I met this guy on a dating app (we’re both guys) and at first I thought we were just in it for the sex, but then he started getting sweet on me: hanging out for more than sex, cooking me meals, Netflix and chill, spending every day after classes (we’re both in university) together. We basically became a couple in all but name.
We had a row and he made it clear that he doesn’t like me ‘that way’, but we still continue as if nothing changed. We also made it clear that we were just friends, despite everything we did together, and so we began seeing other guys on the side. However, this has led to both of us fighting even more.
He’s said over and over that he likes me as a friend, and he’s limited our sexual contact which I’ve respected, but we are still very intimate physically and spend every night together (just no sex). We practically live together. One night, I came home, not completely sober, and he kissed me, despite having banned it previously.
I get the sense that perhaps he isn’t ready to face his feelings for me, but I feel that if I confront him about this I might lose him. What should I do?
Oh no, what a confusing situation. It sounds like he’s sending out very contradictory and conflicting messages to you.
I think the best thing to do would be to withdraw from him and stop spending time together – if you accept him constantly changing his mind and only giving you what level of intimacy he feels like at that moment, he’ll keep on doing it. It sounds like, for some reason, he has strong conflicting feelings about you or relationships, and if you let him treat you like this, he’ll never have to resolve the ambivalence.
I would recommend being boundaried and making clear that if you’re only friends, he can only do friendship with you. You deserve to be treated better!