Do I remain close friends or do I give her a bit of distance?

I've been friends with this girl for a couple of years now. I've always had a crush on her and she was always in and out of relationships so I never bothered making a move.

We had a date while she was in a relationship after that started seeing each other more often as friends. A couple months after the date I found out she was single and decided to make a move on her. We hung out, watched a few movies but nothing really happened between us. Eventually I was kinda forward about me wanting more for from her and she was receptive. We spent more time together and eventually share a kiss.

A week or so after that I find out she had a boyfriend, signs were a bit obvious I chose to ignore them. I confront her about it and it turns out to be true. She said if she told be about it earlier she knows I'd drift away(which I definitely would have) and she didn't feel like dating me at the moment because she wasn't ready to loose me if the relationship ended.

Yes I was heartbroken but eventually I moved on temporarily but still remained her friend, we'd definitely had become close friends before the whole "situationship" and I too wasn't ready to loose that.

Now we're still friends but I'm starting to catch serious feelings for her and it's harder to ignore or hide them, she ignores messages or statements when I express myself to her by switching the topic most times.

I'm at the point where I feel like bottled soda when talking to her and I try to respect the fact she's in a relationship. We do text regularly, almost daily. Each time I start drifting away I think she notices reaches out to me more.

Should I call it quits on the close friendship and just go back to being occasional friends? Or is there a better way of handling this?

Submitted May 13, 2022 at 11:35PM

I've been friends with this girl for a couple of years now. I've always had a crush on her and she was always in and out of relationships so I never bothered making a move.We had a date while she was in a relationship after that started seeing each other more often as friends. A couple months after the date I found out she was single and decided to make a move on her. We hung out, watched a few movies but nothing really happened between us. Eventually I was kinda forward about me wanting more for from her and she was receptive. We spent more time together and eventually share a kiss.A week or so after that I find out she had a boyfriend, signs were a bit obvious I chose to ignore them. I confront her about it and it turns out to be true. She said if she told be about it earlier she knows I'd drift away(which I definitely would have) and she didn't feel like dating me at the moment because she wasn't ready to loose me if the relationship ended.Yes I was heartbroken but eventually I moved on temporarily but still remained her friend, we'd definitely had become close friends before the whole "situationship" and I too wasn't ready to loose that.Now we're still friends but I'm starting to catch serious feelings for her and it's harder to ignore or hide them, she ignores messages or statements when I express myself to her by switching the topic most times.I'm at the point where I feel like bottled soda when talking to her and I try to respect the fact she's in a relationship. We do text regularly, almost daily. Each time I start drifting away I think she notices reaches out to me more.Should I call it quits on the close friendship and just go back to being occasional friends? Or is there a better way of handling this?