Love Stories - page 7

ever had one of those holiday flings that just knocked you on your ass???? well, that was me this summer. spent almost a month with this guy and damn, those were some of the best days of my life!!! first real love, you know??? now i'm back home and honestly, it feels like i'm missing a part of myself. it’s been 4 months and i can’t shake him off my mind. 🤷‍♀️

back then, everything was freaking perfect. sun, sea, and him—the trifecta!!!!!! we did all the typical touristy crap, but somehow, it never felt cliché, just magical. every night we'd hit up the beach, talk about shit, and it was like our souls were vibing, ya know? or maybe it was just the cocktails talking, hell if i know!!! one night, i swear, he said he loved me. and i believed it. god, was i naive for buying that??? but in the moment, i didn't give a damn. 😏💔

now back home, drowning in real life bullshit. college sucks, friends are the same old buzzkills, and doesn't help when all i think about is him. texting is alright, but it's sooooo different than hanging out. 🙄 long-distance blows. what’s the point?????? can’t help but wonder if he even misses me or moved on. was it all just a sick joke???? but if it was, why was it so damn sweet????

everyone says move on, "there's more fish in the sea," right???? i'm not buying that crap right now. it’s annoying how everyone pretends to know better. like, maybe I want to hold on to this pain a bit more, learn from it, i guess. love is a goddamn emotional rollercoaster. anyone else ride this hellish ride too???? honestly, i just want to scream and maybe slap some sense into myself. but hey, life goes on, yeah???? just wished he was still in it...

My useless ex girlfriend left me for someone with a dick. Although the relationship ended amicably I feel bitter. I wish I could tear into her in front of everyone we know. I don't because there is a one in a billion chance that she might be useful. Such as pay me back the money I spent on a studio apartment for her.

i dunno how many times i’ve been through this but it always feels like the first time. you meet someone, you get your hopes up, you think maybe this time it’s different, maybe she actually sees something in you—then boom! ghosted or hit with the “you’re nice but…” line. why is it always that?! why do they go on dates if they already not interested?? like, if u don’t want a second date, don’t go on the first one, right? 😑 it’s not like i’m weird or creepy or anything. i just try to be myself, talk, listen, smile—normal stuff. but somehow it never clicks. it’s always one or two dates, then silence. sometimes i even check my texts 20 times a day like an idiot waiting for replies that never come. pathetic. it’s not like i’m expecting a fairytale, but at least some honesty would be nice!

i’m 21, still a virgin, not that it matters but somehow it feels like it does. i know we’re not supposed to care about that anymore but let’s be real, everyone does. when you see everyone around hooking up or having stories to tell, it messes with your brain. it’s not about sex itself but just feeling like you’re part of the world, like you belong. i go on campus and see couples all the time, holding hands, laughing, doing all that couple-y stuff and i wonder if i’ll ever get to do that. i try meeting girls, usually through class groups or during campus events. and at first they seem to like talking to me, we laugh, we text, and i ask them out. we grab coffee or go for a walk, and i think “okay, this is going alright,” but then i get the vibe shift. you know that weird pause between texts, that tone change, and you just know they’re gonna bail soon. and every time it happens, i tell myself maybe i was too nice or too boring or too something. but how do you even fix that if you don’t know what the problem is?;

it’s hard not to internalize it. like yeah, people say “don’t take it personal,” but how can you not? it’s always me getting rejected. logically, i know it's just not a match or whatever but emotionally, it still hits. i’ve even had girls say “you’re sweet but i don’t feel that spark” and that spark word feels like a knife. what even is that spark? am i just incapable of generating it? is it something i’m missing? maybe i’m too slow, or too respectful, maybe girls my age want someone more bold or mysterious or whatever. i don’t even know how to act differently without being fake. and even when i try to be chill about it, pretend i don’t care, it still messes with me later when i’m alone at night overthinking every tiny thing i said or did. i try to stay busy, hit the gym, study, keep social but man it’s exhausting pretending this stuff doesn’t affect me.

so yeah, how do you even deal with this kind of rejection?? how do you stop feeling like you’re constantly not enough? is it supposed to get better or is this just how it goes for some of us? i’m not trying to sound dramatic or anything, just genuinely wondering if anyone else has been through this. not looking for pity either. just tired of feeling stuck in this weird space where you keep trying and hoping, and it keeps leading nowhere. and the worst part is, it makes you start doubting your own worth even when deep down you know you’re a decent guy. just wish i could stop caring so much, but i do. guess that’s the part that sucks the most.

i don’t know how to explain it properly, but every damn time i look at him, i feel like he’s gonna disappear. it’s like this weird heavy pressure on my chest, like something terrible is just waiting to happen. i hate it. we’ll be laughing about something stupid, some meme or a tiktok or something dumb like “is water wet?”, and then outta nowhere, my brain just goes, “hey, what if this is the last time?” and then boom—panic, dread, all of it. it’s exhausting. i’m not even sure why i’m like this. maybe i’m broken or something. or maybe people just lie when they say love is supposed to feel safe and secure and all that fairytale bullshit. because i don’t feel safe. i feel like i’m standing in a storm, waiting for lightning to strike, and he’s the only thing keeping me grounded.

we’ve been together for a year and some months. nothing dramatic happened between us—no cheating, no weird secrets, no weird family drama, nothing that screams red flag. so why do i constantly feel like i’m about to lose him? like, genuinely lose him. not just he-breaks-up-with-me lose him, but more like car-crash, random-heart-attack, someone-else-steals-him kind of lose him. yeah, i know that sounds obsessive. i get it. i’m not proud of it. but it’s the truth, and i’m not about to sugarcoat my own thoughts just to seem normal or balanced or whatever people call it these days. i hear the lyrics in “like i’m gonna lose you” by meghan trainor and john legend and my whole soul goes “yup, that’s it.” because that’s how i act, that’s how i kiss him, how i say goodbye, even just for a few hours. i kiss him like he won’t come back. pathetic, right?

sometimes i think i’m preparing myself for the worst just so i won’t be as destroyed when it finally happens. but that’s dumb too. because no amount of mental prep is gonna make it easier if something bad actually goes down. and the worst part? he doesn’t even know i think like this. he probably assumes i’m just clingy or overly affectionate or weird about texting back fast. he doesn’t know that i stare at his face sometimes, just to memorize the little lines around his mouth, the way his eyes crinkle when he’s amused, or the scar above his left eyebrow from falling off a bike when he was ten. he doesn’t know that i count every goodbye like it’s possibly the last. he doesn’t know that when he’s late texting me back, i’m already visualizing horrible things. it’s not his fault though. it’s me. it’s my brain, my trauma maybe, or my lack of therapy. hell if i know. i’m not gonna sit here and analyze myself like some armchair psychologist on reddit;

but what really drives me crazy is how no one talks about this. no one warns you that being in love can feel like a death sentence. like you’ve signed up for guaranteed heartbreak, just not sure when it’s gonna arrive. everyone posts pictures of their boyfriends with captions like “my forever” and “so lucky to have you,” but no one says “i love you so much it terrifies me” or “every moment with you feels like a countdown.” maybe that’s just me being unstable or overthinking. but also maybe everyone else is just faking the peace. because if love is really supposed to be this calm, peaceful, secure feeling, then why do i feel like i’m constantly tiptoeing on a cliff’s edge? why do i feel like loving him is a ticking bomb and i’m the only one hearing it?

i wish i could chill. i wish i could be the laid-back girlfriend who trusts the universe and doesn’t spiral over every random silence or late reply. i wish i could hold him without that awful little whisper in my head saying “this could be it.” but no matter what, that thought just stays. maybe i’m wired wrong. maybe something in me is broken from people who left too soon or from being disappointed one too many times. i’m tired of acting like everything’s fine. like i’m not spiraling. because every time he smiles at me, every time he says he loves me, i smile back and say “i love you too,” and what i really mean is “please don’t leave. please don’t die. please don’t change your mind.” and that’s so messed up. i know it. but i also know i’m not the only one. i can’t be.

look so there was this guy i was dating like since october ish and we were on and off a lot for like awhile okay maybe 2 months ago is when we like stopped being on and off so much. during the time i wasnt talking to him i met this other guy. now before i continue lets call my ex 1 and this new guy 2. so i started to really like 2 like a lot and i guess he started to like me as well. we didnt really define what we were but we would always say we were just friends right. so one night i was on a trip and i had an argument with 2 and i was just really sad and oh my god did i miss 1 so much. like i literally unblocked him and decided to text him . this was probably such a bad decision ever. after i texted 1 it was probably already really late at night so he didnt respond until the next morning. after he responded i started to talk with him a lot like A LOT to the point where we added eachother back on everything. now this was really bad bc i still was really in love with 1 but i kinda still had a crush on 2. a few days go by wtv wtv. and i was back from my trip so the night i got back i believe i decided to call 2. now it was like maybe 10pm around that time and sometimes when we call we just decide to screenshare and watch tiktoks wtv wtv. so anyway we were watching tiktok together until he told me to go to my ig dms. and i was like "what why?" and 2 continued to say "well i saw u followed u ex back, can u show me ur dms w him" now i obviously said no bc in the dms i was literally saying how i stilled loved him. so this proceeded for awhile of him asking to see the dms and i just continued to say no. then 2 threatened to block me or whatever and i was like what? now mind u i still had a crush on 2, it was really bad like i ended up blocking 1 and then wtv wtv happened. i fucked up so bad bro like idk WHY i listened to 2. but anyway maybe a few weeks go by later and i started to talk to my old friend and we didnt talk for awhile, lets call her 3 okay. so i started to talk with her blah blah and my ex came up into the topic along with her ex bc my ex and her ex are like best friends basically. anyway we started talking about them right until she had the smart idea to fucking re add him or whatever. so after that happens a WHOLE fucking gc is made bro. so my ex her ex and their other friend were in the gc. now 3's ex and the other guy start full on bashing me bro like being hella mean. now at this time me and 2 were arguing (again btw) so i didnt really gaf. i ended up leaving the gc bc i was just so upset over everything until MY EX added me bro. oh my god. so i added him back and we started talking. so at this point 2 was gone he blocked me bc i "did something wrong" apparently. and i was like yes now i have my ex back everything will be good. um no so after me and my ex start talking again 2 FUCKING ADDS ME AGAIN. oh my GODDD. it gets so bad bc now AGAIN i started to talk to both of them at the same time (NOT LIKE ACTUALLY TALKING OR WTV) and my feelings started going back to 2. so 2 knew i was talking to 1 but 1 didnt know i was talking to 2. so this was like really really bad. one day i was at school and 1 texts me and is like "yo why are u talking to 2 again i thought u were over with him" after i responded to this me and 1 had the biggest argument ever and he said "its either him or me im not doing this" and i said i was gna block 2 (which i never did and i WISH i did) so since i didnt block him in time 1 ends up unadding me again and i havent talked to him since. rn im kinda still talking w 2 but i FUCKING HATE HIM. like oh MY GODDD. hes so annoying hes literally so sensitive over EVERY little thing. like today he got upset bc i didnt snap him back right away. HELLO. bro i wish i was like born in the dawn of time bro where phone nd shit didnt exist so i wouldnt have to to this stupid streak nonsense. like when people say social media killed romance like it may sound corny but its so fucking true. irrelevant but, i really just want to get rid of 2 and start talking w 1 again. but i think 1 genuinely hates me. look idk what to do but i honestly might just block 2 and not end up talking to 1 bc i think i just need a break from like everything. like boy drama isnt worth it. but please i hope someone reads this so SOMEONE can answer my poll.

I never thought I would find myself in this position at 23 years old, sitting in my small apartment, staring blankly at the wall after you walked away without looking back. I mean, we had been together for two and a half years—long enough to have shared countless memories, late-night talks, and dreams about our future. Yet, for some reason, it all unraveled overnight, and it feels surreal that the person I trusted the most decided to end it so abruptly. You said you wanted more space, that you were feeling suffocated instead of supported in our relationship. It felt like a punch to the gut, hearing, “I just think we’ve grown apart,” after we had always talked about how we were each other’s missing puzzle pieces.

Honestly, I can't help but wonder where everything went wrong, or if I failed to see the warning signs along the way. I mean, could it have been my obsession with work, the countless late nights spent at the office, the endless striving to climb the corporate ladder? I understand the strain that can put on a relationship, but I thought we had built a solid foundation—one where we could openly communicate about our needs. Was I too wrapped up in my own ambitions to notice your discomfort? And it nags at me because I know how hard it is to balance personal goals with a partnership. Yet, here we are, and I'm left questioning everything. Did any of it mean anything to you? Did you not feel the emotional connection we always talked about? I can't shake this feeling of doubt that hangs around me like a heavy fog. To be frank, breaking up stings worse than any rejection I've faced in the past. The silence is deafening, and I can still hear your last words echoing in my mind, “Maybe in another life.” Well, I’m now left pondering if that “other life” even exists.

it's kinda hard to deal with the realization that you’re gay after trying to convince yourself for years that you’re straight. like, I wanted to fit in, y'know? society puts so much pressure on us to be this ideal version. I've dated girls, gone through the motions, but deep down it didn’t feel right. hiding was easier. I thought that maybe I just hadn’t met the right girl or I was just going through a phase; but here I am at 19, alone with my thoughts, and it hits like a ton of bricks. my friends don’t get it, and sometimes I don’t either. they talk about girls like it’s the best thing ever while I’m just sitting there, nodding along, feeling so disconnected from what they’re saying. I thought about it a lot, questioning if I’d ever come out. what if no one understands? you know what I mean? 😕

there's a part of me that wonders if everyone else is just pretending or if I'm the odd one out. I can't shake off this feeling like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not; like a whole life crafted around a lie. every time I scroll through social media, I think about how many people are living authentically. and here I am, struggling to embrace my truth. sometimes it feels like I'm caught in a cycle of denial, questioning my feelings—was I wired differently? was it all just confusion? I start overthinking, feeling negative and doubt creeping in like a shadow. it’s perplexing, yet oddly comforting to finally have a label yet still feel so unsure about every aspect of it. I wonder, does anyone else understand this? do you feel this stuckness too; do you know what that's like?

I feel like love has knocked on my door. It seems like some stories are approved and published, while others aren't. I feel like I'm standing in front of the love of my life, the person I've loved the most for a very long time. I can't wait to be without her for one more minute. I can't stop thinking about her, and it's not in an unpleasant way, a back-and-forth, but quite the opposite. This time, I like the feeling I'm experiencing, and it's sensational. I also feel like it's two-way, not just a one-way thing. I feel like this time we're both on the same wavelength, not one going in one direction and then the other pulling, and so on. It's the best thing that could have happened to me in my life. I don't really like it when some stories are published and nothing is said about them, unlike others; it's like leaving aside things that are separate from one another, and it's not pleasant.

I want to be with that girl I met in that library. It's not a lie; I feel like we both love each other deeply. To hell with it, whether others believe me or not, to hell with the structures I have to break, I only want to be with that girl forever. I'm tired of so many failed attempts with girls, always ending at a distance. But how long will that end? For so long, I've been waiting for the doors of love to open before me. I can't waste it under any circumstances; this only happened to me once as a child, and now it's happening again; it's the same feeling.

I don't know where she is, not even her name, I just know that I love her deeply. I wish she could penetrate my WhatsApp—I feel like all my stories are equivalent to the same thing; I feel like every one you post, every one you comment on, every one you should let me know. I feel like love has finally come to me. How many years have I been searching for that feeling I felt as a child again? That's why I embarked on this personal journey again, because I felt it was there, just dormant. I can swear, I've found it again.

I can't let this girl leave my life under any circumstances. I couldn't handle that reality. Ever since I realized that girl loved me, but because she neglected her feelings, I couldn't be with her. It hurt so much. I'm exhausted from so many romantic disappointments. This has to be my chance. I pray that it is. I can't take another one. If it is, I feel like I'll go down the drain.

When I was a kid, I made so many mistakes with the girl with whom I felt that special something. I despaired. I broke up with her because of that, via Messenger message, precisely because of that, because I couldn't stand it anymore. I feel like it's been haunting me for the rest of my life. I was a kid too. From that moment on, I haven't had another girlfriend. I can't believe that right now I'm experiencing that same feeling of connection again, that same feeling of wanting to be together. From so much writing, from so much digging myself out, I managed to reach that possibility again, that I might experience something rich with someone, something pleasurable, something full of joy, not confusing, but rather euphoric.

How is it possible that in such vague encounters this girl and I have felt the same thing? It's simultaneous. Maybe I was wrong when I said that love existed—I feel like a woman's daughter isn't talking to me because I didn't look further; she's sort of directing that beyond; it's obvious she likes to be mischievous in terms of rebelling against her mother, but I wasn't going to do that. I feel like I do feel it here, I do experience it. When I left seeing this girl, I only felt joy and more joy, and I don't know why; I think I've only seen her twice, and it was by accident. I don't even know what she studies, or anything about her life, I just knew that I loved her. It can't be, this seems to be, what they call love at first sight.

Damn! I feel very excited—on another website, these kinds of stories were deleted, and I didn't understand why. I never thought I'd experience this love at first sight thing. I mean, with that girl, I was just being sketchy, the way she likes it, and that was it. Always remembering such an act of respect, which I know hurts when someone doesn't remember you. I feel like we somehow connected; I remember that wherever I was, she passed by me, and I looked at her many times, and then I realized how much it bothered her, and I bowed my head, just like she did, and we connected. I felt like we understood each other in a very, very deep way, and it's fascinating to find someone like that in this world.

I remember her carrying books, nervous, always trying to do her best. I couldn't get enough of her. I was in those shoes too. A few weeks later, going to the place—where he works, apparently sometimes—I identified the annoyance he felt about coming on a weekend, and I knew it immediately. I understood that annoyance, and also how hidden it was, and how naturally he expressed it. It felt like I'd found my soulmate a long time ago. I never thought anything would happen to me. It was a truly beautiful experience A week before, I remember, I was trying to get away from her. I always saw her looking for some scenario to start a relationship, and that was exactly what I did. Of course, that was something she didn't like when she saw it in someone else, just like me. I feel like we have these things in common, but there are several more. Where there's one, there's more. I definitely don't think about blaming a woman to get to her daughter; I know that was what she wanted with me, it was a counter to her daughter's pranks, which, apparently, isn't the first time she's tried to get rid of her.

After so much exploration, I saw that all those emotions were perhaps not what I thought they were. I admittedly let myself go. At first, I saw it as something grand, fantastic, phenomenal, but today I see it as something flat and relaxed. I thought I'd take her to the ends of the earth with all the luxuries, but I think I was a bit deluded. I hope that girl has settled down just like I have. Although, after falling into this lull, I confess, I don't know what to do. I thought there would be many more details, but I don't feel like I'm missing any.

So, after everything I've written, what did I feel? Indeed, we're talking about empathy, but that's not what I mean. What will I go beyond? Was this just a momentary joy? Will I never go out with her, and will it go any further? Will I then return to my boring old life? I don't see my life as a good thing right now, under any circumstances. I've already left there; I don't want to go back. I say it, truly, I want to be with this girl, I want to go out with her, and I don't think she'll take no for an answer. I know it's not right to be together, but how many times have I said that and realized there's no such love? How many heartbreaks have I had? I feel like this woman's daughter isn't talking to me because I didn't go further with her; Out of respect, and I feel like him distancing himself from me seems like a very toxic form of pressure. "When will I be with the new girl? When will I be with her?" "I feel like the thing with the girl didn't work out because I didn't want her, I didn't love her in any way; in fact, since I stopped trying with that girl, I feel like I'm no longer on the path to repeating my parents' story." "I feel like with this new girl, I'm heading towards a new story, a story where I'm finally with myself, where that's reflected."

I have to say it: I feel like I love this new girl, and that's it. However, I'm worried about making a mess, about the repercussions on my environment." "Another girl felt those feelings, and by becoming a mess with them, she lost me permanently; to the point that I had to permanently leave where I was so as not to feel her persecution. Plus, an entire environment supports her with the mess she'd turned her life into; how much damage can a person do when their life is about to fall on them or explode every now and then."

i woke up one day last month and something just clicked, not like a loud bang but more like the slow unlocking of a door i didn’t know existed; the kind that creaks when it opens and makes you feel something’s been waiting behind it for years. i was sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal that went soggy way too fast and listening to her talk about some neighborhood meeting or whatever, and it hit me—i don’t love her. i respect her, i think she’s a good person, she’s loyal, she’s patient, she’s stable. but love? no. i don’t feel it. i don’t feel that fire anymore. haven’t in years. i think i kept going cause it felt easier to stay than to reset. like when your software keeps crashing but you don’t reinstall it because you’re afraid you’ll lose your files. that’s me. stuck on version 1.0 when i should’ve been on something newer, something that fits the current hardware of who i am. and i tried, i really did. i read books like "the five love languages" and watched those couples’ therapy podcasts and tried mimicking what they do. but nothing stuck. everything was like applying duct tape to a cracked foundation. no offense to her, really, i mean it. but how can you fake what doesn’t exist anymore? how long are you supposed to pretend that the system is fine when the core is corrupted?

maybe you’ll say i’m selfish or broken or that i should’ve figured this out earlier, maybe even before the wedding or at least before we decided to adopt a dog together. and you’re probably right. but this realization didn’t come from some dramatic event or external stimulus, it came quietly, like a notification you ignore too many times until it fills the whole screen. so i’ve started planning. not cheating, not ghosting her, just slowly building a framework for my reset. i’ve updated my resume, reached out to a few friends in other cities, thought about what it’d mean to just… start over. tabula rasa, as they say. no hard feelings, just honest reevaluation. i feel like life should be lived with intention, and if we’re just running on routines and habits, aren’t we just slowly dying instead of living? i want to live. i want to wake up one day and feel like my choices match my heart, not my obligations. is that wrong? maybe you’ve felt it too, that split between duty and desire, where one pulls you deeper into routine and the other tugs at something raw and real. i’m not blaming her, she deserves real love, not a placeholder husband going through motions. and i? i deserve to stop gaslighting myself into thinking numbness is normal. if you’ve ever felt that, like you’re a spectator in your own life, tell me, what did you do? how did you find the courage to hit reset without detonating everything around you?

It’s been six months since I lost him; my fiancé, my rock, my future. Some days, it feels like just yesterday that we were planning our wedding, picking out flowers, and arguing about seating arrangements—something so trivial now, right? Ever since that fateful evening when his car collided with that reckless driver, I’ve found myself this lost soul wandering through life, searching for fragments of happiness. I remember the way his laughter lit up the room, and how he always had this way of pulling me into his hugs that made everything else fade away. Now, those memories, like knives, cut deep and leave me aching. I try to fill my days with distraction, pouring time into work and waiting for the hours to pass, but no matter how busy I keep myself, there’s this hollow pit in my chest that seems impossible to fill. I mean, how do you even begin to find happiness again when the person you thought you’d share your life with is gone forever? I guess I’m just wandering in this grey space, regretting the future that will never be but also attempting to find these little glimmers of joy—like when I hear a song he loved or see a couple laughing together, and it kinda makes my heart squeeze just a bit, but then it's followed by this wave of nostalgia that I can’t shake off.

But here’s the thing—amidst all this confusion, I have this flicker of hope! I’ve started to think that maybe happiness isn’t a lost cause. I mean, who says I can’t find a way to smile again? I’ve been leaning into all those little things—like the scent of fresh coffee in the morning or how the sun hits the trees just right at dusk. I even signed up for a pottery class, which feels ridiculous at times because I totally suck at it, but it’s exhilarating to be doing something totally new and messy; it reminds me that life can be imperfect and still beautiful. I mean, am I asking too much? Just to feel that simple joy again? It’s a climb, and sometimes it feels like I’m on this never-ending uphill battle, but I’m learning to embrace the process. I read somewhere that healing isn’t linear, and I’m starting to accept that it’s okay to have days when I feel like crying or days when I feel like laughing uncontrollably. Every moment is a step, whether it’s forward or backward. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll ever truly feel ‘normal’ again, but here’s hoping that, one day, I’ll wake up and feel a little less burdened, a little lighter; maybe, just maybe, the sun will shine a bit brighter on my path ahead, and I’ll find that whimsical joy again!

i hope i am using this site correctly! for context, im a girl & in high school. so, about a week ago, my friend told me that a friend of her boyfriend likes me. even though i didn’t know him super well, i remembered him from a class we had a year prior and how i always had a little crush on him. the news came as a huge surprise to me because no one has ever liked me before. after 2 days of freaking out, my friend convinced me to add him on snap (i barely use it, and had to hype myself up for an hour to do so haha). then my friend told me that he wouldn’t be messaging me and didn’t want to pursue anything. she said he doesn’t feel ready for a relationship right now because of college & general major life events which i understand. even so, i was really upset. i still feel overdramatic haha. he still likes me though, and i like him. apparently he wouldn’t mind being friends but he also hasn’t done anything to contact me in days so i’m not sure. i know this is probably not a big deal but this is pretty huge to me. i want to at least get to know him, but im super nervous to talk to him. he’s also graduating soon and i don’t want to just ignore it and let him go if i have a chance. advice would be really appreciated, idk what im doing :,)

I moved schools a few months ago and I love it sm and I met this guy about a month ago and he's great I really do mean that and he's liked me I think ever since we met (his friends are always making jokes when I'm around and I've been told by many people) and that's very sweet and I could see myself w him but idk if I'm ready to date, I've dated before but idk I feel like I'm awkward and would fuck things up, I really do enjoy talking to him he's really nice but idk I don't wanna ruin things and then we stop talking

So, I get it—long-distance relationships usually end up a mess, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. Honestly, at the beginning it wasn't even that bad. We texted all the time, FaceTimed every night, and had this playlist we'd both add songs to, which was actually kinda nice. It felt like it was working, you know? But, obviously, things changed. A couple weeks ago, he hit me with the classic "this isn’t really what I’m looking for," which, to translate, meant he wanted someone closer who he could actually see in real life. Logically, yeah, it makes sense. But emotionally? It sucks. Like, why couldn't I see this coming? I'm constantly replaying the conversations, dissecting every tiny thing he said, as if it's going to change something. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.

The worst part is how stupid I feel. Like, I know exactly what's happening—I studied psychology in class; I'm familiar with terms like "confirmation bias" and "emotional dependency." But knowing the fancy terms doesn't stop my brain from obsessing. My friends don't help either. All their advice boils down to useless phrases like "there’s plenty of fish in the sea," or "just move on already." Thanks, genius, I hadn't thought of that! 🙄 Even when I distract myself—studying, hanging out with friends, whatever—he pops into my head again. It's genuinely annoying how the human brain works sometimes. Why do we get stuck obsessing over people who clearly don't feel the same? Is that, like, some kind of biological programming to make life extra complicated for no reason?

But what's even more irritating is that I'm fully aware of how dumb I'm being, yet I can't seem to shake it. Like, it's almost insulting how clearly I can see my own irrational behavior, yet I can't actually change it. One of my friends bluntly told me yesterday that it’s basically like going through withdrawal from an addiction—except the "addiction" was him. And yeah, I've read about it, it's literally chemical: dopamine, serotonin, all those things we talked about in biology. But knowing I'm just experiencing some stupid brain reaction doesn't actually fix anything. It doesn't erase how awful it feels. Seriously, is there some cheat code to getting over someone, or am I stuck waiting for my brain to finally stop being so ridiculously stubborn?

it’s been three months since she told me it was over, and I honestly thought I would be better by now. you know, like the typical advice you see everywhere? “time heals all wounds” and “you’ll find someone better”? I guess I've just come to terms with the fact that those phrases are easier said than lived. every day feels like I’m dragging a heavy anchor, and my mind constantly races back to the moments we shared. I can still picture her laughter, her smile, and the way she used to play with her hair while deep in thought. I often wonder if that’s just how life goes, one minute you're on top of the world and the next you’re stuck reminiscing about how things used to be. I’ve tried to distract myself with friends or hobbies, but it’s like there’s this invisible wall that keeps me from truly engaging; some people say that it’s all about perspective while others might argue it's more about acceptance, but I’m stuck somewhere in the middle, caught in a labyrinth of my own emotions.

as I navigate through this post-breakup haze, I’ve read a lot about the psychological phenomena related to breakups—terms like the ‘attachment theory’ and ‘emotional dependency’ come to mind. they make sense in a clinical way, but experiencing them firsthand is a different beast altogether. I mean, how does someone just move on as if nothing happened? it’s as though they possess an emotional GPS that guides them toward greener pastures while I'm still in this perpetual state of searching for a signal. some days, my phone buzzes with messages from friends suggesting new activities or meetups, but I find myself declining more often than not—it's like I'm afraid that any bit of joy I could feel would pale in comparison to the happiness we once had, which is a weird kind of self-sabotage. I often find myself analyzing my past interactions, wondering if it was something I said or did that spiraled us into this situation—was I too clingy, too distant, or did I just not pick up on the subtle signs of her impending discontent?

I’m here questioning the timeline of recovery for breakups, and how long does it actually take to get over someone? I wish I had a definitive answer rather than these endless Google searches leading nowhere. some say it takes the same time as the relationship lasted, while others suggest that it’s all individual; but I have to admit, still feeling heartache after three months feels like I’m lagging behind in a race where everyone else has already crossed the finish line. there are moments I catch myself daydreaming about what could have been, or I find myself scrolling through old pictures of us smiling, but instead of fueling healing, they only deepen my sorrow. maybe I’m just a romantic at heart or maybe I’ve built an idealized version of what we had, but the reality is, I'm struggling. I’ve learned that time does play a critical role in healing, yet it’s also about self-acceptance and allowing yourself to feel all the emotions that come with loss. sometimes I find solace in journaling my thoughts, like I'm laying the baggage down little by little. any tips on how to let go would be appreciated; even a friendly reminder to keep pushing forward would go a long way. 🥺

Me and my now ex boyfriend are in a weird situationship thing. He’s treated me better than how we were in our relationship. But he’s been talking to me about doing OF and I’ve been feeling so jealous. Before you say anything, I’m fully aware that I can’t control him and he’s his own person. But it’s hard when you have such strong feelings for someone and they do certain things that just strike you the wrong way. It hurts but I don’t necessarily have any right to say anything to him about and I can’t make him not do it. It really sucks.