Leo walked out without waiting for a reply. His final words hung in the air, punctuated by the sound of the door clicking closed behind him.
"Even if it doesn't last forever. Even if it's only temporary...."
Maybe Leo was right, David thought with a sigh. Was he just being a coward? A pussy, as Leo had so succinctly phrased it? Since when had David Powers ever been a pussy?
That had never been his problem. He had other problems, sure, but lack of confidence had never been one of them. Leo was the one who needed a ten-minute pep talk just to buy a girl a drink. David couldn't remember the last time he'd felt even a moment's hesitation. He would approach a woman anywhere. Didn't matter if it was a black tie gala or a grocery store checkout aisle. If an opportunity presented itself, he seized it. No fear. No hesitation. No pause to collect his thoughts. That was the rule he'd always preached to Leo: Just get in there and ask for her number without a doubt in your mind that she'll give it to you - and nine times out of ten, she will.
What had happened to him? How had he been reduced to pussy-dom all of a sudden? Was he overthinking this? Maybe Leo was right. Maybe he should run home right now and fling the door open, and say-
Say what, exactly? That he was in love with her? That he'd probably been in love with her for years now? Not exactly the same thing as asking a woman for her phone number.
Anyway, it wasn't as simple as that. Leo didn't know the whole situation. He didn't know about the promise David had made:
"I will not do anything that could possibly be construed as a sexual advance...."
He'd told Penny that she could stay in his apartment for as long as she needed without having to worry about fending off any unwanted male attention. His hands were tied. That was why he hadn't spoken up all week. Not because he was a pussy. Because he was being a good guy. A gentleman.
As long as she was staying under his roof, he had to honor his word, but that didn't mean he had to stay silent forever. Tomorrow she was leaving. He wouldn't be breaking his promise if he told her after that. Maybe that was the answer. Of course, she'd be off in some igloo in northern Minnesota at that point, but he was pretty sure they had email there. Or at least snail mail. Probably better to write something like this out by hand, anyway.
Right. He should write her a letter. Obviously, that was the answer. He could give it to her on her way out the door tomorrow afternoon. He felt a wave of relief the moment the thought entered his mind. Of course. He should write her a letter!
He would get it all off his chest. And then, if she didn't respond, at least he would know he'd given it a shot. He wouldn't be haunted for the rest of his life by this feeling that he'd missed an opportunity. Maybe then he'd finally be able to sleep at night.
That was it. A letter. Why hadn't he thought of it before?
David swiveled back toward his computer and minimized the spreadsheet he'd been working on. He pulled up his personal Gmail account instead and clicked on the old, familiar thread:
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