Confused & crushed :/
Im confused and upset over a recent friendship/relationship breakup/deterioration. To try to put it concisely: I met and immediately developed a crush on someone last March and it was one of the most powerful feelings Ive had in ages. I didnt stalk him online to find out more about his life, because I didnt want to be creepy and I thought maybe the less I know, the better. (It was a messed up way of trying to not get too invested & I guess a way of self-preservation.)
We started talking on fb messenger and he seemed like a nice person and we had incredible amounts of things in common. Movies, fashion, furniture, you name it and we had the same tastes in it. We talked about personal things and usually spoke for hours every day. Some messages got flirty and eventually we also talked about sexual preferences and fantasies, something I have never discussed even with previous boyfriends. The messages about fantasies got very explicit and would often be about things he wanted to know about me (would I enjoy certain acts etc etc).
We worked together on a project so until the end of July I tried to be quite professional (the dirty messages didnt start until later), and in person neither of us have ever been flirty with each other though weve met and hung out several times.
Over a period of seven months he sent me a million selfies (nothing naughty, just nice photos of him, but I genuinely mustve gotten a few hundred) and I sent him photos of myself as well, wed often exchange compliments about our looks, fashion choices and so on. He has also told me I look hot and or cute/pretty.
All this time I was nervous and confused, not knowing what was happening, if he liked me or not. I found out last week that he has a girlfriend and it crushed me. In seven months of talking to me sometimes for 5+ hours a day, he has never brought her up even to say Im having dinner with my gf tonight.
I will admit I shouldve checked, it does say on his fb profile that he is in a relationship and now Im not sure if I did check & didnt notice, or if it hasnt said that the whole time weve been talking or what on earth happened.
I told him I feel like a fool, like Ive been played around with. He said he was sorry, but also said he noticed I had a crush on him but hoped it would pass. And still didnt think he shouldve mentioned the girlfriend...
I spent three days feeling sick to my stomach over this, blaming myself for how stupid Ive been and how blinded I was by my crush, even though Ive known for a long time that we wouldnt make a good couple. I dont know if I can forgive him for not being upfront with me & I feel like all this time hes taken advantage of me and used me as just an ego boost. I feel sad because Ive never met anyone I have this much in common with and tbh anyone Ive been this attracted or interested in! For reference we are in our mid to late 20s. I have a history of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem which he is aware of, he has suffered with some degree of similar issues recently.
Im struggling with processing this: how do get over this and can I ever trust him with anything? Can I be friends with someone who thinks its okay to talk to other women about intimate things even though hes with someone else (I dont think thats acceptable in a relationship and certainly not in the way he spoke to me)? Is there anything worth saving?
To add to this: after a conversation we had in July I was left with the impression that he was single (looking back at the messages the conversation was an obvious moment for him to tell me about a relationship, but he didnt so I assumed he wasnt in one).
My father passed away in August, which has also been a contributing factor to my mental health and adding to that I live in a city that I moved to in January & have no friends and no social life there so I have been lonely and loved having him for company.
I know logically that I havent done anything wrong, nothing real took place between us and I shouldnt have fed my own delusions about him being interested in me and being single etc. I just really wanted to believe he cared about me. Now I feel like Im mourning a relationship that never even happened and the fact that my dreams about us have shattered has been surprisingly hard to bear. I feel like we both behaved badly, but is that just me trying to make excuses for him? Am I being too hard on myself?
@Pikkumuumi Im so sorry to hear about the loss of your father, bless his heart and yours. Dont be hard on yourself I could totally understand why youd crave love and attention after something so hard like that. Although it is your own life sweetie I would cut off ties with him if I was in your shoes, hes clearly shown that hes got no respect for the feelings of others. Hes proven that hes selfish and will do things just because he wants to and you deserve so much better than that, your an amazing human being that deserves people that will make you feel that your truly loved and appreciated. Please, feel free to message me if you need someone to talk to privately