Hypothetical

Hypothetically speaking.

You're a married woman. Happily so? Maybe, maybe not.

You have a neighbor, a married man. More than an acquaintance, less than a friend.

You get along well. Easy banter. Comfortable. Comfortable enough to poke fun at his cargo shorts (Look, man. Ok, fine. No defense).

Maybe you like him a little too much. Maybe you don't.

Either way, he makes you smile from time to time.

Maybe those smiles carry more meaning than you intend sometimes. Maybe they don't.

Maybe some of the looks you give him carry more meaning than you intend. Maybe they don't.

One day, that man comes up to you. You haven't seen him in a little while, so you give him your most radiant smile. He beams back at you, but his hands fidget. He's nervous.

He says “Please, I need to say something, and I need to get all of it out all at once or I'm afraid I won't get any of it out at all. But we can talk as much or as little about it as you want afterward… Would that be ok?”

You say yes.

He says “I love you. I think maybe I've loved you from the start, but I definitely love you now. I know there's nothing to be done about it. I am not an adulterer. I would never in a million years ask you to betray your husband. But I need you to know that I love you. I need you to know that, if the circumstances ever change, I will be there. If you never want to talk to me again after this, then that's fine, I understand. But given that we can't be more, I would give anything to be your friend, to be a person you can call on when you need someone. I may never be able to hold you, but I can be there to support you when you need, if you'd let me. Can I be your friend?”

Do you:

A) Run screaming

B) Say yes

C) Make another joke about my cargo shorts

?