Of course it will hurt your friend if you date the new guy because your friend isn’t your friend — he’s a suitor. He’s someone who wants to date you. But…. in love, someone always gets hurt. That’s the nature of the dynamic. Dating is competitive and rejection is normal. He WILL get over his hurt and he WILL move on. You can’t protect his feelings because if you don’t date the guy you like because you want to take care of someone else, you’ll be “mercy-dating” him. And nobody wants to feel like they’re a mercy date. 😳
If you like the new guy more than the older guy, then you should date the new guy. But don’t agree to be his girlfriend just yet. Instead, see if after dating him for a couple of months, you like him well enough to date him and only him! It’s not in your best interest (or his) to take yourself off the market just because someone likes you, but hasn’t dated you yet. You should date smart. You may decide after three or four dates that this new guy is a nice guy with a lot of great attributes, but not your cup of tea. If you’re just someone he’s dated and not his “girlfriend”, moving on isn’t a big deal at that time — but if you make a premature commitment, then making that decision to move on takes on implications you probably didn’t intend.
Hope that helps!
[b]Check out my new FB Fan Page!! And If the advice you found on AskApril.com was helpful “like” me — and tell a friend!
[url][/url][/b]
