Your crush not liking you back is hurtful, but you can live with that, because nothing good comes out of forcing out affection from someone. Having your crush taken by someone who knows about your feelings is a whole different story and the bitter taste of it can haunt you for the rest of your life.
Or at least a decade, like what happened to Reddit user Routine-Let-2090 who confided in his older brother about his crush but he turned around and married her. The younger brother is still mad about it and refuses to be friends with his now SIL, even though they were close when they were younger.
More info: Reddit
Man distanced himself from his childhood crush who entered the family through his brother and refused to be her comfort even after her dad's death
Image credits: babystumpy (not the actual photo)
The Original Poster (OP) is 25 years old now, has a girlfriend and feels happy in his relationship, but he is still mad at his older brother Liam who started dating his childhood friend Emily after he told him that he had a crush on the girl.
Actually, the OP went to his brother for advice, because Liam had more experience with girls and the younger brother was a little awkward and never made a move towards Emily.
The OP had a crush on Emily since he was a child but never tried to ask her out, although he went to his brother to ask for advice
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
That didn’t stop Liam from advancing towards Emily himself and the OP was very upset. When he found out that Liam and Emily were a couple, he wanted to distance himself from the girl, which was kind of hard to do given that they went to the same classes and worked the same shifts.
It became even harder when the couple announced that they were having a baby, which meant that Emily would forever stay in the family. The OP decided to transfer to a college in another state, didn’t attend his brother’s wedding and distanced himself from his niece.
So he was not expecting to find out that Liam and Emily started dating
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
The OP claims that he has completely moved on and he doesn’t think Emily owes him a relationship or would want to be with her, but it took time and during that time, the two of them have not been as close friends as before, so they kind of drifted apart. And while the man wasn’t that mad at Emily, he really feels a grudge towards his older brother to this day and they aren’t close whatsoever.
All of this time, the OP has tried to be polite, buy gifts for his niece and not cause drama, but it seems that Emily remembered what good friends the two of them were in the past and turned to him for comfort after her dad died.
The OP tried very hard to escape from Emily, but that didn't work out because she got pregnant and later married his brother
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
Image credits: Alison Groves (not the actual photo)
Emily’s dad wasn’t around, but the woman still loved him and really wanted that kind of relationship, so when he died, it was a painful loss. The OP knew about her situation with her dad and how she desired that family dynamic, but despite their close friendship in the past, the man wasn’t much of a comfort.
It was a hard time for Emily and she needed a friend who would understand her. She thought the OP could be that person because they had known each other for so long, but even though the man allowed his former crush to cry, he wasn’t giving anything much more than that.
The younger brother was never as close to Emily or Liam since then, so he found it strange when his SIL came to him for comfort after her dad's death
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
It threw Emily off and she asked why he was being so cold, so he told her that she shouldn’t expect him to be her comfort person. On top of that, he added that they were close just because they were young and now she has a husband, so if she needs a shoulder to cry on, going to Liam is more appropriate.
Such hostility hurt Emily and word spread around the family, most of which thought that what the OP said was heartless not only because it was spiteful, but also because Emily’s dad had just died and she was emotionally distraught.
However, she noticed that her childhood friend was rather cold to her and he didn't hide the fact that he wasn't too happy about being her comfort person
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
The young man felt that he was just setting a boundary which helped him to retain his sanity and was confused why everyone expected him to keep being friends with Emily. People in the comments helped him understand that how he acted was not very nice and in an update, he admitted that the way he said it and the timing to say it was awful.
Although, he didn’t regret being honest. Furthermore, he didn’t regret staying away from his niece and he still hates his brother to the point that he is planning to cut ties with him as soon as their parents pass away.
Emily took that to heart and when the family found out that the OP was so cruel to a family member that once was his good friend, called him a jerk
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
The OP was pretty confused why he was expected to be the emotional support for Emily when they weren't friends anymore and she had a husband
Image credits: SHVETS production (not the actual photo)
Redditors shared their observations about the situation and actually thought that the problem might be too serious for an online forum to discuss. They deemed the OP to be the jerk in the situation.
First of all, ignoring your niece because she is the baby of your high school crush and your older brother isn’t healthy. Also, he never asked Emily out, so he can’t expect her not to say yes to other people who did. Finally, she is his SIL, so she is family and it isn’t unusual to seek support from family members, especially if your friendship dates back to high school.
People in the comments thought the OP was a jerk for crossing over all those years of friendship and not offering comfort when Emily needed it
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
They were saying that being so mad at his brother over a childhood crush was taking it too far and not healthy
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
Some people admitted that his brother shouldn’t have pursued a girl his little brother liked and there were people who didn’t blame the OP for being so cold towards Emily, but being so bitter all of these years later doesn’t make him look good.
On the other hand, several popular comments held the NTA judgment, saying that Emily should have realized they weren’t friends anymore because the OP was purposefully distancing himself from her and because they didn’t keep in touch all of these years, he doesn’t owe her emotional support.
While others supported the OP because he didn't owe Emily anything as they drifted apart as friends over the years
Image credits: Routine-Let-2090
What do you think about this situation? Was the OP acting cruel because he and Emily were once friends and that should mean something? Or do you think that if the man doesn’t want to show affection to his childhood friend because he doesn’t feel close to her, it is a healthy boundary to create? We are curious to know what your thoughts were after reading the story.
Want to make sense of complicated human dynamics? Visit our Family Dynamics Hub for expert-backed guides on toxic behavior, setting boundaries, and emotional healing.