His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 197: Hopelessly Clingy

** Harper **

Plotting relationship rescues with Chelsea was familiar and reassuring at this point. Harper spent a few productive hours doing it, and she was feeling comfortable with her first evening back home, topped off with a late shower to freshen up after the long flight, until she got ready for sleep and stared at the bed in front of her.

Now that she had the time to actually pay attention ... It looked so strangely empty and cold.

She sat down at the left side of the bed — the side where Eli always took in his hotel room — and ran her hand across the blanket. It was crisp and clean, smelling like the fresh laundry she had done before leaving for the trip two weeks ago. But unlike any other typical day, she didn’t enjoy the untouched cleanness this time. She had grown too used to the slight yet heady scent of musk lingering on the sheets, the warmth trapped under the blankets, the hint of sweat and other things that she never knew she could like so much ... and she couldn’t help but miss them.

Damn. She didn’t want to sleep in this clean bed all by herself anymore. Impulsively, she wanted to call Eli, to coax him to come over to her place and make it just like they were still on vacation, but—

Her phone dinged on the nightstand, lighting up with a new message. [ Eli: I miss you. What are you doing? ]

... No way! Could he actually sense exactly what she was thinking right now?

Harper’s moody angst instantly evaporated. With an elated squeak, she snatched her phone:

[ Miss you too. ]

[ Trying to go to bed but can’t stop thinking about you. ]

[ How was your fli— ]

She was still typing when the notification banner of an incoming call interrupted her. Coming from the one person she wanted to hear the voice of the most, of course.

"Hey. Should I come tuck you in bed?"

The familiar voice on the other side of the phone was so soft, so sweet that Harper couldn’t help but clutch her heart in dizzying happiness. "Are you not in bed yourself yet?" she asked, trying not to answer the question too eagerly. Because if she did, it would be a resounding yes, and she didn’t want to come off so hopelessly clingy.

Not that she was actually, truly hopelessly clingy. Not at all.

Eli chuckled. "No. It’s only eight thirty Hawaiian time, remember? Normally we’d barely have started feasting at this hour."

Feasting.

Harper burst into shameless laughter at that. "I think I much prefer feasting to sleeping." Then she paused before adding, with a cautious hint of seriousness, "It feels so strange here without you. I think I might start seeing things as soon as I turn off the lights ... cuz I’ve gotten too used to the sight of you right there whenever I look beside me."

"Then why didn’t you tell me to come over? I’ve been waiting for your call all night." His voice suddenly changed in a way that reminded her of puppy eyes. "It’s so quiet and empty in my place without you too. I feel lonely and abandoned."

Alright, so much for not acting clingy. "Are you awake enough to drive?" Harper blurted. "I mean, it’s been a long day of flying and—"

"I’m already downstairs at your place. Just look out the window."

... What?

It took her a few moments to process that before she jumped out of bed and shot straight to the window. He didn’t lie — there he was, under the lamppost by the parking lot and looking up at her, grinning as he mouthed "Surprise!".

"Oh my God," Harper gasped into the phone. "W-When did you get here? How long have you been waiting? You should’ve just come up ... Oh, but wait, I haven’t cleaned up my place yet. My unpacked stuff and dirty clothes are everywhere and I haven’t fixed my hair after I showered and—"

Eli’s laugh cut off her rambling. "It’s you that I came to see, not your place. And you know I love your hair and any other part of you any way it is." He was talking into his phone, though he never took his eyes off of her through the window. "I just miss you and want to see you. Preferably hug you as well. Kisses are optional."

Harper’s heart melted into a puddle. "Yes, I would very much love all that too. Come on up."

She hung up her phone, hastily ran her fingers through her messy hair to brush away the frizz, and darted to the door. Eli showed up within half a minute. When he did, he swept her straight into his arms, not even waiting for the door to close before his lips met hers.

Kisses were optional, huh?

Harper had zero complaints though. The empty and quiet apartment finally felt alive again, and she let her body relax into his arms, greedily savoring the scent and taste of him that she was already craving after only one day. It felt more like home than the room behind her. It felt cozier, warmer, and—

But then he pulled away. "That should be enough to fend off my addiction for another day," he smirked, licking his lips. "Though we should probably stop before it gets us too hungry ... You were going to sleep, right?"

Harper blinked.

Right, sleep. How come all the tiredness from the trip was completely gone from her body now, at the mere sight of Eli in front of her? She felt energetic again, wide awake. More ... hungry, than sleepy. Especially hungry after hearing him call her his "addiction".

Eli must’ve read all those thoughts on her face. He smiled, brushing his lips once more over hers, lightly so this time. "I didn’t come to interrupt your beauty rest, Harper. I came with a vain hope that I can make it better. Come, let’s get you to bed."

And then he swept her into his arms again, carrying her to the bedroom.