By Danny's senior year, he was fairly certain about what he wanted to do after college. He was graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice and planning to take the FBI exam. The more he read about the FBI, the more interested he became. He was determined to pass the exam on his first try. So the majority of his senior year was spent studying. He still found time to party, but he tried to keep his priorities.

Danny's romantic life was less clear. On a couple of occasions, he tried to develop more serious relationships, but nothing ever seemed to work. His drinking was always a factor, as well as his unwillingness to open up about himself. So, he continued to go from one casual relationship to another. The encounters left him feeling empty and very alone…which led to more and more drinking.

He had a couple of part-time jobs to keep him busy. One of the jobs was parking cars at a very ritzy, uptown hotel. The tips alone helped him pay the rent on his small studio. One cold, December evening Danny was returning to the Valet stand after parking a car when he saw a limousine arrive. The first woman to exit the limo looked very familiar to Danny. And then he saw her. Katie stepped out of the back seat. He watched as she pulled her coat tighter to brace herself against the icy wind. He only saw her profile, but he knew it was her. She was with her mother.

He knew he should just let her go and pretend like he didn't see her, but he was compelled to follow her. He told his co-worker that he was taking a break and then he followed her inside. He watched as she and her mother were greeted by the hotel's Events Coordinator. Danny had worked several special events, so he was familiar with the coordinator. She led Katie and her mother up to the main ballroom. Danny went through the kitchen to slip into the ballroom unnoticed. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he noticed Katie looking uninterested in the conversation. She looked different…almost sad. She looked thinner and definitely more grown-up. She was wearing a pair of sleek, black reading glasses with her hair pulled back in a severe bun. She didn't look like the same warm-hearted girl. Instead, she looked icy and detached.

They spent a half hour talking to the coordinator and then left the hotel. Danny wanted to call out to her. He wanted to say something, but he didn't. He wasn't sure what he could say after all the time that passed. And then that night as he tried to fall asleep, a thought passed through his mind. He was graduating in less than six months. He was taking the FBI exam in January. Katie's father couldn't really do anything to him now. What was stopping him from contacting Katie? What did he have to lose? The least he could do was explain that nothing happened with Payton. So Danny decided to find Katie and talk to her.

The next morning, he went to the Mason's upper West side apartment building. He sat at the coffee shop across the street and watched the front door hoping to glimpse Katie leaving. As he sat there, he remembered the two weeks they spent in her bedroom. They were still the best two weeks of his life.

Finally, just as he was about to give up, Katie walked out of the building. Thankfully, she was by herself. She was dressed in a warm wool coat and scarf. He rushed out of the coffee shop to catch up with her and then followed her for several blocks until she entered the public library. He smiled as he watched her. She truly would never change. He didn't even have to follow her to her location. He knew she would end up in British literature.

She settled at one of the study tables and took several books out. Then she put on her glasses and started going through the materials. This was the Katie he remembered and loved. Not the harsh looking debutante he saw at the hotel, but the girl with her hair in a loose pony tail wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and little or no make-up.

He grabbed a book off one of the shelves and approached her. "Excuse me, miss. I heard you were the expert on Shakespeare Sonnets. I was hoping you could help me decipher them," Danny said with as much confidence and charm as he could muster.

Katie looked up a little stunned. Leave it to Danny to take her by surprise. He looked exactly the same to her, but completely different at the same time. She looked around trying to regain her composure before responding. "Is this a coincidence….or…?"

Danny shook his head. "I saw you yesterday…at the Ritz. So, today I went by your parent's place hoping to see you. I followed you here. Are you home for Christmas break?"

"Home from where?" she asked confused.

"Oxford. I assume you're at Oxford."

Katie shook her head. "I never went."

"Oh…I didn't know," he responded awkwardly.

"How could you know? I haven't seen you in almost four years."

"Right…," he replied sensing her iciness. "So do you go to school somewhere here…or…?"

"Um…I just started taking some classes at Columbia, but not a full load. I'm kind of just seeing what I want to do."

Danny eyed her quizzically. "Seeing what you want to do? Didn't you always know what you wanted to do?"

"I used to know. I got sidetracked," she replied in a short tone.

Danny nodded not sure whether he should keep talking or leave her alone. "Um…when I saw you yesterday…I thought…I thought maybe we should talk."

Katie sighed and a worried look crossed her face. "Danny…I…it's been a long time. I was a child when we…back then. I was a girl with a crush. Things are completely different now. I've grown up."

To say the least, Danny was surprised by her response. He had no idea that her feelings would change so completely, because he knew he still cared for her. "Oh…right…okay. You're right. It's been a long time. I didn't mean to bother you. I just…"

"You're not bothering me. There just isn't anything to talk about," she responded.

Danny nodded again. "Well good luck at Columbia. Take care," he said as he backed away.

"You, too," she replied and then turned back to her reading materials.

Danny left the library feeling confused and a little humiliated. He should have known that she would move on. She was just a girl when they were first together, and truly they weren't together long enough to develop any kind of relationship. Danny felt foolish, but at least he took solace in knowing she was okay.