Jay and Quill were generous enough to let us use their shower. Though they only had half a bottle of a two-in-one soap in their shower, I happily made do. It had only been two days since I had showered at Cece's house, but it felt like I hadn't in a week. 

After Collin and I had showered, we thanked our two new friends and left. Jay followed us to bring Boh. He petted his back, causing the dog to shake excitedly. Collin gave him a tight smile before grabbing Boh's leash. 

"They seem to like Bohden," Collin said as we were driving away. "Maybe we can drop him off here before we leave." 

I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but smile. I used to think that he was serious, but after the way that he jealously looked at Jay, I wasn't so sure. 

We grabbed fast food for dinner and parked in a vacant area to watch the sunset. The sun, however, wouldn't lower for another hour, so we were just sitting and waiting. We sat on the front of the car while Boh laid on the grass, eating his food. I looked straight ahead, admiring the view for what seemed like the hundredth time since we arrived at Oregon. I had to continuously check to make sure that I was actually here and that it wasn't a dream. I was sure that if I closed my eyes for too long that it'd all go away. 

I still had some pent up excitement from earlier, so I decided to write to get it out. The giddiness I felt dissipated the more I wrote. A realization had struck—that there was only so much time before we drove back to California. After having one of the most incredible days of my life, this was a disappointing thought. If I could, I would stay here all ten days. 

Then I thought back to my parents. I missed them deeply. They were the only people that were making me feel so torn about this. Though I had been with them all of my life (my community college was close by, so I got to stay home and help my family), the countdown to our supposed demise made it feel like we hadn't been together enough. And, being their own daughter, all they were doing right now was waiting for my calls and for me to come back home. 

But what about Collin? I knew that he would leave as soon as we were back. I was really enjoying his company, though. That feeling I got when I saw him walking away after our Wendy's trip resurfaced in my stomach. There was still so much I didn't know about him, still so much that we needed to do. Was there really enough time to do it all and spend enough time with my parents?

You just met Collin a couple of days ago, remember? Does he really compete against your parents? 

"What are you writing?" I snapped my head to look at Collin, eyes wide. I had forgotten that he was sitting next to me. He looked into my eyes, a small smile on his lips. My stomach flipped. 

I ate a fry nervously, trying to clear my thoughts. Once I swallowed, I said, "I'm writing something. For my blog." 

He nodded and looked straight ahead. I thought that the conversation was going to end there, but then he asked, "Is that why you made your list?" 

"My blog?" I was slightly puzzled by his question. "Oh, um, yes. I wanted to help people find things to do before the...during these ten days." 

"We didn't do anything from your list today though, right?"

"Nope. I just thought today was memorable enough to write down." 

Collin looked ahead. I finished my fries and threw the box into the empty fast food bag. I wiped my greasy fingers on the paper of the bag. Boh came over and placed his snout on my leg. I grinned and rubbed his fur. He licked my hand, causing me to smile wider. 

My halted thoughts scattered to the surface once more. The corners of my lips dropped. I knew that one of the biggest reasons I didn't want to leave was because I didn't know what was going to happen to Boh. Why did I pick him up if I knew that this was going to be a problem in the future? In fact, why did I ever write it down if I knew that my parents couldn't handle a pet? 

It felt like all of my decisions had just been for myself these past few days. 

Well, not all. I wouldn't have been in Oregon if Collin hadn't wanted to be here. I was going to miss him, too. Surely he would happily depart from me once he got the opportunity to. At least that's what I had convinced myself. He was enjoying my company just as much as I was his, right? I mean, days ago he would hardly engage in a conversation with me. Now he was taking time to ask me questions. That had to be a step...right? 

With a sigh, I leaned back on the window of the car. "Collin," he turned his attention to me, "what would you be doing if you weren't here?" If you weren't here with me?

He pondered for a long time. It was only a few minutes, but I was oddly nervous for his response.  I didn't know what he was going to say. His response could be simple—he would still be at Vito's house. But then it could also be harsh. That if it were up to him that he would hop in the car and leave me here, abandoned and as far away from him as possible. 

Instead, all he said was, "I'd be running." 

"Running?"

He nodded. "That's been my life for some time. I don't think that it'd be any different if I wasn't here." 

"Are you running from something?" I asked. He gave me a sideways look and a raised brow, indicating that he wasn't going to respond. I didn't really need an answer, anyway. The image of the man with the hat and the gun was enough for me to know. 

"So you don't have a permanent place to stay?" I inquired. He seemed to be fairly comfortable with me asking questions, so I decided to test my luck. 

He shook his head. He chuckled softly. "Not everyone has the pretty house and life like you do." 

The comment hit me like a punch in the gut. I moved away slightly, taken aback. "What?"

"I mean, a college girl like you surely has a nice life." 

What Collin had said made me realize truly how little we knew each other. Though we had endured experiences together that I had never partaken in before, that didn't instantly secure our relationship. I bit my thumb to stifle my laughter. My life wasn't difficult. I wouldn't even say that I ever had a moment of tormentous struggle. That didn't mean that this man who had only known me for a couple of days could accuse me of having a "nice" life. 

"I go to community because it's free," I explained to him. "I can't afford to go to a university." 

He raised a brow, but besides that, his face remained still. I continued. "I also get to stay home with my parents. My dad...he's paralyzed from the waist down from a brain injury. I help my mom support us." 

At last, the sun begin to lower. The sky abruptly went from blue to an ombre of colors. We both took time to watch the sun set. Our conversation was brief, but it still felt relieving to take a break from talking. I hadn't told someone about my family problem in years. I had a best friend when I was in high school who knew, but we drifted apart when she moved out of state for college. Since then it had been me and my parents. Now Collin knew, too. 

I didn't feel embarrassed telling him, though. From what Cece told me and what I have witnessed, I had only been through a minuscule of what Collin had experienced throughout his life. Unlike what I had feared all of my life, he probably didn't think that my father's condition was the worst that could happen. I wasn't assuming that he'd undermine it, but he certainly wouldn't overexaggerate it.

"When did the injury happen?" he inquired. 

I usually expected a sympathetic response right after I told people about my dad, but Collin had skipped over it.

"I was really young, I can't even remember," I replied. My dad had been in a wheelchair his entire life. To me, it was as if there wasn't a point in his life where he hadn't had the injury. 

"And the money's worth it for him, isn't it?"

"Every cent." I suddenly felt bad using that example as retaliation to my life being perfect. My father's condition didn't suddenly give me a heartbreaking backstory. He was just as good as a father as if he could walk around. 

Collin chuckled humorlessly. "I guess that I assumed that if you had a house and were going to college that you were living a dream life." 

That comment struck me hard. How many days had Collin stared up at the ceiling, sleeping on someone else's couch, daydreaming about his life being different? Had he really seen me as the girl with a perfect life? I never considered myself that. Celebrities and billionaires had it perfect way before I did. But when you're someone like Collin who gets rides from other people and doesn't have a phone, then who else can you fantasize about than mundane people around him?

"What would you do if you weren't here?" Collin asked. I hadn't expected the reciprocation. Maybe he felt bad after what he had said. 

Unlike Collin, I didn't need to think too hard about my response. "I'd be with my parents. I mean, with work and school canceled, there's not much else to do." 

Boh found something—possibly a bug or a small critter, I'm not sure—scurrying ahead and started chasing it into the woods. Collin cursed under his breath, hopped off the car, and chased after the dog. I couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of the image. 

The sky had grown completely dark. I grabbed the fast food bag and slid off the car. Then I slipped into the passenger seat, slid it back, and laid down, ready to fall asleep. 

Collin opened the driver's seat door a few moments later. I cracked my eyes open to see him helping Bohden into the car. The dog excitedly hopped into the back. With a tired sigh, Collin slipped into the vehicle and slid his seat back so that he was laying down. I watched him close his eyes. 

"Collin," I whispered. 

"Hm?"

"Are you happy spending these last days with me?" I asked. "I know that you don't believe it all, but still...coming here has been a dream of yours and I..." 

Collin turned on his side to look at me. He was smiling softly. Though I couldn't see his eyes in the dark, I could tell that he was amused by my question. It was an adolescent-esque question, but it had been nipping at me all night. 

"Natalie, there's no where else I'd rather be."