To say Elise was excited last night when I told her I think Seth is my soul mate is an understatement. She even started looking up bridesmaid dresses online before we got off the phone. I'm pretty excited too. I turn to check out my butt in the mirror. Seth and I are going apple picking this afternoon. I adjust my scarf, and satisfied I'm wearing the right thing, I make my way to the kitchen to try to find a distraction before Seth arrives.

An orange juice container is cold in my hand as I take it out of the fridge to pour myself a glass. I have to admit that finding a soul mate wasn't something I thought would happen for me. And now that it has, I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to deal with it. Sweet citrus fills my mouth as I take a sip of my drink.

Maybe I shouldn't put so much stock in the idea that Seth has to love me as my soul mate no matter what I do, but it's helping with my nerves. When cold liquid hits my stomach, I tense up, though, because if he has no choice, he might feel trapped. Warriors are the cool kids of the clan, and they don't end up with the weirdos like me.

I turn to the thud of Sammy's footsteps as she enters the kitchen.

She looks at me with a mischievous smile. "You've got Seth in the palm of your hand. Did you know he's outside, pacing back and forth?"

"What?"

Sammy grabs an apple from a bowl on the counter and inspects it as she says, "He keeps checking his phone, and I bet it's because he's early and doesn't want you to know."

"No way! That's something I'd do."

"I know." She bites into her apple with a crunch.

"Should I go out there?"

She shakes her head as she grimaces. "Not until you promise to bring me home apples that taste better than this one."

"Deal." Sammy's doing her thesis on reading levels and working at the school next week, so I tease her. "But aren't you testing students in the first grade this week? If you're nice, maybe one of your students will bring you one."

She smiles. "What I really want is your apple pie."

"Me too." I glance toward the door because what I actually want is to go out to Seth.

Sammy says, "Go."

I let out a sigh of relief as I grab my phone and stick it in my pocket. When I open the door, Sammy calls out, "Lots of apples, Nina. I want pie for a month!"

It makes me smile, which turns to a huge grin when I see Seth.

"Sorry," he says. "I know I'm early."

"I don't mind. I was ready early too."

He smiles. "My car's up ahead," Seth says as he starts to walk.

The street is lined with river birch trees, and the leaves have changed to shades of red and yellow because of the cool night temperatures. I pull the sleeves of my sweater down over my hands to ward off the chill because it's cooler than I expected. "I've never been apple picking before. This feels so Maine. I'm sure there are places to go near my town, but it wasn't a thing like it is here."

"You missed out." Seth stops by a Jeep and opens the door for me as his smile lights up his eyes. "Lucky for you, we're going to do it all. There's a corn maze, apple cider donuts you have to try, and we can even go on a hayride."

"Wow," I say once Seth gets behind the wheel. "I'm getting the whole experience." The car is warm from the heat of the sun, and I lean back to soak it up from the seat.

Seth asks, "Did I hear something about apple pie from your roommate?"

I chuckle. "That was Sammy. She wanted to make sure I bring back enough apples to make lots of pie."

He glances at me as we move down the road. "I like apple pie."

"Is that a hint you'd like me to make you one?"

"Would you?"

I laugh, and it occurs to me I'm completely relaxed and myself right now. But even better, I know in my heart this is how it's supposed to be. "How about we make it together?"

He frowns. "I'm a terrible baker."

I notice the sign for the apple orchard, and Seth's blinker ticks as he slows down to turn. We end up on a dirt road, and I hold on to a handle as the Jeep bounces over the bumpy surface.

I say, "Pie is easy. I promise."

There are quite a few cars in the parking lot, and I see a lot of families milling around since it's the weekend. After we get bags to collect our apples, Seth leads me to the rows of trees marked by apple variety and we stop at the Cortlands.

"I'm not sure if you know this," he says, "but these are some of the best for pie."

My first reaction is to say I'm aware, but one thing I've learned from Sammy is that it's nice to let others shine and not be a know-it-all. I squint at him as I smile. "Hmmm. Are you sure about that? I need very specific types of apples for baking."

A twig snaps, and he tugs an apple off a branch. "This is sweet and has a texture that doesn't get mushy when cooked."

I raise my eyebrows at him and wonder how he knows so much about apples. Seth holds the fruit out to me, and I lean in to take a bite. Sweet juice fills my mouth as I chew.

"Mmm."

Seth leans in close, and I gulp my mouthful down before he kisses me. He licks his lips when he pulls away.

"Yup. Very sweet." He winks at me before he turns to begin picking apples. "Besides Cortlands, we'll need something tart, don't you think?"

I chuckle. "You know an awful lot about making pie for someone who can't cook." An apple plops into my bag as I drop it.

He says, "I can cook. But following a recipe isn't my thing, so baking doesn't always go well."

"Ah." I think about my chemistry background and remember the students who struggled most in lab were the ones who weren't willing to be meticulous with their measurements. "So you're the creative type."

Seth has been picking at twice my speed and has two bagsful, so he reaches over and places apples in mine. "If you mean I'll open a bottle of wine for us to drink, play music, and perhaps avoid measuring spoons while I make dinner, then yes."

Warmth fills me as I imagine the scene. My bag is full now, so I ask, "Where to next, Johnny Appleseed?"

Seth grabs my bag and leads me up the hill. "Did you know that he planted apple trees that were used mainly for making hard cider?" He takes my hand as we climb. "The fruit was very sour and nothing like what we eat today. He also refused to graft, which is how we get such tasty versions."

"Wow. You really do know your stuff."

Seth frowns. "Sorry. I got carried away, didn't I?"

I realize that, once again, I blurted out something hurtful without intending to. "No. My gosh, I'm the one who's sorry. I like hearing what you know."

"It's okay."

I sigh, because I think I let myself be too comfortable around Seth. "Actually, it's not. My need to express every thought is something I've been working on changing."

Seth stops and turns to face me. "Don't do that, Nina."

"Do what?"

"Get down on yourself for who you are." He rubs my arm with his free hand and speaks softly. "I like you because you're unaffected and honest. I don't want a tempered version of you."

I fiddle with the button on his Henley shirt. "But I'm so awkward and usually end up being unintentionally rude."

"You're perfect, Nina."

I look up to meet his gaze and see that Seth is being sincere. The rush of feelings I have for him floods my heart, and I smile. I think he really does like me for who I am, and I'm not sure how I got so lucky. So I let myself say what I'm thinking. "You're pretty perfect too."