Hi everyone,
Over a year ago, I (20F) connected with a man (31M) who used to be an instructor at my previous online college. I was his student, but we didn’t really interact much at the time. The moment I was transferring schools, we coincidentally ran into each other in the same place—it felt really meaningful, so we decided to connect on social media. (There's more to this but I'll just leave it at that)
For a while, our interactions were only online. At some point I asked him why he made me feel so safe and seen, and he replied with something like, “I don’t always know my impact, but I’m glad you felt that way. How are your studies?”
Eventually, I told him directly that his presence was healing for me. He continued to be kind and friendly, and over time I realized I had deeper feelings. I confessed those feelings to him—not really expecting a “yes” or “no,” just wanting to be honest about where I was at.
His response? He blocked me.
I didn’t spiral, I actually felt a sense of relief for finally saying it out loud. But here’s the weird part: even now, I still feel loved by him in a way that almost feels like he reciprocated—like my gut is telling me it was mutual even though his actions clearly say otherwise. Part of this might be because, before blocking me, he would post things on social media that felt like they were directed at me—but never with full clarity. That lack of clarity still lingers in my mind.
After a while, I told my brother about him, and for fun my brother decided to send him a friend request. I was like, “Are you crazy??” But then he actually accepted it and now they’re friends on social media. Meanwhile I’m just here like ??? I respect his silence so I don’t try to get information from my brother—I’m just minding my own business and living my life.
I’m not necessarily looking for advice on “what to do” — I’m just looking for alternative perspectives on my situation. Why might I feel like he loved me back despite being blocked? What do you think is really going on here?
Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
TL;DR: Over a year ago, I connected online with a former instructor (31M). I told him he healed me and confessed my feelings; he blocked me. Despite this, I still feel like he might have reciprocated, partly because of ambiguous social media posts. I’m looking for alternative perspectives, not advice.