The front door opened and closed.

“Rach? I’m home.”

“In here,” she called back from the walk-in closet where she was changing out of her work clothes.

Sean came around the corner and entered their bedroom. His blue eyes were bright with excitement, and Rachel smiled at her handsome live-in boyfriend.

The two of them had been together now for six years, and they’d been living together for over four years. They’d moved in together between Rachel’s sophomore and junior year while Elise had gone to live with her college boyfriend. Sean had graduated that same year but started grad school right away, majoring in engineering, while Rachel finished up her teaching degree.

Sean strode toward her. “Have you started dinner yet?”

Whoever got home first was usually the one to start cooking.

“No. I just got home fifteen minutes ago.”

He grabbed her hands. “Good. Let’s go out.”

He obviously had something exciting on his mind.

Rachel chuckled at his excitement. “No cooking and no dishes? I’m not going to complain.”

He kissed her cheek. “Great. Let me change, so we can go.”

Rachel exited the closet and went into their master bath to freshen up.

Now, at twenty-five, she’d been teaching for almost three years, and Sean was twenty-seven and an engineer, making his way up in his current company. Despite being a couple for so long, they still hadn’t gotten married or even engaged. They’d talked about it. At first, they had been in college and too young, but now, Rachel was more than ready. They both had good careers and were in their mid-twenties.

She couldn’t help but be hopeful that tonight was going to be the night that Sean proposed. She tried to squish that glimmer of hope to avoid being let down, but it wouldn’t quite go away.

They went to one of their favorite restaurants. It wasn’t fancy, but Sean knew how much she loved to come there, and her hope got a little bit stronger.

After they received their drinks and put in their food orders, Sean finally spoke, “So, you can probably tell that I’m excited.”

She laughed. “I did notice that you seemed extra happy.”

He took her hand that was closest to him in both of his, and Rachel’s heart fluttered.

“You know I haven’t moved up much at work.”

Sean had found a good job right in the Twin Cities, but he wasn’t making much advancement, and she knew it bothered him. Maybe he’d finally gotten the raise he wanted. It only seemed like one more thing that would lead to an engagement, and she tried to tell her brain to shut up.

“Yes, I know.”

“Do you remember me mentioning my dad’s brother who lives in Chicago?”

Rachel had to think about it for a moment. “Oh, yes. He came to your parents’ a couple of years ago. Is his name Don?”

Sean smiled. “Yes. Well, Uncle Don works at an up-and-coming company, and they are looking to hire engineers. I will automatically make ten thousand dollars more than I do now.”

Rachel wanted to be happy, but she only felt disappointment and the beginning of dread. She tried to smile. “And this is in Chicago?”

“Yes! I’m getting a mid-level position with a guarantee to move up within a year.”

Rachel slowly withdrew her hand from Sean’s grasp. “Wow. That is some news. I’m very happy for you.”

Sean’s brows furrowed. “Babe. Happy for us. I want you to come with me.”

Some of her dread left at the thought of Sean leaving her, but she didn’t know if she could just move. Her family was here, her job was here, and most of her friends were here. Moving without a safety net scared her. “So…would things be the same between us if we moved?”

He looked confused. “Of course. Why would things change? I love you.”

Why indeed.

Sean hadn’t even considered proposing to her. She was just supposed to pack up her life and move several states away. After growing up with her mom, Rachel didn’t know if she could do that. She’d always told herself that she would never drop everything for a man. Maybe, if Sean asked her to marry him, she would, but there was nothing stopping him from leaving her after they moved. She wouldn’t be the first girl that happened to.

“I love you, too,” she told him.

She couldn’t say anything tonight. He was so eager about starting this job, and she couldn’t ruin it for him. They could talk about things tomorrow.

“Rach?”

Rachel turned around from where she sat at the windowsill in their bedroom. “Yeah?”

Sean sat beside her and pushed her hair off her shoulder. “Babe, you’ve been distant all week. What’s going on?”

After their dinner conversation about Sean’s new job, Rachel hadn’t yet discussed her reservations with him. That had been a week ago, and every day that she’d put it off, it only made things worse. But she knew, once she told Sean what she was thinking, things wouldn’t be the same.

She turned to him as her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t go with you, Sean.”

He squinted. “What do you mean?”

“Chicago.”

Sean backed away from her. “I don’t understand.”

“My life is here. My family, my friends, and my job. I’ll make tenure at the end of the school year.”

Sean knew all about her past, but he didn’t seem to understand how much she needed stability and security.

“If I moved, I’d have to start all over. And who knows how long it would take me to find a job?”

“So, stay here, and finish out the year. You don’t have to move until you have a job. We have a few months left on our apartment lease anyway. I’ll wait for you.”

“Will you though?”

A scowl crossed his face. “What the hell does that mean?”

She hadn’t wanted to bring up proposing and marriage, yet she’d had to open her big mouth. “Never mind.”

“No. Tell me what you mean.”

“I’m just your girlfriend, nothing more.”

“What the fuck, Rachel? We’ve been together for years. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” More than he would ever know. “But you’ve never wanted anything more from me.”

“You mean, marriage?” he spit out.

Ugh. He made her feel like such a whiny girl.

“Or even an engagement.”

The furrow in his brows lessened slightly. “Then, let’s get engaged.”

Rachel shook her head. “No.”

“No?” Sean threw up his hands. “You are confusing the fuck out of me.”

He didn’t get it, and despite this conversation, she didn’t want him to be upset.

She stood and took his face in her hands. “Sean, I’m not giving you an ultimatum. If you had wanted me to marry you, you would have already asked me. I never want to coerce the man I love into marrying me.”

He put his forehead on hers. “Do you want me to stay? I already put my notice in at work, but maybe I can ask them if I can stay.”

“No. I know how frustrated you’ve been there. And you haven’t been able to find another job around here. You need to take this opportunity in Chicago. It’s too good to pass up.”

“So, what does this mean? Are we breaking up?”

She took a deep breath. That was just too much for her. “How about we try the long-distance thing? We’ll see how it goes. We’ll see how your new job goes. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”

“I don’t like it, but I’ll go with it for now.”

She brushed her lips against his. “Thank you for understanding.”

He kissed her, this time hotter and wetter. “We might be trying the long-distance thing, but right now, I’m still here, and I’m going to make love to you.”

“Yes,” she whispered as Sean sucked on her neck.

He removed their clothes and laid her on the bed. “I don’t want you to ever forget me.”

She adamantly shook her head. “I won’t.”

Sean thrust inside her, hard and deep. “I’m going to make sure you don’t.”

Less than a month later, Sean moved away. The two of them tried the long-distance thing. It was hard after going from living together to living four hundred miles apart. The more weeks that passed, the less they talked.

Six months after Sean went to Chicago, they both decided it was better for them to see other people. Rachel suspected that he had already met someone, but he didn’t say.

She sometimes regretted not going with Sean, but at no point had he told her that he missed her and wanted her to be his wife. She knew in the end that she had made the right decision.

With time, Rachel also moved on and began dating. Life didn’t end because she’d broken up with someone she loved. She thought of Sean often, but after a while, it became less and less. No matter what though, he would always hold a special place in her heart.