he's originally from new york, grew up in foster care and was moved to portland at 15. has been there since. he went to college for philosophy and has a degree in social work but ended up working in finance instead. he was with this girl for 7 years in total (this can absolutely be fiddled with!) and they had a whirlwind type dynamic where they enjoyed pushing each other's buttons - mostly for better but occasionally for worse, too - a little too much. in the end, they got good enough at being a couple where it wasn't working anymore, and they agreed to part ways.