The clusters moved in a distinct way. A game of touch football was in full swing, guitars were being lazily strummed under the shade trees, and the more studious co-eds were hunched over a book. Blankets peppered the grass in vivid colors, creating a patchwork of chatter and laughter. It was a celebration without anything to celebrate, which made it more innocent, more enjoyable.

We settled on a spot by a tree near the center. With a flick of his wrists, the blanket under his arm unrolled and slowly fell to the ground, perfectly flat.

I shook my head in disbelief.

“What?” Jared asked, smiling cautiously. He sat on the edge of the blanket with his back against the trunk of a budding Tulip tree.

“Nothing,” I said, standing in place while he clinched his jaw at my impertinence.

“You’re going to have to quit doing that. I’d gotten used to knowing how you were feeling without the narrative, but now that I can ask you, when you don’t tell me it nearly drives me insane.”

I smiled at that. “Then we’re even.”

Jared rolled his eyes as I sat on the blanket. After a moment he smiled and pulled me to his chest. I leaned back against him to rest my elbows on his thighs, letting the sunshine drape over me. I remembered what Jared had said about feeling happy with him, so I let the bliss I was feeling swell into unbridled ecstasy. I opened all of my senses, the warmth of the sunshine above me, the heat of Jared’s skin below me, his amazing scent floating around us, the laughter in the background, and the convivial atmosphere.

It didn’t take long for Jared to react. “This is amazing, isn’t it?”

I took the chance to make up for the rejection he’d felt earlier. “It’s a beautiful day and I’m lying in the sunshine with the man I love. This is better than amazing. This is heaven,” I smiled, closing my eyes to the sun.

Jared took a deep, satisfied breath and intertwined his fingers with mine.

We remained that way for a long time, listening to the laughter and babbling voices, their words blurring—to me, at least—around us. Jared jostled me a bit when his arm darted out and jerked. He had caught a football inches from my face.

“Whoa! Nice catch! You wanna play?” A winded male voice said from the foot of our blanket.

I lifted my hand to block out the sun in order to see the person standing above me. I didn’t recognize him. He was tall and slender, had shoulder-length brown hair, and was wearing only a pair of long khaki cargo shorts and running shoes. His hand was outstretched for the football Jared had caught.

“He looks pretty busy to me, Zack.”