One Little Dream

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jason

"How many hours until we're there?"

"Two and a half."

"Two and a half? We've been in the car for like four hours!"

"No Jason. We've only been in the car for two hours."

Jason was annoyed. "Why did you have us fly into the Asheville airport instead of the Raleigh airport?"

"I figured if Mom checked our flights she would ask me why we were flying into Raleigh instead of Asheville. I would rather get in trouble by you than by her." Colin kept his eyes on the road and tried answering Jason's constant questions.

Jason glared at Colin. Two and a half hours... I'm coming Katie. I'm coming.

............

"Jason! Jason, wake up!" Colin shook his brother's arm.

"Huh? What?" Jason sat up and looked out the windows."Where are we?"

"Here."

"Here?"

"Here."

"Like, the here? Like the 'here' I think you're talking about it."

"Yeah. That 'here'."

Jason busted open the door, practically tripping on his own feet as he started walking towards the driveway.

"Jason! It's nine o'clock on a Wednesday night! You can't just ring the doorbell!"

"Watch me!"

"Jason!"

Jason turned to look at Colin. "I'm not waiting another minute to see her. I'm seeing her tonight and I don't care if I have to ring the doorbell 13 times, I'm seeing her tonight." Jason said firmly.

Colin walked up to his brother, looked him in the eyes, then motioned to the door with his arm "Ladies first" style.

Jason walked up to the front porch of a big, mossy green house, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.

They waited exactly 22 seconds - he counted - before the front porch light turned on, as well as the light inside, and the front door opened. Standing before Jason was a man about six feet tall, with dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. Around the edge of his eyes were smile lines after, what Jason guessed, 40 years or so. He was dressed in NC State pajama pants and a Florida Gators T-shirt. He assumed this was Mr. Jennings.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Jennings asked.

"Uh-um- yes." Jason had spent hours planning what he would say to Katie not her dad, "I was wondering if your daughter Katie was here?"

"Why?" Mr. Jennings' crinkled his brow as he looked Jason, Colin, and Joe up and down.

"Um-uh- I'm Jason Hunt. This is my brother Colin and my body guard Joe."

David Jennings looked confused for a moment before the realization washed over him. "Jason Hunt? Like The Huntsman's Quest Jason Hunt?"

"Yes, sir. That's me."

Mr. Jennings smiled, "My daughter loves you!"

Jason felt his heart jump but knew that he probably meant "My daughter loves Jason Hunt," not "My daughter is in love with you."

"Well, is she here?"

"No. She's out of the state helping a friend move into her apartment."

Jason's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

"When will she be back?"

"Umm- Today's Wednesday, next Monday."

Jason's heart fell to his knees.

"Oh, okay. Where did she go?"

"California."

Jason's heart was at his feet.

"California?"

"Yes."

"Like California with L.A. and San Francisco and Santa Barbara?"

"Yup. That's the one."

Jason looked over his shoulder. Colin's mouth was where Jason's heart was.

"Did you need her for anything?"

"Um-I-uh- I had this dream- uh- no."

"A dream?"

"Yeah. It's no big deal. I just- I don't know." Jason backed off the steps.

"About Katie?"

"Yeah. But really- it's not a big deal." Jason turned around and finished walking off the last two steps.

"She had a dream about you too."

Jason froze, his bottom foot just about to hit the cement walk way. He turned on the ball of his foot to face David Jennings, his new best friend.

"She what?"

"She had this dream about you. You gave her some painting and your cellphone number and whatever. She was really torn up about it. She couldn't believe that she had had this amazing dream and when she woke up none of the things she dreamed about were there."

Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Mr. Jennings must have seen the look on Jason's face because he stepped out of the doorway and said, "We have a spare bedroom and Katie's room if y'all want to stay overnight and we can try and contact her in the morning."

"Yes!" Colin rushed up the stairs, "That would be great. Thank you!"

Joe and Colin got the luggage out of the trunk and took it to the house while Mr. Jennings and Jason talked.

As Jason was closing the door to Katie's room - Mr. Jennings gave him Katie's room under the circumstances - Mr. Jennings whispered, "She really loves you, you know?"

"Really?"

"Really." He smiled and then said, "You know I always asked Katie, 'how can you be in love with some guy that you've never even talked to before?' and she always answered, 'I don't know Dad, it just sort of happened that way'." He walked away before Jason could ask him any questions.

Jason finished closing the door and turned around to look at Katie's room. The first thing he noticed was the cardboard cut-out of his character Patrick Miller placed in the corner. One of her lime green walls was completely covered by posters of actors and singers. Also on the wall were old pictures of friends and family. Another was a wall of floor to ceiling windows. He finished scanning the room and took in everything he could. He felt like he knew so much but so little about her. He was so close to her but so far away.

He got dressed into his pajamas then crawled into Katie's bed.

The sheets were soft and smelled so good.

Jason fell asleep with Katie's scent in his nose and emptiness in his heart.