Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How do you let go of obsession with someone?

passionateEast518 June 11th, 2023
.

I have been told that this young man tried to make me obsessed with him by doing all of this. I am interested to see if this is what everyone thinks? I just hoped that he cared about me a little bit. When we would talk in person before he messaged me on social media, he was so fun and nice. It all changed once he messaged me and he barely talked to me in person anymore and still doesn’t. Has anyone had a similar experience? Does anyone have an opinion on why he is being the way he is? How can I forget about him if he has moved on? Thank you so much for your feedback!


THE STORY


I was coaxed into having an emotional affair with a man 10 years younger than me. He initiated everything, the flirting, the friend requests and messaging on social media. I was leery of it at first since I am married, but I did have a crush on him as well. I haven’t been attracted to my husband for years and I have had a hard time with that. I thought this guy contacting me was too good to be true. It has been an entire year since this all started.


Even before I started flirting back, he would all of a sudden drop out of our conversations. He would wait hours to look at my last message and then not reply to it. I would mention that it seemed like he was avoiding talking to me. He would just make excuses like he had a stressful day or something like that. Then a few days would pass and he would come back messaging me again. I would sometimes start the conversations but sometimes he would. Eventually we started talking a lot more when we went to another social media. We started sharing pictures a lot also and he started flirting even more than normal.


On the new social media, he eventually started dropping out of conversations again. So I asked him about it again. He made excuses again, but later said it was because he was feeling guilty since I am married. I told him how I felt about him and then he started ignoring my messages. He said that “I came in hot” and that “it’s not that deep for him”. Well I was embarrassed about this and quit trying to talk to him. Then only 3 days later, he saw me in person and messaged me the next morning about how good I looked. He was then talking to me almost every day again.


He started initiating that we “get naked” while talking a couple different times. I am not ok with sending nude pictures. The first time it happened, I just tried to change the subject, but he then started ignoring me for several days. Then the second time he tried it, I just didn’t answer for a while trying to avoid it. He once again started ignoring me. I told him I was sorry that he probably felt rejected. I told him that I am just not ok with sending pictures like that. He kept on ignoring all of my messages. He then deleted me from both social medias but he didn’t block me. I could still message him. He avoided me in person the next day when I saw him. I waited a few days and then sent him one more message that said I hoped that we could at least be ok at the restaurant again and have fun like we used to. He ignored that message as well.


I saw him and week later at the restaurant. He tried to smile and wave at me, but I acted like I didn’t see it. The next morning, he sent me a friend request again. A few days later he messaged me again. We talked that day and later on started sharing pictures. He was talking about how good I looked. He then asked me if I was sexually attracted to him. I told him that I am. He then said he had thought about me for a long time. I asked him how long and he said since he had found out about his “biggest turn on.” I told him I hoped that it was because I was nice too. He said “well of course.” I also told him I hoped he thought I was smart and that I think he’s very smart which is very attractive to me. He ignored that comment and went back to talking sexually. He sent me very provocative pictures and videos. He asked what we would do if I was there with him and talked about sexual positions. He hinted he wanted a picture so I sent one of me in my underwear to him. He acted like he really liked it. I do not know how to talk dirty so I wasn’t really able to contribute to that part of the conversation. He has always talked about how innocent and modest I am since we started talking. He told me that now I know that he is very dirty. He said that he thinks I would maybe pass out if he said what he wanted to to me. He said he’s convinced I’ve never even thought the things he says.


After we were done talking, he told me that he was getting off of the internet for the night. He normally would not warn me that he was doing that and would just drop off. I thought that was nice of him. I did ask him not to keep the pictures of me and he said he wouldn’t. I got worried about someone eventually finding out what I did. The next day, he did not message me. I waited a few days and never heard from him. I messaged him and tried to start a friendly conversation. He barely replied to anything and then read my last message. I tried a few more times and the same thing happened each time.


It has been a month now and he still has not tried to have a real conversation with me. I saw him in the restaurant last week and he talked to me in person a little bit and acted like nothing was wrong. I got a little annoyed and was not super friendly. I felt bad and messaged him the next morning and said I was sorry I wasn’t myself. He said he “could tell something was up.” He did talk to me throughout the day just a little bit and even messaged me the next morning for a little while. We just talked about an injury he recently had and that was it. I did mention that I did hope everything was ok between us and that I promised that I had liked what he sent. He read that and didn’t reply.


I saw him yesterday, and he waved at me but I wasn’t looking. I did eventually wave at him and he said “how are you” as he walked by. He didn’t smile much like he normally would have and he didn’t try to come talk to me at all.






24
toughTiger6481 June 11th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518

you could research the term limerence.......

It is easy to get caught up in the flirty conversation and photos etc

some especially if you would have never seen yourself doing that get into IMO mode to believe it is more then what it is.... what if photos still exist if ever exposed .... maybe it sounds better if you felt it was real....

some ( both sexes) like the game / the chase / the talk of sex but if getting to a point of real no longer fun....

worked with a guy like this....... he relentlessly chased a lady ........but once it could be real........ the thrill was gone.

Move along .... you don't want to play this game of hot and cold over and over.

it is a good wake up call for you to decide what do you want ...... if your marriage is not working anymore .... or can you revive whatever is left.


passionateEast518 OP June 11th, 2023
.

Thank you for replying. I will research that. I can’t believe he would make this go on for almost a year and it was all just a game. Who has the time for that? That is really sick of him to do that. I am not sure what to do to help my marriage. If there is any advice someone has, I would appreciate it. I have been told this young man is a predator and maybe sensed my marriage issues.

Anonkelvin007 June 11th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518 Listen to your story and feel sorry for you, some people will use your life dissatisfaction to lure you to achieve their purposes, and ultimately make you hurt, so do not use other stimuli to fill what you do not have in your marriage, find a way to save your marriage if it is not too bad, or brave to end it and start a new life.

passionateEast518 OP June 11th, 2023
.

I keep wanting to think it was all my fault for what happened. I feel like such a loser. He seemed like he thought I was special. I don’t know what I was thinking. I will try and figure out a way to save my marriage if I can.

toughTiger6481 June 11th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518

Do not blame yourself .....this is not that bad of situation

it is easy to do if a person make you feel special/ wanted / attractive especially if spouse is NOT filling that role. Sometimes in marriage especially if long term people forget to do the simple things like make the other person feel wanted and alive....


passionateEast518 OP June 11th, 2023
.

Thank you so much! I am really trying not to blame myself. He did make me feel very good about the way I look. I do have self esteem issues. I even told him that when he first started complimenting me. I don’t know if he was continuing the compliments to get something from me or if he really meant them. I don’t really know if he cared about me at all. If he did, he has a strange way of showing it. He did grow up in a broken home with an abusive dad.

toughTiger6481 June 11th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518

I do not know why either ...but i have seen this type thing played years longer. If a predator they seem to sense a person whom this would work..... did he ask you for things like money or anything some do that too....

passionateEast518 OP June 11th, 2023
.

No he did not ask me for anything thankfully. Well I guess he only really pushed for pictures. He really wanted to see me naked I think. He pushed to find out things about me and he said one of them was his “biggest turn on.” He just mainly wanted to talk about that and my body. He just complimented everything about how I looked, even if I thought it was something that isn’t attractive, like my thick thighs. He would say he liked it. I don’t know if he was being serious or lying about some of it. I would try to have normal conversations with him and get to know him, but he would just drop out of the conversation at that point and ignore me or just barely answer. He occasionally would have a normal conversation but not very often at all.

truthfulbliss222 June 13th, 2023
.

Would you and your spouse be interested in marriage counseling? What are you guys holding onto?

passionateEast518 OP June 14th, 2023
.

I do believe maybe that is what we need to do. I’m not sure what else could help if we don’t get some professional help.

truthfulbliss222 June 21st, 2023
.

I think you should suggest it and see what happens. It’s no I in team! Always remember your feelings………don’t make decisions you can’t accept either.

PizzaandHotWings1 June 11th, 2023
.

Bow your back, look him straight in the eye and say “You don’t need to care about me. It’s my choice. You do you and your choices and I’ll do mine” don’t let him or anyone bother you just walk away when they start verbally abusing you like that. Don’t walk away after - walk away when they start. He’s looking for someone to abuse. Protect yourself

passionateEast518 OP June 11th, 2023
.

Thank you for pointing that out. That is really sad that he wanted to abuse me. I was so nice to him and tried to show him that I cared about his feelings.

sittingduck194 June 12th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518 @passionateEast518 - I read your story and I feel sad that you have to go through this. I have a feeling that the guy would probably try to push more in the future, for as long as you entertain him, up until he ultimately gets what he wants from you. This is what my ex of 8 years experienced from a co-worker. The guy pushed and pushed, until she gave in and gave the guy what he wanted. Almost broke her marriage and left a 3 year old child motherless.


Anyway, I suggest that you do your best to avoid the guy, then take some time to think of what's lacking in your life right now that made you entertain him.
passionateEast518 OP June 12th, 2023
.

Oh my goodness, that is so sad for you and your ex! I am so sorry that happened!! Thank you so much for reading my post and letting me know about that. I was worried he may not be done with me. I am really going to try and focus on me and distract myself from his games! I would hope that his goal isn’t to end my marriage, but you never know.

sittingduck194 June 14th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518 Yes, please... Focus on your self, your marriage; what's there and what's missing. I wish you the best.

As for me and my ex, our relationship was the result of what her co-worker did to her mental. Long story, but I ended up being the "other guy" for 8 years after her co-worker introduced her to polyamory. I'm currently in the process of fixing my moral compass after being in such a relationship.

passionateEast518 OP June 14th, 2023
.

Thank you so much for the advice! And I am so sorry you had to go through something like that. I am glad you are working on yourself now. I can only imagine what that was like

sittingduck194 June 14th, 2023
.

@passionateEast518 - Thank you. Stay strong. 🙂

bilenn June 12th, 2023
.

Well, honestly i think that some people are not so good humanly. What seperates a real man from a counterfeit one is his heart, his character, his compassion. Animalistic desires, so temporary, is only fine and beautiful if it is between two decent souls.

Analogically, if i say that i love a special chocolate, then i should not be saying it out of physical hunger, then it would be a mediocre lie.

Anyway I hope you would find peace eternally.

Best wishes.

passionateEast518 OP June 14th, 2023
.

Yes, unfortunately I don’t think he has any care for me other than what I look like. I like your analogy you used. Thank you for the advice!

truthfulbliss222 June 13th, 2023
.

From what I gathered from this he only wants a sexual relationship with you. He claims he felt uncomfortable in the beginning due to you being married but says inappropriate things. I feel as if you have been very open with him, and he may not respect you much as an individual again since you are married. Sorry.

passionateEast518 OP June 14th, 2023
.

Yes, he would claim he felt bad about it but would come back saying inappropriate things a few days later. He was always saying he was having a hard time staying appropriate. I don’t think it’s that hard to respect someone. Not sure what his goal was with claiming all that.

truthfulbliss222 June 21st, 2023
.

How are things lately?

passionateEast518 OP July 6th, 2023
.

I am sorry I am just now seeing your comment to check on me. Thank you so much for checking on me btw. I really appreciate it. I am doing ok. I still see him in person sometimes. He sometimes is nice and smiles and waves, other times he doesn’t even acknowledge that I’m there. I just wish there was something I could do to make things like they used to be when he was my friend. I just need to accept that he never wanted to be my friend. That just hurts a lot. He seemed so genuine when he smiled so big and was excited to see me. He has never been that way again since this whole ordeal. It’s like he makes a point not to smile at me unless it’s a small half smile.


I hate that he maybe lost respect for me when I did what I did. I have always been the type of person who never strayed or did anything wrong. He was just very pushy but I also wouldn’t let go of talking to him when he was being disrespectful or ignoring me. I guess maybe I shouldn’t worry about his opinion of me since he started the whole thing. That would be strange of him to think worse of me for doing what he ultimately wanted. He has been very disrespectful to me to be honest. I have been very nice to him and put up with a lot. Maybe that is what has made him not respect me, me not having more self respect when he’s rude. I have offered to be there for him as someone to talk to when he was going through a hard time. He wouldn’t even tell me exactly what was going on. He said he maybe would tell me later on. It’s like he doesn’t want me to actually care about him at all which is very sad. Could that be a sign that he doesn’t have respect for himself or think he is worthy of someone caring?


I also have been feeling guilty for being such a bad example to him. Like I said, I have always been a very strong person who didn’t stray. It was so very unlike my character to do what I did. I just don’t know how to talk to him about it since he is so immature. I don’t think he would let me have a conversation like that with him. I don’t know that he would even care if i apologized and told him that.


He has messaged me a little bit since this first post and I did answer and just had friendly conversation with him. He actually was pretty nice and did kind of engage in it. He never asks me about myself still. He did answer all the questions I asked him and talked to me for quite a while before dropping out of our conversations. But this very last conversation we had, he did try to start talking about my body again. I didn’t react to what he was saying and just had friendly conversation. He dropped out of the conversation fairly quickly. He hasn’t talked to me since then. I don’t know if he will have given up by now or if he will try again.


I also still have anxiety about the pictures of me that he may still have. I was never naked or anything thankfully. It’s just embarrassing to me if anyone finds out some of the things we have talked about. I regret being so inappropriate. I would never have started those type of conversations, but I still engaged in it when he did. I don’t want to lose the respect of all the great people in my life. I know the app we used shows when you screenshot things and it never showed that. But there are ways to get around that and I would see where he replayed some photos and I think that was him keeping them. I don’t think he’s totally evil and would try to expose me online or anything like that. I just worry about years later, someone going through his phone and finding them and they saying something or even knowing me themselves. You just never know what could happen. I know it’s my fault for not thinking about that before doing what I did and now I have to deal with the consequences.


My husband and I are doing well. We haven’t started therapy or anything like that but he knows that I will never be inappropriate like that again. He knows that I am sorry for it. I think he trusts me still even after what I did. He saw how it affected me and I told him about what I did immediately afterward. I have always told him everything so I think he knows I wouldn’t be able to keep anything from him.