His jaw tensed again, as he prepared what he was about to say. She wasn't going to like it, and he knew it. "Lixue, you know I'd walk to the ends of the Earth for you." He paused. Set his glass down again. Sighed. Pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing his face again and continuing.
"But I'm not going to just up and leave this job," a slight shake of his head. "And it doesn't change how much I love and care about you. Believe me when I say that, because I do mean that with every part of my being."
His gaze followed her finger in circles on his palm, mirroring the circle that they'd been running in. Her wanting him to stay, him being reluctant. He didn't want to back out of his commitment with the school district, but he was losing grip on the commitment he was preparing to make with Lixue for the rest of their lives.
His gaze meandered up to meet hers. His blue eyes giving away completely the anxiety he was attempting to hide. "I want to have a future we can look forward to, together. I don't want to end up in a dead end job."
"If you're not willing to make a compromise with me on this, then I don't know what else to say. My hands are tied. There's nothing more I can say or do about this right now."
Jon's nerves had started to get the best of him. He was now worrying the inside of his bottom lip slightly. He'd known her long enough to know how she handled things, but not long enough to predict how she was going to handle this. And that scared him to death.