We quickly finished eating and got back in the car. We were in the home stretch and were determined to make it to Oregon by tonight. I was going to offer to drive the rest of the way, but I was full and exhausted. Collin insisted that he would be driving for the next few hours. I leaned my seat back (not too far, I didn't want to take up Bohden's space) and fell asleep.

I woke up to a light tap on my shoulder. I groggily lifted from the uncomfortable position I was sleeping in. It was still dark out and we were still on the road. I looked at the time. It was eleven-thirty. We had at least another hour before we stopped, so why did Collin wake me up?

He must not have known that I was awake, for Collin tapped me again. "What?" I asked tiredly. I leaned my head on the window, ready to fall back asleep.

"Just wait, keep looking ahead," he told me. With a yawn, I sat back up and did as told. The headlights showed the dark road and the tall, crowded trees on either side. It appeared to be the same sight that we had seen for hours now. Sure, there were more trees now, but that didn't seem like something note-worthy.

Twenty minutes later, I had fully woken up and was still waiting for what Collin wanted me to see. Finally, he tapped my hand again and said, "There it is."

It took a moment, but I finally saw it. We were approaching a smile sign that was covered by leaves. I wouldn't have noticed it if Collin hadn't pointed it out. However, as we got close, I leaned in so that I could read what the words said: WELCOME TO OREGON.

I threw my hands in the air. "We did it!" I said, smiling.

Collin chuckled softly. "Yep. We made it."

We still had to find a place to stop, though. We spent another hour driving just to find a public parking lot. Once we did, Collin parked the car and leaned his head back against the seat. His eyes were closed. Minutes passed and his eyes were still closed. He must have been asleep.

I stared at him for a moment loner, slightly awestruck. I couldn't believe that I had actually done this. I had spontaneously decided to let a stranger come with me on a trip to another state. Though Collin insisted that me allowing him back in my car was the reason we went to Oregon, it was really all him. I would have never considered coming here if I hadn't met Collin.

Exhaustion overtook me once again. I leaned my seat back. Bohden sat up at the sudden gesture. I chuckled softly and pet his long fur.

"Get some sleep, Boh," I whispered. I curled my knees closer to my chest. "Tomorrow's a big, big day."

***

We were back on the road early the next morning. We just planned to explore the state for a day. The next thing on my list was to go to an amusement park. The closest thing I could find to that was a fair that opened in two days. That meant that we had two spare days to do anything else.

"We could go to that place in your photo," I suggested.

Collin shook his place. "Not yet."

Not yet? When did he want to go, then? From the condition of his picture, he must have been waiting to see it for a long time. If it was me, I wouldn't want to wait any longer than necessary. What was he waiting for?

I rolled down my window and let the cool air blow on my face. The weather was a refreshing contrast from the scorching heat back home. I marvelled at the populous trees surrounding the road. They seemed to reach the sky and to go on for miles. It was breathtaking. Though I had always known, it wasn't until I visited that I truly understood how beautiful Oregon was. It felt like we were in a fantastical place instead of a real state.

If I thought that, then Collin must have felt like he was dreaming. He was quiet every time we stepped out to look at a new area. The silence was comfortable, though. When I looked at his shining, awestruck eyes, it felt like I could read everything he was thinking. This had been his dream for who knows how long. Now that he was finally here, he didn't want to waste a moment. Even blinking for too long might make it all disappear.

I took a photo with my phone next to a cliffside. A notification popped up, warning me of how much storage I was using. I had taken more photos in the past few hours than I had in my lifetime. I had nothing picture-worthy to encapture until now.

Collin, though he didn't say it, seemed to appreciate me taking photos. I caught him looking over my shoulder many times. The only time he opposed against it was when I turned my camera towards him and said "Smile!". With a small smile, he shook his head and covered the camera. Between you and I, though, I managed to get a picture of him before he covered the lens. He had a small smile he had as he tried to look away. It was my favorite picture of the trip.

Tired of driving, we decided to stop at the city of Portland. Even though it was the largest city in Oregon, it still withheld lots of trees, a gorgeous river, and overall stunning views. We walked around the older-looking buildings, poking around a few of the local shops that were there. A lot of them had a lot of small and trifles for tourists to purchase, including merchandise with Big Foot and tie-dye clothing. Though we only looked and didn't buy anything, it was still fun to walk around the shops.

There was one small shop with the simple name of "Lily's" was filled with homemade-looking jewelry. I admire all of the pieces, fascinated by the different stones and trinkets attached to earrings and necklaces. There was one that I took a moment longer to examine. A small sunflower with small, gold-looking petals and tiny, black rhinestones in the center was dangling from a silver chain. Collin, who had been looking mindlessly at a shelf filled with postcards, was now looking over my shoulder at the necklace.

I turned my head to look at him. "I've heard that sunflowers, if they can't find the sun, look at other sunflowers. Do you think that's true?"

Collin shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

"If so," I smiled, rubbing the small trinket with my thumb, "that's really cool."

Collin smiled but didn't reply—not that I was expecting one. I turned the necklace over to see the price. My eyes widened at the ridiculously high number. Though it wasn't unaffordable, I didn't have much money left after my big shopping spree yesterday. With a small, disappointed sigh, I turned the necklace back around and left the shop.

I untied Boh's leash from the bike rack we had secured him to. So far, besides Lily's, most of the stores allowed dogs in. Boh was quiet and not too curious, so it was easy to take him around with us. He just seemed excited to walk around and explore a whole new place.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I showed Collin my phone, indicating that I needed to take the call. He nodded, grabbed Boh's leash, and took a few steps back.

I walked a little further, stopping at a bench. I answered the call. "Hey, mom," I said.

"Natalie! How are you, sweetie?" my mom asked.

"Good, I reached Oregon last night."

"That's great news! How is it so far?"

I looked around at the green foliage around me and the series of bikers. Then, I turned my attention to Collin, who was leaning over and petting Boh. I smiled. "It's been really nice."

"I'm glad. How long are you planning to stay? No rush, but I can only entertain your father for so long by myself."

I laughed softly at the last part. My stomach sunk when I pondered the question, though. The day was already almost over and there was still so much that Collin and I planned to do. Though I didn't know what we were doing tomorrow, we had to at least wait another two days in order to attend the fair. By then, six days would have passed. Four days is still enough time to be with my parents, right?

"I'm not sure yet," I admitted. "I'll tell you when I'm leaving, though."

"Alright, hon. Please stay safe. And call me every day, okay? Your father and I miss you very much."

"I miss you, too." With that, I ended the call.

I chewed on the inside of my lip. A wave of guilt settled in my stomach. Why did I feel this way, though? It wasn't like I was doing anything wrong. I was having a great time up in Oregon. I just wished there was more time to be with them and here. Even just an extra day would have been nice.

I just had to hope that the asteroid would never hit and that we would have more than ten days. After that, life could return to normal and I could spend all the time in the world with my parents.

I turned to go back to Collin. He, however, wasn't anywhere to be seen. Weird, I thought. Didn't I just see him a minute ago?

I decided to just stay still and wait. Maybe he was just giving me more space. Or maybe he went to find a bathroom. Or maybe he left you stranded in an unknown state to get rid of you...

The last thought was easily dismissed. Collin popped out of Lily's with his hands shoved in his pockets. I let out a long breath, relieved. He gave me a small smile.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked. "We should probably find somewhere to eat."

I nodded. We walked back to the car. It took a surprisingly long time to get there. I didn't realize how far we had walked from it. There had just been so much to explore.

I hopped in the driver's seat and started the car. Collin sat in the passenger's. Surprisingly, when Boh came into his lap, he didn't try to push him away. He just rolled the window down for the dog to look outside.

I rolled down my window, too, to allow the breeze to blow on my face. Though the wind made it difficult to talk, I still tried. "How are you liking it so far?" I asked loudly.

Collin replied quietly. His response would have completely left with the wind, but I managed to catch it: "Perfect. Everything's been perfect."

Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update. They're finally here, though! Who's excited for the rest of their journey? It's been such a delight to give my character his dream. I mean, what could go wrong?

If you enjoyed this chapter, try to vote with a piece of jewelry. Stay stellar!