It had been months since the fiery nightmares had plagued my unconsciousness, so when my comatose mind wandered back into the flaming house where I pictured Jake being burned alive, I was thrown for a loop.

My heart pounded violently against my chest when I finally pulled myself from the terrors of the dream. My body was shaking uncontrollably. The images replayed as if on a loop in my mind until, eventually, it was more than I could take. I sprung out of bed and ran to the bathroom, retching into the ceramic toilet bowl over and over again until I had nothing left to give.

I sat on the bathroom floor for an immeasurable amount of time, sobbing into my nightgown. The vivid dreams had always adversely afflicted my mind and toyed with my emotions, but this one tormented me far more on me than the others. I suspected it was because I had become so involved with Jake. I had come to rely on him so much that the notion of losing him was terrifying. I loved him, and I didn't know what I would do without him.

It's just a dream, I reminded myself. The same dream you've had countless times.

Even so, I knew deep down that there was a very real possibility of something like this occurring. Jake had a dangerous job. Sure, he'd helped countless people who might have otherwise perished, but how long could he test fate before he met his own demise in the same gruesome way?  

I got shakily to my feet and splashed cold water on my face in a futile attempt to calm myself. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom for a while, watching Jake and Harley as they slept peacefully, oblivious to my internal turmoil. Even with the commotion, they had not so much as stirred.

It helped ease my trepidations to see Jake for myself; to witness the way his muscled chest moved up and down with each breath, and to hear the gentle snore escaping his lips that told me that he was fine.

Though it was the middle of the night and I was exhausted, I knew I would never be able to get back to sleep. So I wrapped a robe around my shoulders, grabbed my laptop, and tiptoed downstairs. I turned on the coffee pot, the smell of freshly ground beans filling the room. I knew that I didn't really need the coffee; I was still wide awake from the nightmare.

I allotted most of my morning to planning the vacation that Jake and I would be taking in two weeks' time. I still remembered the rush of excitement I felt when we wrote locations we wanted to visit on slips of paper and, with a sense of spontaneity, drew one out of a hat.

Since then I had spent countless hours researching the castles and cathedrals of Prague, charting a course so Jake and I could see as much as possible during our five-day stay. It would be a final hurrah for us, a way of celebrating our new life together, before packing our bags and making the move to San Diego. 

A few hours passed before Jake walked into the kitchen, freshly shaved and showered. I was lost in the world of architecture, but that didn't stop him from immediately grabbing my hand, lifting me from my seat at the dining room table, and pulling me into his arms.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said, as he whirled me around the kitchen.

My cheerful laughter echoed through the room as he trailed kisses down my neck. Jake was the only person who could lift my spirits so dramatically.

"Jake, stop," I giggled, pressing against his chest gently. I couldn't help but smile at his friskiness.

"Why should I?" he murmured against my skin.

"Because if you don't, you're going to get something started, and you're already late for work as it is," I breathed.

He groaned playfully and set me back on my feet.

"Fine," he consented. "But when I get home, we're continuing where we left off. I hope you're ready for me, Catalina De la Rosa," he said with a wink.

I felt my face redden, and my stomach twisted in nervous, but excited, knots.

I set back to work as Jake fried eggs and toasted bread for our breakfast. My mouth watered as he set the plate of food in front of me. 

"You weren't in bed when I woke up?" he questioned, as he grabbed a thermos from the cupboard and began filling it with coffee.

"I couldn't sleep. Nightmares," I explained, avoiding his knowing eyes.

"I thought those were over."

"Yeah, I thought so, too," I murmured.

He nodded without questioning me further, but his eyebrows were furrowed in concern.

"I better get going. I love you," he said, pulling me in for a deep kiss goodbye. I smiled as he pulled away and told him I loved him too.

"Don't forget that the guys are heading out to celebrate Dwayne's last day after my shift, so I'll be home late tonight," Jake called on the way out the door.

"How could I forget?" I murmured.

It had been a week since the wedding, and Dwayne was still in the process of moving to San Diego. Mariana had been talking about the move nonstop for the past three days. If Dwayne didn't get there soon, she was going to lose it. I smiled; I missed that girl already.

I was glad that he was almost finished packing so he and Mariana could be together for good. I could only imagine how difficult it must be, living so far away from someone that you loved.

The magic of the wedding didn't stop once Jake and I returned to Chico. I could still feel his arms around my waist as we stared out to the sea, contemplating where our future journeys would take us.

But life moves on with or without you, and eventually, Jake and I had to get back to work. That didn't stop the memories from bringing a smile to my face.

I would have loved to stay in San Diego a little longer, to bask in the romance the city brought to my relationship. I nearly begged Jake to cancel our flight back to Chico. We'd brought Harley with us on the trip, so there was no reason to return home. Anything else that we needed could be replaced. Jake promised that we would be back soon, but his words didn't ease my melancholy about leaving.

I couldn't help the sinking feeling that formed in the pits of my stomach as we drove to the airport. Something told me that we would never return to San Diego, and that the happy feeling we'd experienced as we danced at Mariana's wedding was something I would never see again.

Much to Jake's confusion, I cried the entire time we boarded the plane. 

It was weird that Jake had to be the one to speak reason, pressing that we had jobs and responsibilities at home, that we couldn't just drop our lives and move to San Diego on a whim. He said we had to plan, and that I, of all people, should understand that.

He was right, of course. We had people who depended on us and we couldn't leave them hanging. But I was still eagerly awaiting the day when we would move to San Diego for good.

Our trip had allowed me to see life in a new light. For the first time since college, I was living in the moment with each work task. I was eager to create pieces of art, rather than just finish a project for the sake of meeting a deadline. My passion for design had returned and I started to enjoy my job again, something that hadn't happened in nearly a decade.

My latest work was more innovative and risqué than anything I had done in the past. I was nervous about the reaction the blueprints would get when I submitted them to my firm, but to my surprise, my supervisor loved them. He gushed over the modern archways and crown molding designs, and couldn't wait to show them to our clients. I had Jake to thank for my inspiration.

Still, I longed for those carefree days spent on the western California coastline, wrapped in his arms as the ocean spray fell on my face. I made Jake vow to take me back there the very day we moved to the city.

We still hadn't told his family about our decision to move to San Diego. We wanted to find a home in the area first, which was a process in and of itself. Jake teased me about my pickiness, saying we would be staying on the streets if I didn't lower my expectations. But I knew what I wanted in a home, and I wasn't going to settle for anything less.

"It's just temporary anyway," he had said. "We'll just be living there long enough for you to design our permanent home, anyway."

It warmed my heart to realize that Jake saw a future for us.

I found myself doodling about what our dream home would look like. I couldn't stop fantasizing about the nook that would face the west so I could read in the setting sun; the vast backyard with a wraparound porch where Harley could run and play unhindered; the large bedroom closets we would have because they would, inevitably, fill up if we lived that close to Mariana.

As I sat at the kitchen table, calculating the dimensions for each room of our San Diego home, I realized that it was six months to the day since I had met Jake Lucero. It felt like yesterday and a million years ago, all at the same time.

It was a bittersweet moment. To celebrate my time with Jake meant that I was also rejoicing that my home was burned to a crisp, for I wouldn't have one without the other. It was a strange feeling to realize how much I lost half a year ago, but at the same time, I could see how much I had gained. Oddly enough, I was thankful the wildfires had happened, for it led me to Jake.

My time with Jake had changed me for the better. I wasn't the same Catalina that I was the day the fire struck, and I would be forever thankful for that. The old Cat would spend days on end, not leaving her home. The new Cat was ready to jump on a plane and travel halfway around the world with the man that she loved.

For a very long time, I had been unable to give my heart away for fear of it being broken. I didn't want to be left to pick up the pieces the way that my mother had been when my father left. If someone didn't fit into my plans, then I pushed them away without a second thought.

But Jake helped me realize that the best moments in life happened when you least expected them to. Just like with most things in life, love was unpredictable. You couldn't plan when you would fall in love, or who you would fall in love with.

I had been baptized by the fire that was Jake Lucero, born again among the flames. The meek, homebound girl who was afraid to venture beyond her comfortable surroundings was no more. I was looking forward to exploring the world, starting new adventures in life with Jake by my side. 

                    * * * * * * * * * * *

After hours of staring at my computer screen, booking plane tickets, and hotel rooms, I leaned back in the kitchen hair and extended my shoulders. They ached from hunching forward for so long.

But no amount of stretching could release the stiffness that had built up, and I soon found myself longing for a hot bath to ease the tension.

I stood in the steamy shower for a long time, allowing the warmth of the water to shrink the rigidity of my body. I messaged shampoo onto my scalp, and scrubbed my skin with lavender body wash, letting the shower do its work.

I stood under the cascading shower head until the water had turned cold. When there was no hot water left to bring me relief, I climbed out of the shower and yanked on a pair of old, faded sweatpants.

I was toweling off my damp hair when I noticed my phone lighting up from across the bedroom. I didn't recognize the number from the missed call, but when I opened the voicemail, I knew the voice immediately.

My heart dropped as I listened to the message. 

"Cat, its Dwayne," the voicemail said. "Listen, you need to come to Central Hospital. It's Jake... you need to come now. Please hurry."

Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying this story so far, don't forget to vote! :)

© Dawn Norwell