Callum & Harper (Sleepless 1)

“‘To Mr. and Mrs. Tate’,” she repeated then turned the card over. “‘From Cherry, Kelly and Marty.’” Harper leaned against the counter top, facing me. “I love them,” she said simply. “They are extraordinary kind to me.”

“I think they love you too, Harper,” I said unexpectedly sad.

She walked over to the bath and felt the water.

“Perfect,” she murmured under her breath. She poured the bubble bath the girls had given us into the water and let the bubbles get ridiculously huge. She turned back my way. I picked up a chocolate covered strawberry and took a bite. “Turn around,” she said.

“What?”

“Turn around. I’m getting in.”

“But I’m in here.”

“You won’t look. I trust you,” she said, already slipping off the straps of her gown. I turned rapidly, finishing my strawberry. Did I hear tape?

“Is that...tape?”

“Don’t ask,” she laughed. “Okay, I’m in”.

I turned back around slowly and gawked at her, hidden beneath a sea of foam, she flirted with me by winking. I couldn't see a damn thing but it didn’t matter because I had never wanted to take a bath more in my life than I did in that moment and I didn’t even like baths. I had to get out of there.

“I’ll, uh, go put ice in the bucket to chill the champagne,” I said, grabbing the ice bucket as I left the bathroom.

I heard her giggle and shook my head at her cheekiness. Our entire marriage was going to be nothing but a painful flirtation, I could already tell. I filled the bucket with ice then sat in the little room with the ice maker for a second to cool off. It wasn’t working so I grabbed a few cubes and dragged them across the back of my neck. I’d been gone for awhile and decided to head back, hoping that I’d be able to just slip in and she wouldn’t notice but when I reached the door I realized, in my haste, I’d forgotten my key. DANG IT!

I didn’t want to but I had to knock. “Harper, I forgot my key!”

After a moment, a soaking wet, barely robed Harper answered the door, letting me in. I wanted to stick my head inside the stupid bucket at the sight of her. She thought nothing of it and returned to her bath. I followed her and stuck the champagne in the bucket, turning around just in time to miss what I didn’t really want to miss.

“You can turn back around now,” she said absently.

She was resting her head against the back of the tub, her hair clipped up so it wouldn’t get wet, her long slender neck exposed. For a split moment, I considered vampirism. I would have ravished that neck that very second if I knew she had made the same commitment to me that I did to her at that afternoon. I needed to get out of there.

“Callum?” She said, running a sponge over her arms and upper chest.

“Ye-yes?” I sat on the edge of the counter to give the impression I was breezy. I doubt it was working. That was evident in her smirk.

“When will we get our marriage certificate back?”

“In a couple of days, why?”

“Hmm,” was all she said.

“Why?”

“Oh, I was just thinking. Maybe you and I could use those days to shop for simple furniture for our new apartment? After working lunches? I know school starts in two weeks. That doesn’t leave us a lot of time. I know we’ll get our apartment but we’ll have nothing inside it just as school starts? That’s too much. We should try to at least get a few larger pieces.” She lifted her silky knee from the water, making me reel. “Like a sofa, television, and bed.”

The word bed was more than I could handle.

“Um, yeah. That’s a great idea, Harper. Let’s start tomorrow. We’ll go to that Sunday swap meet they hold over by Charlie’s. They shut down the entire street for the entire day.”

“What a good idea!” She exclaimed, shifting the water a bit.

I ran. From that room, from that robe, from that enticing water and from her. I threw myself onto the bed, groaning into my pillow. She was going to kill me. Making my commitment to God made me feel like she was mine to do things with but she hadn’t made the same commitment and now I was stuck in a marriage with a woman I loved, one that I was so incredibly attracted to, one that I wanted to touch all over including her mind and couldn't. I was a glutton for punishment and wanted nothing more than to gorge myself on that creature soaking in our wedding night tub.

When Harper got out, I left the room for her to dress, barely looking at her. I showered in the huge glossy black marble walk in shower. I let the steam roll around me and the heat work out my frustration. I had no idea what I was going to do. I was beginning to panic. I loved her so much I could barely see straight. I wanted her so much I could barely breathe straight. I needed her so much I could barely think straight. I hopped from the shower onto the warm tile floor and toweled myself dry, dressing in my long pajama pants, foregoing the t-shirt as it was too hot and turning off the light before I entered the room.

It was quiet and dark. Harper was hidden beneath the covers steadily breathing and I realized she may have already fallen asleep, causing an inexplicable ache in my chest. I slid into the silky sheets under the down comforter and laid my head on the soft goose feather pillow, staring at the ceiling. I threw my arm over my eyes suddenly unsure of what I’d done.