I (f26) love my best friend, but how can I be honest about what bothers me about him (m25)?
I would like to clarify that English is not my first language And I'm writing this from my cell phone.
I've known L for over 10 years, we met in high school, from the beginning we realized we had a lot in common. I never had a boyfriend during my school years, while he did date other people, and that never bothered me.
After we graduated, he went to university and I stayed because I had been offered a good job in the city. We continued talking even though we didn't see each other much. We stopped seeing each other for a while due to the pandemic.
I love him, he's very cute, it's clear he's in love with me and I'm in love with him, but I've never been able to kiss him or be more intimate with him. He's told me he loves me more than a friend, but he doesn't pressure me to try anything. However, I've realized I love him. He's been my best friend, and I want to be with him.
After graduation I only had one boyfriend, to whom I was engaged but we broke up 2 years ago. L never met my ex-fiancé 'cause We never had time to see each other; he was busy with his career.
I want to try something with L, but he has periodontitis (I think that's what it's called) , bad breath, and seems to have poor oral hygiene. I don't know how to tell him that's what's preventing me from kissing him. I'm a clean freak and I don't want to be rude by telling him, but we don't know what other people are going through. I know he must notice, so I don't know why he doesn't do anything about it. So I want to tell him how I feel, but without being rude.
Ever since I've known him, he's always had periodontitis, and when he had girlfriends, it seemed like his breath didn't bother them, because I saw them kissing during breaks.
In my country we say goodbye with a kiss on the cheek, so even then I could smell his bad smell.
What can I do? I love him, and this is the only thing stopping me from being with him. How can I tell him without him getting angry with me?
I hope you can understand what I'm trying to say. I could ask AI for help and advice, but I prefer real people