Oxygen

Chapter 10 - Running and hiding

Jordan and I wake up at the same time. The clock says it's 5:30.

"Did you just... ?" He asks, referring to the dream. "Yea, I did" I answer, "That was the strongest one ever".

"The closer we are when we're sleeping the stronger the dreams are, at this stage" Jordan explains. "Once we reach the third stage the dreams won't be as strong, but our abilities will be". I nod along, trying to understand everything he's saying.

"You really are doing your research on this aren't you?" I joke. "Well, yea, I care about you Fern, I want you to be safe" he says. "I care about you too" I agree.

We sit in bed and talk for a bit, my head resting on his chest. He takes my hand and draws circles on my palm. I giggle as he tickles me with his smooth, delicate fingers.

"Can we just stay here forever?" I ask. Jordan laughs in a soft tone, "No, but once we get to Oregon we'll be on our own for a few weeks until Charlie comes".

"Yea, okay" I agree. I use my other hand to draw circles on Jordan's chest. I can feel his heart beat as he breathes.

"We should get dress, we'll have to leave for the airport soon". Jordan makes a heavy sigh as he says this. "Yea, come on then" I say.

•••

We walk down the huge hall to the plane. Christchurch to Oregon, the ticket says. I'm so excited, I've never traveled out of New Zealand.

I look out the window and see the fresh green grass and hilly sunset of Christchurch. This is the last time I'll be here for a while.

As we board the plane, Jordan holds my hand, and squeezes it tightly once we step on the plane.

We put our bags into the compartment above our seats, and sit down. As I'm putting my seat belt on, Jordan takes my hand again and rubs his thumb across my skin.

I smile at him, and he smiles back. I pull out my new phone. To avoid Natalie and the Summer's tracking us, we have brand new phones, with the numbers of everyone in Jordan's family, and my Mum on them.

It's an amazing phone. I've gone from one of the small flip phones to a Huawei P8 lite. It's huge, the touchscreen perfectly clean, the gold trim shining in the light, and the brushed surface on the back crisp under my fingers.

Once we've taken off, I head to the bathroom. I wash my face with some cold water, and head to my seat. I've only been on a plane twice in my life.

I've taken the window seat, and Jordan sits between me and an old guy, who says he's from Texas.

I sit down comfortably and put my head on Jordan's shoulder. He strokes his fingers through my soft brown hair, and I fall asleep quickly.

I wake up, tired and aching from the previous night. My head is spinning with happiness, and I roll over to see Jordan lying beside me, one hand on my hip.

I whisper softly in his ear, "I love you so much", and he opens his eyes, tired but happy, "I love you too my beautiful wife".

I look down at my hand and smile when I see the shimmering diamond on my left finger. It's so perfect.

I roll onto Jordan and kiss him on the nose. He smiles and kisses me on the lips passionately.

I sit up and hold the sheets to my chest, covering my bare skin. Jordan places his fingers on my collar bone and strokes it lovingly. Man I love him so much.

When I wake up it's dark outside, and the stars twinkle in a happy song as we fly through the air. Jordan wakes up a few seconds later, and smiles to me. He saw what I saw.

"When the time comes" he whispers. "When the time comes" I repeat. I kiss him on the cheek and hold his hand.

"We're nearly there" he says, checking the flight time on the entertainment screen. "Just an hour to go".

The plane runs along quickly, getting increasingly closer to the ground. When it hits the surface, it slows down, and after a minute the plane comes to a stop.

Once we've unloaded our gear from the plane, we go to get the rental car. Oregon is amazing. The green trees are vibrant against the pure white snow, and the hills in the distance glisten in the sunlight.

We pick up a simple green van, with plenty of space for everything. We go to the gift shop a few miles away to get clothes.

I walk along the aisle, pulling out the clothes I need. I meet with Jordan at the counter, and he pays with one of the credit cards for our things. I chuck in some chocolate for the next day. I hope I enjoy this time.

•••

When we arrive at the house, I'm really excited. We spent hours driving to get here, and it really is secluded. The area is covered in trees, and the light peers through romantically.

When we pull into the drive, we travel down the stony path to the parking spaces. Above us is a balcony. This looks just like the dream.

I get out of the car and help Jordan unload our clothes. He unlocks the front door with a key his mother gave him, and the inside looks incredible.

It looks like it did in the dream. The walls are all white, except one on the far side of the room. Everything is open plan except the bedroom and the bathroom. The big room leads to a balcony, the one in our dreams.

We drop the bags and walk onto it. The view is amazing. There's a huge river rushing past, with stepping stones scattered across it. Surrounding it are tall, Christmas like trees, leading to the mountains in the distance.

We head back inside, closing the sliding doors, and take a minute for ourselves. "I'm going to get a shower" I say, digging out shampoo and conditioner from the bags.

"Okay" Jordan says, "I'll be waiting" he winks, and I smile. This could be our honeymoon, it's that grand here. I hope we have one someday.

The shower is made for two people, with double shower heads and a his and her sink.

I remove my clothes and step in. As the warm water covers my shivering body, I tilt my head up to the falling water, as if I was in a waterfall.

I wash my smooth skin and hair. As soon as I feel clean from the flight, I turn off the water and grab a towel.

I rub the towel over my dripping form, removing all the drops, and scrub it through my hair. I put on a pair of bike shorts and a baggy T-shirt to sleep in, since it's almost four in the morning.

When I come out of the bathroom, feeling fresher than ever, I round the corner of the hall and find Jordan in the kitchen.

Laying on the counter in front of him are several plates of gourmet food. My mouth starts to water with temptation.

"What's this?" I ask, smiling. Jordan stays silent for a minute.

"Do you wanna go on a date?".