(Apparently, notifs were ending up as spam?! I'm sorry - shoulda checked sooner. Fixed now!)
Fifteen years. Almost double as long as he'd been with Brigetta. Elias picked up his burger. It dripped a strange pinkish, greasy liquid into its brown box as he held it. He stoically bit into the burger and chewed carefully. Fifteen years. And Rylee had loved her all through it, without wavering. His respect for the boy grew greater.
"And this is why," he said, "It's so quickly become as serious as it seems to be. You've known each other for so very long - and he's loved you for years."
No wonder. He would be perfect for her - if that's what she wanted, of course. Elias found more and more that he could not bring himself to object. He could wish for more for Charlie, could wish for a stronger man -- but more and more, he found that there was a strength in Rylee that wasn't immediately visible, a strength that went beyond muscles and confidence. And it was this strength that would carry him (and her) through the harder parts of life.
It was this strength that Brigetta never possessed. Elias winced at the fries in front of him. It stung to admit this to himself, even years after the dissolution of their relationship. But it was truth. He would not shy from it.
"It sounds like you guys might be very good together. Are you happy?"