Jitterbug said:
As Buddha (the actual philosopher) would tell you, you need to let go of such attachments. You're getting attached too quickly to women who show you any attention. You're placing them on a pedestal too quickly. The redhead at work seems alright, but I can assure you she's not all that and a bag of chips. You're just seeing her through unattainable pvssy goggles (more dangerous version of new pvssy goggles) so she seems like an angel dancing on sunshine and rainbows right now. You haven't got the head clear for long enough to ask her the right questions to reveal her bad side yet.
For example, as someone on the outside commenting on the limited information you gave me about her, I can see a warning flag already: a woman about to get married should NEVER go out to lunch with a single male co-worker. I would not want my (hypothetical) fiancee to do that. A taken woman must draw a very clear line between professional work and personal relationship with other men, and she would, if she actually respected her fiance and feared losing him. This one is enjoying too much male attention from a single man (you) to draw the line. Women aren't stupid, this one knows you're super keen on her, and she's enjoying every minute of it. That is not the mark of a good woman.
This is something people can try to explain to you, but only true maturity can make you feel it. I've been there before, and could logically understand it, but only with maturity (and we all reach it in different ways) I could sit back, chill out and see the woman for what she really is and not with said goggles.
One thing for sure: the more successful you are in life and business, the more important it will be that you get rid of those goggles, else you'd be ripe for pickings by some enterprising woman who can fake your Dream Woman persona (it's not that hard, btw).
@Jitterbug -- I genuinely appreciate your feedback, it is accurate man. I have to say I too completely recognized her going to lunch with me as not a good thing for a woman who is about to get married. She also gave me some pretty sweet longing eyes and I felt not good about the whole thing (guilt), but we didn't make any moves and I don't know if she's just bored.
My personal theory is they've been dating since college and probably early on, they're getting married and I believe their mutual parents approve of one another, etc. She is rather young, 24, and likely has not had many LTRs beyond this one. I don't think she always knows what she's doing. But she's so goddam.ned smart and so tenacious and motivated and a very beautiful person.
I have tried to convince myself she is evil. I have tried to hate her. Or not even hate, but lack of concern. I placed space between us, and had to basically ignore her in a sense. I walk past her desk everyday at work--I would do my best to walk briskly, look busy, look as though very serious important issues are pending. I never gave her negativity or hate. Just tried to ignore--put it out of the mind--detach. She seemed really hurt by this, she sent me a few emails, I ignored them--afraid of treading on sketchy ground and kept the space.
One day she came walking past my desk with her head hanging low and she looked really sad, (and looked at me and said Hi really softly) and I felt bad for her, she seems like such a good person, I thought..I wondered if I was treating her poorly...maybe she just genuinely wanted to be my friend...so I cracked a day or two later and sent her an email, I couldn't resist, I felt so damn magnetized, felt like I'd been sort of an @ss to her. I started communicating with her again.
We never then or now "talked" about anything about her relationship or anything about "us".
I've never really heard her speak positively about her finacee. I've only heard her complain. Recently she says "he" rather than even his name. It's just all fvcked up. Part of me wants to grab her and say,
you're a beautiful sexy motivated 24 year old! Please don't marry this dude now! Don't do it! Don't do it!
But I know she is living her own life, own decisions, none of my business--and she would never be able to love me in the way that I expect to be loved--anything between us is not possible--and I might just be a causality and as you say Jitterbug, she may not have any of that intention at all--she's just looking for attention. This is what I thought -- but days she sulks past my desk, or the times she's sent me kind encouraging words, I thought..meh..I'm being too hard..I can control my emotions for her (but this is really not true, it's hard to fully control those emotions when they are so strong).
I have, after our lunch, had to restrain myself. We've had some email exchanges and she dulled it down this time. In return I've created some space again also, there is no real hostility, I act at work as nothing bothers me, that nothing has occurred, and still just act "normal". But in my mind I just know what's up, I don't think we can have some normal friendship.
I notice she observes my body language a lot, when I enter the room at times I have seen her adjust in her chair, or move her hair.
Jitterbug bro, at the end of the day, your words hold weight. I am sure she knows I crush on her (one day I had a waterbottle in my crotch at a meeting and I kept seeing her eye my junk slightly and shift her weight and for a moment I felt this sexual tension right at work...her sitting next to me at work...). It's like all the biological/pheromones are saying "you need to bang this woman right here" -- but it isn't the truth.
She did help me tremendously by connecting me to a job in town that will really be a positive thing these next months. I feel I "owe" her some degree of something, as she genuinely reached out to help me--even after the space I created. She has a few times helped me with my current struggles...she is good at "listening" and she provides some good feedback...this was done via an email.
I have at times thought maybe she was a victim of something -- maybe she's being treated unfairly...maybe she takes care of this guy and does all the work around the house, etc, etc, or isn't satisfied intellectually or sexually with him..I don't know how motivated this guy is.
But at the end of the day, you are correct man. She probably does dig the attention, and she would potentially leave me to the wayside if a new branch that looked better came a long. She is likely unexperienced. She likely feels attraction for me, but its all hindered or perverted because of her marriage. She may really love the guy too and just think of me as a "friend", but I've definitely felt more than that, and she has before offered to "pick up a 6 pack" and I ought to "come by". I avoided that situation.
You're words are correct dude. I need to put her out of my mind romantically. I may or may not have to work with her into the future -- the job I am starting she is loosely affiliated with -- I don't want to burn my bridge with her or get hostile or catty or any BS with her; I want to just remain chill--despite whatever is or is not, she has helped me, I definitely don't want to hurt her. But I don't want to hurt myself or her fiancee either. I know truly I have to keep that mental space. But sometimes those feelings get rather strong and I get oneitis for this chick and I don't always know how to deal with that correctly. Thus far, I haven't done anything to get myself in any trouble thank god.
PS -- She could also just be using me as a place of reinforcement when she's having rough patches in her relationship, or to make her finance angry / jealous / fearful. That is a real possibility.