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Feeling guilty.

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by Schlag, May 21, 2012.

  1. Schlag

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    i'm feeling rather guilty of late.
    3 weeks ago my friend jenny told me she was in love with her flat mate and my best friend, keenan. All 3 of us are really good friends. And we hang out alot.

    Back to the guilt, i know for a fact that Keenan isn't interested in Jenny sexually/romantically. i'm gay and they both know it. (came out to them in early Jan)
    The issue is that Jenny told me how she feels about Keenan, and last time i asked Keenan about Jenny his view hadn't changed.

    2 weeks ago Keenan kissed me while we getting more drink and food from the store. It was out of the blue and i never told Jenny about it.

    I attributed that to his care free nature and to him being a little intoxicated. We didn't discuss it or even think twice about it. I mean it was just a kiss.

    Move on to 2 nights ago. A completely different story. I hosted a small party about 10 people came over but Jenny could make it cause she was working a graveyard shift.

    By the end of the night it was myself and Keenan the only ones left and he was to crash in the spare room as usual.

    I really didn't think or even have any thought of doing anything with Keenan, but he walked into my room and kissed me again. basically we landed up sleeping together.

    And again we haven't spoken about what happened in the bedroom, but we have spoken about random unimportant things.

    I've tried to bring it up, but he deflects the questions or changes subject. I can't talk to Jenny about this because i have know idea how she would react.

    I need to process how i've gone from best friend of 5+ years to friend with benefits. And if he Keenan is gay/bi.
    And both of us are hiding this from Jenny and its eating at me, because i know when i talk to jenny again she is gonna ask for advice on how to get Keenan to notice her as a potential girlfriend since i've known him longer.
     
  2. Gravity

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    Well, not to sound insensitive, but how in love is Jenny, really? If she's not dating Keenan, and they're not involved in any way, and he is, in fact, totally unaware of her feelings, would it really crush her to know that he just doesn't feel the same way? I'm not trying to invalidate her feelings and if she feels like she can use that word, then more power to her, but her recovery process might not be as long as you'd expect. At least I would think.

    Is there anyone you can talk to about this besides Jenny?

    You might try confronting Keenan about it when/if he tries something again. Not aggressively ("cut this out until you tell me what's up!"), perhaps, but maybe a little bit more respectfully ("hey, what's going on here? what are we doing?"). I can't say for sure how he'd react, but if the attentions you're receiving from him are making you uncomfortable, it might be a way to at least clarify the situation a little. In any case, if he's been your friend all along, I doubt this is just due to his "carefree nature." It could have a variety of causes, but I doubt that's one of them.
     
  3. super confused

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    I'm not sure if he will, but if Keenan tries anything again, that would probably be a good time to confront him about it.

    Also, does Keenan know how Jenny feels about him?
     
  4. WriteLife

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    You could try asking Jenny what her plans are if Keenan doesn't feel the same way. Kind of make her aware of the possibility.

    Most importantly I think you need to find out whats going on with Keenan. Find out his intentions with you. If it turns out he's interested in you because he's gay that's not something you could have stopped for Jenny can't hold it against you. She shouldn't hold anything against you (in regards to the secrets you have) since it's not only your business to tell.

    If it turns out he's bi, or curious then you should explain to him about Jenny. Either way the subject of her feelings are going to come in to play because they exist, however minor or major they are. A lot of people confuse love, like and lust so maybe Jenny's doing the same.

    If Jenny asks you for advice before you're able to talk to Keenan... you can give her advice you'd normal give her. Advice you feel comfortable giving her. Maybe she should tell him how she feels. Either way... good luck!
     
  5. Dominic

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    I think you need to confront Keenan about it now, don't wait until it happens again. Then, once you've sorted out Keenan's feelings and why he kissed you (just because he was drunk, or does he actually have feelings for you), you should talk to him about Jenny's feelings towards him. You should talk to her about a Plan B if Keenan doesn't have the same feelings towards her. You should also confront Jenny about what happened between you and Keenan and what he did. You three are best friends, you need to be honest with each other.

    I hope everything works out for you three. :slight_smile:
     
  6. Ianthe

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    You need to at least tell Jenny that Keenan has told you he isn't interested. Tell her you are pretty sure he isn't going to be.

    Independent of Jenny, what would you want to happen with Keenan? Do you like him? Would you want to have a relationship, if that's what he's going for? I mean, you didn't kick him out of bed or anything, so, you know...

    Meanwhile, at least be sure to let Keenan know that he can talk to you if he's confused about his sexuality or whatever. "Not that the random sex isn't fun and all..." Maybe see if you can find out what HIS feelings are in all this.

    (Jenny's feelings matter, but so do yours and Keenan's.)
     
  7. Insomniac

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    It's ok if you're not feeling free to tell her that you two had that night together. But Jenny must be aware of the situation that Keenan doesn't want to date her and he's gay (or bi ?). It's better for her not to go further and should be able to handle her feelings. If this love thing continues she may hurt herself.
    There's no reason to feel guilty. You did nothing wrong as they're not in relationship and that's just a simple one-sided feeling.
    In addition , It's better to confront Keenan. Talk to him about his feelings and find out what all these kissing stuff are really about !
     
  8. Ianthe

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    Just to be clear, I DON'T really think it would be cool to out Keenan to Jenny. You should definitely tell her he said he's not interested in her like that, and help her deal with it.

    It would be better to tell Keenan about Jenny's feelings than to tell Jenny about Keenan's sexuality, especially since he isn't really out to you yet--I mean, you guys have been together, but you don't actually know what his feelings are. HE might not even know. I think outing him to his other best friend before he's ready would not be cool.

    I think you should tell Jenny that Keenan told you he isn't interested, and tell Keenan that you feel guilty about being with him because Jenny told you she likes him. Maybe even encourage him to "confide" in her about having feelings for you and questioning his sexuality. Or knowing that he's gay or bi or whatever his deal is.

    Then, after she knows all that, you could possibly tell her what happened--tell her the truth, that you felt guilty because you knew how she felt about him, but you didn't want to hurt Keenan by saying no, and if he was looking for a guy, it didn't seem like she had any kind of shot anyway. You couldn't tell her before without betraying Keenan if he wasn't ready to tell her about his sexuality.

    But like I said, the key is to be aware of everyone's feelings, instead of only one person's.

    With Jenny, the main thing is, when she does find out, make sure she knows that you would have told her when it happened if you could have without betraying Keenan.

    Do you know if different living situations could be worked out for each of them? It would be a lot better for Jenny if she wasn't living with him. It's going to be hard for her to get over him while they are sharing a place.