Meredith,

For about a month and a half, I have been seeing a man who is the throes of a divorce. Despite this short amount of time, I think I have fallen for him pretty hard.

A few days after we became physically intimate, I broached the topic of our relationship. His response was that he was not ready for another long-term relationship or for dating. In all fairness, even though we met on a dating website, he told me before our initial meeting that he was interested in someone he’d met at a mixer and that we could only meet as friends. I never knew what exactly happened to this other woman, but it soon became apparent that she was not in the picture anymore based on the amount of time that we spent together.

We had numerous discussions about whether we could have a casual relationship, and I told him that I liked him too much to view him in a casual manner. We decided that the best and healthiest solution was to sever all contact so that I would not get hurt and he could fully process the end of his marriage.

I keep thinking about him, though, and hoping that he will contact me again. It has only been days since the mutual decision was reached. I know that he is not emotionally available for a relationship, but I wonder if I should have stuck it out. No one can make any promises for any type of relationship working out, so was I too hasty in ending things? Can casual relationships turn into something more? Would it have been foolish of me to wait around for him?

– Wanting Emotionally Unavailable Man in Boston