“I don’t want to hurt his feeling”
The Messy Nobility of Turning Down a Love Interest
A friend of mine, a successful, wildly wildly attractive woman who is living the dream life of so many people including myself — location independent, making great income doing what she loves — has a challenge that many people will also dream of having.
So many guys are after her that she doesn’t know how to turn those down both kindly and also effectively.
The most recent tricky case is a man she sees as a friend and almost a mentor who expresses his interest in becoming her romantic partner.
She knows he gives her extra attention, but still was surprised at this proposal.
She explains to him that she is in a tricky situation with another love interest. She also intuitively believes this won’t work out from having been physically intimate with him.
The feeling, at least for now, is not romantic but more of admiration and respect.
He pushes on though, like a real man who pursues what he wants, which makes her even more uncomfortable. She knows she has to cut this hope for romance somehow, but she definitely wants to keep the friendship.
She comes asking me for advice on how to have this conversation.
