A week ago I (25m) asked a girl (24f) in my friend group out to a summer festival that is implied to be for couples. After a couple of days, she gave me a soft rejection. She said she wasn’t really into the festival right now. Our interactions have gone cold since. We used to talk daily or every other day, but it’s been almost silent for a week now, even in group chats. I’ve pretty much accepted it’s a no and that she’d rather we stay friends. What I’m struggling with is how to actually maintain that friendship without catching more feelings along the way. In similar situations before, I’ve always just cut contact entirely. But I don’t want to do that this time. It’s not healthy, and I cherish this friendship more than the ones before. We have games we’ve talked about playing together and I want to keep my word on that. I think time and distance will help. I have a two-week trip coming up where I probably won’t be talking to her much even if I wanted to. But here’s what I keep coming back to: I’ve shielded myself from the storm with a shed, but once the roof is gone, you can’t put it back. I don’t think I’ve ever learned how to stay friends with someone I have feelings for without making it worse for myself. For those who’ve been through something similar, how did you actually deal with it? How did you go back to treating them like just a friend? submitted by /u/squirtlenotfish
Originally posted by u/squirtlenotfish on r/AskMen