He just wants to be friends?

Hi, you asked me to look at your "problem" when you responded to something I said on another question, so I guess I will do my best. Well, I would say that you are in a really tough situation, but I can relate, because I'm in the same boat, but in his shoes, instead of yours. I can try to give you advice from his perspective which I hope helps.

Well, his main issue is "fear of rejection," and his second main issue is "confusion," which are both things that are tough to work through if you are the one going through them, but also tough on the other end to have to deal with the guy who's got these issues. The girl I love right now is in the same situation as you are.

The advice my girl gave me was that I need to push through the fear and also that if I'm feeling these things, that I need to talk about them and be honest. At first, I told her that I didn't think I could, but then I told her that she was right.

However, there are other issues that are deeper in my heart, such as pain that is triggered sometimes either when I'm with her or when I think about losing her. It's a pain from the past I think that has not been healed. I went through this with my last girlfriend too. She ended up giving up trying with me. I guess that neither of us was ready for a relationship.

Something that has really helped me with the girl that I like now, is that she has been taking the initiative in pursuing me, which has helped to ease the past pain of rejection for me and to know that she really does like me. Both of us have dated other people, also, as you mentioned with your guy. However, we both are only attracted to each other, which makes me feel really stupid when I think about it, because, it's like, if we only have eyes for each other, why are we off with someone else? Why aren't we working through our issues?

I think that the main thing with this guy is that you both want to be with each other, so maybe you could have a talk with him, like my girl did with me, and tell him that you know how painful being in a relationship is for him right now, but that you know that the two of you only want to be with each other, and ask him if he is willing to work through the pain with you. It may show him that you do care and that you aren't rejecting him and that you haven't given up on him. Something else that I've had to deal with is giving up on myself because other people have in the past. Of course, I know that I can't do stupid things and just ask her to keep forgiving me, but I guess she knows that I really am trying but that it's also really hard. Her pursuing me and being the one to initiate things helps me with that too. However, I don't have the energy to try to do much of anything in return except to just respond to her love, which is all she seems to really want right now anyway, and which I'm grateful for. At any rate, I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope so! Good luck! :)

having a relationship go bad when you work together is not a good thing.

what would happen if one of you worked elsewhere? have you put that to him? could you find a job elsewhere & are you willing to take that step if that's what it would take?

it sounds like he's fairly keen on you if he gets upset when you go to a singles thing.

taking work out of the equation is the only thing I can suggest.