As the young couple walked through the park, Katie had a lot to think about. In her heart of hearts, she knew Josh was right, and he was doing only what he thought was good given the knowledge he had. This was a very astute and grown up thing to do. Unfortunately, Katie was not a grown up, at least not entirely. She was still a young girl, a young girl who longed to understand the whole of this strange wonderful feeling she had while he was with her.
In her mind, Katie wrestled with the problem. The college student could clearly see things from his perspective. Who would want to be romantic with someone who was, in truth, so far younger than they that it passed the point of legality. At the same time, the child portion thought clearly that she was grown enough, the world changed around her and she with responsibility and ability enough to try things out. She cared about Josh too, and she respected his wish, but the tendency of the ring had grown greatly in the young woman and she could not help but be tempted to try it.
Touching her fingers to the warm clasp of gold in her navel, Katie decided...