I (27m) told my junior architect (22m) he’s my crush… and now I don’t know how to move forward
I’m a 27-year-old male working in an architecture firm. I’ve been in the industry for a while, and honestly, it’s been years since I’ve had a real crush on someone. Work, deadlines, site visits, drawings… life just became routine.
Then we hired a junior architect.
At first, it was purely professional. Design discussions, revisions, deadlines, coordination, normal office stuff. I was his senior, so I was guiding him a lot at the start.
But over time, we started getting closer. After office hours, we’d sometimes grab coffee with other teammates. Then it turned into smaller group hangouts. Eventually, even drinking sessions after stressful deadlines.
Nothing inappropriate happened, but the bond slowly became more personal than I expected.
After about two months of working closely together…
I told him I like him. Not in a pressured way. just direct and respectful, after work, outside office context.
His reaction was calm. He didn’t cut me off or make it awkward. He handled it maturely. But he told me clearly that He’s reserved. He’s waiting for someone.
We’re still okay at work. We still talk normally, still professional, still friendly.
But I won’t lie. it’s been on my mind a lot since then.
Now I’m stuck in this weird space:
Do I keep things as normal and just fully accept that nothing will happen?
Or do I slowly create distance so I don’t get more emotionally attached while still working in the same team?