He was the type of guy who needed not only a push, but also a challenge. At this point, I'd known him for eight years. "I've got your number." I'd tell him this here and there under the guise of a joke, but he and I both knew this line had more truth than humor. If I looked at the timeline of our relationship from a flying bird's perspective, I'd see peaks and valleys, extreme heat and distant cold, but never anger or pain.

For the second time in our history, he emerged from the woodworks when the challenge at hand was the threat of another. Strangely, I purposely overlooked this. I didn't make excuses for him, yet I didn't apply the same rules I'd apply to everyone else. I guess he's the exception, the one guy who can almost, almost, almost use you. Almost...but deep down you know it's not a one-way street. The love is there, it's so there. And the attraction? The attraction was magnetic since day one.

I had a long break between my morning and afternoon fifth grade students, and although I was seeing someone special...I couldn't help but find an excuse to text him.

"Hey. You off today? Do you still have a BJ's card?"

"Yes. Why, what's up?"

"I want to buy Nerds Ropes for my kids."

"I can meet you there now."

"See you in 15."

So there we were, just a couple of old friends meeting up at BJ's Wholesale Club to buy Nerds Ropes. I really did want to use the elusive candy as an incentive, but what I wanted more than anything was the excitement of seeing him. I felt guilty, and if the person I was seeing were to find out, there'd be hell to pay.

A few days later, the magnetic pull called to me again.

"Have you had lunch?"

"Nope."

"Wendy's?"

"See you there. What time?"

"I'll be there by 11:45 a.m."

"Ok."

And so we arrived at our second glamorous location: Wendy's of West Kendall. After settling down with our trays, I began talking. I always did the talking. He listened, smiled and nodded at all the right places. He knew about the other person and was totally playing nonchalant. So I started testing the waters.

"Apparently he's had a thing for me for years."

He raised an eyebrow and kept eating.

"Yeah, he would see me when I would go to the car dealership and always had a crush on me. He sent Edible Arrangements to my school when he found out I was single..."

"I don't want to hear this."

It was so abrupt and unexpected that traitorous tears threatened to escape from my eyes. I felt embarrassed that he had shut me up, just like that. I went into mute mode and couldn't talk or else the floodgates would open. And I hate crying in front of others. Hate it. After a few moments, his green eyes softened.

"You need to understand, this is not easy on me."

My anger seethed. I was climbing on my soapbox, ready to give it to him straight, to tell him off and make my point and force him to feel really shitty about himself and his choices to always let me get away.

"Elizabeth, I would do anything for you."

Never had he ever uttered something like that. By looking into those green pools of light, I knew without a doubt that he meant it. He meant it wholly and completely.

At that point, I could no longer fight the tears. They streamed down my face and I wiped them away, but I had to tell him how I felt and choke past the emotion.

"This isn't fair, Allester. You always do this. You always do this to me! You wait until I'm happy and I have a chance of moving on past you and your inability to commit or your inability to adjust your ways, even just a little bit."

He let me finish my rant, and he knew it was all true. He didn't apologize or even nod his head. He just listened. He checked the time on his phone.

"Let's go. I don't want you to be late getting back for work."

He gathered our trash, threw it away and we walked into the springtime Miami sunshine. When we got to my car, he smiled sheepishly.

"Come here."

We embraced and it wasn't tinged with sadness, as one may think, after a round of tears and accusations. It was a warm hug filled with promise. There wasn't a conversation to tie up loose ends or a promise that we'd talk this through at a better time. There was simply an unstated and implicitly understood agreement that things would somehow be okay.