Reckless Behaviour

Pilot 

Karin woke up one morning and things were not as they were before. For starters, when she rolled over in bed, she was shocked to find someone else sleeping there!

She didn't scream, because at first she thought she was still dreaming. The man in question had bronzed skin that glowed as if he had been kissed by the sun. His dark, defined curls were gently slicked back, and a small braid hung down his left cheek. He was sleeping soundly, curled up into one of her fluffy pillows like a cat.

Not knowing what else to do, Karin smacked him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Wake up!"

His striking green eyes jolted open, and he stared up at her in bewilderment.

"Oh... Good morning to you, too. That's a special way to wake someone."

"Who are you?" Karin demanded. "What are you doing here?"

The emerald-eyed man sat up, and the blanket slid off his body in the process. Karin's jaw dropped when she realized he wasn't even wearing any clothes. She ripped her eyes away from his muscular chest and averted them to the ceiling. She inhaled deeply, trying to steady her rapid heartbeat.

"Okay. I'm going to ask you again! Who are you, and why are you in my bed?!"

"You really don't remember? That hurts my feelings a tad." The man lifted up his left hand, where a shining ring adorned his fourth finger. "I'm Claude. You know, your husband, Mrs. Von Riegan."

Shock settled in again immediately. Karin's eyes were as wide as saucers as she glanced down at her own hand; sure enough, there was a matching ring adorned with a shining stone around her left ring finger. Fortunately, she noted that she was safely wearing pyjamas, so she had that going for her at least.

"My husband! We're married?" she echoed this information in disbelief. "How did this happen?!"

Claude scratched his head, perplexed as to how someone could forget such a momentous event. "You started telling me how deeply you cared for me, and how you wanted to go someplace far away together. We ended up exchanging rings."

"Is that really true?" Her memory was all once big blank.

He shrugged. "I had no idea you felt that way about me. But I was glad you did. Honestly, if this is some sort of joke..."

A pang of guilt shot through Karin's chest as she observed Claude's crestfallen expression. The ring on his finger was unmistakably the one given to her by her late father. He was wearing her late father's ring! If she couldn't remember anything, and what he was saying was the truth, then she would have to roll with it.

"No. I'm sorry to make you feel that way. I... I am sure everything I said was the truth."

She observed the ring on her own hand again, watching how the gem sparkled in the bright morning light streaming in from the window. It truly was a magnificent stone.

"Anyway, why don't I go and make us breakfast? My cooking is fantastic, I'll have you know." Claude leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Karin made sure to look the other way as Claude got out of bed. She waited until the sound of his footsteps faded before burying her face into a pillow and screaming.

She had to get to the bottom of this!

Karin changed into her attire for the day, which consisted of a loose-fitting sweater and skinny jeans.

A drunken escapade leading to a public proposal... but why couldn't she remember any of it? Something wasn't adding up.

She bit her lip and paced nervously around her room. Moments passed, and the aroma of something delicious wafted up from the kitchen.

Curiousity got the best of her and she finally made her way downstairs. Claude was standing by the stove, still shirtless but sporting a pair of joggers that showcased his assets quite obviously. Karin felt the life force draining out of her (all due to embarrassment) as she tiptoed behind him to peek at what he was making. She watched him sauté the tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices before making four small divots in the mixture and cracking four eggs into the pan.

"What's this?"

"It's called shakshuka. Basically, eggs poached in tomato sauce. My mother used to make this for us all the time."

"Smells good."

"I've poured you some tea, and there's a basket of bread on the table. Why don't you sit down first?"

"All right."

Everything felt awkward as heck, but Karin wasn't about to say no to a dreamy guy making her breakfast, especially if said guy was apparently her husband -- at least, for the time being.

"Ta-daa! Breakfast is served."

Claude lifted the cast iron pan and set it on a trivet at the table. Karin's mouth watered at the sight of the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley adorning the poached eggs. The two of them sipped black tea and began to eat together.

"This is amazing!" Karin gushed, stars bouncing from her eyes. "I love the smoky, spicy flavour."

"You kept rambling on and on about how much you adored spicy food, which is right up my alley." Claude winked and was very satisfied with her reaction.

"Um, well." Karin blushed, not knowing what to say. Her eyes drifted to the time on the microwave. "Ah! I have to head to work. Thank you so much for the meal."

"No worries. I'll see you tonight."

Claude stood, strong arms gripping the table edge as he leaned over for a kiss. A flustered Karin found herself shoving the last piece of pita bread into his mouth.

"See you!" she stammered, gulping down the last bit of her tea and fleeing from the room.

"What a strange girl," Claude mused to himself, smiling despite receiving the icy response. He hummed to himself as he cleared away the dishes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy.

✦✦✦

Karin got off the bus and began walking to the university in a complete daze. Although she was a professor there, many still mistook her for a student due to her youthful looks. She probably fit the part of a student even more with her head in the clouds like it was today.