After Everything Ending Explained: Do Hardin & Tessa End Up Together?

The ending of After Everything, the final movie in the After series, answers massive questions from the franchise, like whether Hardin and Tessa end up together. This movie starts two years after Hardin and Tessa’s breakup in After Ever Happy. Hardin is drinking again and putting off writing his second novel. He spends a good amount of time partying and hooking up with women to numb his pain.

Hardin goes to a meal with his mom and biological father where they confront him about his drinking and the book he is supposed to write. He lashes out by bringing up their relationship troubles and deceit about Hardin’s paternity. They continue to press him on what he’s doing with his life. After his biological father leaves, Hardin’s mom suggests that he take a trip to get away from his life and gain some perspective. This suggestion is the catalyst that brings about the complicated and romantic ending to the After series.

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Do Hardin and Tessa End Up Together In After Everything?

The biggest question in After Everything is if Hardin and Tessa find their way back to one another. Hardin goes to Landon and Nora’s wedding at the end of After Everything, hoping that he can get Tessa back but understanding that she’s probably in a relationship with somebody else. After the ceremony, he learns that the man Tessa has been posting photos with isn’t her boyfriend. When Hardin and Tessa are dancing together, he apologizes to her for writing his book. This moment shows Hardin’s much-needed internal growth. Rather than deflecting or becoming defensive, he takes full responsibility for his actions.

Later in the reception, Hardin gives a speech alluding to Tessa being the other half of his soul. She runs out of the room, upset, and he follows her. When he apologizes, he states that he was trying to get her attention. This is a red flag that he might not have changed as much as it seems. After all, he bribed a child to get her on the dance floor so he could talk to her, and then he used words that he knew would bother her so that he could get her attention. These are still emotionally manipulative actions.

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The two proceed to have sex in the bridal room. Afterward, she apologizes for her reaction to his book, clarifying that she was worried about what everyone would think. Instead of encouraging her to feel bad, he admits once again that he didn’t handle the situation right. The fact that he continually acknowledges his wrongdoing is at least a small amount of progress from past After movies.

The pair confess their feelings, agreeing that they are inevitable. Hardin kneels and proposes to Tessa, to which she says yes. After Everything then flashes forward, showing Hardin entering an apartment, where his daughter runs up to hug him. He then hugs and kisses Tessa, who is pregnant with their second child. This is a happy surprise because Tessa learns in After Ever Happy that she has cervical insufficiency, which makes it almost impossible for her to get pregnant or carry a fetus to term. Considering her devastation upon finding out her medical condition, it’s extra satisfying to see her as a parent.

Does Hardin Finish Writing His Book?

At the start of After Everything, Hardin is struggling to write the second book that he promised the publishers. Only after flying to Lisbon and meeting up with Natalie does he begin writing his novel. By the time he’s ready to leave for Landon and Nora’s wedding, he’s finished writing Before. Hardin’s second book focuses on his life before meeting Tessa, including his awful betrayal of Natalie. Unlike the first time that he wrote a book, Hardin goes to Natalie with the manuscript asking her to read the book and give him permission to publish it.

The fact that he approached her with the book before even telling his publisher about its existence proves that he learned from his previous mistakes. He understands that the story isn’t just his to tell, and it will impact Natalie differently than it does him. This self-awareness and personal growth is nice to see in the final installment of the After movies. It makes him a person worthy of some forgiveness, though neither Tessa nor Natalie owe it to him.

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Why Hardin Goes To Jail In After Everything

While in Lisbon, Hardin ends up in jail after getting beaten up by Natalie’s friend Sebastian for dancing with one of the guys’ girlfriends while drunk. This leads to an important conversation in After Everything between Hardin and his biological dad, Christian. Christian helps Hardin realize that he can’t continue his past patterns of aggression, drinking, and spiraling because of his breakup with Tessa. When he admits that he’s scared of failing because the bar is so high after his relationship and book, Christian tells him to change his idea of success. This is a massive turning point for Hardin’s character, pushing him to appreciate the little things.

The Significance Of Natalie and Hardin’s Relationship

After Everything introduces Natalie, a character who has a negative relationship with Hardin. It’s revealed that she dislikes Hardin because he betrayed her in the past. When they were younger, Hardin made a bet that he could sleep with Natalie. His friend demanded proof, so he got Natalie to agree to make a sex tape; under the agreement, it would only be for him. He sends it to his friend, who makes the tape go viral overnight. As a result, Natalie loses her scholarship and faces such ridicule that she moves to Lisbon to escape. Natalie and Hardin’s relationship is important because it mirrors that of Hardin and Tessa.

Hardin treated Natalie like a means to an end, using her to achieve a goal. While he has more of an emotional connection to Tessa, he also treated her like an object, exploiting their entire relationship for a book. In both cases, Hardin shared someone else’s vulnerabilities in a way that could hurt them without even thinking about how it would impact the other person in the equation. Unfortunately, this shows that Hardin has a pattern of toxicity, disrespect, and selfishness that stretches further back than his relationship with Tessa.

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In After Everything, Hardin apologizes to Natalie as if saying sorry without meaning it will fix everything. He doesn’t understand the full impact of his actions and feels remorse the way he should. Over the course of the movie, he begins to realize the depth of his actions towards Natalie, though, which in turn helps him understand the damage he did to Tessa as well. He finally shows complete contrition to Natalie before he leaves Lisbon, indicating that he’s changed at least a small amount over the course of his stay.

Why Does Hardin Fly To Lisbon?

Hardin flies to Lisbon in After Everything under the guise of apologizing to Natalie about his past actions. Unfortunately, his dialogue and behavior make it clear that he’s more worried about absolving himself of guilt rather than owning up to his mistake. This matches up with his past actions. He’s rarely been especially introspective, empathetic, or caring.

Hardin is toxic and manipulative in After and the rest of the movies, putting his own needs and wants first. It’s only after hitting rock bottom in Lisbon that he realizes he needs to change. Unfortunately, while personal growth is shown in After Everything, he still uses manipulation to get to Tessa by the end of the movie, making his growth questionable at best.

The Real Meaning Of After Everything’s Ending

After Everything integrates the theme of change and personal growth throughout the movie. Hardin and Tessa only get together after he’s reflected on his choices that hurt himself and others. He takes active steps to get himself out of his downward spiral of self-destruction. By centering the narrative on this theme, this movie conveys to audiences that people need to be healthier versions of themselves before they can give and receive the love that they deserve. Even if the execution of Hardin’s character arc wasn’t top-notch, After Everything hit the nail on the head with promoting self-improvement.