Wednesday, October 2, 2013

If You See the Pattern, Can You Break It?

Something I wrote last post stuck out, and I wanted to address it.

“He desperately wants to be loved.  So much that I think he’s built it up to epic proportions in his head he or someone else can never live up to them.  It’s sad to see.” 

This was about my one guy friend; however, I think I do this too.  I say this because I notice I often create situations that keep me from the object of my affection.  Unrequited.  I am beginning to see a pattern in how I approach (or more honestly, avoid) relationships. For example…

Married Tattoo Guy, well he’s still very much always on my mind.   We text pretty frequently now, and I am unsure how to feel about the excitement I get when I see he’s sent a text.  I was reading somewhere that chatting like that can be a sign of infidelity since they are confiding their hopes and dreams to you and not their spouse, and I can see that to an extent, however we also just keep each other up to date on things in our lives, because that’s what friends do.  Of course, I feel for him differently than other friends, yes.  I can tell he does too, and it’s confusing.  Am I attracted because he’s married, thus unavailable so I can play out a fantasy in my head?  I often have unrequited emotions for the men I am attracted to, but this feels different since I feel he is also attracted to me.

I recently had a different married man friend who seemed to be attracted to me (something in the water?), so I have been thinking about what I’m putting out there.  I’m not attracted to Married Army Guy, but as friends we’ve covered a lot of ground about his strained feelings in his marriage.  Maybe because of the emotions involved he had transferred some to me?  I was a bit concerned about it, but felt it was something I could shut down if he ever tried something, but with Married Tattoo Guy I seriously doubt my resolve.  I’ve told myself I am not the type to get involved with a married man, but I acknowledge I have some strong feelings here. 

Recently, MTG told me he was applying for a new job, and I was genuinely so proud of him.  He replied that it meant a lot to him.  I was glad he felt able to share such things with me (as in I don’t think he had told anyone else yet) because I actually cared to ask, and genuinely want good things for him.  Hard to share those things with someone you are having a strained relationship with.  

One of the strangest things for me and MTG is I feel very comfortable around him.  I know with regular guys, when I know they’re in a relationship I tend to relax because if they’re off limits, it makes it easier for me to be myself without me or them worrying I’m hitting on them or vice-versa.   I prefer hanging out with guys, but I feel that whole topic of sex and sexuality has to be removed before real friendship can develop.   With MTG, however, I felt very connected with him immediately, and I am not the strange awkward person I usually am around a guy I like.  Maybe because he is in fact married.  I can’t explain it very well, but I am calm and relaxed around him.  I can easily meet his eye, or make casual contact in a way I am usually super aware of.  I can find myself sitting next to him and sharing a smoke easily, or giving him a hug before realizing I should not be so familiar with him.  I am not used to being so physically comfortable with someone I like, and that’s what makes me uncomfortable.  Does that even make sense?  I tried to ignore how much we clicked when we first met, but now…

Oh geez, this is beginning to sound like the diary of a mistress.  I know I do not want to be with someone if they are married, or really even separated.  I know this because of my one official relationship, the guy was separated- and actually with someone else entirely, making me the mistress and feeling like utter shit.  I feel that MTG is not in a space to be entering into anything new, especially considering he is in the process of ending a very serious long-term relationship.  And I wouldn’t want to be a rebound, or enter into a relationship right after that.  It feels like overlap.  It feels wrong.  I know these things, and yet I still have these strong feelings, and want to be with him. 

I am trying very hard to turn this into something else.  To turn these emotions into just a deep and lasting friendship.  To be there for him, and support him since he is dealing with such intense emotions, and not be a distraction.  I know he needs to end his marriage on his own terms, or their own terms.  I very much do not want to complicate anything, but here I am, feeling complicated.  Now that he’s in my life, I don’t want him to leave.  It just struck me because I was not expecting to have such strong emotions so immediately for someone. 

I think another part of it is the whole “If he is interested in you, he’ll let you know”, and I feel this is reciprocated, it just can’t be reciprocated.  I remember meeting his gaze at a fire this past weekend.  We just looked at each other, and knew.  It was unlike anything I’ve ever really experienced.  It was just there.  Connection.  Plain and simple.  I know we’re both thinking, “Ah, this timing is crap.”

It also blows my mind that we had never met before.  In all the years I’ve known Stunt Guy (going on 8?), we’ve never met.  They’ve been pretty much best friends for 20 years, and it was only recently that MTG and I met.  Just over a month ago?  It boggles my mind how people can come out of nowhere and just feel like a natural part of your life. 

Okay, I need to stop that.

So how it fits into my pattern is; It is a relationship that cannot happen.  He is married.  I can only pine from a distance.  It seems to fit my pattern quite well.  What makes it unusual for me is I feel he actually reciprocates, but cannot do anything about it.  Our hands are tied.  Way to break the mould, Friday.

Okay. So I think basically what I need to do is start dating.  Go find some single men and get over this feeling.  Transfer it, or something.  Keep busy and don’t continue to fall for MTG.  Of course, if it were that easy, I’d probably have been dating this entire time.  Damnit.  

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