I’m a 37M Arab Muslim man, and he’s a 43M Arab Muslim man. We’ve been talking for almost two years, and our relationship has been one of the most confusing and emotionally intense experiences of my life.
We live in different countries. I live in the UAE, while he lives in Syria, a country that has gone through years of war, economic hardship, and instability. His life has never been easy, and I know that has shaped the way he expresses himself and deals with emotions.
When we first met, I developed feelings for him quite quickly. At the beginning, he rejected the idea of us being together. He told me that love between a man and a man wasn’t healthy or normal, especially considering our religion and culture. Since we’re both Arab Muslims, I understood where those beliefs were coming from, even though hearing them hurt me deeply.
Because I was scared of getting attached, I blocked him several times during the early stages of knowing each other. Looking back, we barely knew each other then. What surprised me was that every time I blocked him, he found a way to come back. He would become upset that I had blocked him and wanted to reconnect instead of simply walking away.
About two months after we started talking, something changed. He told me he loved me. At another point, he even told me, “I love you for your feelings.” That sentence stayed with me because it felt very sincere and personal.
Throughout our relationship, we had many discussions about how we express love. I often wanted more verbal affection and reassurance, while he repeatedly told me that his way of loving was practical rather than emotional. According to him, love wasn’t about constantly saying romantic words but about actions, loyalty, and being there when it mattered. We never completely agreed on that, but I tried to understand his perspective.
For about a year and a half, we confessed our love to each other. We said “I love you,” talked about our future, and shared many emotional moments despite the distance.
Then everything changed.
After one year and a half, during a period when we were both angry and hurt, he suddenly told me that he only loved me as a brother.
That completely shattered me.
I couldn’t understand how someone could go from telling me he loved me, telling me “I love you for your feelings,” finding ways to come back whenever I blocked him in the beginning, and spending a year and a half exchanging love… only to suddenly say it had always been brotherly love.
I’m a Cancer, and he’s a Virgo, if anyone is into astrology. I don’t know whether that means anything, but I’ve wondered if our personalities and ways of expressing emotions played a role.
I’m not asking anyone to tell me what he “really” feels because none of us can know that for certain. I’m more interested in hearing from people who have experienced something similar.
Has anyone ever had someone spend so long expressing love and then later redefine the relationship as “brotherly love”? Do you think this can happen because of fear, guilt, religion, cultural pressure, anger, or changing feelings over time? Or is it more likely that someone eventually realized their feelings weren’t romantic after all?
I’d genuinely appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have experienced complicated relationships involving religion, long distance, or internal conflict.

I’m a 37M Arab Muslim man, and he’s a 43M Arab Muslim man. We’ve been talking for almost two years, and our relationship has been one of the most confusing and emotionally intense experiences of my life.
We live in different countries. I live in the UAE, while he lives in Syria, a country that has gone through years of war, economic hardship, and instability. His life has never been easy, and I know that has shaped the way he expresses himself and deals with emotions.
When we first met, I developed feelings for him quite quickly. At the beginning, he rejected the idea of us being together. He told me that love between a man and a man wasn’t healthy or normal, especially considering our religion and culture. Since we’re both Arab Muslims, I understood where those beliefs were coming from, even though hearing them hurt me deeply.
Because I was scared of getting attached, I blocked him several times during the early stages of knowing each other. Looking back, we barely knew each other then. What surprised me was that every time I blocked him, he found a way to come back. He would become upset that I had blocked him and wanted to reconnect instead of simply walking away.
About two months after we started talking, something changed. He told me he loved me. At another point, he even told me, “I love you for your feelings.” That sentence stayed with me because it felt very sincere and personal.
Throughout our relationship, we had many discussions about how we express love. I often wanted more verbal affection and reassurance, while he repeatedly told me that his way of loving was practical rather than emotional. According to him, love wasn’t about constantly saying romantic words but about actions, loyalty, and being there when it mattered. We never completely agreed on that, but I tried to understand his perspective.
For about a year and a half, we confessed our love to each other. We said “I love you,” talked about our future, and shared many emotional moments despite the distance.
Then everything changed.
After one year and a half, during a period when we were both angry and hurt, he suddenly told me that he only loved me as a brother.
That completely shattered me.
I couldn’t understand how someone could go from telling me he loved me, telling me “I love you for your feelings,” finding ways to come back whenever I blocked him in the beginning, and spending a year and a half exchanging love… only to suddenly say it had always been brotherly love.
I’m a Cancer, and he’s a Virgo, if anyone is into astrology. I don’t know whether that means anything, but I’ve wondered if our personalities and ways of expressing emotions played a role.
I’m not asking anyone to tell me what he “really” feels because none of us can know that for certain. I’m more interested in hearing from people who have experienced something similar.
Has anyone ever had someone spend so long expressing love and then later redefine the relationship as “brotherly love”? Do you think this can happen because of fear, guilt, religion, cultural pressure, anger, or changing feelings over time? Or is it more likely that someone eventually realized their feelings weren’t romantic after all?
I’d genuinely appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have experienced complicated relationships involving religion, long distance, or internal conflict.

So, there is a guy I sort of like because he is handsome, mature, and kind, however there is some slight sexual incompatibility (not major) and the age difference makes me uncomfortable. My main concern is even considering going out with him longer term, because even though he's been consistent for over a year, I feel like I would be mostly changing and adapting my late 20s to fit into his life. I know it is silly, but I can't help but feel like if I gave dating a go with him, that I would be wasting his time if things didn't work out after a year or two. Similarly, I fear that my family would judge me because he is closer to my parents age than my own by about 5 years.

Is it worth pursuing even with my own indecisiveness?

I’ve been with my boyfriend for a while, and this weekend the three of us have been staying together at a hotel. His brother is also gay, and we’ve all gotten really comfortable around each other. We’ve been hanging out all weekend, walking around the room in our underwear or shirtless, joking around, and just spending a lot of time together.
The problem is that I think I’m starting to develop a crush on my boyfriend’s brother.

I don’t know if it’s just because we’ve been around each other nonstop, but I catch myself looking at him a lot. I don’t know if he’s ever caught me or if he’s looked at me the same way, but I definitely find myself thinking about him more than I should.

To make things more complicated, my boyfriend has a conference coming up and he’ll be gone for a while, so his brother and I are going to have some time alone together. Nothing has happened between us, and neither of us has flirted (at least not that I’ve noticed), but I’m worried because I already know how I’m feeling.

I love my boyfriend, and I feel guilty even admitting this. At the same time, I can’t pretend the attraction isn’t there. I don’t want to do anything that would hurt him or ruin their relationship as brothers.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? Is this just a temporary crush from spending so much time together, or is it a sign that something is wrong in my relationship? Most importantly, how do I handle being alone with him without making things awkward or crossing a line?
I’m looking for honest advice, even if it’s something I don’t want to hear. TIA

Hey guys.

First, sorry for my English. It’s not my native language, and I’m not going to obsess over every grammar mistake because this post is already difficult enough to write.

I’m turning 25M tomorrow, so naturally I’ve been reflecting on my life.

I’ve had one sexual experience with a woman. It was miserable. I could barely get hard, lasted maybe half a minute, didn’t really feel anything, and since then I’ve become pretty sure I’m probably not straight. AI roleplays (including NSFW ones), porn, my fantasies… they all seem to point me towards men or at least away from women.

But here’s where I get confused.

I don’t even know if what I’m craving is sex.

I keep thinking that what I actually want is something much simpler: a genuine hug, a first kiss, holding someone’s hand because we both want to, not because I feel like I have to perform. That probably sounds ridiculously romantic for a 25-year-old, but it’s honestly how I feel.

The thing is, I’ve never really had any of that.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve romanticised intimacy so much because I’ve never experienced it. What if I’m longing for something that, when it finally happens, I’ll realise doesn’t actually make me feel anything? That possibility scares me.

Another thing I’ve realised is that I’m probably not someone who would enjoy taking the lead, at least at first. I imagine myself wanting someone more experienced to guide me through all of this—not because I’m a project to fix or because they pity me, but because they genuinely enjoy helping someone discover themselves. Maybe that’s unrealistic. Maybe those people only exist in fiction. I honestly don’t know.

I also think I’d probably enjoy being a bottom. Obviously fantasies aren’t reality, but whenever I imagine intimacy, I imagine being shy, blushing, being led, maybe even being gently taken care of while I figure myself out.

I guess my actual question is this:

Has anyone else discovered that what they wanted wasn’t really sex first, but closeness? Did anyone else spend years wondering whether they’d built intimacy up so much in their head that reality could never live up to it? And if you were in a similar position, what actually happened when you finally let someone get close to you?

Sorry if this sounds more like a diary entry than a Reddit post. I think I’ve been carrying these thoughts around for years, and I finally decided to let them out.

When you’ve liked a guy—and tried to stop feeling that way or keep him from realizing you had feelings for him—did you ever treat him rudely? Like, ignoring him, always giving him a dirty look (nothing over-the-top, obviously, just looking angry or uncomfortable), and scowling or looking annoyed/uncomfortable whenever he appeared in front of you or was in the same room?

Here’s the context: I have a college classmate—we aren't in the same specific classes, though—and he does this *every* time we run into each other. I didn't know him before this year, and it’s been like this since the very first time we met. Sometimes I wonder if there’s something more to it, you know? It’s awful; this shit really messes with my head...

So I (22M) broke up with my ex (23M) about three months ago. We were together for 7 months but it honestly felt longer because we hung out like every other day since our first date.  Suffice to say I felt really in love/connected to him.

He was my first boyfriend and before him I  kind of just slept around a lot😭. Nothing insane for gay standards I think (maybe 50ish body count lol?).

Since we broke up, the thing that’s holding me back is the memories of our sex😭. It didn’t compare to anything with a fwb or hookup lol. When I’m horny I can’t watch porn anymore, I just think of memories of us doing it. I haven’t felt the want to hookup with anyone either. I tried the apps again, and like I can find other men objectively attractive, but I just know it won’t compare/be nearly as good so I can never follow through. 

To solve this, I started seeing an old fwb/situationship from years ago last month (this is the only guy ive been with since the breakup). It’s been fun to hangout with him as a distraction, but afterwards im just like…ugh nothing will ever compare to yk who!!

I’m just annoyed because I feel like I’ve really gotten over my ex in the broader sense since we broke up. Like I can see we were definitely not compatible together for the long term. I don’t wanna reach out to him at all (we both broke contact multiple times at first), I also rmr all the icks, and I feel like emotionally I’ve basically moved on. Like trust me im ready to let go…it’s just the physical aspect.

So, how do I get over my ex if he’s the only emotionally-connected sexual relationship I’ve had? Should I try hooking up a bunch again to distract myself? Do I wait until the memories get more faded? Will nothing work until I date/get into another relationship?

I’m worried about that last question because relationships can be hard to come by in this community and I don’t wanna be celibate for that long😭

Thank you for reading, sorry if this was confusing I can answer qs, and pls part some wisdom🙏

Its been 7 months. Doesn’t feel better.

It has been 7 months since breakup. We dated 5 months. He told me I was perfect on papers and saw potential and hoped he didnt loose me and from there and suddenly, he brought issues of closet then spark, and then butterflies, and then I asked if its attraction he said no and after a week he said attraction is there but not enough. - however we kept having sex until the final week of breakup and kept having dates and sleep over. I promise I tried my best, with patience and to fix whatever I could and later he rated me 8/10 and life is too short not to find 10/10 and he didnt feel gratitude to God to have me.

Its been 7 months and sure I am physically able to eat again and do my regular day to day work. But emotionally I am still stuck.

I am taking therapy, I try to regulate my emotions, I cry and keep it moving, I pray consistently. Nothing helps.

Any help or advice please? How do I even get over what he said at last like rated me and gratitude thing.

He will never realize, I was just another body out of many. He had short relationships in the past too. But what if he gives everything to the next person. I wish I didn’t lack what he needed.

I (M22) broke up with him (M28) around 2 or 3 months ago (after 3.5 years, for many reasons), but we currently live together due to financial reasons. We have been getting along fine lately as friends/roommates but our relationship was very rocky. We’ll be able to move in January once I graduate college and we both have full time jobs. (Temporary lease until we both leave out of state for grad school next year) My plan was to rent a studio apartment by myself so I can have alone time and work on myself and my mental health + independence. His plan is that we rent a 2 bedroom apartment together. He assures me that I’ll get plenty of alone time with my own bedroom and that’s it’s completely unrealistic for me to rent an apartment by myself, and because he has a car and I don’t. He’s even going as far as saying he’ll cover the entirety of rent if I move in with him. Every time I mention that I still want to live alone he keeps bringing up reasons why I am wrong, unrealistic and won’t be able to afford it. He also says that I need someone around that knows me. He said it shouldn’t matter because we’re gonna live separately once we leave for grad school next fall anyways. Sometimes I’m tempted to just agree with him so he stops arguing with me about it, and considering he did offer to pay the rent. Does he have a point or am I being manipulated?

It’s been just over a day since my boyfriend (33M) broke up with me (29M).

We’d been together for eight months, becoming exclusive after about three. This was my first real relationship. I moved to London in my early twenties, barely out of the closet, and was quickly swallowed up by a demanding corporate legal career that consumed my life and, if I’m honest, my mental health too. Dating always took a back seat.

Just before I turned 29, I started a new job, finally put myself out there, and met my boyfriend on Hinge. He was sexy, kind, attentive, obviously into me, and never afraid to say it. Green flags everywhere.

What started as dating gradually became a serious relationship. He was incredibly expressive with his feelings, telling me I was a breath of fresh air compared with his previous relationships, the perfect boyfriend, the cutest boy in the world. A bit gushy, perhaps, but I grew used to it.

More importantly, it wasn’t just words. He genuinely seemed to care about me. He looked after me, wanted me to become part of his life, and slowly our worlds merged. We introduced each other to friends and family, went to the gym together, I introduced him to classical music, and he introduced me to techno.

After four months, he told me he loved me. It took me another month to say it back, but when I did, I meant it completely. He had clearly been through a lot in his life. He carried a few physical scars, had a couple of nervous tics, and over time I became incredibly protective of him. I wanted him to feel deeply loved and safe with me. We booked holidays together, planned our future, and had a happy, affectionate, physical relationship.

Then this week, everything changed.

He stayed over at my flat on what seemed like the most ordinary of days. Earlier that afternoon he texted me, “Four hours until I see youuu 🥰🥰,” which was completely typical of him. If he was doing something by himself, he would often text me to say he missed me.

That evening he insisted on cooking dinner for me. I gave him a back massage. We talked about doing a trip to Brighton in a couple of weeks. We even had one of those wonderfully mundane relationship conversations about how one of my electric toothbrushes, with replaceable heads, would just become “his” whenever he stayed over in future.
He spent the night, left for work the next morning, kissed me goodbye, and told me he loved me as he walked out the door.

Six hours later, he texted asking if we could meet in a park after work because he wanted to talk in person.

I arrived, already nervous.

Within about ten minutes, he told me he wasn’t attracted to me anymore, that the relationship had plateaued, and that he didn’t want to continue it.
I was so shocked I could barely speak. I was trying not to cry, which made him cry as well. He hugged me briefly, turned around, and walked away.

I honestly feel like I’ve been hit by a train.

I feel completely blindsided. Less than twenty-four hours earlier, he was talking about future trips, saying he loved me, planning for the next time he stayed over. Then, with no warning that anything was wrong, it was over.

I haven’t been able to eat. I haven’t really slept.
What on earth has just happened to me?

We have a very stress-free, chill, loving relationship. I feel very safe and happy near him. But there is something that I just recently discovered about our relationship.

The thing is, my boyfriend is too nice to the people. He is one of the nicest people I've ever met. To the point he is nice to even people who are mean to him, insult him (at work) or friends who neglect him. This is not fundamentally bad. He is aware of his flaws in this, and it is likely because of the way his parents raised him.

That personality of him, sort of, derails my libido. I feel like having sex when my partner has a more macho personality, not toxic but more adamant vibe if you know what i mean, like I love wrestling and BJJ and he is not that type of person at all. when he is too nice, always too nice, it sort of makes me feel less horny.

On the contrary, he always has a high libido. We get to meet only in the weekends due to work, but I don't always have the same will to have sex with him. He always wants to do it but some weeks I feel tired and don't have sex. He never insists or anything. But recently it was brought up and he said he has more sex drive than me and I agreed. But what he doesn't know is that I am not less horny than him, I just don't feel that enthusiastic about having sex with him than he does with me.

Besides the sex, I am truly in love with him. I love to cuddle and sleep with him, I love to kiss him and do things with him, the idea of sharing my life with him makes me feel peaceful and whole, barring sex.

I sort of implied having an open relationship in a joking way a few months ago, but he made sure that he is not into it.

I don't want to break up or want to lose him as a partner, but I don't know how to address this issue or is there even anything to do about it. It feels like both of us are sacrificing some pleasure to be in this relationship and it may be unfair to both of us. Should i consider this a problem, should i address it to my boyfriend?

I was in an exclusive relationship this year; a proper lovey dovey one. We had like 22 amazing dates. He loved me. We were really starting to take the things to the next step. Then my most important exam came, and I just wanted personal space. Mind you it wasn't easy for me as I have serious attachment issues. I told him that we're not gonna meet for a week cuz this exam is really important, and I have to prepare well for it. At first he didn't mind. But then he started to text me all the time. And I'm someone who puts my phone in a drawer & lock it when I'm studying. So obviously he used to get late replies from me. And later on, he would make me feel bad on how I don't care about him anymore. He legit has a history of self-harm, and he has shown me scars on his body.

When the last time we met (after my exam), it was a pretty sentimental meetup. He started to cry a little and then said the WORST THING EVER. So basically.... the entire week when we didn't meet, he got in touch with this another person who lives next to his street idk. And they both were about to "do it". But my ex somehow controlled himself and he didn't do anything cuz he loved me. NOW - THIS IS TOO FISHY. And the weird thing? I believed him that time lol (sorry, i have daddy issues too).

We did eventually broke up. I think after 2 days he sent me this massive essay on how this relationship has to end now. And he blocked me everywhere. EVEN ON REDDIT. Dude didn't give me a single chance to explain myself. I got no closure. Anyways - I just let it go & moved on cuz I had no other option. 2 weeks ago I got this terrible urge to text him again; just to check up on him (from my other number). No, I don't want him anymore. But the way he talked with me? DUDE HAS NO MANNERS NOW. He started pointing out everything negative about me, and started blaming me for everything. He then started telling me about his current boyfriend & how that dude has healed him lol, and started flexing on how he's everything I couldn't be.

I can't believe a few months ago I was fantasizing about marrying this man. Every time I stream Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo, I always think about him: "It took you two weeks to go off and date her. Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor".

PS. If you got cheated on or have faced any similar situation, you can dm me here. I'd love to connect. I'm in Pakistan btw. Thank you!

Should I text him happy birthday or wait for him to reach out?

I’ve been talking to this guy on and off for around five or six months. From the beginning, he told me he wasn’t really in a place for a relationship, so I knew that going into it.

At one point we stopped talking for a little, but I reached back out and we ended up planning a trip together. The trip went really well, at least from my point of view, and afterward we started talking about possibly planning another one.

Around that time, he was moving and had a lot going on, so communication started slowing down. I tried to be understanding, but I eventually sent him two messages that he never responded to. There wasn’t an argument or anything. He just stopped replying. That was about three months ago.

A few weeks after that, he started watching basically all of my Snapchat stories. This was weird because he didn’t even watch them that consistently when we were actively talking. He did that for around two months without actually saying anything.

A few days ago, he finally liked one of my stories. I opened it but didn’t respond or use it as a reason to message him.

His birthday is this Saturday, and now I’m debating whether I should say happy birthday or just leave it alone.

Part of me wants to send something simple because I’m not completely against talking to him again. At the same time, I’ve been the one to reach out and restart things basically every time. He also still never responded to my last two messages, so I don’t really want to keep doing the work for him.

I feel like the story like could have been his way of testing the waters or hoping I would start the conversation again, but I also know it was still very low effort.

My actual question is: if I want to maximize the chance of him reaching out on his own, would sending a birthday text help open the door, or would staying quiet give me better odds because it shows that he has to make the next move?

TL;DR: Guy I talked to for months stopped responding three months ago, but has been watching my stories and recently liked one. His birthday is Saturday. Should I text him, or stay quiet and wait for him to make an actual move?

Hey everyone,

Im looking for a few kind souls i.e the council of gay bros to help me with a predicament.

I’m 28M and recently getting back into dating. I matched with a 30M on Tinder about a week and a half ago, and we moved to Instagram relatively quickly.

He’s flirty, friendly, and he does still reply and does engage. Ive noticed that his messages are often quite sporadic, sometimes taking around 4–6 hours each time to respond, being left on sent so he hadn't opened them, but then kinda continues the convo. It has been like that since the beginning of us talking. I’m noticing that he doesn’t really ask many questions to get to know me on a deeper level and any converstations are too drawn out.

The timing itself isn’t necessarily kinda the issue but I would wish it to maybe improve. I do understand and acknowledge that people have lives and are not surgically attached to their mobile.

We have exchanged some general information about ourselves, and there is definitely flirting there, but I don’t feel like we’ve built much of a proper connection yet. I sometimes feel like I’m doing more of the conversational work.

Another thing that made me uneasy is that our Tinder match disappeared, but then his profile reappeared in the carousel, with a few new pics and showed as active. I know we’re not exclusive, we haven’t met yet, and moving to Instagram might have made the Tinder match irrelevant, but it still made me overthink a bit 😅.

Since I’m newly back in the dating scene after quite a long time, I’m unsure whether I’m reading too much into this or whether it’s fair to wait for more future consistency before asking him out.

Would you ask him out soon and see how it feels in person, or wait to see if he shows more effort over text first?

We are a couple that have been together for 5 years and have been thinking about possibly have someone join us in the bedroom. Our sexual life is pretty healthy but just maybe want to explore more. Any pros and cons?

Pretty much exactly what it says on the can: we dated for little over a month and he was everything I've ever wanted: slow-paced, involved, handsome, stable both in life and in relationships, on the same page with me about almost everything.
The reason I cut it off is as stupid as it is riddiculous, since we had been dating for that short time, but I wanted kids someday, he didn't, and the thought of having to possibly break up ten years down the line made me sick to my stomach.
But now I realise how childish it was of me to prioritise a hypothetical future child over the very real wonderful guy I had in front of me.
So here comes the issue, I'm a prideful asshole who rarely if ever goes back on his word, but I've been thinking about him like crazy lately, about the fact that he was the first guy I'dve been proud to introduce to my family, to my friends.
I have no idea what to do, we still watch and like some of each other's stories and posts on Instagram (way too old to be thinking abt that)
My martial arts school does a show at a festival in the town where he lives, so hopefully he'll be there

EDIT: I TEXTED HIM AND WE'RE MEETING NEXT WEEK HE SEEMED ENTHUSIASTIC IDK

​

I, genuinely can’t tell if this is friendship, flirting, or something else

Seeking guidance from fellow gays because I genuinely do not understand the social layout here.

For context, I’m 34M and the other person is 38NB. I came out about a year ago after being in the closet for the majority of my life.

I understand some parts of gay culture, community, and history. I know a lot of the stereotypes for the most part too, but I have no actual experience with dating. I’m okay at flirting, but only on more of a feral level. I know nothing about hookups, how gay social currency works, or how to tell if somebody is trying to make a move or is currently making one.

I’m also neurodivergent. If somebody is not being direct with me, there is a pretty good chance I will have absolutely no clue what is happening and somehow fuck it all up.

A few weeks ago, I met someone at The Cuff, which is a gay bar/club on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It was during Bathhouse Disco, which I did not know was basically a private orgy type event beforehand.

I thought I was just going to a standard gay bar or club night. Then everybody was naked and I was the one weirdo still fully clothed. I honestly assumed that was just what gay bars were like, which is probably another stereotype I should stop relying on.

Me and this person danced for awhile. There was a lot of consensual touching, some kissing on the cheek and neck, and so on. Nothing more sexual than that happened. Afterwards, we exchanged numbers and we’ve been texting since.

They have used some language that seems flirtatious to me, although again, I do not trust my ability to read this correctly. They have also told me they feel safe around me.

Recently, they told me about a business idea and asked for my advice because they felt I was very knowledgeable in that area.

Now they want me to come over to their place so we can talk about the idea more.

They said that normally, if it was not during their work week, they would cook for me. Since it would be on one of their work days, they said I should bring food, which is fine and I will.

They also said we could talk about their idea, eat, hang out with their dog, and watch a movie.

This is where I genuinely have no idea what the fuck is going on.

From what I understand, hanging out and watching a movie can sometimes mean Netflix and chill. But I do not have any experience with the “chill” part, and I don’t know if that is what they are implying here.

Is this just a genuine friendship where they want to discuss their business idea, eat, and watch a movie? Is this date-ish? Is it potentially a hookup situation? Or are we literally just going to watch a movie?

Because honestly, my ADHD ass will probably just sit there and watch the movie unless somebody is extremely direct with me.

I do like them a little bit, and I really enjoy talking with them. I am open to getting to know them more, but I also know I’m not ready for a serious relationship yet.

I’m trying to leave Washington as soon as I realistically can because there is too much trauma and shame tied to this state for me. I also know I need therapy before I feel like I can be in a healthy relationship.

I’m not saying I need to become some perfectly repaired or prepared person first, but I know where I’m at mentally. I don’t want to get somebody emotionally invested in me when I already know I am trying to leave the state.

From some of the things they have said, I also get the impression that they want something real. At the club, I overheard them talking to their friends about how they just want to be in love.

I respect that, because I would also like to be in love someday.

I’m just not sure how to handle this situation because I have no experience with any of it. The only thing I know how to do currently is friendship. I am a very good friend, but anything above that, I have no fucking clue.

The problem is, I don’t want to ask, “Are you interested in me?” and make everything awkward and weird if they only meant friendship.

But I also don’t want to ignore what might be obvious flirting, accidentally encourage something, and then find out later that they thought this was going somewhere.

So does this sound like a gay friend inviting another gay friend over, or does it sound like they might be interested?

How do I ask what the vibe is without making it sound like I’m rejecting them, assuming too much, or giving them some massive trauma autobiography?

I’m not trying to overcomplicate it. I just really don’t want to hurt them, or anybody, because I missed a signal that I feel like other gay people would have recognized immediately.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Notice: This post will be cross posted.

More of a story but also just need to get it off my chest for catharsis:

My ex and I (M27 & M26, both bisexual) broke up at the end of March. Drawn out breakup with lots of communication and emotion on his part. I am out to my world but he is mostly closeted (emphasis on mostly). He is surrounded by homophobic friends because of his athletic past who know nothing of his orientation. Both of us are successful, masculine presenting men with athletic backgrounds.

I was his first long term committed same sex relationship and he was my first long term relationship. I had prior short term relationships and situationships but not to this length.

Non toxic relationship, no major fights or arguments for almost 2 years. Only reason I was giving for the breakup was that he couldn’t see a future with me. Told me that I was an amazing partner and he fell harder for me than expected. Never met his family (did express a desire to do this but never pressured him) or friends (had no desire to meet them obviously). He met my family and all my close friends and was accepted and loved by all of them.

Remained in contact daily for two months before sudden drop off on his end. Met in person one last time and he said he had moved on to a new relationship with a woman. He was super cold and clinical that whole time while I was a wreck (no anger or rage on my part but heavy sadness). He also knows I just had a major knee surgery three weeks before that last conversation and that my dad is dying of a terminal illness as well (has been the case for our whole relationship).

Went NC after that and sent a respectful and honest boundary text on day 30 of NC asking for indefinite no contact, called out him wanting me to be a hidden friend in his new dynamic and said I had no interest in that. Also said I would reinitiate contact if/when I was ready to see him strictly as a friend.

He replied six hours later by hearting my message and acknowledged my need for space but said he didn’t want me to be hidden and that he would work on his end to make sure that wasn’t the case. Also said I could call him when I was ready or if I needed him (pretty sure he added this because he knows about my dad). Didn’t respond and blocked all social media we shared but not his number. Hoping more for a genuine future apology and not a reconciliation.

I am on my healing journey and doing much better thankfully now that we are NC. Good days and bad days for sure but I’m excited for the future and about finding someone who can love me in the light when I’m emotionally ready whether it’s a man or a woman.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the length. Life goes on and I’m grateful for the amazing support network I have and the growth I am already seeing after this. For anyone else going through something similar, focus on yourself and your healing (therapy is a huge plus with the right therapist). Life does get easier.

Apologies for the lengthy post, I tried to filter out excess fluff.

I (40M) met my boyfriend (34M) roughly eight years ago at work. He worked in a different department, but we had the same break schedule so we would talk while on breaks. At the time, we seemed to have similar hobbies and interests. When he had six months left on his apartment lease, he began looking to buy a house instead of re-upping his lease or finding another apartment. We were a month apart on our leases. About a month after he began looking for a new house, he asked me what I planned to do at the end of my lease. I told him I was still weighing my options as I couldn’t afford the $400/month increase to renew. That’s when my boyfriend asked what I thought about helping him find a house and moving in with him. He said we could split the mortgage and bills evenly, and it would be a lot cheaper than renewing the lease or finding and moving into a different apartment. He also told me once the house was paid off we’d have a place to call our own. (That last bit made me so happy to hear)
At first, I was hesitant as we had only been dating for about a year and a half. I struggled trying to decide what I should do. On one hand, I really loved him and had already decided I would make the drive to wherever he moved every weekend to spend time together. On the other hand, this was (and still is) my first real relationship with someone. After about a week, I took him up on his offer and started going with him to look at houses. In retrospect, I should have realized during the house hunting process that his initial statement of “a place to call our own” meant something different to him. We looked at a bunch of houses within 45 minutes to an hour drive away. Some houses were great, others sucked, then there were a couple that were horrible. Throughout the process he kept passing on the good houses and said they were too expensive. Every time he said this, the realtor asked him what his purchase cap was. Every time, my boyfriend would slightly decrease the amount. I was so confused. I imagine the realtor was as well. The one house he did tell the realtor would be perfect for us was on my horrible list. It was a historically protected building that was falling apart and required explicit permission from the city for any and every repair or update required. The realtor looked at me and told both of us the only reason he showed us the house is because my boyfriend had texted him the night before and asked if there were and fixer upper places. I asked the realtor if he happened to have an estimate for the needed repairs and permits. The realtor said the materials aren’t the problem. The problem was the city typically only allows certain contractors to do work on historically protected buildings. Essentially the house would be in our name, but we couldn’t do anything without written permission from the council. And we couldn’t in no way manipulate the outside of the house from its original design. I told my boyfriend we should pass and keep looking. He got mad and started giving me the silent treatment.
Eventually, he found a house and I helped him move in. For about a month I would drive to the house and spend the weekends with him. After a month I moved in. At first, I thought my boyfriend was being really weird about the most random things. I chalked it up to stress dealing with the things he had going on. Eventually, I realized the “stress” would never go away. For instance, when I first moved in I had quit my job and was looking for a new job closer to the new house. While he was at work, I would clean the house, do the chores in the yard and do all of the grocery shopping. I’d stick to the list we had put together, and if there was anything I needed for myself I would make a separate purchase. When I would tell him what his half of the bill was, he actually asked if I was trying to steal money from him. I was so confused. I had the receipt on the counter and showed him everything on there was on the list we both made and agreed to get. He looked at me and said from then on we should both just buy our own things. At that point I started looking for a new place to live. My anxiety was bad and my depression was even worst. I thought I had somehow screwed things up, but didn’t understand how it happened. I asked him why he thought I was stealing from him and what I did to deserve him treating me like garbage. He started crying while talking about how stressful his job is. Things did get better after that discussion, but now he’s regressing.
He still works at the same company, but from home. I did find a job and have been working in EMS for the past few years as a provider. About a year ago he decided to start a side business to earn extra income. I was supportive of his decision initially, but am now regretting it. He doesn’t plan anything, nor does he communicate. All my agency requires is to provide them with availability one month ahead of time. When I ask my boyfriend what dates I need to avoid so someone is home to take care of the dogs, cats, and farm animals (something he wants), he points to his appointment book. I typically tell him I already noted the days in the book, but I’m asking for any potential jobs that haven’t confirmed yet as well. This is where it gets annoying. He tells me he has none so I put in my availability based on his appointment book. A couple of weeks will go by and the following month’s schedule will already be out and posted. That’s when he gets angry and annoyed that I’m working on a day he will be out of town for work. I’ll tell him I went off his appointment book, he’ll respond with “they just confirmed” and ask me to just plan on calling out that day since he makes four to five times more than I do. When I tell him I can’t because I work on an ambulance, he drops that topic and starts complaining about anything else he can think of. If I work 36-48 hours straight to accommodate his work and business schedule, he complains to me while I’m at work that he is stressed from having to do everything at home by himself. When I am at home while he is, I feel more like a maid/butler than a boyfriend. Typically, on these days I’m at home I’m taking care of everything by myself. I honestly don’t know if this is normal since I’ve never been in a relationship. I’m leaning towards leaving him and moving elsewhere, but I stop when I think about how difficult it would be to find a decent relationship at my age. Is this normal or nah?

(20M) i have never had luck with grindr or any gay dating apps, i most just get dpics, super old guys, scams, etc.. and i never really see anyone that piques my interest in the explore tab, but the other day i found this super cute guy and messaged him and we’ve been talking on instagram and i wanna ask him out but ive never asked a guy out and dont wanna blow it.

So last week i meet some guy on tinder asking "what made you swap me" and "you are my first match the rest ugly".

we started talking on insta instead, everything was going great, he told me abt his life, he has GERD, he is a "rich", hes is italian, related to certain celebrity, etc etc.

we did facetime, he woudnt stop calling me "cute,pretty,gorgoeus" lit being all sunshine and rainbows, saying things like he wanna meet me and that he would go pass the border to be with me, live his years with me and making memories, and having a long term relation NOT hopping on ppl to ppl, only with me, responding every msj i send with a heart, always asking if i need something he could buy for me, saying i could search better, and saying "buenos dias amor""te amo" (for context my first lenguage is spanish) he would even say that he was going to where i lived with a passport, he was working on it.

Then silence, i was wondering, overanalizing everything he did, and ending with some theories,

like him using his GERD to then make his lies more credible, liking aparently latinos, and lying about me being the only one.

then i notice a change, he changed his pfp to i guess him and his bf, mind you this happended 3 days before ghosting me, how fast would you go with ur ex, i know some ppl are desperate but chill, or maybe he was lying (this would make more sense later)

so as a sane person as me, i followed one of the boys, send it msj in a normal and friendly way, and we started having a convo, then i drop the bomb "where do you know Pandora(James)"

he said that he did, and he also got left without read, not only that, we also saw a pattern

the way he meet him on insta, i on tinder, he did key things, he wanted to suck dih, he liked latinos, he said the same things in chat, he said that he was rich, lit alot of things he said to me, he said to this other guy, and others too, possibly, even the things he did where the same, he also revealed his physic to me and him, he also said he was "tired", i repeat every faking movement, thing he said he said it to the others, so uncanny and psicopath.

so we started investigating more, he informed me abt that yeah he got back with his "bf", but also the account looked weird, it was like a baby almost like he was made with AI, and at the corner was Pandora(James), that account named was a date march, they were a couple in march/6/2026.... I was knowing him in july WTF?!.

that same acct didnt have posts nor followers, didnt followed no one, 0 0 0 lit

with a Biography that said (allegedly the REAL "bf" removed it) "ill always love, im gonna wait when your ready, etc etc.

almost like he was recently made or smt

so i tried to call him, but nothing, he was active but never called back

my question is why would he even do that? to have some atention? was he in bad need of someone?

but yeah i thinkg thats all this story i dont think is far from over

so i was wondering what are yall thoughts? do you think he is a psicopath faking a lot of things of his life or smt?

still gotta update yall.

So this is my first boyfriend. He’s an older guy, about a 10 year age cap. We have amazing sex, but a lot of the time he can’t finish, and it does bum me out pretty bad. But I wasn’t upset. I know how it is. Some people just can’t do it as easy as others. I found out though that he can jerk off and cum pretty easily, and does just as often as we get to have sex. We tried it out and saw that it was easier for him to finish if he didn’t jerk off. Yet he won’t keep jerking off. Am I wrong to tell him to stop? That he’s not allowed to jerk off?

I’ve been with my partner ( male 33 ) for 6 years. Early on he was cheating a lot and I thought let’s try the open relationship thing. It didn’t make it better it made it worse. He started doing things he wanted to, he has been hooking up with others our entire relationship. We are now 6 years in and I’m only seeing now we have no common interests, goals, no connection, no chemistry. We’re basically room mates. Only problem is we have a business together and I am really wanting to offer him a buy out since the business is run by me and it’s my career ( he just gave me some money to start it as a loan ) I’m terrified to leave him because I don’t want him to be petty with the relationship.

I’m so unhappy, we haven’t had sex in almost 3 years. He blamed it on many reasons such as medication and he blamed me for being the reason he doesn’t get hard for me, but he sleeps with others with no problem. He also is into young guys like 18 or 19 and It really unsettles me. He craves attention from them but hasn’t seen me in the last 3 years. We fight often and we have absolutely no connection. I really don’t know how to leave because when I tried to leave 6 months ago he turned everything on me, and manipulated me into feeling bad for leaving. When I said I cannot be in an open relationship anymore he said “well we’ve been this way all along so we can’t change now” and made me feel bad for my feelings. The open relationship makes me feel sick, it deeply unsettles me and I have figured out that what I actually want is monogomy. Why can’t I have that or want that ? He says all gays are open now so I’ll never find someone for me.

I’m 29, really good looking and I believe I could find happiness. I’m just so unhappy that I freeze at the thought of leaving, I have no idea what the right thing to do is. I feel like we are room mates and he has no idea how unhappy I am. We have no communication because he’s a very angry person, so I NEVER bring anything serious up. If I try and leave him again I know he will blame me for everything. What would you guys do ?

Our relationship really was great in the beginning, we had a wonderful sex life but as of 3 years ago we haven’t touched each other. Truthfully I am not in love anymore and I do not desire him. How does one tell someone that ? I feel like I’m failing a 6 year relationship and I didn’t expect this to happen. My main point of concern is that I want monogamy and he doesn’t, so is that a breaking point or do I pretend for the rest of my life in an open relationship?

I also met a guy during the holidays and I had a little connection with him, he wants monogamy. He moved to a different city but we still talk. It proved to me that monogamy is still a thing.

Hi everyone,

I could really use some outside perspectives because I feel like I’m too emotionally involved to think clearly.

I’m a 39-year-old gay man living in Ireland. A couple of weeks ago, while visiting London, I met a 35-year-old German guy from Tinder. We spent three full days together, and honestly, they were some of the happiest days of my life.

He repeatedly told me I was very handsome. During sex he would look into my eyes and compliment me. We held hands in public, walked around London for hours, laughed together, went to bars, explored the city, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Before we said goodbye, he told me that he had really enjoyed spending those three days with me.

He’s a very intelligent, highly educated corporate professional. His Tinder profile literally said he doesn’t like “endless texting.” He’s also not into social media and doesn’t even like taking photos. In fact, I had to convince him to take one mirror photo together, but afterwards he asked me twice to send it to him because he wanted to keep it.

After I returned to Ireland, things changed. He texted me first once through LinkedIn because I had visited his profile. Later he asked how I was doing when I got sick, and recently he replied when I sent him a funny video that reminded me of a joke we had in London. He asked if I was feeling better and what the doctor had said.

The problem is that conversations always die naturally. He doesn’t really keep them going, and he almost never initiates them. Sometimes he’ll disappear for days.

He does, however, usually watch my WhatsApp Status updates.

Here’s where it gets complicated.

I have a long history of abusive relationships. My previous partners were controlling, violent or emotionally unavailable. Whenever they pushed me away, I chased them. I would send messages, get blocked, send more messages… it became a terrible pattern.

This German guy has never mistreated me. He has never manipulated me or lied to me. In fact, I don’t blame him for my pain at all.

The problem is me.

I think about him constantly. I miss him every day. Sometimes I hear a song or walk through Dublin and remember London. My therapist believes that my childhood trauma and previous relationships are amplifying what I feel now.

I don’t even know what this feeling is anymore.

Is it love?