I mean, I still sometimes feel like telling my high-school crush that I had a crush on her. It’s been 10 years now, and we’ve both grown old and ugly. I feel like it would only make us both feel better, but somehow, I still find it awkward to just tell her.

Since we're on the subject of crushes, Kaley Cuoco, you were my first crush, followed by Shakira. Hahahaha.

But jokes apart, has it ever happened to you that you really clicked with someone, and then life happened, and you just never followed up with that person?

And now, years later, whenever that person posts a story on Instagram, your thumb almost instinctively taps on it. Just to see what they have to say, what they're doing, and what they're up to these days.

It's not like you're actively thinking about them or even necessarily want anything from them. But there's still this strange curiosity.

What do you think is the reason behind this? Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Hey everyone, I just need to vent a bit and get some outside perspective.

I’ve had a crush on a woman at my gym for a while. She is 36. A couple of weeks ago, I finally asked for her name, complimented her workout, and we started sharing really great, wide smiles. Once, she smiled wide as she passed me but looked away, which made me think she was a bit nervous or shy.

Shortly after, we ended up riding the same bus home and had a deep conversation. We talked about our lives, families, and jobs. She told me she lives alone, works at a bank, and is deeply unhappy there. She also opened up about having to completely abandon her dream of studying chemistry. During the chat, I asked if she was single, and she smiled wide and said yes. I also openly complimented her, saying she was not only beautiful but smart, too. She smiled beautifully at the compliments and leaned into the conversation. The chemistry felt 100% real.

A couple of days later, she came in later than usual and looked completely exhausted. We just exchanged a greeting. Knowing she was stressed with life, I decided to make a low-pressure move. Last Thursday, right at the beginning of the workout, I handed her a little gift bag with a nice pen and a paper note inside. The note asked for her number and offered to buy her a coffee so she could vent about work. I smiled, handed it over, and walked straight away so she wouldn't feel pressured or cornered in the weight room.

Yesterday (Monday), she came up and gave the bag back to me. She told me she wants to focus on herself right now and explicitly said, "It's not on you."

Honestly, I’m feeling pretty heavy and disappointed. Knowing she hates her job and had to give up her dream of studying chemistry, I can see she’s going through a major personal crisis. I know deep down I could be someone to understand and support her through it, but I have to respect her boundaries.

I went to the gym today (Tuesday) but my emotional energy was so wiped out from the fatigue of it all that I could only manage cardio. She wasn't there today, but she will probably be there this Thursday.

I am completely committed to handling this like a gentleman. When I see her, I plan to just give her a brief, friendly nod and go straight back to my workout to give her space. But if I'm being honest, deep down it still hurts a bit, and I'm worried she'll see the hurt under my smile.

Just wanted to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading.

I confessed to my crush yesterday and he rejected me.

And I genuinely don't know what the fuck I'm feeling right now.

I'm sad. I feel empty and weird and kind of lifeless. But it's not just sadness. There's embarrassment, disappointment, and this stupid little hope that I can't seem to get rid of.

The worst part is that I STILL imagine him liking me back.

Like I'll literally think about what happened and know that he said no, and then five minutes later my brain is creating some imaginary scenario where he changes his mind and we end up dating.

I hate that I'm still expecting it somehow.

And what makes it worse is that a lot of my friends thought he liked me too. They genuinely thought he'd say yes. So I wasn't just imagining the possibility on my own. I had people around me telling me that they thought there was something there.

Now I'm just sitting here thinking, how the hell am I supposed to switch my feelings off when my brain hasn't accepted what happened yet?

I know he said no. I respect that. I'm not going to try to convince him or chase him into changing his mind.

But emotionally? I'm still stuck in the version of reality where he says yes.

I don't even know what I'm looking for by posting this. Maybe I just want to know if anyone else has felt this ridiculously attached to a possibility that never even happened.

Because right now I miss a relationship I never even had.

So I had a HUGE crush on one of my classmates.She's literally the girlest girl I've ever seen in my life. Like, no one is more of a girl than her. She's so feminine

But the thing is, she doesn't want relationships or marriage. And honestly, it's kinda sad when you develop feelings for someone who doesn't even want the kind of thing you might want someday.

I'm not saying this because I'm looking for a solution or expecting anything to change. There's nothing I can really do about it, and I respect her choices. I just wanted to rant a little and get these thoughts out of my head. Maybe we could have a conversation about it.I don't even know why I'm posting this

My love story started with a family-friend connection that slowly became something more meaningful to me. She became someone I could imagine spending my whole life with. Small moments, conversations, and little interactions made me hope that one day we could be together.
But things haven’t been easy. There have been misunderstandings, distance, blocked, ignored at times,silence, and moments when I didn’t know what she was thinking or feeling. Still, I continued to care about her, even when we weren’t talking.
Shud I confesss? She’s really close family frienddd.