Kelly and Michael were study partners first, then friends, and then best friends. She talked him through a breakup. He listened to her stories about dating in New York. Law school trudged on. She got a job in New Jersey, and he got a job in California. Romance seemed unlikely.

Then she visited him in California for one glorious week, and he fell in love. She remained unsure. They returned to Ann Arbor for their last year of law school and spent most of their class time talking to each other. They went together to brunches and dinners, Michigan football games and music concerts, and he fell more and more in love, while she played coy about her own growing feelings.