18 years earlier...

"Hi, my name's Leo and I'm five." The little boy had never met this girl before, but when your five, everyone is your friend.

"I'm Ally and I'm five and a half." The girl introduced herself as if she also made new friends with strangers everyday.

"Wanna play on the swings?" The boy, Leo, asked.

"Sure," Ally responded and they took of running on the the wood chips.

Off to the side, two mothers watched with matching grins as their children played on the swings. It wouldn't be long before they shared a bench and swapped stories of motherhood, parenting, and life in general. They would learn that their kids would be starting school at the same kindergarten that fall, and would then promise to set up a future play date.

10 years earlier...

"I can't believe we're going into seventh grade." Leo dreaded the first day of school when he would have to leave his peaceful oasis of summer. The last few days were coming to a close and with only a week to go, he lie on his back in the grass at the neighborhood playground, taking in the warmth of the sun.

"I know, won't it be fun?" Ally was the opposite. She was smart, had a few close girl friends, and was a star on the middle school swim team. Of course she was excited.

"What if we don't have any classes together? I already lost Nathan, I don't want to lose you either." Nathan had been one of Leo's other best friends, who had moved to Georgia at the end of sixth grade.

"We won't be split up," Ally said with so much confidence, Leo almost believed her. She sat up in the grass to look at him. "And even if we have different classes, we'll have lunch together, and you'll have to help me study for science, you know that's my weakest subject." Leo was almost assured, but a part of him knew that there was a good chance he would be apart from both of his friends. With a reluctant sigh, he agreed to help her with science, but only if she tutored him in math.

6 years earlier...

Leo took off his helmet and bumped chest with Brandon as the announcer read off the final score and the victory for the Lakeside Comets. He searched the stands for his parents and Ally, who cheered and hollered with the rest of the crowd. Ally flashed him a grin, and he returned it, knowing nothing could bring him down. After this, their two families would be getting together for dinner, and he was excited to discuss homecoming plans with Ally. He had finally gotten up the courage to ask a few days ago, and to his relief, she had agreed. The rest of the amazing night flew by, and after a delicious meal of spaghetti, ceasar salad, and garlic bread, him and Ally had stepped outside for a walk to the park and some fresh air. It was late enough to where the sun was long gone and the sky was filled with the brilliant light of thousands of stars. As they entered the playground, Ally looked up, amazed at the beauty of the sparkling moon and stars. Then her eyes drifted to Leo's face, and color rushed to her cheeks, but the smile didn't leave her lips. Leo noticed how bright her eyes shone in the moonlight. She was pretty. But was he allowed to even think that? They had never really talked about what they technically were. After all, they were going to homecoming together, but was that just a friendly thing to do? Or was it... more? Leo's questions were silenced when Ally reached for his hand, taking it in her own. She looked at him. He looked right back and squeezed her hand in response. No words were needed.

Present day:

His palms were sweating like crazy. Why was her nervous? _Because she could very well reject you in front of a bunch of mothers and their little kids. _Ally wasn't sure why Leo was acting so strange. Why had he even brought her back to the park? Shrugging it off, she followed him to the grassy area where they had spent so many hours playing, talking, and laughing. Leo began to turn around and took both of her hands, squeezing them tight. He took a deep breath and looked in her eyes, they were full of curiosity and amusement. Then he lowered to one knee in the grass, and watched as those sparkling eyes began to fill with tears. He reached in his pocket to retrieve the small box and the contents of the ring that he had so diligently selected. Ally hand flew to cover her mouth in surprise, inhaling sharply. There in the playground where they had met, kneeling in the grass, Leo asked the question he had been preparing to ask for years, "Will you marry me?"