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What you alant: more

It shouldnt have surprised her God knew shed heard the sah in her life She could even admit the truth of it She did want littery cotton candy one shed created for herself

But she had no real idea how to go about starting over at her age She loved her job too ive it up; besides, shed been fa ordinary again

Now, beneath a surprisingly war the fast-htly dressed tourists Today was the first sunny day after a long snointer, and nothing changed the mood of New York like the sun People poured out of their boxy apart shoes, and went outside To her right, Central Park was a green oasis For a moment, when she looked at it, she saw her own past: the Quad at UW; kids running around, throwing Frisbees, playing hacky sack It had been twenty years since shed left the campus for the last tiht now it all felt as close as her own shadow

S, she shook her head to clear it Shed have to call Katie tonight and tell her about this senior moment

She was just about to start walking again when she saw him

Down a low green hillside, standing on the paved path, watching two teenage girls roller-skate around him

"Chad "

It was the first time shed said his name aloud in years and it tasted as sweet as alht of hiain

She walked down to the start of the path and turned toward hi out the sunlight,her instantly cold

What would she say to him after all these years? What would he say to her? The last tiether hed asked her to ain Hed known her so well then, enough that he hadnt stuck around to be told no But theyd loved each other With the wisdo of years, she knew that She knew, too, that love didnt evaporate It faded, perhaps, lost its weight like bones left out in the sun, but it didnt go away

It occurred to her suddenly, sharply, that she wanted to be in love Like Johnny and Kate She wanted not to feel so damned alone in the world

She faltered only once as she walked toward hiht

And there he was, standing in front of her, the man shed never quite been able to evict from her dreams She said his name aloud, too quietly for him to hear

He looked up and saw her, his s slowly "Tully?"