#romantic rejection

[cosmimarshmello]

Sunny was lost in memories of the various times she'd been rejected. Even years later, it still stings.

Part of a loose-story sketch series about my OC.

[themisterbenjy]

He didn’t ask for any of this.

[mexcine]

“You mean you would be fool enough to pass up a chance to marry me?” (Real Love 48, 1952).  "Nobody would be a better husband than me!” “You’re right,” she replied, “having nobody for a husband would be better than being married to you!”  Zing!   Not that this has ever happened to me three times. *stifles a sob*

[ouijabug]

the worst part of rejection is when you're still friends and you have to live with the fact that your feelings might grow even though you know they won't and can't like you back.

[jyasjwrose]

[ilikesocialjustice]

My “Jerkass Realization”

I feel like shit.

I’ve unintentionally hurt someone I cared about because I underestimated how much they cared about me.

Its strange. Becoming so used to rejection over the years, I didn’t realize it was possible for anyone to become that deeply enamored of me. And when it did happen, I didn’t realize how deeply his feelings ran as I start having a long distance relationship with him. I told him it wasn’t serious, and it wouldn’t be serious until he moved here, which he was considering, and he said it was fine, and now I’ve met someone who is here and we really seem to be hitting it off.

And I’ve had to break it off with the long distance guy and he’s very upset. I thought he’d just be disappointed but he’s really hurt.

He doesn’t pursue romantic relationships out of fear of being hurt. Whereas I do and I’m always prepared for them to implode suddenly, as they often do, and I thought he could handle it as well as I do, and he can’t.

I *did* warn him what he was getting into, but...I feel like an asshole because I care very much about him and I’ve hurt him because I’ve underestimated how emotionally attached he would get to me. I didn’t anticipate that. I’m used to being the one who gets emotionally attached to other people, either romantically or platonically, and having *them* reject me.  It hurt a lot, but I’ve learned to shrug and say “oh well, whatever”, due to my experience with the emotional pummeling.

I just never anticipated that I’d be in the other position and that I’d be the one who has to break it to someone that I’m rejecting *them*. This is new to me.

Even though I was as gentle as I could be, I’ve still hurt him greatly.

I guess I didn’t realize that someone could think of me as being...that special to them. All that rejection took my anticipation of that possibility away.

Even now the possibility of rejection by the other guy is still in my head and I’m calmly resigned to it. I’m stoically resigned to losing both individuals if that’s what happens. It will hurt like hell, but it won’t be the end of the world.

I guess I’ve learned to always prepare myself for rejection on some level. Even when I started mentally thinking of the long distance guy as “my boyfriend”, I mentally smacked myself upside the head and scolded myself for thinking of him that way.

I’ve created a system of defense mechanisms to keep my self-image and my psyche safe when rejected.

I forgot that other people don’t have them.

I had his heart in my hands, and I’ve broken it because I foolishly thought it was as strong as mine.

[mexcine]

"Rejected in derision!"  I hate it when that happens... (Beware #12, 1954)