down the stairs, Tessa rolled her eyes. "No, mom. This is Hardin Scott, we work together."

Hardin began to sweat. He had encountered a wide range of people throughout his life: drug dealers, gang members, and killers. But never before had a person scared him so deeply as Carol Young did. Anxiously, he extended the woman an outstretched hand. "Pleased to meet you. Thanks for letting us stay."

Without reciprocating the gesture, Carol ignored him and swiveled her head towards Tessa. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You said I could bring anyone!" Tessa huffed.

Carol shook her head, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Yes, I obviously meant a female."

"Well, it's too late for that now, you should've clarified."

As the older blonde opened her mouth to speak, she suddenly realized Hardin was still holding his hand out and shaking like a leaf. Biting her lip in a similar fashion to her daughter, Carol tilted her head and forced herself to grip the other's palm. "Hi, I'm Theresa's mother, Carol. Please keep in mind this is my house, and you both will abide by my rules."

"Yes ma'am." Hardin had never said such things in his life, but he felt like it was the right thing to say.

Tessa shot her mom a smug grin, which her mother responded to with a swift roll of her eyes. "You two must be hungry." Carol said, pacing into the enormous kitchen with bare feet. "We don't have much of anything today because obviously there's going to be a lot of food tomorrow. But there's leftover lasagna in the fridge if you'd like that."

"Whatever is fine." Tessa confirmed, signaling to Hardin to remove his shoes before they followed Carol into the kitchen.

As they sat awkwardly around the dining table waiting for the microwave to stop, an unwelcome tension built between Carol and Hardin. She was already judging his unkempt hair and punk rock outfit. He was attempting to prove without words that he fit in to their wealthy world.