Afterwards: An "After" Fanfiction

Chapter 24 & Tessa's Diary pt. 4: Does He Know?

I've always loved surprises.

As I packed for my second trip to Europe, all I could think about was how Hardin's face would look once he saw me in the crowd at his show. Would he be shocked? Surprised? Happy? Maybe his mother would have given him hints along the way. She and I had planned everything so carefully, I began to think she was more excited than I was.

Vance had been more than happy to give me some extra time off for the New Year, and I had put in a lot of work after Christmas. It was definitely different working for him now that I knew he was Hardin's father. We still kept it professional, but there was now a list of lingering questions I wanted to ask him about Hardin. I decided against it for the moment, hoping that Hardin himself would answer some of them once I arrived.

With only a day left until my flight, I tried my hardest to fill my social media feed with boring shots of me in my apartment. I took a couple extra to save on my camera roll for tomorrow, just so Hardin would never suspect I'd be on a flight to England.

Steph drove me to the airport early the next morning. "Have fun, girl!" She hugged me tight from the driver's seat. "If he doesn't propose to you for flying across the world to surprise him at his show, I'll be shocked."

"That's ridiculous." I brushed her off, blushing at the thought. But for some reason, after I waved goodbye and boarded the plane, a proposal was all I could think about. It was far-fetched, sure. But what girl doesn't want to see the man she loves down on one knee declaring his unending love for her?

I could barely sleep on the flight. My heart was beating several miles per hour and my cheeks ached from smiling. I kept imagining all these different scenarios that would play out when I arrived. Would I greet Hardin before the show? Surprise him by pushing to the front row in the middle of their set? Meet up with him after by tapping him on the shoulder and asking for an autograph? Either way, in all of these fantasies, one thing was constant: the happy ending.

"What Makes You Beautiful" would be blasting through the venue. The atmosphere would be smoky, packed with people and smelling like sweat and alcohol. Everyone would be having too good of a time to notice anything but the band on stage. I'd weave my way through the thick crowd, going relatively unnoticed. I'd dance to my favorite song, sing along with the other fans who would love the music just as much as I did. I'd blend in for a bit, fading into to background, but I'd know I had something nobody else in the room did.

That's when I'd look up and see him. He'd be wearing those tight jeans I like, the black ones with the rips in the knee. His eyes would be tightly squeezed shut as he poured his heart into the microphone. He'd be thinking of me, wishing I were with him. The he'd open his eyes.

The music would keep playing but he'd stop, just for a second, as he set eyes on me. The others would wonder why he skipped a lyric, but then they'd see me too. They'd wonder if their eyes were playing tricks on them--there's no way I could be at the show. But then I'd hold up my wrist, the strobe lights reflecting off of the bracelet Hardin gave me for Christmas. Then he'd know.

We would spend the rest of the night locking eyes with each other until finally, during their last song, he'd call me on stage. "There's someone special I'd like to bring up here with us." He'd say. He'd hold out his hand to me, and I'd take it, stepping into the spotlight. In front of the world he'd tell everyone how much we mean to each other. "My girlfriend apparently surprised me by flying all the way from America to see my hometown show. It's only right that I surprise her with something of my own."

The fans would clap, some gasping and squealing as he got down on one knee before me. "Theresa Young. Would you please..."

"Wake up...ma'am, would you please wake up? We've landed at Heathrow."