Nice Guy Chronicles VIII

It was the new year
Holiday season was over
And everyone had to go back home
I enjoyed my time away
It was great to explore a new area
 
However coming back I knew what I had to do
She had been on my mind all the time
It did also help that we always kept in touch
 
Now here's the crazy part
I started to have a hunch that
she actually liked me in a romantic manner
Not out of the blue
But since we were young
 
I've always been a bit oblivious  
to people liking me
which has lead me to some funny situations
Yet here I was playing back some things
 
When we'd have awkward conversations
It was because we were both nervous around each other
 
She'd go out of her way to still come and talk to me
Even though the conversations weren't flowing  
I didn't help the situation though
I had a crush on her growing up  
Yet I never did find out if she felt the same
 
So one day as were talking I asked her about it:
 
'so for how long have you had a crush on me?'
 
'Wait where does this come from' she responded
 
'I don't know, it's just a lot of things are starting to make sense to me, so the question still stands' - I slyly responded
 
'Well I did have a crush on you in high school but you know'
 
The irony of it all I thought to myself, then I added:
 
'It was also strange that when I met your sister it was as if she already knew me. I don't know why I'm only seeing it now'
 
The situation was light and funny afterwards, I didn't want to put her on the spot as I have already done enough.  
 
Yet this was the confirmation I needed.  
 
A few days passed and I was ready to ask her:
 
'Well I find it tacky to do this over the phone but I would really like to date you. However I want to ask you in person'
 
She didn't take long to respond:
 
'Well the thing is....'
 
This doesn't sound good, I thought  
 
'It's just that I recently went through a break up and I'm not so sure if I should'
 
In that moment I realized that obliviousness is probably my talent.  
 
The guy she was with when I ran into her months prior was actually her boyfriend.  
However nothing about the two of them indicated this. I guess they were already crumbling.  
 
However what bothered me is that this whole time he just never came up.
Was I just a distraction from her reality?  
 
In a way her response just threw the ball back at me. Should I push on or let this go?  
 
I couldn't shake what I was feeling so I let it go. The rest of the conversation was really awkward. A definite 'No' would've been great I think she tried the 'let him down easy' approach.
 
After this we didn't speak for a while things were a bit weird now. However when we did, it started off well.  
 
'How is everything' I asked
 
'Things are well I guess, it's just my boyfriend and I are trying to fix things and all that' she really sounded unsure.
 
I could tell she was on the fence about it.
 
'You just have to decide...' I responded
 
'You just have to decide if you are going all in or not. Nobody knows if things will work out with anyone but the very least you can do is give it a shot. If they do end, you don't want to be left thinking about what if'
 
Her mood picked up:
 
'Thank you that really helps a lot'
 
I knew then that I probably just helped them get back together. He clearly was important for her and I wasn't needed in the mix of things.  
 
We only spoke once since that day
and they have been going strong.