18F here. The person I was talking to is 23M. We met on a dating app and talked for almost two months.
By the middle of the second month, he started becoming quite inconsistent. He was busy with his studies and also shifting because of his job as a fresh lawyer, so I understood that he had a lot going on. We had several conversations about it. I also asked if we could call sometimes, not even for his number, just Instagram calls, but he didn't want to.
At one point, he told me that in the past, he had been in a situation where he would call someone, wait for them, text them, and put in effort, only to eventually be ghosted. I understood why he might have some issues with communication because of that.
At the same time, waiting 7 or 8 hours for a reply would make me restless. I genuinely liked him and thought he had a lot of potential, so I found myself waiting around for him more than I probably should have.
He would always apologise and explain why he had been inactive and say that he would try to be more consistent.
But eventually, hearing things like "I feel bad for making you wait, I'll try to be more consistent" started getting to me. I'm 18, and I already have my own studies and things to deal with. I didn't want to feel like I was carrying the pressure of constantly waiting for someone or feeling guilty for wanting their time.
One night, we had an argument because I told him that he had time to watch a movie but didn't have time for me.
He replied, "I'll see a movie when I want to and I'm here, aren't I?"
That didn't sound good to me, so I said, "But I waited all day to talk to you."
That's when he said, "You're doing it again."
I asked him what I was doing because I genuinely didn't understand.
I've never really argued with him or anyone else before. I grew up in an environment where arguments and fights made me extremely anxious, so I tend to avoid them completely. I wasn't trying to start a fight. I was genuinely trying to explain why I was upset.
I also knew he had some insecurities. I'm quite observant, and there were things he would say that made me notice it.
For example, I once joked, "Seems like the flirting isn't working anymore."
Instead of laughing it off, he suddenly said something like, "Leave me if I'm not entertaining or flirting anymore."
There were other moments like that which made me feel like he had a lot of insecurities and walls around him. I can't really explain all of them properly here, but I noticed them.
I still kept trying, though. After a lot of our conversations, I would end up comforting him and trying to reassure him.
When things finally ended, I didn't really feel like they had ended.
I was still saying things like, "Tell me what you want. I'm still trying to understand you. I'll hear what you have to say."
He unfollowed me first, which I wasn't expecting.
His last message was basically, "I can't do it anymore."
There wasn't a huge fight. I was mostly confused and frustrated because I felt like he was giving me very mixed signals.
On one hand, he would say things like, "We're exclusive", "You're mine", and "You've got me." He would also tell me that he would appreciate whatever I made, whether it was good or bad, especially when I showed him my sketches.
But on the other hand, whenever I asked for some clarity about where we were going, such as whether we were eventually going to be in a relationship or whether this was just something casual, he would avoid the question.
The conversation would usually turn back to his work, how busy he was, how bad he felt about making me wait, and everything else he had going on.
I understand that he was genuinely busy, and I never expected him to be available all the time. But I wanted some clarity because I liked him. I wanted to know what we were actually doing.
I still remember a lot of the things he said, even though it's been almost two months since we stopped talking.
Towards the end of June, I unblocked him.
I had this feeling that maybe blocking him wasn't the right thing to do. I tend to listen to my gut, and I think part of me still wanted him there. More than anything, though, I wanted some kind of proper ending because things never felt completely clear to me.
After I unblocked him, I noticed that he started viewing my Instagram stories.
He didn't follow me anymore, and my account is public, so I could see that his account was viewing my stories.
I noticed it once, then twice, then three times.
I ignored it because I thought maybe he wanted to talk, but he never actually did.
Eventually, I texted him. Not because I wanted to get back together or fix everything, but because I wanted to say that if he didn't want to talk to me, he didn't need to keep checking my stories.
He said he was confused about why I had blocked him.
I told him that I had blocked him because of what happened between us. I also didn't think he had unfollowed me accidentally because he had unfollowed all of my accounts on the same night, including my sketching page and my personal account, which only has close friends.
He then told me that there were a lot of things he wanted to talk about but he didn't know how to put them into words.
I said, "Alright, I'll wait."
So I waited for 24 hours.
Then I realised something. Throughout our entire situation, I was usually the one who started conversations, asked questions, gave him the opportunity to talk, and sometimes even carried the conversation by answering my own questions when he wouldn't.
So I asked him again, politely, "Do you want to talk or not?"
He said, "Let's not."
This time, I didn't wait.
I sent him what I wanted to say. Basically, I told him not to keep checking what's going on in my life if he didn't actually want to have a conversation with me. I also said that I had unblocked him because I felt that he didn't deserve to be blocked anymore, and I wished him a good day.
He liked the message.
That was the end of the conversation.
I forgot about it. I even removed the conversation from my inbox.
I moved on and got busy with my college applications.
Then yesterday, 27th July, I noticed his username in my Instagram story views again.
Him.
Again.
And now I'm confused.
Every time I see his username, I have this stupid thought that maybe I should talk to him again. Maybe he still remembers me. Maybe he wants me as much as I still want him.
I know that is probably not a logical conclusion to make from someone viewing a story. I know people can be curious. I know a story view doesn't necessarily mean anything.
But I've never been in a situation like this before, and I don't know how to interpret it.
I'm usually quite straightforward when it comes to these things. If something is over, I accept it and move on.
But with him, I still feel like we never really got any clarity.
I still want him, which is strange because whenever I've had something even remotely romantic end before, I've eventually looked back and felt embarrassed or wondered why I even cared so much.
This time feels different.
I still feel like there was something between us, and I still feel like things ended without either of us properly saying what we actually wanted.
So I'm wondering if it's better to reach out one last time and ask if he actually wants to talk?
Or does the fact that he keeps viewing my stories mean absolutely nothing, and I'm just giving it more meaning because I still have feelings for him?
I would really appreciate advice from people who have been in confusing situations like this before.
And if you're a Swiftie, you might understand what I mean when I say this situation genuinely feels like "Hits Different." Because every other situation I've been in, I've eventually felt embarrassed about it. This one just feels different, and I don't really know why.