How do I repair this relationship?

Page 2 of 3 [ 33 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

TheSpectrum
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Jun 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,121
Location: Hampshire

01 Mar 2018, 8:38 am

Okay, after thorough review I'm seeing the whole thing differently. Let's get down to brass tacks:

-She was comfortable around you when her brother was there. Now she's less comfortable.
-You quizzed the brother. He said she thinks you're an awesome guy but is likely not interested.
-She has no crushes at this time. This includes you.
-She has found some of your behaviour uncomfortable. Others have also pointed it out for her welfare.

You had a platonic relationship as a friend of her brother. This fizzled when he left as there was no reason for her to be anything more than acquaintance and your pursuit of a friendship -and more, when you are not emotionally ready- has made the whole thing extremely awkward, for both of you.

If you want to repair the relationship, you will be repairing a platonic one. That's all there was at the beginning, and that's all that awaits you at the end. Sorry, it's a bit blunt, but there you go. A tough pill to swallow, but I find a fizzy drink helps with that.


_________________
Yours sincerely, some dude.


rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

01 Mar 2018, 10:10 am

TheSpectrum wrote:
Okay, after thorough review I'm seeing the whole thing differently. Let's get down to brass tacks:

-She was comfortable around you when her brother was there. Now she's less comfortable.
-You quizzed the brother. He said she thinks you're an awesome guy but is likely not interested.
-She has no crushes at this time. This includes you.
-She has found some of your behaviour uncomfortable. Others have also pointed it out for her welfare.

You had a platonic relationship as a friend of her brother. This fizzled when he left as there was no reason for her to be anything more than acquaintance and your pursuit of a friendship -and more, when you are not emotionally ready- has made the whole thing extremely awkward, for both of you.

If you want to repair the relationship, you will be repairing a platonic one. That's all there was at the beginning, and that's all that awaits you at the end. Sorry, it's a bit blunt, but there you go. A tough pill to swallow, but I find a fizzy drink helps with that.

Nah, it’s nothing I didn’t know already. I don’t know if her brother leaving was the reason she became uncomfortable around me, but his absence has certainly contributed. I don’t think his leaving gave her less reason to be friends with me, but it’s possible that’s the case. Things didn’t get awkward until a month after he’d left, though. I think the problem was that I hung around too close at the dance, hoping to snag a slow song with her, and when I realized she was uncomfortable, I tried to apologize— only that involved following her more, trying to catch a moment with her so we could talk in private.



Sweetleaf
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,278
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

01 Mar 2018, 9:33 pm

rktho wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
rktho wrote:
TheSpectrum wrote:
You have two options, which are a) tell her how you feel, even if it's a message at this stage or b) move on and stop following her around.

I think you'll have to be honest and say it's why you've been so weird around her since, you know, forever.

Realistically I think you had a time where option a was definitely a go to, and now it's gonna be option b.
That's not entirely a negative. It means you were desirable enough, which means if you focus your attention on other women you're bound to find someone else who is compatible.

It's an amazing feeling when you meet someone who triggers that much of an emotional response. But if it's this overwhelming it might be best to find someone else; someone who you feel safe around enough to tell them you like them.


And really, I try not to follow her around, but how are you supposed to talk to each other in person if you’re not in person? I totally dropped the ball by freezing up. Maybe if I’d said what I meant to she wouldn’t be uncomfortable now.

I’m seeing her tonight. I’m going to go with my gut on whether I should give it some time or apologize for last time we met.


Well go up to her and tell her you need to talk to her, and then actually tell her how you feel, if you can't do it without freezing up than send her a message online. But yeah she probably would be less uncomfortable if you would have said what you mean.

Also, I would advise against apologizing for last time you met, she is probably getting sick of your endless apologizes for every little mistake/blunder you feel you have made....I'd say it would be better to just say how you feel. She'd probably be more receptive if you don't start with a shower of apologies.

I feel like messaging her won't work given how unresponsive she is to them. And I wasn't exactly planning on a shower, just a "sorry about last Sunday." You really think I should just leave that out? Because I trust your judgement if you do, but I wasn't planning on making a huge deal out of it. Goodness knows she's overwhelmed as it is.


Well that wouldn't be too bad...Mostly my point is you don't want the apology to become the point of the whole conversation and then miss the chance to talk about the real issue at hand. But if things didn't end on the best terms sunday then I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a quick apology and leave it at that.


_________________
Tis the time to melt the Ice.


rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

01 Mar 2018, 9:42 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
rktho wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
rktho wrote:
TheSpectrum wrote:
You have two options, which are a) tell her how you feel, even if it's a message at this stage or b) move on and stop following her around.

I think you'll have to be honest and say it's why you've been so weird around her since, you know, forever.

Realistically I think you had a time where option a was definitely a go to, and now it's gonna be option b.
That's not entirely a negative. It means you were desirable enough, which means if you focus your attention on other women you're bound to find someone else who is compatible.

It's an amazing feeling when you meet someone who triggers that much of an emotional response. But if it's this overwhelming it might be best to find someone else; someone who you feel safe around enough to tell them you like them.


And really, I try not to follow her around, but how are you supposed to talk to each other in person if you’re not in person? I totally dropped the ball by freezing up. Maybe if I’d said what I meant to she wouldn’t be uncomfortable now.

I’m seeing her tonight. I’m going to go with my gut on whether I should give it some time or apologize for last time we met.


Well go up to her and tell her you need to talk to her, and then actually tell her how you feel, if you can't do it without freezing up than send her a message online. But yeah she probably would be less uncomfortable if you would have said what you mean.

Also, I would advise against apologizing for last time you met, she is probably getting sick of your endless apologizes for every little mistake/blunder you feel you have made....I'd say it would be better to just say how you feel. She'd probably be more receptive if you don't start with a shower of apologies.

I feel like messaging her won't work given how unresponsive she is to them. And I wasn't exactly planning on a shower, just a "sorry about last Sunday." You really think I should just leave that out? Because I trust your judgement if you do, but I wasn't planning on making a huge deal out of it. Goodness knows she's overwhelmed as it is.


Well that wouldn't be too bad...Mostly my point is you don't want the apology to become the point of the whole conversation and then miss the chance to talk about the real issue at hand. But if things didn't end on the best terms sunday then I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a quick apology and leave it at that.

Yesterday I tapped her on the shoulder and quickly apologized for last Sunday and she said something to the effect of “that’s ok” or “no, it’s fine”, can’t remember exactly what but things seemed cool after that. I think she’s only uncomfortable around me when I’m acting clingy. I can’t discount the fact that she unfollowed me when I took a break from Instagram (still no idea why, since she used to watch all my stories even after the awkward stage began) and usually leaves me on seen whenever I message her, but maybe she’s not uncomfortable around me when I’m not giving her reason to be. Last night I made sure not to breathe down her neck, and she seemed fine even though I wasn’t avoiding her at all.



TheSpectrum
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Jun 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,121
Location: Hampshire

02 Mar 2018, 8:52 am

"Last night I made sure not to breathe down her neck, and she seemed fine even though I wasn’t avoiding her at all."

You mean you have done this before?


_________________
Yours sincerely, some dude.


rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

02 Mar 2018, 10:02 am

TheSpectrum wrote:
"Last night I made sure not to breathe down her neck, and she seemed fine even though I wasn’t avoiding her at all."

You mean you have done this before?

Not literally. Breathe down someone’s neck means to stand behind them and/or make them physically uncomfortable by being too close. Which I have done, trying to catch her at a time when I could talk to her alone.



Chronos
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Age: 46
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,698

02 Mar 2018, 4:12 pm

For future reference, I think most socially adept guys would not just follow a girl around trying to get a time to talk to her alone. They probably wouldn't even try to get a time specifically for having a private discussion with her. They would just start up a friendly conversation with her and at some point invite her to hang out, maybe with a group of other friends at first or maybe alone. They don't often isolate the social context as in "I am going to this event at x time, I am going to isolate this girl from the crowd or follow her around until she is alone (if she thinks you are following her she is going to try to NOT be alone with you), and I am going to profess my attraction to her".



rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

02 Mar 2018, 7:25 pm

Chronos wrote:
For future reference, I think most socially adept guys would not just follow a girl around trying to get a time to talk to her alone. They probably wouldn't even try to get a time specifically for having a private discussion with her. They would just start up a friendly conversation with her and at some point invite her to hang out, maybe with a group of other friends at first or maybe alone. They don't often isolate the social context as in "I am going to this event at x time, I am going to isolate this girl from the crowd or follow her around until she is alone (if she thinks you are following her she is going to try to NOT be alone with you), and I am going to profess my attraction to her".

Well, obviously, I'm not socially adept, so this didn't occur to me. I wasn't looking to get her isolated; I just planned to hang around so that when a slow song came I could ask her to dance (the best opportunity, in my socially anxious mind, for a one-to-one conversation; it wasn't private or secretive, but everyone else would be engaged in their own conversations with their dance partners.) It's my habit to keep tabs on people I'm interested in dancing with; usually I'm not persistent enough to creep them out, but I was reckless and assumed that she wouldn't mind if I hung around. When she started avoiding me and left early I knew something was deeply wrong, so I kicked into emergency mode and made it an imperative to get her alone to apologize and explain everything-- except my attraction to her, which I shoved onto the back burner until my mistake was completely repaired. Obviously, I've rethought my strategy since then, but that's about how clueless I am about these things.



Sahh
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 28 Feb 2018
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 23

02 Mar 2018, 8:26 pm

Women are taught subtlety from a young age and that it's their responsibility to avoid conflict with as little confrontation as possible. With what you have been saying, it seems that she has been sending what to her is obvious "steer clear" signals. She knows that you're interested and feels pressured by your persistence, which in turn makes her feel socially trapped into resolving this situation as gracefully as possible. Therefore, she's not saying what she means directly, and neither are you. This leaves a lot of unresolved communication, creating frustration, maybe now to the point where maybe the best thing is to walk away. Just be fair to yourself. It is a communication misfire, and not an affront to who you are as a person. These situations are always painful but it's how we learn how to navigate the next one.



rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

02 Mar 2018, 10:20 pm

Sahh wrote:
Women are taught subtlety from a young age and that it's their responsibility to avoid conflict with as little confrontation as possible. With what you have been saying, it seems that she has been sending what to her is obvious "steer clear" signals. She knows that you're interested and feels pressured by your persistence, which in turn makes her feel socially trapped into resolving this situation as gracefully as possible. Therefore, she's not saying what she means directly, and neither are you. This leaves a lot of unresolved communication, creating frustration, maybe now to the point where maybe the best thing is to walk away. Just be fair to yourself. It is a communication misfire, and not an affront to who you are as a person. These situations are always painful but it's how we learn how to navigate the next one.

I feel compelled to try to make amends. With the regularity with which we see each other, I can’t stand the amount of awkwardness it would bring if I didn’t.



Sahh
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 28 Feb 2018
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 23

02 Mar 2018, 10:43 pm

rktho wrote:
Sahh wrote:
Women are taught subtlety from a young age and that it's their responsibility to avoid conflict with as little confrontation as possible. With what you have been saying, it seems that she has been sending what to her is obvious "steer clear" signals. She knows that you're interested and feels pressured by your persistence, which in turn makes her feel socially trapped into resolving this situation as gracefully as possible. Therefore, she's not saying what she means directly, and neither are you. This leaves a lot of unresolved communication, creating frustration, maybe now to the point where maybe the best thing is to walk away. Just be fair to yourself. It is a communication misfire, and not an affront to who you are as a person. These situations are always painful but it's how we learn how to navigate the next one.

I feel compelled to try to make amends. With the regularity with which we see each other, I can’t stand the amount of awkwardness it would bring if I didn’t.


I understand that that would make you feel better, and I'm not in your situation, so I can't say, but think first, will that also make her feel better? What is your end goal? What is the outcome that will make you feel resolved?

If you just want to be friends, maybe give it a little time, and eventually make polite, casual conversation, ignoring the past for now - an invitation to leave it behind. And in the meantime, try not to fixate on it, for your own peace of mind.



rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

02 Mar 2018, 10:49 pm

Sahh wrote:
rktho wrote:
Sahh wrote:
Women are taught subtlety from a young age and that it's their responsibility to avoid conflict with as little confrontation as possible. With what you have been saying, it seems that she has been sending what to her is obvious "steer clear" signals. She knows that you're interested and feels pressured by your persistence, which in turn makes her feel socially trapped into resolving this situation as gracefully as possible. Therefore, she's not saying what she means directly, and neither are you. This leaves a lot of unresolved communication, creating frustration, maybe now to the point where maybe the best thing is to walk away. Just be fair to yourself. It is a communication misfire, and not an affront to who you are as a person. These situations are always painful but it's how we learn how to navigate the next one.

I feel compelled to try to make amends. With the regularity with which we see each other, I can’t stand the amount of awkwardness it would bring if I didn’t.


I understand that that would make you feel better, and I'm not in your situation, so I can't say, but think first, will that also make her feel better? What is your end goal? What is the outcome that will make you feel resolved?

If you just want to be friends, maybe give it a little time, and eventually make polite, casual conversation, ignoring the past for now - an invitation to leave it behind. And in the meantime, try not to fixate on it, for your own peace of mind.

That seems logical.



funeralxempire
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 34,238
Location: Right over your left shoulder

03 Mar 2018, 1:10 am

Move on, and if there's no need to interact with her, I wouldn't.


_________________
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. —Malcolm X
Just a reminder: under international law, an occupying power has no right of self-defense, and those who are occupied have the right and duty to liberate themselves by any means possible.


rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

03 Mar 2018, 1:03 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
Move on, and if there's no need to interact with her, I wouldn't.


I can't move on. Not completely. We see each other too often. Not being on good terms is awkward uncomfortable for both of us. I can't take a year of this. I don't think she can either. Her solution is to avoid me, but that just makes things worse. There's only so far we can be apart from each other when we're in the same ward. The most comfortable option is to repair the friendship. We may never be close, but distance is painful for me, and the fact that that distance is short by necessity is awkward for her. So we have to learn to be comfortable with interaction.



rktho
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 27 Feb 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 41
Location: USA

04 Mar 2018, 3:59 am

We were at a dance together. I took her aside to talk. Awkwardly, I attempted to explain everything and did a horribly incoherent job. It was very repetitive and full of brain farts where I had no idea what to say. Before I could get myself together, her friend needed to use the bathroom and took her away. Later we shared a dance, where I was much more collected. We talked about my college classes and other small talk she initiated, and I told her talking to her was hard sometimes. When she asked why I told her she made me nervous. When she apologized I told her it wasn’t her fault. I would have told her how I felt about her but the song ended. I didn’t get another chance to dance with her but I left happy and feeling like I’d accomplished something.



beady
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Sep 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Female
Posts: 900

04 Mar 2018, 10:47 pm

That is making progress. Well done!

I was wondering - what is a "ward'?