Walking out of my Literature class, I smiled as the sun’s rays finally managed to break through the heavily looming snow clouds. New York City had been shrouded in a gloomy gray blanket and, in turn, doused with snow for what felt like the entire month of February. So, the warmth of the sun was almost magical as I walked through Washington Square to meet Nash for a bite to eat before our afternoon classes. The moment I saw him sitting there by the fountain, my heart skipped a beat. He looked incredible and warm, dressed in his NYU sweater with his pea coat over the top, as he stared down at the textbook on his lap, rapt with whatever it was he was reading.

God, I love that boy, I thought to myself as I stopped a moment just to stare at him, appreciate him. I was still completely enamored even after all these years.

“Nash?” I waved, continuing toward him through the throng of students, tourists, and office workers from the nearby buildings taking advantage of the sun during their lunch breaks.

He looked up from his book, his blue eyes lighting up with his grin as he found me through the crowd. As I approached him, he stood, but I was interrupted by my cell phone vibrating in the pocket of my jeans. Pulling it out, I looked down to see my mother’s beautiful face flashing on the illuminated screen. My eyebrows pulled together instinctively. She never called me during the day. She only ever called at night to see how my day went.

“How was your morning?” Nash asked, leaning in to place a kiss to my cheek.

“Hold on just a sec.” I turned away from him, answering the call. “Momma? Is everything okay?” I asked before she could speak.

“Hi, darlin’.” Her voice sounded different, strange, like it wasn’t really her.

I shoved my index finger into my ear in an attempt to hear her a little better over the city noise, walking away from the three girls sitting by the fountain laughing loudly together.

“Hi, Momma,” I said with a tight smile, my heart climbing higher and higher toward the back of my throat. Deep down, I knew something was wrong. “Is everything okay?”

“Sweetheart,” Momma began, her voice soft and a little broken. “I’m afraid I have some bad news …”

As I strained to hear her soft voice over the noise I’d become so accustomed to, I glanced back over my shoulder to see Nash watching on with interest, his eyebrows knitted together as he watched me intently while I listened to my mother. But then, when everything around me began to go dark, when the beat of my heart became so deafening it was all I could hear, I watched as Nash dropped his textbook to the ground, running toward me with a look of fear in his eyes. I didn’t even realize I’d fallen into a heap on the cold concrete until Nash dropped to his knees, pulling me into his arms.