Betterwithout

Seems like a good plan. College is for "experimenting" for lack of a better word. Having a serious relationships is usually reserved for after college.

(SuperBowl edition!) Favor Every Voice Except Referee 🏈 BEERS 🍺

Some good viewpoints so far... My first instinct based on your words above is that he is keeping you waiting in the wings and likely dating other women in the meantime. Maybe things went South with other options so he is coming back to you. I would duck out altogether as I am not into games.

In reading between the lines, it sounds like you have a thing for this guy, but you already seem to have insight that business and pleasure doesn't mix. How is your dating life outside the office?

After Losing Every Rational Thought 🤔 GLOVE 🖐️

Your heart is delicate and hurt and it is completely normal to feel like this, especially since its fresh, but one day you will realize it was all for the best. Sorry for the cliche...but it's true. Will the mental energy you have invested on this situation bring him back? No Will comparing yourself to the other women help your self esteem? No If this thought pattern continues in your head for several months/years, is it productive? No If they do ride off in the sunset together, there is a very good chance he will cheat on her eventually too Once a cheater, always a cheater has been proven to many.... time and time again. Let your heart heal and keep your chin up

Sounds like you have reached a milestone and turning point in the relationship. All mature steps that a couple faces. How about having another conversation (choose a time when you are both calm, relaxed and not confrontational) and maybe mention some FUTURE (not within the next year) timelines that you would like to consider with him. Marriage in 2-3 years. Baby in 5-6 years and see how he reacts. It is a deal-breaker if one has 0 interest and one is 100% interested in marriage, having a family.

Sounds like a real jerk, sorry this happened. You can add it to your list of experiences of good and bad things that can happen in a relationship. Don't invest any more thought into him (not worth anymore mental resources of yours) and be grateful it was just a few months of your life. Move on with your chin up!

Big Obstacles Usually Never Diminish ⛰️ CRIME 🔎

Desperation can be sensed from miles away, so don't "go in for a kiss" until you are certain the feeling is mutual. You have yet to learn body language and know what the green lights look like, so be mindful of this. Don't worry about making a move before someone else does, just be confident in your moves. "fake it til you make it" works for some people. Good luck...and be sure to relax. It's not the Olympics!

Hitting and missing in the dating world is all part of the process. Much of it cannot be easily explained or understood. When things go in different directions, it's just the way things go sometimes. Sounds like you have a great friend, so don't let this girl become a thorn in your side. Keep your good friend and maybe Emma has a friend that you will get on with in the near future!

Sounds like a typical power struggle and rejection retaliation. It never feels good to be rejected for you ...or for him. I think it could just a minor slump in your appetites. Don't stress too much about it, hopefully the stars align for you next week.

Roger Only Says Erotic Sentiments 😍 SNAKE 🐍

95% is pretty high. You have to ask yourself if this is a real dealbreaker? My wife and I can be pretty stubborn at times and there are many 'agree to disagree' moments. We have been with each other long enough to sense the stress when these conversations start going down those paths. She also has the "never wrong, and never admits when she is wrong" where as I, like you admit when I am wrong right away. My wife grew up with a strict jerk of a Dad who never admitted when he was wrong or ever uttered the words "I'm sorry" Sadly it's been passed down to her. So, it is this a real dealbreaker? Maybe the other qualities she has makes up for it. Nobody is 100% perfect. Communication is key for every relationship, but some do hold their real feeling close to their chests.

Suspicious People Leave All Traces 🤔 FORCE 🚀

This sucks for you. With so many years together and history and being kind of a Step Dad it's hard to say goodbye. But this crossroads is delivered to you quite nicely. You never asked for the breakup, but it's there and sadly you need to move on. It's no fun being a "friend" when you want more than a friend. You already know this and you also know you the trapped feeling you will have. It really sucks to move on, but it's your best course of action. Life is too short. You will move on and she and her daughter will too.

Hard to say... In your conversations, are the 50% 50% or do you do most of the talking? Try to get a 50/50 ratio going. For shy people, it might be good to ask them about themselves. Then build on something from those words in a response. example: You: so how do you know Josh? Him: we played football in College You: oh that's cool, I played volleyball, so are you competitive type? and so on.

We all want trust in our relationships, especially when trust has been broken with previous relationships. But it takes time to build. Looking at the situation, maybe there is something fishy, or maybe not. It may seem trite, but always first give the trust, until you believe you can't otherwise.

That's honest. But this friendly relationship seems like it will be trouble for his new relationship and also a block for a promising relationship for you. If there is another brush by in the kitchen, maybe your friendship with your ex might need to come to a close.

The old adage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" My wife and I schedule "guys nights" and "girls nights" and it works out really nice. I think it is very healthy to have that as part of your relationship, as does date nights with each other with kids with babysitter.

Having a good dose of patience with those with ADHD is key. However, the difference of ADHD can be subtle for some and extreme for others. It affects us all differently and at different times. It seems I am lucky that I have mild to medium ADHD and it made my high school and college years quite challenging but I got through with perseverance and hyper focus. They didn't have meds back then, so I built my own toolbox on how to work with it. (still not on meds) Most of my issues are memory based so my most useful tool is keeping a calendar, both old school pocket size one and my phone to remind me of everything. Writing notes for everything too. My wife has to remind me that we watched a movie a few years back that I don't remember watching. I used to get angry about it, now I just let it go, but it does frustrate her sometimes when I don't recall conversations and such. ADHD comes with setbacks but also extreme gifts. I have a higher than average I.Q. and think I am gifted in certain creative areas like engineering things (you should see me bathroom toiletry drawer and my garage hacks! lol), making things more efficient etc. you said "He also said he feels “calm and peaceful” around me, is this a good thing when you have ADHD? I think that is really great news for you and maybe you are calm-natured to begin with and bodes well for your relationship.

Jokes Usually Make Boys Objective 😆 TURNS ⤵️

FWIW, aside from blending families with teenagers, it's a tough one and all 4 parents have to be on the same page (barely possible sometimes). Another element can be living in the marital home. I am very firmly against uprooting children to different cities and different schools, but a new house in the same area can do wonders (when the time is right) to establish a "new" family arrangement. After my divorce, I could sense awkwardness with my new girlfriends stepping into my marital home. I loved my old house, it was perfect. But selling it did wonders for me mentally and also my new wife and likely my children welcomed the change very much.

I didn't catch this excellent advice earlier... So great! If you are filling your brain with new experiences, especially intense ones, there is much less room in there for reflecting on bad memories. I am certain there are things you haven't done in your life before, and so seek those things out, book the day and do them. Dedicate that new experience to the "new" Kevin

A very tragic story indeed. I've been a victim of cheating to someone I intensely loved. I never thought in a million years she would do it, but she did and my life got completely turned upside down. I went through all stages of grief. Even though it was 13 years ago, the pain was the worst I had ever experienced. We share children together, so I am "stuck" seeing here and dealing with her for many more years. I never see her as someone I once loved, I can only see the lying cheater that she was. Your situation is much more intense than my story, but I know some of the pain you are going through. I would suggest all the typical advice you've likely heard already, -Journalling, highly recommend because it gets the ever circulating thoughts out of your head and onto paper(or computer file) I still journal from time to time as sort of a update -try different therapists until you find one that is great. If you go to females mostly, try males, or vice versa. If you go to an older therapist, try younger ones. -do the work. conduct your own CBT therapy at home as well as with the office therapist -don't let yourself accept any blame.(it's easier said then done, but essential to your healing) Remember that you made good choices, only she made the bad ones hugs