Tyler had said, "Should you ever need my help, I'll do everything I can to help you."
After we parted ways that day, I never took the initiative to contact him. It was always him reaching out to me. He'd send me little gifts or pick me up after class to take me to the amusement park.
At the end of October, he and his mother moved overseas, but he never stopped contacting me. If anything, the distance only made us talk to each other more often, which strengthened our connection.
He would send me pictures of the streets over there and some random moments from his daily life. Before I knew it, he became a huge part of my life.
During the New Year holiday, I got into a huge fight with my family and moved out to live on my own. As luck would have it, I caught a bad bacterial infection and had to be hospitalized.
Curled up on the cold hospital bed, I watched the fireworks outside all alone while listening to the New Year countdown on the TV. My phone was blowing up with messages from Tyler.
Unable to hold back, I texted him back. "I really wish you were here."
After hitting send, I passed out. I woke up to find that Tyler still hadn't replied. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.
But I knew that with thousands of miles separating us, expecting him to show up out of the blue was nothing more than wishful thinking.
As time went on, Tyler's replies were intermittent at best.
Just when I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore, the hospital room door swung open.
He was out of breath with a bouquet of pink carnations in hand. Cupping my face, he smiled and said, "Rose, I've come to see you. I'll take you home once you get discharged."
In an instant, all the pain I had bottled up for so long finally burst forth. Throwing my arms around him, I sobbed my heart out.
From that day on, we officially became a couple. And so began our five-year long-distance relationship.
Throughout those five years, Tyler came to see me every single month, even though we were in different countries and thousands of miles apart.
I told him he didn't have to go to such trouble, but he said he missed me.
He told me he wanted to see me, wanted to do many things together with me. He said he couldn't live without me.
Tyler asked, "Do you remember the day you stepped in front of us and called the police for us? Back then, everyone called my mom a homewrecker and me a bastard.
"You were the only one who called the police and helped us. Then, when that video went viral, you defended me and helped report the hate comments. Rose, I don't know how I could ever repay you. You're my lover and my savior."
He kissed the back of my hand with such tenderness and devotion that, when I later learned he had a girlfriend all along, I thought I must be dreaming.
By our fifth year together, Tyler was swamped with schoolwork, and I frequently went an entire day without hearing from him. More often than not, I would wait for his reply until I could no longer keep my eyes open anymore.
The next day, the only thing waiting in our chat was a short reply. "In class right now. Can't talk."
As I stared at those words, the yearning in my heart overflowed, like water spilling over the edge.
I decided to go see him. Just as he had traveled thousands of miles to see me, I wanted to do the same for him.
Without letting him know, I quietly booked a plane ticket. I took a three-hour high-speed train ride from home to an international airport, flew with a layover in Aviza, and then continued on to Molovia.
The entire journey took 48 hours. By the time I got off the plane, my head was pounding.
People all around me were speaking languages I couldn't understand. But with the help of a translation app, I eventually found my way to Tyler's university.
I wandered around the unfamiliar campus twice before finally tracking down some of his friends. When they asked why I was looking for him, I told them I was his girlfriend.
A complicated look suddenly crossed their faces. Then, the shock on their faces slowly shifted into something that looked a lot like pity.
