Am I leading him on and should I tell him I don't want a relationship?

[Anonymous]

Basically this guy has liked me the beginning of this year, then stopped, and now he likes me now. It was always a thing where his friends would ask if i liked him and that he was gonna ask me out. I told my friends at the beginning of the year i didn't like him, but now i do. So basically now we both like each other. We are starting to talk and now the whole thing is starting up again. His friends ask if i like him, rumors around that he's gonna ask me out. We actually started to talk around 3 weeks ago. He is super nice and caring, and recently he asked me to go eat out together yesterday. Everyone thinks we are dating and that we are a couple, he even tells his friends i'm his girlfriend already. Everyone says that but me, i personally think we aren't. Everyone ships us together, but the thing is, i don't like him 100%. I like him, but don't love him like i would to a boyfriend. (I've also never had a boyfriend before) He is continuing to talk to me and i continue to talk to him. Pretty sure he think's i like him like a boyfriend.

I've always thought i wanted a boyfriend, that's why i started talking to him, but now I've come to realization, i don't want a boyfriend in general. With all the pressure, it's hard knowing almost everyone ships us together, and his friends always talk to me about him. Since people think we are dating, if i tell him how i truly feel i feel like everyone will make me feel ashamed. He is super nice, but i feel like I'm leading him on. I still like him a bit, but like i said before not 100%. Pretty sure he is going to continue to also ask to hang out with me, to work his way up to ask me out to be his girlfriend. I don't like him as much anymore, but he really likes me. Keep in mind, i never had a boyfriend. This is lowkey very stupid but i just wanna hear peoples opinions and advice.

Rn, it's just one big mess and I feel stuck and I don't know what to do without seeming like a bad person. Hope this story makes sense.

[SueShe]

Something disturbs me about your story. If friends ask you whether you like that guy, then to me, it is that guy that asks the friends to do the dirty job for him by hinting to the friends that they should ask you his liking for you is reciprocated.

That does not inspire me any confidence to that guy. If he likes you, then he should say it himself and not mandate friends to give hints.

If you don't like him 100%, then yes, you should let him know that you don't like him enough to be his girlfriend and to stop this kind of ping pong game between both of you.

It is your right to chose whatever you want and whomever you want. Don't let yourself be pressured into something you are not 100% confident with.

[Nikki1989]

It is always OK to change your mind and your feelings, but it's also important to be honest with yourself and others.

[slatyb]

Has he asked you out? If not, what's the problem. If he does, and you aren't inclined, just say "I'm really flattered but I don't think it would work."

[yvanvangoth]

Yes, at this point you are leading him on. Just get to the point and tell him. Instead of wasting both his and your time

[Danny_dan92]

If he wants a relationship? Yeah

[Anonymous]

Yes….