Callum & Harper (Sleepless 1)

“It’s either that or you don’t go. I don’t care if I have to block the door myself. You are not going alone. Don’t you even remember that night, Harper?”

She thought for a moment, sinking further into the couch cushion. “Fine,” she conceded, “but you’re invisible, alright? I don’t want the girls to even know you’re there. I’m breaking all the rules by allowing you to attend a girl’s night. It’s, like, sacrilegious or something.”

I couldn’t keep back my snort. “You’ll never know I’m there.”

They knew I was there. It enraged Harper but when they saw me sulking in a corner, they dragged me to their table. Eventually, Harper joined in on the fun, even apologizing to me later when she’d relaxed a little bit.

The other girls had gotten up to dance, leaving Harper and I alone. She slid across the leather booth to sit next to me.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello, love.” Her hand was pressed into the seat of the booth and I placed my own on top of it. I leaned into her ear. “Dance with me, Harper.”

She shook her head, glancing at the crowded dance floor. “No,” she said, hurting my feelings and wounding my pride. I started to pull my hand away but she gripped it and brought her mouth to my ear. “I would much rather sit here with you, smell your yummy smell, drink in your handsome face, hear your lovely words.”

“Wow, Harper. That was,” I cleared my throat at the surprising turn of our conversation, “sexy.”

“I know,” she teased. “Fighting you brings out a feisty side, I think.”

Note to self, fight with Harper more often.

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Do you ever think about our kiss?” I asked boldly, surprising myself. I didn’t know where I got the confidence.

I’d said it before I’d lost my nerve and from the look on her face, I immediately regretted it but then she surprised me.

“All the time,” she said, astounding me.

“Me too.”

We were quiet for an awfully long time and I had no idea what to do. I knew if we took the conversation any further that things would be revealed or not revealed and I was too frightened to find out what either would be but it was hanging out there, practically begging to come out to play.

“I’d like to try it again,” I said, possibly ruining the past two years worth of work I’d done.

The blood in my neck seeped into my face and I found myself hoping she hadn’t heard me. I turned toward her and saw that she had. I felt sick in that moment, an instantaneous headache began to pound my brain but all ceased immediately when she grabbed the vest I wore over my t-shirt and slid the wool cap off my head. She let go of my vest and ran her hands through my hair, twisting her fingers through to the end right above my shoulders.

I couldn’t believe this was going to happen to me. We both leaned into one another but I stopped abruptly, wondering something.

“Have you been drinking, Harper?” I asked her, curious why she’d become so forward all of a sudden.

She didn’t have a chance to answer because my cell phone began to vibrate on the table. I went to push end, to ignore the call but it was our Super. I noticed it was late so I picked it up.

“Hello! Smith?” I screamed into the phone. I couldn’t hear. It sounded like sirens blaring on both ends. Hold on!” I grabbed Harper’s hand, refusing to leave her alone and led her to the patio outside the bar. “Smith?” I asked again.

“Yes! Callum! Is Harper with you?!”

“Yes! Why?”

“Well that’s a blessing, I guess.”

“Smith! What’s going on?”

“I hate to tell you this, son, but the building’s burning!”

“What?!” I yelled, gripping harder on to Harper’s hand.

She inched towards me, panic sobering her quickly.