I (26f) confessed to my best friend (26m) and was rejected, a week later he says he was wrong and has actually loved me all along, what do I do?

A 26-year-old woman recently confessed her feelings to her best friend, only to be gently rejected. After taking a week apart to heal, she was surprised when he confessed that he had realized he loved her all along.

While his words should bring joy, she feels conflicted, unsure if his change of heart is genuine or if she’s ready to trust her feelings again. Read the full story to understand her emotional dilemma and the challenges she’s facing in navigating her relationship.

‘ I (26f) confessed to my best friend (26m) and was rejected, a week later he says he was wrong and has actually loved me all along, what do I do?’

I finally built up the courage to confess to my best friend that I had feelings for him for the past two years. He was really nice about it and let me down gently but in no uncertain terms. It was a hard pill to swallow, but I accepted this and I told him I’d need some time to just get back to the right head space.

I took a week to separate myself from him and let myself recover and rebuild my self esteem, but I made sure to tell him there’s no hard feelings, I just need the space.
Fast forward to today, I ran into him and decided to talk to him and apologize for putting him in an uncomfortable position but that I accept his feelings and I’m ready to keep continue our relationship as friends.

Except… he tells me that he took that week to think too, and he thinks he’s actually loved me for a long time but that he was too dense to recognize his own feelings until now. I feel like I should be elated, but for some reason my heart just really hurts. I feel confused and unsure of what to believe.

For all the time I’ve known him, he’s never been the type to play with someone else’s feelings and has never given me any reason to think he’s lying to me now about how he feels towards me, but I don’t understand how someone can just go from having no romantic feelings towards someone to saying they’ve loved them all along in such a short time.

I feel like I’ve been asked to tear out a piece of my heart, sew it shut, and now suddenly open that same wound to put everything back the way it was! Should I just accept his feelings now? Should I be wary of this? I feel like this should be such an easy decision and yet, I just feel so confused!

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

aussielander −  Would you prefer that he accepted you when you first asked but a week later he realised it was a mistake…or he took a week to think about it and decide you are really what he wants? Strongest relationships are those built on friendships and not just l**t.

[Reddit User] −  This is a good thing. He thought about it and changed his mind.

pup143 −  I(23f) had a guy best friend and we were so close we said “hey let’s give it it a shot” it was the most awkward 2 weeks of my life so we decided to break up and continue being friends. Over the next two months I ended up falling inlove with him and I finally confessed and he said he felt the same.

He was the only man I was ever inlove with. I say talk to him and give it a shot. He was probably caught off guard. Explain to him how you feel. I’m rooting for you!

Virago95 −  I did this just like your best friend did, it took me though almost a year to realise I had big feelings. I am now married to this woman and we have a child together. Trust me it could be a certain thing. We men take time to think. =p

ThrowRAConfusedOne1 −  Hey guys! I really appreciate all of your advice! I didn’t expect this to get as much attention as it did and I’m truly grateful for it! Thank you for gold too! I’ve already messaged him to ask if we can talk in person later today and will update on what happens!

For those looking for more detail on what happened when he confessed, I’m not so sure it was that “I ran into him” so much as it was that he purposely put himself somewhere he knew I’d be. I like going to the park near my house to stay in shape and he was by the entrance around the same time I had finished up.

We said hi to one another and I tried to be as casual as possible to go back to how things were before. I apologized immediately for putting him in an uncomfortable position and told him I’d be just fine and not to worry because I’m glad we could still stay friends.

As I was telling him this he just seemed to deflate and I asked him what was on his mind and he told me that he does have feelings for me after all and that they’ve been there all along but he just didn’t recognize them as romantic love.

Honestly, I kind of freaked out there and told him to hold on because I was confused and didn’t really know what to believe anymore. He told me he was sorry for confusing me and hurting me, and he understood if I needed time to think. I told him I did and sort of just left it there until, well, here we are!

jackstar2l −  Quite possibly it took the week away from you to realise that you are his best friend and his potential love interest. Men compartmentalise things so it makes sense he had you in his BF category in his head and only when he misses you for a week he realised it was something more.

Friendships are often the glue that helps men through their ‘single days’ as they generally dont enjoy being alone as much as women. Men often don’t look at friends as potential ‘romantic relationship partners’ for fear of f**king their friendship up. Romantic relationships are a gamble, take a chance you are already best friends and have a great foundation. Good Luck.

THEMFCORNMAN −  Men are really stupid honey take it from one give it a shot

quirkyhevs −  He was not prepared for your feelings. And I think he was just caught off guard. But after thinking about it he has realised that your friendship is something he wishes to build on to something more. I think that’s great!

dumbestbitch1 −  I would approach him saying that because of his sudden turn around you’re just a little wary and confused. If he really loves you he should be more than happy to take the time to talk through things and ensure you’re both certain of where you’re going from now. Goodluck!

kermadii −  sometimes it takes a knock in the head to get us going! my best friend confessed to me and I didn’t like him, so I let him down. a couple weeks later, I fell HEAD OVER HEELS for him. after thinking about it I’d realised I liked him too and my reaction was just shock. he ended up getting back with his ex and I pined for 2 years!! if you still feel that love, accept his confession before it’s too late