Word on the street is that Lawrence isn’t coming back to Insecure. I really hope he does.

When the show began, I didn’t think I would care about his story arc. He appeared to stay at home all day while Issa went out and earned money to support them both. Maybe he was working on the computer app he pitched in season two (without success), but mostly I think, he sat on the couch and watched T.V. He was technically in a relationship with Issa, but it had no spark. In fact, things were so bad that when he said Issa’s friend Molly’s standards for a romantic partner were too high, Issa sarcastically retorted something along the lines of “maybe she should lower her standards like I lowered mine.” It was hard to fault her. I understood why she thought about dating Daniel.

But then Lawrence grew up. He got a job at Best Buy and then another one at a tech company. I always thought he was motivated by a sense of shame about not being the man Issa needed and a desire to become that man. As Lawrence began contributing to their household again, his relationship with Issa improved. Unfortunately, Issa had sex with Daniel, whom she had started to think of in romantic terms when her relationship with Lawrence was at rock bottom. She felt guilty and confessed at the end of season one, leading Lawrence to break up with her.

In season two, Lawrence and Issa uneasily shadowed each other. They went from sleeping together in the first episode to fighting each other at a birthday party. Finally, they had a heart-to-heart at the end. Issa apologized for cheating on him; Lawrence acknowledged that for a long time, he had been a bad partner. At one point, there was a touching scene when Issa imagined Lawrence asking her to marry him and them having a long and happy marriage. Of course, that was not to be. He forgave her, but it felt like the door was closed on their relationship.

So why bring him back when their relationship won’t continue? The first two seasons made me care how his journey ends. One question I have is whether he can find love. So far, the show has explored how the characters’ hang ups prevent them from finding the love they desire. Molly has a narrow view of what can make a good partner, and when she finds someone who’s eligible in her mind, she clings to him so hard that she scares him off.

For Lawrence, I wonder whether he’ll be able to trust another woman enough to love her. His relationship with Aparna (from work) looked promising. And he’s matured a great deal. It took honest reflection and wisdom for him to realize the role he played in Issa’s poor choices. True, she made the choice to cheat and that’s on her. But he understood that the temptation was there because he wasn’t a loving and supportive partner for so long.

For his relationship with Aparna to succeed, he’ll have to open his heart to her. That means being willing to assume the best in her and believe she’s fully committed to him. He has work to do in that regard. He got jealous when she laughed at some of her ex’s jokes. I have to think he was on high alert for any evidence of cheating after what happened with Issa. But no relationship can succeed if there is not mutual trust. Somehow, Lawrence will have to regain the ability to trust. I would love it if he does.

At the end of the day, I want the same thing for Lawrence I do for Issa and Molly: to find love. So come on Insecure. Bring him back.