In this flashback, Beth arrives at Meadowlands for an evening with Gabriel and immediately senses their mutual attraction. Gabriel has prepared a candlelit supper by the lake, complete with flowers, blankets, and a fire, and Beth is deeply moved by the effort. Their easy teasing and shared smiles confirm that the connection Beth has been replaying in her mind is real.

Over dinner, Beth and Gabriel try to compress their lives into stories that will let the other catch up. Beth explains her Irish Catholic family background, her parents' devoted marriage, and her difficult school life under strict nuns. Gabriel, in turn, talks about going to Balliol College, Oxford, following his father and grandfather, which exposes the difference between his inherited privilege and Beth's much narrower expectations.

When Beth bristles at Gabriel's easy path, Gabriel recognizes her resentment and urges Beth not to limit herself. Because Gabriel knows Beth loves literature, he presses her to imagine applying to Oxford and describes its libraries, writers, and possibilities. The conversation matters because Gabriel does more than flirt with Beth: he treats Beth's intelligence and ambitions as serious and worth encouraging.

Later, they move beside the fire as the evening cools, and the mood shifts from conversation to intimacy. Gabriel admits he has wanted to kiss Beth, and when Beth confirms she feels the same, they kiss first gently and then with growing confidence. The evening ends with Gabriel walking Beth home, telling Beth he already likes her more than anyone he has ever met.

At home, Beth's father immediately reads her happiness and jokes that Beth might be in love. Beth goes upstairs exhilarated, holding onto Gabriel's words and the force of her new feelings. By the end of the chapter, Beth recognizes that what began as companionship has become the beginning of a first, transformative love.