I’ll be at Ames’ in Seattle if you need to reach me for anything. I need the distance to get over you. Let me find out on my own if I’m doomed regardless, Harper.
I’m sorry, more than you could possibly imagine.
Callum
I laid on my bed, the door closed to the rest of my shared home and listened to music until I was sure Harper had gone to bed for good. I felt like a coward but such was life. I needed distance and couldn’t face her lovely face for a second longer than I had to. And so, with my letter wrapped in an envelope and sealed, I slid the message underneath her door and made my way to the bus depot. I was getting the hell out of Dodge and not a moment too soon.
Because Harper was like a bullet to the heart and if I’d stayed even a moment longer she would have obliterated it and no amount of medical attention would’ve been able to revive it.
Harper
I cried myself to sleep. I’d lost him, I knew that. I’d lost my best friend and the one person I loved more than anyone in this world, more than myself. I woke startled, thinking I’d heard something but it was nothing. I’d only slept for maybe an hour. I glanced at my clock, it read eleven fifteen in the morning. I had no intention of doing anything but sulking in my bed the entire day save for the fifteen minutes I planned on throwing on a pair of jeans to answer the door for Chinese.
“You can at least shower, you dolt,” I told myself.
I climbed out of the bed and shuffled my feet across the chilly wood floor and into the bathroom.
Turning on the hot water, I pulled my hair from its ponytail and glanced at my swollen red face in the mirror. My hair was dramatically creased from sleeping with damp hair the night before. I’d have to rewash to get it out. I leaned in closely to examine my red eyes and hoped the steam would so something for my raw skin. I washed my hair twice and conditioned and as I reached for my body wash, my hand slid across the expensive bath soap Callum bought me last year on a whim. I grabbed the gifted soap and opened the cap, inhaling its heavenly scent. The tears started again but I tried my best to ignore them. I had been saving it for a rainy day.
o;Go back to sleep, Harper.”
I got up to put some clothes on but realized I’d fallen asleep in mine. When I opened my door, a sliver of light fell into the room, highlighting Harper’s hair and neck, making me almost wish she wasn’t sleeping in my bed, a sad reminder of what I what I couldn’t have. In five steps, I had the door thrown open, revealing a distraught Cherry and an amused Charlie.
“Oh thank God!” Cherry said, reaching for me and throwing her arms around my neck. I lifted a brow at Charlie as if to ask what was up but he only offered a shrug. A slap to the chest brought my eyes back to Cherry. “Why in the hell didn’t you call us?” She demanded, hands on her hips, tears in her eyes.
I tugged her close and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Cherry. We were just so exhausted. We needed sleep so badly by the time it was done, we didn’t think to call anyone.” I looked over at Charlie. “How’d you find out?”
“The news, Callum. You can’t seriously think it wouldn't have made the news.”
“I really didn’t.” I pushed Cherry back softly to look at her. “Forgive me?”
Just then, Harper threw my bedroom door open wide in my t-shirt, nothing covering her legs and panic written all over her face. “What’s wrong?” She asked. “I heard crying.”
Well, if there was any doubt in Charlie’s or Cherry’s mind that we weren’t ‘together’, the sight of her would have squashed them. Ironic that shortly I’d have to admit everything to the both of them. She peered down at herself and blushed. “Sorry,” she offered, hiding behind the door and peeking over the edge.
Cherry didn’t care though. She pushed past the door and hugged Harper fiercely, closing the door behind her, I assume, so Harper could throw on her jeans.
I stood staring at the door when I felt Charlie’s hand on my shoulder as he pulled me into a slap-hug. “Jesus, Callum. If you scare Cherry like that again, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you myself.” He pulled away, throwing his stare at the wood below. “You terrified us.”
“I’m truly sorry, Charlie.”
“It’s alright,” he coolly said, throwing himself on our couch. His eyebrows pinched as he took in his surroundings. “Good God, did Ikea vomit in your living room or what?” And just like that, Charlie was his normal, chill self making me recognize the rare sight of emotion he had shown me as the precious thing it really was. I must have truly shaken him. Cherry and Harper emerged arm in arm, smiling and happy, though glassy eyed. My heart constricted in my chest.
“We’ve got to go, Cherry,” Charlie said from behind me.
“What? You’ve just gotten here,” I said.
“We were supposed to leave this morning but when we heard what happened, we changed our flights to come check on you,” Charlie said.
“Where are you going?” Harper asked Cherry.
“Charlie is taking me to meet his family,” she answered.
I turned to meet Charlie’s eyes but he subtly shook his head as if to say ‘later. “Well that sounds like fun.” I walked over to Cherry and wrapped her in another hug. “Do you forgive me?” I asked again.
“Yes, you fool but let this be a lesson to you, Callum. Next time I hear of you on the news and you don’t call me to inform me, I’ll be forced to interrupt you and your lovely wife here,” she teased, pulling Harper in and kissing the top of her head, making my stomach clench. “I love you both, so very much,” she said, with tears in her eyes.
“Oh no,” Charlie said, pulling her away. “Come on, dear. We don’t have much time.” Then he grabbed Harper and squeezed the life out of her, whispering in her ear. I only caught the latter half but he essentially told her what he told me. The look on Harper’s face was priceless as he pulled away, seeing Charlie ‘unhinged’ from his usual collective. I almost laughed out loud.