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apartment.
    “Don’t worry; I know the score. I just thought it would be nice to enjoy the weather before Mother Nature realizes it’s April.”
    “As long as you understand this is in no way a date, I would love to go. Thank you.” I waited for his nod before I continued. “I was kind of hoping I’d see you again today, anyway.”
    “Couldn’t stand the thought of being away from me for more than twenty-four hours?” I was growing quite fond of the devilish grin he wore when teasing me.
    “No.” I smacked his arm. “I have a favor to ask.”
    “Anything,” he replied. The look in his eyes told me he meant it.
    “I still haven’t opened the letter from the university; I’m too nervous.” I picked up the envelope from the counter and fiddled with one of its corners. “Would you open it for me and tell me what it says? Maybe you can soften the blow if it’s bad news.”
    “What makes you think it will be bad news?”
    “When I was accepted into the undergraduate program, the letter came in a large envelope full of pamphlets and forms. This one is small and thin, which worries me.” I chewed on my lip and held the envelope out to him.
    He took the letter and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ll open it over lunch.”
    “Thank you. Give me a minute put on my shoes and grab some stuff, and then we can head out.”
    *
    We walked to the park with no real destination in mind. Although I’d lived a block away from it for nearly a year, I’d never taken the time to explore. About halfway between the park entrance near our building and the exit leading to Main Street, we found a small clearing a few yards from the path. The grassy area was spacious but still felt private. The trees encircling the meadow provided shade and, along with the other trees we’d passed along the way, completely blocked our view of the dirt path.
    “This is beautiful,” I said as I walked around to take in everything. Not normally one for nature, I was surprised by how quickly I was falling in love with this little piece of tranquility. When I came upon one of the smaller trees, I stopped and looked up. Unlike its mighty neighbors, this tree only had a small smattering of foliage, which left most of the branches bare. As silly as it may have sounded, I felt a connection to it. We both wanted to be part of something bigger but didn’t quite fit in. We were both surrounded by normalcy—beauty, even—but would never have it for ourselves. For a moment, I wondered if there was any hope for either of us.
    Having realized I’d settled on a spot, Carter handed me the blanket I’d grabbed from the back of my couch. Grabbing two of the corners, I shook it open and spread it out so one edge was up against the lonely tree—my tree. Once I was settled on the ground, leaning against its trunk, Carter handed the backpack to me. Making a huge production out of it, he pulled the letter from his back pocket and then sat to my left.
    Hesitant to acknowledge what was happening, I unzipped the backpack and pulled out sandwiches, chips, apples, and water bottles. “Sorry it isn’t much,” he said when I handed him his lunch.
    “It’s perfect,” I said as I removed the cellophane from my ham and turkey on wheat. Anything beyond the simple meal would have spoiled the atmosphere we’d created.
    “Are you ready?” he asked, waving the letter in front of him.
    “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
    He carefully slid his finger under the flap and then pulled out a single sheet of folded paper. His expression remained neutral as his eyes darted over it.
    “You applied to law school?” he asked without an ounce of inflection in his tone.
    “Yes. Why are you so surprised?” Did he think I wasn’t smart enough to be a lawyer? Maybe the letter was a rejection, which would prove I wasn’t.
    “I thought you wanted to be a social worker.”
    “I majored in social work because I want to practice family law. The degree in social work