Callum & Harper (Sleepless 1)

I opened my mouth to let him know that I was the one who was going to bail on our deal because I’d started to fall in love with him and I just couldn’t deal when a man tripped over my bag and sprawled face first into the floor of the train.

“Shit! Are you okay?” I asked him, standing up.

Callum stood and helped the guy to his feet but he just walked to the end of the car without so much as an acknowledgement.

“Weird,” I said.

“Yeah,” Callum said, sitting back down.

The walk to Charlie’s was quiet and uncomfortable. Callum was preoccupied with, I’m sure, thoughts of Sam but he surprised me when he said, “Our appointment with Sylvia is on Monday.”

“I know. What made you say that?”

“Just wanted to remind you is all, can’t have you bailing on me,” he teased down at me through a gleaming smile.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said. Are you flirting with him? Ugh! You are such an idiot.

He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to Charlie’s floor. I could feel his muscles bunch and strain through the back of his t-shirt, sending me spiraling down an imaginary tunnel. Good God, Harper! Get a hold of yourself.

When we reached the door, an unexpected sight greeted us. Sam and an unbelievably gorgeous man I could only assume was Charlie were sitting and talking on the couch.

“Charlie!” Callum said.

Charlie stood. “In the flesh!” He said, dramatically extending his arms from his sides. Charlie had the thickest English accent I’d ever heard and was tall, probably six foot three. He was blonde with clear blue eyes and longish hair that stuck out at strange angles. It would most likely look ridiculous on anyone else but it seemed to fit Charlie to a T. “And who is this lovely?” He asked, walking toward me, his stride long and confident.

o;Alright, well if that’s all, then I’ll see you tomorrow night,” I said, closing the door.

It clicked shut. I faced the door, shaking my head. What in the world did I ever seen in that girl? I wondered if I should mention it to Charlie or just see how things played out.

“As I said,” Harper chimed in, clearing her throat. “She likes you.”

I scratched my head. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” I said more to myself than to Harper. “I don’t get it. I’ve chased her for years, practically drooling at her feet and now, all of a sudden, she acts like she wants me? So frustrating.” I didn’t think I’d ever been less attracted to a girl once I knew she possessed that quality and I found myself almost feeling sorry for Charlie rather than my usual jealous.

I look up at Harper but she averted her gaze.

“Um, yeah,” she said at the wall. “Well, shall we, um, look through the listings?”

The paper held several affordable options in Washington Heights but we agreed that Manhattan was not a requirement and by the looks of the prices, neither was a two bedroom. We searched around the city and visited a few options near campus but found nothing really worth anything. Our last stop was in Queens, an Astoria one bedroom.

I rang the buzzer to gain entry to the building.

“Yes?”

“Uh,” I said, “we’re here to view the one bedroom.”

There was a distinct buzz and an audible click before I opened the door for Harper. She squeezed past me, her front brushing mine, her hair floating beneath my nose. Warmth flushed over me. We both smiled at one another before footsteps interrupted us.

“Hi, I’m Kenny. I’ll be showing you the apartment,” the stranger said, before holding out his hand.

I shook it firmly. “Pleasure, Kenny. I’m Callum and this is Harper,” I said, gesturing to her at my side. I loved to see her there, at my side.

“You two look awfully young to be interested in an apartment,” he said, eyeing us skeptically.

For some reason, Harper took massive offense to this for some reason. “Yeah, seeing as neither of us have parents and all, we don’t really have a choice now do we?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have..,” Kenny stuttered.

“It’s okay,” I interrupted the man, before shooting Harper a ‘what’s wrong with you?’ look.