"Come on. What's the risk of getting to know me if I'm just some dorky guy that's hopeless when it comes to dating? I mean, it's not like you're going to fall for me."

But hey, a guy could hope, couldn't he?

That was my idea when I met Ariel Logan-my sister's new assistant on her talk show-and get her to agree to be my relationship tutor in hopes that she'd realize I'm the man she needs.

You see, I'm the nice guy-the guy who's the third or fourth or hundredth wheel, the king of the friend zone and the goofy side character, if you will. And up until meeting Ariel, I thought that was the role I was destined to play.

But damn it-I knew I could be the man of her dreams if she would just give me the opportunity. Her grumpy disposition and hatred of the male population made me realize that if I wanted a chance with this girl, I'd have to be strategic. So I took a risk, asked her to coach me on dating hoping it would pay off, and decided to star in the most important pursuit of my life.

Of course, nothing went smoothly. From dating faux pas to watching Ariel fighting her desires, it felt like years before I finally laid my heart on the line.

And I thought I had her. I thought she felt the same way, until my risky choice came back to bite me hard and threatened the hold I finally had on the woman of my dreams.

Would she realize that I only made that decision because I wanted her?

Would she understand that I never cared about dating other women, only her?

Would she finally allow me to no longer be the guy on the sidelines, but the MVP?

And prove to her the nice guys may finish last-but at least they still finish.