Dear Sugar,
I met this guy in college and developed a major crush on him, but nothing ever happened. After graduating we kept in contact via email, then after a couple months, we met for coffee. We got to talking and he told me that he's been attracted to me for some time now, but informed me that he was in a relationship with someone else. He said he needed to figure things out on his end before getting me involved. I let him know that I too am attracted to him, and that I still wanted to maintain our friendship.
He emailed me about a week later and suggested we meet up again — I agreed. This time we went to a cafe in the evening and talked for several hours. I know he is with another girl so I wanted to be respectful, but the whole time we were together I was thinking about how much I like him. When we left the cafe, he told me he wanted to do it again sometime, but what does all this mean? Does he just want to be friends? Is he keeping me around just in case he and his girlfriend break up? Am I setting myself up? Please help! — Unclear Claire
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Dear Unclear Claire,
Since you've both been open about your attraction for each other, I'm left wondering some of the same questions myself. He wasn't very clear as to whether or not he was planning on ending things with his girlfriend, so I assume he's just trying to get to know you and decide if that's the decision he wants to make. This is a classic example of why the line between romance and friendship is so thin — I bet his girlfriend wouldn't be too pleased if she knew her boyfriend was sitting at a cafe admitting that he's attracted to another woman!
The only way you'll know what his intentions are is by asking him. You deserve to know what he's feeling so you can prevent being led on. I'm sure you enjoy his company, but if you have a different idea of what your relationship is all about, you're bound to get hurt. Be proactive and talk to him about where he stands with you, his girlfriend, and his intentions for the near future. Hopefully getting everything out on the table will make it easier for you to decide how to proceed. Good luck!










the nail was hit on the head twice here - the first by the poster
"Is he keeping me around just in case he and his girlfriend break up? "
the second by Dear
" bet his girlfriend wouldn't be too pleased if she knew her boyfriend was sitting at a cafe admitting that he's attracted to another woman!"
this guy sounds shady, regardless. if the first is true (he is keeping you in the wings just incase) he sucks, and even if not, he still sucks because he's wooing another girl behind his girlfriend's back
get away from him!
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