Let Sleeping Dogs Lie or How the Most Obvious (and Most Depressing) Explanation is Often the Right One

Well, he did respond yesterday morning.

Though I paraphrase verbal dialogues all the time, it seems somehow unethical to post someone's private writing without their permission, so long story short: he says he appreciates my honesty about my feelings, but it's too hard for him to be just friends.

Yes, ladies and gents, that's apparently why he ignored my phone calls and emails for months. As awkward as it was for me to try to date him, it was apparently just as awkward for him to be my friend only. Which is horrendously ironic since if he'd ever SAID anything like that, things might have been different. My biggest problem with dating him was always that I felt like he let people (and me in particular) walk all over him.

I feel more than a little sorry for him and I'm sure I'll write a very appropriate response to the email (thanks for the reply, wish you'd said something like that, let me know if you change your mind, blah blah blah), but come on! Grow a backbone. What's the worst thing that would have happened? I'd say no and we'd be right where we are. Instead, you disappear leaving me to wonder if something happened to you and let me chase you around for months?

I felt like the jerk for awhile, since if this were the crappy movie that it sounds like, we'd identify with him) and I admit that I sometimes have a sharper tongue than is strictly necessary, but I don't treat people poorly and I don't deserve that in return. Especially not from someone I would have called my best friend.