Callum & Harper (Sleepless 1)

Chapter Fifteen

Boo

Callum

Harper and I met our insurance adjuster at our burned down apartment. Seeing it in the light was so much worse, making Harper and I all sorts of crazy depressed. We took our check to the bank and stood in line, together yet alone with our thoughts. Things were extremely awkward now that our friendship was so defined. We had no idea how to act around one another. I could only hope that these new boundaries would be what it took to help me fall out of love with Harper, though I knew that was unlikely.

I accidentally bumped into her and apologized like we were strangers. She waved it off as an accident and refused eye contact whereas before she would have stomped my foot in playful response and laughed whole-heartedly. I wanted my old Harper back. Then again, the old Harper drove me crazy with want.

After the check was deposited, Harper and I agreed with a strange sort of politeness that we should look for a new apartment...one with two bedrooms since ‘we make a little bit more money now, we can afford it and that will allow us privacy’, she’d said, leaving a rotten taste in my mouth but I mindlessly agreed. We looked for new apartments and found a decent one in a building similar to our old one, lots of old history, lots of tile and wood and plaster. This one had a doorman though, which was nice.

We got a two bedroom with two full bathrooms, making it possible never to see one another once during a school day. I’d have to get used to it sometime, I guessed. Slowly weaning myself off of her seemed like a good idea in my head but my heart couldn’t help but thump wildly in protest. The week we were off school, we did our work at night, never seeing one another except once when I needed to get a water from the fridge and Harper happened to come out as I did for the same. We clumsily danced around the other when I tried to leave and she tried to enter, both laughing stiffly. I basically sprinted toward my room and never emerged after that.

nk to the floor next to me, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “No worries, Harper. Men can be boneheads sometimes. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head back and forth, “not this time.” I won’t. I wiped the tears from my eyes. SO removed a handkerchief from his pocket, deftly earning his nickname. I laughed without humor.

“What happened?” He asked kindly.

“I can’t say,” I said. “Just trust me?” I turned to face him.

“Of course,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. I could tell he was trying to decide whether or not he should try to pry a little further but he respected me enough not to.

“I can’t stay the night with him, SO. Do you think you could get Cherry for me?”

SO’s eyes widened before he stood up and went into Charlie’s flat.

This wasn’t supposed to happen, he’d said, confirming the only real fear I’d ever felt my entire life. I felt so foolish. I stupidly felt like I could somehow make our arrangement more than what it really was. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that men didn’t do anything they don’t want to and it works the same in reverse. When a man wants something, he’ll do anything to get it. I should have known that if Callum wanted me he would have taken me...a long time ago.

I felt like an even bigger fool knowing that I was scrunched down in Charlie’s hallway by myself when John Bell was out to kill me or take me or whatever plans he had for me. I visibly shivered. I wanted neither. Understatement. That’s when I realized I couldn’t stay at Cherry’s because John would know that Cherry was part of The Ivories. I needed an alternative arrangement. The door opened just as I was deciding to ask Marty if I could stay at hers.

When I looked up, Callum, Cherry, and SO came out. “Crap,” I said out loud, earning me a look of admonishment from Cherry.

“We’ll just be in here,” Cherry said, pulling SO with her back inside. He tried to protest but Cherry would have none of it.

I stood quickly, faced Callum, and knew immediately that his face was the most beautiful but most painful thing I could possibly look at...ever. I hadn’t realized it but I was retreating backwards, slowly. Callum followed me just as slowly, watching me closely, afraid I’d flee.

“Wait,” he said, holding a hand out.

I don’t know why, but I took it.

“What are we going to do?” He asked, grasping my hand.

“I - I’m not sure,” I told him, on the verge of losing control.

“Do we go back to pretending?” He said, shocking my heart. “That we’re married?”

“Is there much of a point now that John Bell knows of our identities?”

Something washed over his face, startling me. Relief? Hurt? I couldn’t tell.

“I suppose not,” he said, “but...”

“But?”

“But we’ll at least stay friends, right Harper?” He softly slid his hand up to grab my upper arm, sending an alarming pain to the center of my chest, unbeknownst to him.

I had to step back to be rid of the pain. He looked hurt but not as much as I was.