Emily and Steve Part 10

"It's okay," I said, looking down.

"No, it's not okay," she said. "We were at different points in our lives, Steve. You were looking to settle down, and I was just learning to embrace life as a woman. I never had a chance to be young and crazy and adventurous as a woman before. I had more than 20 years worth of experiences in my correct gender to pick up on. I needed to get out and experience all those things. I needed to find out who I was. We were never going to work out with such different goals."

I nodded.

Emily continued, "but I should have been honest with you. The relationship we had was what allowed me to start on that journey, and I really owed it to you to be honest with you. Instead, I went behind your back, creating a new life for myself - both professionally with my design courses and personally with the dancing and drugs and sex. I should have done the honourable thing and split up with you before I started all that, but I didn't want to hurt you, and in doing so just ended up hurting you more."

Emily's eyes were starting to well with tears. I took my hands out of my pockets, and wrapped them around her. "Emily, I forgive you," I said. "Can you forgive me for pressuring you to settle down?"

Emily, tears streaming down her face, nodded. "Thank you," she said softly.

I held Emily for a couple of minutes until her tears subsided. She was cried out, and I felt all the emotions float away. I wasn't angry or sad anymore.

"How are you?" I asked. "What are you doing now?"

"I am good," Emily said. "No, actually I am great. I am in my second year of my industrial design course, and I love it, Steve. I wish I had done it sooner. It just fits so well with my personality and my mindset. I can't believe I hadn't done it sooner."

"That's great," I said.

"I've also settled down a bit, you'll be happy to hear. I'm through with my phase of getting stoned, going to clubs and hooking up with strangers every night."