me. Whatever it takes for you to feel better again." He drops his arms by his sides. "I just want you to be happy. I love you, Faith, and all I want is for you to be happy."
A tear slips down my cheek. "They why did you leave?"
He sighs and looks down, then takes my hand and leads me to the bed. I turn the lamp on and we sit down.
"I didn't think we could do it," he says, staring down at the floor. "I wanted a future with you so bad but I didn't want to go down that path if I didn't think it would work."
"Tyler, nobody knows if it'll work. There's no guarantees. That's true for anyone, not just us."
"But it's different for us. We love each other, but I felt like that's all we had. We're so completely different. You're smart and can do anything you want. But I can't, and I didn't want to hold you back. When that guy you went out with came up to us that night at the pie place, he just assumed I'd gone to college because why the hell would a girl like you be out with some high school dropout? It doesn't make sense."
"But I don't care about that. And I don't care if other people do."
"I get that now. I did then too, but I didn't believe it. Ever since we got together, I couldn't figure out why you'd want to be with me, especially when you found out about my arrest. The night before I left, when you thought I was using again, I took that to be the proof I was looking for. Proof that we'd never work out. So I left before I changed my mind."
"Where'd you go?"
"To Chicago. I've got a friend there who let me stay with him. I did construction with him a few years ago. I told him I was looking for work and he said I should talk to his boss about getting on the construction crew."
"And did you?" I ask, thinking maybe he took the job.
"I did. I met with this guy, Nash. His family owns Wheeler Construction. They renovate old buildings in Chicago. I told him about my situation, including my arrest and my history of drug use, and after all that, he was still willing to give me a chance."
"So you took the job?"
Tyler shakes his head. "I decided not to."
"What changed your mind?"
He looks at me. "It was too far way from the person I love. I couldn't do it. I had to come back here and ask if you'd consider giving me another chance." He looks down. "I was miserable without you. I couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Even Nash, the guy who interviewed me, could tell I was a mess." He laughs a little. "He asked if it's because of a girl."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him what happened. I told him I left you and screwed everything up. I'm not sure why I told him all that. Guess I just found him easy to talk to."
"And then what happened?"
"He took his offer back."
"Why would he do that?"
"He said no job is worth giving up the girl you love. He told me to get my ass back here and beg you to forgive me." Tyler laughs a little. "The guy didn't hold back. He called me a dumbass who's too young and stupid to know how rare it is to find someone you love.” He gets serious again. “But I didn't need him to tell me that. I already knew I screwed up.”
He pauses, but I keep quiet, feeling like he has more to say.
“I’ve never been someone who sticks around.” He shrugs. “I just never felt like I belonged anywhere. I went from one city to another, hoping I’d eventually figure out my path. I was starting to think it’d never happen, but then it did. When I met you.” He pauses. “This whole time, my path was leading me to you, but I didn’t realize it until I was gone and realized how lost I was without you.” He looks at me out the side of his eye, then looks back down at the floor. “I want to be with you, Faith. I want a life with you. I know you may not want me now, but I at least had to ask if you’d consider taking me back.”
We sit in silence as I think about what he said. It’s what