Chapter 24: Daylight

The fountain stood in the old campus quad, with the water turned off for the season and dead leaves in the basin.

Elise got there at ten minutes to four.

Nolan was already sitting on the rim with two paper cups.

He stood up when he saw her, and nearly dropped one.

"You're early," she said.

"I've had practice."

She sat beside him and took her cup.

It was bad coffee, and it was hot, and she drank all of it.

"I came late once," she said. "I'm not going to do it twice."

"You didn't know."

"I know now."

The sun slid behind the library, and the light went long and gold across the stones.

At four o'clock exactly, a clock somewhere in the quad struck the hour.

Nolan set down his cup.

"I wrote you a letter once," he said. "You answered it. I'd like to ask the question properly."

"Ask."

He went down on one knee on the cold stone, and took a small velvet box from his coat.

He opened it.

The narrow gold band lay inside, worn soft, with one tiny garnet set low into the metal.

"It's eighty years old," he said. "I picked it because it was made to last."

Elise laughed, and her eyes filled.

"I'll never ask you to be quiet," Nolan said. "I'll never ask you to be strong, either."

"You can be tired with me. You can be wrong. Marry me."

"Yes," she said.

He had not finished.

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