I’ve been working at this school for a year now. I work with 3 other teachers, one of whom is a man. Early on to the start of the school year, it was very clear that the male teacher and I got along well. I also found out he has a girlfriend for several years. We connected on things from our childhood, music, politics, etc. One time, we got to hang out with other teachers and he invited me to his spot while his girlfriend was away. I declined but we ended up hanging out in a public place and that’s when he told me that he valued me as a black female educator because most of our student body are black girls, and it was good for them to see a young black woman from their community making a positive impact. I appreciated the compliment because I had no clue what I was doing as a first year teacher. Fast forward to this past weekend and we went to a teachers conference. We got to hang out more because most of the activities ended at 3:45, so we had the whole day to explore the city. He confided in me about “pouring into people who don’t pour into him” but he didn’t mention his girlfriend as one of those people. I tried to tell him that if people are constantly taking from him but never offer the same time, energy and love back into him, then it’s not worth the hassle because life is too short. He said he didn’t mind because he believed God would reward him in the long run. I didn’t press the issue and just left it alone. He constantly asked me if I would just relax, and I didn’t know what he meant by that (I didn’t think to ask him because I just enjoyed hanging around him; he’s a really fun person). It’s clear that there’s a connection between the two of us, but I do not want to cross any boundaries. I’ve been in his girlfriend’s shoes before so the last thing I want to do is hurt her or get hurt myself. It’s hard not being in close proximity to him because we share students so we will always work together. I appreciate any advice on this! Thanks in advance.
I have a male coworker that has a girlfriend of almost 6 years. It’s clear that there is a connection. He’s confided in me at times. Does he like me?
