The Destroyer (The Destroyer, #1)

by Michael-Scott Earle

In one way my cowardice was protective, I could still cling to the fantasy that if I had spoken to her she might have fallen in love with me. In another, it was painful, because it was nothing more than a hope and never would be. If I had done it, I may have been rejected, in which case I would be no worse off than I was now, but I also could have gained the friendship, or even love, of the talented songstress. Inaction and fear were insulating, but also paralyzing.