In the world of romance novels, HFN stands for Happy For Now. An HFN is one of two possible types of romance endings, the other being HEA: Happily Ever After. Where an HEA ending pairs up two people the audience knows will spend the rest of their lives together, an HFN hints at a romance that could conceivably take place after the novel closes. Both are happy endings, but many romance readers prefer one over the other.