How Women Really Feel When a Close Guy Friend Tells Them They Have Feelings for Them
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 Redditor thread here.
This article was produced and syndicated by Neonmoon. This article is inspired by the internet and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Neonmoon.
Image Credit: Depositphotos – ViewApart
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