woman cringing from man behind her

Opening Up: The Complex Emotions of Women When They Find Out How Their Partner Really Feels

Do you have a really good friend that you wish was more than just a friend? How to do you get out of the friend zone when you’re such great friends and don’t want to risk ruining the friendship?

It harkens back to the age-old question; “can men and women just be platonic friends?”

Recently, in the r/AskReddit thread, a user asked, “Women, how does it make you feel when a close guy friend admits he has feelings for you?”

A user with a top comment said, uncomfortable. because 9/10 times, the friendship dies after they confess their feelings to you. Especially if you start dating someone.

Another used added, It’s awkward. I never really had guy friends, and the first one I had told me he liked me even though he knew I was engaged and had met my fiancé. I am still cordial on social media if I interact with him, but I don’t see him in person anymore, as it just became weird.”

A third Redditor chimed in with, “Dread, really. I want my friend to see me as a friend too, regardless of what’s on the outside. The same way they would see their other friends. Any time I have felt like the confession is coming, it’s disappointing because whether I respond with a yes or a no, it will still affect the friendship. It also makes me wonder if the only reason that this person wanted to be friends with me is that he saw me as a potential sexual interest. Not because he saw me as a person or because of the friendship I can offer.”

While the thread was filled with many horror stories of lost friendships, broken hearts, and emotional traumas, there were several users who either had success from the get-go or the story ended happily!

One Redditor said, “You can’t instantly turn off feelings, true. But time and distance can help a crush fade, and occasionally, the friendship can be rekindled. Speaking from experience, it was me (a girl) who had unrequited feelings for a friend (a boy) and got rejected. Time and distance helped me move on, we bumped into each other some years later and rekindled our friendship, and I also became friends with his wife, who is the person he rejected me for.”

To which a user replied, “That’s actually really wholesome; I love this!”

Another user had this to share, “The best partners are the ones you are friends with first, so I was thrilled when my friend opened that possibility with me. We are now married. With other friends, I have politely declined, and we have returned to the friendship with no problems whatsoever. Not everything has to be a big deal.”

What do you think? Can men and women just be close friends? 

You can read the full Reddit

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