Woman reunites with old friend and confesses online that she regrets never revealing her feelings during their 15-year friendship

SINGAPORE: One woman, who recently met up with a close friend she had feelings for over 15 years, confessed on social media that she deeply regretted never admitting her feelings back then.

Sharing her story on Reddit’s ‘SGexams’ forum on Sunday (Aug 3), the woman revealed that she was about 13 years old when she first realised she liked her friend.

“I was 13, and I didn’t think much of it at first, but the more we spent time together, the more I realised I was slowly starting to like him. I told myself it was probably a simple crush. Will get over it soon. I didn’t,” she wrote.

“There were rumours of him liking me too, but we both just kept quiet. I was afraid of ruining the friendship, but if you asked me, did I think he liked me? I really felt like he did. There were so many signs.”

The woman said that it wasn’t until after they entered junior college that she finally tested the waters. In what she described as a subtle attempt at confession, she brought up the topic of relationships.

“I asked him, ‘So, what is your idea of getting into a relationship, anyone caught your eye yet?’ He said, ‘yes.’ I was a bit shocked,” she explained.

“And I asked, ‘Yes, as in yes, it’s time to get into a relationship or yes, someone caught your eye.’ He told me ‘both.’”

Stunned by his honest response, the woman said she chose not to reveal her feelings in the end.

In the years that followed, her close friend entered two relationships, while she remained by his side, silently supporting him while keeping her true feelings hidden.

When he finally enlisted in the army and she began her studies at university, the woman said that was the moment their paths started to drift apart. The daily closeness they once shared slowly faded, and life began to take them in different directions.

“I went on with my life, never told him how I felt,” she wrote. “There was no reason for us to be together daily, unlike back in secondary school. I knew it was time to give up.”

Now, at 28, they crossed paths once more, but this time, the reunion was nothing like she had imagined. Her close friend came with news that completely took her by surprise. He was going to get married.

Hearing this, a wave of mixed emotions washed over her. She confessed that it felt like the long-unspoken story between them, the 15 years of silent hopes and hidden feelings, had finally come to an end.

Despite everything, she admitted that he would always hold a “special place in her heart.”

Reflecting on her own experience, she encouraged others not to hold back. “If you GENUINELY like someone, and if you know/feel they may like you back, consider giving it a shot. You might regret it otherwise.”

“Let this be a lesson for all of us.”

In the comments, one Singaporean Reddit user responded, “What is this rubbish? If love does not take risks, it is not love.”

Another joked, “Married still can divorce. Jiayou! LOL”

A third user shared, “I followed your advice years ago, and I got rejected by two guys and said ‘you deserve better’ to me.”

A fourth added, “You never genuinely pursued this guy. It takes multiple shots on target to get a goal. You didn’t make a single shot. Let this be a lesson for all of us.”

In other news, a woman shared online that she ended a budding relationship after realising she couldn’t bring herself to live in her boyfriend’s former matrimonial home.

Posting on Reddit, the 35-year-old explained that both she and her 39-year-old boyfriend owned HDB flats. She had purchased a four-room unit in the Canberra area last year as a single owner, while her boyfriend was in the process of taking over full ownership of a four-room flat in the east, which he had previously lived in with his ex-wife.

Read more: Woman calls it quits after realising she couldn’t live in her boyfriend’s former matrimonial  home