What do I make of this when it comes to dating?

[Anonymous]

I have a guy friend that I have kind of been talking to for a couple months. He seems hot and cold. He'll talk future tense about stuff with us, we talk almost everyday about everything. He had already stated he wanted to date me on more than one occasion. He says, in a round about way, he won't hang out with me because we have an age difference, it's a lot, and he doesn't want to waste my time. But then he'll want to see me, I've never actually gone when he wanted me to. Usually a scheduling issue. Then he'll talk about having me come over and hang out when he's ready. We're both out of pretty bad relationships recently. He's also sends me pics of him doing stuff with his kids and friends.

[Stevefiveo]

He sounds interested in you. He sounds confused maybe because of the past bad relationships and/or the age difference. Talk to him and tell him the age difference doesn't bother you. The past relationships thing is tricky because on one hand you want to help and understand but on the other hand you don't want him constantly whining about his ex and have to remind him that you are not her. Good luck.

[Asker]

I talked to him about it. And it's an age issue. I'm 33, and he's 52 for reference. He's already stated he wanted to date me, I stated I wanted to date him. But he says, in a around about way, he avoids setting plans/date because he's trying to approach things a certain way because of the age difference. Does that mean this whole thing is a lost cause? He'll go back and forth and say things probably won't be more then back to hinting at us dating. He says the age difference will cause issues later on in the relationship but he wants to maintain our friendship. Am I back up?

[Stevefiveo]

Hmm, he could be scared of losing your friendship. The next time you talk to him. You are going to have to try and set things straight and say listen the age difference does not bother me and I want to to date you. Give him a time like a week to think about it and make a decision. Good luck.

[awkward_author]

He likes you but is anxious about your age difference. It might be a good idea to hang out as friends for a bit to ease his anxiety. If you both want to be together, I'm sure he'll come around. He just needs time.