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My good friend/co worker/almost lover

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  • #224817

    Hello all,

    This is my first post, so help me if I’m doing something wrong please. I need an outsider’s opinion.

    I feel like our ages might be important so we are both 22. About a year ago, I met this guy from school by our mutual friend-which was my best friend at that time. They were difficult times for me, i was kinda depressed and very careless about my looks. But i really liked this guy and somehow he looked like he took a slight interest on me. I never acted on it because i had more important issues then.

    This year, since we both are musicians also, we formed a band together-with also 3 other guys. We spent lots of time and became good friends. He again – i think- tried to hit on me for a while but I didn’t want him, since I was quite sure he was just trying his chance, he is a bit of a womanizer anyway-as I know from our mutual friend and his fame in the school- and I didn’t want to risk the band knowing if things didn’t go well i would be the one who needs to part my way.The thing is I was never very firm with the idea of not wanting him. I know I just wanted him to be around a bit longer so I knew he wants me, not just any girl. He never made his intentions clear at this point, he just seemed interested. Soon after he had a girlfriend and our friendship fell back where it was.

    After they broke up in spring, I was there for him as a friend, but also not so much, cause in the course of their relationship,  our friendship grew too and this guy did things making me realise he cares for me as a friend and also looks like a nice boyfriend. Realising that made me think maybe I should have tried my way with him. So it was hard for me to listen his break up stories and i didn’t put myself into that so much.

    After this time, he took a serious interest in last 2 weeks of school. He was all over to see me at library and willing to come to the other side of town which is 2 hours away from him. I thought he was lonely and looking for companionship only. But then he started to state how he thinks so highly of me as a person in such an articulate and delibate way and compliment me on my looks sometimes.

    We texted all summer when he was at his hometown, he said he loved me couple of times in between words-which i only responded with emojis or awkward sentences. We talked on phone this one time till 4 am. All summer he was flirty till his last days away. Suddenly he started texting less, and said something weird is happening there out of blue and didnt tell me when i asked him. He got here before school and only wanted to see me very casually like “we are drinking with a friend at park tonight, wanna join?” And i refused.

    School started and he never asked me out. I once asked him to go for a drink after school and he said another day, although i knew he had nothing planned for the day. We had to do some arrangements for the band but it looks like even then he always tries not to be alone. He used to be touchy but since school started he was like this only one day, when we were hanging out with his best friend and they helped me shop eagerly-usually i would expect him to say “why dont you shop with one of the girls, thats a girl’s job.”. He gave me gift a week ago, he never got me one before even on my birthday. We jokingly fight a lot these days and last day we had an actual fight about the band. He was very rude and accused me of being disrespectful and childish. Also he is talking a lot about some girls hitting on him these days, but not about him getting interested in them. It hurts anyway.

    I’m so confused. I expect him to know how much i like him since I dropped a few hints already and realise the way i look at him since we met. I assumed he wasn’t interested anymore after the change in his behaviours but I cant understand his anger or the way he looks at me sometimes or the gift. I would “man up” and tell him how i feel but we have a band which i invested so much for and dont want to let go of. I’m quite sure he would tell our mutual friends about the things i’ll tell him-soon or later- and the possibility of them knowing it all make it so much harder to be in the band. I also know if i don’t tell him now and he tries his way with me 3 months later, i would still be down for it. I dont want to do this to myself-waiting for the day he wants me, searching for a meaning in anything he does/say. The fight made it even worse, I want him to apologise for the way he talked but also don’t think we would.

    What are your thoughts about this situation?

     

     

     

    #225041
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine05:

    I think you should get together with him for the purpose of talking, then state things honestly but in a casual manner, tell him how important being in the band is for you, that you are interesting in continuing your involvement in the band regardless of the conversation you are to have with him.

    The tell him how you felt about him over time, your confusion about his behavior and your need to know what he thinks and feels about you. Put the cards on the table, but again, in a casual, business like way, without much emotion and definitely, no drama.

    Listen to what he says, don’t argue with him, keep in mind and let him know repeatedly, if needed, that you are only after information so that you have clarity about what is going on.

    anita

    #225155

    Hello anita,

    Thanks for the advice.

    The thing is, I’m almost sure a) he wouldn’t want to talk/get vulnerable so I would be the only one playing my cards open, b) he is not that mature to talk and keep this between us. I know talking is the only way I could get past this and stop hoping but it also seems like the way to shut the door to the possibility of having something with him forever, which is probably what i need to do at this point.

    #225163
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine:

    I think you can adjust the conversation to him not wanting “to talk/ get vulnerable”. Plan the conversation so that it doesn’t require him getting vulnerable. One thing to plan, as I suggested, is that you don’t display much emotion, this way it will be easier for him. You can plan your question or questions to him in such a way that his answers do not require his vulnerability (or any significant amount of it).

    Also, you can plan to not reveal to him any information you don’t want to be passed along.

    anita

    #225573

    Dear anita,

    This is very good advice, thank you. The only question I really want to know is did he mean it when he said he love me and what happened after that to change the course of the things. I don’t think I can ask this without getting vulnerable, nor he can answer. Even the fact that i’m curious about this reveals too much for a friendship. I believe whatever we say/do, it can’t be neither 100% true, nor 100% lie and human heart is strangely elastic. So maybe I already have the answer i need.

    #225577
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine05:

    You are welcome. I suppose a conversation is not a good idea.

    Better allow the strange elasticity of the human heart (what an interesting term) explain the events that happened and that you put it all to rest, continue your engagement with the band, no longer waiting for him to want you, no longer search for meaning in anything he does or say, and no longer wait for him to apologize to you (“I don’t want to do this to myself-waiting for the day he wants me, searching for a meaning… apologize for the way he talked to me..”)

    anita

    #225951

    Hi,
    I decided to first let the things ease into normal-it will in a mutual feiends meeting probably. And then tell him how the hot&cold treatment i got made me feel hurt. And i really enjoy our friendship but he needs to be more constructive- if he doesn’t like my attitude, he should directly adress the behaviour, not accuse me of being childish. I want him to understand that i feel hurt so if he does it again, this time i know he knows what he’s doing and i should not be friends with this person anymore. Is it stupid? I always want to choose to talk about this kinda situations hoping my relations will not turn into some kinda ego war, but i usually see people prefer not to talk, so i ask myself is it a desperate move to try to talk about everything?

    #226071
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine05:

    I don’t think it is stupid to assert yourself with people, to let them know what and why this or that behavior on their part is unacceptable to you. This way they will have a chance to evaluate their behavior or otherwise just stop a particular offensive behavior. It also gives you some power over a situation, some direction. So, yes, my suggestion is that you assert yourself with him.

    anita

    #228563

    Dear Anita,

    I’ve finally talked to him, yesterday. It was not very much a business like talk but I didn’t get emotional and made it clear that he understood he hurt me. I finally have my peace now. He said he thought about us being involved for a while and flirted with me but then realized we were not so much compatible. He said he really values my friendship and appreciate the courage I have to talk about this. He does nice things for me when you think about it. He was suppose to catch  a 7 hours bus ride to travel with his friends at midnight and he actually missed the bus because he took the time to listen what I had to say. I’m fine with all this now. I am aware I am in a grieving period, cause I wanted something I couldn’t have. And I’m aware we would have a very unhealthy relationship.

    He also said when we were flirting he realized the closer we get the careless I became about him. I see his point. I was thinking about him for a longer time, I’d been in my head for so long and when I thought I was actually getting what I wanted, I became so afraid of rejection/abondenment I acted like I didn’t care, sometimes. I guess I just didn’t want him to see how bad I wanted him. He just saw the attitude problem though.

    I’m glad we had this talk. We have very different mild stones in a relationship and maybe this was the root of the misunderstanding- when I took the time to chat with somebody on whatsapp all day, repeatedly, this is huge for me, I see this as an investment to a person because of the time I gave.

    I believe him in a weird way, I believe this is the most healthy thing I can do at this point. I realized I have my own issues. The abondenment thing and the attitude problem he mentioned, and the obsession I find myself in when I thought we are getting involved. To love is to  let, they say. And I didn’t let him, even in my mind. I wanted him at all cost, and this was pathologic.

    When I planned the talk, I was quite sure he did wrong to me and hurt me intentionally, and I was going shove this to his face, in a non agressive way. He would be ashamed and quiet when I was talking. After that, I would have enough evidence to hate him. Now I can’t hate him because i understand him, as a humanbeing, and I can’t love him because that will harm me, I won’t be able to set boundries in my mind or between us. We will definately see each other, I don’t know how much or in what manner. Time will tell.

    What I want to do right now is not think about him anymore, not even spare a thought on all these, and deal with my own demons, that I mentioned. The thing is I don’t know how to. I believe these might be the result of a previous traumatic boy friend experience. To be honest, if I didn’t had this talk, I know later on I would describe these as traumatic too. So maybe, even in that experience, the problem was within all along-not entirely but partly.

    I always thought saying we are not compatible is code for I don’t desire you enough to not being able to think about all these. But now I see desire is not only about one’s look. I always knew this, but I thought I got a very good personality and only if I was prettier I would have get anyone I ever wanted. I always thought guys fall for my personality and are ok with my looks. Funny thing is, this time, I know it’s not about my looks, but my personality.

    #228575
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine05:

    What an insightful post! “Funny thing is, this time, I know it’s not about my looks, but my personality”- amazing. Even though you cared about him, you wrote, “I acted like I didn’t care… I just didn’t want him to see how bad I wanted him. He just swathe attitude problem though”-

    yes, he didn’t know your history, what you were thinking, how your history affects your perception of him and the situation, all he could see was your behavior and it wasn’t pleasant. This is why having honest conversations early on is very important, the other person cannot read your mind, neither should he try (it is impossible, really). Better tell him. This is the honest way to go about things. And he respected you when you did just that. And you got to see him in a different way as well.

    If you would like to share about your “own demons”, your past hurt and anger that got activated in regard to this man, please do.

    anita

    #232771

    I don’t know if anyone ever will read this case again. It looks like it ended on such good terms though, I couldnt help but update. After he came back, I saw him with his new girl friend, which is another girl who’s been hitting on him all summer. I knew it, I never saw her as a rival to be honest. He always spoke of her in a disrespectful way, I never thought he would consider her as a gf, shame on him for talking this way, god only knows what he’s been telling about me around, of course.

    While we were discussing something about work, it got very personal, in front of all other people we yelled at each other and agreed to not having any private relations/close friendship. I wanted to remove him from my life after I realized he flirted with me and this other girl all summer anyway. I really liked this person for a while, but apparently he’s no match for me. I can only imagine the time and energy he’d steal from me if we had more than this. I should admit I feel sad though.

    #232785
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Littlemisssunshine05:

    I think you observed and understood correctly: he talked disrespectfully about this woman while being involved with her as her boyfriend. This means he may talk about you disrespectfully too, outside your presence. Talking disrespectfully about her and flirting with her and with you at the same time, all these things make him indeed a bad choice for a boyfriend or a friend. It is better indeed that there will not be “private relations/ close friendship” between the two of you.

    I understand you feeling sad. After all, “My good friend” is in the title of your thread and he is not a friend at all. I hope you feel better soon and post again.

    anita

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