Characters:

We don't learn Rose's name until she and Greg meet in the park fairly well on into the story. I suggest introducing her, by name, earlier.
Rose's character is a bit dark, almost as if she's suffering from depression. Maybe she's just brooding, or introverted, but the way she seems to want to separate herself from Greg and walk in the cold thinking about who knows what suggests to me that she is either no longer in love with Greg, or she feels threatened and is trying to decide what to do. For me, Rose is much too serious a character, she never shows affection to Greg, and seems to either be stung by anything Greg says or has response that is much too sensitive.

Greg seems to go out of his way to make Rose happy. Maybe a bit too much, however, his actions are pretty authentic for a guy who really loves his girl. I think you did a good job with his portrayal. I like him, and I can feel his love for Rose.

Dialogue:

The dialogue is very well done. It both moves the story forward and gives the reader a lot of important information. I especially like Rose's inner dialogue when she's in the park. I like how you showed both sides of her thinking.

And Greg.
But he’s not being flexible in this decision either. It’s pretty clear that he’ll leave you all alone if you stay here in Boston, which means that he doesn’t really care about you that much anyways. You might as well just stay here.
That’s not true. He wants the best for both of us. He does care.
Does he?

For me, Rose's struggle here is very real. It shows she cares about Greg, and it shows her confusion about what decision to make. Very realistic.


Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling:

I saw no errors that detracted from the story.


Comments:

He opened the bag, wondering what it could be, and had to stifle a laugh when he (looked inside.) opened it. She had messed it up—royally, in fact, because the hat looked small enough to fit a toddler. Using the word 'open' twice in the same sentence is a bit jarring. One 'opened' should be replaced by something else.

There is a place in the story where I was initially confused. It involved a transition that for me was not evident.

You wrote:

“Just yours,” she said, like she already knew the answer.

"Just mine.”

He had been working too hard on this to give it up, and she knew it. She should have been happy for him. But at that moment, she just felt tired.


(You have left this space, presumably, to show the transition, but I think it needs more).


What it really came down to, she thought as she wore a circle of hard packed snow around what used to be a tulip bed in the center of the Common, was what she loved more: the freedom she felt in Boston, or the love and security she felt with Greg.

Greg has a good job and he’ll get a better one when he’s out of school and he’ll take care of me. If he marries me.

It's not unusual to leave a double space to show some sort of transition, but something more than that is needed here. The scene where Greg and Rose are discussing a possible more to New York ends, and suddenly there is a scene with Rose in the park that shows her inner dialogue. I think something should be written showing that some time has passed since Rose and Greg had that conversation, and that she is now in the park. When I read it over for the second time it didn't seem as glaring, but still, it took a minute to realize that the time and location of the story had changed.

The ending. Greg fell in love with Rose. Rose fell in love with Boston. And both promised to never leave their worlds. This does not leave much wiggle room. Leaving the story like this suggests that there is no room for compromise, however, with love there always has to be room, and time, for compromise.

There are lots of ways to make this longer. If you want to keep only this scene, there is room for lots of backstory; how did Rose and Greg meet? What was their early dating like. You could expand on the affair Rose had in Venice, show more of Greg's emotions at Rose's actions. But if you want to expand the story beyond this scene, what happens next? Do they move to New York? Do they stay in Boston. What happens in their relationship when they do whatever they decide on? Do they meet someone else?
This scene reads more like the beginning of a story than the end of one. You've left room for so much more, and after reading this I'd like to read more.

Great story, filled with emotion. I enjoyed reading this from beginning to end. If you do add to this, please let me know so I can read more.

Great job!

~~Thank you for sharing your story.~~

My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .