A few years ago, I dated this guy, but then I moved 8,000 miles away. We stayed in contact while I was gone, but we broke up right before I left to avoid unnecessary drama. Whenever I visited, we would end up in little situationships, and when I moved back permanently, I told him I wanted a real relationship. However, since we’re both bad at communication, we unintentionally ghosted each other for months at a time.

After I cut him off, deciding the ghosting was too much, he kept texting me and even called once. When I asked why, we ended up just talking, and eventually, he asked to call again. We talked for a while about what went wrong in our relationship. I expected a simple closure call, but he seemed a lot more mature than before. At the end of the conversation, he had to go but said he’d text me.

Now, I’m confused. I’m on the fence about dating him or starting something up again, especially since my parents know we’ve tried and failed multiple times. It feels embarrassing to say I’m talking to him again after four years of being on and off. Neither of us have a car, so our parents would have to drive us to hang out, which adds to the awkwardness.

I’m not sure how to approach this. Should I tell him we should wait? On top of everything, I’m very Christian, and I worry about him not being as strong in his faith, which could lead to temptation. I just don’t know what to do.