My Tomorrow by Megan Nugen Isbell

aimlessly, taking everything in at first.  It really was beautiful.  People were running and walking their dogs, or just lying on the grass reading a book.  I wished I lived closer so I could take advantage of the park.  Although it didn’t look a thing like Iowa, it was the first thing in New York that had any semblance of home.
    I stopped when I descended down some steps and was greeted with the famous fountain I’d seen a million times in the movies.  I found a bench nearby and sat down.  I should be excited to be sitting here, but I wasn’t and as I stared at the fountain, I knew it was because Ethan wasn’t with me.  I imagined my first time in Central Park would be with him, not alone and stewing over how hurt I was.  I missed him next to me though.  I missed holding his hand.  I just plain missed him.  I hated when we fought.  I hated being angry with him, but when I really thought about it with my brain and not my heart, I thought perhaps I shouldn’t be so angry with Ethan.  Deep down, I knew he hadn’t done it to hurt me.  I knew he was just thinking about us and I’d be lying if I said an extra shift wouldn’t help. I knew I was allowing the hurt to fester because I wanted to be angry.  I wanted to be mad at him because I was so frustrated with our situation.  I hadn’t really allowed myself to think about my feelings.  Moving to New York had been the craziest thing I’d ever done and I stupidly thought it would be okay.  I had this idealistic view of what our life would be.  I knew it would be different than college, I just hadn’t expected to feel so lonely or to miss him so much even though we lived in the same house. I had some delusion that we’d be happier than we’d been in Iowa.  It was a hard reality when I realized we weren’t. 
    I was looking around at all the people walking past me and then I noticed a figure jogging in my direction.  He looked familiar.  Tall and athletic, his black hair bouncing each time his foot hit the ground.  He was focused, his eyes staring straight ahead and he ran right past me, but then he stopped a few feet later and turned, doing a double-take when our eyes met.
    “Natalie?”
    “Hey, Drew,” I said and he started walking towards me.  I noticed his t-shirt was dripping with perspiration.  An iPod was attached to his arm and he pulled the earbuds out, holding them in his hand.  His sweaty hair hung across his forehead and he pushed it back quickly.  He was trying to catch his breath and as I looked up at him, even though he was in drenched workout clothes, I was still taken aback by how perfect he looked.  The advertisement in Times Square I’d imagined when I first met him appeared again in my head, only this time, it was a Nike ad.
    “What’s goin’ on?” he asked, looking around and then drawing his eyes back to mine.
    “Just relaxing, checking out the park.”
    “Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing to the spot on the bench next to me and I shook my head.  He sat down and I was surprised that even though he was drenched in sweat, he still smelled so good. “First time at the park?”
    “Yeah,” I answered.
    “And?  What do you think of it?”
    “It’s pretty spectacular.”
    “They don’t have parks like this in Iowa?” he laughed.
    “Not quite like this,” I grinned.
    “I love coming to the park.  It’s like the whole crazy world that is Manhattan just disappears while I’m here.”
    “It does make you forget,” I said and then we were quiet for a moment. “Do you run here a lot?” I finally asked to break the awkward silence.
    “I try to.  At least a few times a week, when I have the time.  I have a treadmill in my apartment, but it can’t beat the fresh air, especially since winter will be here soon,” he said and I nodded before he continued. “Are you here alone?”
    “I am,” I admitted, sounding more dejected than I probably should and I knew Drew had picked up on my somber