Sam has longed to make a game with Sadie since playing her Solution in December but waits until March, mindful of her recent depression and protective of their newly restored friendship. Being with Sadie sharpens him and even eases the daily pain of his injured foot, reminding him how rare their bond is and how mistaken he was to end it years earlier.

Facing looming loans and a likely pragmatic career, Sam views the summer before senior year as his last chance to do something grand. He plans a dramatic, memorable proposal to collaborate, believing the story of their beginning matters as much as the work itself.

Marx suggests the Harvard Glass Flowers as the perfect setting. Sam takes Sadie there, but the exhibit is closed; on a bench outside, he asks her to spend the summer making a game, citing young industry heroes and noting Marx will provide his apartment as a free workspace. Sadie, burned out but intrigued and trusting Sam, says she will think about it—both understand she is likely to say yes.

Years later, Sadie finally visits the Glass Flowers and is moved by the lifelike models, especially the preserved decay of fruits. An older woman mistakes the glass for real, and Sadie wants to tell Sam, but they are not speaking, underscoring the fragility of their partnership and the mythologizing that began the day he made his pitch outside a closed museum.