Someone I’ve been on dates with realized they were aromantic
Long story short someone I’ve gone on several dates with recently realized they were aromantic. They said that they really like me platonically, and the only thing they can offer is friendship.
Unfortunately, I have developed romantic feelings for them, so it has been stinging quite a bit. But I still really want to be friends with them and keep them in my life since they’ve been such a great companion, just not immediately as I have to detach those romantic feelings first.
How do I proceed so I can better process the situation (how to understand and support them better, how not to take this so personally, how to have a good friendship when the time comes, etc). I am admittedly quite new to the topic of aromanticism and lost in how to deal with this, so any advice is very much appreciated.