Thomas & January (Sleepless 2)

“I don’t know, five-foot ten?” She’s exactly five-foot ten.

“Her hair?”

“Long and brown.” The red highlights in it shine in the sun and all I want to do is bury my nose in it when she’s around because it smells like cherry bark.

“And her eyes?”

“Blue.” Like the ocean, blue.

“She’s a scout and your her apprentice so she must have killer taste in music. What else is she like?”

“She plays the piano like an absolute boss.”

“No shit. That’s cool. And her family?”

“She’s the oldest of ten kids.”

“What? That is wicked awesome. Her house must have been a riot to live in! Hey, I just thought of something, if she’s January, then...”

“Yes, their names are the months of the year.”

“Get the truck out of here! I may have to steal that idea. Callum, did you hear that! We’re going to have to bear twelve children but no more than twelve!”

“I doubt Callum will agree to that, Harper.”

“Oh, Tom,” she laughed, “you know so little of my powers of persuasion.”

“I guess not,” I said, smiling at myself. “All right, it’s late and I need rest to sightsee tomorrow.”

“Crap. I’m so jealous of you. Have a good time but not too good a time, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“Love you too, Tom. Talk to you later?”

“Yeah, tell Callum I’ll talk to him next time.”

“Okay. Bye, babe!”

“Bye.”

I hung up the phone feeling a lot better about my stupid self-inflicted insecurities. Harper was right, they were pointless. I needed to get over it. I also couldn't wait for Harper to meet January. I had a feeling they would hit it off immediately.

A knock on the door broke me from my thoughts. I thought it might have been our laundry because I informed the staff that they could bring it by whenever it was done, regardless the time of night. I knew how the laundry services worked and since we usually needed to leave early the day after scouts, I always encouraged a "drop off when ready" policy. I opened the door but it wasn’t the stodgy staff member I paid a twenty to have our laundry ready as soon as possible. Nope, it was freaking January MacLochlainn. In a t-shirt. And nothing else.

“Quick, let me in before someone sees me.”

“Jesus, January, I can’t have you in here looking like that.” I tossed the door open and made way for her anyway because I wasn’t an idiot. It was January MacLochlainn. In a t-shirt. And nothing else. I deserved at least a gander.

“I can’t sleep.”

“You definitely can’t sleep in here.” I gulped. “Not looking like that, you can’t.”

“Why not?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”