All the anxiety that's been festering over this conversations seems to leave him all at once, like air out of a balloon, and Steve feels a little dumb for being so worried. Of course she understands. She gets him.

"I should have given you more credit," he admits, swallowing hard and smiling apologetically. "College was just-- it was a big thing with me and Nancy."

He doesn't talk about Nancy often these days, but he's told Maeve about her, and about most of the reasons why it didn't work out. He's over her by now, was a long time ago, but the insecurities that break up gave him are still there, waiting to be a problem.

But all that shit doesn't matter. What matters is now, him finally in school and Maeve proud of him, and Steve takes a deep, cleansing breath before leaning in to rest their foreheads together. "I love you, too. Thank you for being like, the best girlfriend ever. Sometimes-- I just can't believe how lucky I am."