I stand there next to the row of trees in Central Park, the chilly autumn air overwhelming my bare hands. After about 2 minutes of trying to dial with my leather gloves on, I give up, deciding that no such thing is possible.

"Hello?" I hear his ever-familiar voice once again.

"Hey Nate," I answer, knowing that he recognizes my voice.

"Oh hey, how are you?"

"I'm good," I reply anxiously, "actually, I'm a little better than good. Want to meet me for coffee on fifth?"

"Serena, it is 3 in the afternoon and I have work." He says sternly.

"But Natie, you're the boss! Surely you could take a little break? This is really important." I basically bite my lip waiting for his response, which takes a little longer than it should.

"You abuse that nickname you know." He barely whispers.

"Oh Nate, please! You promised you'd always be there right? Well this is always."

"Fine, just this once." He says with heaviness in his voice. I can imagine his hand running through his hair, an act of relieving the temporary stress.

"Okay, I'll see you in fifteen!"

"Serena, my building is 20 minutes away and there's traffic. I don't think 15 minutes will –" he says, but I hang up anyways.

I quickly walk down the large path with a bounce in my step, almost strutting like I'm on the runway, because I'm happiest when I'm doing something I love; and right now, I'm really happy. Fall has just arrived, and although I miss the summer, this season's atmosphere still completely captivates me. The air bites at my bare face, causing my cheeks to turn brighter than my YSL blush. I don't quite realize how quickly I'm walking, especially in my black Louboutin suede ankle boots, which are 3 inches tall. I check my phone for the time, noticing that I just barely made the time mark. I eagerly walk into the shop, not expecting Nate to be there yet. However, when I scan the room to find a table to sit at, he is already sitting at our regular table next to the window.

"Nate! How'd you get here so fast? I thought you said –" I start, but he interrupts me.

"Well you're you, and you said it was important. So it's important to me, too." He states, like it's a simple fact.

"Oh." I say, sitting on the little sofa across from him.

"I already ordered your pumpkin spice latte, now that's is fall and everything."

"How do you know me so well?" I say, smirking at him.

"Well you are Serena van der Woodsen, and I have known you since we were five." He says, exaggerating the breaks in the sentence.

"Oh shut up." I laugh, taking off my gloves and jacket, setting them on the armrest of the chair.

"So," he folds his strong arms over his chest, "why didn't you go to Blair first? Am I really that special?"

"Blair doesn't get back from Puerto Rico until tomorrow, so I'll just have to settle for you." I try my best to conceal the smile that's creeping up on my lips, but finally give up a few short seconds later. I completely forget about his question.

"Ha ha, very funny." He replies as the barista sets down our drinks.

"So," I start, my hands twitching with excitement, "I kind of have some big news and I need your opinion." I'm smiling from ear to ear.

"Really? Wow, and here I sat thinking that this was a solemn occasion." He sends his sarcastic, but cute, remark at me. He's smiling, too.

I glare at him before I pick up my cup to take a sip.

A few seconds have passed as we sit there in silence; me, drinking my latte, and him, watching me. "Fine." I say finally breaking the silence. His lips now contort into a satisfied smile.

"He proposed to me." I say bluntly, excitement washing over me. Instantly, his smile drops, and his eyes give a solemn stare down at his coffee.

"Congratulations." He tries to sound happy for me, but the words come out more like they're straining. "You said yes, I take it?" He glances at my left hand, but notices that it's bare.

"Thank you, but no, not yet."

"What do you mean, 'not yet'?" he asks seriously.

"Well, I don't know if I'm sure yet. I really want to say yes, but I need to think it out first."

"Serena, when you are in a dire situation, you make decisions before you can even blink. But all of a sudden, you choose this situation to be sensible?" He jokes, making me smile.

"Well seeing my mom get married 6 times doesn't exactly make me want to get married so soon." I reply simply.

"Well you're 26, it's not like you're that young."

I gasp, trying to exaggerate the fact that he almost called me old. "Well I'm surprised that those words are coming out of your mouth, considering you're the first person I told." I clutch my chest with my free hand, pretending to be in pain.

"Fine, and thank you. But, what do you want my opinion on? It's your decision."

"I don't know," I almost whisper, "but do you think I should?"

"Serena, you deserve to be happy. So if Dan makes you happy then be with him." He leans back into the plush cushion.

"Nate, I need you to tell me the truth."

He speaks almost immediately. "I think you should look it over."

"What do you mean? That's what I'm doing right now…" My brows furrow.

"How many times have you been together?" he asks.

"Nate, I've loved him since I was 16…" I trail off, because I loved him as well. "We've been together for almost a decade, I think that counts for something." I try to regain my composure.

"Yeah, but you keep breaking up and making up. Let's not forget about all those other guys you dated. They occupied a few years you know," but I cut him off before he can finish.

"Nate, I thought you could be one of the few people genuinely happy for me."

"I am Serena. I always am. But you deserve the best, and I'll always be willing to help you achieve that. I'm only trying to help." He tries to reassure me, as I am now fidgeting quite a bit.

"You never liked my being with Dan have you…" I sigh. "If this is because you're still single after all these years, then at least try to push aside your jealously for this milestone in my life." I cross my arms, only now realizing how loud my voice has gotten.

Nate glances around the room to see if anyone's watching, and they are. "Serena, don't do this." He has a tired look in his eyes.

"I love him. You wouldn't understand…" my anger is now taking over my senses, I don't even know why.

"Of course I understand Serena. Do you honestly think I've never felt love? Do you honestly think that I've been here with you for over 2 decades because I don't care? Because I do, and I have felt love, at least I thought I did." He reaches for his coat and get up to leave.

"Nate," my voice sounding weak, "please don't leave. I didn't mean it."

"What didn't you mean? The part where you accused me of jealousy, or the part where you said you loved me?" And with that, he walks out of the café, slamming the door so hard that the tables tremble, ever so slightly. It's only a few seconds that I can try to hold the tears back, so I leave as well. Leave would be an understatement, more like sprint out of the building as fast as these shoes could take me.