Coffee turned into conversation. Conversation turned into dinner. And somehow, Ryan turned into someone I didn’t flinch around.
“I’ve been sober four years,” he told me one night over pizza and sweet lime soda.
“I messed up a lot back then. I’m not trying to hide that. But I don’t want to stay that version of myself forever.”
He told me about therapy and about volunteering with high schoolers who reminded him of who he used to be.
I was cautious, not melting at his charm.
But he was consistent and gentle. And funny in his new, self-deprecating way.
The first time he met Jess, she folded her arms and didn’t smile.
Continue reading…
