Confused about a close friend

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My first topic on this forum and I'm not even 20 posts in yet... I'd cheer if i weren't so mentally knackered.

I have an Asperger's friend, whose I shall call X. X and I get on really well; we share similar-to-the-same interests, and we get together for fun times at frequent intervals. He's 12, soon-to-be 13, and I'm 15, 16 in Feburary.

Anyway, we were going to this sports club thing (where I first met him just a few months ago - funny, seems a long time since then), and we were playing Truth or Dare. I chose Truth; he asked, "Who do you have a crush on?"
My response: "I'm looking at him."
X: "me?"
I nodded.
X: (leans in and whispers to me) "I have a crush on you too."
Me: "You're kidding?"
X: "No. How long have you had it for?"
Me: "Since I first met you. "
X: "Me too!"
This then led to a quiet conversation about us, and it culminated in X asking about our future in some way.

here's the catch. My Mum and I had a talk about romantic relationships a short time ago. And I solemnly promised her that I would talk to her about starting a relationship if and when the time came. she knows about my crush on X, but not about X's crush on me - she doesn't think it will amount to anything because of the age difference.

I'm so confused, I'm not even sure what the question is. O_o

A relationship would probably be legal, I think. "Going further" would not be, depending on where you live, most likely not.

I wouldn't advise it..
He's too young for you, he probably hasn't even hit puberty properly..

There's not a big difference between 18 years old and 21, or 35 and 38. But there is a huge difference between 13 and 16. Do some soul-searching and try to figure out why you're attracted to a boy who is so much younger, as opposed to the older boys that you know.

He's too young for you. Especially at that age. Gwen already made the puberty point of course. He isn't even 15 or 16 lol. Realistically your window right now should be 14 (might be pushing it) to 18 maybe imo. Most girls want an older guy due to girls maturing earlier than guys.

Why? 21 - 18 = 3. 38 - 35 = 3. 16 - 13 = 3 (In my case, 15 - 13 = 2).
The problem is, if I can't be with him in that way, will it ruin our friendship?

Why? 21 - 18 = 3. 38 - 35 = 3. 16 - 13 = 3 (In my case, 15 - 13 = 2).
The problem is, if I can't be with him in that way, will it ruin our friendship?

It's hard to say.
Out of 3 similar experiences I've had, I'm still good friends with two of them...

I'd advise to take some time off with him, give each other some time to let it pass away.

However; if one of you still has feelings for the other (but the other doesn't anymore) then it's going to be very awkward.

Ideally, there is a great deal of maturity occurring between those years. Physically this is true. It should also be true emotionally and intellectually.

But what does "boyfriend" mean to you, personally? If it's nothing more than hanging out together and going to movies and stuff like that, well, enjoy.

It isn't as simple as a single number. 3 years difference for a 21 year old and an 18 year old, that's 1/7th and 1/6th respectively. 38 year old and 35 year old, even smaller portion. Around 1/12 of their entire lives. The younger you get, the larger the difference means, because it is a much larger percentage of how long you've been alive. Two years is not that long to someone that is 80 years old, but it is a lifetime to a two year old.

It goes beyond just that, for overly simplistic number crunching leaves out a lot, no matter how many manipulations are done, and reducing a span of someone's life to a number isn't the best way to go about things. That is just one way to "see" a difference.

People here aren't trying to spoil your fun, they're trying to make you think about it in different ways. If your mother wants you to talk with her about things, then that would be the best person to talk with. She knows both of you better than anyone here could, and she would be more capable to give you guidance on this sort of thing.