'After' one shots

Boxes

TESSA

When I get home from my shift at The Lookout another box from Hardin awaits me. He has been sending them every month since I moved here. At first I threw them away unopened. I was struggling so much to stay away from him and I didn't want them to weaken my resolve. Even now every time they arrive I start to think about us and that makes everything so hard. Normally I can just keep busy but I miss him so much. When I think about what we've been through together it makes me feel sick. 

He's definitely changing for the better and I think that therapy is really helping him. But since the book came out everyone seems to have something to say about our story and lots of them think I should never forgive him. But he's different now, in a good way. 

Maybe I'll open this one. 

It's wrapped in brown paper with my name on the front. When I peel off the paper it's a copy of 'Far from the Madding Crowd'. I love Thomas Hardy. This well-thumbed hardback seems like Hardin's own copy. I can see highlighted passages scattered throughout the book where he has marked quotes for me. I flick open a few pages: 

"I shall do one thing in this life—one thing certain—that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die."

"Where, however, happy circumstances permit its development, the compounded feeling proves itself to be the only love which is strong as death—that love which many waters cannot quench, nor the floods drown, besides which the passion usually called by the name is as evanescent as steam."

"He wished she knew his impressions, but he would as soon as thought of carrying an odour in a net as of attempting to convey the intangibles of his feeling in the coarse meshes of language. So he remained silent."

I can't stop a tear running down my cheek. It's having exactly the effect on me that I knew it would. This is wonderful, why didn't I open the others? 

LANDON

When I arrive back at the apartment after my date Tessa is asleep on the couch, clutching a copy of a Thomas Hardy novel. Where the page is open I can see highlighted passages - it has to be from Hardin. Has she finally started opening the boxes? What she doesn't know is that I have been keeping them for her, even the ones she threw away unopened. I have nine of them in the top of my wardrobe, waiting for the day that she's ready to look at them. I want to talk to her about Nora but I don't want to wake her. As I am picking up a quilt to lay it over her she stirs and opens her eyes. 

"Hey Landon, how was your date?" she asks in a sleepy voice. 

I can't keep the smile off my face, I know that I am grinning like an idiot. "It was great actually." 

Tessa smiles at me. "I'm really glad." 

"You might think this is stupid but . . . " 

When I stop talking she tilts her head and looks at me quizzically. "What?" 

I take a deep breath. "I want to marry her." Admitting it out loud gives me a thrill. I only decided on the way home. She's amazing and I want her to be mine forever. 

Tessa's eyes are wide and she's grinning. "Wow! Really?"

"Yep!"

"That's so exciting!" She's wide awake now. "When are you going to ask?"

"I'm not sure. But definitely soon. I know it's a bit crazy but I've never been more sure of something." 

"Well you know I love her so I approve! Have you thought about a ring or anything?" Tessa asks.

"No. I only decided about forty-five minutes ago."

The two of us have broad smiles as we grin at each other and Tessa gets to her feet to give me an excited hug.