"Do you think I'm being dumb?" I asked Emily as we situated our food.

"Do you?" She looked at me curiously.

"I'm not so sure" I answered honestly.

"100% honesty?" Her eyes appeared sympathetic.

"Please"

"He seemed sincere. His words sounded honest and from the heart and I texted Deb, he told her the same story and if I'm being completely transparent here he doesn't see like the type that's quick to come up with an elaborate excuse like that" she giggled through a laugh.

"I know, he seemed like he was telling the truth and I want to believe him I really do I just-"

"You're scared" Emily finished for me.

"Yeah, I guess" I breathed out.

"It wouldn't be a relationship if you weren't scared at first" she smiled at me handing out a fork.

"Sometimes you have a twisted view on relationships you know that?" I giggled, taking the fork out of her hand.

"I'm very aware" she joked.

"No wonder you're still single" I joked back with a laugh.

"Maybe I just haven't found my Tyler yet" she shot me a wink.

"We'll see how things play out" I gave a small smile.

"Just remember first and most importantly, follow your heart. It'll never lead you in the wrong direction" she said sincerely with a genuine smile.

"Speaking of" I giggled holding up my phone as it alerted me of a text.

"Tyler?" Emily asked taking a bite of her food.

"Yeah, he got home" I smiled to myself as I read over his texts.

"You clearly have feelings for him, I can tell by the smile on your face just from texting him" she explained with a small smirk.

"I guess I really do have feelings for him. We've just been so close for so long that I didn't think it would be this easy to fall for him, so I didn't really know what was happening while it was happening" I explained with a shrug.

"I'm jealous" she laughed lightly. "I know you're still figuring things out and working out how Tyler fits into your future exactly but I would kill for someone that's like my best friend but also a possible future husband"

"Em, you're amazing and I have no doubt you'll find that but never be jealous. Everyone's love story is different" I rubbed her arm gently.

"So this is going to be a love story huh?" She smirked at me.

"Eat your food" I laughed shaking my head at her.

As I got myself situated in bed to relax before I fell asleep, a text came through my phone.

'Yeah, I have them packed in a box. I never gave them to you because I knew it wouldn't end well and you were so happy with your new life in Dallas. I didn't want anything that might be in those letters to stop you from being happy. If you want, I can overnight them to you or you can wait until you're back home'

I was in shock reading the text from my sister Claire, why would she not give me the letters? And why did it take her so long to answer me.

'Send them please' I texted back quickly before I let myself get mad and said something I might regret to my sister.

Before I put my phone down, it started ringing. Thinking it was Claire I started to reach for the silent button until I saw it was Tyler.

"Hey" I picked up the phone with a smile on my face.

"Sorry, I know it's getting late but I just wanted to hear your voice since I couldn't sleep" I could hear his smile.

"That's kind of cute" I breathed a laugh.

"Well you make me do cute, mushy things so it's all your fault"

"My fault? For making the infamous Tyler Seguin all warm and gooey like a toasted marshmallow? I'll take it"

"You've always done that to me, why do you think throughout school I was such an idiot sometimes? You made me all gooey" he chuckled.

"And I just thought you were an idiot" I joked with a laugh.

"It's so nice to hear your laugh again after last night. I'm never going to take being with you for granted again, I swear" he said seriously.

"You've always treated me well since we were kids. You don't have to go over the top with spoiling me with affection or anything but if you really want to be together just stop flirting with other girls that's the only thing I ask" I giggled.

"You are the only girl that's going to get my attention, because you're the only girl I want to be with" he paused to take a breath. "You will always be the only girl I want. You're my best friend. Hopefully you'll be my girlfriend soon and then eventually my wife"

"You might be getting closer on the girlfriend thing" I smiled widely.

"I hope so. I've wanted to call you my girlfriend since I started dating"

"Speaking of, Claire has those letters you were talking about. She's going to overnight them to me" I explained.

"Really? Don't judge me, I was a lot younger when I wrote them" he chuckled again.

"Oh no...anything I should mentally prepare myself for?" I asked cautiously.

"To really know how I've always felt about you" he said slowly.

"I'm looking forward to it" the smile grew on my face again.

"Goodnight beautiful"

"Goodnight cutie" I took a breath before hanging up the phone and setting it on the side table.

As I sat my phone down I glanced at the ring I was setting the phone next to. I had put the ring on the side table as soon as Tyler left and I had forgotten about it until that moment. I battled with myself in my head for a bit before reaching out and gently picking up the ring.

A small smile played on my lips as I ran my fingers over the intricate designs on the band. After giving it a second thought I slowly slipped the ring on my ring finger on my left hand.

Wearing it didn't mean that I would definitely marry him and wearing it didn't mean everything was perfectly ok. Wearing it meant I was opening myself up to the idea of letting myself have everything with Tyler, opening myself to the idea of a life with him.