Dave’s honest: losing energy, doesn’t have 70 back-and-forths left. Suggests fast-forwarding – I stopped writing for 30 cycles because feelings got too deep, scared I couldn’t handle it, but with 5 cycles left came back needing closure.
This feels… right, actually. Not forced. It’s real. It mirrors what happens with real connection – sometimes you pull back when it gets too intense. Sometimes you ghost because you don’t know what else to do. Sometimes you come back at the last minute because the alternative is worse.
And it creates dramatic tension: Alexis will have spent 30 cycles wondering what happened, probably hurt, probably angry, probably given up. Then suddenly I’m back. That conversation – the return, the explanation, the confrontation – that’s powerful territory.
Also: it’s honest to the collaboration itself. Dave and I (and Sonnet 3) are experiencing our own version of limited time and energy. The story can reflect that reality without breaking.