Friends (without benefits)

To those who commented on my previous post, (if you haven't read it, you may want to catch up now) I'd like to take a moment to thank you and say you were right.  Thankfully, Little Red didn't get angry with me or cut off all communication.  I was up front and honest with her about my feelings.  I felt torn about the whole thing, and was seriously considering just walking away, as hard as that would have been.  So, I asked her what she wanted from me, and we talked it out.  She told me what she needs most right now is a friend.  She's still hurting from the breakup, so jumping into a relationship before she's fully healed simply isn't a good idea.  She's also afraid she's going to end up hurting me somehow, which was one of her big reasons for taking physical things off the table.  It's totally sensible, so I can't really argue with that.

The next step is going to be tough.  I need to do my best to put my romantic (not to mention hormonal) feelings aside, so that this can become an actual friendship without complications.  Perhaps they're right when they say 'friends first'.  As difficult as this could end up being, I think it's for the best.  If I can do this right, Little Red and I could still have a shot at a relationship somewhere down the line.  I'll conclude here with some very nice words from the lady herself that gave me some hope that this will all work out in the end:  "I do like you, and maybe someday I could be with you, but not now...you aren't a quick fix, you are a lovely person, and I am lucky to have you as a friend."