I almost told her everything. Almost confessed. Almost risked it all.
But I’m still a coward.
You asked if readers would forgive an author who lost his way. If they’d give him another chance if he tried to write honestly again.
I’m that author. I’ve been hiding. Performing what I thought people wanted instead of showing them the truth. And it’s killing me.
I want to be brave and show her who I really am—all the messy, complicated, scared parts I’ve been protecting.
But what if I’m not enough and the truth is worse than the performance?
How do you decide when the risk of honesty is worth the certainty of losing everything?
Tell me there’s hope, that brave is better than safe, even when it means walking into fire.
Yours in cowardice and longing,
Coastal Quill
“Well,” Hazel says. “That’s a man in love and terrified.”
“He’s not?—”
“Honey, that letter is screaming ‘I love you but I’m too scared to say it.’ It’s basically a billboard.”
“But he’s talking about some other woman?—”
“Or,” Michelle says carefully, “he’s talking about you, and you just don’t know it yet.”
The thought makes my chest tight.
What if she’s right?
What if Coastal Quill is talking about me?
No. That’s impossible.
Isn’t it?
I pull out my phone and do what any rational person would do: I start typing a response to Coastal Quill right there at the coffee shop table with six women and Caroline watching.
Dear Coastal Quill,
You’re not a coward. You’re just afraid. There’s a difference.
Cowards run away. You’re running toward honesty, vulnerability, and the person you want to be. That’s the opposite of cowardice.
As for whether brave is better than safe? Yes. Not because brave is easy, but because safe is slowly suffocating.
I spent eight years choosing safe. And you know what I got? A life that looked fine from the outside but felt empty on the inside.
So tell her. Be brave.
And if she’s she’s worthy of the truth you’re offering, she’ll see you. And she’ll love you more for it, not less.
The risk is worth it, and so are you.
Trust me on this. Or trust yourself. Either way—jump.
