I couldn't fall back asleep. No matter how hard I tried, my eyes were insistent on remaining open. My heart was racing, paranoid that Lewis would come and knock on my window at any minute. It had been an hour of nothing, though, so I assumed that he had gone back inside the trailer. The thought wasn't reassuring, though. I was going to have to face him some time or another.

Giving up on sleeping, I randomly scrolled through my phone to try to pass the time. I found a video where an interviewer and a public figure were giving an update and a rundown of the asteroid. I turned my volume down as low as I could while still being able to hear it and pressed play.

Collin stirred. I quickly turned off my phone, silencing the video. I waited for a few minutes, staring at the square of his back. He remained still. Releasing a breath, I turned my phone back on and rewinded the video.

"Thank you, Dr. Clyde for joining us on the Four AM Morning Talk Show, where the early birds catch the gossip. So, it's been five days since the announcement of the asteroid. How's it coming along?" the interviewer asked.

"Well, you see, Jim," Dr. Clyde slid his hand over his bald head, "poorly. Three separate teams of astronauts are all working against each other to try to obstruct the asteroid before it comes in contact with Earth."

"And why, exactly, are they working against each other?"

"For many reasons," Dr. Clyde explained. "For starters, America has refused to work with other countries due to current trade wars and other conflicts. This itself is a problem, since having two different plans for the same issue may just lead to it getting worse."

I paused the video and rested my head on my seat. Of course this was the problem. I was sure that this asteroid would have been blasted to smithereens days ago if everyone had decided to work together. As expected, the end of the world will be caused by humankind.

A wave of exhaustion suddenly flooded over me. I rested my phone next to my leg and turned on my side. Day five. The words suddenly struck me like an aftermath. That meant that there were only five days left. There was so much I still wanted to do in Oregon, but there wasn't enough time to do everything and make it home in time to be with my parents. Surely there was something on my list that I could sacrifice. I didn't want to give any of them up, though. I was having too much fun. The concept that it wouldn't last brought a lump to my throat.

I swallowed it. I shouldn't have been worrying about it. Though thoughts still ran around my mind, I finally managed to close my eyes and sleep.

***

I woke up the next morning sore all over my body. I had twisted and turned in that small seat for so long that my muscles were knotted. I groaned, sat up, and checked the time on my phone. Ten PM. Jeez, I really slept in.

Nina, Jazzy, and Ralph were up and outside. Nina and Ralph were already fully dressed while Jazzy still had on her gray sweats and her hair in a messy bun. I peeked at them through my window. Ralph was starting a fire, probably making breakfast. Jazzy was pouring them all coffee. They were all laughing. I watched cautiously, looking for Lewis. He still hadn't come out.

Collin and Boh were gone. I figured that he had woken up before all of us and had taken Boh on a walk. I crawled into the back seat and rummaged around the plastic bags for something for me to wear. I quickly slid on a random shirt and jeans and slid back into the passenger seat. I looked out the window, waiting expectantly for Collin. I didn't want to go out there without him. After what happened last night, I'd feel far more comfortable with him by me.

I suddenly realized that Nina was looking at me. She whispered to Jazzy, then they both were staring at me. They were surely wondering why I wasn't joining them. With a sigh, I opened my car door and approached them.

"Good morning!" Jazzy said as if she hadn't just been speculating about me.

I rubbed my eyes, pretending like I had just woken up. "Morning."

"Breakfast?" Ralph presented me with a plate that had two pancakes and sausage on it. I didn't know how he had made it so quickly. I took it, giving him a smile as a thanks. Jazzy poured me a coffee and offered me cream and sugar, which I gladly accepted. I got comfortable in one of the chairs, resting the plate on my lap, then tightly clutching the mug with my fingers. I was freezing and I had left my jacket in the car, so the hot coffee was my only source of warmth.

Nina and Jazzy were trying to engage in conversation with me. I smiled and gave them short answers, my mind wandering elsewhere. What was taking Collin so long? Was he ever coming back, or did he leave me to deal with this torture forever?

The trailer door opened. My breath hitched. Lewis slowly stepped down, his hair messy and his button-up and thick jacket unbuttoned. I resisted the urge to eye roll. I was almost positive he wouldn't have come out like that if it hadn't been for last night. I felt myself blushing, but I wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger. He's making this harder than it needs to be.

I admired the swirls in my coffee. It was the most interesting thing to look at, I told myself. Nothing was cooler, more mesmerizing than coffee swirls.

An object fell into my vision. I looked up. Lewis had his arm stretched towards me, offering me his jacket. I shuddered harder at the sight. Clenching my jaw to prevent my teeth from chattering, I shook my head. "I'm fine, thanks."

He shrugged and slung it over his shoulder. He walked over to the chair on the complete opposite side of me, buttoning up his shirt. I sighed with relief. Hopefully that would be our only encounter for the day.

Collin finally appeared in sight. He opened the back of the car and helped Boh in. Boh's tongue was hanging out, his lips stretched into a breathless smile. I could see the sweat on the back of Collin's white shirt. Had they been running? The thought made me giggle. I hid my smile behind the coffee mug.

Collin changed his shirt, grabbed something from the car, then came over to us. He placed the object on the arm of my chair then sat down next to me. A blanket (not the one Lewis had given me last night) was precariously resting next to me, threatening to slide off. I quickly threw it over my shoulders, figuring that was better than it laying in the dirt. I picked at my pancakes, not wanting to meet the gaze that was burning into me.

"Did you take the path I told you about, Collin?" Jazzy asked.

Collin nodded, mid-chew. "'S beautiful."

"Right?" Jazzy beamed. "I found it the last time we stopped here. How far did you go? I figure a mile, but there's a secret path a half a mile further that takes you to the top of a hill. Get a really good view of the shore. Maybe after the fair I can show you."

You'd like that huh? I was caught off guard by my internal remark. What made me think that? I concealed my flare of anger, trying to drink out of my mug again only to find that it was empty.

"More coffee?" Jazzy was next to me in a heartbeat. She quickly filled up my mug then sat back down. I immediately pressed it to my lips, retracting my tongue when I realized that I forgot to add cream and sugar. I tried not to cough as I set my mug down. Why was I so flustered this morning? And how long had we been sitting there for, hours? It felt like the morning would never end.

At last, Ralph started packing things up and Nina, Jazzy, and Lewis piled into their truck. I stood up and followed Collin into our car. It was good that Collin was driving, for my thoughts were so frazzled that I would surely end up on the wrong side of the road. I fixated on the truck in front of us, staring for so long that I almost saw double. What if we just turned around and didn't go to the fair? What if we carried on with what we were doing, just the two of us? It would certainly save me all the embarrassment.

Yet I didn't ask. I couldn't. We continued to drive and soon were in the fairground's parking lot. The sight made my stomach flip. It's fine, I thought to myself. Just stick with Collin and you'll be fine. Stop acting like a teenage girl.

Instead of going through the entrance like we had done yesterday, Nina led us all over to the other side of the fairgrounds that was covered with trees. Hidden behind a bush was a hole within the wired fence. It was just large enough for me to squeeze through. We ended up right behind a line of porta-potties, making it look like we got lost rather than we had just snuck in.

"Aren't we going to get caught?" I asked. It seemed too easy to just slip in like that. Wouldn't they realize that we only had one-day wristbands?

Jazzy shook her head. "We would've gotten caught years ago. This is a small fair, Nat. No one cares. Just wear that wrist band and you'll be fine, they won't know the difference."

"Seriously," Nina said, trying to reassure me. "I've been wearing the same one for years and haven't gotten kicked out yet."

I shrugged and followed along. We were already inside and hadn't gotten caught yet. Maybe they were right. I sucked in a breath, figuring it was easier to comply than to worry.

The fairgrounds appeared smaller today. Since we had been there yesterday, the excitement that I had felt from exploring a new place was gone. We went on all the same rides as yesterday and played the fair games. I tried my best to stick with Collin and to sit with him on rides the entire time. If Jazzy and Nina started to pull Collin towards them, I would find an excuse to leave. I had lied about needing to go to the bathroom enough times that they were surely concerned about my health, and I went to check on Boh far more times than necessary. I could have just hung out in the back of the car with him for the number of times I visited.

I somehow lingered with the group for an hour, practically gripping Collin's arm to make sure he stayed with me. A couple of times he gave me questioning looks but never anything more. Nina and Jazzy kept sharing suspicious looks but didn't confront me, either.

At one point Collin decided that he should check on Boh. "Don't worry, I'll go," I said, trying not to sound desperate.

Collin shook his head. "I'll take this one." Before I could protest, he had already left the group and was walking towards the exit. My stomach dropped. Great.

I started walking towards a carnival game, figuring that if I pretended to be focused that Lewis wouldn't bother me. Almost instantly, though, Jazzy and Nina trailed far behind and Lewis sped up to walk by my side. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets. I stopped at the ring toss game. Lewis stood next to me, watching expectantly. I rolled my eyes as I was handed three rings. What was he waiting for?

"You're avoiding me." It wasn't a question. I lazily swung one of the rings. It topped over a couple of bottles before landing lamely on the ground. I spared him a quick glance before looking back at my targets. "Natalie."

I sighed. Why was I acting like this? I wanted to turn and apologize for my behavior, but even looking at him terrified me. I knew that once I gave him my full attention he would ask why I had done what I did last night, and I knew I wouldn't be able to answer. The memory of me closing my eyes, me seeing Collin's face and visualizing his hands, not Lewis's, on my waist...

I shook my head. It didn't make sense. Why had that happened? I threw another ring. I missed.

Before I could throw the final ring, Lewis placed his hand on it and turned me towards him. I stared at him helplessly. His expression hurt. I wanted to look away, but I was entranced by his sad eyes. Please don't do this to me.

"Can we at least talk about it?" he asked. No, anything but that. "I just...really thought that we were having a good time yesterday, you know? If it's something I did, I'd just like to know what so I can apologize."

I shook my head. "You didn't do anything, I just," I hesitated, "I can't really explain."

My fingers slipped away from the ring as he set it down on the grass. He took my hand, causing my heart to jolt. "Here, let's find a better place to talk. Have you been on the sky lift yet? It gives a great view of the area. C'mon, I'll show you."

I gulped. This was the last thing I wanted to do. Sitting in a sky lift with Lewis meant that I was stuck up there, imprisoned until I gave him the answers he was seeking. He started dragging me in the direction of the sky lift. I tried to pull my hand out of his grip, but he just tugged me closer. "Lewis, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Come on." Lewis laughed incredulously. "I just want to talk."

"No, I don't—"

I looked past Lewis and at a figure that was running towards us. Lewis kept walking but I tried to stop, bearing my soles into the ground to slow us down. Collin quickly came to my side. He was breathing heavily, his eyes wide. I stared at him, confused. Why did he look so shaken?

"Natalie, we need to go," Collin told me. "Now."

"What? Why?" Lewis asked.

Collin hardly spared him a glance. He stared at me gravely. "This is serious."

Once again, I pulled my hand to try to part from Lewis. His fingers loosened. The sadness returned to his eyes. He looked at my face, clearly trying to resolve his confusion. He looked at Collin, then back at me. His face dropped with realization. "I thought you said you were just friends."

His words felt like a punch to my gut. I stared at him, taken aback. Before I could respond, Collin grabbed my arm and tugged me away. I stumbled after him, dazed with confusion. His words had struck a chord in me. They spun in my head, moving so fast that I thought that my brain would turn to mush. They shouldn't have. We were just friends. There wasn't any value to what he had said.

Yet they seemed to mean so, so much.

I hopped into the passenger seat. Collin quickly pressed on the gas and jerked us out of the parking lot. I fumbled with my seatbelt, barely having time to put it on before we got onto the road.

I looked over my shoulder and at the fairgrounds. Three people were running into the parking lot and piled into a truck. I turned around and snorted. Guess they won't be coming back to the fair.

"Guess I came at the right time," Collin said in a lighthearted tone, which contrasted with the frantic way he was driving.

"I was handling it," I defended.

He scoffed. "Yeah, it looked like you had that all taken care of."

I looked out the window, nostrils flaring. I didn't ask him to help me. Lewis was harmless. If I had ended up on the sky lift with him, nothing would have happened. I would have been fine.

But it was nice of him to have saved me when I was in such a panic. I should have said thank you, but I continued to stare out the window. "Is that why we left?"

Collin shook his head.

"Then why?"

Collin gave me a side look. I sighed. Was he really not going to tell me? I settled in the silence, waiting for him to respond. He just continued driving, his eyes fixed on the road. I let out a frustrated sigh. After all of my confusing emotions, I didn't have the patience to deal with this behavior.

Then, to my surprise, he answered, "I saw a familiar car in the parking lot. I think we're being followed."

"By who?" There were really only two options I could think of. Either Vito sent someone to follow us again or the man from the gas station was back to finish what he had started...

I shuddered at the second option. Fear pricked my chest. I didn't think I could handle seeing that man again. There was something so dangerous about him. Not just the gun he held, but the way he tilted his hat low enough to cover his eyes and the way he dropped his words like a weight sent shivers down my spine. Suddenly, I wanted Collin to drive faster, even though he already was speeding more than legal.

I clutched at my seat and looked behind us. Did it matter if we tried to drive off? Wouldn't the person realize that they had been caught, lost the act, and just chase us? At least that's what happened in the movies. Every few minutes I checked the back window. The road was practically empty. Any time a car turned and started trailing us, I would ask Collin if that was the car. He would look into the rearview mirror then shake his head.

Is it never going to come?

I thought that we would only stop once we got back to California, but he pulled off on the side of the road. The sun was going down. He rested his head on his seat and closed his eyes. I looked behind me again, as I had done hundreds of times during the drive. A realization struck me as, once again, I saw nothing.

"There wasn't anyone following us, huh?"

Collin turned to look at me, startled. I barely noticed his expression. My brain had already run off on its own, and the more I pieced together the more it all made sense.

"So what, you just wanted to find an excuse to get away from there?" I accused. "Why? You seemed to be having a good time. I think..." I stopped myself. Collin remained silent, waiting for me to finish my thought. "I think you got jealous."

A smile formed on his face. "You can't be serious."

"Well, I am." I had been sure about the assumption, but his reaction withered my courage.

The sun slowly lowered its rays, shining a light on Collin's face. His dark eyes softened in the light, though that could have also been just from amusement. Either way, it made my stomach flutter.

Collin leaned back on the door, squaring his shoulders so that he was fully facing me. "What makes you think that?"

"W-well"—It seemed more ridiculous now that I had to explain myself. Why did I say anything?—"I was with Lewis a lot, and it seemed like you weren't very happy about it."

It was weak, but it was all I had.

"You can make out with whoever you want," Collin said nonchalantly. The words gutted me. So he had been awake that night. My cheeks instinctively reddened in embarrassment.

I clenched my fists in anger. I shouldn't have felt bad about that. So what if I did? He didn't have to make me feel ashamed about it. "So if that's not why, then tell me who's following you."

The sun had fully left by now, only leaving the last of its orange colors in the sky. I couldn't believe that we had wasted another day on this.

Time. We have so little time.

"It's the guy from the gas station," he told me. I gulped. So I was right.

"Why? Why does he want to hurt you so much?" He let out a long exhale through his nose. "What, did you do something bad?"

"No," he replied quickly.

"Then why can't you tell me?" I threw my arm out in frustration, knocking my hand against the glove box. As I was moving to put it back in place, a small object caught my eye. My head was too foggy to consider privacy, so I plucked it out of the glove box. It was dark so I couldn't fully see what it was. All I knew was that it was a clear bag with a chain inside of it.

I laughed heartlessly. "Wow, you were just shaming me about Lewis when you have this." I pulled the chain out and dangled it on my index finger. It rolled down to reveal a necklace with a small trinket on it.

"Natalie..."

"Who is this for? Jazzy?"

"Nat."

"I can't believe you. I just—"

"Natalie." After the third time, I lifted my eyes to look at him. My blood was bubbling. Every word he had said today had made me frustrated, confused, and angry. Not just that, but I was confusing myself because of him. Why did I keep thinking about him and Jazzy? Did I really care that much? "Look at it."

I stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The necklace. Look at it."

I brought the piece of jewelry closer to my face so that I could see it better. A silent gasp escaped my lips. The trinket was a sunflower. Not just any sunflower, but the one I had pointed out in the store days ago. My emotions evaporated like water. I looked back at Collin. This wasn't for Jazzy. It was for me.

"I got it for you as a thank you," he explained. "I was going to give it to you when we got back to California, but...I guess now works, too."

For the first time today, my head was empty. I couldn't seem to find anything to say. My cheeks grew warm and my heart skidded. It's for me. He got it for me.

Without thinking, I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned towards him. I quickly placed my lips on his. He tensed in surprise. His reaction made me realize what I was doing. I pulled back, feeling hot and embarrassed.

Collin stared at me as I shriveled into my chair. I tried to look anywhere but at him, but I was aware of his fixated gaze the entire time. The silence between us seemed to never end.

Then he slowly leaned over, inspecting my face closer. My breath hitched as his face neared mine. He softly brushed his lips against mine, as if he was momentarily sampling them. He started kissing me rougher, causing my heart to leap. I clutched onto his shirt and leaned over the cupholder. I suddenly wanted to be as close as possible to him. I wanted there to be no space, for our bodies to practically be interconnected. His hands shook against my cheeks, though I couldn't tell if it was out of excitement or out of nervousness.

I closed my eyes and waited for some image to fill my head, to give me an excuse to pull away as I had with Lewis. All I saw were fireworks dancing across my vision. Bright colors filled my head, causing my heart to thump with happiness.

I only parted from him when I was red and breathless. I stared at him, breathing heavily and smiling like a little kid. The moon illuminated a look of adoration and longing in his eyes. All we wanted to do was kiss again. I took a gasp of breath and didn't refrain for much longer.

Today had been extremely confusing. This, out of everything, was the most baffling moment of the day. Even so, my mind was completely clear. It was too overwhelmed with euphoria to pay attention to anything else.

Because, somehow, this moment made sense.

Hey everyone! I'm so excited for this chapter. It kind of seems like what everything has been building up to, huh? What do you guys think of this? Do you think that this was the way it should have happened? Tell me your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to hear!

If you liked this chapter, make sure to comment, vote, and share with your friends! Try kissing the vote button. It needs a little love, too. ;) Stay lovely!

This song is called Let's Fall in Love for the Night by Finneas. Enjoy!!