It does hurt to ask.

“How true is the statement ‘It doesn’t hurt to ask’?” people asked

“It’s half true.” she said

“In general, most people are on the side of not asking enough, so that really is a good feedback.”

“But of course, it hurts to ask. It can hurt a lot to ask the wrong way at the wrong time, to the wrong person without preparation. It hurts because you never get another chance to ask right.”

“Whoever said it doesn’t hurt to ask has never made an offer someone could refuse. The reality is, it hurts to ask.”

“That’s what makes asking so scary, so risky. There’s something we can lose, our honor, our self-respect, even our relationship.”

“What if you think that asking something might have good results but on the other side might cause problems? Will you still ask?”

“Yeah. Maybe then, it might be worth asking. When we're too afraid to ask, we're rejecting ourselves by default, we might be missing out on an opportunity.” she said.

“Then why don’t you ask him to stay?”

She stares at them,

“Because, an apology, telling him how I feel, or offering to change a bad habit should be enough if a person truly wants to stay. The moment when I have to ask him just to stay by my side, it’s already over though. If he truly loved me, he’d stay anyway. I wouldn’t need to ask.”

“Maybe, if I'm willing to let go what no longer belongs, time will heal the wound he left.”

 ∞

When the moment is right, you can ask. But maybe then, you won’t have to.